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

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Telling the story of 1206 (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, The Secret History of the Mongols: written in Mongolian in the 1200s by an author nobody knows, for the Mongol ruling family. It tells how Temüjin rose to be named Chinggis Khan at a great gathering. Scholars debate the year it was finished (proposals include 1228 and 1240) and how reliable its stories are. Card B, Juvayni's History of the World-Conqueror: written in Persian by Ata-Malik Juvayni, a Persian born in 1226 who served the Mongol rulers and later governed Baghdad. He began it about 1252 and stopped in 1260, leaving it unfinished. It tells of Chinggis Khan and of the conquests of his heirs. Card C, a historian's summary for students (Columbia University): in 1206 an assembly gave Temüjin the title Chinggis Khan, and loyalty moved from each tribe to one khan. In 1209 the united Mongols began conquering their neighbors, starting with the Tanguts. In 1204 a Mongol script was made from the Uyghur script. Herding families, who moved several times a year with their animals, depended on trade with farming peoples for many goods, before and after 1206.

2. 1.

   Who wrote card A, and for whom, Ari asks?

   • A historian of today, who wrote it from museum records for students
   • Chinggis Khan himself, who wrote it to teach his sons to read
   • A Persian official, who wrote it in Persian for readers in Baghdad
   • An unknown author writing in Mongolian for the Mongol ruling family
3. 2.

   Why would the ruling family value a book like card A, Bo asks?

   • It asked Persian officials to accept Mongol rule as fair and lawful
   • It kept the family's own story of how its leader rose
   • It gave a neutral record by an outsider who owed the family no loyalty
   • It taught students today about the many peoples the Mongols met
4. 3.

   A student says, "Card A proves exactly how Temüjin lived as a boy." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?

   • Strong: the author is unknown, so there was no reason to shape the story for the family
   • Strong: a book made for the ruling family would know exactly how its leader lived
   • Weak: a book from the ruling family cannot tell us anything true about the khan or his time
   • Weak: card A is a ruling-family book, and scholars debate how reliable its stories are
5. 4.

   Juvayni was born in 1226 and began writing about 1252. How many years after the 1206 gathering did he begin, and how old was he, Kira asks?

   • 54 years after; he was 34
   • 46 years after; he was 36
   • 26 years after; he was 46
   • 46 years after; he was 26
6. 5.

   Which pair of events shows one thing making the next possible, according to card C, Luz asks?

   • The Uyghur script of 1204 forced the tribes to unite, which explains each later conquest
   • Juvayni's book of the 1250s made the tribes decide to unite in 1206
   • Conquering the Tanguts in 1209 caused the tribes to unite under one khan in 1206
   • Tribes united under one khan in 1206, so the united Mongols could begin conquering in 1209
7. 6.

   Card C says the Mongol script was "made from the Uyghur script." What does that mean, Milo asks?

   • The script was brought to the Mongols by Persian officials such as Juvayni
   • The Mongols stopped speaking Mongolian and wrote everything in Uyghur
   • Mongol writing started from the Uyghur alphabet and was adapted for Mongolian
   • The Uyghurs borrowed the Mongol script and used it for their own laws
8. 7.

   Juvayni was a Persian who served the Mongol rulers. How might that shape his history, Noah asks?

   • He wrote from inside the ruling circle, which may shape what he stresses
   • He was an enemy of the Mongols, so he reported just bad things about them
   • He worked for the Mongols, so nothing in his book can be trusted
   • He wrote in Persian, so his book tells just about the land of Persia
9. 8.

   Could card B be an eyewitness account of the 1206 gathering, Pia asks?

   • No: Juvayni was born in 1226, 20 years after 1206, so he relied on what others told him
   • Yes: he served the Mongol rulers, so he was surely at their gatherings
   • Yes: a history of the World-Conqueror must come from someone who saw the conquest begin
   • No: card B is about Persia and does not mention Chinggis Khan
10. 9.

    A student says, "Card B tells us about Mongol rule in the 1260s and 1270s." Which reply is best, Ren asks?

    • Not supported: a Persian official could not write about Mongol rule
    • Not supported: Juvayni stopped writing in 1260 and left the book unfinished
    • Supported: the title History of the World-Conqueror promises the whole empire
    • Supported: Persian histories of that time were usually longer than Mongol ones
11. 10.

    Card C is a summary for students today. How does its purpose differ from card A's, Zee asks?

    • It praises the Mongol khans for its readers, just as card A was made to do
    • It tries to win Persian readers over to Mongol rule, as card B was made to do
    • It has no purpose, because modern writers are not shaped by their readers
    • It explains the period to learners; card A was made for the ruling family