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

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Maurya and Gupta empires

   Part	Maurya Empire	Gupta Empire
   Founder	?	Chandra Gupta I
   Began	about 321 BCE	about 320 CE
   Ended	about 185 BCE	about 550 CE
   Capital	Pataliputra	Pataliputra
   Land ruled	most of the Indian subcontinent, joined into one empire	much of northern India
   Known for	Ashoka's messages cut into rocks and pillars	advances in mathematics and astronomy

   The cell marked ? is blank. Below the chart: Pataliputra is today the city of Patna. All dates are approximate; some sources give 322 BCE for the start of the Maurya Empire.

2. 1.

   Ren's chart has a blank: who founded the Maurya Empire?

   • Chandragupta Maurya
   • Ashoka
   • Chandra Gupta I
   • Cyrus the Great
3. 2.

   Tala's chart has a blank: when did the Gupta Empire begin?

   • About 320 CE
   • About 321 BCE
   • About 550 CE
   • About 320 BCE

4. Maurya and Gupta empires

   Part	Maurya Empire	Gupta Empire
   Founder	Chandragupta Maurya	Chandra Gupta I
   Began	about 321 BCE	about 320 CE
   Ended	about 185 BCE	about 550 CE
   Capital	Pataliputra	Pataliputra
   Land ruled	most of the Indian subcontinent, joined into one empire	much of northern India
   Known for	Ashoka's messages cut into rocks and pillars	advances in mathematics and astronomy

   Below the chart: Pataliputra is today the city of Patna. All dates are approximate; some sources give 322 BCE for the start of the Maurya Empire.

5. 3.

   Ari reads that Ashoka's messages were inscriptions. What is an inscription?

   • A map drawn on cloth
   • Words cut into stone
   • A message sent by rider
   • Words written in ink on paper
6. 4.

   Bo reads the word edict. What is an edict?

   • A treaty between two cities
   • A tax paid in grain
   • An order from a ruler
   • A road for royal travel
7. 5.

   Esme reads the words Indian subcontinent. What is a subcontinent?

   • A small island in the sea
   • A mountain range between lands
   • A city built beside a river
   • A large part of a continent
8. 6.

   Joined most of the Indian subcontinent into one empire. Does that describe the Maurya or the Gupta Empire, Jun asks?

   • Maurya Empire
   • Both empires
   • Neither empire
   • Gupta Empire
9. 7.

   Advances in mathematics and astronomy. Does that describe the Maurya or the Gupta Empire, Kira asks?

   • Neither empire
   • Maurya Empire
   • Gupta Empire
   • Both empires
10. 8.

    About how many years did the Maurya Empire last, from about 321 BCE to about 185 BCE, Milo asks?

    • About 36 years
    • About 136 years
    • About 506 years
    • About 1,360 years
11. 9.

    Which began first, the Maurya Empire or the Gupta Empire, Noah asks?

    • Neither: both began in BCE
    • Gupta, about 320 CE
    • Both, in the same year
    • Maurya, about 321 BCE
12. 10.

    Why does the chart say about 321 BCE, Pia asks?

    • It is an exact day, known from records
    • Sources differ by a year or so
    • It is a CE date
    • The year 321 BCE is in the future