Class 6 History Chapter 7 Practice Question Answers - From a Kingdom to an Empire

Q1: Which area was under the direct control of the emperor?
Ans: The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor.

Q2: The lions that we see on our currency notes and coins are taken from the Ashoka pillar located at ________.
Ans: Sarnath.

Q3: What was the turning point in Ashoka's life?
Ans: The Battle of Kalinga was the turning point in Ashoka's life.

Q4: How where Empires different from the kingdoms?
Ans: Empires were larger than Kingdoms.

Q5: Why did Ashoka decided to give up war?
Ans: He was horrified by the violence and bloodshed caused due to wars.

Q6: What did the Dhamma Mamattas do?
Ans: Dhamma Mahamattas, as the term implies spread the word of Dhamma amongst the people. They saw the carving of the edicts and even read them out to people who were unable to read it.

Q7: The empire was a vast territory. How did the Emperor run the empire?
Ans: Administration was decentralized. Provinces had governors and only the area in the immediate proximity of the capital was under the direct supervision of the emperor. Spies too were deployed to monitor the functioning of officials.

Q8: Differentiate between tribute and taxes.
Ans: Tribute was collected not on regular basis and people gave it more or less willingly, taxes were collected on regular basis and it was compulsory for the people to pay them.

Q9: What was the relation of the people who lived in the forest areas with the empire?
Ans: People who lived in the forest areas were more or less independent, but they were expected to provide elephants, timber, honey and way to Mauryan officials.

Q10: Who paid taxes to the emperor?
Ans: Taxes were collected from farmers, herders, crafts persons and traders, who lived in villages and towns in the area. They were collected by officials appointed by the emperor.

Q11: How can we say that Ashoka was a unique ruler?
Ans: Ashoka was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions. Most of his inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in Brahmi script.

Q12: What was the difference between tributes and taxes?
Ans: Tributes were gifts that were given to the rulers by people with free will, taxes on the other hand were levied by the state administration and had to be paid. The taxes were the main source of revenue for the state.

Q13: What does Megasthenes write about the Mauryan emperor?
Ans: According to the account of Megasthenes, the emperor appeared in public with grand royal processions. He was carried in a golden palanquin. Elephants guarding were decorated with gold and silver. The king was surrounded by armed women, as he was afraid someone might kill him. He never slept in the same bedroom for two nights. He had special servants who would taste his food before the king ate it.

Q14: What was the relation of the people who lived in the forest areas with the empire?
Ans: People who lived in the forest areas were more or less independent, but they were expected to provide elephants, timber, honey and way to Mauryan officials.

Q15: Why did Ashoka give up fighting wars?
Ans: Ashoka fought a war to conquer Kalinga. It was his last war. He decided to give up fighting wars after the victory over Kalinga, because he was horrified by the violence and bloodshed in that. He is the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning a war.

Q16: Where this lion capital was originally placed and how many lions are there in this Lion capital?
Ans: It was originally placed atop the Ashokan pillar at Sarnath, now in the state of Uttar Pradesh. There are four lions in this Lion capital.

Q17: Which material was used in the lion capital? What is the common feature between our national flag and the Lion capital?
Ans: The Lion capital is carved in stone. The Wheel "Ashoka Chakra" is found in both our National Flag and the Lion capital.

Q18: Write a short note on King Chandragupta Maurya.
Ans: Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan empire. He defeated Dhananda the last Nanda ruler. His court was adorned by wise men like Kautilya and ambassadors like Megasthenes. Many of Chanakya's ideas were written down in a book called theArthashastra. Megasthenes was sent to the court of Chandragupta by the Greek ruler of West Asia named Seleucus Nicator. He has given a lot of information regarding the King and the capital city of Pataliputra.

Q19: What does Megasthenes write about the Mauryan emperor?
Ans:

• According to the account of Megasthenes, the emperor appeared in public with grand royal processions. He was carried in a golden palanquin.
• Elephants guarding were decorated with gold and silver.
• The king was surrounded by armed women, as he was afraid someone might kill him.
• He never slept in the same bedroom for two nights.
• He had special servants who would taste his food before the king ate it.

Q20: Briefly describe the administration of the Mauryan Empire.
Ans: The Mauryan empire was so large that different parts were ruled differently. The empire was divided into provinces with the imperial capital at Pataliputra. The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. Other areas or provinces were ruled from the provincial capitals such as Taxila and Ujjain.

For efficient administrative control over provinces following steps were taken:

• The royal princes governed the provinces as king's representatives.
• Officials were appointed to collect taxes from the people.
• Mauryan empire had a large army and vast network of spies.
• The Emperor supervised the whole administration with the help of the members of the royal family and senior ministers.