Chinese History and Politics

Dynasties and Early History

25 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 25 questions

  1. Which ruler unified the warring states of China in 221 BCE and took the title of first emperor?
  2. Which dynasty is linked with the buried army of life-size clay soldiers near Xi'an?
  3. Which dynasty is best known for opening the overland Silk Road to Central Asia through envoy Zhang Qian?
  4. What is the traditional name of the teacher whose sayings were collected in the Analects?
  5. Which Chinese text, attributed to Laozi, is a basic work of Daoism?
  6. In which period did Chinese tradition say that Cai Lun improved the making of paper at court?
  7. Which city, today called Xi'an, was the capital of the Tang dynasty?
  8. Which dynasty was founded by the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan?
  9. Who founded the Ming dynasty in 1368 and reigned as the Hongwu Emperor?
  10. Which dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, ending in 1912?
  11. Which four inventions are traditionally called the Four Great Inventions of China?
  12. What were oracle bones used for during the Shang dynasty?
  13. Which dynasty introduced the idea of the Mandate of Heaven to justify its overthrow of the Shang?
  14. Which dynasty reunited China in 581 after nearly four centuries of division?
  15. Which large engineering project of the Sui dynasty linked the Yellow River and Yangtze regions?
  16. Who is generally credited with printing with movable clay type around 1040 during the Song dynasty?
  17. Which woman ruled as emperor in her own right, founding the short-lived Zhou dynasty in 690?
  18. Which emperor ordered the Forbidden City in Beijing to be built, completing it around 1420?
  19. Which Ming admiral led the treasure fleets that sailed to the Indian Ocean in the early 15th century?
  20. Which Qing emperor reigned for about 61 years, from 1661 to 1722?
  21. Which system of examinations chose officials by tested knowledge of the classics, until its abolition in 1905?
  22. Counting from the unification of 221 BCE to the abdication of 1912 CE, with no year zero, how many years passed?
  23. Which sequence of dynasties is in the correct chronological order?
  24. A founder of the Song dynasty took power in 960. Which dynasty fell to him, and from which period did that dynasty emerge?
  25. The Silk Road opened under Emperor Wu, and the Han fell in 220 CE. Which pair names the capital of the Western Han and the later eastern capital?

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