The Mongol Empire: the largest land empire, and trade across it

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The conquests and how we know about them (cards A to E; summaries in our words). Card A, a table of campaigns: Tanguts (Xia), 1209. Jin dynasty, North China, 1211 to 1234: the Mongols invaded in 1211, took the Beijing area in 1215 and ended the Jin dynasty in 1234, and farmland in North China was devastated by the war. Central Asia, 1219 to 1225: it began after Chinggis Khan's envoys were put to death. Russia, Georgia and Armenia, the 1230s, under Chinggis's son Ögödei. Card B, a historian's summary for students: the Central Asian campaign was the most devastating, and very large numbers of people lost their lives on both sides while great cities were conquered. Historians have no single answer for why the conquests began; ideas include colder years from 1180 to 1220 that cut the grass for herds, trade disputes, and Chinggis Khan's leadership. By 1260, quarrels over who would lead had split the empire. Card C, History of Yuan: a history of the Mongol dynasty in China, in 210 chapters, finished in 1370 by scholars of the Ming dynasty, which took over China in 1368. Chinese dynasties traditionally had scholars write the history of the dynasty before them. Card D, the same historian as card B: the brutality of the conquests should not be downplayed, and their lasting influence should not be overlooked. Card E, a tree-ring study published in 2014: rings from trees in the Khangai Mountains of Mongolia show unusually mild, wet weather from 1211 to 1225. The authors suggest that this may have helped grass and herds grow, but they do not claim to have proved a link to the conquests.

2. 1.

   Card A: the Jin war ran from 1211 to 1234 and the Central Asian campaign from 1219 to 1225. How many times as long was the Jin war, Ari asks?

   • About a quarter as long, since 6 is a little more than a quarter of 23
   • A little under 4 times as long, since 23 divided by 6 is about 3.8
   • About 17 times as long, since 23 minus 6 is 17
   • About 6 times as long, since the Central Asian campaign lasted 6 years
3. 2.

   Card A: the Jin war began in 1211, the Mongols took the Beijing area in 1215 and the Jin ended in 1234. About what share of the war had passed by 1215, Esme asks?

   • About 83 percent, since 19 of the 23 years remained after 1215
   • About 17 percent, since 4 of the 23 years had passed
   • About 25 percent, since 4 years is a quarter of 16
   • About 4 percent, since 1215 minus 1211 is 4
4. 3.

   Card B lists three ideas for why the conquests began. Which reading is best, Kira asks?

   • Colder years caused them, since 1180 to 1220 matches the years of the first campaigns
   • Chinggis Khan's leadership caused them, since no other reason is on the card
   • Several causes may have worked together; historians cannot rank them yet
   • The empire's split by 1260 caused them, since it was the biggest event listed
5. 4.

   Cards A and B both describe Central Asia, 1219 to 1225. Which statement do the two cards support together, Luz asks?

   • It was the Mongols' first campaign, and it led them on to fight the Jin in 1211
   • It began as a trade dispute over tariffs, like the 1209 campaign
   • It lasted from 1219 to 1235, longer than any other campaign on the table
   • It began after the envoys were put to death and was the most devastating
6. 5.

   Card A says North China's farmland was devastated by the Jin war. How might a farmer there and a Mongol leader describe the war, Milo asks?

   • Neither could describe it, because a war lasting 23 years is too long for anyone to remember
   • They would give the same account, because both lived through the same war and saw the same events
   • The Mongol leader would describe the damage first, since winners list the damage to the losers first
   • The farmer would stress the damaged farmland; the Mongol leader, the end of the Jin dynasty
7. 6.

   Why might Ming scholars write the history of the Mongol dynasty in 1370, soon after the Ming took power, Noah asks?

   • To praise the Mongol khans so that the new Ming subjects would admire them
   • A new dynasty traditionally recorded the one before it, from the winners' side
   • To teach the Mongols how to rule China more fairly in the years that followed them
   • Because the Mongols asked them to write it while they still ruled China
8. 7.

   Card A moves from the Tanguts (1209) to Russia, Georgia and Armenia (the 1230s). What does that pattern show, Pia asks?

   • The conquests spread over two decades or more, in separate campaigns
   • The Mongols began in the west, in Russia and Georgia, and moved east toward China
   • The conquests were finished within five years of the 1206 gathering of the tribes
   • The conquests were one long war with the Jin dynasty that lasted into the 1230s
9. 8.

   Card B says colder years cut the grass from 1180 to 1220. Card E finds mild, wet weather from 1211 to 1225. How do they relate, Ren asks?

   • Card E replaces card B, because newer studies cancel older ideas
   • Card E confirms card B, because both are about the weather in the same years
   • Card E has nothing to do with card B, because one is about trees and one about grass
   • They pull in different directions, so the cold-years idea needs more testing
10. 9.

    A student says, "Card B proves the conquests were caused by cold weather." Which reply is best, Tala asks?

    • Not supported: weather cannot affect a people who live by herding
    • Supported: card B names the cold years as the cause of the war with the Jin
    • Not supported: card B lists cold weather as one idea among several
    • Supported: card B says cold years cut the grass, so grass explains the conquests
11. 10.

    A student says, "Card E proves mild, wet weather caused the conquests." Which reply is best, Zee asks?

    • Proven: tree rings are real evidence, and real evidence settles the question
    • Not proven: scientists cannot learn anything about weather from tree rings
    • Not proven: tree rings show past weather, not what caused the conquests
    • Proven: the weather changed in 1211, the very year of the first conquests