Chapter 6, Early States Janapadas and Mahajanapadas

 

Exercise answers 

A. Choose the correct answer. 

1. The Indian state in which Atranjikhera lies today is:

a. Uttar Pradesh

b. Haryana

c. Bihar

d. Punjab

Ans. a. Uttar Pradesh

2. Warriors belong to the class of: 

a. Brahmins 

b. Kshatriyas

c. Vaishyas

d. Shudras

Ans. b. Kshatriyas

3. The part of the farmer's produce that was given as tax to the king was known as: 

a. nishka 

b. bhaga

c. gurudakshina

d. sura 

Ans. b. bhaga

4.  The first important ruler of Magadh was: 

a. Bimbisara

b. Bindusara 

c. Ajatashatru 

d. Dhana Nanda

Ans. a. Bimbisara

 

B. Fill in the blanks: 

1. _________ means 'foothold of the tribe'.

Ans. Janapadas

2. The coins that were used during this period are known as ______ _______ coins.

Ans. Punch marked

3. Under Ajatashatru, the capital of Magadh was shifted from ______ to ______.

Ans. Rajagriha Pataliputra

4. The word 'ganasangha' refers to a ______.

Ans. republics 

C. Mark the sentences as true or false. 

1. There were 30 mahajanapadas in the 6th century BCE in India. 

False

2. The Vaishyas occupied the highest position in the society at this time.

False

3. The original capital of Magadha was Rajagriha. 

True

4. The capital of Vajji was Pataliputra.

False

5. The rajasuya yagna was performed to establish a king as the overlord of the world. 

False

D. Answer in one or two sentences. 

1. What does the term mahajanapada mean? 

Ans. The literally meaning of mahajanapada was great Kingdom. 

2. Name any four of the 16 mahajanapadas that existed in India in the 6th century BCE. 

Ans. The four most important mahajanapadas were Magadh, Kosala vatsa and Avanti.

3. Why did the king need huge sums of money? How did he collect it?

Ans. The kings needed huge sums of money to maintain the large armies under them. For this, they collected taxes from the people. Special officers were appointed to collect these taxes. 

4. Describe a punch-marked coin.

Ans. Punch-marked coins were made of silver or copper, and had images of animals, trees, birds or geometric patterns punched on them. 

5. What did Bimbisara do to expand his Kingdom? 

Ans. Bimbisara expanded his Kingdom through warfare and through matrimonial alliances with other powerful mahajanapadas. 

E. Answer in paragraph.

 

1. What were the different ways in which a person could become a ruler of a mahajanapada? Describe two yagnas a commonly performed by kings in the Vedic Age. 

Ans. A person could become a king if:

a. He was elected by the people because he was strong and able. 

b. He inherited the title when his father died. 

He performed sacrifices like Ashvamedha or the Rajasuya to gain control over large territories. 

2. What were the differences between the later Vedic monarchies and ganasanghas? 

Ans. Monarchies:-

a. They were ruled by king or a queen.

b. They were mainly located in the fertile Gangetic plain. 

c. The position of the monarch was usually hereditary and passed on from parent to child. 

d. Examples: Magadha, Kashi, Vatsa

Ganasangha:- 

a. They were ruled by a chief known as a ganapati. 

b. They were many located in less fertile regions. 

c. The position of the chief was not hereditary and usually chosen by the sangha.