1.+Question+of+the+Day

== =Vasco Da Gama says, "answer the question thoroughly and thoughtfully!"=

6/1/11 Define humanism.

5/24/11 How did the events of the age of exploration shift the balance of power in the world?

5/18/11 How do you think a person would figure out that the Earth was round based solely on observations of nature?

5/17/11 After our discussion yesterday concerning some of the negative aspects of exploration, what do you think the positive effects were?

5/16/11 Why would people leave the comfort and stability of Europe for the unknown of oceanic exploration? What kinds of influences do you think would drive people to explore?

4/25/11 Middle Ages, here we go! So, now that our debate is upon us, what do you know about the Middle Ages? Do you think this was a Dark Age or not? Why?

4/11/11 How are the Roman 12 Tables and the Code of Justinian similar? How are they different? How are both of these laws codes related to our modern laws?

4/6/11 Knowing what you know about Hammurabi's Code, how do you think laws were administered in the Roman Empire and later in the Byzantine Empire? How do you think the ways that law and punishment were administered may have changed?

3/29/11 Who was Julius Caesar?

3/28/11 Why would Rome want to expand beyond the area immediately surrounding the city? What kinds of resources must you have had to expand your territory in the ancient world?

3/23/11 If you were designing the perfect Republic, what would the ideal representative look like? What kind of personality and character traits would they have?

3/22/11 How does a Republic work? How do we organize our Republic to make sure that all citizens are represented? Do you feel that our way is efficient? Why or why not?

3/21/11 What do you know about the Roman Empire? Do any people, places, or events cause you think of the Roman Empire?

3/9/11 After learning a little bit about Athens and Sparta and their differences, which city-state would you rather be a citizen of and why?

3/8/11 What are some of the fundamental differences between Sparta and Athens? = =

2/28/11 Is democracy a good thing or a bad thing? Why or why not? How does a democratic society affect how people live?

2/17/11 Aside from Mythology, what people, places, or things do you know that are related to Ancient Greece? Explain what you know and why.

2/14/11 What has changed in Egypt since Friday? What is the current outlook?

2/11/11 What is the latest on the situation in Egypt?

2/8/11 In the homework, you read about the creation of the Christian Church's hierarchy. How do you think the structure of that system would be a threat to Kings and leaders across Europe later on?

2/7/11 Why do you think ethical monotheism gained popularity quickly?

2/4/11 What is a prophet? What makes a person a prophet?

1/25/11 Tell me what you know about the origins of monotheism.

1/4 Buddha said that life means suffering and by extension, in order to reach Nirvana you must end suffering in your life. Is this possible?

1/3/11 What are your thoughts about the debate? What went well? What could have been different?

12/20 What fallacy do you think would be the easiest to debunk and why?

12/17 On this day in history, what historic event occurred in North Carolina, forever changing the way the world moves?

12/15 Why would the concepts of zero and infinity be important to an ancient civilization?

12/14 How has the Indian concept of inoculation affected our culture? Do you know anything about any of the controversies surround this issue today?

12/13 Please explain the cycle of Samsara.

12/10 Now that you have read the story, who is the Avatar of Vishnu? Why do you believe this? Who is the Avatar of Shiva? What events have of the story make you believe this?

12/8 What do you think is going to happen next in the story?

12/7 How is the comic format?

12/6 What are your thoughts on Hinduism so far? Would you rather be a preserver or a destroyer?

12/1 What is the difference between class and caste? Is it difficult to switch classes in our country?

11/30 If you had to assign yourself a Dharma (life purpose) right now, what would it be and what would be good and bad karma for you?

11/29 What do you know about the Caste System?

11/16 If you were running a government, would you present the ideas of Confucius (rule by virtue and education) or would do you think that people need very strict rules and punishments in order to be governed effectively?

11/15 What is your I Search topic? Why did you choose this topic?

11/12 Should people that work for the government be required to pass general knowledge exams? Why or why not. Should different levels of government require knowledge of different subjects?

11/9 Imagine that you had to entrust someone with $1,000 of your money for a year. Which of these people would you trust the most: a relative, a friend who is an excellent student, or a close friend who is wealthy? Justify your answer and be prepared to explain your reasoning.

11/5 What is the Great Wall of China? Why is it there? What are some of the myths or stories that you know about it?

11/3 What do you think it says about Chinese culture that they worship their own ancestors to gain fortune or favor, rather than Gods of nature, like the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians?

11/2 Please read the passages and answer the questions.

**Ancestor Worship:** Ancestor worship was very important to the early Shang kings and nobles. It was a way of life. When a man died, the ancient Chinese believed his spirit lived on in the afterworld. They believed their ancestors had magical powers. These magical powers allowed their ancestors to punish them or to help them. To keep their ancestors happy, they brought gifts of food and wine to special places or temples. They held many celebrations to honor their ancestors. 

** Oracle Bones: ** To communicate with their ancestors, the Shang kings used **//oracle bones//**, which were sometimes called dragon bones. The king or emperor would ask a question, for example, will it rain tomorrow? The priest would carve the king's question on an oracle bone, which was just an animal bone or turtle shell. (Will it rain tomorrow?) Then, the priest would heat a bronze pin and hold the hot pin to the bone. This created a pattern of cracks over the bone. The priest (who was usually a woman) would study the cracks to find the answer to the question. Archaeologists have found over 100,000 oracle bones. Since many questions were asked about daily life, we know something about this civilization. The thing is, they didn't exactly ask "Will it rain tomorrow?" Oracle bones say things like: "If we sacrifice 10 men or 5 oxen, will it rain tomorrow?" The Shang kings sacrificed a great number of people to talk to their ancestors. Some of those sacrificed were enemies, captured in war. Some were slaves or people who were sick or deformed. Some were merchants, craftsmen, or farmers who had upset the nobles. Some were nobles who had upset the king.



1. Why would people want to worship their ancestors?

2. What does ancestor worship tell us about the importance of family in the Shang Dynasty?

3. What insights into Shang culture do oracle bones give us? Think about religion, the role of women, crime and punishment, etc.

11/1 What is xenophobia? Why/how did this issue arise in China?

10/27 Why would the isolation of China affect their culture and their view of themselves? Do you think this is an issue of human nature or is it unique to China?

10/26 Do you think that the Confucian concept of Li Law, or a Government by Virtue would work in society as large as our school (basically 1,000 people)? Is it possible to convince that many people to be good all the time? Why or why not?

10/25 Knowing what you know about the basics of civilizations, how do you think the civilizations of China and India are going to stack up against Mesopotamia and Egypt? Compare them in terms of geography, writing, government, farming and trade, etc.

10/22 Read over the statements below. Choose your favorite, tell me what it means and then tell me if it still applies in our modern world.

"By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart."

"What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others."

"Have no friends not equal to yourself."

"He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it."

"He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good."

"Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes."

10/12 What do you feel is the biggest difference so far between the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians?

10/7 - 10/8 Does the fact that a civilization has written laws make it more advanced than one that does not? Explain.

10/6/10 What is the significance of the Code of Hammurabi?

10/5 Why do you think so many different empires conquered Mesopotamia? How are these conquerors the same? How do they differ?

9/9 What is the difference between an artifact and a fossil? What do each tell us about the past and how can they be used together to by historians, anthropologists and archeologists?

9/10 What influences helped the people of early civilizations answer questions that they could not answer? What effects does the creation of a mythology or a religion have on a civilization?

9/13 If you were an archaeologist what kind of artifact do you think would offer the most proof of the existence of an ancient civilization? Why would this artifact be the best judge of this?

9/14 Please answer the following questions by using the map below. - Please tell me the relative location of Bucharest. - About how far is it from Riyadh to Muscat? - As close as you can figure, what is the absolute location of Kerman, Iran? - What do you feel is missing from this map? - Explain to me the relative locations of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Nile River Civilization and Mesopotamia.

9/17

What is absolute power? What are the advantages and disadvantages to having a leader with absolute power? Knowing what you know about ancient Egypt, do you think their leaders may have abused this power?

9/20

What is the difference between a nation and an empire? Can you think of modern examples of both?

9/21

What do you feel are the greatest cultural achievements of the ancient Egyptians? Why?

9/22

Explain to me which two cultural areas (Pyramids, Art, Religion, Government (pharaohs), Mummification, Fashion/ Daily Life, Science and Math ) you would like to further look into and why.

9/28

After learning about Egypt and the accomplishments of their ancient culture, how do you think other ancient cultures will measure up? How will they be similar, how will they be different?

9/29

What does the term Jim Crow mean to you?

9/30

1. Do you think that you should be allowed to vote? (This will be discussed not written)

Read this: The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall choose from them by Ballot the Vice President.

Write down what this means in one minute after reading it once.

How does that make you feel?

10/4/10

After reading Friday's articles, what do you think the great achievements of Ancient Mesopotamia will be?