Exercise - Question:
Que: State whether true or false:
(a) Harishena composed a prashasti in praise of Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni.
(b) The rulers of Aryavarta brought tribute for Samudragupta.
(c) There were twelve rulers in Dakshinapatha.
(d) Taxila and Madurai were important centres under the control of the Gupta rulers.
(e) Aihole was the capital of the Pallavas.
(f) Local assemblies functioned for several centuries in south India.
Ans:
1.False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False
6. True.
Que: Mention three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana?
Ans: Three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana were his court poets:
(i) Banabhatta - who worte Harshacharita
(ii) Xuan Zang - the Chinese traveller and
(iii) Ravikirti.
Que: What changes do you find in the army at this time?
Ans: The changes which we find in the armies of this time are:
(i) The king had a large and well organized armies consisting of elephants, chariots, cavalry and foot soldiers.
(ii) The soldiers used different kind of weapons - arrows, swords, spikes, etc.
(iii) It comprised military leaders who provided the king with troops whenever he needed them.
(iv) The leaders or samantas were not paid salaries but were given grants of lands from which they collected revenue. The revenue was used to maintain soldiers, horses and provide equipment for warfare.
Que: What were the new administrative arrangements during this period?
Ans: The new administrative arrangements during this time were:
(i) Some important administrative posts were now hereditary, i.e. the son succeeded the father to their posts.
(ii) Sometimes one person held many offices. For example, besides being a Maha-danda-nayak Harisena was a kumar-amatya, i.e. an important minister.
(iii) Important men had a say in the local administration. These included the nagara-shreshthi or chief banker /merchant of the city, the sarthavaha or leader of the merchant caravans, the parathama-kulika or the chief craftsman and the head of the Kayasthas or scribes.
Que: What do you think Arvind would have to do if he was acting as Samudragupta?
Ans: If Arvind was acting as Samudragupta he would have:
(i) Lead his army successfully and won victories in battles.
(ii) As a learned man and musician played the veena.
(iii) Established a strong and efficient administration.
(iv) Looked after the welfare of the people.
Que: Do you think ordinary people would have read and understood the prashastis? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: The prashastis were written in Sanskrit. But this was not the language of the common people. Hence, most of the common people could not have read or understood the prashastis.
Que: If you had to make a genealogy for yourself, who are the people you would include in it? How many generations would you like to show? Make a chart and fill it.
Ans:
If I had to make a genealogy for myself, I would like to include the following persons in it:
- Name of my great grandfather.
- Name of my grandfather.
- Name of my father and mother.
- The name/names of son or sons.
- The name/names of my grandchildren.
I would like to show the following five generations:
- Great Grandfather
- Grandfather
- Parents
- My own name
- Names of my son and grandson.
Que: How do you think wars affect the lives of ordinary people today?
Ans: Today wars affect the lives of ordinary people today in the following ways:
1. They are killed in a large number.
2. Their property-houses, shops, etc. are destroyed.
3. Wars create violence and disturbances in society.
4. Development projects and welfare works undertaken by the government for the welfare and benefit of the people are disturbed and postponed.
5. Wars waste economic and other resources. The government generally imposed more taxes on the people.
