Where and when Hinduism began, and what its followers believe and practice

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Practice and spread (cards A to D). Card A, worship and festival, in our words: Hindus worship gods such as Vishnu and Shiva at home and in temples. Diwali, the festival of lights, lasts five days in late October or November, and families light clay lamps. Its date follows a calendar based on the moon. Card B, branches, in our words: Vaishnavism centers on Vishnu and Shaivism centers on Shiva. Each has many groups. Card C, spread to Southeast Asia, in our words: Indian ideas, including Hinduism, spread to Southeast Asia through trade and travel. Inscriptions in Sanskrit, an ancient language of India, were carved in kingdoms such as Cambodia. In the 1100s, King Suryavarman II of Cambodia had Angkor Wat built and dedicated to Vishnu. Later, Angkor Wat became a Buddhist site, and it appears on Cambodia's flag today. Card D, today: the Pew Research Center estimated that about 14.9 percent of the world's people were Hindu in 2020, and that 99 percent of Hindus lived in the Asia-Pacific region.

2. 1.

   Card C says Angkor Wat was dedicated to Vishnu in the 1100s, later became a Buddhist site, and appears on Cambodia's flag today. What does that show about a place over time, Ari asks?

   • A place can serve different traditions over time and still be honored
   • A temple loses its meaning once its first religion no longer uses it
   • The Buddhist site and the Hindu temple are two different buildings
   • A place keeps the same religious use from its building to today
3. 2.

   Card C puts the building of Angkor Wat in the 1100s CE. If this year is 2026 CE, about how many years ago was that, Bo asks?

   • About 3,100 years ago
   • About 900 years ago
   • About 900 years from now
   • About 1,900 years ago
4. 3.

   Card C says Indian ideas spread to Southeast Asia through trade and travel, and that Sanskrit inscriptions were carved in Cambodia. What links the two, Esme asks?

   • Travelers brought ideas and a language, and local rulers used them
   • Indian armies took over Cambodia and ordered the inscriptions carved
   • Cambodian rulers carved Sanskrit first and then invented trade routes
   • Sanskrit was the everyday language of Cambodia before any traveler came
5. 4.

   Card C gives two kinds of evidence for Indian ideas in Cambodia: Sanskrit inscriptions and Angkor Wat. How do they strengthen each other, Jun asks?

   • Together they show that the ideas came to India from Cambodia
   • Together they show that Cambodians had no ideas of their own
   • Together they settle exactly when each idea first arrived
   • Writing and a great building both point to the spread of ideas
6. 5.

   Card D says about 14.9 percent of the world's people were Hindu in 2020, and 99 percent of Hindus lived in the Asia-Pacific region. Which claim does it support, Kira asks?

   • Nearly all Hindus lived in the Asia-Pacific region
   • About 99 percent of the world's people were Hindu in 2020
   • Hinduism is the largest religion in the Asia-Pacific region
   • Hinduism spread to Asia-Pacific because rulers ordered people to join
7. 6.

   Card D says about 14.9 percent of the world's people were Hindu. About how many people in a group of 200 would that be, Luz asks?

   • About 30 people
   • About 150 people
   • About 15 people
   • About 3 people
8. 7.

   Card B says Vaishnavism centers on Vishnu and Shaivism on Shiva, each with many groups. What should Milo conclude about the tradition?

   • It includes many groups with different centers of worship
   • It is a single group with one center of worship
   • It is two separate religions, one for each god
   • Groups that center on different gods cannot share festivals
9. 8.

   Card C says Indian ideas spread to Southeast Asia. Which find would best show when they first arrived in Cambodia, Pia asks?

   • A dated early Sanskrit inscription found in Cambodia
   • A new photograph of Angkor Wat taken from the air
   • A modern book that says the ideas arrived there long ago
   • A report on Diwali celebrations in Cambodia today
10. 9.

    Card A says Diwali falls in late October or November and follows a calendar based on the moon. Which claim does that support, Ren asks?

    • Diwali falls on the same date each year because it follows the moon
    • Diwali lasts about two months, from late October to November
    • Its date moves within a span of weeks from one year to the next
    • The date is not worth recording, because it changes each year
11. 10.

    A museum label says Angkor Wat "became a Buddhist site." Which source would be good evidence for the change, Tala asks?

    • The Hindu priests alone, who would tell their own view
    • Dated inscriptions or objects made when the change happened
    • A tourist brochure that summarizes the history of Cambodia
    • No source, since a change of use leaves no evidence