1. Who was the founder of the Maurya Empire?

Chandragupta Mauraya

2. Who is the wise man who supported Chandragupta Maurya?

Chanakya

3. Chanakya, the wise man, is also known as ……………………………..

Kautilya

4. Who wrote Arthashastra?

Kautilya

5. The lion capital or Ashoka Sthamba is found at ………………………….

Saranath

6. Who was the father of Ashoka?

Bindusara

7. What was the capital of the Ashoka’s empire?

Pataliputra

8. Who was the Greek Ambassador who visited the court of Chandragupta Maurya?

Megasthenes

9. Who was the Greek ruler who sent an ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya

Seleucus Nicator

10. Ashoka’s inscriptions were written in ……………………………..

Prakrit

11. Which script was used to write Prakrit?

Brahmi

12. Ashoka gave up war after conquering ……………………………

Kalinga

13. ………………………. was the gateway to northwest

Taxila

Textbook Questions And Answers

1. Make a list of the occupations of the people who lived within the Mauryan Empire

The Mauryan Empire spread over a large area and consisted of people who spoke different languages and followed different religions. People who lived in cities were mainly merchants, officials and craftspersons. Farmers and herders lived in villages. People living in forested areas gathered forest produce and hunted animals for food.

2. Complete the following sentences

a) Officials collected ………………………. from the area under the direct control of the ruler.

b) Royal prices often went to the provinces as …………………………

c) The Mauryan rulers tried to control ……………………….. and ……………………. Which were important for transport.

d) People in forested regions provided the Mauryan officials with ……………………….

Answers

a) taxes

b) governors

c) roads and rivers

d) elephants, honey, wax, timber

3. State whether true or false

a) Ujjain was the gateway to the north-west

b) Chandragupta’s ideas were written down in the Arthashastra

c) Kalinga was the ancient name of Bengal

d) Most Ashokan inscriptions are in the Brahmi script

Answers

a) false; b) false; c) false; d) true

Expected questions

1. What is dynasty?

When members of the same family become rulers one after another that family is often called a dynasty. Example: Mauryan Empire

2. What are the differences between empire and kingdom?

Empire
Empires are larger than kingdoms and are protected by large armies and they also need more resources. Empires are ruled by powerful rulers called emperors.

Kingdom
A kingdom means a state or a small area which is ruled by a king.

3. What is tribute?

Unlike taxes which are collected on a regular basis, tribute was collected as and when possible from people who gave a variety of things more or less willingly.

4. Describe the administration of Ashoka?

Ashoka’s empire was so large that different parts of it were ruled in different ways. The capital Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. Officials were appointed to collect taxes from people. Officials also punished people who disobeyed the ruler.

• Officials were given salaries
• There were spies to keep a watch on officials
• There were provinces which were ruled from a provincial capital like Taxila or Ujjain.
• Royal princes were often appointed as governors in provinces
• The Mauryas tried to control roads and rivers which were important for transport.
• They also collected whatever resources available as tax and tribute.

5. Why is Ashoka called a unique ruler?

Ashoka is called a unique ruler because he was the most important ruler of the Mauryan Empire. He took his messages to the people through inscriptions. Moreover, he was the only ruler who gave up war after winning. Ashoka sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands such as Egypt, Syria, Sri Lanka and Greece.

6. Explain Ashoka’s Dhamma

Ashoka’s dhamma did not involve the worship of any god or the performance of any sacrifice. He felt that it was his duty to instruct his subjects. He appointed officials known as dhamma mahamatta to teach people about dhamma. He also wrote his message as inscriptions all over the country.