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?

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

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

   • About 320 CE
   • About 550 CE
   • About 321 BCE
   • About 320 BCE
4. 3.

   Zee's chart has a blank: what was the capital of the Maurya Empire?

   • Ujjain
   • Mohenjo-daro
   • Pataliputra
   • Delhi

5. 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.

6. 4.

   Bo reads the word edict. What is an edict?

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

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

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

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

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

   Chandragupta Maurya and Chandra Gupta I have almost the same name. Which pair matches the chart, Luz asks?

   • Maurya: Chandragupta Maurya; Gupta: Chandragupta Maurya
   • Maurya: Chandragupta Maurya; Gupta: Chandra Gupta I
   • Maurya: Chandra Gupta I; Gupta: Chandragupta Maurya
   • Maurya: Chandra Gupta I; Gupta: Chandra Gupta I
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 506 years
    • About 136 years
    • About 1,360 years
11. 9.

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

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

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

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