Confucius and other early Chinese thinkers: ideas about order and government

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Ideas about order, and what the Qin and Han did with them (cards A to D). Card A, a compare chart (columns School | Government | People and family): Confucianism | rulers lead by good example, not force, like a father to the people | filial piety is the root of the other virtues; the family is the model for the state; Daoism | rulers do nothing unnatural (wu-wei) and do not force things | people live simply, with few desires, in step with nature; Legalism | rulers control people with strict laws, rewards and punishments | people must work hard in the fields and serve in the army. Card B, a history note written for this sheet: The Qin dynasty ruled from 221 to 206 BCE, and Legalist advisers guided it. The Han dynasty followed and ruled from 206 BCE to 220 CE. The Han kept a government of officials and added the Confucian view that officials should be educated and good. Card C, a history note written for this sheet: In 136 BCE, the Confucian classics became the base of official education under the Han. Card D, a context note written for this sheet: From about 475 to 221 BCE, rival states fought one another.

2. 1.

   How does Daoism differ from Legalism on government, according to card A, Ari asks?

   • Both use rewards and punishments, but Legalism uses more of them
   • Daoist rulers do not force things; Legalist rulers use strict laws
   • Daoist rulers use strict laws; Legalist rulers do not force things
   • Daoist rulers lead like a father; Legalist rulers do nothing unnatural
3. 2.

   A classmate says: 'Legalism and Confucianism both want order, so they agree on how to get it.' How strong is that claim, Esme asks?

   • Strong: card A says both treat the family as the model for the state
   • Weak: card A says Legalism is a Confucian idea
   • Weak: both want order, but card A shows different methods
   • Strong: card A says both rely on strict laws and punishments
4. 3.

   Cards B and C both describe the Han dynasty. What do the two cards show together, Jun asks?

   • The Han ended the government of officials in 136 BCE
   • The Qin made the Confucian classics the base of education in 221 BCE
   • The Han kept officials and built education on the Confucian classics
   • Legalist advisers wrote the classics the Han used in schools
5. 4.

   Card B describes the Qin and then the Han. What changed, and what stayed the same, Kira asks?

   • The Han added Confucian ideas and kept a government of officials
   • The Han dropped Confucian ideas and ended the government of officials
   • The Han added Legalist ideas and kept the Confucian classics out of school
   • The Han changed everything about how China was governed
6. 5.

   A Legalist adviser and a Confucian teacher meet. About what would they most likely disagree, Luz asks?

   • Whether rulers should live simply with few desires, as Legalists taught
   • Whether children owe respect to parents, with Legalists saying yes and Confucians no
   • Whether the Qin or the Han came first, since each school claimed one
   • Whether order comes from strict laws or from good examples
7. 6.

   Card A says Daoist rulers practice wu-wei, which means they do nothing unnatural and do not force things. Which ruler action fits, Milo asks?

   • A ruler who posts new strict laws each season and punishes mistakes
   • A ruler who leads by acting as a father to the people
   • A ruler who sends envoys to rival states to make treaties
   • A ruler who lets farmers plant and trade without new orders
8. 7.

   Card A calls the family 'the model for the state' in Confucianism. Why would that idea make rulers act like a father to the people, Noah asks?

   • Each family was meant to run a small state of its own for the ruler
   • Family respect was meant to be copied between ruler and people
   • The state's laws were meant to be copied inside each family
   • Families sent grain to their rulers each autumn
9. 8.

   Which find would best show that the Han taught the Confucian classics to officials, Ren asks?

   • A Han school record listing Confucian classics as lessons
   • A Han record listing strict laws and punishments for officials
   • A Qin record from 215 BCE listing Legalist rules
   • A painting of a Han farmer working in a field
10. 9.

    Which statement is supported by cards A and B together, Tala asks?

    • The Qin used Legalist ideas, and the Han added Confucian ones
    • Both the Qin and the Han ended the government of officials
    • The Qin used Confucian ideas, and the Han dropped them
    • Daoism became the main guide of the Han state and its officials
11. 10.

    A student's note says: 'Legalism rules by example.' Which fix is right, Zee asks?

    • Legalism rules by strict laws; rule by example is Confucian
    • Legalism rules by example, but just in the state of Qin
    • Legalism rules by doing nothing unnatural, which is wu-wei
    • Legalism rules by respect for parents, which is filial piety