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6th grade India's Maurya and Gupta empires, and the number zero worksheet

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India's Maurya and Gupta empires, and the number zero

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Maurya Empire: steps

    YearWhat happened
    about 321 BCEChandragupta Maurya takes Magadha from the Nanda dynasty and begins the Maurya Empire
    about 300 to 297 BCEChandragupta hands rule to his son Bindusara (sources differ)
    about 268 BCE (sources differ: about 273 to 265 BCE)Bindusara's son Ashoka becomes ruler
    about 261 BCE (sources differ: about 266 to 258 BCE)in the 8th year of his reign, Ashoka's army takes Kalinga, on the east coast
    about 232 BCE (sources differ: about 238 to 232 BCE)Ashoka's reign ends
    about 185 BCEthe last Maurya ruler is overthrown by his commander, who begins the Shunga dynasty

    Below the chart: Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE had left a gap in power in India. Ashoka had messages cut into rocks and pillars from Afghanistan to southern India, mostly in Prakrit; near the border, some were also in Greek and Aramaic. A pillar message describes a royal road with rest houses and wells that joined the capital with Taxila.

  2. Who took over from Chandragupta Maurya, by the chart, Esme asks?

    • Chandra Gupta I
    • Bindusara's son Ashoka
    • His son Bindusara
    • His own commander
  3. What happened in the 8th year of Ashoka's reign, by the chart, Jun asks?

    • Ashoka's reign came to an end
    • The last Maurya ruler was overthrown
    • His army took Kalinga
    • Chandragupta handed rule to Bindusara
  4. Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE left a gap in power. What was one effect, Luz asks?

    • Chandragupta Maurya began an empire
    • Ashoka took Kalinga with his army
    • The Nanda dynasty grew much stronger
    • The Gupta Empire began right away
  5. A pillar message describes a royal road with rest houses and wells. What was a likely benefit, Milo asks?

    • A smaller empire
    • Easier travel in the empire
    • No more need to carve messages
    • A new capital at Taxila
  6. Gupta Empire: steps

    YearWhat happened
    about 320 CEChandra Gupta I begins the Gupta dynasty (sources say 318 to 320)
    about 330 CEhis son Samudra Gupta takes the throne and the empire grows
    375 to 415 CEChandragupta II rules, and the empire reaches its widest
    about 450 CEthe Hunas, a people from the northwest, begin to press into Gupta lands
    about 480 CEthe Hunas invade in force, and Gupta resistance fails
    about 550 CEthe Gupta dynasty comes to an end

    Below the chart: Chandra Gupta I and Chandragupta II were two different Gupta rulers. Chandragupta Maurya, who began the Maurya Empire, was a third man.

  7. The Hunas invaded in force about 480 CE. What was the result, by the chart, Noah asks?

    • Chandra Gupta I began the dynasty
    • The empire grew to its widest
    • Gupta resistance failed
    • Samudra Gupta took the throne
  8. Which came first, Samudra Gupta taking the throne or the Hunas first pressing in, Pia asks?

    • Samudra Gupta, about 330 CE
    • Neither: both happened in BCE
    • The Hunas, about 450 CE
    • Both in the same year
  9. About how many years passed from about 320 CE to about 550 CE, the span of the Gupta dynasty, Ren asks?

    • About 130 years
    • About 870 years
    • About 23 years
    • About 230 years
  10. Maurya Empire: steps

    YearWhat happened
    about 321 BCEChandragupta Maurya takes Magadha from the Nanda dynasty and begins the Maurya Empire
    about 300 to 297 BCEChandragupta hands rule to his son Bindusara (sources differ)
    about 268 BCE (sources differ: about 273 to 265 BCE)Bindusara's son Ashoka becomes ruler
    about 261 BCE (sources differ: about 266 to 258 BCE)in the 8th year of his reign, Ashoka's army takes Kalinga, on the east coast
    about 232 BCE (sources differ: about 238 to 232 BCE)Ashoka's reign ends
    about 185 BCEthe last Maurya ruler is overthrown by his commander, who begins the Shunga dynasty

    Below the chart: Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE had left a gap in power in India. Ashoka had messages cut into rocks and pillars from Afghanistan to southern India, mostly in Prakrit; near the border, some were also in Greek and Aramaic. A pillar message describes a royal road with rest houses and wells that joined the capital with Taxila.

  11. Which claim does the chart support best, Zee asks?

    • Ashoka was Chandragupta Maurya's grandson
    • Ashoka began the Maurya Empire himself
    • Ashoka was Chandragupta Maurya's son
    • Ashoka ruled until the Maurya Empire ended
  12. Ari's friend says every one of Ashoka's messages was carved in Greek. What is the best reply?

    • Agree: Greek was the main language
    • Disagree: most were in Prakrit
    • Agree: they were carved near the border
    • Disagree: they were carved in wood
  13. Gupta Empire: steps

    YearWhat happened
    about 320 CEChandra Gupta I begins the Gupta dynasty (sources say 318 to 320)
    about 330 CEhis son Samudra Gupta takes the throne and the empire grows
    375 to 415 CEChandragupta II rules, and the empire reaches its widest
    about 450 CEthe Hunas, a people from the northwest, begin to press into Gupta lands
    about 480 CEthe Hunas invade in force, and Gupta resistance fails
    about 550 CEthe Gupta dynasty comes to an end

    Below the chart: Chandra Gupta I and Chandragupta II were two different Gupta rulers. Chandragupta Maurya, who began the Maurya Empire, was a third man.

  14. Bo's friend says Chandragupta II began the Gupta dynasty. What is the best reply?

    • Disagree: Chandra Gupta I began it
    • Disagree: Chandragupta Maurya began it
    • Disagree: Samudra Gupta began it
    • Agree: he ruled from 375 CE, so he began it
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6th grade India's Maurya and Gupta empires, and the number zero worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

India's Maurya and Gupta empires, and the number zero. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can compare the Maurya Empire with the Gupta Empire (founder, dates, capital, land, what each is known for) and keep Chandragupta Maurya, Chandra Gupta I and Chandragupta II apart.
  • I can read a step chart of each empire, work out spans of years across BCE and CE, and say what helped it hold together (messages carved in stone for the whole empire, a royal road with rest houses and wells).
  • I can weigh the evidence for numerals, place value and zero (Brahmi numerals, Aryabhata, a dated charter, the Gwalior stone, a manuscript whose date is debated) and say why no single person or stone invented zero.
  • I can check Aryabhata's results about the year, the circle, the turning sky and eclipses against today's, and work backward from his book to his birth year.

Standard: D2.His.3.6-8

Common mistakes

Your child read the wrong row of the chart. Find the row's name first, then read across.

Your child read the right row but the wrong column. Find the column heading first.

Your child chose a claim that says more than the evidence shows. Keep the claim as small as the evidence.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with india's maurya and gupta empires, and the number zero?

Your child read the wrong row of the chart. Find the row's name first, then read across.

Are these 6th grade social studies worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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