Name: ___________________________________ Date: __________________

ANSWER KEY Section 1: Ancient India (pgs. 124-129)

Directions: complete the following study guide after reading section 1 (pgs. 124-129).

1. Define subcontinent (p. 124) A subcontinent is a large landmass that is smaller than

a continent.

2. What separates India from the rest of Asia? (p. 124): Mountains

3. The highest mountain range in the world is the (p. 124): The Himalaya Mountains

4. Located in present-day Pakistan, the ancient Indian civilization developed in the

Indus River Valley (p. 125).

5. India is a huge peninsula, so large that it is called a “subcontinent.” (map p. 125)

6. During the monsoon season, how up to how much rain does India receive? Up to 200

inches of rain. Winters in India are warm and dry, because winds blow down from

the mountains. (p. 126)

7. The original civilization that grew out of the Indus River Valley was called the

Harrapan. (p. 126)

8. The Harrapan civilization was named after the modern city of Harrapa. (p. 127)

9. The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro are ruins that gave us information about

Harappan civilization. (p. 127)

10. Harappan civilization was advanced. They invented India’s first writing system, but

the civilization ended by the early 1700’s BC. (p. 128)

11. After the fall of the Harappan civilization, a new group called the Aryans arrived in

the Indus Valley (p. 128)

12. Aryan villages were governed by rajas. (p. 128)

13. Why were poems and hymns like the Vedas memorized by the Aryan people? (p. 129)

The first Aryan settlers did not read or write, so they had to memorize the poems

and hymns..

14. Sanskrit is the most important language of ancient India. (p. 129)