| A | B |
| loess | fine yellow fertle soil |
| levee | used to keep the river in its banks |
| erosion | wearing away by wind and water |
| famine | a time of little or no food |
| steppe | elevated flat land |
| dynasty | ruling family |
| nobles | usually family of the king |
| oracle bones | first Chinese is found on these items; used to predict the future |
| Fu Hao | female chinese ruler |
| emperor | name given to the leader of an empire |
| Shihuangdi | first emperor of China, ruled very harshly, leader of the Qin Dynasty |
| Great Wall of China | used to keep farmers in and barbarians out; also used as protection along the Silk Road |
| Confucianism | a philosophy that follows the teachings of Confucious |
| Mandate of Heaven | idea that heaven offers support to a good and just ruler |
| Grand School | the best school in China where students are trained for government jobs |
| seismograph | invention created during the Han dynasty used to detect earthquakes |
| Han Gaozu | farmer-general who overthrew the Qin Dynasty and established the Han Dynasty |
| Wudi | expands the Han empire and establishes the Grand School |
| Silk Road | a trade route the connected China with the west |