Tang and Song China deep-dive with Chinese own-voice sources
Exercise
Difficulty 2
~2 min
hist.g3.s.ex_28
Open Response
Prompt
What was the Tang civil service exam used for?
How it's presented
mode
card
prompt audio ID
audio.g3s.ex 28.stem
Answer criteria
type
open response
rubric
Identifies meritocratic recruitment of government officials; based on study of Confucian classics; unprecedented in the medieval world; refuses 'modern European invention' framing
Hints
- Look at lesson 11 sourcework.
- The exam selected officials BASED ON STUDY, not birth.
Misconceptions to watch
- Confusing exam with general school exam (this is specifically GOVERNMENT recruitment)
- Saying meritocracy is European (refuted - Tang civil service exam predates it)
Used in lessons