Where and when Islam 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, the Five Pillars, in our words: Muslims practice five pillars: the profession of faith, prayer five times a day, charity, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca, called the hajj, once in a lifetime for those who are able. Card B, the calendar and divisions, in our words: Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the moon. A moon-based year is about 11 days shorter than a year of 365 days. Muslims are divided into Sunni, the majority, and Shi'a, who differed early on over who should lead the community after Muhammad. Card C, spread, in our words: Muhammad's followers took Mecca in 630 CE, and by his death in 632 CE they held most of Arabia. Under the Umayyad dynasty (661 to 750 CE), the Arab empire reached from Spain to Central Asia and India. Historians say most people in those lands became Muslim gradually, over centuries. Merchants and teachers also carried Islam along trade routes to West Africa, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Card D, today: the Pew Research Center estimated that about 25.6 percent of the world's people were Muslim in 2020, and that 59 percent of Muslims lived in the Asia-Pacific region.

2. 1.

   Card C says Muhammad's death was in 632 CE and the Umayyad dynasty ended in 750 CE. About how many years is that, Ari asks?

   • About 1,380 years
   • About 12 years
   • About 90 years
   • About 120 years
3. 2.

   Card C says most people in the conquered lands became Muslim gradually, over centuries. What does that show about the Arab empire's growth and the spread of Islam, Esme asks?

   • The religion spread faster than the empire grew
   • The empire grew faster than the religion spread
   • The empire and the religion began and ended on the same dates
   • The whole empire became Muslim in the same year the land was taken
4. 3.

   Card C says trade routes carried Islam to West Africa, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Card D says 59 percent of Muslims lived in Asia-Pacific in 2020. What do the cards suggest, Jun asks?

   • Most Muslims lived in West Africa and East Africa in 2020
   • Trade routes alone explain why 59 percent of Muslims live in Asia-Pacific
   • Islam spread widely, and the largest share lives in Asia-Pacific
   • Islam is practiced in Asia-Pacific and nowhere else
5. 4.

   Card D says about 25.6 percent of the world's people were Muslim in 2020. About how many in a group of 400 people would that be, Kira asks?

   • About 25 people
   • About 10 people
   • About 100 people
   • About 256 people
6. 5.

   Card D says about 25.6 percent of the world's people were Muslim in 2020, and 59 percent of Muslims lived in Asia-Pacific. Which claim does it support, Luz asks?

   • Islam is the largest religion in the Asia-Pacific region
   • Islam grew in Asia-Pacific because rulers ordered people to join
   • More than half of Muslims lived in the Asia-Pacific region
   • About 59 percent of the world's people lived in Asia-Pacific
7. 6.

   Card B says a moon-based year is about 11 days shorter than a 365-day year. After 10 years, about how many days earlier has Ramadan moved on the usual calendar, Milo asks?

   • About 11 days earlier
   • About 110 days earlier
   • About 110 days later
   • About 365 days earlier
8. 7.

   Card C says the Umayyad empire reached from Spain to Central Asia and India by 750 CE. Which find would best test how far east it reached, Pia asks?

   • A Spanish church bell from the 1500s
   • A report on Muslims living in Asia-Pacific in 2020
   • A dated inscription or coin from the 700s CE found in the east
   • A modern history book that says the empire reached India
9. 8.

   Card A calls the hajj a pilgrimage "once in a lifetime for those who are able." What does that tell Ren?

   • The hajj is a custom that matters little to most followers
   • The hajj is expected once in a lifetime, of those who are able
   • The hajj is a pilgrimage to Medina, where Muhammad was born
   • The hajj is expected yearly, of each Muslim
10. 9.

    A modern map shows Muslims by region from Pew's 2020 estimate. What is it good evidence for, Tala asks?

    • How many Muslims lived in the 700s CE
    • Which belief of Muslims is true
    • Where Muslims lived in 2020, not the causes
    • Why Muslims settled in each region, century by century
11. 10.

    Card C says most people in conquered lands became Muslim gradually. Which source would be good evidence for that, Zee asks?

    • A short modern summary of the history of the empire's rulers
    • Local records from many places across several centuries
    • No source, since a change in belief leaves no evidence
    • The writings of a single ruler of the empire at one court