The document summarizes key aspects of government and bureaucracy in imperial China. It describes how the Mandate of Heaven justified overthrowing emperors for misrule. When the Han dynasty lost the mandate, China split into kingdoms before being reunited by the Sui dynasty. The civil service system selected officials through exams focused on Confucian teachings, but aristocrats still dominated. The Song dynasty allowed lower classes to serve, seeking the jobs' respect and tax exemptions. Mongol rule appointed foreigners to positions, reducing Chinese scholars to minor roles until reforms revived the exam system.

1. Chapter 15
Workbook Answers

2. 15.2 ~ The Government of
Imperial China

3. 15.2 The Government of Imperial
China
• 1. According to the Mandate of
Heaven, when can people
overthrow the emperor?
• People can overthrow an
emperor when he rules
badly.

4. 15.2 The Government of Imperial
China
• 2. What is a bureaucracy? What
happened when the bureaucracy in
China became corrupt?
• A bureaucracy is an organized
group of government officials.
When the bureaucracy became
corrupt, people suffered from high
taxes, forced labor, and attacks by
bandits.

5. 15.2 The Government of Imperial
China
• 3. What happened to China when
the Han dynasty lost the Mandate
of Heaven? Who reunited China?
• When the Han dynasty fell,
China broke into separate
kingdoms. It was reunited by
the Sui dynasty.

6. 15.3 ~ Aristocracy:
The Tang Dynasty

7. 15.3 Aristocracy: The Tang
Dynasty
• 1. Who were scholar-
officials?
• Scholar-officials were
scholars who got
government jobs through
examinations.

8. 15.3 Aristocracy: The Tang
Dynasty
• 2. What was the
examination for scholar-
officials primarily based on?
• The examination was
primarily based on the
teachings of Confucius.

9. “Choose a job
love, and you
will never have
to work a day
in your life.”

10. 15.3 Aristocracy: The Tang
Dynasty
• 3. Why did aristocrats continue
to hold most offices?
• Only the wealthy could
afford the tutors, books, and
time to study needed to
prepare for the exams.

11. 15.4 ~ Meritocracy:
The Song Dynasty

12. 15.4 Meritocracy: The Song
Dynasty
• 1. According to emperors and
scholars, knowledge of Confucius
would produce what type of
government official?
• Government officials who had
studied Confucius would be
rational, moral, and able to
maintain order.

13. 15.4 Meritocracy: The Song
Dynasty
• 2. What new group of people
was allowed to become
government officials during the
Song period?
• People from lower classes
were allowed to become
government officials.

14. 15.4 Meritocracy: The Song
Dynasty
• 3. Why did people want
government jobs?
• People wanted these jobs
because government
officials were respected and
were excused from taxes
and military service.

15. 15.5 ~ Government by
Foreigners:
The Period of Mongol Rule

16. 15.5 Government by Foreigners:
The Period of Mongol Rule
• 1. Whom did Kublai Khan
choose to fill important
government positions?
• He appointed relatives, other
Mongols, and trusted
foreigners.

17. 15.5 Government by Foreigners:
The Period of Mongol Rule
• 2. What happened to Chinese
scholars during the Mongol
rule?
• Chinese scholars worked
only as teachers and minor
government officials.

18. 15.6 ~ The Revival of the
Civil Service System

19. 15.6 The Revival of the Civil
Service System
• 1. How did hiring scholars help China?
• Hiring scholars emphasized moral
behavior, justice, kindness, loyalty to
the emperor, proper conduct, and the
importance of family. It insured that
officials were trained and talented, and
it allowed the ambitious and hard
working from all classes the chance to
succeed.

20. 15.6 The Revival of the Civil
Service System
• 2. How did hiring scholars hurt
China?
• People who knew science,
mathematics, or engineering were
kept out of government.
• Because Confucian scholars had
little respect for merchants, trade
and business were not
encouraged.

21. Civil Service Exams by 1370
• Examinations lasted
between 24 and 72
hours, conducted in
spare, isolated
examination rooms;
sometimes, however, it
was held within cubicles.
• The small rooms featured
two boards which could
be placed together to
form a bed, or placed on
different levels to serve
as a desk and chair.

22. Civil Service Exams by 1370
• In order to obtain
objectivity in evaluation,
candidates were
identified by number
rather than name.
• Examination answers
were recopied by a third
person before being
evaluated to prevent the
candidate's handwriting
from being recognized.