KSEEB Class 8 History Important Questions Chapter 7 Mauryas and Kushans

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Karnataka State Syllabus Class 8 Social Science History Important Questions Chapter 7 Mauryas and Kushans

Mauryas

Question 1.
Who was the founder of the Maury an Empire?
Answer:
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Empire.

Question 2.
List the sources which reflect upon the history of Mauryas.
Answer:
The sources that reflect upon the history of Mauryas are: Megasthenes’ ‘Indica’, Kautilya’s ‘Arthasastra’, Vishakadatta’s ‘Mudrarakshasa’, the Srilankan works ‘Deepavamsha’ and ‘Mahavamsha’ and the inscriptions of Ashoka.

Question 3.
Who were the prominent rulers of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer:
Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka were the prominent rulers of the Mauryan Empire.

Question 4.
Who was the author of ‘Indica’?
Answer:
Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, was the author of ‘Indica’.

Question 5.
Who wrote ‘Arthasastra’? What does it deal with?
Answer:
Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, a minister of Chandragupta Maurya, wrote Arthasastra’. It outlines the basic principles of administration, foreign affairs and judicial duties that a king ought to know.

Question 6.
Name the important cities during Ashoka’s period.
Answer:
The important cities during Ashoka’s period were Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjain, Kalinga and Suvarnagiri.

Question 7.
What is the significance of Kalinga war?
Answer:
With the purpose of expanding his empire Ashoka declared war on Kalinga. In this battle one lakh and fifty thousand were taken prisoners and one lakh people died. Seeing the devastation caused by the battle, Ashoka was saddened and vowed not to wage any wars in future. Because of this the battle of Kalinga has become famous.

Question 8.
Describe the measures taken by Ashoka to spread Buddhism.
Answer:
Ashoka appointed officers called Dharmamahamatras to preach the principles of Buddhism. He carved inscriptions across the kingdom to spread the message of Buddhism. He sent people to other countries to preach Buddhism. He organised the third Buddhist conference at Pataliputra.

Question 9.
Write a note on Ashoka’s edicts.
Answer:
Ashoka issued rock edicts to educate people and spread his ideas of ‘Dharma’. These edicts are inscribed on rocks and pillars. Most of these edicts are written in Prakrit language and Brahmi script. In Karnataka, Ashoka’s edicts are found at Maski and Brahmagiri.

Question 10.
Describe Ashoka’s administration.

OR

Write a note on the administrative system of the Mauryas.
Answer:
The Mauryan empire had a centralised administrative system. Power was concentrated in the king. A large number of officials were appointed to run the administration. There was a strong espionage system. Ministers, priests, princes and generals were the higher subordinates of the king.

The empire was divided into provinces ruled by princes or relatives of the king’s family. Takshashila, Ujjain, Tosali, Suvarnagiri and Girnar were the regional administrative centres.

There were officials like Rujuka [Justice officer) and Yukta (Information recording officer). The capital Pataliputra was administered by a group of six committees consisting of thirty officials.

Question 11.
Ashoka has been termed as great by historians. Give reasons.
Answer:
Ashoka ascended the throne in 269 B.C.E. after the death of his father Bindusara. Eight years later he waged a war against Kalinga. This was the only war waged by him after becoming the king. Moved by the death and destruction caused by the war, he converted to Buddhism and dedicated the rest of his life to spread the message of peace.

Ashoka is considered the father of inscriptions. His inscriptions are found at 45 places across India and Afghanistan. He also built a number of pillars and stupas. Our national emblem is taken from Ashoka’s pillar at Saranath. Hence Ashoka has been termed as great by historians.

Kushans

Question 12.
Which dynasty did the Kushans belong to?
Answer:
Kushans were basically from a nomadic tribe which had migrated to India from Central Asia. They belonged to the ‘Yuchi’ dynasty.

Question 13.
Who was the founder of the Kushana dynasty?
Answer:
The kushana dynasty was founded by Kujalakadphisus.

Question 14.
Who were the important rulers of the Kushans?
Answer:
The founder Kujalakadphisus, Vimakadphisus and Kanishka were the important rulers of the Kushans.

Question 15.
When and by whom was the Saka Era started?
Answer:
Kanishka, the Kushan king, established his rule in 78 C.E. and heralded a new era. This era is called the Saka Era.

Question 16.
What was the extent of Kanishka’s kingdom?
Answer:
Kanishka’s empire extended up to Sanchi in the south and Banaras in the east. In the northwest his territories extended up to Central Asia. Purushapura, present Peshawar, was his capital.

Question 17.
Describe the role of Kanishka in the spread of Buddhism.
Answer:
Kanishka was a follower of Buddhism and gave full support to spread it far and wide. He patronised many Buddhist scholars in his court. Ashwaghosha, Vasumitra and Sangaraksha were the prominent Buddhist scholars in his court.

The fourth Buddhist conference was held at Kashmir under the leadership of Kanishka. Kanishka sent missions to Central Asia and China to spread Buddhism.

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
Megasthenes’ Tndica’ and Kautilya’s ‘Arthasastra’ are useful sources for the study of __________ history.
(A) Mauryan
(B) Kushan
(C) Gupta
(D) Chalukya
Answer:
(A) Mauryan

Question 2.
Ashoka appointed ‘Dharma Mahamatras’ to
(A) enforce laws
(B) conduct temple worship
(C) spread Dharma
(D) protect the Stupas
Answer:
(C) spread Dharma

Question 3.
The four-headed lion capital from Ashoka’s pillar at _________ is our national emblem.
(A) Sanchi
(B) Saranath
(C) Pataliputra
(D) Ujjain
Answer:
(B) Saranath

Question 4.
The founder of the Kushan dynasty was
(A) Kujalakadphisus
(B) Vimakadphisus
(C) Kanishka
(D) Bindusara
Answer:
(A) Kujalakadphisus

Question 5.
Kanishka’s reign heralded the beginning of ____________ era.
(A) Vikrama
(B) Kollam
(C) Saka
(D) Hijira
Answer:
(C) Saka

Question 6.
Kanishka’s capital was
(A) Mathura
(B) Purushapura
(C) Ujjain
(D) Gandhara
Answer:
(B) Purushapura

Question 7.
The fourth Buddhist council was held under the leadership of Kanishka at
(A) Kashmir
(B) Mathura
(C) Gandhara
(D) Purushapura
Answer:
(A) Kashmir

Fill In The Blanks

• Chanakya was also known as Kautilya
• Megasthenes’ work was indica
• The capital of the Mauiyas was pataliputra
• The founder of the Kushan dynasty was kujalakadphisus
• The new era of Kanishka’s reign is called saka era
• Ashoka gave up war after the battle of kalinga
• Ashoka’s rock edicts have been found at Bramhagiri in chitradurga district of karnataka
• The Gandhara School of art developed during the reign of the kushans.
• Kushans belonged to yuchi clan of Central Asia.
• The Saka Era started in the year 78 C.E.
• Aswaghosha and Vasumitra were scholars in the court of kanishka
• India’s first empire was the mauryan empire.
• Gandhara sculpture flourished during the rule of Kushans.

Match The Following

Question 1.

A	B
a. Founder of the Mauryan dynasty	1. Kanishka
b. Buddhist scholar	2. Kujalakadphisus
c. Fourth Buddhist Council	3. Megasthenes
d. Greek ambassador	4. Chandragupta
e. Founder of Kushan dynasty	5. Kautilya
	6. Ashwaghosha

Answer:
a – 4, b – 6, c – 1, d – 3, e – 2.