China united: the Qin and Han dynasties

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   What the Qin and Han built

   Achievement	Dynasty	What it did
   one writing script	Qin	the same written characters everywhere in the empire
   standard weights and measures	Qin	the same units for trade across the empire
   the Great Wall	Qin	about 220 BCE, earlier walls were joined into one defense against invaders from the north
   exams for officials	Han	civil service entrance exams on the Confucian texts; the system lasted into the early 1900s
   paper	Han	the oldest surviving paper, made of hemp, dates from 140 to 87 BCE
   the Silk Road	Han	after Emperor Wu (ruled 141 to 87 BCE) defeated the Xiongnu, China controlled trade routes across Asia

   Below the chart: later dynasties kept building the Great Wall until the Ming (1368 to 1644); its total length is more than 20,000 kilometers.

2. 1.

   Which dynasty made one writing script for the empire, Noah asks?

   • The Qin
   • The Zhou
   • The Ming
   • The Han
3. 2.

   What did the Han exams test, Pia asks?

   • The Confucian texts
   • Legalist laws
   • Building walls along the northern border
   • Making paper
4. 3.

   How old is the oldest surviving paper, by the chart, Ren asks?

   • From 221 to 206 BCE
   • From 140 to 87 BCE
   • From 1368 to 1644
   • From 140 to 87 CE
5. 4.

   Why were earlier walls joined about 220 BCE, Tala asks?

   • To defend against the north
   • To mark the Silk Road
   • To hold the exams
   • To keep trade inside cities
6. 5.

   How did one writing script help the Qin rule, Ari asks?

   • It built the wall
   • It tested officials on their reading
   • It ended trade
   • Orders read alike everywhere
7. 6.

   How many years did Emperor Wu rule, from 141 to 87 BCE, Bo asks?

   • 54 years
   • 64 years
   • 44 years
   • 228 years
8. 7.

   Did the Ming finish the wall before or after the Qin joined the first sections, Esme asks?

   • In the same year
   • Before, in 1368 BCE
   • After, in 1368 to 1644 CE
   • Before the Qin, in 221 BCE
9. 8.

   How long did the exam system last, by the chart, Jun asks?

   • For 15 years
   • During the Qin rule, and no longer
   • From the Han into the early 1900s
   • From 1368 to 1644, under the Ming
10. 9.

    Which claim does the chart support best, Luz asks?

    • Both left lasting achievements
    • The Qin left nothing
    • The Han invented the wall and paper
    • Paper came from Rome
11. 10.

    Paper's oldest surviving piece is from 140 to 87 BCE. Does that mean no one wrote on paper before 140 BCE, Milo asks?

    • No; the Qin made it
    • Yes; the chart shows the first
    • Yes; no older paper existed
    • Not proven; older paper may be lost