RBSE Class 6 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 5 Kingdoms, Kings and An Early Republic

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 6 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 5 Kingdoms, Kings and An Early Republic Important Questions and Answers. 

RBSE Class 6 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 5 Kingdoms, Kings and An Early Republic

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. 
Bimbisara was the powerful king of
(a) Magadha 
(b) Avanti
(c) Kosala 
(d) Kuru.
Answer:
(a) Magadha 

 

Question 2. 
Ruler Alexander lived in 
(a) China 
(b) Macedonia
(c) France 
(d) India.
Answer:
(b) Macedonia

Question 3. 
Mahajanapada came into existence around 
(a) 2000 years ago
(b) 3500 years ago
(c) 2500 years ago
(d) 3000 years ago
Answer:
(c) 2500 years ago

Question 4. 
One-sixth of total production was taken
from  
(a) Herders 
(b) Gatherers
(c) Farmers 
(d) Labours
Answer:
(c) Farmers 

Question 5. 
Who sprinkled sacred water on the king during the Ashvamedha Yajna?
(a) The Priests 
(b) The Vish or Jana 
(c) Dasa 
(d) Shudra.
Answer:
(a) The Priests 

Question 6. 
Which group was excluded from many rituals in the Ashvamedha Yojana?
(a) The Shudra 
(b) The Traders 
(c) The Priest 
(d) The Vish or Jana.
Answer: 
(a) The Shudra 

Fill in the blanks

Question 1 
............... and ............... were powerful riders of Magadha.
Answer:
Bimbisara, Ajatasattu

Question 2. 
The rajas ofaGana or Sangha discussed the matters in ...............
Answer:
Assemblies

Question 3 
...............  was the first capital of Magadha.
Answer:
Rajagriha

Question 4.
Sangha means ...............    
Answer:
Asso-r ciation or Organisation

Question 5 
............... and ............... rivers flowed through Magadha.
Answer: 
Ganga, Son.

True/False

Question 1. 
The first varna was that of the shudra.
Answer:
False

Question 2. 
Most mahajanapadas had more than one capital.
Answer:
False

Question 3. 
The raja of the janapadas started collecting regular taxes.
Answer:
True

Question 4. 
In a gana or a sangha, there were many rulers.
Answer:
True

Question 5. 
A ruler named Mahapadma Nanda, who lived in Magadha, wanted to become a world conqueror.
Answer:
False
 
Match the column

I	II
(1) Yajurveda	(a) Delhi
(2) Purana Qila	(b) Later Vedic
(3) Hastinapura	(c) Etah
(4) Atranjikhera	(d) Vajji
(5) Gana	(e) Meerut

Answer:

I	II
(1) Yajurveda	(b) Later Vedic
(2) Purana Qila	(a) Delhi
(3) Hastinapura	(e) Meerut
(4) Atranjikhera	(c) Etah
(5) Gana	(d) Vajji

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
How do we choose our rulers?
Answer: 
We choose our rulers by voting.

Question 2. 
When did changes, take place in the ways of becoming ragas?
Answer: 
Around 3000 years ago, the changes took place in the ways in which rajas were chosen. .

Question 3. 
Which sacrifice was performed by a very powerful raja?
Answer: 
The Ashvamedha or horse sacrifice was performed by very powerful raja.

Question 4. 
What happened when the horse of Ashwamedha was stopped by another raja?
Answer: 
If the horse of Ashwamedha was stopped by another raja, he had to fight.

Question 5. 
Define Varnas.
Answer: 
The priests divided people into four groups, called varnas.

Question 6. 
Name the four Varnas.
Answer: 

1. Brahmin
2. Kshatriya
3. Vaishya
4. Shudra.

Question 7. 
Which raja was recognised as the rajas of janapadas?
Answer: 
The rajas who performed the big sacrifices were now recognised as being rajas of janapadas.

Question 8. 
Which crops did the people of the janapads grow?
Answer: 
They grew a variety of crops such as rice, whea barley, pulses, sugarcane, sesame and mustard.

Question 9. 
Define Bhaga.
Answer: 
The tax which was levied on the produce in the mahajanapadas was known as Bhaga.

Question 10. 
Who mostly used to do back-breaking work in agriculture?
Answer: 
Generally, slave men and women (dasas and basis) and landless agricultural labourers (kammakaras) had to do this work.

Question 11. 
Name one important mahajanapada.
Answer: 
Magadha.

Question 12. 
Name any two powerful rulers of Magadha.
Answer: 

1. Bimbisara, 
2. Ajatasattu (Ajatashatru).

Question 13. 
Which form of government is in the Vajji state?
Answer: 
Vajji was under a different form of government, known as Gana or sangha.

Question 14. 
What is the word gana used for?
Answer: 
Gana’ is used for a group that has many members.

Question 15. 
What is ‘Digha Nikaya’?
Answer: 
Digha Nikaya’ is a famous Buddhist book, which contains some of the speeches of the Buddha. There were written down about 2300 years ago.

Question 16. 
Buddha and Mahavira were, related to which form of government?
Answer: 
Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas or sanghas. 

Question 17 
When did ganas or sanghas states end?
Answer: 
The ganas or sanghas states ended about 1500 years ago.

Question 18. 
Who finally conquered the states of ganas and the sanghas?
Answer: 
The Gupta rulers, finally conquered the states of ganas and the sanghas.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Define Varna system. Who divided people into four varnas?
Answer: 
Later Vedic society was based upon the varna in which people were classified into four classes (varna) with relation to their occupation, this was termed as the varna system. The priests divided people into four groups, called varnas. According to them, each varna had a different set of functions.

Question 2. 
How did men become rulers in past?
Answer: 
In the early vedic period, there were many tribes, the leader of the tribe was known as the raja. He was probably chosen by the j ana, the people. But in the later vedic period, around 3000 years ago, some men began to be known as raja (ruler) according to their physical strength or by performing big sacrifices.

Question 3. 
What is the meaning of term ‘Ashvamedha’? Why and how was the ritual of ‘Ashvamedha sacrifice’ performed?
Answer: 
The term ‘Ashvamedha’ means horse sacrifice.
Ashvamedha was one of the biggest sacrifices performed by the rajas of the later vedic age to expand their territories. In this, a horse was allowed to roam freely in the another kingdoms. The horse was guarded by raja’s guardmen. If the raja of other kingdom did not allow them to pass through his land, this meant that the raja of that kingdom wanted to have a battle with the raja who had sent the horse. If he allowed the horse to pass through his kingdom, then it means he had accepted the power of raja who had sent the horse.
Once the horse returned uninterrupted during the sacrifice, he would be killed and rituals would be performed by priests declaring the yagya as a success. 

Question 4. 
List the role of different people in ‘The Ashvamedha Sacrifice’.
Answer: 

1. The raja was a central figure in rituals. He had a special seat, on a throne or a tiger skin.
2. The Priests performed the rituals including the sprinkling of sacred water on the king and reciting the mantras.
3. The Charioteer of raja recited tales of raja’s glory.
4. The raja’s family including his wives, sons, relatives had to perform minor rituals.
5. The other rajas were spectators who had to sit and watch the performance of the sacrifice.
6. The ordinary people brought gifts.

Question 5. 
Name the later Vedic books.
Who wrote them and what was the content of these books?
Answer: 
The Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda are the later Vedic books. These were composed by priests, and described how rituals were to be performed. They also contained rules about the society.

Question 6. 
How was the society divided into groups or varnas in the later vedic age?
Answer: 
The priests divided people into four groups, called varnas.

1. The first varna was that of the brahmin. Brahmins were expected to study (and teach) the Vedas, perform sacrifices and receive gifts.
2. The second varna were the rulers, also known as kshatriyas. They were expected to fight battles and protect people.
3. The third were the vish or the
4. vaishyas. They were expected to be the farmers, the herders, and the traders. Both the kshatriyas and the vaishyas could perform sacrifices. 
5. Last were the shudras, who had to serve the other three groups and could not perform any rituals. Often, women were also grouped with the shudras.

Question 7. 
What information do you get by evidence that has been found in settlements of janapadas?
Answer: 
On the basis of evidences, the following information has been obtained:
1. People lived in huts. They kept cattle and other animals.

• They grew a variety of crops such as rice, wheat, barley, sugarcane, sesame and mustard.
• They made earthen pots and one special type of pottery which was known as Painted Grey Ware.

Question 8. 
Mention features of maha- janapadas.
Answer: 

1. Most mahajanapadas had a capital city and many cities were fortified. It means big and impressive walls of bricks, stones and wood were built around them.
2. Raj as began to maintain huge armies. Soldiers were paid regular salaries and maintained by king throughout the year.
3. Some payments were made using punch-marked coins. It means coins were in the operation.
4. To fulfil the expenses, the rajas needed resources so they started to collect regular taxes from different groups of people.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Write a detailed note on the ‘Ashvamedha’ ritual.
Answer: 
Ashvamedha ritual:

1. Ashvamedha ritual was a mahayagya through which some men now became recognised as rajas by performing very big sacrifice. 
2. A horse was let loose to wander freely and it was guarded by the raja’s men. If the horse wandered into the kingdoms of other rajas and they stopped it, they had to fight. If they allowed the horse to pass, it meant that they accepted that the raja who wanted to perform the sacrifice was stronger than them.
3. The raja who organised the sacrifice was recognised as being very powerful, and all those who came brought gifts for him.
4. These rajas were then invited to the sacrifice, which was performed by specially trained priests, who were rewarded with gifts.
5. The raja was a central figure in these rituals. He often had a special seat, a throne or a tiger skin.
6. His charioteer, who was his companion in the battlefield and witnessed his exploits, changed tales of his glory.
7. His relatives, especially his wives and sons, had to perform a variety of minor rituals.
8. Priests performed the rituals including the sprinkling of sacred water on the king.
9. The ordinary people, the vish or vaishya, also brought gitts.

Question 2. 
How many types of Varnas are there? Describe.
Answer: 
The Four Varnas: The priests divided people of the ancient India (of Later Vedic Age) into four groups, called Varnas. According to them, each Varna had a different set of functions to perform.

1. The brahmins: The first Varna was that of the brahmin. Brahmins were expected tot study and teach the Vedas, perform sacrifices and receive gifts.
2. The Kshatriyas: In the second place were the rulers, also known as. Kshatriyas. They were expected to fight battles and protect people.
3. The Vish or the Vaishyas: Third were the Vishs or the Vaishyas. They were expected to be farmers, herders and traders. Both the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas could perform sacrifices.
4. The Shudras: Last were the shudras, who had to serve the other three groups and could not perform any rituals. Generally, women were also grouped with the shudras. Both women and shudras were not allowed to study the Vedas.

Question 3. 
What information do archaeologists get from the excavation of janapadas settlements?
Answer: 

1. Archaeologists have excavated a number of settlements injanapadas, such as Purana Qila in Delhi, Hastinapura near Meerut, and Atranjikhera, near Etah (the last two are in Uttar Pradesh).
2. They found, that people lived in huts, and kept cattle as well as other animals.
3. They also grew a variety of crops— rice, wheat, barley, pulses, sugarcane, sesame and mustard.
4. They made earthen pots. Some of these were grey in colour, others were red.
5. One special type of pottery found at these sites is known as Painted Grey Ware. These grey pots had painted designs, usually simple lines and geometric patterns.

Question 4. 
Why did the rajas of mahajanapadas need tax? Describe their tax system.
Answer: 
Tax Requirement The rulers of the mahajanapadas 
(a) build huge forts, 
(b) maintain big armies, they needed more resources. And they needed officials to collect these. So, instead of depending on occasional gifts brought by people, as in the case of the raja of thejanapadas, they started collecting regular taxes.
Tax System:

1. Taxes on crops were the most important. This was because most people were farmers. Usually, the tax was fixed at l/6th of what was produced. This was known as bhaga or a share.
2. There were taxes on crafts persons as well. These could have been in the form of labour. For example, a weaver or a smith may have had to work for a day every month for the king.
3. Herders were also expected to pay taxes in the form of animals and animal products.
4. There were also taxes on goods that were bought and sold, through trade.
5. And hunters and gatherers also had to provide forest produce to the raja.

Question 5. 
For what reasons did Magadha become an important state? Describe.
Answer: 

1. Many rivers such as the Ganga and Son flowed through Magadha. This was important for (a) transport, (b) water supplies, and (c) making the land fertile.
2. Parts of Magadha were forested. Elephants, which lived in the forest, could be captured and trained for the army. 
3. Forests also provided wood for building houses, carts and chariots.
4. Besides, there were iron ore mines in the region that could be tapped to make strong tools and weapons.
5. Magadha had two very powerful riders, Bimbisara and Ajatasattu, who used all possible means to conquer other janapadas. Mahapadma Nanda was another important rider. He extended his control up to the north-west part of the subcontinent.
6. Rajagriha (present-day Rajgir) in Bihar was the capital of Magadha for several years. Later the capital was shifted to Pataliputra (present-day Patna).

Question 6. 
Which form of government was there in Vajji state? Discuss.
Answer: 
Gana or sangha form of government was there in Vajji state. The description of this government system is as follows:

1. In a gana or a sangha there were not one, but many rulers.
2. Sometimes, even when thousands of men ruled together, each one was known as a raja.
3. These rajas performed rituals together.
4. They also met in assemblies, and decided what had to be done and how, through discussion and debate.
5. If they were attacked by an enemy, they met to discuss what should be done to meet the threat.
6. Women, dasas and kammakaras could not participate in these assemblies.

Question 7. 
What did Buddha say about the progress of Vajjis?
Or
What was the criteria for the advancement of the gana or sangha states? Describe.
Answer: 
About the progress of Vajjis, Buddha replied that the Vajjis would continue to prosper as long as:

1. They held full and frequent public assemblies.
2. They met and acted together.
3. They followed established rules.
4. They respected, supported and listened to elders.
5. Vajji women were not held by force or captured.
6. Chaityas (local shrines) were maintained in both towns and villages.
7. Wise saints who followed different beliefs were respected and allowed to eiiter and leave the country freely