Emperor ch'in shi huang believed in harsh government. what was not one of his practices?
a. he began huge building projects and forced people to work on them.
b. he broke up the central government and allowed different states in china to self-rule.
c. he did not listen to the court advisers.
d. he kept children of potential enemies as hostages.

Qin Shi Huang became the King when he was only 13.  Qin Shi Huang cracked down hard on rebellion with the other seven warring states and named himself “The Frist Emperor of China”.  He raised an army and conquered the other states taking advantage of times of weakness within those states.  He was a heartless and harsh ruler towards those who chose to rebel against him.  After unifying China the Qin Empire faced a recurring threat from nomadix’s.  Qin ordered the construction of a defensive wall known now as the Great Wall of China by the use of slaves and criminals.  Thousands of these workers would die in the process.  He also ordered the construction of a canal, the Lingqu, which linked the Yangtze and Pearl River.  Therefore I believe (b) would be your correct answer.