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READING NOTES: Ch. 13 “Geography of India” and Ch. 14 “Mohenjodaro”

Part A: Multiple Choice – Read the statements carefully, and circle the letter of the best answer.

1. India is attached to Asia and surrounded on three sides by water. Because of these features, it is called

  1. An isthmus.
  2. A subcontinent.
  3. An ecosystem.
  4. A plateau.

2. The Brahmaputra River begins in the Himalayas, flows into a valley, and eventually joins the Ganges River on the plains. As it flows, its depth varies. At what point is the Brahmaputra at its shallowest?

  1. In the mountains
  2. During the monsoons
  3. In the valley
  4. During the summer

3. What is located between the Eastern and Western Ghats?

  1. The Hindu Kush mountains
  2. The Himalaya Mountains
  3. The Deccan Plateau
  4. The Indus River

4. The Himalaya Mountains form India’s northern border. What is one possible benefit of the mountains being there?

  1. Protection from enemies
  2. Roads for trade routes
  3. Constant supply of water
  4. Fertile farmland for crops

5. If you had lived in India in 2500 B.C.E., where would you most likely not have chosen to settle?

  1. On the Deccan Plateau
  2. In the Hindu Kush mountains
  3. Near the Brahmaputra River
  4. In the Thar Desert

6. The Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Indus rivers all start in the mountains. What is one result of this?

  1. Their water is too cold to be used for farming.
  2. Their water is too polluted to be used for drinking.
  3. Their water carries sediment that is good for farming.
  4. The water carries fish that are good for eating.

7. Which river does this list describe?

Begins in the Himalayas / Flows through what is now Pakistan / Empties into the
Arabian Sea / Is home to a wide variety of fish
  1. Brahmaputra River
  2. Ganges River
  3. Indus River
  4. Kush River

8. Where is the Khyber Pass?

  1. In the Hindu Kush mountains
  2. On the Deccan Plateau
  3. In the Brahamaputra River Valley
  4. In the Easter Ghats

Part B: Map of India – Use the word bank to label the map below. Spelling counts!

Word Bank

Arabian Sea
Brahmaputra River
Deccan Plateau / Eastern Ghats
Ganges River
Himalaya Mountains / Hindu Kush Mountains
Indus River
Nile River / Pakistan
Thar Desert
Western Ghats

Part C: Multiple Choice – Read the statements carefully, and circle the letter of the best answer.

18. An interesting detail about Mohenjodaro was that it

a.  is located near the Ganges.

b.  is still a thriving city today.

c.  is located at the base of the Himalayas.

d.  had two main parts.

19. Archeologists found beaded necklaces among the ruins at Mohenjodaro. What might this suggest about the city?

a.  Its people spent time going to fancy parties.

b.  Its people used beads to trade with outsiders.

c.  Its people wore jewelry to show their status.

d.  Its people played games to express humor.

20. Archeologists found a structure that was 39 feet long and 8 feet deep. What evidence did they find that made them think it was a pool?

a.  A faucet

b.  Bathing suits

c.  Drawings

d.  A drain

21. What was one major feature of Mohenjodaro that was different from other settlements built at the same time?

a.  It had walls.

b.  It had a sewer system.

c.  It had roads.

d.  It had private homes.

22. The homes of people in Mohenjodaro had from one to twelve rooms. This suggests that

a.  some families were larger than others.

b.  some homes had indoor bathrooms.

c.  some people were wealthier than others.

d.  some homes housed several families.

23. Archeologists found a clay model of a bull pulling a cart. What might the artifact say about Mohenjodaro’s people?

a.  The people used carts to transport goods.

b.  The people used plows to dig the pool.

c.  The people invented the wheel.

d.  The people raced carts for sport.

24. Part of Mohenjodaro was raised and had walls around it. If this were all you knew about Mohenjodaro, what is your best educated guess about what it means?

a.  The city had enemies and the residents needed to protect themselves.

b.  The city had religious leaders who lived apart from everyone else.

c.  The city had traders who lived closest to the city’s roads.

d.  The city had poor people and the rich wanted to stay away from them.

Part D: Vocabulary – Read the sentences carefully, and fill-in the blank with the best word from the word bank. (Spelling Counts!)

Word Bank

alabaster
citadel
excavated / fertile
glacier
granary / monsoons
plateau
seals / sewer system
subcontinent
terra-cotta

25. The first part of Mohenjodaro was used as a or fort. So in times of trouble, people would come inside the walls to be safe.

26. India is considered a because though it is attached to Asia, it is surrounded on three sides by water.

27. The Deccan has some rivers but summer rains bring most of the water.

28. A scale and weights were found inside the of Mohenjodaro, suggesting that barley, wheat, or flour may have been measured out and used for trading or payment.

29. Though scientists aren’t sure exactly what they were used for, more than 400 have been discovered. It’s possible they were used as charms or pressed into wax to form a type of tag.

30. During the summer, bring heavy rain to southern Asia. These not only bring needed water, but creates fertile farmland as the rivers overflow the banks.