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Here we are providing 1 Mark Questions for History Class 12 Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economics are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

One Mark Questions for History Class 12 Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economics

Question 1.
Who composed Rigveda?
Answer:
Rigveda was composed by the people living along the Indus and its tributaries.

Question 2.
Who deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts and when?
Answer:
Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts were dociphered by James Princep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company:

Question 3.
Name the titles adopted by Ashoka.
Answer:
Devampiya and Piyadassi.

Question 4.
How many Mahajanapadas were there?
Answer:
There were around sixteen Mahajanapadas.

Question 5.
What were Ganas or Sanghas?
Answer:
These were Oligarchies where power was shared by a number of men.

Question 6.
What were Dharmasutras?
Answer:
Brehmanas started composing Sanskrit texts from sixth century BCE onwards which were called Dharmasutras.

Question 7.
Name the most powerful Mahajanapada.
Answer:
Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanapada.

Question 8.
Name the famous and powerful rulers of Magadha.
Answer:
Bimbisara, Ajatasatru and Mahapadma Nanda.

Question 9.
Name the capital of Magadha.
Answer:
Rajagaha in the earlier part but was shifted to Pataliputra in the fourth century BCE.

Question 10.
Who started the Mauryan Empire?
Answer:
Chandragupta Maurya.

Question 11.
Name the sources of history about the Mauryan Empire.
Answer:
India written by Magasthenes, Arthashastra by Chanakya, Ashokan inscriptions etc.

Question 12.
Name the five major political centres in the Mauryan Empire.
Answer:
Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri.

Question 13.
For how many years the Mauryan Empire lasted?
Answer:
Around 150 years.

Question 14.
Where the Clossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found?
Answer:
In a shrine at Mat near Mathura (Utter Pradesh).

Question 15.
Who adopted the title of Devaputra?
Answer:
Many Kushana rulers adopted the title of Devaputra.

Question 16.
Who composed Prayaga Prashasti?
Answer:
Prayaga Prashasti was composed by Harishena, the court poet of Samudraguta.

Question 17.
When were Jataka tales written?
Answer:
Jataka tales were written in Pali language around the middle of first millennium CE.

Question 18.
Who was James Princep ? Which two ancient scripts were deciphered by him ?
or
Who was James,Princep ? Mention anyone of his contribution in the development of Indian epigraphy. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
James Princep was an officer of the English East India Company. He was able to decipher the ancient Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts.

Question 19.
What was the early capital of Magadha ? Tell its one feature. In the 4th century B.C.E., which city was made the capital of Magadha ?
Answer:
Rajagaha (present-day Rajgir) was the early capital of Magadha. Thet city signified the “House of the King”. It was a fortified settlement and was located among the hills. In the 4th century B.C.E., its capital was shifted to Pataliputra, present-day Patna.

Question 20.
Who was Ashoka ? Which famous state did he annex into the Mauryan empire ?
Answer:
Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. He was the most famous ruler of the Mauryan empire. He annexed the state of Kalinga in the Mauryan empire.

Question 21.
Give brief description of languages and scripts of inscriptions of Ashoka.
Answer:
Prakrit was the language used on most of the inscriptions of Ashoka. These were written in Brahmi script. ,

Question 22.
What is meant by Tamilakam ? Name three Chiefdoms emerging in Mauryan Tamilakam. Also give their one feature.
Answer:
Tamilakam means the area of Deccan and further South in the sub-continent. It included parts of present day Andhra Pradesh and Kerala with Tamil Nadu. Chiefdoms of the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas emerged in Tamilakam. These Chiefdoms proved to be very prosperous and stable.

Question 23.
What was the capital of the Mauryan empire ? Also write the names of four provincial centres.
Answer:
Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryan empire. Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri were four provincial centres.

Question 24.
Name three types of source about the history of Gupta rulers.
Answer:
(i) Literature
(ii) Coins and inscriptions
(iii) Prashastis, composed by poets in praise of kings.

Question 25.
When and who built Sudarshana Lake ? Which rulers got this lake repaired ?
Answer:
According to an inscription, Sudarshana Lake was an artificial reservoir which was built by a local governor during the rule of the Mauryas. It was repaired by a Saka ruler Rudradaman and one of the rulers of the Gupta Dynasty.

Question 26.
Briefly describe about ‘Banabhatta’ and ‘Harshacharita’.
Answer:
Banabhatta was a court poet of the ruler of Kanauj, Harsha Vardhana. The Harshacharita is a biography of Harsha Vardhana composed by Banabhatta.

Question 27.
Who was Prabhavati Gupta ? Tell a rare example found about her.
Answer:
Prabhavati Gupta was the daughter of Chandragupta II (375—415 C.E.) who was a famous ruler of early India. She was married in a Vakatak family of Deccan Peninsula. She had donated land which is a rare example of donation by any womah.

Question 28.
What is meant by Periplus ? On what does Periplus of the Erythraean Sea throws light ?
Answer:
Periplus is a Greek word. It means sailing around or sea voyage. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea throws light on the sea trade of early India.

Question 29.
Explain the names and meanings of the two titles adorned by Ashoka.
Answer:
Ashoka adopted the two titles ‘Devanampiya’ and ‘Piyadassi’. Devanampiya meant the “Belpved of the Gods” and Piyadassi meant “Pleasant to Behold”. These titles have been found in many inscriptions.

Question 30.
‘In some inscriptions, only titles adopted by Ashoka are given but on others, both his name and titles are given.’ How did historians assess that all these inscriptions are made by a single ruler ?
Answer:
All the inscriptions were examined and it was concluded that their subject, language, script, method, etc., are similar to each other. That is why historians assessed that all these inscriptions are made by a single ruler.

Question 31.
Why the cities especially capital cities, during Mahajanapada age, were fortified ?
Answer:
Capital city has a special importance. All the political, social, economic and cultural activities are regulated from the capital. It is also necessary to secure it from the enemy. These things were also applicable on capital cities during the Mahajanapada age. That is why walls were made around the city and were fortified.

Question 32.
Why Ashoka’s lion emblem is today considered important ?
Answer:
Ashoka’s lion emblem has been adopted as the national symbol by the Indian Government. It is the symbol of our unity, courage, progress and high ideals. That is why it is considered important.

Question 33.
How large was the army of the Mauryan ruler according to Greek sources ?
Answer:
According to Greek sources, the Mauryan ruler had a standing army of 600,000 foot-soldiers, 30,000 cavalry and 9,000 elephants.

Question 34.
What resources were needed by the Maurayas to retain their large army ?
Answer:
(i) Excessive revenue
(ii) Great number of military equipments
(iii) Huge supplies of food
(iv) Place for the camping for its armed forces.

Question 35.
Why did people bring gifts for Pandya Chiefs ? What would the Chiefs have used these for ? .
Answer:
People respected Pandya Chiefs because they were very much happy and prosperous during their rule. That is why they brought gifts for Pandya Chiefs. Chiefs could have used those gifts themselves or could have distributed them among their supporters.

Question 36.
Why did the rulers arrange for irrigation ?
Answer:
The rulers made arrangements for irrigation to increase the agricultural production. There were two reasons for it :
(i) Agriculture was the main source of state income.
(ii) Agriculture could provide food to the people.

Question 37.
Who was the author of ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ ? Why did he prepare a list of different types of goods ?
Answer:
Author of the ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ was an anonymous Greek sailor. He prepared a list of varied type of goods to show foreign trade
through sea route. He wanted to express that bulk of pepper and malabathrum (possibly cinnamon) was exported from India. In lieu of that all kinds of transparent stones, diamonds, sapphires and tortoise shells were imported in India.

Question 38.
How did the city of Pataliputra emerge ?
Answer:
Pataliputra emerged from a village called Pataligram. In 5th century B.C.E., the Magadhan rulers decided to shift their capital from Raj agriha to this city and they renamed it. By fourth century B.C.E., it become the capital of Mauryan empire and became one of the largest cities of Asia. But later on , its importance declined.

Question 39.
Who was the Grihapati ?
Answer:
Grihapati was the head of the family. He was the owner, master or head of a household. He had control over the females, children, servants and slaves who lived in the house. He was the master of the land, animals and other such things of the family. Sometimes this term was used for those urban elite and traders who lived in the towns. It was a symbol of status for wealthy merchants.

Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 3 Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Under whose leadership the process of preparing the critical edition of Mahabharata started?
Answer:
Under the leadership of V.S. Shankar.

Question 2.
How many years did it take to complete the critical edition of Mahabharata?
Answer:
47 years.

Question 3.
What is Kinfolk?
Answer:
A larger network of families is called Kinfolk.

Question 4.
Which system of lineage was followed by most of the ruling dynasties?
Answer:
They followed the system of patriline.

Question 5.
Who did not have any claim to the resources of the household?
Answer:
Daughters did not have any such claim.

Question 6.
When was Manusmriti compiled?
Answer:
Manusmriti complied between C. 200 BCE and 200 C.E.

Question 7.
How many forms of marriage were recognized in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras?
Answer:
Eight forms of marriage.

Question 8.
On what basis Brahmanas were classified from 100 BCE onwards?
Answer:
They were classified on the basis of their gotras.

Question 9.
Where did Satavahanas rule?
Answer:
Satavahanas ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan.

Question 10.
What is polygynous?
Answer:
When a male marries more than one female, it is called polygynous.

Question 11.
Through which side the Satavahana rulers were identified?
Answer:
They were identified through metronymic or through mother’s side.

Question 12.
From where did Shakas Came?
Answer:
Shakas came from Central Asia.

Question 13.
Who was regarded as Mlechchhas?
Answer:
Shakas were regarded as Mlechchhas.

Question 14.
Where did the duties of the Chandalas lay down?
Answer:
The Manusmriti laid down the duties of the Chandalas.

Question 15.
Which Chines monk come to India during the fifth century CE?
Answer:
Fa Xian.

Question 16.
With whom is the central story of Mahabharata associated?
Answer:
The central story of Mahabharata is about two sets of warring cousins. This text also contains sections laying down norms of behavior for different social groups. The principal characters, occasionally, seem to follow these norms.

Question 17.
Why and among whom, the war of Mahabharata was fought? What was its result?
Answer:
The war of Mahabharata was fought between Kauravas and Pandavas. It was fought to acquire land and authority. Both the parties were related to the Kuru clan. The war was won by the Pandavas.

Question 18.
Distinguish between Patriliny and Matriliny.
Answer:
Priligy means: to trace descent from father to son, grandson, and so on. On the other hand, matriliny means to trace the descent through the mother.

Question 19.
What were Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras ?
Answer:
Brahmanas layer down codes of social behavior in great detail. They were supposed to be followed by Brahmanas in particular and by the rest of society in general. From 50 BCE, these norms were compiled in Sanskrit texts which were known as Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras.

Question 20.
What were the two most important rules about the gotra? Mention two rules about gotra, particularly of women, according to Brahmanical practice after 1000 B.C.E.  (C.B.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Or
Mention the two rules about the classification of people in terms of gotra under Brahmanical practice; around 1000 BCE onwards. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:

1.  After marriage, every woman gave up the gotra of her father and adopted the gotra of her husband.
2.  Members of the same gotra could not marry.

Question 21.
Who was Gandhari? What advice had she given to Duryodhana? What was its impact on Duryodhana?
Answer:
Gandhari was the mother of the Kauravas. She had advised her eldest son Duryodhana not to wage a war against the Pandavas. But it had no effect on Duryodhana. He fought against the Pandavas and was defeated.

Question 22.
Who were Gotama and Vashishtha? Which earlier rulers gotra’s names were taken by their names? Give examples.
Answer:
Gotama and Vashishtha were Vedic seers. Gotras of Satvahana kings were taken by their names like :

1.  Raja Gotami-puta Siri-Satakani.
2.  Raja Vasithi-puta (Sami) Siri Pulumayi.

Question 23.
Where did endogamy prevail in India during 600 B.C.E.—600 C.E. ? What was its importance?
Answer:
Endogamy existed in certain South India communities between 600 BCE—600 CE and it still exists. Such marriages among kinfolk ensured a close-knit community.

Question 24.
What do the names of Satavahana rulers indicate towards the status of mothers in the society? Is this thing applicable to succession to the throne?
Or
How were mothers important under the Satavahana rule? Give an example to support your Answer. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
Satavahana rulers were identified through metonymies means that names were derived from that of the mother. It indicates that mothers had an important place in society.

This thing is not applicable on succession to the throne as it was generally patrilineal.

Question 25.
According to the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda, how did the four Varnas emerge under the Varna system?
Answer:
According to the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda, the four Varnas emerged from the sacrifice of the Purusha, the primeval man. All the four social categories emanated from his body. His mouth became the Brahmanas and the arms came out to be Kshatriyas. His thighs became the Vaishya and from his feet, the fourth Varna was born.

Question 26.
Who was designated as Chandalas by Brahmanas? What was their place in society?
Answer:
Some people were engaged in occupations like handling corpses and dead animals. These occupations were considered impure. Those who performed such tasks were designated as Chandalas. They were placed at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

Question 27.
What has been said about the right on paternal property in the Manusmriti?
Or
How was a paternal estate to be I ’ divided after the death of the parents, according to Manusmriti? (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the paternal property should be equally divided among all the sons after the death of their parents. However, the eldest son is entitled to a special share. The women were not allowed to demand any share in this property.

Question 28.
Tell any two pieces of evidence to show that the people were linked to matriliny.
Answer:

1.  Many inscriptions of the powerful Satavahanas have been found. They tell us that many rulers had their lineage from matriliny.
2. There is a list of the hierarchy of ancestors in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It contains a list of successive generations of teachers and students. Most of them were designated as metronymic.

Question 29.
What is the Bhagavad Gita ?
Answer:
The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most important didactic section of the Mahabharata. It contains the advice offered by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Question 30.
Who, according to traditions, is considered as the author of Mahabharata? From whom did he scribe the epic?
Answer:
According to literary traditions, Maharishi Ved Vyasa is considered the author of Mahabharata. He scribed this epic from the Lord Ganesha.

Question 31.
Mention two ideal occupations of Brahmanas according to Dharmashastras. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
According to Dharmashastras, two ideal occupations of Brahmanas are:

1. Study and teach the Vedas.
2. Perform sacrifices and get sacrifices performed as well as give and receive gifts.

Question 32.
How were the Shakas, who came from Central Asia, regarded by the Brahmanas? Name their best-known ruler and one of his contributions. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
Shakas, who came from Central Asia were regarded as Mlechchhas or the barbarians were: or outsiders by the Brahmanas.

Rudradaman was their best-known ruler and one of the major contributions of Rudradaman was that he rebuilt Sudarshana lake.

Question 33.
Mention any two ideal occupations of Kshatriyas according to Dharma-shastras. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:

1. Kshatriyas were expected to engage in warfare, protect people and administer justice.
2. They were expected to study the Vedas, get sacrifices performed, and give gifts.

Question 34.
Mention two such populations which were beyond the four varnas and I) were viewed with suspicion. Give one characteristic of each. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:

1. Forest dwellers for whom hunting and gathering remained an important means of subsistence.
2. Mlechchhas who spoke non-Sanskritic languages.

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
“The Mahabharata is a story of changing relationships.” Discuss. How did it strengthen the ideal of patriline?
Or
Describe how the kinship relations changed with reference to Mahabharata. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Or
The Mahabharata is a good source to study the Kinfolk’s values of ancient times.” Justify this statement with suitable arguments. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
“The central story of Mahabharata reinforced the idea of kinship and succession”. Explain.
(C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Or
“The Mahabharata is a story of Kinship, marriages, and patriline.” Examine the statement.
(C.B.S.E. 2017 (D))
Answer:
In reality, the Mahabharata is a story of changing human relations. It depicts a struggle and clash for land and authority between two parties of cousins namely the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Both sides were related to the Kuru clan which ruled over the Kuru region. Their conflict resulted in a full-fledged war. The Pandavas won this war. Thereafter, an announcement was made about patriline inheritance.

Though the tradition of patrimony was vague even before the composition of this epic, yet, the content of the Mahabharata strengthened the ideal of patriline. According to the principle of patriline, the sons, after the death of their father, could claim their right to resources. In the case of the kings, this claim included even the throne.

Question 2.
When and how people were classified into gotras by Brahmanas? Were these rules applicable to the Satavahana clan?
Or
Mention any two features of gotra as per the Brahmanical practice. What evidences do we get from the Satavahana inscriptions regarding the inheritance of gotra? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
From C. 1000 BCE onwards, people were classified into gotras by Brahmanas. Each gotra was named after a Vedic seer as all the members of that gotra were assumed as the descendants of that seer. There were two important rules of gotras:

1. The woman had to adopt the gotra of her husband after her marriage.
2. Members of the same gotra could not marry each other.

Rules of Gotra and Satavahana kings: Some of the Satavahana rulers had more than one wife (polygamy). A study of the names of wives of Satavahana rulers reveals that few of them had names derived from gotras such as Gotama and Vashishtha which were their father’s gotras. They probably had retained these names instead of adopting the names of their husband’s gotras. Some women also belonged to the same gotra as their husbands. This fact was against the rules of exogamy. This fact actually exemplified an alternative practice that of endogamy or marriage within the kin group.

Question 3.
What was the relationship between the Varna system and occupation according to Brahmanical texts? Which strategies were used by Brahmanas for l enforcing these norms? (From Sample Paper)
Or
What according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four Varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Or
Explain the rules contained in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras about the ideal occupations of the four categories of Varnas. (CJB.S.E. 2012 (D))
Or
Explain the ideal occupation as laid down in Dharmashastras and Dharmasutras for the four varnas. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))

Answer:
The relation between the Varna system and occupations according to Brahminical texts.

1. Brahamanas: Study and teach the Vedas, perform sacrifices and get sacrifices performed as well as give and receive gifts.

2. Kshatriyas: Engage in warfare, protect people and administer justice, study the Vedas, get sacrifices performed, and give gifts.

3. Vaishyas: Study Vedas, perform yajnas, give gifts, agriculture, pastoralism, and trade.

4. Fourth Varna: Serving the higher three Varnas. Brahmanas used the following strategies to enforce these norms:

• Asserting that the Varna order was of divine origin.
• Advised kings to ensure that these norms were followed by their subjects.
• Attempted to persuade people that their status was determined by birth.

Question 4.
What is meant by Metronymics? Is this concept correct in the case of Satavahanas?
Or
What evidences do we get from the Brahmanical practice and Satvahana lineage regarding the inheritance of gotra? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (O.D.))
Answer:
The meaning of Metronymics is that most importance is given to the mother in any clan or dynasty. The name of that clan is derived from the name of the mother. This social custom is clearly seen in the society of Satavahanas. Even kings used to associate the names of their mothers with their names.

Gotami-puta Satakani and Vasithi-puta are evidence of this practice. Although more importance was given to females in the society still Satavahana dynasty was patrilineal as the successor to the throne was generally a male member.

Question 5.
Who was Gotami-puta Satakani? Describe his main achievements.
Answer:
Gotami-puta Satakani was the bravest king of the Satavahana dynasty. He ruled from 106 C.E. till 130 C.E. and increased the strength and prosperity of his dynasty. He called himself the alone Brahmana and killed many Kshatriyas. He also defeated the Shakas and claimed to destroy the Kshaharat dynasty.

The important leader of this dynasty was Nahapan. Whichever silver coins of Nahapan have been found, they indicate that they might have been minted again. This work could have been done after the defeat of Nahapan at the hands of Satakani. It has been believed that the empire of Satakani was spread from Malwa in the North and till Karnataka in the South. Probably Andhra Pradesh was also a part of his empire.

Question 6.
What was the relation between Varna and Property?
Answer:
According to the Brahmanical texts, access to wealth was linked with the Varna. All the Varnas performed different jobs. The Brahmanas read the Vedas and taught their pupils. The Kshatriyas fought in the battles. The Vaishyas were engaged in the trade. But the Fourth Varna served all the above mentioned three Varnas.

In other words, the only occupation prescribed for the Fourth Varna was servitude. In fact, the Brahmanas and the Kshatriyas performed a variety of occupations. So they were the wealthiest men. The kings and priests were also very rich people. However on some occasions, the BrahmAnswer: are depicted to be poor.

Question 7.
What was the basis of criticism of the Varna system?
Answer:
When Brahmanical ideas were being compiled in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras, at that time some other traditions expressed their criticism of the Varna system. The most important criticism, out of these was developed in the early Buddhist religion (around the 6th century). Buddhists admitted that there existed differences in society but according to them these differences were not natural. They even rejected the idea of social prestige based on birth.

Question 8.
What did the Buddhists say about the inequalities prevalent in society? What does it indicate?
Answer:
The Buddhists were aware of the social inequalities. So they developed institutions to regulate social conflict. There is a myth in the well-known text entitled ‘Sutta Pitaka’ which tells us that originally human beings did not have fully evolved bodily forms. Similarly, the world of plants was also not fully developed. All the people lived in an idyllic state of peace. They took from nature only what they needed for each meal.

However, this ideal state did not remain for long. There was a gradual deterioration in the peaceful stage. Most human beings became greedy, vindictive, and deceitful. So the people thought of electing a man who could set things in order. He would punish those who deserved to be punished. He would expel those who were fit to be expelled. In lieu of this job, he would be given a proportion of the produce. As he would be chosen by all people, he would be called as Mahasammata, i.e., the great elect.

From this, we come to know that the office of the king depended on the will of the people. In other words, the institution of kingship was based on human choice. People paid taxes for the services rendered to them by the king. This myth also indicates that human deeds play a great role in strengthening social and economic relations. For example, if human beings could create the system, they could also change it in the future.

Question 9.
While giving an example of Gotami-puta Satakani, clarify that assimilation in the caste system was a complex social process.
Answer:
The most famous ruler of the Satavahana dynasty, Gotami-puta Satakani claimed himself as the only Brahmana and acted as a destroyer of the prestige of Kshatriyas. He also claimed that he restricted the marital relations between the four Varnas but he himself established marital relations with the family of Rudradaman.

On the basis of this example, we can say that assimilation in the caste system was a complex social process. Satavahana kings claimed themselves as Brahamanas but according to Brahmanical shastras, Kshatriya should be the king. They claimed to maintain the integrity of the four-fold Varna system but established marital relations with those who were not the part of Varna system. Except for this, they followed the endogamous form of marriage which was not sanctioned by the Brahmanical texts.

Question 10.
Explain the factors that should be kept in mind by the historians were: while handling textual traditions.
Or
Explain any five elements considered by the historians were: while analyzing the texts. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
While analyzing a book or a literary source, the historians were: should keep different aspects in their mind such as follows:

1. They should examine in which language the book has been written. They should see if the book has been written in Pali, Prakrit, or Tamil which were usually spoken by the people. They should also see if the book has been written in Sanskrit which was used by a particular section of the society.

2. The historians were: also paid attention to the kind of text. They tried to analyze if the text contained mantras or the stories which could be read or heard by the people.

3. The historians were: also wanted to know the authors whose views and perceptions gave a concrete shape to the text.

4. The historians were: also examine the audience because every author keeps in mind the audience.

5. They also analyze the possible period of the creation of the book.

Thus, every historian completely analyses the issues involved in the text. By examining the subject- matter, he can recreate history. This task becomes all the more intricate and complicated in texts like Mahabharata.

Question 11.
Write a brief note on the language and subject-matter or content of IVlahabharata.
Or
How did the historians be: classify the content and the language of IVlahabharata? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Or
Describe briefly how do the historians usually classify the contents of Mahabharata. Why is the text described as an itihas? (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Or
Explain the language and content of Mahabharata. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D.)
Answer: Language :
The epic called Mahabharata is available in many languages but was actually written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit used in this epic is far simpler than the Sanskrit used in Vedas or Prashastis. That is why we can say that it was probably widely understood.

Content: The content of this epic is generally classified under two heads—narrative and didactic. The narrative section contains stories and the didactic section contains prescriptions about social norms. But this division is not clear in itself because the didactic section includes stories and the narrative contains a social message. However, generally, historians were: agree with the fact that this epic was meant to a dramatic, moving story. Didactic portions could have been added later.

This epic is described as an ‘itihasa’ within earlySanskritic tradition. The literal meaning of this term is ‘thus it was.’ HistoriAnswer: have different views about the war of Mahabharata. Some historians were: believe that memory of an actual conflict among kinfolk was preserved in the narrative. While some historians were: believe that there is no other corroborative evidence of the battle.

Question 12.
“The Mahabharata is a dynamic book.” Explain.
Or
Describe the Mahabharata as a dynamic text. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Or
Explain why we call Mahabharata a ‘Dynamic, Text’. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Or
Explain how you will prove that the text of Mahabharata was a dynamic one. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D.))
Or
“The Mahabharata is an invaluable source available to historians were: to study social practices and norms in early societies.” Justify the statement with suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (Comp.))
Answer:
The Mahabharata is a great dynamic epic. It contains vivid descriptions of battles, forests, palaces, and settlements. Its growth was not hindered by its language, that is, Sanskrit Over the centuries, it has been written in many languages of the world. It depicts an on-going dialogue between the people and communities on the one hand and the authors on the other hand.

As it incorporated many stories that originated in different regions, the Mahabharata became an epical text. At the same time, the main story of the epic was often retold in different ways. Many episodes of this text had been depicted in sculptures and paintings. They also provide a wide range of themes and performing arts like plays, dances, and narratives.

Question 13.
Explain the factors that should be kept in mind by the historians were: while handling textual traditions. (Sample Paper)
Answer:
While studying the literary traditions or sources, the historians were: should keep the following points in their minds:

1. They should examine the language of the book. They should see if the text is in Pali, Prakrit, or Tamil language – the language of the common people or if it is in Sanskrit, the language of the priests of the distinct or the elite people.

2. The form of the book whether it is in the form of the Mantras changed by the ritual specialists or is
it in narrative form, that is stories read, heard, and retold by the people.

3. To get information about the author of the book as his attitude and views, perspective and ideas affect the writing of the book.

4. For whom has the book been written as the author must have kept in his mind the taste and interest of the readers or audience.

5. To get information about the period of the creation or compilation of the book and to analyze its background.

Question 14.
Describe the position of the untouchables in ancient society. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Answer:
In ancient society, the position of the untouchables was very pitiable. They were kept at the lowest place in the society. They were assigned the following duties :

1. They were compelled to live outside the village.

2. They used discarded utensils. They wore clothes worn out by the dead at the time of their burial or cremation. They wore ornaments made of iron.

3. They were not allowed to move or walk in the village at night.

4. They had to perform the last rites of those dead persons who had no relatives. They also acted as the hang-man.

Question 15.
“The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras also contained rules about the ideal occupations of the four categories of Varnas.” Critically examine the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Dharmashastras and the Dharmasutras contained many rules regarding the ideal occupations of the four varnas. They are as follows:

1. The Brahmanas studied and taught the Vedas. They performed sacrifices and got sacrifices performed. They also gave and received gifts.

2. The Kshatriyas were engaged in warfare. They protected people and administered justice. They also studied the Vedas and gave gifts. They got sacrifices performed.

3. The Vaishyas were engaged in agriculture, pastoralism, and trade. They also studied the Vedas. They made gifts and got sacrifices performed.

4. The fourth varna was given only one occupation. Their prime duty was to serve the three higher varnas.

Question 16.
What did B.B. Lai note about the houses in the second phase of the Mahabharata period (C. twelfth-seventh centuries BCE)? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
B.B. Lai noted about the houses in the second phase (C. twelfth-seventh centuries BCE) that within the limited area excavated, no definite planner: of houses were obtained but walls of mud and mud bricks were duly encountered. The discovery of mud plaster with prominent reed-marks suggested that some of the houses had red walls plastered over the mud.”

Question 17.
Describe briefly the ideas found in Upnishadas about the relationship between human beings and the cosmic order.
Answer:
Many ideas found in the Upanishads show that people were curious about the meaning of life, the possibility of life after death, and rebirth. Was rebirth due to past actions of an individual? Such issues were debated a great deal. Thinkers were also concerned with understanding and expressing the nature of the ultimate reality.

Other people, outside the Vedic tradition, asked whether or not there even was a single ultimate reality. People also started to speculate on the importance of the sacrificial tradition.

Question 18.
Explain the findings of the archaeologist B.B. Lai on excavations at the village named Hastinapur (Distt. .Meerut, U.P.). (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
B.B. Lai found evidence of five occupational levels of which the second and third are of interest to us. Lai wrote that within the limited area excavated, no definite planner: of houses were found but walls of mud and mud bricks were duly encountered. The reed walls were plastered over with mud.

For the third phase, he also wrote that the houses of this period were built of mud bricks and burnt bricks. Soakage jars and brick drains were used for draining out refuse water, while terracotta ring wells may have been used both as wells and drainage pits.

Question 19.
How are all families not identical? Explain the kind of variations that occurred in ancient times. C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
All families, in ancient times, were not identical. They vary in terms of the number of members,
their relations with each other, and the type of activities they share. Generally, people belonging to the same family share food and other resources, and they live, work and perform rituals together. Families are generally parts of a larger network of people defined as relatives or kinfolk. While familial ties are often regarded as natural and based on blood, they are defined in many different ways.

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1. What is Mahabharata? How its critical edition was prepared?
Or
Describe the various stages through which Mahabharata was compiled in the 20th century. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Or
Describe briefly the method worked out by the team of scholars for comparing the verses for each manuscript of Mahabharata. What were their findings? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Or
Describe the elements considered by historians were: to analyze Mahabharata. State the efforts of V.S. Sukthankar and his team for the preparation of the critical edition of Mahabharata. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (D))
Answer:
Mahabharata is one of the most colossal epics of the sub-continent. This epic, in its present form, has over one lakh verses. It also depicts a wide range of social categories and situations. It was composed over a period of about 1000 years (500 BCE onwards). Some of its stories may be in circulation even earlier.

The central story of Mahabharata is about two sets of warring cousins. It also contains sections laying down norms of behavior for different social groups. The principal character of this epic occasionally seems to follow these norms.

Critical Edition of Mahabharata: A very ambitious project was started in 1919 CE under the leadership of noted Sanskrit scholar V.S. Sukthankar. Many scholars collectively decided to prepare a critical edition of Mahabharata. Initially, Sanskrit manuscripts of the epic, written in different scripts and in different parts of the country, were collected.

This team, comprising of scholars, worked out a method of comparing verses from each manuscript. They selected all those verses which appeared common in all manuscripts. They published all these in several volumes running into 13,000 pages. Around 47 years were taken to complete this project. Two things become apparent throughout the whole of the process.

1. The First one was that there were similarities in many elements of the Sanskrit version of the story. This similarity found in all the manuscripts stretched in the whole of the sub-continent from Kashmir and Nepal in the north to Kerala, Tamil Nadu in the south.

2. The Second one was that a number of regional variations came in front of the ways in which the epic had been transmitted over the centuries. These variations were written as footnotes and appendices to the main texts. More than half of the total pages are devoted to these variations when they were taken together.

Actually, these variations could be reflected in the complete process that shaped early and later social histories through dialogues between dominant traditions and resilient local ideas and practices. These dialogues are featured by moments of conflict as well as consensus.

Our information about all these processes is mainly based on those Sanskrit texts which were written by BrahmAnswer: for themselves. HistoriAnswer: in the 19th and 20th centuries, for the first time, explored these texts while concentrating on different issues of social history. They believed that whatever is written in the texts, could have been actually practiced. Later on, scholars also studied other traditions with the help of Pali, Prakrit, and Tamil texts. These studies indicated that the ideas contained in normative Sanskrit texts were recognized as authoritative, but they were also questioned and sometimes even rejected.

Question 2.
What did the Right to Property mean in the context of women and men in the period of Mahabharata?
Answer:
There were fierce competition and rivalry for a long between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Therefore, Duryodhana invited Yudhisthira to a game of dice. In the game, Yudhisthira lost all his gold, elephants, chariots, slaves, army, treasury, kingdom, the property of his subjects, his brothers and finally himself. He was deceived by his rival. At last, he staked their common wife Draupadi. He also lost her in this game of dice. It shows that during those days, the wife was considered as the property of the husband. It also shows that the eldest brother enjoyed special rights over the property.

Divisions of Property among Sons: The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras also deal with the issues of ownership. According to Manu Smriti, the paternal estate was to be equally divided among all the sons after the death of their parents. However, the eldest son enjoyed a special share. But the women could not claim any share in this estate.

Sridhara: Literally, the stridhana means the wealth of the woman. The women were allowed to retain the gifts that they received on the occasion of their marriage. Her husband had no claim on her wealth but her children could inherit it. The Manu Smriti warned the women not to hoard family property. They were also forbidden to hoard their valuables without the permission of their husbands.

Upper-Class Women and Resources (wealth): However the upper-class women like the Vakataka queen Prabhavati Gupta could have an access to resources. However, the land, the cattle, and the money were controlled by men. In fact, social differences between men and women were sharpened because of the differences in access to resources.

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Why is the careful study of available books necessary to write the history of early societies of India?
Answer:
Every book is written with a perspective for a particular community. It is possible that some communities may have been ignored out of jealousy or some other reason. It is also possible that the description of any particular community may be exaggerated. That is why a careful perusal of these books is considered necessary.

Question 2.
What is the meaning of marriage for bride and bridegroom according to Rig Veda?
Answer:
The meaning of marriage for a bridegroom is to give his love and affection to the bride whereas the meaning of marriage for the bride is that she will have fine sons and be fortunate in her husband’s love. For this, the father of the bride worships God ‘Indra’ at the time of her marriage.

Question 3.
What policies were adopted by the Brahmanas to ensure that everybody obeyed the rules of the Varna system?
Or
Mention any two strategies evolved by Brahmanas to enforce the norms about the ideal occupations for all the four varnas contained in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Or
Explain one strategy evolved by the BrahmAnswer: to enforce the norms of ideal occupations. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Or
Identify any two strategies evolved by BrahmAnswer: to enforce the names of Varna order from C. 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Brahmanas adopted the following policies for the obedience to the rules of the Varna system:

1. They told the people that the Varna system was a divine system.
2. They advised the kings to ensure compliance with the rules of the Varna system.
3. They also tried to convince the people that their prestige depended on their birth. In other words, they persuaded the people that their status was determined by their birth.

Question 4.
What do you think why Brahmanas quoted Purusha Sukta of Rig Veda very frequently?
Answer:
According to Purusha Sukta, the Varna system was a system that originated from the divine. Brahmanas also wanted that people should also consider it divine. That is why, to evident their assumption, they quoted Purusha Sukta very frequently.

Question 5.
What was Stridhana?
Answer:
Literally, Stridhana means a woman’s wealth. The wealth could be inherited by her children without the husband having any claim on it. The women were allowed to keep the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage. It was considered as her Stridhana. However, she could not hoard any family property as valuables.

Question 6.
How can you say that Mahabharata was widely understood?
Answer:
The original version of the Mahabharata is in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas or of the Prashant is. That is why it was probably widely understood.

Question 7.
Distinguish between Varna and Jati. Also, tell the similarities between the two.
Answer:

1. There were only four Varnas but the number of Jatis was not fixed.
2. All the sections of the society were not included in the Varna system. But the Jati system was encompassing and comprehensive. It included even those who were not in any Varna system.

Similarity: Both the Varna and the Jati were based on the birth of a person.

Question 8.
What was the position of those people in a society whose social practices were not influenced by Brahmanical ideas?
Answer:
Due to diversity in the sub-continent, there were many people whose social practices were not influenced by Brahmanical ideas. Their mention has been found in many Sanskrit texts. They are often described as odd, uncivilized, and beastly people. They are also considered as forest dwellers who hunted to survive. The Nishida, Eklavya was one of them and belonged to this category of people.

The others who were suspected included nomadic pastoralists. They did not adjust themselves in the framework of settled agriculturists. The people who did not speak Sanskrit were often termed as Mlechchhas. They were looked down upon in society. There are many stories about such people in the Mahabharata.

Question 9.
Explain how access to property sharpened social differences between men and women in ancient times. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Answer:
In accordance with the Manusmriti, the parental property should be equally divided between all the sons after the death of their parents. But the eldest son was entitled to a special share. The women had no right to demand any share in this property. But they had complete ownership in all the gifts presented to them on the occasion of their marriage. It was called the wealth of the women. This property could be easily inherited by their progeny. The husband had no right on this property of the woman often called stree dhan. But the Manusmriti also prohibited all the women to hide any family property or accumulate precious things secretly without the permission of the husbands.

There are undoubtedly some indications that a few women from the higher strata of a society controlled all the resources. But the land, animals, and money were always under the control of men. In other words, the disparity between the social position of the men and women became rampant because of diverse control of men and women over the resources.

Question 10.
How was “integration within the framework of caste often a V y complicated process”? Explain with examples. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
The meaning of caste is a set of a ranking system according to the social status or authority of a person. This ideal order is given in the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras. Brahmanas were given the top rank and it was divinely ordered. The BrahmAnswer: had two or three strategies to implement these norms. They told the people that the Varna system was a divine system. They advised the kings to ensure compliance with the rules of the Varna system and also tried to convince the people that their prestige depended on their birth.

But many important ruling lineages had different origins. Actually, anyone who was capable of bringing support and resources together was open to political power. For example, Rudradaman who was the famous Shaka ruler was very much well versed with Sanskritic traditions. On the other side, Gotami-puta Satakani maintained to be both Brahmana and destroyer of the pride of Kshatriyas. The Satavahanas also claimed to be Brahmanas. Due to this way, the integration within the framework of caste was often a complicated process.

Kinship, Caste, and Class Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow :

Question 1.
Producing “Fine Sons”

Here is an excerpt of a mantra from the Rigveda, which was probably inserted in the text c. 1000 B.C.E. to be chanted by the priest while conducting the marriage ritual. It is used in many Hindu weddings even today.

I free her from here but not from there. I have bound her firmly there so that through the grace of Indra she will have fine sons and be fortunate in her husband’s love.

Indra was one of the principal deities, a god of valor, warfare, and rain. “Here” and “there” refer to the father’s and husband’s house respectively.

(i) In the context of the mantra, discuss the implications of marriage from the point of view of the bride and groom.
Answer:
It was expected of the bride to give birth to fine sons. But it was expected from the bridegroom that he should love his wife.

(ii) Are the implications of the mantra identical or are there differences?
Answer:
These mantras imply identical as well as different things. They are identical because the mutual love of the husband and his wife can help in the birth of fine sons. It is not identical because the daughters are not expected to give birth to fine daughters.

(iii) Who was Indra? What did the people pray him for?
Answer:
Indra was one of the main gods of Hindu mythology. He was a god of valor, warfare, and rain. The people prayed to Indra to seek the blessing of fine sons.

(iv) Why did the people wish for fine sons?
Answer:
The people wished for fine sons because of the principle of patriline. In this tradition, only the sons carried forward the generation.

Question 2.
Why Kinfolk Quarreled?

This is an excerpt from the Adi Parvan (literally, the first section) of the Sanskrit Mahabharata, describing why conflicts arose amongst the Kauravas and Pandavas :

The Kauravas were the sons of Dhritarashtra, and the Pandavas were their cousins. Since Dhritarashtra was blind, his younger brother Pandu ascended the throne of Hastinapura However after the premature death of Pandu, Dhritarashtra became king, as the royal princes were still very young. As the princes grew up together, the citizens of Hastinapura began to express their preference for the Pandavas, for they were more capable and virtuous than the Kauravas. This made Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas, jealous.

He approached his father and said, “You yourself did not receive the throne, although it fell to you, because of your defect. If the Pandava receives the patrimony from Pandu, his son will surely inherit it in turn, and so will his son, and his. We ourselves with our sons shall be excluded from the royal succession and become of slight regard in the eyes of the world, lord of the earth!” Passages such as these may not have been literally true, but they give us an idea about what those who wrote the text thought! Sometimes, as in this case, they contain conflicting ideas.

(i) From where has this excerpt been taken? What does it depict?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from the Adi Parvan which is the first section of Mahabharata written in Sanskrit. It describes the conflict between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

(ii) How did Dharitrashtra become the king of Hastinapur?
Answer:
Dhritarashtra was the elder brother of Pandu. But as he was blind. Pandu became the King of Hastinapur. However, Pandu met with a pre¬mature death. At that time, all the sons of Pandu were very young. So Dharitrashtra became the king.

(iii) Who was Duryodhana? Why was he jealous of the Pandavas?
Answer:
Duryodhana was the son of Dhritarashtra. He was the eldest of the Kauravas. But the people expressed their preference for the Pandavas as they were more capable and virtuous than the Kauravas. So Duryodhana felt jealous of the Pandavas.

(iv) How did Duryodhana express his anguish to his father?
Answer:
Duryodhana told his father that the latter sat on the throne just by chance. But if Pandavas sat on the throne, they would get the royal succession. In this case, Duryodhana and his brothers would feel slighted.

Question 3.
Eight Forms of Marriage

Here are the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth forms of marriage from the Manusmriti :

First: The gift of a daughter, after dressing her in costly clothes and honoring her with presents of jewels, to a man learned in the Veda whom the father himself invites.

Fourth: The gift of a daughter by the father after he has addressed the couple with the text, “May both of you perform your duties together”, and has shown honor to the bridegroom.

Fifth: When the bridegroom receives a maiden, after having given as much wealth as he can afford to the kinsmen and to the bride herself, according to his own will.

Sixth: The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover which springs from the desire

(i) What is Manusmriti and when was it compiled?
Answer:
Among all the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras, Manusmriti is the most important text about the law. It was compiled between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E.

(ii) What is this excerpt about? Who had made these rules?
Answer:
This excerpt is concerned with different types of marriages. These norms were made by the BrahmAnswer:

(iii) Distinguish between the methods of first and fifth marriage.
Answer:
In the first kind of marriage, the father dressed her daughter in costly clothes and gave her gifts. He also honored her with presents of jewels. He offered her to a man whom he himself invited. But in the fifth kind of marriage, the bridegroom received a maiden only after giving wealth to the bride and other kind men.

(iv) How many marriages are approved by Dharamsutra and Dharmashastras? How have they been classified?
Answer:
The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastra approved of eight kinds of marriages. Out of these, the first four kinds of marriages were considered good. The latter four marriages were however condemnable. These were practiced by those who did not believe in Brahmanical norms.

Question 4.
Names of Satavahana Kings from Inscriptions

These are the names of several generations of Satavahana rulers, recovered from inscriptions. Note the uniform title raja. Also note the following word, which ends with the term puta, a Prakrit word meaning “son”. The term Gotami-puta means “son of Gotami”. Names like Gotami and Vasithi are feminine forms of Gotama and Vasistha, Vedic seers after whom gotras were named.
raja Gotami-puta Siri-Satakani
raja Vasithi-puta (sami-) Siri-Pulumayi
raja Gotami-puta sami-Siri-Yana-Satakani
raja Madhhri-puta svami-Sakasena
raja Vasathi-puta Chatarapana-Satakani
raja Hariti-puta Vinhukada Chutukulanamda-Satakamni
raja Gotami-puta Siri-Vijaya-Satakani

(i) Who were Satavahanas ? What was the main source of information about them ?
Answer:
The Satavahanas ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan from the second century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. The main source of information about them are the inscriptions.

(ii) What was the meaning of the word ‘Puta’? How many Gotami-putas and how many Vasithi putas are there?
Answer:
The term ‘Puta’ has been derived from a Prakrit word which means a son. There are three Gotami-putas and one Vasithi-puta. The names of the three Gotami-putas were:
(i) Siri-Satakani (ii) Sami-Siri-Yana – Satakani and (iii) Siri-Vijaya-Satakani. However the name of Vasithi-puta was Chatarapana-Satakani.

(iii) From where have the names of Gotami and Vasithi been derived?
Answer:
The name of Gotami was derived from the Gotama gotra. Similarly, the name of Vasithi was derived from the Vasistha gotra. The Gotama gotra was based on the name of Gautam who was a Vedic Rishi. The Vasistha gotra was based on Vashistha, a Vedic Rishi.

(iv) Bring out the contradictions among Satavahana kings about gotra and marriage.
Answer:
(a) The women who married Satavahana
rulers sometimes retained the gotras of their father. They did not adopt the gotra of their husband. They ignored the Brahmanical rules which required them to leave the gotra of their father and adopt the gotra of their husband.

(b) They ignored the ideal of exogamy recommended in the Brahmanical texts. Some of the Satavahana women married within the kin group or the same gotra.

Question 5.
A Mother’s Advice

The Mahabharata describes how, when war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas became almost inevitable, Gandhari made one last appeal to her eldest son Duryodhana:

By making peace you honor your father and me, as well as your well-wishers it is the
wise man in control of his senses who guards his kingdom. Greed and anger drag a man away from his profits; by defeating these two enemies a king conquers the earth… You will happily enjoy the earth, my son, along with the wise and heroic Pandavas There is no good in a war, no law (dharma) and profit (artha), let alone happiness; nor is there (necessarily) victory in the end – don’t set your mind on war

Duryodhana did not listen to this advice and fought and lost the war.

(i) Explain briefly Gandhari’s appeal to Duryodhana.
Answer:
Gandhari appealed to Duryodhana not to fight a war against the Pandavas. It is in his interest because war is nothing except destruction. It is not necessary that victory could come in war. Greed and anger drag a man away from his profits. By defeating these two enemies, one could save his state.

(ii) Do you agree with Gandhari’s advice to Duryodhana? Give two arguments in support of your Answer.
Answer:
Yes, we agree with Gandhari’s advice because:
(a) There is no good in a war, No law and profit are there to fight a war.
(b) Another name of war is destruction.

(iii) Why did Duryodhana not listen to his mother’s advice? Give two possible reasons. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
Duryodhana did not listen to his mother’s advice because:
(a) He was proud of himself and his power.
(b) His advisors were not good enough.

Question 6.
A Divine Order?

To justify their claims, Brahmanas often cited a verse from a hymn in the Rigveda known as the Purusha Sukta, describing the sacrifice of Purusha, the primeval man. All the elements of the universe, including the four social categories, were supposed to have emanated from his body :

The Brahmana was his mouth, of his arms was made the Kshatriya.

His thighs became the Vaishya, of his feet the Shudra was born.

(i) Which order was called the divine order by the Brahmanas?
Answer:
The BrahmAnswer: called the Varna System as the divine order.

(ii) Which were the four vamps and what was the proper occupation for each of them?
Answer:
The four varnas were the Brahmanswer, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras.
(a) The BrahmAnswer: studied and taught the Vedas. They performed sacrifices and got sacrifices performed. They also gave and received gifts.
(b) The Kshatriyas were engaged in warfare. They protected people and administered justice.
(c) The Vaishyas were engaged in trade, agriculture, and pastoralism.
(d) The Shudras were supposed to serve the three higher varnas.

(iii) According to Purusha Sukta, how did the four vamps emanate?
Answer:
According to Purusha Sukta, the four varnas emanated from the body of the primeval man. When the Purusha was sacrificed, the BrahmAnswer: emanated from his mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from thighs, and the Shudras emerged from his feet.

(iv) Which policies were adopted by the BrahmAnswer: to ensure proper implementation of the rules of occupation?
Answer:
The BrahmAnswer: evolved the following strategies to enforce the norms of occupation.
(a) They told the people that the varna order was of divine origin.
(b) They advised kings to ensure that these norms were practiced by the people within their kingdoms.
(c) They persuaded people that their status was determined by their birth.

Question 7.
“Proper” Social Roles

Here is a story from the Adi Parvan of the Mahabharata :

Once, Drona, a Brahmana who taught archery to the Kuru princes, was approached by Ekalavya, a forest-dwelling Nishida (a hunting community). When Drona, who knew, the dharma, refused to have him as his pupil, Ekalavya returned to the forest prepared an image of Drona out of clay, and treating it as his teacher, began to practice on his own. In due course, he acquired great skill in archery. One day, the Kuru princes went hunting and their dog wandering in the woods came upon Ekalavya.

When the dog smelt the dark ‘ nishada wrapped in black deerskin, his body caked with dirt, it began to bark. Annoyed Ekalavya shot seven arrows into its mouth. When the dog returned to the Pandavas, they were amazed at this superb display of archery. They tracked down Ekalavya who introduced himself as a pupil of Drona.

Drona had once told his favorite student Arjuna, that he would be unrivaled amongst his pupils. Arjuna now reminded Drona about this. Drona approached Ekalavya who immediately acknowledged and honored him as his teacher. When Drona demanded his right thumb as his fee, Ekalavya unhesitatingly cut it off and offered it. But thereafter, when he shot with his remaining fingers, he was no longer as fast, as he had been before. Thus, Drona kept his word: no one was better than Arjuna.

(i) Do you think Drona’s action was justified? Explain.
Answer:
No, we do not agree with Drona’s action. Drona was a teacher and the duty of a teacher is to give education without keeping discrimination on the basis of caste. But Ekalavya was a Nishada which is why Drona refused to have him as his pupil. This action of his is wrong.

(ii) Examine the story and explain the character of Ekalavya.
Answer:
Ekalavya was a forest-dwelling Nishada. He was a very hard worker and a strong boy. He accepted Drona as his teacher and wanted to take the education of archery from him. But Drona refused him. So Ekalvya returned to the forest, prepared an image of Drona out of clay, and treating it as his teacher, began to practice on his own. He became proficient in archery. He even shot seven arrows into the mouth of a dog.

(iii) After giving his thumb to Drona did he (Ekalavya) repent? Explain your opinion. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
No, after giving his thumb to Drona, he did not repent. He was a true student and was satisfied with the fact that he fulfilled his duty as a student.

Question 8.
A Tiger-like husband (C.B.S.E. 2016 (D))

This is a summary of a story from the Adi Parvan of the Mahabharata :

The Pandavas had fled into the forest. They were tired and fell asleep; only Bhima, the second Pandava, renowned for his prowess, was keeping watch. A man-eating rakshasa caught the scent of the Pandavas and sent his sister Hidimba to capture them. She fell in love with Bhima, transformed herself into a lovely maiden, and proposed to him. He refused. Meanwhile, the rakshasa arrived and challenged Bhima to a wrestling match.

Bhima accepted the challenge and killed him. The others woke up hearing the noise. Hidimba introduced herself and declared her love for Bhima. She told Kunti: “I have forsaken my friends, my dharma and my kin; and good lady, chosen your tiger-like son for my man….whether you think me a fool, or your devoted servant, let me join you, great lady, with your son as my husband.”

Ultimately, Yodhisthira agreed to the marriage on condition that they would spend the day together but that Bhima would return. every night. The couple roamed all over the world during the day. In due course, Hidimba gave birth to a rakshasa boy named Ghatotkacha. Then the mother and son left the Pandavas. Ghatotkacha promised to return to the Pandavas whenever they needed him.

Some historians were: suggest that the term rakshasa is used to describe people whose practices differed from those laid down in Brahmanical texts.

(i) Who sent Hidimba to Pandavas and why?
Answer:
Hidimba was sent to the Pandavas by her brother. Her brother was a man-eating rakshasa. He wanted her to capture the Pandavas.

(ii) How was a man-eating rakshasa killed?
Answer:
A man-eating rakshasa was the brother of Hidimba. He sent her to capture the Pandavas. When she did not return, he himself went to the Pandavas. He challenged Bhima to a wrestling match. As Bhima was very brave, he accepted the challenge of Hidimba’s brother. Thus, the man-eating rakshasa was killed by Bhima.

(iii) How did Hidimba become the wife of Bhima?
Answer:
Hidimba had gone to capture the Pandavas. But she fell in love with Bhima. So she transformed herself into a lovely maiden and proposed to him. But Bhima refused to accept her love. So she declared her love for Bhima before all the Pandavas. She told Kunti that she had forsaken her friends, her dharma, and her kins for Bhima. She was even ready to live like a devoted servant. So Yudhisthira agreed to the marriage of Hidimba with Bhima on the condition that they would spend the day together. But Bhima would have to return to the forest every night.

(iv) Who was called a tiger-like husband and why?
Answer:
Bhima was called a tiger-like husband because he was very brave as a tiger.

Question 9.
The Bodhisatta as a Chandala

Did chandalas resist the attempts to push them to the bottom of the social order? Read this story, which is part of the Matanga Jataka, a Pali text, where the Bodhisatta (the Buddha in a previous birth) is identified as a chandala. Once, the Bodhisatta was born outside the city of Banaras as a chandala’s son and named Matanga. One day, when he had gone to the city on some work, he encountered Dittha Mangalika, the daughter of a merchant. When she saw him, she exclaimed “I have seen something inauspicious” and washed her eyes.

The angry hangers-on then beat him up. In protest, he went and lay down at the door of her father’s house. On the seventh day, they brought out the girl and gave her to him. She carried the starving Matanga back to the chandala settlement. Once he returned home, he decided to renounce the world. After attaining spiritual powers, he returned to Benaras and married her. A son named Mandavya Kumara was born to them.

He learned the three Vedas as he grew up and began to provide food to 16,000 Brahmanas every day. One day, Matanga, dressed in rags, with a clay alms bowl in his hand, arrived at his son’s doorstep and begged for food. Mandavya replied that he looked like an outcast and was unworthy of alms; the food was meant for the Brahmanas. Matanga said: “Those who are proud of their birth and are ignorant do not deserve gifts.

On the contrary, those who are free from vices are worthy of offerings.” Mandavya lost his temper and asked his servants to throw the man out. Matanga rose in the air and disappeared. When Ditta Mangalika learned about the incident, she followed Matanga and begged his forgiveness. He asked her to take a bit of the leftover from his bowl and give it to Mandavya and the Brahmanas.

(i) From where has this story been taken? To whom is it related?
Answer:
This story has been taken from the “Matanga Jataka” written in the Pali language. It is identified with Bodhisatta who was once born as a Chandal.

(ii) How did Matanga marry Dittha?
Answer:
Matanga was the son of a chandal. Once he went to a city for some work. There he met Dittha Mangalika, the daughter of a merchant. Looking at him, Ditta felt as if she had seen something ‘ inauspicious. So she washed her eyes. Her v servants felt enraged and beat up Matanga. In protest against this beating, Matanga lay down at the door of her father’s house. On the seventh day, the members of Dittha’s family yielded. They brought out the girl and gave her to him. The starving Matanga had become very weak. So Ditta took him to the Chandala settlement. But when Matanga reached home, he decided to renounce the world. After attaining spiritual powers, Matanga returned to Benaras and married Ditta

(iii) Who was Mandavya Kumara? Why did he refuse to give food to Matanga? What did Matanga say in this regard?
Answer:
Mandavya Kuinara was the son of Matanga and Ditta. When he grew up, he had learned the three Vedas. He provided food to 16,000 Brahmanas every day. One day Matanga reached the door-steps of Mandavya. He was dressed in rags. He held a clay alms bowl in his hand. He begged for food. But Mandavya replied that the food was meant only for the Brahmanas. Matanga looked like an outcast and therefore was not worthy of food or alms. ‘ But Matanga stated that those who were proud t of their birth were ignorant and did not deserve any gifts. Those who were free from vices were worthy of the* offerings. Hearing this, Mandavya lost his temper. He ordered his servants to throw Matanga out.

(iv) What duties have been assigned to the Chandals in the Manusmriti?
Answer:
The Manusmriti has laid down the following duties of the Cfidndals :
(a) They had to live outside the village.
(b) They had to use discarded utensils.
(c) They had to wear clothes of the dead.
(d) They had to wear ornaments of iron.
(e) They were not allowed to walk about in villages and cities at night.
(f) They had to dispose of the bodies of those people who had no relatives.
(g) They served as executioners.

Question 10.
Draupadi’s Question

Draupadi is supposed to have asked Yudhisthira whether he had lost himself before staking her. Two contrary opinions were expressed in response to this question.

One, that even if Yudhisthira had lost himself earlier, his wife remained under his control, so he could stake her.

Two, that an unfree man (as Yudhisthira was when he had lost himself) could not stake another person.
The matter remained unresolved; ultimately, Dhritarashtra restored to the Pandavas and Draupadi their personal freedom.

(i) Explain the message that goes after reading this episode.
Answer:
This episode gives us the message that the high-class people of Mahabharata also gambled. They even reached to the extent that they could keep their wife at stake.

(ii) Which of the two views, do you agree with?
Answer:
We agree with the view that an unfree man could not stake another person. Here Yudhishtira lost everything. Even then he kept his wife at stake. In my view, he had no right to do so.

(iii) Compare the status of women at that time with the present. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
During Mahabharata’s age, the female was considered as the property of her husband. A Male could keep his wife at stake in gambling but at present, her status has been changed completely. Today, she is given equal status as compared to males. Today, she has broken all the clutches of the male- dominant society and has become independent.

Question 11.
How Could Men and Women Acquire Wealth? (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))

For men, the Manusmriti declares, there are seven meAnswer: of acquiring wealth: inheritance, finding, purchase, conquest, investment, work, and acceptance of gifts from good people.

For women, there is six menswear: acquiring wealth: what was given in front of the fire (marriage) or the bridal procession, or as a token of affection, and what she got from her brother, mother, or father. She could also acquire wealth through any subsequent gift and whatever her “affectionate” husband might give her.

(i) What does Manusmriti say about the paternal estate?
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the paternal estate was divided equally among all the sons after the death of their parents. But the eldest son had a special share in the parental estate. However, the women were not entitled to claim any share in this parental estate.

(ii) According to Manusmriti, by which means could the men acquire wealth?
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, there were the following seven means for men to acquire wealth :
(a) Inheritance
(b) Finding
(c) Purchase
(d) Conquest
(e) Investment
(f) Work
(g) Acceptance of gifts from good people

(iii) What were the means for the women to acquire wealth? What was called the Stridhana?
Answer:
Literally, the strident meant a woman’s wealth. The women were allowed to keep the gifts that they received on the occasion of their marriage. It was called the stridhana. Her husband had no claims over this wealth. However, her children Could inherit it. However, the women could acquire wealth by adopting any one of the following six means:
(a) The gifts are given in front of the fire (marriage).
(b) Gifts received on the occasion of bridal procession.
(c) By receiving tokens of affection.
(d) Whatever she got from her brother, mother, or father.
(e) Subsequent gifts.
(f) Gifts received from her husband.

(iv) What warning does the Manusmriti give to the women not to acquire two kinds of wealth?
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the women should not hoard the family property. They should also not hoard their own valuables without the permission of their husbands.

Question 12.
The Wealthy Shudra

This story, based on a Buddhist text in Pali known as the Majjhima Nikaya, is part of a dialogue between a king named Avantiputta and a disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana. While it may not be literally true, it reveals Buddhist attitudes towards varna.

Avantiputta asked Kachchana what he thought about Brahmanas who held that they were the best caste and that all other castes were low; that Brahmanas were a fair caste while all other castes were dark; that only Brahmanas were pure, not non-Brahmanas; that Brahmanas were sons of Brahma, born of his mouth, born of Brahma, formed by Brahma, heirs to Brahma. Kachchana replied: “What if a Shudra were wealthy … would another Shudra … or a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya … speak politely to him ?”

Avantiputta replied that if a Shudra had wealth or com or gold or silver, he could have as his obedient servant another Shudra to get up earlier than he, to go to rest later, to carry out his orders, to speak politely; or, he could even have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as his obedient servant.

Kachchana asked ’’This being so, are not these four variances exactly the same ?” Avantiputta conceded that there Was no
the difference amongst the varnas on this count.

(i) What did Avnatiputta want to know from Kachchana about Brahmanas? ,
Answer:
Kachchana was the disciple of Buddha. Avantiputta wanted to know from him that why the position of Brahmanas was superior in society and other castes are inferior to it. Brahmanas were a fair caste while all other castes were dark. Only Brahmanas were pure not the others. Brahmanas were sons of Brahma and were born of his mouth. So, they are heirs to Brahma.

(ii) What was Kachchana’s reply? Explain.
Answer:
Kachchana replied that if a Shudra was wealthy then he would make other Shudra as his servant. He could have as his obedient servant another Shudra. Not only this, he could have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as his obedient servant. On this basis, all the four areas are exactly the same and there was no difference amongst the vamas on this count.

(iii) If a Shudra had wealth, would Brahiqanas and others speak to him politely? Give reason. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
Yes, if a Shudra had wealth then he could have been respected in society and his status would become highest because wealth is given much importance in life. In this condition, the Brahmanas and others would speak with him politely.

Question 13.
The Poor Generous Chief

In this composition from the Puranaruru, one of the anthologies of poems of the Tamil Sangam literature (c first century CE), a bard describes his patron to other poets thus:

He (i.e. the patron) doesn’t have the wealth to lavish on others every day.

Nor does he have the pettiness to say that he has nothing and so refuse!…. he lives in Irantai (a place) and is generous. He is an enemy to the hunger of bards!

If you wish to cure your poverty come along with me, bards whose lips are so skilled!

If we request him, showing him our ribs thin with hunger, he will go to the blacksmith of his village.

And will say to that man of powerful hands. “Shape me a long spear for war, one that has a straight blade!”

(i) From which book has this excerpt been taken? With which literature is this book associated?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from ‘Puranaruru’ which is an anthology of poems.
It is associated with the Tamil Sangam literature.

(ii) Why did the bard call his patron a donor? What did he do to declare him a donor?
Answer:
The bard calls his patron a donor to seek wealth from him. He states that his patron does not have the wealth to spend lavishly on others every day. But he is also not so petty as to refuse by saying that he has nothing to give. He is generous. He cannot tolerate the hunger of the bard. So he exhorts all the bards to accompany him if they want to remove their poverty.

(iii) What had the patron do to acquire wealth so that he may give a part of it to the bard?
Answer:
The patron had to fight a war to acquire
wealth. So he kept a long spear with a straight blade.

(iv) How far was the claim of the people for social prestige based on wealth justified?
Answer:
The claim of the people for social prestige based on wealth was justified. But it had also exceptions. Society respected the generous, donor. But it despised the misers or those who accumulated wealth for themselves. These principles have been followed in the ancient Tamilakam.

Question 14.
Draupadi’s Marriage

Drupada, the king of Panchala organized a competition where the challenge was to string a bow and hit a target; the winner would be chosen to marry his daughter Draupadi. Arjuna was victorious and was garlanded by Draupadi. The Pandavas returned with her to their mother Kunti, who, even before she saw them, asked them to share whatever they had got. She realized her mistake when she saw Draupadi but her command could not be violated. After much deliberation, Yudhisthira decided that Draupadi would be their common wife.

When Drupada was told about this, he protested. However, the seer Vyasa arrived and told him that the Pandavas were in reality incarnations of Indra, whose wife had been reborn as Draupadi and they were thus destined for each other.

Vyasa added that in another instance a young woman had prayed to Shiva for a husband and in her enthusiasm, had prayed five times instead of once. This woman was now reborn as Draupadi, and Shiva had fulfilled her prayers. Convinced by these stories, Drupada consented to the marriage.

(i) Which competition was organized by Drupada, the king of Panchala, for the marriage of his daughter?
Answer:
Drupada was the king of Panchala. He organized a competition to find a suitable match for his daughter. He put a challenge to string a bow and hit a target. His daughter was to be married to the winner of this competition.

(ii) By which two things did Vyasa convince the king that Draupadi was the common wife of the Pandavas?
Answer:
Vyasa convinced the king by saying the following two things :
(a) The Pandavas were in reality the incarnations of Indra. The wife of Indra had been reborn as Draupadi. So Draupadi was destined to meet the Pandavas.

(b) A young woman prayed Lord Shiva. She desired the blessing of a husband. But she was very enthusiastic. So she, instead of praying once, prayed five times. That woman has now been reborn as Draupadi. Her prayers have been granted by Shiva. Drupada, the father of Draupadi, felt convinced and agreed to marry her daughter to the Pandavas.

(iii) What kind of marriage was between Draupadi and the Pandavas? Give any two views of the historians were about the marriage.
Answer:
Draupadi’s marriage with the Pandavas is an example of polyandry. Many historians believed that polyandry was prevalent amongst ruling elites. It was prevalent in the Himalayan region. A few historians believed that during the times of warfare, there was a shortage of women. This led to the practice of polyandry.

Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economics. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 2 Important Extra Questions Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economics

Kings, Farmers and Towns Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Who composed Rigveda?
Answer:
Rigveda was composed of the people living along the Indus and its tributaries.

Question 2.
Who deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts and when?
Answer:
Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts were deciphered by James Princep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company:

Question 3.
Name the titles adopted by Ashoka.
Answer:
Devampiya and Piyadassi.

Question 4.
How many Mahajanapadas were there?
Answer:
There were around sixteen Mahajanapadas.

Question 5.
What were Ganas or Sanghas?
Answer:
These were Oligarchies where power was shared by a number of men.

Question 6.
What were Dharmasutras?
Answer:
Brahmanas started composing Sanskrit texts from sixth century BCE onwards which were called Dharmasutras.

Question 7.
Name the most powerful Mahajanapada.
Answer:
Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanapada.

Question 8.
Name the famous and powerful rulers of Magadha.
Answer:
Bimbisara, Ajatasatru and Mahapadma Nanda.

Question 9.
Name the capital of Magadha.
Answer:
Rajagaha in the earlier part but was shifted to Pataliputra in the fourth century BCE.

Question 10.
Who started the Mauryan Empire?
Answer:
Chandragupta Maurya.

Question 11.
Name the sources of history about the Mauryan Empire.
Answer:
India was written by Magasthenes, Arthashastra by Chanakya, Ashokan inscriptions, etc.

Question 12.
Name the five major political centers in the Mauryan Empire.
Answer:
Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri.

Question 13.
For how many years the Mauryan Empire lasted?
Answer:
Around 150 years.

Question 14.
Where the Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found?
Answer:
In a shrine at Mat near Mathura (Utter Pradesh).

Question 15.
Who adopted the title of Devaputra?
Answer:
Many Kushana rulers adopted the title of Devaputra.

Question 16.
Who composed Prayaga Prashasti?
Answer:
Prayaga Prashasti was composed by Harishena, the court poet of Samudraguta.

Question 17.
When were Jataka tales written?
Answer:
Jataka tales were written in the Pali language around the middle of the first millennium CE.

Question 18.
Who was James Princep? Which two ancient scripts were deciphered by him?
Or
Who was James? , Princep? Mention anyone of his contribution to the development of Indian epigraphy. (CJB.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
James Princep was an officer of the English East India Company. He was able to decipher the ancient Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts.

Question 19.
What was the early capital of Magadha? Tell its one feature. In the 4th century B.C.E., which city was made the capital of Magadha?
Answer:
Rajagaha (present-day Rajgir) was the early capital of Magadha. The city signified the “House of the King”. It was a fortified settlement and was located among the hills. In the 4th century B.C.E., its capital was shifted to Pataliputra, present-day Patna.

Question 20.
Who was Ashoka? Which famous state did he annex into the Mauryan Empire?
Answer:
Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. He was the most famous ruler of the Mauryan empire. He annexed the state of Kalinga in the Mauryan empire.

Question 21.
Give a brief description of languages and scripts of inscriptions of Ashoka.
Answer:
Prakrit was the language used on most of the inscriptions of Ashoka. These were written in Brahmi script. ,

Question 22.
What is meant by Tamilakam? Name three Chiefdoms emerging in Mauryan Tamilakam. Also, give their one feature.
Answer:
Tamilakam means the area of Deccan and further South in the sub-continent. It included parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh and Kerala with Tamil Nadu. Chiefdoms of the Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas emerged in Tamilakam. These Chiefdoms proved to be very prosperous and stable.

Question 23.
What was the capital of the Mauryan Empire? Also, write the names of four provincial centres.
Answer:
Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryan empire. Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali, and Suvarnagiri were four provincial centres.

Question 24.
Name three types of sources about the history of Gupta rulers.
Answer:

1. Literature
2. Coins and inscriptions
3. Prashant, composed by poets in praise of kings.

Question 25.
When and who built Sudarshana Lake? Which rulers got this lake repaired?
Answer:
According to an inscription, Sudarshana Lake was an artificial reservoir that was built by a local government during the rule of the Mauryas. It was repaired by a Saka ruler Rudradaman and one of the rulers of the Gupta Dynasty.

Question 26.
Briefly describe ‘Banabhatta’ and ‘Harshacharita’.
Answer:
Banabhatta was a court poet of the ruler of Kanauj, Harsha Vardhana. The Harshacharita is a biography of Harsha Vardhana composed by Banabhatta.

Question 27.
Who was Prabhavati Gupta? Tell a rare example found about her.
Answer:
Prabhavati Gupta was the daughter of Chandragupta II (375-415 C.E.) who was a famous ruler of early India. She was married to a Vakatak family of the Deccan Peninsula. She had donated land which is a rare example of donation by any woman.

Question 28.
What is meant by Periplus? On what does Periplus of the Erythraean Sea throw light?
Answer:
Periplus is a Greek word. It means sailing around or a sea voyage. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea throws light on the sea trade of early India.

Question 29.
Explain the names and meanings of the two titles adorned by Ashoka. ..
Answer:
Ashoka adopted the two titles ‘Devanampiya’ and ‘Piyadassi’. Devanampiya meant the “Beloved of the Gods” and Piyadassi meant “Pleasant to Behold”. These titles have been found in many inscriptions.

Question 30.
‘In some inscriptions, only titles adopted by Ashoka are given but on others, both his name and titles are given.’ How did historians assess that all these inscriptions are made by a single ruler?
Answer:
All the inscriptions were examined and it was concluded that their subject, language, script, method, etc., are similar to each other. That is why historians assessed that all these inscriptions are made by a single ruler.

Question 31.
Why the cities especially capital cities, during the Mahajanapada age, were fortified?
Answer:
The capital city has special importance. All the political, social, economic, and cultural activities are regulated from the capital. It is also necessary to secure it from the enemy. These things were also applicable to capital cities during the Mahajanapada age. That is why walls were made around the city and were fortified.

Question 32.
Why Ashoka’s lion emblem is today considered important?
Answer:
Ashoka’s lion emblem has been adopted as the national symbol by the Indian Government. It is the symbol of our unity, courage, progress, and high ideals. That is why it is considered important.

Question 33.
How large was the army of the Mauryan ruler according to Greek sources?
Answer:
According to Greek sources, the Mauryan ruler had a standing army of 600,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalries, and 9,000 elephants.

Question 34.
What resources were needed by the Maurayas to retain their large army?
Answer:

• Excessive revenue
• Great number of military equipments
• Huge supplies of food
• Place for the camping for its armed forces.

Question 35.
Why did people bring gifts for Pandya Chiefs? What would the Chiefs have used these for?
Answer:
People respected Pandya Chiefs because they were very much happy and prosperous during their rule. That is why they brought gifts for Pandya Chiefs. Chiefs could have used those gifts themselves or could have distributed them among their supporters.

Question 36.
Why did the rulers arrange for irri¬gation?
Answer:
The rulers made arrangements for irrigation to increase agricultural production. There were two reasons for it :

1. Agriculture was the main source of state income.
2.  Agriculture could provide food to the people.

Question 37.
Who was the author of ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’? Why did he prepare a list of different types of goods?
Answer:
The author of the ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ was an anonymous Greek sailor. He prepared a list of varied types of goods to show foreign trade through the sea route. He wanted to express that bulk of pepper and malabathrum (possibly cinnamon) was exported from India. In lieu of that, all kinds of transparent stones, diamonds, sapphires, and tortoise shells were imported in India.

Question 38.
How did the city of Pataliputra emerge?
Answer:
Pataliputra emerged from a village called Pataligram. In the 5th century B.C.E., the Magadhan rulers decided to shift their capital from Raj agree to this city and they renamed it. By the fourth century B.C.E., it becomes the capital of the Mauryan empire and became one of the largest cities of Asia. But later on, its importance declined.

Question 39.
Who was the Grihapati?
Answer:
Grihapati was the head of the family. He was the owner, master, or head of a household. He had control over the females, children, servants, and slaves who lived in the house. He was the master of the land, animals, and other such things of the family. Sometimes this term was used for those urban elites and traders who lived in the towns. It was a symbol of status for wealthy merchants.

Kings, Farmers and Towns Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
After the Harappan Civilisation, during a period of about 1500 years, different kinds of development were undertaken in various parts of the sub-continent. Elucidate by citing examples.
Answer:
1. During this period, the people who lived on the banks of the Indus river or its tributaries, accomplished the task of writing Rig Veda.

2. The peasant settlements emerged in North India, Deccan Plateau and Karnataka. Besides this, there is evidence of settlements of those who grazed animals in the Deccan Plateau and South India.

3. In the millennium that preceded the Before Christ Era (B.C.E.), new methods of performing last rites on the dead bodies came into existence. It included vast structures made of stone. They were called Mahapashan. At many places, along with the dead bodies, different kinds of instruments and weapons were also buried.

Question 2.
How did the political history of ’ early India get a new direction with the research work of James Princep?
Or
Why is James Princep’s contribution considered as the historic development? in the Indian epigraphy? (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Answer:
There was a lot of development in the Indian epigraphy around 1830 in which James Princep, who was an officer in the unit of the East India Company, played a great role. He deciphered two scripts namely Brahmi and Kharosthi. These scripts were used in the earliest inscriptions and coins. James Princep came to know that most of the inscriptions and coins had the name of king who was referred to as Piyadassi that is, “Pleasant to behold” as the one with a handsome face. There was also the name of Ashoka on a few inscriptions. According to Buddhist texts, Ashoka was one of the most important rulers of the era.

This research of James Princep gave a new direction to Indian political history. All the Europeans and Indian scholars used the inscriptions and coins to get information about the major dynasties. They reconstructed the lineages of major dynasties that had ruled the sub-continent. As a result, by the early decades of the 20th century, an outline of the political history of the sub-continent was ready.

Question 3.
Describe in your own words the story of the rise of Magadha state.
Or
Describe how Magadha became the most powerful Mahajanapada? (CJB.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Or
How do modern historians explain the development of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanapada? Explain. (CJB.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
How did Magadha become powerful Mahajahapada? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2016 (D))
Answer:
Magadha included the modern Patna and parts of Shahabad district. This state made commendable progress during the reign of Bimbisara. He strengthened his position by establishing marital relations with other states. He prepared himself for expansion towards the west. However, he was assassinated by his own son, Ajatasatru who himself took charge of the state. After Ajatasatru, the state was governed by Uddaiyan who defeated the king of Koshala.

Thereafter, the reign of Shishunag dynasty started. The kings of this dynasty defeated Avanti. After the reign of Shishunag dynasty, the rule of Nand dynasty started. They enhanced the power of Magadha by wining Kalinga. During the time of an attack by Alexander, Magadha was ruled by Mahapadam Nanda.

The strength of Alexander was even acknowledged by the soldiers of Mahapadam Nanda. After the decline of Nand dynasty, Magadha was reigned by the Mauryas. The kings of this dynasty enhanced the glory of Magadha and took it to the apex of glory and prestige.

Question 4.
Describe briefly about the sources of Mauryan history.
Or
Describe sources used to construct the history of the Mauryan Empire. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Or
“Historians have used a variety of sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire.” Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (O.D.))
Or
Historians have used a variety of sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. State any four such sources. (C.B.S.E 2015 (O.D.))
Or
Explain the sources used by historians to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D.))
Or …
Describe the sources historians have used to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (D.))
Answer:

• The most important source of information about the Mauryan period was the book “Indica” written by Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya. It gives a beautiful depiction of the society and the administrative system.
• Another important source of information is the book, “Arthashastra” written by Kautilya or Chanakya. It gives detailed knowledge about the Mauryan administrative system.
• “Mudrarakshasa” by Vishakhadutta tells a lot about how Chandragupta snatched the reins of rule from the Nanda dynasty.
• The texts of Jain and Buddhist religions throw a great deal of light on the life and religious views of Mauryan kings.
• The inscriptions of Ashoka also help a lot in understanding the history of the Mauryan period.

Question 5.
What is the importance of the establishment of the Mauryan empire in Indian history?
Answer:
Establishment of the Mauryan empire has the following importance in Indian history:

• Many small states came to an end and in place of these a large empire was established.
• There were a number of small states in the country before the Mauryan empire who had no proper history but the establishment of the Mauryan empire was just like a ray of light in the darkness.
• Establishment of Mauryan empire led to the beginning of Indian contacts with other countries. It made huge progress in the trade of the country.
• Foreign power in India came to an end with the establishment of the Mauryan empire.

Question 6.
Describe the main features of the administration of Chandragupta Maurya.
Or
Mention any two features of the ail) the administration system of the Mauryan Empire. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (D))
Or
Describe the administrative features of the-Mauryan Empire. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (D))
Answer:
Chandragupta Maurya founded an efficient administration. King himself was the head of the central administration. He had unlimited powers and appointed a number of ministers for running the daily affairs. The whole of the kingdom was divided into four provinces. Head of the province was known as ‘Kumar’ and he generally belonged to a ruling family. Cities were under the administration of ‘Nagar Adhyaksh’. There were councils of 30 members for running the affairs of large cities.

Every council was divided into six committees of 5 members each. Rule of villages was in the hands of Panchayats. There were civil and criminal courts for providing justice. Special emphasis was given to the interests of the people. The military organisation of Chandragupta was also of top quality. His military consisted of 600,000 foot-soldiers, 30,000 cavalry and 9,000 elephants.

Question 7.
What is ‘Arthashastra’? What is its importance in Indian- history ?
Or
Write a note on ‘Arthashastra’ of Kautilya.
Answer:
Kautilya’s Arthashastra is an important epic related to politics. It was composed by Kautilya who himself was a great scholar and was the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya. He has explained the theories of administration in this epic. This epic is of great importance in Indian history. It presents a beautiful picture of the Mauryan age.

It gives us information about administration of Chandragupta Maurya and his characteristic traits. This epic also throws light on the society of Mauryan age. Most importantly the rules of politics given in it can also be seen in modern politics.

Question 8.
How Ashoka propagated and spread Buddhism ?
Answer:
After the war of Kalinga, Ashoka left the policy of war and gave his heart and soul in spreading and propagating Buddhism. He himself obeyed those rules which he propagated. He engraved those rules of this religion on inscriptions, large stones, caves, etc. These rules were engraved in the language of daily use so that common masses could be able to understand them.

He also built many stupas and Viharas which became the centres of Buddhism. He provided economic help to Buddhist monasteries and made journey to Buddhist pilgrims. He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to propagate Buddhism. In this way, Ashoka moulded Buddhism into a world religion.

Question 9.
What is the significance of the inscriptions of Ashoka in the Indian history ?
Or
What do Ashokan inscriptions tell about the Mauryas? (C.B.S.E. 2016 (O.D.))
Answer:
The inscriptions of Ashoka are very important in the history of India because:

• Most of the inscriptions of Ashoka are in the border areas. With their help, we can easily determine the borders of the state during the reign of Ashoka.
• The inscriptions of Ashoka tell a lot about his own religion and high moral character.
• These inscription tell us that Ashoka had cordial and friendly relations with Egypt, Syria, Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka.
• These inscriptions, tell us about the method Ashoka adopted to preach Buddhism.
• These inscriptions throw light on the welfare works done by Ashoka. In fact, he wanted the welfare of the common people.
• The inscriptions of Ashoka are beautiful specimens of Mauryan art. They were written with a fair amount of precision.

In fact, all the inscriptions of Ashoka were writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone, metal or pottery. They recorded his ideas, activities and achievements and serve as a record of his times.

Question 10.
Write about the Dhamma of Ashoka.
Answer:
Ashoka framed some moral precepts for the upliftment and ethical emancipation of the people of his times. The accumulation of these maxims is called as Dhamma. The basic principles of the Dhamma of Ashoka were as under:

• The main principle of Ashoka was to respect the elders. According to him, all the pupils must respect their teachers (Gurus) and all should respect the Saints, Brahmans and elderly people.
• According to the Dhamma of Ashoka, all the elderly persons should respect members of the family, relatives, servants, the poor and the slaves.
• Everyone has to face the ordeal in his next birth for all his evil deeds. So all should perform pious deeds.
• Non-violence was the cardinal principle of Ashoka’s Dhamma. According to it, no one should hurt anyone with words, deeds and thoughts.
• All should analyse their actions from time to time.
• Envy, anger, pride and lies are all evils. All the people should remain away from them.

Question 11.
What is the place of Ashoka in history?
Answer:
Ashoka was not only a great king of India but also of the whole world. It is because of the following reasons :
1. After the Kalinga war, Ashoka adopted the service of mankind as one of the main principles of his life. He engaged himself in spreading religious and ethical gospel of Mahatma Buddha. No other great ruler of the world made such a sacrifice for the common people.

2. Ashoka considered his subjects as his children. He did a lot for the widows and the orphAnswer:

3. Ashoka spread Buddhism in many corners of the world. He is called The Great because he took up a small religion and turned it into a global one. The world came to know about Buddhism only because of the inscriptions of Ashoka.

4. Ashoka was a tolerant ruler. He respected all other religions.

5. Ashoka was the first ruler who got hospitals opened for both humans and animals.

Question 12.
Why did the Mauryan rulers keep a large class of officers ?
Answer:
Mauryan rulers kept a large force of officials to control every aspect of public life. This can be clarified through the following facts :

• Ashoka changed his religion and converted to Buddhism. He appointed ‘Dharma-Mahamatra’ official to propagate actual elements of religion among the masses.
• He appointed a number of officers for espionage activities. These officers used to control activities of external enemies and used to find out corrupt officials and spies.
• Mauryas also appointed a number of officers for efficient organisation of taxation.Except all these, a large force of officials were appointed to run central, provincial and city-level administration.

Question 13.
What are inscriptions ? Why are they considered as important documents or permanent evidence?
Answer:
Inscriptions are writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone, metal or pottery. Inscriptions generally record the activities, achievements or ideas of those who commissioned them. They also include the donations made by men and women to religious institutions. They are virtually permanent records as their information could not be changed. Even some inscriptions carry dates of their commission. Others which are not dated can be dated on the basis of palaeography or style of writing. For example, in C. 250 B.C.E. the letter ‘a’ was written like: By 500 C.E., it was written like: U

Question 14.
What do we know about the higher officials of the Mauryan empire from the descriptions of Megasthenes?
Answer:
Megasthenes stated the following things about the officials of the Mauryan empire:
1. A few officials looked after the rivers and measured the land.

2. Some officials supervised the supply of water from big cities to small towns. They wanted to ensure the supply of water to all the places. These officials also had a strict vigil on the hunters. They rewarded or punished the hunters in accordance with their deeds.

3. The officials also collected taxes. They supervised activities which concerned with the land and also examined the work done by the wood cutters, cloth merchants, iron-smiths and miners.

Question 15.
What was the importance of Greeks in Indian history? ’
Answer:
There is a great importance of the Greeks in Indian history. Indian trade with Central Asia, western Asia and China developed to a great deal under the Greek empire. Indian culture spread into foreign countries because of foreign empire. Indian traders established their colonies in countries like Malaya, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, etc. All these, later on became centres of Indian culture.

Greeks also had a great impact on Indian art. A new art form came into being with a mixture of Indian and Greek sculpture art. This art form was given the name of Gandhar art form. Many sculptures of Gautam Buddha were made with this art form. Greek ruler Minander sent his ambassador to Basenagar which led to increase in cooperation among Indians and Greeks.

Question 16.
“Gupta empire reached to its height during the rule of Chandragupta-II.” Throw some light on this statement.
Or
Throw some light on the main achievements of Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
Answer:
Chandragupta-II was the brave son of Samudragupta. He sat on the throne in 38 C.E. He increased his power and strength through marital relations with other kingdoms and con Question uered many areas. First of all he con Question uered Bengal, then Vahlik caste and then he con Question uered republic of Avanti. His most important success was his victory over Malwa, Kathiawar and Gujarat.

He defeated Saka rulers and adopted the title of ‘Vikramaditya’. Art and literature developed to a great deal during the age of Chandragupta Vikramaditya. Great poet Kalidasa was present during his age. The administration ran smoothly during age of Chandragupta-II. People were very happy and prosperous. In the end, we can say that Gupta empire reached to its height during the rule of Chandragupta-II.

Question 17.
Write any four causes for the decline of the Mauryan empire.
Answer:
Following were the main causes for the decline of the Mauryan empire:
1. Weak Successors: After Ashoka, the kingdom came in the hands of kings like Dashrath, Sampati and Bridrath. All of these were weak rulers.

2. Enmity of Brahmins: Ashoka was a follower of Buddhism. When Brahmins observed Ashoka’s inclination towards Buddhism, they became the enemy of the Mauryan dynasty and helped in the decline of this dynasty.

3. Policy of Non-violence: Ashoka left the policy of wars and adopted the policy of non-violence. As a result, soldiers lacked proper training and were unable to suppress revolts.

4. Foreign Invaders: When the Mauryan empire became weak, foreign invaders also started to attack border areas. In this way Mauryan dynasty came to an end.

Question 18.
Describe the sources of reconstructing the histories of the Gupta rulers. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Or
Describe briefly the sources used for reconstructing the history of the Gupta rulers. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
Histories of the Gupta rulers have been reconstructed with the help of literature, coins and inscriptions. They also include prashasties composed by poets in praise of their patrons, i.e., the kings. While historians generally try to find factual information from such compositions, those who composed and read them often treasured them as works of poetry rather than as accounts that were actually true. For example, Harisena composed Prayaga Prashasti in Sanskrit, who was the court poet of Samudragupta. Harissa wrote that Samudragupta was a very powerful ruler of his time.

Question 19.
What information is available in inscriptions about land grants?
Answer:
We find evidence of land grants from the early centuries of the common era. Most of these grants were mentioned on inscriptions whereas others were mentioned on stones. Records on copper were probably given to those who were given the land grant. The records that have survived are mostly about grants to Brahmins or religious institutions. Most of the inscriptions were in Sanskrit. In a few cases, especially from 7th century onwards, part of the inscription was in Sanskrit and the rest of them were in local languages like Tamil or Telugu.

The trend of land grants throws some light on the relation between king and farmers. Some people were out of control of officers and Samanthas like pastoralists, fisherfolk and hunter-gatherer, mobile or semi-sedentary artisans and shifting cultivators.

Question 20.
Give brief information about trade beyond sub-continent from 6th-century B.C.E.
Or
Describe any four features of the trade in the Indian sub-continent from the 6th century B.C.E. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (O.D.))
Answer:
Trade routes: From 6th century B.C.E., a number of land-routes and river routes crisscrossed in the sub-continent for trade. It was extended in various directions. It was extended overland into Central Asia and beyond, and overseas, across the Arabian Sea to the east and North Africa and West Asia, and through the Bay of Bengal to South-east Asia and China. Rulers generally used to collect money from traders for their protection on these routes which is why they often tried to exercise control over these routes.

Different traders: Those who traversed these routes included those peddlers who may have travelled on foot and those merchants who travelled with caravans of bullock-carts and pack animals. There were seafarers as well whose ventures were very risky but were most profitable. Successful merchants often became very rich.

Import-Export: Salt, cloth, grains, metal ores and finished products, timber, stone, medicinal plants, etc., were carried from one place to another. Spices like pepper, cloth, medicinal plants were in great demand in the Roman empire. These were transported across the Arabian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

Question 21.
How the Brahmi Script of Ashokan age was deciphered ?
Answer:
Most of the scripts used to write modern Indian languages are defined from Brahmi script. This script was used in most of Ashokan inscriptions. From the late 18th century, European scholars, helped by Indian pandits, worked backwards from contemporary Bengali and Devanagri.

Scholars who studied early inscriptions thought that these inscriptions were in Sanskrit but the earliest inscriptions were in Prakrit. After decades of great hard work by many epigraphers, James Princep deciphered the Ashokan age Brahmi script in 1838.

Question 22.
Describe briefly how the Mauryan Empire was regarded as a major landmark in history. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
In the nineteenth century, when historians started to reconstruct early Indian history, the emergence of the Mauryan Empire was regarded as a major landmark in history. At that time, India was a part of the British Empire. Nineteenth and early twentieth-century Indian historians found the possibility that there was an empire in early India both challenging and exciting.

Also, few of the archaeological finds associated with the Mauryas, including stone sculpture, were considered to be examples of the spectacular and typical of empires. Many of these historians found the message on Ashokan inscriptions very different from that of most other rulers, suggesting that Ashoka was more powerful and industrious, as also more humble than the later rulers who adopted grandiose titles. So it is not surprising that nationalist leaders in the twentieth century regarded him as an inspiring figure.

Question 23.
Describe briefly any two strategies for increasing agricultural production from sixth century B.C.E. to sixth-century CE. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
1. Prevalence of Ploughs: One method that helped in increasing the production was the popularity of plough. The use of a plough had started in the 6th century B.C.E. in the valleys of Ganga and Cauveri. The plough with an iron tip was used in areas which had an ample rainfall. It was used infertile land. It resulted in increasing the production of paddy. No doubt the farmers had to work a lot to achieve this target.

2. Use of Spade: Though plough helped in increasing the production yet its use was limited to only some areas. In Punjab and Rajasthan, which had less rainfall, the plough was used in the early period of the 20th century. Those farmers who lived in the north¬east and mid-mountainous regions used spade for digging the fields which were quite useful in such areas.

Question 24.
“Communication along both land and riverine routes were vital for the existence of the Mauryan empire.” Justify the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2010) (D))
Answer:
Communication along both land and riverine routes were vital for the existence of the empire. Journeys from the centre to the provinces could have taken weeks if not months. This meant arranging for provisions as well as protection for those who were on the move.

Megasthenes mentioned a committee with six subcommittees for coordinating military activity.

1. One out of these looked after the navy.
2. The second one managed transport and provisions.
3. The third one was responsible for foot soldiers.
4. The fourth one managed horses, whereas
5. the fifth for chariots and
6. the sixth for elephants.

The activities of the second sub-committee were rather varied: arranging for bullock carts to carry equipment, procuring food for soldiers arid fodder for animals, and recruiting servants and artisans to look after the soldiers.

Maintenance of these means was also necessary for the progress of trade.

Question 25.
Describe how according to Manusmriti, the paternal estate was to be divided after the death of the parents with special reference to the rights of women. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the paternal estate must be divided equally amongst sons after the death of the parents with a special share for the eldest son. Women could not claim a share of these resources. Women were allowed to retain the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage.

It was known as stridhana meaning a women’s wealth. This could be inherited by their children without the husband having any claim on it. At the same time, Manusmriti warned women against hoarding family property, or even their own valuables, without husband’s permission.

Question .26.
Describe the economic and social conditions of the people living in rural all from 600 BCE 600 C.E. (CBSE 2018)
Answer:
Economic conditions, Kings jeeringly tried to fill their treasure by demanding high taxes. Different strategies were used to increase productivity such as given ploughshare, the use of irrigation through walls and tanks etc. Lands were granted to people such is Samanthas. Social condition: There were growing dissemination almagest people engaged in agriculture.

The large landholder and the village headmen emerged as powerful figures. Tamil literature also mentions different categories of people living in the villagers. Females had no access to the property, the caste system was at peak, partiality and polygonally also prevailed there.

Kings, Farmers and Towns Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
How did Ashoka propagate Buddhism?
Answer:
Ashoka served a lot for Buddhism. He was deeply hurt by the Kalinga war. His mind became peaceful only because of simple rules of Buddhism. He adopted Buddhism and spent the whole of his life in propagating Buddhism. Some of the works done by him for propagating Buddhism are given below:

1. He himself showed an example to the people by accepting Buddhism and motivated the people. He himself obeyed those rules which he propagated among the masses.

2. After Kalinga Wark he himself became a Buddhist. He whole-heartedly propagated Buddhism. Common masses were greatly influenced as they saw their king as a monk. As a result, a number of people adopted this religion.

3. Ashoka wanted to propagate Buddhism which is why he engraved inscriptions, pillars and caves which mentioned the rules of Buddhism. People were influenced by those ideas and started to adopt Buddhism.

4. Ashoka built many stupas and Viharas. These Stupas and Viharas, later on, became the centres of Buddhism.

5. Ashoka called Third Conference of Buddhism at Pataliputra in 252 B.C.E. Because of the Conference, the Buddhists were united and this religion became popular.

6. Ashoka tried to convince people through religious acts or plays that living life according to Buddhism leads to the attainment of salvation. People got influenced by these acts and many of them adopted Buddhism.

7. Pilgrimages also proved fruitful in this direction. He himself visited pilgrims related to Buddhism. In his way, he arranged many meetings and propagated rules of Buddhism.

8. Ashoka appointed special officials called Dhamma Mahamatras to propagate Buddhism. They used to move from one place to another to propagate Buddhism. Indirectly it also helped in propagating Buddhism.

9. Ashoka engraved teachings of Buddhism, on inscriptions, rocks, etc., in Pali language. He also translated some of the famous Buddhist epics in Pali language because it was the most commonly spoken language. That is why it became very easy for people to understand the teachings of Buddhism.

10. He not only propagated Buddhism in India but in foreign countries as well. He sent Mahamatas to Gandhar, Sri Lanka, China, Syria, Egypt, etc. His son and daughter went over to Sri Lanka to propagate Buddhism. That is why Buddhism spread to different countries of the world.

Question 2.
Analyse the character of ‘Ashoka the Great ’.
Or
Write about the character of Ashoka on the basis of given descriptions. Why is he considered as ‘Great’?
Answer:
Ashoka was a great king of the world. None of the kings of the world could reach the status of Ashoka. Other kings of the world knew only how to expand their empire, to run their rule and wanted to rule over the people. But Ashoka wanted to rule over the hearts of the people and that also with love, peace and tolerance. Following things made Ashoka – the Great:

1. Service of Humanity: After the Kalinga war, he left the policy of wars and took an aim of service of humanity. He left the life of leisure and hunting and started to preach the people by moving from one place to another. He himself left eating flesh. This was the greatest ideal and we cannot find such an example in world history.

2. Safety of Animals: Ashoka was the first king who not only opened hospitals for humans but for animals as well. Hunting of animals was strictly prohibited in his state. In 243 B.C.E. he made a declaration that no one could kill animals during 56 days in a year fixed by the state. That is why he was known as Ashoka the Great.

3. Public Welfare Works: Ashoka always considered his subjects as his children. He built a number of roads for public welfare. He planted trees on both sides of roads, built rest houses, opened hospitals. Patients were given free medicines in these hospitals.

4. Ideal Administration: Administration of Ashoka was of top quality. He appointed Mahamatras who used to convey the grievances of masses to the king. No discrimination took place while giving justice.

5. Propaganda of Buddhism: Ashoka himself adopted Buddhism after the Kalinga war. He sent Dhamma Mahamatras to other countries to propagate Buddhism. He changed a small religion into a world religion.

6. Lover of Peace: Ashoka started to hate wars after the Kalinga war. He left the policy of war and became a lover of peace.

7. Art: Arts also made great progress during his tenure. He built many Stupas and Viharas and founded two new cities of Srinagar and Devapattan.

8. Ashoka’s Dhamma: Ashoka propagated Dhamma for the moral upliftment of his subjects. According to this, one should live a simple and pure life and respect his parents and teacher.

9. Religious Tolerance: He equally respected all the religions. That is why he helped other religions as well as Buddhism. It tells us about his greatness.

10.Large Empire: Ashoka had a large empire which stretched from the Himalayas to Karnataka, from the Bay of Bengal to Hindukush and to Arabian Sea in the west.

After looking at the given description we can say that Ashoka was actually one of the greatest kings of the world. That is why Dr R.K. Mukherji wrote that “In the annals of kingship there is scarcely any record comparable to Ashoka”.

Question 3.
Write a note on the main sources of Mauryan history.
Or
Explain any four sources to reconstruct the history of Maury as. (C.B.S.E. 2016 (D))
Answer:
Maurya dynasty is the first dynasty of India about which we have correct and enough historical information. It tied whole of India with a thread of unity. This dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya. We get this information from various sources which are given below:

1. Description of Megasthenes: Megasthenes was a Greek resident. He remained as an ambassador of Seleucus in the court of Chandragupta Maurya from 302 B.C.E. to 298 B.C.E. He wrote a book called ‘Indica’ in which he wrote about the Mauryan ruler, his administration and social condition of that age. Although this book is not available, still some of the descriptions of his book are available in a few Greek and other books. We can clearly get information about Mauryan empire by collecting all these descriptions.

2. Arthashastra of Kautilya: Kautilya (Chanakya) was the teacher and prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya. Kautilya wrote an epic called ‘Arthashastra’. He wrote about various political theories in his book. Kautilya wrote that “King should run the administration with the help of his ministers even if he is an autocratic ruler”. Actually, Chandragupta used his political concepts and became a successful king. Proper analysis of Kautilya’s Arthashastra gives us enough information about administration and society under Mauryan rule.

3. Mudrarakshasa: It is a historical play written in the fifth century. It was written by the famous writer of Gupta age, Vishakhadutta. This play tells us how Nanda dynasty was destroyed by Chandragupta Maurya and how he founded the Mauryan empire.

4. Epics of Jainism and Buddhism: Jain and Buddhist literature also give us enough information about Mauryan age. We can take Mahavams, Dipavams and Mahabodhivamas for this purpose. Kalpasutra of Jainism can also be used in this regard. Jain literature tells us that Chandragupta Maurya became a follower of Jainism in the last days of his rule. Buddhist literature informs us that Ashoka was very cruel at an early age but became very kind when he adopted Buddhism.

5. Puranas: Puranas also give us enough information about the Mauryan age. They inform us that Nanda rulers were Shudras. Chanakya destroyed them and made Chandragupta as the new king. But modern scholars are of the view that many things written in Puranas could have been imaginary.

6. Other Sources:
(a) Ashoka engraved descriptions on caves, inscriptions and rocks in his empire. These descriptions give us enough information about his administration, religious policy, Mauryan age and the character of Ashoka.
(b) Coins issued by Mauryan rulers also proved to be a vital source of Mauryan history.

Question 4.
What is the importance of the emergence of Gupta age in Indian history?
Answer:
Gupta age occupies an important place in ancient Indian history. All the rebellious elements remained no more with the advent of this age and political unity came into the scenario. Peace and security were established in the country and all the internal conflicts came to an end. The country made huge progress in the fields of art and literature. The whole atmosphere was filled with peace and prosperity. In short, the following are the important aspects of this age :

1. End of Darkness: After the Mauryan empire, peace was established in-country during Kushanas. But it lasted only for a short span of time. After Kushanas, again, internal conflicts and wars started. We do not have enough information about the kings who ruled during this age of chaos but this darkness came to an end with the advent of the Gupta age. We have enough sources to know about the history of Gupta kings and life during the Gupta age. In short, we can say that the dark age of our history remained no more with the advent of Gupta age.

2. Political Unity: Country was divided into smaller states before the Gupta age. Nag and Vakatak were important dynasties. Except these, Yoddeya, Licchhavi, Malwa, etc., dynasties were also present. Kings of these dynasties were often engaged in wars with each other. There was no powerful king in the country who could establish political unity in the country. Kanishka was an able and powerful ruler but his tenure was very small. Gupta kings established political unity in the country.

3. Peace and Prosperity: Gupta kings provided top quality administration and established peace in the country. Trade was encouraged and the country became prosperous.

4. Re-emergence of Hinduism: Hinduism re-emerged during the Gupta age. Buddhism made huge progress during the reign of Ashoka and Kanishka. But Gupta kings were the followers of Hinduism which spread to a great deal during their reign.

5. Progress in Fine Arts: Fine arts also made huge progress during the Gupta age. Beautiful sculptures and paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses were made. Ajanta Caves were built during this age. The art of metal sculptures also developed in this age.

6. Progress in Literature: Gupta age was very important from the literary point of view. Sanskrit language and Sanskrit literature made huge progress in the country. Kalidasa was born in this age and so was Vishakhadatta. Harissa and Amarsena held an important place in Sanskrit literature. Except these, books were written on astrology, mathematics, geography, chemistry, etc. Aryabhatta, Varhamihira and Brahma Gupta were the great scientists of this age.

7. Foreign Relation: Actually Gupta age holds an important place in Indian history. The first time, Indians went over to foreign countries to spread their culture. Centres of Indian culture were made in Java, Sumatra, Bali, Burma and other countries. Even Indians made colonies in various other countries.

8. Foreign powers in the country came to an end during this age. Samudragupta defeated foreign kings and made India free from the rule of foreign kings.

Kings, Farmers and Towns Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
What is meant by inscription?
Answer:
The writings engraved on a hard surface like stone, metal or pottery are known as inscriptions. Inscriptions generally recorded the achievements, activities or ideas of those who commissioned them.

Question 2.
What is meant by Janapada?
Answer:
The land where a Jana (a person, clan or tribe) sets its foot or settles is known as Janapada. This word is used in both Prakrit and Sanskrit languages.

Question 3.
Why did the 20th-century nationalist leaders consider Ashoka as a source of inspiration?
Answer:
As compared to other rulers, Ashoka was very powerful, strong and hard-working. He had his own principles and ideas. Unlike other rulers, he was very humble. He did not attach big titles with his name. Because of his such qualities, the 20th-century nationalist leaders considered Ashoka as a source of inspiration.

Question 4.
What are Sangam Texts?
Answer:
Sangam Texts are the books written in the Tamil language. They are a kind of poems which tell us how the chiefs of Tamilakam region accumulated and arranged their resources.

Question 5.
Who was Harisena?
Answer:
Harissa was the court poet of the king Samudragupta. He had composed Prayag Prashasti in praise and honour of Samudragupta. It is known as pillar inscription in Allahabad and is in the Sanskrit language.

Question 6.
Why the relationship between a king and rural population could often be strained?
Answer:
The rural population generally consisted of farmers. Kings frequently demanded high taxes which were collected strictly. That is why the relationship between a king and the rural population was often strained. Escaping into the forest was always an option for the farmers.

Question 7.
What is meant by Numismatics?
Answer:
Numismatics is the study of coins. It includes the study of script and images and analysis of metallurgy.

Question 8.
What does Aggarhar mean?
Answer:
Aggarhar means the land donated to the BrahmAnswer: No land revenue or any other kind of tax was collected from the BrahmAnswer: On the other hand, the Brahmans were empowered to collect tax from the local people.

Question 9.
Mention any two ways in which the inscriptions of land grants help us to understand the rural society in ancient times. (C.B.S.E. 2008)
Answer:

1. The land grants give us a glimpse of the relationship between the state and the farmers.
2. There were some people who were not under the control of officials or feudal lords. They included those who reared animals, hunters, fishers, sculptors and nomadic farmers.

Question 10.
Briefly describe the new trends that emerged from 6th century B.C.E. and their sources.
Answer:
There is evidence of new trends that emerged from 6th century B.C.E. which were as follows:

1. Probably the most visible was the emergence of early states, empires and kingdoms. Some other changes were responsible for these political processes. These are evident in the ways in which agricultural production was organised.

2. Simultaneously, new towns emerged throughout the sub-continent.
Historians try to understand these developments with the help of certain sources like inscriptions, texts, coins and visual material.

Question 11.
Which Mahajanapada emerged as the strongest state during the period 6th to 4th century B.C.E. ? What were its reasons?
Or
State the factors that helped Magadha emerge as the most powerful Mahajanapada in the 6th century B.C.E.
Or
How did Magadha become the most powerful Mahajanapada between sixth to fourth century B.C.E. ? Give two reasons. (C.B.S.E 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
From the 6th to 4th century B.C.E., Magadha (present-day Bihar) emerged as the most powerful Mahajanapada. The modern historians have cited many reasons for it :

1. Agriculture was quite advanced and productive in the Magadha region. Due to a good amount of rain, there was always abundant production of all crops.

2. Magadha had considerable storage of iron. So it was easy to manufacture strong weapons and ornaments.

3. Elephants were available in large numbers in the forest areas. These elephants were considered as an important part of the army.

4. Because of the Ganga and its tributaries, transportation was both cheap and easy.

5. Magadha had two capitals namely Rajgir and Patliputra. It was very difficult for the enemy forces to attain victory over both of these capitals.

6. According to many early Buddhist and Jain writers, the policies of different rulers were also responsible for the strong position of Magadha. They stated that rulers like Bimbisara, Ajatasatru and Mahapadam Nanda were quite ambitious. Their policies were introduced by their ministers.

Question 12.
What was the impact of new strategies of agriculture on the social status of the people associated with agriculture?
Answer:
While new strategies of agriculture often led to an increase in production, they also led to increasing in differences among different categories. There is a mention of landless agricultural labourers, small peasants as well as large landholders in stories of Buddhist traditions. The word ‘Ganapati was often used in Pali texts for second and third categories. Big landlords and village headmen were considered very powerful.

They generally exercised control over farmers. Post of village headman was generally hereditary. There is some mention of different categories, associated with agriculture in early Tamil (Sangam) literature, like large landowners or Vellalar, ploughmen or Uzhavar and slaves or Adimai. Probably the differences were based on differential access to land, labour and some of the new technologies question of control over land must become crucial in this type of situation.

Question 13.
How was Kharosthi script read?
Or
Explain how Kharosthi was deciphered. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (D))
Answer:
There is an interesting story of the decipherment of Kharosthi script which was used in inscriptions in the northeast. Indo-Greek kings ruled over the area in second-first centuries B.C.E. They minted the coins and these found coins solved the puzzle. Names of kings written on these coins were in Greek and Kharosthi scripts.

European scholars compared the letters who could read Greek. For example, the symbol ‘a’ was used in both scripts for writing names like Apollodorus. Since James Princep identified the language of Kharosthi as Prakrit, it became possible to read inscriptions as well.

Kings, Farmers and Towns Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Read the following passages and answer the questions given below :

Question 1.
What did the King’s Officials do?

Here is an excerpt from the account of Megasthenes :

Of the great officers of state, some…superintend the rivers, measure the land, as is done in Egypt, and inspect the sluices by which water is let out from the main canals into their branches, so that everyone may have an equal supply of it. The same persons have charge also of the huntsmen and are entrusted with the power of rewarding or punishing them according to their deserts. They collect the taxes and superintend the occupations connected with the land; as those of the woodcutters, the carpenters, the blacksmiths, and the miners.

(i) Which empire is Megasthenes referring to?
Answer:
Megasthenes is referring to the Mauryan empire.

(ii) What similarity does Megasthenes tell about the officials of Egypt and this empire?
Answer:
In both the places, a few officials looked after and superintended the rivers and measured the land

(iii) Why was this work assigned to those officials who supervised the main gate of the canal water? What more work did they perform?
Answer:
The work was assigned to those officials so that everyone may have an equal supply of water. The same persons also supervised the huntsmen and punished or rewarded them in accordance with their performance. They also collected taxes. They performed many functions connected with the land. They also inspected the work of the wood-cutters, the carpenters, the blacksmiths and the miners

(iv) How many committees and sub¬- committees have been referred to by Megasthenes for the conduct of military activities?
Answer:
For the conduct and coordination of military activities, Megasthenes has referred to various committees and sub-committees. Out of the six sub-committees, one looked after the navy, the second managed transport and supply of material or provisions. The third sub¬committee looked after the fort soldiers. The fourth, the fifth and the sixth sub-committees maintained respectively horses, chariots and the elephants.

Question 2.
Capturing Elephants for the Army

The Arthashastra lays down minute details of administrative and military organisation. This is what it says about how to capture elephants: Guards of elephant forests, assisted by those who rear elephants, those who enchain the legs of elephants, those who guard the boundaries, those who live in forests, as well as by those who nurse elephants, shall with the help of five or seven female elephants to help in tethering wild ones, trace the whereabouts of herds of elephants by following the course of urine and dung left by elephants.

According to Greek sources, the Mauryan ruler had a standing army of 600,000 foot-soldiers, 30,000 cavalry and 9,000 elephants. Some historians consider these accounts to be exaggerated.

(i) Whose creation is the Arthashastra?
Answer:
The Arthashastra is the creation of Kautilya

(ii) Why were the elephants captured?
Answer:
The elephants were captured for the army

(iii) How were the elephants captured?
Answer:
The elephants were captured by the forest guards. In this task, the guards took the help of those who reared and nursed elephants. Then some people enchained the legs of elephants. Sometimes the help of four or five female elephants was also taken. They traced the whereabouts of the elephants by following the course of their urine and dung.

(iv) According to Greek sources, how many armies did the Mauryan emperor have? Are all the historians unanimous about it?
Answer:
According to Greek sources, the army of the Mauryan ruler included the following :
(a) 600,000-foot soldiers
(b) 30,000 cavalry
(c) 9,000 elephants.
But all the historians are not unanimous about these figures. Many of them consider these figures to be exaggerated.

Question 3.
The Pandya Chief Senguttuvan Visits the Forest

This is an excerpt from the Silappadikaram, an epic written in Tamil :
(When he visited the forest) people came down the mountain, singing and dancing…. just as the defeated show respect to the victorious king, so did they bring gifts—ivory, fragrant wood, fans made of the hair of deer, honey, sandalwood, red ochre, antimony, turmeric, cardamom, pepper, etc. .. they brought coconuts, mangoes, medicinal plants, fruits, onions, sugarcane, flowers, areca nut, bananas, baby tigers, lions, elephants, monkeys, bear, deer, musk deer, fox, peacocks, musk cat, wild cocks, speaking parrots, etc., …

(i) From where has this excerpt been taken? In which language has this epic been written?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from ‘The Silappadikaram’. It is an epic written in Tamil

(ii) Whose visit to a forest has been described in it?
Answer:
It describes the visit of the Pandya Chief Senguttuvan to the forest.

(iii) How did the people welcome him?
Answer:
The people welcomed him with singing and dancing. They showed him as much respect as the defeated show to the victorious.

(iv) What gifts had the people brought? Name any eight.
Answer:
The people brought many kinds of gifts. They included :
(a) Ivory (b) Fragrant wood
(c) Honey (d) Sandalwood
(e) Red Ochre (/) Antimony
(g) Turmeric (h) Cardamom

Question 4.
In Praise of Samudragupta

This is an excerpt from the Prayaga Prashasti: He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by the overflowing of the multitude of (his) many good Question ualities adorned by hundreds of good actions, has wiped off the fame of other kings with the soles of (his) feet; (he is) Purusha (the Supreme Being), being the cause of the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad (he is) incomprehensible; (he is) one whose tender heart can be captured only by devotion and humility; (he is) possessed of compassion; (he is) the giver of many hundred-thousands of cows; (his) mind has received ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering; (he is) resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera (the god of wealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains) and Yama (the god of death)…

(i) From where has this excerpt been taken? Whose composition is this?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from the Prayaga Prashasti, popularly known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. It has been composed by Harisena, the court poet of Samudragupta.

(ii) What is its original language?
Answer:
Its original language is Sanskrit.

(iii) Who was Samudragupta? With which gods has he been compared?
Answer:
Samudragupta was the most powerful of the Gupta rulers. So he has been compared to Kubera, the god of wealth, Varuna, the god of the ocean, Indra, the god of rains and Yama, the god of death.

(iv) Which qualities and achievements of Samudragupta have been discussed by the author? Give any four.
Answer:
According to Harisena :
(a) Samudragupta stood for the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad.
(b) He had a tender heart which could easily be won by humility or devotion.
(c) He was without an antagonist on earth.
(d) He worked for the upliftment of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering.

Question 5.
The Sudarshana (beautiful) Lake in Gujarat

The Sudarshana lake was an artificial reservoir. We know about it from a rock inscription (c. second century CE) in Sanskrit, composed to record the achievements of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman.

The inscription mentions that the lake, with embankments and water channels, was built by a local government during the rule of the Mauryas. However, a terrible storm broke the embankments and water gushed out of the lake. Rudradaman, who was then ruling in the area, claimed to have got the lake repaired using his own resources, without imposing any tax on his subjects.

Another inscription on the same rock (c. fifth century) mentions how one of the rulers of the Gupta dynasty got the lake repaired once again.

(i) What was the Sudarshana Lake? From where do we get information about it?
Answer:
The Sudarshana lake was a beautiful lake in
Gujarat. It was an artificial reservoir of water. We know about it from a rock inscription of the 2nd century.

(ii) Who got this lake built? How did its water gush out?
Answer:
The lake was got built by a local government during the rule of the Mauryas. However, its embankments were broken in a terrible storm. So all the water gushed out of this lake.

(iii) Who got it repaired the first time using whose resources?
Answer:
For the first time, the lake was got repaired by Rudradaman who was the ruler of that area. He used his own resources.

(iv) Who got it repaired the second time?
Answer:
For the second time, the lake was repaired by the rulers of the Gupta dynasty.

Question 6.
The Importance of Boundaries
The Manusmriti is one of the best-known legal texts of early India, written in Sanskrit and compiled between c. second century BCE and c. second century CE. This is what the text advises the king to do :

Seeing that in the world controversies constantly arise due to the ignorance of boundaries, he should have concealed boundary markers buried—stones, bones, cow’s hair, chaff, ashes, potsherds, dried cow dung, bricks, coal, pebbles and sand. He should also have other similar substances that would not decay in the soil buried as hidden markers at the intersection of boundaries.

(i) Why did the controversies of boundaries arise? Explain.
Answer:
The controversies of boundaries arose mainly due to two reasons—ignorance of boundaries and nature to expand empires.

(ii) Suggest ways to solve the boundary problems.
Answer:
Fixation of boundaries is necessary to resolve the controversies of boundaries. For this, concealed boundary markers should be there. Moreover, boundary controversies must be resolved through mutual discussion and not through wars.

(iii) Explain with an example of any such problem being faced by India today. (C.B.S.E. 2011)
Answer:
Yes, these days boundary controversy is going between India and China. Sometimes China declares Arunachal Pradesh as its state and sometimes to Assam. That is why it always tries to cross our borders. On the other side, border controversy was always there between India and Pakistan.

Question 7.
Life in a Small Village

The Harshacharita is a biography of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Kanauj, composed in Sanskrit by his court poet, Banabhatta (c. seventh century CE). This is an excerpt from the text, an extremely rare representation of life in a settlement on the outskirts of a forest in the Vindhyas :

The outskirts being for the most part forest, many parcels of rice-land, threshing ground and arable land were being apportioned by small farmers. it was mainly spaded culture owing to the difficulty of ploughing the sparsely scattered fields covered with grass, with their few clear spaces, their black soil stiff as black iron There were people moving along with bundles of bark countless sacks of plucked flowers, loads of flax and hemp bundles, quantities of honey, peacocks tail feathers, wreaths of wax, logs, and grass. Village wives hastened en route for neighbouring villages, all intent on thoughts of sale and bearing on their heads baskets filled with various gathered forest fruits.

(i) From which book has this excerpt been taken? Who was the author of this book?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from Harshacharita written in Sanskrit. This book is a biography of Harshavardhana. Its author was Banabhatta, the court-poet of Harsha¬vardhana.

(ii) Who was Harshavardhana?
Answer:
Harshavardhana was the ruler of Kanauj in the seventh century.

(iii) The life of which settlement has been described in this excerpt? Enumerate its any three geographical features.
Answer:
This excerpt is a beautiful depiction of life in a settlement on the outskirts of a forest in Vindhyas. Its geographical features are as follows :
(a) The land of this settlement was fertile. The people grew paddy or rice in it.
(b) It was difficult to plough the sparsely scattered fields covered with grass.
(c) The land had only a few clear spaces. The black soil of this settlement was as stiff as the black iron.

(iv) Which things the people of this settlement sold in other villages?
Answer:
The people of this settlement used to sell the following things in other villages :
(a) The bark of a tree (b) lowers
(c) Flax (d) Honey
(e) Tail feathers of peacocks (f) Wax
(g) Forest fruit (h) Logs and grass

Question 8.
Prabhavati Gupta and the Village of Danguna

This is what Prabhavati Gupta states in her inscription :

Prabhavati Gupta commands the gramakutumbinas (householders/peasants living in the village), Brahmanas and others living in the village of Danguna…

“Be it known to you that on the twelfth (lunar day) of the bright (fortnight) of Karttika, we have, in order to increase our religious merit donated this village with the pouring out of the water, to the Acharya (teacher) Chanalasvamin You should obey all (his) commands

We confer on (him) the following exemptions typical of an agrahara….(this village is) not to be entered by soldiers and policemen ; (It is) exempt from (the obligation to provide) grass, (animal) hides as seats, and charcoal (to touring royal officers); exempt from (the royal prerogative of ) purchasing fermenting liquors and digging (salt); exempt from (the right to) mines and Khedira trees; exempt from the obligation to supply) flowers and milk; (it is donated) together with (the right to) hidden treasures and deposits (and) together with major and minor taxes This
charter has been written in the thirteenth (regnal) year. (It has been) engraved by Chakradasa.

(i) Who has issued this inscription?
Answer:
This inscription has been issued by Prabhavati Gupta.

(ii) Why does she want to donate land? Who is the recipient of the donation of land?
Answer:
She wanted to donate land to increase her religious merit. The recipient of the land is Acharya Chanalasvamin.

(iii) What were the exemptions on the land of a typical agrahara?
Answer:
The following exemptions were available on
land of a typical agrahara:
(a) The soldiers and policemen will not enter the village given in donation.
(b) Grass, charcoal and animal hides as seats with not be provided to those administrative officials who visit the village.
(c) The village was exempted to pay minerals, Khadira trees, flowers and milk.
(d) Exemption from purchasing fermenting liquors and digging salt.

(iv) Discuss the importance of this source. Give any three points.
Answer:
(a) This inscription shows that Prabhavati Gupta had access to land. She could also donate it at her will.
(b) The kings donated land to strengthen their losing control over the Samanthas. They also tried to project themselves as supermen.
(c) The land grants were a part of the strategy adopted by the elite people to extend agriculture to new areas.

Question 9.
The Malabar Coast (present-day Kerala)

“Here is an excerpt from Periplus of the I Erythraean Sea, composed by an anonymous I ‘ Greek sailor (c. first century CE) :

They (i.e. traders from abroad) send large I ’ ships to these market-towns on account of I ‘ the great quantity and bulk of pepper and I; malabathrum (possibly cinnamon, produced in these regions). There are imported here, in the first place, a great quantity of the coin; topaz….. antimony (a mineral used as a colouring substance), coral, crude glass, copper-tin, lead There is exported pepper, which is produced in quantity in only one region near these markets Besides this there are exported great quantities of fine pearls, ivory, silk cloth, transparent stones of all kinds, diamonds and sapphires, and tortoiseshell.

Archaeological evidence of a bead-making; 1 industry, using precious and semi-precious * I stones, has been found in Kodumanal (Tamil [ Nadu). It is likely that local traders brought ^ the stones mentioned in the Periplus from sites such as these to the coastal ports.

(i) Explain the importance of the Malabar Coast.
Answer:
Malabar Coast was an important centre of commercial activities in ancient times. It was used to export pepper, cinnamon, pearls, ivory and transparent stones of all kinds. Diamonds and sapphires besides tortoiseshell were also exported from this port. These things were in great demand in the Roman empire.

(ii) How did the exchange of goods take place? Explain with example.
Answer:
Exchange of goods was generally done through the exchange of things. Later on, coins were started which led to increasing in trade.

(iii) Explain the working of the bead making industry.
Answer:
Bead was made with both precious and semi-precious stones.

(iv) Who used these land and river routes? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:
These land and river routes were used by foreign traders.

Question 10.
The Orders of the King

Thus speaks king Devanampiya Piyadassi :

In the past, there were no arrangements for disposing of affairs, nor for receiving regular reports. But I have made the following (arrangement). Pativedakas should report to me about the affairs of the people at all times, anywhere, whether I am eating, in the inner apartment, in the bedroom, in the cow pen, being carried (possibly in a palanquin), or in the garden. And I will dispose of the affairs of the people everywhere.

(i) Who was the king Devanhmpiya Piyadassi ? What do Devanampiya and Piyadassi mean ?
Answer:
The Devanampiya Piyadassi ruler was the king Ashoka. Devanampiya meant ‘the beloved of the gods’. Similarly, piyadassi meant ‘pleasant to behold or see’.

(ii) Which weakness did the king point out of his predecessors?
Answer:
Ashoka pointed out that the earlier rulers had made no arrangements to receive the reports. There was also no arrangement to dispose of affairs.

(iii) What had he done? What was its objective?
Answer:
Ashoka made the arrangement that Pativedakas (Reporter) could report to him about the affairs of the people any time and anywhere. He ordered that he must be informed even if he was eating his food or relaxing in the garden or bed-room. In fact, he wanted to dispose of the affairs of the people everywhere.

(iv) What do the scholars who read the inscriptions say?
Answer:
Those who read the inscriptions are called
epigraphists.

Question 11.
The Anguish of the King

When the king Devanampiya Piyadassi had been ruling for eight years, the (country of the) Kalingas (present-day coastal Odisha) was conquered by (him). One hundred and fifty thousand men were deported, a hundred thousand were killed, and many more died. After that, now that (the country of) the Kalingas has been taken, Devanampiya (is devoted) to an intense study of Dhamma, to the love of Dhamma, and to instructing (the people) in Dhamma.

This is the repentance of Devanampiya on account of his conquest of the (country of the) Kalingas.
For this is considered very painful and deplorable by Devanampiya that, while one is conquering an unconquered (country) slaughter, death and deportation of people (take place) there

(i) When did Ashoka win Kalinga?
Answer:
Ashoka conquered Kalinga when he had completed eight years of his rule.

(ii) Describe the destruction caused by the Kalinga war?
Answer:
One lac people w7ere killed in the Kalinga war. Besides one lac and a half (one hundred and fifty thousand men) people were deported.

(iii) What were the effects of the Kalinga war on Ashoka?
Answer:
The effects of the Kalinga war on Ashoka were as follows :
(a) He renounced wars forever.
(b) He devoted his time to an intense study of Dhamma. He loved Dhamma and instructed his people to preach it in all corners of the world.
(c) He always thought of the welfare of his people.

(iv) Flow did Ashoka express his anguish ?
Answer:
Ashoka expressed his anguish by saying that his victory over Kalinga was very painful and deplorable. His conquest led to the slaughter, death and deportation of people.

In this page, we are providing Human Eye and Colourful World Class 10 Extra Questions and Answers Science Chapter 11 pdf download. NCERT Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Human Eye and Colourful World with Answers will help to score more marks in your CBSE Board Exams.

Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Extra Questions and Answers Human Eye and Colourful World

Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 10 Human Eye and Colourful World with Answers Solutions

Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why is the colour of the clear sky blue? (NCERT Exemplar)
Answer:
Colour of the clear sky is blue: The molecules of air and other fine particles in the atmosphere have size smaller than the wavelength of visible light.

When sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the fine particles in air scatter the blue colour more strongly than red.

Question 2.
Why do stars appear to twinkle?
Answer:
Stars appears to twinkle due to atmospheric refraction.

Question 3.
Define farthest point of an eye.
Answer:
Farthest point of an eye: The farthest point upto which the eye can see objects clearly is called far point of the eye. It is infinity for normal eye.

Question 4.
Define power of accommodation.
Answer:
Power of accommodation: The ability of the eye lens to adjust its focal length is called accommodation.

Question 5.
Define least distance of distinct vision.
Answer:
Least distance of distinct vision: Minimum distance at which an object can be seen distinctly without any strain from the normal eye, i.e., 25 cm for normal vision.

Question 6.
Define Tyndall effect.
Answer:
Tyndall effect: The phenomenon of scattering of light by colloidal particles gives rise to Tyndall effect.
Tyndall effect can be observed when sunlight passes through a canopy of a dense forest. Here tiny droplets in mist scatters light.

Question 7.
Define atmospheric refraction.
Answer:
Atmospheric refraction: If physical conditions of the refracting medium (air) are not stationary, the apparent position of the object fluctuates.

Question 8.
Why are danger signal lights red in colour?
Answer:
Danger signal lights are red in colour because red colour is least scattered by fog or smoke.

Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Short Answer Type I

Question 1.
What is meant by advance sunrise and delayed sunset? Draw a labelled diagram to explain these phenomena.
Answer:
Advance sunrise and delayed sunset is due to atmospheric refraction.
When the sun is slightly below the horizon, the sunlight coming from the less dense (vacuum) to more dense (air) medium is refracted downwards. So the sun appears to be above the horizon.

Similarly, even after actual sunset, the sun can be seen for a few minutes due to refraction of sunlight.

Question 2.
Explain formation of rainbow.
Answer:

Rainbow formation: A rainbow is a natural spectrum appearing in the sky after rain shower. It is caused by dispersion of sunlight by tiny water droplets, present in the atmosphere. The water droplets act like small prism. They refract and disperse the incident sunlight, then reflect it internally and finally refract it again.
Due to dispersion of light and internal reflection different colours appear.

Question 3.
Explain the refraction of light through a triangular glass prism using a labelled ray diagram. Hence define the angle of deviation. (NCERT Exemplar)
Answer:
Refraction of light through prism

PE – Incident ray
EF – Refracted ray
FS – Emergent ray
∠A – Angle of the prism
∠i – Angle of incidence
∠r – Angle of refraction
∠e – Angle of emergence
∠D – Angle of deviation

Refraction of light through a triangular glass prism

1. The refraction of light takes place at two surfaces firstly when light enters from air to prism and secondly when light emerges from prism.
2. Angle of prism: The angle between the two lateral faces of the prism is called angle of prism.
3. Angle of deviation: The angle between incident ray (produced forward) and emergent ray (produced backward).

Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Short Answer Type II

Question 1.
What is the difference in colours of the sun observed during sunrise/sunset and noon? Give explanation for each.
Answer:
In the morning and evening, the sun lies near the horizon. Sunlight travels through a larger distance in the atmosphere and most of the blue light and shorter wavelengths are scattered away by the particles. Therefore, the light that reaches our eyes is of longer wavelength. This gives rise to the reddish appearance of the sun.
At noon sun appears white as only a little of blue and voilet colours are scattered.

Question 2.
Define the term dispersion of white light. Name the colour of light which bends (i) the most, (ii) the least, while passing through a glass prism. Draw a ray diagram to justify your answer.
Answer:
Dispersion of white light by a glass prism
Dispersion: The splitting of light into its component colours is called dispersion.
The red light bends the least while violet bends the most.
Spectrum: The band of the coloured components of a light beam is called spectrum.
i.e., VIBGYOR

Question 3.
Explain twinkling of stars.
Answer:
Twinkling of stars:

• The twinkling of stars is due to atmospheric refraction of starlight.
• When starlight enters the earth’s atmosphere, it suffers refraction continuously. Since the physical conditions of the earth’s atmosphere are not stationary the stars appear twinkling.

Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Long Answer Type

Question 1.
List four common refraction defects of vision. Suggest the way of correcting these defects. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
Defects of vision:
(i) Cataract: Crystalline lens of people at old age becomes milky and cloudy. This condition is called cataract.
It is possible to restore vision through cataract surgery.

(ii) Myopia: (Near sightedness)
A person with myopia can see nearby objects clearly but cannot see distant objects clearly.

Cause:

• Due to excessive curvature of the eye lens.
• Elongation of the eyeball.

Correction:
Concave lens of suitable power.
(a) Far point of myopic eye

(b) Myopic eye

(c) Correction for myopia

(a), (b) The myopic eye, and (c) correction for myopia with a concave lens

(iii) Hypermetropia (far-sightedness)
A person with hypermetropia can see distant objects clearly but cannot see nearby objects distinctly.

Cause:

• The focal length of the eye lens is too long.
• The eyeball has become too small.

Correction:
Convex lens of suitable power.



(a), (b) The hypermetropic eye, and (c) correction for hypermetropia

(iv) Presbyopia
The power of accommodation of the eye usually decreases with ageing. In this eye defect it is difficult to see nearby objects comfortably and distinctly without corrective eye glasses.

Cause:
Weakening of ciliary muscles and diminishing flexibility of eye lens.

Correction:
By using Bifocal lens: Upper portion consists of concave lens and lower part is convex lens.

Question 2.
Explain the structure and functioning of the human eye. How are we able to see nearby as well as distant objects?
Answer:

• Cornea: A thin membrane through which light enters the eye, maximum refraction occurs at the outer surface of cornea.
• Iris: A dark muscular membrane which controls size of pupil.
• Pupil: Regulates and controls the amount of light entering the eye.
• Eye lens: Composed of fibrous, jelly like material, with adjustable curvature, forms an inverted and real image of object at retina.
• Retina: It is a light sensitive screen on which image is formed.

The power of accommodation, that is, the ability of the eye lens to adjust its focal length, help us to see near and far objects clearly.

Human Eye and Colourful World HOTS Questions With Answers

Question 1.
How will you use two identical prisms so that a narrow beam of white light incident on one prism emerges out of the second prism as white light? Draw the diagram.
Answer:
When an inverted prism is kept a little distance away from the prism causing dispersion or basically in the path of splitted beam, the spectrum recombines to form white light.

Recombination of the spectrum of white light

Question 2.
Is the position of a star as seen by us in its exact position? Justify your answer. (NCERT Exemplar)
Answer:
No, the starlight, on entering the earth’s atmosphere, undergoes refraction continuously before it reaches the earth. The atmospheric refraction occurs in a medium of gradually changing refractive index. Since the atmosphere bends starlight towards the normal, the apparent position of the star is slightly different from its actual position.

Question 3.
Why do we see a rainbow in the sky only after rainfall?
Answer:
The rainbow in the sky appears only after rainfall because the suspended water drops behave like prism, and refract, disperse and reflect the light rays internally.

Question 4.
A person needs a lens of power – 4.5 D for correction of his/her vision.
(a) What kind of defect in vision is he/she suffering from?
(b) What is the focal length of the corrective lens?
(c) What is the nature of the corrective lens?
Answer:
(a) Myopia
(b) f = \(\frac{1}{P}\) = \(\frac{100}{4.5}\) = 22.2 cm
(c) Concave lens

Question 5.
A narrow beam PQ of white light is passing through a glass prism ABC as shown in the diagram. (CBSE 2014)

Trace it on your answer sheet and show the path of the emergent beam as observed on the screen DE.
(i) Write the name and cause of the phenomenon observed.
(ii) Where else in nature is this phenomenon observed?
(iii) Based on this observation, state the conclusion which can be drawn about the constituents of white light.
Answer:
(i) Dispersion of light, because different colours of light bends through different angles.
(ii) Rainbow formation
(iii) White light contains seven colours i.e., VIBGYOR

Question 6.
On which factor does colour of scattered light depends?
Answer:
The colour of the scattered light depends on the size of the scattering particles. Very fine particles scatter mainly blue light while particle of larger size scatters light of longer wavelengths.

Extra Questions for Class 10 Science Chapter 11 Value Based Questions

Question 1.
Akshay, sitting in the last row in his class, could not see clearly the words written on the blackboard. When the teacher noticed it, he asked if any student sitting in the front row would volunteer to exchange his seat with Akshay. Salman immediately agreed to exchange his seat with Akshay. Akshay could now see the words written on the blackboard clearly. The teacher thought it fit to send message to Akshay’s parents advising them to get his eyesight checked.
In the context of the above event, answer the following questions:
(a) Which defect of vision is Akshay suffering from? Which type of lens is used to correct this defect?
(b) State the values displayed by the teacher and Salman.
Answer:
(a) Myopia, concave lens
(b) Teacher is very caring and knowledgeable. Salman has great concern for his friend, Akshay, and is very helpful.

Question 2.
On the rainy day, Ram reached his grandfather’s place in village. On the way to the house he saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky. In the night, he saw lots of twinkling stars in the clear sky. He was very excited to see these beautiful natural phenomenon, which he was not able to see in the city, where he lived with his father. Explain the phenomenon on the basis of science. Do you think that pollution in the atmosphere affects the formation of rainbow and twinkling of stars. Do you agree with the fact that pollution free environment will strengthen such natural phenomenon in the cities as well. Elaborate.
Answer:

• The twinkling of star is due to atmospheric refraction.
• The formation of rainbow is due to dispersion, refraction and internal reflection.
• Yes, pollution in atmosphere affects the formation of rainbow and twinkling of stars.

Question 3.
Vinay’s father cannot read a book placed 25 cm from his eye. But he feels a little comfortable when the book is placed 50 cm away. Vinay adviced his father for checkup of the eyes.
(a) From which defect of vision Vinay’s father may be suffering from? Give the proper correction.
(b) State the values of Vinay.
Answer:
(a) Hypermetropia, correction can be done by using suitable convex lens.
(b) Vinay is caring and intelligent.

Question 4.
Ankit’s grandma is facing a problem of clouded, blurred and dim vision. Ankit took her to the doctor.
(a) From which defect of vision Ankit’s grandma may be suffering from? Give proper correction.
(b) State the values of Ankit.
Answer:
(a) Cataract. It is possible to restore vision through cataract surgery.
(b) Ankit is caring and intelligent.

On this page, you will find Visualising Solid Shapes Class 7 Notes Maths Chapter 15 Pdf free download. CBSE NCERT Class 7 Maths Notes Chapter 15 Visualising Solid Shapes will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

CBSE Class 7 Maths Chapter 15 Notes Visualising Solid Shapes

Visualising Solid Shapes Class 7 Notes Conceptual Facts

Solid Shapes:
1. Cuboid: Cuboid has length, breadth and height.

2. Cube: Cube has all sides equal.

3. Prism:
(i) Triangular prism:

(ii) Rectangular prism:

4. Pyramid:
(i) Triangular pyramid

(ii) Rectangular pyramid:

5. Tetrahedron: A triangle pyramid whose all the face are equilateral triangles of same size.

6. Cylinder:

7. Cone

8. Sphere:

Euler’s Formula:
V + F – E = 2
Net of 3-D shapes: Net is an arrangement of figures connected with their edges in the same plane.

(i) Net of cube:

(ii) Net of  Cylinder

(iii) Net of pyramid:

(iv) Net of Cone