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 1,900 years ago
   • About 900 years from now
   • About 3,100 years ago
   • 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?

   • 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 Cambodians had no ideas of their own
   • Writing and a great building both point to the spread of ideas
   • Together they settle exactly when each idea first arrived
   • Together they show that the ideas came to India from Cambodia
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
   • Hinduism is the largest religion in the Asia-Pacific region
   • About 99 percent of the world's people were Hindu in 2020
   • Nearly all Hindus lived in the Asia-Pacific region
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 3 people
   • About 15 people
   • About 150 people
   • About 30 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 is two separate religions, one for each god
   • 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
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?

   • Diwali lasts about two months, from late October to November
   • Diwali falls on the same date each year because it follows the moon
   • The date is not worth recording, because it changes each year
   • Its date moves within a span of weeks from one year to the next
10. 9.

    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
    • No source, since a change of use leaves no evidence
    • Dated inscriptions or objects made when the change happened
    • A tourist brochure that summarizes the history of Cambodia
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 mainly to the Americas, so few followers live in Asia
    • It has not spread anywhere beyond the place where it began
    • It spread to Cambodia by conquest, which explains today's numbers