Short Questions: From a Kingdom to an Empire | NCERT Summary: UPSC PDF Download

Q1: Mention any three big or prominent cities of the Mauryan empire. Why were these cities popular (or famous)?
Ans: Pataliputra, the capital town of the Mauryan empire. It was main centre of all political activities and administration. Taxila (nowadays in modem Pakistan) was a gateway to the northwest, including Central Asia. Ujjain lay on the route from north (India) to south India. Merchants, officials and crafts persons probably lived in all the above mentioned three cities.

Q2: Discuss the ruling system of the Mauryan empire.
Or
Mention main features of administrative system of the Mauryan empire.
Ans: The ruling system (or Administration) of the Mauryan Empire was:

• As the Mauryan empire was very large, its different parts were ruled differently.
• The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. This meant that officials were appointed to collect taxes from farmers, herders, crafts persons and traders in villages and towns in the area.
• Mauryan government’s officials also punished those who disobeyed the ruler’s order.
• Some of the Mauryan officials were given salaries.
• Messengers went to and fro, and spies kept a watch on the officials.
• The Mauryan emperor supervised all officials, species, ambassadors etc. probably with the help of members of the royal family and senior ministers.

Q3: Why was control of roads and rivers considered important during the Mauryan Age?
Ans: The Mauryas tried to control roads and rivers. These were important for transport w and to collect whatever resources were available as tax and tribute. For example, the Arthashastra (the famous literary work of Kautilaya or Chanakya) tells us that the north¬west was important for blankets and south India for its gold and precious stones.

Q4: Who was the most famous ruler of the Mauryan dynasty? How did he try to teach his message to the people?
Ans: The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka. Ashoka was the first ruler who tried to teach his message to the people through inscriptions. The most of Ashoka’s inscriptions were written in Prakrit.

Q5: Write three main features of life of the people of the Mauryan empire.
Ans: The main features of life of the people of the Mauryan empire were:

• There were several cities in the empire. Mainly emperor and his other family members along with important officials of the kingdom lived in capital. Merchants, officials and crafts person probably lived in cities.
• In other areas (other than cities), there were villages of farmers and herders.
• In some areas, such as central India, there were forests, where people gathered forest produce and hunted animals for food.
• People in different parts of the empire spoke in different languages. They probably ate different kinds of food and wore different kinds of clothes as well.
• Besides, there were the forest regions. People living in these areas were probably more or less independent but may have been expected to provide elephants, timber, honey and wax to Mauryan officials.

Q6: Write three or four sentences about provinces and the administration of the Maury an Empire.
Ans: There were several provinces in the Mauryan empire. Each province was ruled from a provincial capital such as Taxila or Ujjain. Although there was some amount of control from Pataliputra and royal princes were often sent to provinces as governors. In provinces local customs and rules were probably followed.

Q7: Explain the following terms: Tribute and The Brahmi script
Ans: Tribute: Unlike taxes, which were collected on a regular basis, tribute was collected as and when it was possible from people who gave a variety of things, more or less willingly.
The Brahmi script: The most of the modem Indian scripts have developed from the Brahmi script.

Q8: What do you mean by Dhamma?
Ans: Dhamma was a set of rules for people to follow.

Q9: Why was Ashoka inclined towards Buddism?
Ans: As he had waged a bloody war, Ashoka was influenced by Buddhism. This caused him a great deal of mental anguish, and he desired to bring peace to the people. Buddhism provided the solution to his problems.

Q10: In which language rock edicts were written?
Ans: The rock edicts were written in Brahmi script. Prakrit was the ordinary people's language.

Q11: What qualities make Ashoka a unique leader?
Ans: Ashoka was one of India's most powerful Mauryan monarchs. He was the first Indian emperor to utilise inscriptions to communicate with the people he ruled over. He is recognised as the only ruler in history to abandon conquest after witnessing a war's disastrous conclusion. He created his own religion and introduced the well-known Dhamma policy.

Q12: What was Ashoka’s Dhamma?
Ans: god or a sacrificial offering He saw that, like a father to his children, it was his obligation to educate the empire's people in order to reduce inter-empire strife. The Buddha's pedagogy had an impact on him.

Q13: What purpose did Dhamma serve?
Ans: Dhamma was introduced to the people to help them improve their morality and have a better understanding of life.

Q14: Who constructed the Great wall of China.
Ans: The Chinese kings created the Great Wall of China. China's 6500 kilometre wall took almost 2000 years to construct.

Q15: Differentiate between tribute and taxes.
Ans: Tribute was not something that was obtained on a regular basis. People donated it more or less voluntarily, whereas the taxes were collected on a regular basis, and people were required to pay them. Agriculture, trading, import and export all had their own set of taxes.

Q16: What did Megathnese write about the Muryan Empire?
Ans: Megasthenes described Pataliputra as a lovely city encircled by a massive wall. It had 570 towers and 64 gates.The houses were built of wood, mud, and brick and had two or three stories. The king's palace was constructed of wood with stone sculptures. It was flanked by gardens and bird-keeping fences.

Q17: Why did Ashoka stopped fighting war?
Ans: To conquer Kalinga, Ashoka fought. He had just finished his last war. After the victory against Kalinga, he resolved to stop fighting wars because he was disgusted by the level of brutality and bloodshed. He is the only king in world history who has refused to submit after winning a war.