Compare the four river-valley civilizations

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Dates and sources for four river valleys (cards A to G). Card A, a compare chart (columns Civilization | Date | What it marks): Mesopotamia | about 1750 BCE | the Code of Hammurabi, a written law code; Egypt | before 2500 BCE (estimates 2700-2500 BCE) | the Great Pyramid of Giza built; Indus Valley | about 2500 BCE | Mohenjo-daro built; Early China | about 1600 to about 1046 BCE | the Shang dynasty. Card B, from two writers: Writer 1, a 1990s guidebook, says the Great Pyramid was built about 2700 BCE. Writer 2, a 2020 website, says about 2500 BCE. Card C, a tour brochure written for this sheet: See the Code of Hammurabi, the very first law code in the world! Card D, a museum label written for this sheet: Laws were written down in Sumer before Hammurabi. The Code of Ur-Nammu dates to about 2100 BCE. Hammurabi's Code, carved on a tall stone pillar, is the best known. Card E, an archaeologist's note written for this sheet: Bricks in Indus cities share matching proportions, so one authority may have set the standard. Card F, a different archaeologist's note written for this sheet: Matching bricks may come from shared habits and trade, so no ruler is needed to explain them. Card G, a student's timeline note: Oldest to newest: Shang dynasty (1600 BCE), Code of Hammurabi (1750 BCE), Mohenjo-daro (2500 BCE).

2. 1.

   Using only the first date given for each event on card A, which event happened most recently, Ari asks?

   • The start of the Shang dynasty, about 1600 BCE
   • Mohenjo-daro being built, about 2500 BCE
   • The Code of Hammurabi, about 1750 BCE, since it is a written law code
   • The Great Pyramid, before 2500 BCE
3. 2.

   Card A gives 'before 2500 BCE (estimates 2700-2500 BCE)' for the Great Pyramid and 'about 2500 BCE' for Mohenjo-daro. Which is older, Bo asks?

   • Mohenjo-daro, because 2500 is a bigger number than 2700
   • The Great Pyramid, because it is the tallest of the two
   • The Great Pyramid, because before 2500 is earlier than about 2500
   • Not clear: the estimates overlap, so card A cannot settle it
4. 3.

   Card A dates the Code of Hammurabi to about 1750 BCE and the end of the Shang dynasty to about 1046 BCE. About how many years apart, Esme asks?

   • About 150 years
   • About 700 years
   • Exactly 704 years
   • About 2,800 years
5. 4.

   A student says: 'Mohenjo-daro was built more than 1,000 years before the Code of Hammurabi.' How strong is the claim, Jun asks?

   • Strong: 2500 BCE is exact, so 750 years is under 1,000
   • Weak: both dates are estimates, so no gap can be worked out
   • Weak: the gap on card A is about 750 years
   • Strong: 2500 plus 1750 is over 4,000 years
6. 5.

   In card B, Writer A says the Great Pyramid was built about 2700 BCE and Writer B says about 2500 BCE. What is the best conclusion, Kira asks?

   • Writer A is right, because a 1990s guidebook is nearer in time
   • Both fit card A's range, so the building date is an estimate
   • Writer A is right, because 2700 BCE is the older, more careful date
   • Writer B is right, because a 2020 website is the newer source
7. 6.

   Card C, a tour brochure, calls Hammurabi's Code 'the very first law code in the world'. Which reading of cards C and D is best, Luz asks?

   • The brochure is right, since it shows what Hammurabi himself said
   • Card D names an older code; a brochure aims to attract visitors
   • Card D agrees, since 2100 BCE is later than 1750 BCE
   • Card C is more reliable, since brochures are updated more often than labels
8. 7.

   Card A says the Code of Hammurabi was a written law code, and card D says it was carved on a tall stone pillar. Which chain is best supported, Milo asks?

   • People already knew the rules, so the laws were written down for show
   • Once the laws were written, the cities of Mesopotamia obeyed them
   • Laws were written and displayed, so more people could learn the same rules
   • The pillar was carved in secret, so just the king knew the rules
9. 8.

   Cards E and F disagree about why Indus bricks match. What does the disagreement show, Noah asks?

   • Brick evidence tells us nothing about how the cities were run
   • The same evidence can support more than one idea until new evidence arrives
   • The Indus Valley had two governments, one for each idea
   • One archaeologist has made a mistake that the other has fixed
10. 9.

    Card A dates the Code of Hammurabi to about 1750 BCE. About how many years ago is that from 2026, Pia asks?

    • About 1,750 years ago
    • About 3,800 years ago
    • About 276 years ago
    • Exactly 3,776 years ago
11. 10.

    A student says the Great Pyramid is about 200 years older than Mohenjo-daro. Using card A, how strong is that claim, Tala asks?

    • Weak: card A gives exact years for both, and they match
    • Strong: 2700 BCE minus 2500 BCE is 200 years
    • Strong: Mohenjo-daro is the older city, which card A makes clear
    • Weak: the gap could be anywhere from none to about 200 years