VI- History Post Mid Question Bank 1. How do archaeologists know that cloth was used in the Harappan civilization? Answer: Actual pieces of cloth have been found in Mohenjodaro, attached to the lid of a silver vase and some copper objects. Spindle whorls have also been discovered, which were used to spin thread. This indicates cloth was used in the Harappan civilisation. 2. Why were metals, writing, the wheel and the plough important for the Harappans? a) Metals were used for Copper and bronze: Making tools, weapons, ornaments, vessels. Gold and silver: Ornaments, vessels. b) Writing has always been a very important means of communication. It was important for the Harappans also. c) The wheel was used in carts and pottery. d) The plough was used to dig the earth for turning the soil and for planting seeds. 3. Describe the people of Harappan cities. Answer: There were three basic occupations of people living in Harappan cities. (i) They planned the construction of special buildings in the city. They probably sent people to distant lands to get raw material. They kept the most valuable objects for themselves. (ii) Scribes were people who knew how to write. They prepared the seals. (iii) Crafts-persons. People who made all kinds of things were called Crafts- persons. Besides these three categories, there were the farmers and herders who lived outside the city and provided food to the people. 4. What were the main features of the cities built during the Harappan Civilization? A Harappan city was usually divided into two or more parts. The part to the west was smaller but higher. It is called citadel. The part to the east was larger but-lower. Archaeologists call it the lower town. 5. What could have been the possible reasons behind the end of the Harappan civilization? Answer: The Harappan civilization suddenly seems to have started to end, around 3900 years ago. People stopped living in many cities. Writing, seals and weights became extinct. Raw materials were now rarely imported. Some scholars suggest that this happened due to the drying of rivers. Some others have explained it with deforestation. In some areas there were floods. The floods could have been a reason for the end. Rulers might also have lost control. Consequently, People abandoned sites in Sind and Punjab and moved to newer, smaller settlements to the east and the south. 6. Why did the rajas of the Mahajanapadas build forts?
The rajas of mahajanapadas built forts around their capital cities because probably the people were afraid of attacks from other kings and needed protection. It is also possible that some rajas wanted to show that they were rich and powerful by building large, tall and impressive walls around cities. Moreover, by fortifying, the land and its people could be controlled more easily. 7. What were the means adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma? Ashoka appointed officials (called dhamma mahamatta ) to go from place to place and tell people about dhamma. Ashoka got his messages inscribed on rocks and pillars too, in a language called as Prakrit which was comprehensible to all. Messengers were also send to other parts of the world. 8. How can we say that Ashoka was a unique ruler? a) Ashoka was the most famous Mauryan ruler. b) He was known to take his message amongst the people through inscriptions. c) His inscriptions were in the people s language Prakrit. d) Ashoka also remains the only king in history who gave up war after winning one. e) This he did after he observed the violence in the Kalinga war. f) Ashoka then became a Buddhist and got the idea of the dhamma. 9. Describe the administration of the Mauryan Empire. The Mauryan Empire consisted of severed different parts which were ruled over differently. The Empire s capital. The areas adjacent to Pataliputra, the capital of the empire, was under the direct control of the emperor. Officials were supposed to collect taxes from the inhabitants in strict obedience of the ruler s order. The Provincial capitals. There were provinces with their own capitals, e.g. Taxila and Ujjain in the north west and central India respectively. There was obviously some amount of control from the emperor in Pataliputra: Royal princes were sent as governors. Other areas. In the other areas, the Mauryans controlled roads and rivers, which were vital for transport. Resources, whatever available, were collected as tribute 10. What were the problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing dhamma? Ans: There were a number of problems in the empire that led Ashoka to introduce his dhamma. People in the empire followed different religious, usually causing conflicts. Animal sacrifice was common. Slaves and servants were ill-treated by their masters. There were quarrels among civilians. To solve these problems, Ashoka introduced his dhamma. 11. Write a short note to describe the Mauryan people. Ans: The Mauryan cities had mainly merchants, officials and crafts persons. In village farmers and herders lived. In forested areas, people gathered forest produce and hunted animals for food. People in different parts of the empire used various different languages. They also probably ate diverse kinds of food and same can be said about the clothes they wore. 12. List the welfare activities carried out by Ashoka. Ashoka built roads, dug wells and built rest houses. Besides, he arranged for medical treatment for both human beings and animals. 13. What was Ashoka s dhamma? What were the problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing
dhamma? Ashoka s dhamma did not involve worship of a god, or performance of a sacrifice. He felt that just as a father tries to teach his children, he had a duty to instruct his subjects. There were a number of problems that troubled him. People in the empire followed different religions, and this sometimes led to conflict. Animals were sacrificed. Slaves and servants were ill treated. Besides, there were quarrels in families and amongst neighbours. Ashoka felt it was his duty to solve these problems. 14. Describe the society and revenue system under the Mauryas. a) The empire was so large, different parts were ruled differently. b) The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. c) This meant that officials were appointed to collect taxes from farmers, herders, crafts persons and traders, who lived in villages and towns in the area. d) Officials also punished those who disobeyed the ruler s orders. e) Many of these officials were given salaries. f) Messengers went to and fro, and spies kept a watch on the officials. g) And of course the emperor supervised them all, with the help of members of the royal family, and senior ministers. 15. Who was the grama bhojaka? Write about him in brief. The grama bhojaka was the village headman in the northern part of the country. His post was hereditary. He was the largest landowner in the village who kept slaves and hired workers to cultivate the land. He collected taxes from the village for the king. He also functioned as a judge and sometimes as a policeman. 16. What do you know about Sangam literature? Some of the earliest works in Tamil came to be known as Sangam literature. These earliest works were composed around 2300 years ago. These texts were called Sangam because they were supposed to have been composed and compiled in assemblies of poets. These assemblies were known as Sangams. They were held in the city of Madurai. 17. What kind of information do we get from several inscriptions found in Mathura? The inscriptions found in Mathura record gifts made by men and women to monasteries and shrines.
These were made by kings and queens, officers, merchants and crafts people who lived the city. The inscriptions from Mathura make us aware that people were engaged in several occupations such as weaving, basket making, garland making etc. There were also goldsmiths and blacksmiths. 18. Write a short note on Arikamedu. Arikamedu, located in Pondicherry, was a coastal settlement between 2200 and 1900 years ago. It was a place where ships unloaded goods from distant lands. A massive brick structure which is supposed to be a warehouse was found at the site. Other discoveries include pottery from the Mediterranean region. For example, amphorae which were tall double handled jars that contained liquids and stamped red-glued pottery, known as Arretine Ware. It was named after a city in Italy. 19. What was the ashvamedha? The ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) was a ritual used to recognise men as rajas. A horse was left to wander freely. If it wandered into another kingdom and the king of that kingdom stopped it, they had to fight. The raja who succeeded in the challenge was recognised as stronger. He would then perform the sacrifice, in which other kings would also come. 20. Why was Mathura so important city? Mathura has been an important city for more than 2500 years. It was important for various reasons. It was located at the cross roads of two major routes of travel and trade - from the northwest to the east and from north to south. There were fortifications around the city, and several shrines. Farmers and herders from adjoining areas provided food for city people. Mathura was also a centre where some extremely find sculpture was produced. Around 2000 years ago, Mathura became the second capital of the Kushanas. Mathura was a religious centre also. There were Buddhist monasteries and Jaina shrines. It was also an important centre for the worship of Lord Krishna. 21. What do you know about Northern Black Polished Ware? i) Between the 6th and 3rd centuries Indian society was undergoing dramatic and fundamental changes. The most significant of these, all of them connected, were the easy availability of iron, a rise in agricultural production, the growth of large towns and cities, and the beginning of a market economy and trade, and of centralized government. Iron made it possible to open up much more land for agriculture meaning that more food was available. The discovery of the technique of transplantation at around the same time also contributed to a food surplus. This caused an explosion in the population which in turn led to the development of the first large towns and cities in northern India. ii) In the political domain these changes caused the decline of the so-called tribal republics such as the Sakyans and the Vajjians, which had been governed by elected councils, and the growth of kingdoms such as Kosala and Magadha, with the latter eventually absorbing the former as well as the Vajjian and Licchavi republics and within 100 years of the Buddha's parinirbahāna becoming the vast Mauryan Empire. iii) Evidence of the growing wealth and technological sophistication of the time was the development of a very distinct type of pottery archaeologists call Northern Black Polished Ware. This pottery is somewhat misnamed, as it is found in the south of India, as well as in the north, and is sometimes brown
in colour. But typically it has a black, shiny, almost metallic sheen and exactly how it was made remains unexplained. It was first produced in Magadha and reached its most developed form between 500 and 300 BCE, corresponding with the beginning of Buddhism. iv)this is important as it helps in dating archaeological sites associated with the Buddha and with the first Buddhists. 22. Who was Gautamiputra Shri Satakami? How do we come to Know about him? Gautamiputra Shri Satakami was the famous ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. We come to know about him from an inscription composed by his mother. According to this inscription he and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the dakshinapatha, which was used as a name for the entire southern region. He sent his army to the eastern, western and southern coasts 23. How did the knowledge of silk spread far and wide? China was the first country where silk took its birth. Although the country kept the-methods of making silk a closely guarded secret for a long time, people of other regions ultimately came to know about them. Some people from China went to distant lands on foot, horseback and on camels and with them they carried silk. Sometimes, Chinese rulers sent gifts or silk to rulers in Iran and west Asia. From there the knowledge of silk spread further west. 24. Why was silk so expensive? Silk had to be brought from China. It was a long journey and the traders had to cross dangerous roads through mountains and deserts. People living along the route often demanded payments from the traders for giving them permission to pass through. 25. What do you mean by Silk Route? What was its significance? The route through which the traders carried silk with them is known as silk Route. Silk was first invented in China and the methods of its making were kept a high secret for several years. But the traders ultimately spread the knowledge of silk far and wide. Everyone got attracted to it because of its fine texture. Wearing silk became a fashion amongst rulers and rich people in Rome. In India too, the rulers tried is control the Silk Route. This was because they could benefit from taxes, tributes and gifts that were brought by traders travelling along the route. The Kushanas were the best known rulers who controlled the Silk Route. During their rule, a branch of the Silk Route extended from Central Asia down to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus, from where silk was shipped westwards to the Roman Empire. 26. What was Bhakti movement? Why did it become more popular? Bhakti movement was a new way of worship. Bhakti means devotion to a particular deity. During the post vedic era some deities like Shiva, Vishnu and Durga became popular among the devotees. This inclination towards deities came to be known as Bhakti movement. It became popular because in this, there was no discrimination among the worshippers or devotees. There was no difference whether one was rich or poor, high or low, man or woman. Everyone was allowed to worship the deities of his/ her own choice. Bhakti movement discarded the performance of elaborated sacrifices.