Early China on the Yellow River: dynasties, bronze and writing

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Yellow River (Huang He)

   Topic	What the card says
   The river	the second-longest river in China; it flows from the west, across the Loess Plateau, to the east
   Loess	fine, yellowish, wind-blown soil that covers the Loess Plateau and is easily washed away by rain
   Silt	the river carries so much loess as silt that its water looks yellow
   On the plain	when the river floods, it leaves a layer of silt that makes the soil rich for farming
   Floods and the bed	silt also settles on the riverbed and raises it, so people built banks higher to hold the river in; the river often broke through and changed its course
   Floods counted	one estimate counts 1,593 floods in the 2,540 years from 595 BCE to 1946 CE

   There is no year 0: 1 BCE is followed by 1 CE.

2. 1.

   Why is the Yellow River yellow? Ari reads card A and wants the chain of causes in the right order.

   • Sunlight on the water turns it yellow, and the yellow water then leaves silt behind
   • The farmers' yellow crops fall into the river, and the river carries the crop silt
   • The river carries silt to the plateau, rain turns it into loess, and the plateau looks yellow
   • Rain washes loess off the plateau, the river carries it as silt, and the water looks yellow
3. 2.

   Bo wonders why people farmed on the plain beside the Yellow River (and who carried the water buckets). Which reason does card A give?

   • The river did not flood the plain, so farms were safe from the river
   • The Loess Plateau was flat and wet, which is easy to farm
   • The river was close, and nothing else mattered to farmers
   • Flood silt made the soil of the plain rich for growing crops
4. 3.

   Esme writes one sentence to weigh the Yellow River's floods. Which sentence uses card A to show both the good and the bad?

   • Floods left rich silt for crops, but the river also broke its banks
   • Floods were a danger, because the river broke through its banks and moved
   • Floods were so helpful that farmers wanted the river to rise each year
   • Floods left poor soil on the plain, but they protected the farmers' homes
5. 4.

   Card A gives one estimate of 1,593 floods in 2,540 years. About how many floods is that in every 10 years, Jun asks?

   • About 1.6 floods in every 10 years
   • About 6 floods in every 10 years
   • About 60 floods in every 10 years
   • About 16 floods in every 10 years
6. 5.

   The flood count on card A starts in 595 BCE and ends in 1946 CE. How many years does that span, Kira asks?

   • 254 years
   • 2,541 years
   • 1,351 years
   • 2,540 years
7. 6.

   A flood in 595 BCE is on card A. In 2026 CE, about how many years ago was that, Luz asks?

   • 262 years ago
   • 1,431 years ago
   • 2,620 years ago
   • 2,621 years ago
8. 7.

   Card A says one estimate counts 1,593 floods over 2,540 years. How should Noah use that number?

   • As the exact number of floods, since the card prints it so precisely
   • As an estimate that shows floods were frequent, not an exact total
   • As proof that each flood was huge, since there were so many
   • Not as a source, since an estimate cannot tell anything about the river
9. 8.

   Card A says the river often changed its course. Why would that be hard for farmers on the plain, Pia asks?

   • The river moving closer would make farming easier, so farmers would welcome the change
   • Farmers could not farm on the plain after a change of course
   • Fields could end up far from water, or be flooded where floods were new
   • The silt would turn to rock when the river changed course
10. 9.

    Ren writes three lines for a class poster. Which line does card A support?

    • The Yellow River is China's second-longest river, flowing east over the Loess Plateau
    • The Yellow River's floods were counted exactly, so the total is certain
    • The Yellow River is the longest river in China, flowing from the west to the east across the Loess Plateau
    • The card gives no real facts about floods, so the poster should leave floods out
11. 10.

    Put the chain in order for how a flood helped farmers, using card A. Which chain is right, Tala asks?

    • Crops grow better, the soil gets richer, silt stays on the plain, and then the river floods
    • The river floods, silt stays on the plain, the soil gets richer, and crops grow better
    • The river dries up, the silt dries out, the soil gets richer, and crops grow better
    • The river floods, the silt washes away, the soil gets poorer, and crops grow better