Here are important questions from NCERT class 6 history Chapter 11 New Empires and Kingdoms.

1. Who was the poet and minister at the court of Samudragupta who composed a prashasti in his honour?

Harishena

2. Name the Gupta king who played the veena.

Samudragupta

3. What was the difference in the way Samudragupta treated the rulers of Aryavarta and Dakshinapatha?

Samudragupta uprooted the nine rulers of Aryavarta and annexed their kingdoms to his empire. He defeated the twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha but allowed them to continue to rule after they surrendered to him.

4. Name the Gupta king who assumed the title of Vikramaditya after defeating Shakas.

Chandragupta II

5. What is the significance of Vikram Samvat?

Vikram Samvat is the era beginning in 58 BCE. It marks the victory of Chandragupta II over the Shakas.

6. Who was the first ruler of Gupta dynasty  to use the title Maharajadhiraja?

Chandragupta

7. Who was the son of Samudragupta?

Chandragupta II

8. Kalidasa and Aryabhata are believed to have adorned the court of ……………………….

Chandragupta II

9. We can learn about Gupta rulers from their ………………………….. and ……………………….

inscriptions and coins

10. Who was the court poet of Harshavardhana?

Banabhatta

11. Name the biography of Harshavardhana

Harshacharita

12. Who is the author of Harshacharita?

Banabhatta

13. Name the Chalukya King who defeated Harshavardhana.

Pulakeshin II

14. Pallavas and Chalukyas were the contemporaries of ………………………..

Harshavardhana

15. Kanchipuram was the capital of the …………………………….. dynasty.

Pallava

16. …………………………. was the capital of the Chalukyas.

Aihole

17. Chalukyas ruled the land between the rivers ………………………….. and ……………………….

Krishna, Tungabhadra

18. Who composed the prashasti of Pulakeshin II?

Ravikirti

19. Pallavas and Chalukyas were defeated by ………………………… and ………………………….

Rashtrakutas and Cholas

20. What were the advantages and disadvantages of having hereditary officers?

Kings always tried to win the support of socially or economically powerful men. In order to achieve this, they made some important posts hereditary. Sometimes, one person was allowed to hold many offices. Important men also had a say in local administration. While these policies were effective and helped the king win the favour of influential men, they also caused some of these men to grow powerful enough to set up independent kingdoms.

21. Who were samanthas?

Samanthas were military leaders who provided the king with troops whenever he wanted them. They usually received grants of land and used the revenue collected from this land to maintain soldiers and horses.

22. During the reign of Pallavas, ………………………….. was an assembly of Brahmin landowners.

Sabha

23. …………………………….. was an organisation of merchants.

Nagaram

24. …………………………. was a village assembly found in areas where the land owners were not Brahmins.

Ur

25. Who wrote the play Abhijnana Shakuntalam?

Kalidasa

Textbook Questions and answers

1. State whether true or false

a) Harishena composed a prashasti in praise of Gautamiputra Satakarni – false (It was in praise of Samudragupta)

(b) The rulers of Aryavarta brought tribute for Samudragupta – false (Their kingdoms were annexed.)

(c) There were twelve rulers in Dakshinapatha – true

d) Taxila and Madurai were important centres under the control of Gupta rulers – false (Prayaga, Ujjain and Pataliputra were important centres of the Gupta rulers.)

e) Aihole was the capital of Pallavas – false (It was the capital of Chalukyas)

f) Local assemblies functioned for several centuries in South India – true

2. Mention three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana

His court poet Banabhata, Ravikirti, the court poet of Pulakeshin II and Xuan Zang

3. What changes do you find in the army at the time?

Kings maintained well-organized armies with elephants, chariots, cavalry and foot soldiers. Sometimes, military leaders provided the king with troops. They were called samanthas and they were not paid regular salaries. Instead, they were given grants of land and with the revenue collected from that land, they maintained soldiers and horses.

4. What were the new administrative arrangements during this period?

Village was the basic unit of administration and land remained the biggest source of revenue. Kings took several measures to win the support of powerful men. Important administrative posts were made hereditary. Consequently, the son could succeed the father. Sometimes, it was possible for one person to hold many offices. It was also common for important persons like chief merchant, chief banker, chief craftsman or scribe to have a say in local administration.