Mastery

The Age of Reorganisation — Mastery

30 questions 30 min Full-chapter mastery

Q1. When the last Maurya emperor was assassinated around 185 BCE, the post held by the assassin within the Maurya state was that of
- A. Royal priest (purohita)
- B. Treasurer of the royal mint
- C. Commander-in-chief (senapati)
- D. Governor of a southern province
Q2. Which of the following BEST describes the relationship between Pushyamitra Shunga and the Shunga dynasty?
- A. He inherited the Shunga throne from his Maurya father
- B. He served as a Shunga general under King Kharavela
- C. He was the last Shunga ruler defeated by the Indo-Greeks
- D. He founded the Shunga dynasty after ending Maurya rule
Q3. In several historical sources the Satavahanas are also referred to as the
- A. Andhras
- B. Cheras
- C. Chedis
- D. Shakas
Q4. A Class 7 student draws a timeline showing the Chola dynasty's overall span as given in the chapter. The most accurate span she should mark is
- A. From the 6th century BCE to the 1st century CE
- B. From the 2nd century CE to the 8th century CE
- C. From the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE
- D. From the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE
Q5. Aarti is preparing a one-line caption for a museum panel on the 'headless statue' from Mathura. Based on the chapter, the most accurate caption is
- A. Kharavela, the Chedi king known as bhikshu-raja
- B. Heliodorus, the Indo-Greek ambassador to Vidisha
- C. Gautamiputra Satakarni, a leading Satavahana king
- D. Kanishka, probably the most powerful ruler of the Kushana dynasty
Q6. A museum gallery groups Mathura-school sculptures by theme. According to the chapter, sculptures from the Mathura school depict
- A. Only the Buddha and Bodhisattvas
- B. Greco-Roman gods like Zeus and Apollo
- C. A wide range of figures including Kubera, Lakshmi, Shiva, the Buddha and yakshas
- D. Mainly Vedic ritual scenes with horses for the ashvamedha yajna
Q7. Statement A: According to the chapter, the 'new' kingdoms of the Age of Reorganisation tried to control more territory by purely peaceful means. Statement B: Both matrimonial alliances and the use of force in warfare were methods these kingdoms used to gain or extend control. Choose the correct option
- A. Only B is correct
- B. Only A is correct
- C. Both A and B are correct
- D. Neither A nor B is correct
Q8. A school field trip visits the Bharhut Stupa carvings displayed in a museum. The carved stone railings added during Shunga rule mainly depict
- A. Scenes from the life of King Pushyamitra Shunga
- B. Maps of Indo-Greek territories
- C. Stories from the Buddha's life
- D. Tamil Sangam poets reciting verses
Q9. Which of the following BEST explains how geography supported the Satavahana economy?
- A. The Himalayan glaciers gave them year-round drinking water
- B. The Western Ghats provided gold mines for the royal treasury
- C. The Thar desert blocked invaders and kept their farmlands safe
- D. The fertile lands around the Krishna and Godavari rivers supported agriculture, which underpinned their economy
Q10. A Class 7 teacher wants the BEST first activity to introduce the Sangam Age to students reading Silappadikaram for the first time. Which is the most appropriate opening activity?
- A. Show a map of south India and have students locate Puhar (the Chola capital, identified with Kaveripattinam), Madurai and Vanji, then trace Kannagi's journey
- B. Ask students to memorise a list of all Sangam-age inscriptions
- C. Give a 20-question quiz on Indo-Greek coins before starting the epic
- D. Begin by explaining Brahmi numerals using the Naneghat inscriptions
Q11. A student writes: 'Kanishka's empire was confined entirely to central Asia.' How should a CTET teacher correct this statement using the chapter?
- A. The statement is correct; the Kushanas never crossed the Hindu Kush
- B. The statement is correct because Kanishka spoke only Greek
- C. The statement is wrong; at its peak Kanishka's empire extended from central Asia to large parts of northern India
- D. The statement is wrong; the Kushana empire was confined only to the Deccan
Q12. While teaching the Age of Reorganisation, many Class 7 students confuse 185 BCE with 185 CE on the chapter's timeline. The MOST effective teaching strategy is to
- A. Ask students to memorise all BCE-to-CE dates by repetition
- B. Tell students that BCE and CE mean the same thing for Indian history
- C. Skip dates entirely and focus only on dynasty names
- D. Draw a horizontal timeline with 0 at the centre, mark events to the left as BCE and to the right as CE, and place Pushyamitra Shunga (185 BCE) and Kanishka (c. 2nd century CE) on opposite sides
Q13. Why is Kharavela described in the chapter as a 'reassertion of regional power' after the Maurya breakup?
- A. Because Kalinga, defeated by Ashoka in the previous chapter, rose again as a prominent power under the Chedi dynasty led by Kharavela
- B. Because he was a direct Maurya descendant who reclaimed the throne
- C. Because he established a new capital at Pataliputra
- D. Because he served as a Shunga viceroy in eastern India
Q14. Two students debate which historical fact BEST shows that women could hold significant economic and political authority in the Satavahana period. Which argument is the strongest, based on the chapter?
- A. Sangam poets praised Tamil queens in their verses
- B. Indo-Greek coins occasionally show the goddess Lakshmi
- C. Gautami Balashri, mother of Gautamiputra Satakarni, had an important inscription carved at Nashik and donated land to Buddhist monks — and Satavahana princes were often named after their mothers
- D. Pushyamitra Shunga performed the ashvamedha yajna
Q15. According to the chapter, which goods did the Cheras export to the Roman Empire and West Asia from their kingdom on the western coast?
- A. Iron, salt and cotton seeds
- B. Silk, jade and porcelain
- C. Wheat, barley and millet
- D. Spices, timber, ivory and pearls
Q16. According to the chapter, most Gandhara-school sculptures and artefacts were crafted in intricate detail from which kind of stone?
- A. Grey-black schist
- B. Red sandstone
- C. White marble
- D. Granite
Q17. Why is Kushana control over significant sections of the Silk Route considered economically important in the chapter's account?
- A. Because it ended all maritime trade between India and Rome
- B. Because the Silk Route brought only military invaders, not goods
- C. Because during their reign trade grew, connecting India with other parts of Asia and the West
- D. Because it forced the Satavahanas to abandon Naneghat tolls
Q18. Two students compare Mathura and Gandhara schools. Which contrast is MOST faithful to the chapter?
- A. Mathura used grey-black schist; Gandhara used red sandstone
- B. Mathura was on the Silk Route; Gandhara was inland and isolated
- C. Mathura made only Buddha images; Gandhara made only Hindu gods
- D. Mathura had a distinct Indian style with less Greco-Roman influence; Gandhara blended Greco-Roman elements with Indian features
Q19. The chapter describes the Satavahanas as devout followers of Vasudeva (another name for Krishna). However, it also notes that they
- A. Patronised other schools of thought, including by granting tax-free agricultural land to Vedic scholars, Jaina and Buddhist monks
- B. Persecuted Buddhist and Jain monks
- C. Forced all subjects to worship only Vasudeva-Krishna
- D. Replaced Brahmi script with Greek script in their inscriptions
Q20. According to the chapter, which Chola king is said to have defeated a combined force of the Cheras and Pandyas, establishing his supremacy?
- A. Kharavela
- B. Kanishka
- C. Karikala
- D. Gautamiputra Satakarni
Q21. A museum panel near the Heliodorus pillar at Vidisha needs a single line summarising its inscription. The MOST chapter-faithful caption is
- A. An Indo-Greek ambassador's inscription praising Vasudeva as the 'god of gods'
- B. A Kushana emperor's edict declaring himself maharaja rajadhiraja devaputra
- C. A Chedi king's record of military victories year by year
- D. A Satavahana queen's donation of land to Buddhist monks
Q22. A Class 7 teacher wants students to grasp how the same period saw 'peaceful co-existence of various schools of thought'. Which classroom activity using coin images BEST realises this objective?
- A. Asking students to draw and colour the Indian National Flag
- B. Replacing all coin images with photographs of modern temples
- C. Giving students a list of dates to memorise without any images
- D. Showing Kanishka's coins (Buddha on one, Shiva with Nandi on another) and Indo-Greek coins depicting Vasudeva-Krishna and Lakshmi, and asking what these images suggest about the ruler's attitudes
Q23. A Class 7 student claims: 'The period after the Mauryas was simply a blank in Indian history because no major changes happened.' Based on the chapter, the BEST evaluation of this claim is
- A. Wrong — the map of India changed significantly through the rise of new kingdoms and foreign invasions, which is why the period is called the 'Age of Reorganisation'
- B. Correct — the chapter shows nothing significant happened
- C. Partly correct — only south India saw change, the north remained the same
- D. Wrong — the chapter shows the Mauryas continued to rule unchallenged
Q24. Priya is reading a passage that calls Sangam literature 'the oldest in south India' that historians 'much consult'. Based on the chapter, what BEST explains why historians consult Sangam literature so often?
- A. Because it lists every coin issued by every dynasty
- B. Because it was written entirely in Greek and is easy to translate
- C. Because it consists of anthologies of poems that reveal the society and culture of the times — personal emotions like love, and societal values like heroism and generosity
- D. Because it records Roman tax laws applied in south India
Q25. Why does the chapter describe the carved railings of the Bharhut Stupa as one of the 'earliest examples of Buddhist art' in India?
- A. Because they show modern Buddha statues in flowing Gandhara robes
- B. Because they are made of grey-black schist like Gandhara sculptures
- C. Because they were carved by King Pushyamitra Shunga himself
- D. Because the railings, added during Shunga rule, present beautiful carvings depicting stories from the Buddha's life — among the earliest visual narratives of these stories
Q26. A teacher explains 'ashvamedha yajna' to Class 7 by asking students to imagine a real horse. Which one-line explanation matches the chapter's account?
- A. A Vedic ritual in which a horse was left to wander; territories it crossed unchallenged became part of the king's empire
- B. A horse-race held every spring at the royal capital
- C. A ceremony in which the king's horse was sacrificed at the Bharhut Stupa
- D. A trade fair where horses were exchanged for Roman gold
Q27. An Indian Government gazette dated 21 August 2024 also shows the Shaka Samvat date. Based on the chapter, which Shaka Samvat year would match 21 August 2024?
- A. Shaka 2024 — both calendars run in the same year
- B. Shaka 2102 — the Shaka Samvat is 78 years ahead of the Gregorian
- C. Shaka 1946 — the Shaka Samvat is 78 years behind the Gregorian (except in Jan–Mar, when it is 79 behind)
- D. Shaka 1957 — counted from the year the calendar was adopted
Q28. Several inscriptions in this chapter — the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela and the Brahmi inscription on Kanishka's headless statue — are described as 'sources of history'. The CORRECT reason, based on the chapter, is that
- A. They are written in modern Hindi, so we can read them easily
- B. They are inscribed in Brahmi script and, once decoded, record rulers' accomplishments, titles and events in their own words
- C. They have been translated by Megasthenes in his book Indika
- D. They were composed by the Sangam poets in Tamil
Q29. A Class 7 teacher is sequencing teaching steps for the opening section of 'The Age of Reorganisation'. Which sequence BEST helps students see WHY the Maurya breakup mattered?
- A. (i) Define ashvamedha yajna → (ii) describe Karikala's Grand Anicut → (iii) read the Heliodorus inscription
- B. (i) Recall Ashoka's empire from Class 7 Ch 5 → (ii) note that about half a century after Ashoka the last Maurya was assassinated by his commander-in-chief (185 BCE) → (iii) show how the map fragments into new kingdoms and is exposed to invasions
- C. (i) Memorise Sangam poets → (ii) draw the Silk Route → (iii) sketch Mathura's red sandstone statues
- D. (i) Start with Kushana coins → (ii) move to Pandya pearls → (iii) end with Shunga railings
Q30. Two students debate why the chapter highlights the 'prominent moustache' on the Kubera figure from the Mathura school. Which evaluation BEST captures the chapter's argument?
- A. The moustache is unimportant decoration; the chapter mentions it only by accident
- B. The moustache is a distinguishing feature of some Indian sculptures, so it shows Mathura's distinct Indian style — supporting the wider claim that Mathura used less Greco-Roman influence than Gandhara
- C. The moustache proves Kubera was actually a Greek deity in disguise
- D. The moustache shows Mathura sculptors copied the headless Kanishka statue from Gandhara

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