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 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 can serve different traditions over time and still be honored
   • 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 900 years ago
   • About 3,100 years ago
   • About 1,900 years ago
   • About 900 years from now
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?

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

   • Writing and a great building both point to the spread of ideas
   • 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
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?

   • Hinduism spread to Asia-Pacific because rulers ordered people to join
   • About 99 percent of the world's people were Hindu in 2020
   • Nearly all Hindus lived in the Asia-Pacific region
   • Hinduism is the largest religion in the Asia-Pacific region
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 includes many groups with different centers of worship
   • It is a single group with one center of worship
   • Groups that center on different gods cannot share festivals
   • It is two separate religions, one for each god
8. 7.

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

   • A report on Diwali celebrations in Cambodia today
   • 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
9. 8.

   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
   • Its date moves within a span of weeks from one year to the next
   • Diwali falls on the same date each year because it follows the moon
10. 9.

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

    • No source, since a change of use leaves no evidence
    • The Hindu priests alone, who would tell their own view
    • A tourist brochure that summarizes the history of Cambodia
    • Dated inscriptions or objects made when the change happened
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 has not spread anywhere beyond the place where it began
    • It spread mainly to the Americas, so few followers live in Asia
    • It spread within Asia long ago, and today most followers live there
    • It spread to Cambodia by conquest, which explains today's numbers