Understanding World Societies:
Printed Page 87

Chapter Chronology

> CHAPTER 3 STUDY GUIDE

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Now, take a step back and try to explain the big picture. Remember to use specific examples from the chapter in your answers.

EARLY INDIAN CIVILIZATIONS

  • What similarities were there between Harappan civilization and the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt?
  • How did Brahmanism shape early Indian society and politics?
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INDIA’S GREAT RELIGIONS

  • What beliefs do Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism have in common?
  • How would you explain the fact that Hinduism eventually grew to be the most common religion in India?
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THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MAURYAN EMPIRE

  • What were the keys to Mauryan political success?
  • How did encounters with outsiders contribute to both the rise of the Mauryan Empire and to Indian development in the centuries after the empire’s fall?
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LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

  • How did geography and climate shape the development of commercial connections both within India and between India and the larger world?
  • How would you explain the fact that, up until the establishment of the Mughal Empire in the sixteenth century, periods of political unification of the Indian subcontinent have been the exception and not the rule? What light does the early history of India shed on this question?
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