Question

How did oracle bones influence decision-making in ancient China?
Describe one way Qin Shi Huang centralized power.
Why was the Terracotta Army created?
What role did the Silk Road play in cultural diffusion?
Compare Confucianism and Legalism in terms of governance.
What achievements made the Gupta Empire a “Golden Age”?
How did Ashoka promote Buddhism in his empire?
Why was standardization important for the Qin Dynasty?
Give two examples of technological or scientific advances during the Gupta period.

Answer 1

- How did oracle bones influence decision-making in ancient China?
- Shang rulers used divination on oracle bones to ask ancestors or spirits about hunting, warfare, agriculture, and ritual decisions. The diviners’ answers guided policy and military actions and the inscribed questions/responses helped legitimize rulers and produced early written records.

- Describe one way Qin Shi Huang centralized power.
- He abolished the feudal states and replaced them with centrally controlled commanderies governed by officials appointed by the central government, breaking local aristocratic power and ensuring loyalty to the emperor.

- Why was the Terracotta Army created?
- The Terracotta Army was buried with Qin Shi Huang to protect and serve him in the afterlife and to display his power and authority in death, reflecting beliefs in an active afterlife and imperial status.

- What role did the Silk Road play in cultural diffusion?
- The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that carried goods (silk, spices, metals), technologies, artistic styles, and ideas (notably Buddhism) between East, Central, South, and West Asia, spreading religions, sciences, and cultural practices across regions.

- Compare Confucianism and Legalism in terms of governance.
- Confucianism: stresses moral example, filial piety, hierarchical relationships, and education to cultivate virtuous rulers and officials; social order arises from ethical behavior and proper rites.
- Legalism: views people as needing strict control, emphasizes clear laws, harsh punishments, and strong central authority to maintain order; law and state power, not moral persuasion, are primary tools.

- What achievements made the Gupta Empire a “Golden Age”?
- Major achievements included breakthroughs in mathematics (concept of zero and place-value decimal system), advances in astronomy and literature (works by Aryabhata and poet Kalidasa), medical knowledge and surgical practices (Ayurvedic texts, Sushruta), thriving arts and architecture, and institutions of learning like Nalanda.

- How did Ashoka promote Buddhism in his empire?
- After converting following the Kalinga war, Ashoka issued edicts promoting moral conduct (dhamma), erected pillar and rock inscriptions, sponsored construction of stupas and monasteries, supported Buddhist clergy financially, and sent missionaries abroad (e.g., to Sri Lanka) to spread the faith.

- Why was standardization important for the Qin Dynasty?
- Standardizing script, weights and measures, law, and axle lengths unified administration and commerce, improved communication and logistics (especially military movement), reduced regional fragmentation, and strengthened central control across the newly unified China.

- Give two examples of technological or scientific advances during the Gupta period.
- Mathematics: development and dissemination of the place-value decimal system and the concept of zero.
- Medicine: advances recorded in Ayurvedic texts and surgical techniques (e.g., descriptions of procedures and instruments attributed to practitioners like Sushruta).