1. Write a short paragraph describing culture and values during the Tang and Song dynasties. Type your answer here. (Score for Question 2: ___ of 14 points) 2. Write a short paragraph describing the Mongols. Be sure to include information explaining how they lived and why they lived way they did. Type your answer here. (Score for Question 3: ___ of 5 points) 3. Describe where the plague spread and name some of the places that it directly affected. How long did it take to spread to those areas? Type your answer here. (Score for Question 4: ___ of 6 points) 4. In a short paragraph, describe the geographic features of the Asian steppe. Type your answer here.
1. The Tang dynasty was a dynasty of Chinese emperors which
was considered to be a high point in Chinese cultural developments. They
introduced numerous reforms to the land and Buddhism was widely spread and
gained significance. They understood the importance of art and education and it
is considered to be the high time of Chinese poetry
The Song dynasty came a hundred years after the Tang dynasty and they were a
bit more pragmatic. They reformed the economy and developed economy and trading
more and established the first standing navy of the empire. They also cared a
lot about education and science and developed gunpowder and the compass among
other things.
2. The Mongols were a wide group of people who were split into numerous
different groups based on their background. What brought them together was
their tradition which focused on wars and conquering. This was especially
important during the rule of Genghis Khan. They were nomadic warriors who
managed to conquer most of Asia after which they settled in those regions. They
were especially famous for their horses and their relationship with them where
a horse was considered to be an extension of a person as they even slept and
ate on them. They moved a lot out of desire to conquer and spread and grow in
power even more.
3. The great plague spread mostly throughout Europe and
Western parts of Eurasia. It is believed that it started from Italy where ships
carried it there but it is unknown precisely where it came from. It spread from
there throughout Europe going as far away as Scotland in the Northwest, and in
the East it went to what is now Eastern Russia. Places directly affected were
places like London and Venice where the majority of the population was killed.
It spread that far away in just under 5 years.
4. The Steppes are areas characterized by grassland plains and shrublands with
almost no trees at all aside from areas that are found near rivers. They have a
semi-arid and a continental climate with a huge difference between summer and
winter temperature, going from as much as 45 Celsius during summer, to -55
celsius in some areas during winter. The summers are very hot and the winters
are very cold.
