Which two dynasties are associated with the Great Wall's construction and expansion?

Which two dynasties are associated with the Great Wall's construction and expansion?

• A. Qin and Han
• B. Han and Ming
• C. Tang and Song
• D. Qin and Ming

Answer: (A)

This question tests how the Great Wall developed in its early history, focusing on who started it and who expanded it afterward. The initial construction began under the Qin dynasty after China was unified, when the ruler connected and extended earlier border walls into a more continuous barrier along the northern frontier. The following dynasty, the Han, continued the effort by expanding and reinforcing the wall to protect frontier routes and settlements as pressures from nomadic groups persisted. Later, the Ming dynasty carried out extensive rebuilding, and much of the walls we see today date to that era, but the two dynasties most closely tied to the wall’s early construction and expansion are Qin for starting the project and Han for expanding it.

This question tests how the Great Wall developed in its early history, focusing on who started it and who expanded it afterward. The initial construction began under the Qin dynasty after China was unified, when the ruler connected and extended earlier border walls into a more continuous barrier along the northern frontier. The following dynasty, the Han, continued the effort by expanding and reinforcing the wall to protect frontier routes and settlements as pressures from nomadic groups persisted. Later, the Ming dynasty carried out extensive rebuilding, and much of the walls we see today date to that era, but the two dynasties most closely tied to the wall’s early construction and expansion are Qin for starting the project and Han for expanding it.