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
   • A place keeps the same religious use from its building to today
   • The Buddhist site and the Hindu temple are two different buildings
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 1,900 years ago
   • About 3,100 years ago
   • About 900 years from now
   • About 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?

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

   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?

   • Hinduism spread to Asia-Pacific because rulers ordered people to join
   • Nearly all Hindus lived in the Asia-Pacific region
   • Hinduism is the largest religion in the Asia-Pacific region
   • About 99 percent of the world's people were Hindu in 2020
6. 5.

   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 3 people
   • About 150 people
   • About 15 people
7. 6.

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

   • It is two separate religions, one for each god
   • It includes many groups with different centers of worship
   • Groups that center on different gods cannot share festivals
   • It is a single group with one center of worship
8. 7.

   Card C says King Suryavarman II had Angkor Wat built and dedicated to Vishnu. What might a ruler gain from building a great temple, Noah asks?

   • It shows the ruler wanted to end the worship of Vishnu in Cambodia
   • It lets the ruler hide from the people of his kingdom in a safe place
   • It settles that the ruler was chosen by Vishnu above other rulers
   • It could honor the god and show the ruler's power and wealth
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 modern book that says the ideas arrived there long ago
   • A new photograph of Angkor Wat taken from the air
   • 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?

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

    Card D says 99 percent of Hindus lived in Asia-Pacific in 2020, while card C says Indian ideas reached Southeast Asia long ago. What can Zee infer about where the tradition has spread?

    • It spread within Asia long ago, and today most followers live there
    • It spread to Cambodia by conquest, which explains today's numbers
    • It spread mainly to the Americas, so few followers live in Asia
    • It has not spread anywhere beyond the place where it began