OUR OWN HIGH SCHOOL, Al WARQA’A, DUBAI

HISTORY : Revision Worksheet: ANSWER KEYTHE FIRST EMPIRE

I FILL IN THE BLANKS
1. Most of the Ashokan inscriptions were written in Brahmi script.
2. Bindusara was also known as Amritraghat and Mahasena.
3. The spy system was an integral part of the Mauryan administration.
4. Ashoka’s rock and pillar edicts and Mauryan coins are important archaeological sources .
5. Brihadratha was the last king of the Mauryan Dynasty .
6. The Pradeshta was the head of each district.
7. Dynasty is a succession of powerful leaders all from the same family.
8. Chanakya became the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya.
9. Chandragupta Maurya set up his capital at Pataliputra.
10. Kalinga was the modern state of Odisha.

II: TIME LINE:

Explain the significance of the following years.

1. 321–297 BCE: Reign of Chandragupta Maurya
2. 261 BCE: Ashoka attacked Kalinga
3. 232 BCE: Death of Ashoka

III: MATCH THE FOLLOWING

Answer: 1-C, 2-D , 3 –E, 4-A, 5-B .

IV: STATE TRUE/FALSE

 The king was assisted by the Mantri Parishad. -TRUE
 Bindusara founded the Mauryan Dynasty. -FALSE
 The battle of Kalinga took place in the year 261 BCE. -TRUE
 Chandragupta Maurya was the first emperor to unify most of India under one administration-TRUE
 Ashoka’s rock and pillar edicts and Mauryan coins are important literary sources .-FALSE
 Chanakya was the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya . -TRUE
 Chandragupta Maurya conquered the whole of Northern India and defeated the Greek king
Alexander.-FALSE
V: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
1. Briefly explain the significance of the Kalinga war in Ashoka’s life
Answer: The war with Kalinga in 261 BCE was a turning point in the life of Ashoka.
ii) The death, destruction, misery and suffering that he saw in the war filled him with remorse.
iii) He realized the futility of war and vowed never to fight any more wars.
iv)He devoted the rest of his life to serve his people and adopted a number of welfare measures.
v) He embraced the teachings of Gautam Buddha and renounced violence and promoted peace
and harmony in the state.
vi)He adopted the principles of Ahimsa by banning hunting and violent sports.
vii) He expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe.
viii) He undertook public work and campaigns across the country.
ix) He maintained a large and powerful army to keep peace.
Thus, Ashoka changed from being a conqueror to a spiritual leader.

2. Do you think that Ashoka promoted religious tolerance? Justify your answer in the light of his
contribution in spreading Buddhism.
Answer: Yes, Ashoka promoted religious tolerance.
He embraced the teachings of Gautama Buddha , renounced violence and promoted peace and
harmony in the state. His Dhamma policy states to respect all irrespective of caste, creed and
religion.
3. The artistic achievements in the Mauryan period is noteworthy. Justify.
Answer: There were remarkable artistic achievements in the Mauryan period. It represented an
important transition in Indian art from the use of wood to stone. It was a royal art patronized by
Mauryan kings especially Ashoka. Pillars, stupas, caves are the most prominent and of great
significance . The most widespread examples of Mauryan architecture are the Ashoka pillars and
carved edicts of Ashoka, exquisitely decorated and spread throughout the Indian subcontinent.
4. Explain the following details about Mauryan empire:
 Mauryan army and spy system The Mauryan army was large, strong and powerful.
Megasthenes’s Indica was overwhelmed by Chandragupta's force of 600,000 infantry,
30,000 cavalry, and 9,000 war elephants and 800 chariots. The Senapati was the head of the
army. The Spy System was an integral part of the Mauryan administration. The spies were
posted in different parts of the kingdom. The king was well informed about his subjects , as
well as public opinion on important issues .The system also tested the integrity of the
government officials

 Main revenue and occupation- They collected taxes during the Mauryan dynasty . Taxes
were imposed on land, water as well as road. Sources of income also included forests, mines,
trade , crafts and custom duties on imports .
Under the Mauryans, most people were engaged in agriculture The different occupations
followed by the people were: (i) Farming (ii) Domesticating animals (iii) Carpentry (iv)
Handicrafts (iv) Masonry (v) Government officials (vi) Many people were also employed in
the Royal army.

5. Read the details about Mauryan administration and identify the division it belongs to:
 Central Administration Provincial Administration District Administration Village Administration

 The Pradeshta was the head, assisted by the Yuktas and Rajukas.- District Administration
 The King was the supreme authority assisted by the Mantri Parishad . The Amatyas were having
administrative and judicial roles and overlooked the Military and Revenue systems - Central
Administration.
 The head was the Kumara, ( royal prince) helped by the Mahamatyas and council of ministers.-
Provincial Administration
 The headman was assisted by a council. They assisted government officials in marking boundaries of
the village, maintaining land records and collecting taxes – Village Administration

6) Read the following sentences carefully , correct them and rewrite .

a) In 261 BCE, Bindusara attacked Kalinga.

b) Soldiers who fight on foot are called cavalry.
c) Chandragupta Maurya set up his capital at Taxila.

Answer: Correct sentences :

a) In 261 BCE, Ashoka attacked Kalinga.
b) Soldiers who fight on foot are called infantry.
c) Chandragupta Maurya set up his capital at Pataliputra.

Revision Worksheet: ANSWER KEY THE NEW EMPIRES

I FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. The term ‘Prashasti’ is a Sanskrit word which literally means “praise” .

2. Kumaradevi, mother of Samudragupta, belonged to the Lichhavi tribe.
3. The first ruler of the Gupta dynasty who adopted the grand title of Maharajadhiraja was Chandragupta I.
4. One of the nine gems who lived in the court of Chandragupta II and who was also a Sanskrit poet was
Kalidasa.
5. The musical instrument played by Samudragupta was the veena.
6. Paintings in the Ajanta cave tell about life in the Gupta period.
7. Samudragupta was succeeded by his son Ramagupta.
8. Chandragupta II defeated the Saka ruler and came to the throne in 375 BC.
9. Nagarpatis were in charge of town administration.
10. Skandagupta was the Last king of the Gupta Empire.
11. Varahamihira was the famous astronomer who lived during the Gupta Age.
12. Chandragupta I ascended the throne in 320 CE.
13. Kumaramatya was a provincial minister.
14. Vishakhadatta wrote the book Mudrarakshasa
15. Chandragupta II was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta.
II: STATE TRUE/FALSE

 Chandragupta II was also called Vikramaditya-TRUE

 Famous poet Bhanabatta in Chandragupta’s court wrote Abhinjnanashakuntalam & Meghdoota.-FALSE
 Samudragupta was known as the Indian Napoleon.-TRUE
 The Chinese pilgrim Fa- Hsien visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II. -TRUE
 The village was the basic unit of administration. TRUE

III: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

1. What were the reasons for the decline of the Gupta Empire?
Answer:
a) Attacks from powerful enemy states.
b) Weak and incompetent rulers- (Last ruler- Skandagupta)
c) The successors of Skandagupta could not defend their kingdoms.
d) The Huns, invaded the Gupta territory and caused significant damage to the empire.
e) The Gupta Empire ended in 550 CE, when it disintegrated into regional kingdoms after a series of
weak rulers and invasions from the east, west, and north.

2. What is a Prashasti? How was it important in the Gupta period?

Answer: The word Prashasti is a Sanskrit word, which literally means “praise”. It is a literary style of writing
praises.
It is considered "the most important historical document of the classical Gupta age". Harisena composed the
Prayag prashasti in praise of Samudragupta. He was the famous court poet of the Gupta king Samudragupta
and his prashasti describes Samudragupta as a great warrior.

3. Complete the table showing the sources of history during the Gupta age .

Prashastis Literary sources Archaeological sources

1.Prayag Prashasthi 1. Abhijnanashakuntalam 1. Ajanta Cave paintings

2. Meghadooda

4. “The Gupta Age has also been called the Golden Age of Indian history”. Justify your answer.
Ans: The period between 320 AD and 540 AD is known as Gupta Age. It is also called as the Golden age
of Indian History, as there was rapid development in the field of art, literature, architecture,
philosophy, science, agriculture and trade .

5. Identify the personality in the picture and write a short note about him.
Ans: The person in the picture is Samudragupta, also known as the Indian Napoleon.

He was one of the greatest conquerors in Indian History who conquered about 20 kingdoms.
His rule extended from the Himalayas to River Narmada in the south and Brahmaputra in the East.
He was not only a warrior but a “Great patron of art and literature” and he was a poet and musician himself.
Coins issued by him show him playing the Veena .
He performed the “Ashvamedha Yajna” to assert his political supremacy.
Tolerant to other religions, he allowed Sri Lanka’s Buddhist king to build monastery at Bodh Gaya.

IV :MATCH THE FOLLOWING

Answer: 1-D 2-F 3-A 4-B 5-C 6- E

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