CRITICAL THINKING/ESSAY QUESTIONS
Chapter 6, Persia
1. Compare the ruling techniques of the Persians, especially those of Cyrus and Darius, to other societies you have studied so far.
2. Examine the role of trade and agriculture in explaining the success of the Persian empires. Why was the Royal Road so important?
3. Examine the relationship between the various Persian dynasties and the Zoroastrian religion. What does the spread of this religion say about the Persian philosophy of rule?
4. The Persians copied many of their ruling techniques from the Assyrians, but had much greater success. In what ways were the Persians different from the Assyrians? What might explain the greater success of the Persians?
5. The Achaemenid Empire began to decline under Xerxes. Was his approach any different than that of his predecessors, such as Cyrus or Darius?
6. Examine the social structure of the various Persian empires from the Achaemenids through the Sasanids. What was the role of women during these empires?
7. The victories of the Greeks at Marathon and of Alexander of Macedon at Gaugamela are all too often seen as victories for the rise of civilization. In what ways might these Persian losses be considered losses for the rise of civilization?
8. What does the illustration on page 172 tell us about the truly cosmopolitan nature of the Achaemenid Empire?
9. Discuss the passage from Zarathustra on page 176. Examine the nature of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. In Persian thought, what is the relationship between human beings and the gods? Does this critical role of human beings indicate that Zoroastrianism was really a dualistic belief?
10. What can the passage from Zarathustra on page 176 tell us about the influence of Zoroastrianism on later religions? In what ways did Zoroastrianism influence Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?
Chapter 7, China
1. One of the famous quotes from the Analects of Confucius is, “When a prince’s personal conduct is correct, his government is effective without the issuing of orders. If his personal conduct is not correct, he may issue orders, but they will not be followed.” What is Confucius’s point here? Why would the orders not be obeyed if the prince’s personal conduct is not correct? How is this quote representative of all of Confucian thought?
2. In the Daodejing Laozi stated, “There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, yet for attacking things that are hard and strong there is nothing that surpasses it.” How is this statement representative of Daoist thought?
3. The Chinese have, arguably, the longest-lasting and most stable political structure of any powerful state in world history. What factors might help to explain this fact?
4. Laozi stated in the Daodejing, “. . . practice non-interference in order to win the empire.” What did he mean by these words? How does this quote demonstrate the fundamental difference between Confucianism and Daoism?
5. The Legalists held that the foundations of any state were agriculture and armed forces. Why would they believe this? Is there any truth to this statement?
6. Why did the political chaos of the Period of the Warring States give rise to philosophies such as Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism?
7. Discuss the role that Qin Shihuangdi played in the unification of China. What were the foundations of his political philosophy?
8. Discuss the difference between the ruling philosophies of Qin Shihuangdi and the later Han emperors. Compare this relationship to that of the Assyrians and Persians. Why do the initial unifiers always seem to follow a philosophy that is, by a Chinese perspective, Legalistic?
9. What can the illustration on page 200 tell us about the life and death of the wealthy classes during the Han period? How did this compare to the lives of peasants during this period?
10. Examine the section on Laozi on page 188. What is the Daoist view of virtue? How can it be used to rule a state? Relate these ideas to those of Confucius.
Chapter 8, India
1. In the Ashokavadana, Ashoka accused his minister of being, “Haughty, deluded, and obsessed with caste.” Why would Ashoka say this? How do these words express Ashoka’s contributions to Indian history?
2. Compare the unification of India with the unification process in China under the Qin and Han dynasties, and in southwest Asia under the Assyrians and Persians.
3. What social changes worked to transform the caste system during these years? What were the long-term consequences of this transformation? How was Hinduism transformed?
4. Compare and contrast the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. What were the essential differences between the two? What hope did they give to the common people of India?
5. What sets Jainism apart from other religions, such as Hinduism or Buddhism? How does Jainism compare to Daoism?
6. In what ways did outsiders influence India during this period? In turn, how did India influence the rest of the world and especially Asia?
7. Examine Chandragupta Maurya’s effort to unify India. What steps did he take? What factors helped make this process possible?
8. Examine the reign of Ashoka Maurya. In what ways was his reign the high point of Mauryan rule? How did he the religious beliefs of India and Asia?
9. Examine the social structure of India during the time of the Mauryans and the Guptas. How did long-distance trade influence India?
10. Examine the period of political revitalization under the Guptas. How does this dynasty compare to the earlier Mauryans?