Ashoka –The Emperor who gave up war

Exercises –
1. Brahmi: It was a script used to write inscription in Ashoka’s time.
2. Dhamma: Ashoka’s ideas which he wanted to use to instruct his subjects
were called
the ‘dhamma’.
3. Dhamma Mahamatta: The officials Ashoka sent from place to place to teach
the people his ‘dhamma’ were called ‘dhamma mahamatta’.
4. The Arthashastra: Chanakya’s book ‘Arthashastra’ contains his ideas. The
word means ‘economics’.

Ques1. Make a list of occupation of people who lived within the Mauryan
Empire.

Ans1. The occupations of the people who lived within the Mauryan Empire were
as follows:

• Trade
• Handicrafts
• Agriculture
• Herding
• Hunting
• Gathering etc.

Ques2. Complete the following sentences : ( DO this in your book only)

a. Officials collected ———————— from the area under the direct control of
the ruler.
b. Royal princess often went to the provinces as ———
c. The Mauryan rulers tried to control ———————— and ————————
which were important for transport.
d. People in forested regions provided the Mauryan officials with ——————
——

Answers: (a) taxes, (b) governors (c) roads and rivers( d) Elephants, timber,
honey, wax etc

Ques3 .True or False

1. Ujjain was the gateway to the north-west.

2. Chandragupta’s ideas were written down in the Arthashastra.
3. Kalinga was the ancient name of Bengal.
 4. Most Ashokan inscriptions are in the Brahmi script.

Answers: 1 False, 2 True, 3 False, 4 True

Ques4. What were the problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing
dhamma?

Answer: Mindless rituals and sacrifices were the customs during Ashoka’s
period. People did not have respect for other religions. People ill treated
servants and slaves. By introducing dhamma; Ashoka wanted to solve these
problems.

Ques5.What were the means adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of

dhamma?

Answer: Ashoka appointed officials (called ‘dhamma mahamatta’) to go from place

to place and tell people about ‘dhamma’. Ashoka got his messages inscribed on
rocks and pillars too, in a language called as Prakrit which was understandable to all.
Messengers were also send to other parts of the world.

Ques6 .Why do you think slaves and servants were ill-treated? Do you think the
orders of the emperor would have improved their condition? Give reasons for
your answer.

Answer: People usually view their servants and slaves are inferior. Hence, servants
and slaves were ill-treated. Ashoka’s orders may have had some effect because he
was a powerful king. Moreover, his messages must have helped in improving
people’s awareness about that issue. This may also have helped in improving the
situation.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS :

1. Which are the animals shown in our national Emblem?

(a) Goats

(b) Lions

(c) Bulls

(d) None of these

2. How many lions are shown in our national Emblem?

(a) Two

(b) Three

(c) Four

(d) Five

3. What was name of Ashoka’s grandfather?

(a) Krishna

(b) Mahavira

(c) Sidhartha

(d) Chandragupta Maurya

4. In which book were Chanakya’s ideas written?

(a) Ramayana

(b) Mahabharata

(c) Arthashastra

(d) None of these

5. Who was supported by a wise man named Chanakya?

(a) Ashoka

(b) Bindusara

(c) Chandragupta

(d) All of these

6. Who was Bindusar’s son?

(a) Chandragupta

(b) Sidhartha

(c) Ashoka

(d) Ram Krishna Paramhans

7. From which area was Taxila and Ujjain ruled?

(a) Pataliputra

(b) Bihar

(c) Delhi

(d) Agra

8. In which language were the Ashoka’s inscriptions written?

(a) Prakrit

(b) Sanskrit

(c) Tamil

(d) None of these

9. What is the meaning of word Dhamma?

(a) Environment

(b) Dharma

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of these

10. The national emblem of India has been taken from the pillar at Sarnath which
had -

A. Lion
B. Tiger
C. Bear
D. Sank