Unit 3
Classical India and China and the Spread of World Religions
Notes
India
- The Vedas shaped early Indian society. Hinduism teaches karma, dharma, reincarnation and moksha; society was divided into varnas, later the caste system.
- Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, teaches the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path toward nirvana, and rejected caste.
- The Mauryan Empire united India; Ashoka promoted Buddhism and nonviolence. The Gupta Empire was a golden age (zero, decimal system).
China
- During the Warring States period, Confucianism (moral order, filial piety), Daoism (harmony with nature) and Legalism (strict laws) offered answers.
- The Qin unified China and standardized writing and money but ruled harshly. The Han used Confucian civil service exams and invented paper.
Connections
- The Silk Roads and Indian Ocean routes spread goods, diseases and religions through cultural diffusion. Buddhism moved from India to East and Southeast Asia.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
The First Emperor unified China with common standards.
Confucius 551 to 479 BCE, Qin 221 BCE, Han 206 BCE, Gupta about 320 CE.
The Buddha taught that anyone could reach enlightenment.
Ashoka used Buddhist principles; the Han used Confucian ideas.
The exams were meant to reward learning, though wealthy families had advantages.
Trade networks were channels for cultural diffusion.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
Classical India and China developed belief systems that shaped society and government.
(a) Describe ONE key teaching of Buddhism.
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The Four Noble Truths teach that suffering comes from desire and can be ended by following the Eightfold Path, a balanced Middle Way of right thinking and right action.
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(b) Explain how Confucianism influenced government in Han China.
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The Han made Confucianism the state philosophy. Officials took civil service exams on Confucian texts, and rulers were expected to set a moral example and care for the people.
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(c) Explain ONE way trade routes contributed to the spread of a religion.
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Merchants and Buddhist monks traveled the Silk Roads from India through Central Asia to China, bringing texts and building monasteries, so Buddhism spread east.
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