CBSE Important Questions Class 6 Social Science Chapter 10 – Grassroots Democracy Part 1: Governance

Q.1 Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:

“A fisherman found a precious ring, which the king had given to Shakuntala, but which had been accidentally swallowed by a fish. When he went to the palace with it, the gatemen accused him of theft, and the chief police officer was rather rude. However, the king was happy when he saw the ring and sent a reward for the fisherman. Then, the police officer and the gatemen decided to take a share of the reward, and went along with the fisherman to have a drink.”

1. This story of fisherman is found in which play?
2. Who wrote this story?
3. What is the name of the king mentioned in this story?
4. What was the reaction of the king when he saw the ring?

Ans-

1. This story is from the famous play Abhijnana Shakuntalam.
2. Kalidasa wrote this story.
3. King Dushyanta is mentioned in this story.
4. The king was very happy to see the ring and sent a reward for the fisherman.

Q.2 Briefly describe assemblies in the Southern kingdoms.

Ans-

A number of local assemblies were mentioned in the inscriptions of the Pallavas. Most probably these assemblies were controlled by rich and powerful landowners and merchants.

1. Sabha was an assembly of brahmin land owners. It performed various roles and functioned through subcommittees, which looked after irrigation, agricultural operations, making roads, local temples, etc.

2. The Ur was a village assembly found in areas where the land owners were not brahmins.

3. The nagaram was an organisation of merchants.

Q.3 Read the following passage and answer the question given below:
“The king travelled with an enormous amount of equipment. Apart from weapons, there were things of daily use such as pots, pans, furniture, golden footstools, food, including animals such as goat, deer, rabbits, vegetables, spices, carried on carts or loaded on to pack animals such as camels and elephants. This huge army was accompanied by musicians beating drums, and others playing horns and trumpets. Villagers had to provide hospitality along the way. They came with gifts of curds, gur and flowers, and provided fodder for the animals. They also tried to meet the king, and place their complaints and petitions before him.”

1. What all did the army carry with them?

2. What did the villagers bring to the king? [2 + 2 =4]

Ans-

1. Apart from weapons, the army carried things of daily use such as pots, pans, furniture, golden footstools, food including animals such as goat, deer, rabbits, vegetables, spices. These things were carried on carts or loaded on to pack animals such as camels and elephants.

2. The villagers brought gifts of curds, gur and flowers to the king. They provided fodder for the animals. They also tried to meet the king and place their complaints and petitions before him.

Q.4 Mention three authors who wrote about Kings and the lives of the ordinary people.

Ans-

Kalidasa, Fa Xian and Banabhatta wrote about the lives of the ordinary people in the kingdom.
1. In his plays, Kalidasa has shown the king and most brahmins speaking Sanskrit, while women and men other than the king and brahmins use Prakrit. There is a remarkable description of the plight of a poor fisherman in his play Abhijnana Shakuntalam.
2. The Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian has given a detailed account of the plight of the untouchables. They were mistreated by the high and mighty and were expected to live on the outskirts of the city.
3. Banabhatta provides us with a vivid picture of the king’s army on the move.

Q.5 What changes did the army undergo after the Gupta period?

Ans-

The protection of an empire required huge and strong army. Thus, special attention was paid to maintain a huge and efficient army.

1. Infantry, cavalry and elephants were the main divisions of the army.

2. Besides, there were military leaders known as samantas, who provided troops to the king whenever required.

3. Samantas were not paid regular salaries. Instead, some of them received grants of land. They collected revenue from the land and used this to maintain soldiers, horses and provide equipments for warfare.

Q.6 What were the new developments in the field of administration during the Gupta period?

Ans-

During the Gupta period, there were some new developments in the administrative field. Kings adopted numerous measures to win the support of powerful men such as:
1. Some important administrative posts now became hereditary. For example, the poet Harishena was a maha-danda-nayaka, or chief judicial officer, like his father.
2. At times, one person held many offices. For instance, besides being a maha-danda-nayaka, Harishena was a kumar-amatya, and a sandhi- vigrahika.
3. Besides, important men probably had a say in local administration.

Q.7 Who was Pulakeshin II? How have we come to know about him?

Ans-

Pulakeshin ll was one of the famous Chalukyan rulers. A prashasti, composed by his court poet Ravikirti, is an important source of information regarding his early life and his expeditions. This provides us with the information about his ancestors for four generations. It tells us that Pulakeshin ll evidently got the kingdom from his uncle. According to Ravikirti, he led expeditions along both the west and east coasts. He also checked the advance of Harsha.

Q.8 Write a short note on the Pallavas and Chalukyas.

Ans-

The most important ruling dynasties in South India were the Pallavas and Chalukyas. The realm of the Pallavas spread from the region around their capital, Kanchipuram, to the Kaveri delta. The kingdom of the Chalukyas was centred on the Raichur Doab between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra. Aihole was the capital of the Chalukyas. It was an important trading centre as well as a religious centre. The Pallavas and Chalukyas frequently attacked each other’s lands, especially the capital cities, which were prosperous towns.

Q.9 Who was the famous ruler of the Gupta dynasty?
Ans-

Samudragupta was the famous ruler of the Gupta dynasty.
Q.10 Mention an important source of information about Samudragupta.
Ans-

An important source of information about Samudragupta is a long inscription in the form of poem written in Sanskrit by his court poet, Harisena nearly 1700 years ago.
Q.11 Mention four different kinds of rulers as described by Harisena. What was Samudragupta’s policy towards them?
Ans-

Harisena, the court poet of Samudragupta has mentioned the four different rulers in the prashasti. Samudragupta’s policy toward them is as follows:

1. The rulers of Aryavarta (Kanauj, Pataliputra, Prayaga, Mathura and Nalanda) were some nine rulers. These kingdoms were made part of Samudragupta’s empire.

2. The rulers of Dakshinapatha were twelve rulers. These rulers were defeated by Samudragupta and then allowed to rule their kingdoms.

3. The neighbouring states such as Assam, coastal Bengal, Nepal and a number of gana sanghas brought tribute, followed his order and attended his court.

4. The rulers of north-west and the ruler of Sri Lanka submitted to him and offered daughters for marriage.

Q.12 What is a Prashasti ?

Ans-

Prashasti is a special kind of inscription meaning “in praise of”. They were composed in praise of the rulers.

Q.13 How did the poet of Prashastis praise Samudragupta?

Ans-

The poet praised the king as warrior and as a king who won victories in battle. He was learned and the best of poets. He is also described as equal to the Gods.

Q.14 What was the title adopted by Chandragupta, the father of Samudragupta?

Ans-

Chandragupta was the first ruler of the Gupta dynasty who adopted the grand title of maharaj-adhiraja. Later on, this title was also adopted by Samudragupta.

Q.15 Who was the father of Chandragupta II?
Ans-

Samudragupta was the father of Chandragupta II.
Q.16 Write about the kingdom of the Chalukyas.
Ans-

The Chalukyas were one of the important dynasties in south India during 3rd -5th A.D. The kingdom of the Chalukyas centered around the Raichur Doab, between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra. Their capital city was Aihole. It was an important trading centre. It was also an important religious centre, with a number of temples. Pulakeshin II was the famous Chalukya ruler.
Q.17 What is the meaning of kumar-amatya and sandhi-vigrahika?
Ans-

Kumar-amatya means an important minister and sandhi-vigrahika means a minister of war and peace.

Q.18 What was the Ur during the Pallava period?
Ans-

The Ur was a village assembly found in areas of southern India where the land owners were not brahmins.
Q.19 Who controlled the local assemblies such as Sabha, ur, and nagaram?
Ans-

These assemblies were controlled by rich and powerful landowners and merchants.
Q.20 Which is the most famous play of Kalidasa?
Ans-

Kalidasa’s most famous play is Abhijnana Shakuntalam, which is the story of the love between a king named Dushyanta and a young woman named Shakuntala.

Q.21 What does the plays of Kalidasa say about the language spoken by the people?

Ans-

According to the plays of Kalidasa, the king and brahmin spoke Sanskrit whereas women and common people spoke Prakrit.

Q.22 What was the old name of Allahabad?
Ans-

Prayaga was the old name of Allahabad.

Q.23 What were the names of Samudragupta’s parents?

Ans-

According to inscriptional sources, Samudragupta’s mother was Kumara Devi who belonged to Lichchhavi gana, while his father, Chandragupta was the first ruler of the Gupta dynasty.

Q.24 Who was the court poet of Chandragupta II?

Ans-

Kalidasa was the court poet of Chandragupta II.

Q.25 Who was the famous astronomer in the court of Chandragupta II?

Ans-

Aryabhata was the famous astronomer in the court of Chandragupta II.

Q.26 Where do we get information about King Harshavardhana from?

Ans-

We get information about Harshavardhana from his biography titled Harshacharita in Sanskrit, written by his court poet, Banabhatta.

Q.27 In whose court did Xuan Zang stay for a long time?

Ans-

Xuan Zang stayed a lot of time in the court of Harshavardhana.

Q.28 Which Gupta ruler led an army against the ruler of Bengal?

Ans-

Harsha led the army against the ruler of Bengal.

Q.29 Who stopped Harsha’s march into the Deccan?

Ans-

Harsha’s march into the Deccan was stopped by Pulakeshin II.

Q.30 What was the dynasty to which Pulakeshin II belonged?

Ans-

Pulakeshin II belonged to the Chalukya dynasty.

Q.31 Write about the kingdom of the Pallavas.

Ans-

The kingdom of the Pallavas spread from the region around their capital, Kanchipuram, to the Kaveri delta. They were one of the most important ruling dynasties in south India during the 3rd to 5th A.D.

Q.32 What was the capital of the Chalukyas?

Ans-

Aihole was the capital of the Chalukyas.

Q.33 Who was the best known ruler of the Chalukya dynasty?

Ans-

Pulakeshin II was the famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty.

Q.34 How do we get information about Pulakeshin II?

Ans-

We get information about Pulakeshin II from a prashasti, composed by his court poet Ravikirti.

Q.35 Name the Chalukya king who got the kingdom from his uncle.

Ans-

Pulakeshin was the king who got the kingdom from his uncle.

Q.36 What is the meaning of Harsha?

Ans-

Harsha means happiness.

Q.37 Who was known as maha-danda-nayaka?

Ans-

Harishena was known as maha-danda-nayaka meaning chief judicial officer.

Q.38 Write the meaning of these terms: nagara-shreshthi, Sarthavaha, Prathama-kulika.

Ans-

Nagara-shreshthi: Chief banker or merchant of the city

Sarthavaha: Leader of the merchant caravans

Prathama-kulika: Chief craftsman and head of the then kayasthas or scribes.

Q.39 Who were samantas?

Ans-

Samantas were military leaders who provided the king with troops whenever he needed them. For their service, they were not paid regular salaries. Instead, they received the grants of land from the king. They collected revenue from the land and used it for the maintenance of soldiers and horses and to provide war equipments. Whenever the king was weak they tried to become independent.

Q.40 What was the Sabha during the Pallavas rule?

Ans-

A number of local assemblies have been mentioned in the inscriptions of the Pallavas. The Sabha was one of the local assemblies. It was an assembly of brahmin land owners. This assembly had sub-committees that looked after irrigation, agricultural operations, making roads, and local temples, etc.

Q.41 What was the nagaram in the Pallava kingdom?

Ans-

The nagaram was an organisation of merchants.

Q.42 This is a picture of a coin of Gupta period in which a king is playing a musical instrument. Answer the following questions related to this picture:

1. Which King was shown in this coin?
2. This coin was made of which metal?
3. What instrument was the king playing?
4. The king depicted in the coin belonged to which dynasty?

Ans-

1. King Samudragupta is shown in this coin.
2. This coin was made of gold.
3. Samudragupta is playing Veena.
4. Samudragupta belonged to the Gupta dynasty.

Q.43 What do you mean by prashastis and how did they help in recreating history?

Ans-

Prashasti is a special kind of inscription meaning “in praise of”. They were composed in praise of the rulers.

An important example is a prashasti of Samudragupta. It is a poem in Sanskrit, composed by his court poet Harisena, nearly 1700 years ago. It is inscribed on the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad. The poet has praised the king in glowing terms. He is described as equal to God. It tells about his conquests.

Most prashastis also mention the ancestors of the ruler. Samudragupta’s great grandfather, grandfather, father and mother are mentioned by Harisena in the prashasti.