7th grade The Mongol Empire: the largest land empire, and trade across it worksheet

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
   • A Persian official, who wrote it in Persian for readers in Baghdad
   • An unknown author writing in Mongolian for the Mongol ruling family
   • Chinggis Khan himself, who wrote it to teach his sons to read
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 gave a neutral record by an outsider who owed the family no loyalty
   • It kept the family's own story of how its leader rose
   • It taught students today about the many peoples the Mongols met
4. 3.

   Cards A and C both tell about the rise of Chinggis Khan. What do they agree on, Jun asks?

   • Both say Temüjin was named Chinggis Khan at a gathering
   • Both give the same year, 1206, for the gathering that named him khan
   • Both say the tribes split apart once Temüjin had been named khan
   • Both say the Mongol script was made from the Uyghur script in 1204
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?

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

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

   • Conquering the Tanguts in 1209 caused the tribes to unite under one khan in 1206
   • Juvayni's book of the 1250s made the tribes decide to unite in 1206
   • The Uyghur script of 1204 forced the tribes to unite, which explains each later conquest
   • 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?

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

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

   • 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 from inside the ruling circle, which may shape what he stresses
   • 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: card B is about Persia and does not mention Chinggis Khan
   • 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: Juvayni was born in 1226, 20 years after 1206, so he relied on what others told him
10. 9.

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

    • Supported: Persian histories of that time were usually longer than Mongol ones
    • 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
11. 10.

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

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