New Beginnings: Cities and States — Quiz

Q1. When the chapter refers to India's 'First Urbanisation', it is pointing to which civilisation?

• A. The Vedic civilisation of the Ganga plains
• B. The Chola, Chera and Pandya civilisation of the south
• C. The Mauryan civilisation of Magadha
• D. The Indus / Harappan / Sindhu-Sarasvati civilisation

Q2. Which of the following Harappan features is the chapter describing when it says these disappeared after the First Urbanisation collapsed?

• A. Punch-marked silver coins and iron tools
• B. Sabha and samiti assemblies of the clans
• C. Gana-sangha republics like Vajji and Malla
• D. A writing system, sanitation system and busy markets

Q3. The chapter says we know about the Second Urbanisation mainly from two kinds of sources. Which pair BEST describes them?

• A. Coins minted by kings and inscriptions on temple walls
• B. Tamil Sangam poetry and Ashokan rock edicts
• C. Mughal-era chronicles and British surveys
• D. Archaeological excavations and ancient literature (late Vedic, Buddhist, Jain)

Q4. Why did mahajanapadas emerge by the 8th–7th centuries BCE?

• A. The Harappans returned and built new cities on old ruins
• B. Foreign invaders forced janapadas to combine for defence
• C. A single emperor conquered every clan in north India
• D. Janapadas grew as trade networks expanded, and some merged into bigger states

Q5. Priya is preparing a chart of mahajanapadas and their capitals. Kosala, located in part of today's Uttar Pradesh, had which capital?

• A. Shravasti
• B. Kaushambi
• C. Ujjayini
• D. Champa

Q6. On the map of the 16 mahajanapadas (Fig. 4.3), Gandhara lies in the extreme northwest. Which cities are marked as its capitals on the map?

• A. Indraprastha and Mathura
• B. Tripuri and Ahichchhatra
• C. Champa and Vaishali
• D. Pushkalavati and Takshashila

Q7. The chapter says the raja of a janapada was 'not expected to rule independently or arbitrarily'. What does this BEST mean?

• A. He was supposed to take counsel from the sabha or samiti and from ministers
• B. He could be removed only by a foreign army
• C. He had to give up his throne after a fixed number of years
• D. He shared his throne equally with the leader of the gana-sangha

Q8. In the monarchical mahajanapadas, the raja's position was usually

• A. Elected every year by the whole population
• B. Rotated between the four powerful mahajanapadas
• C. Filled by lottery among the elders of the clan
• D. Hereditary — the raja would usually be the son of the previous one

Q9. Which of the following was NOT listed in the chapter as a duty of the raja in a monarchical mahajanapada?

• A. Collecting taxes or revenue
• B. Maintaining law and order
• C. Building impressive fortifications around the capital
• D. Composing the Vedas and teaching them to monks

Q10. Ravi visits the excavated site of Shishupalgarh and notices that the gateways through the rampart walls are deliberately narrow. The BEST reason from the chapter is that

• A. Narrow gateways saved bricks during construction
• B. Narrow gateways indicated the city had no trade
• C. Wide gates were religiously forbidden for capitals
• D. Guards could control the movement of people and goods entering or leaving the city

Q11. The 'Think About It' box asks why so many mahajanapadas were concentrated in the Ganga plains. Which set of reasons does the chapter suggest?

• A. Cold climate, glacier-fed rivers and salt mines
• B. Strong central monarchy already ruling the whole region
• C. Proximity to overseas ports and use of sea trade with Rome
• D. Growth of agriculture in fertile Ganga plains, availability of iron ore in hills, and new trade networks

Q12. Shishupalgarh, near present-day Bhubaneswar, was the capital of which region and followed which ground plan?

• A. Capital of the Vatsa region; circular ground plan
• B. Capital of the Magadha region; oval ground plan
• C. Capital of the Kalinga region; strict square ground plan
• D. Capital of the Avanti region; triangular ground plan

Q13. Aarti reads that iron tools became widespread by the late 2nd millennium BCE. Which conclusion BEST follows from the chapter?

• A. Agriculture could now be carried out on a bigger scale
• B. Punch-marked coins were immediately replaced with iron coins
• C. Trade with Rome and Greece began at the same time
• D. Sabha and samiti assemblies were abolished

Q14. Why did iron make better weapons than bronze, according to the chapter?

• A. Iron was cheaper to mine than gold
• B. Iron weapons could be magnetised easily
• C. Iron weapons could float in water
• D. Iron weapons were lighter and sharper than bronze

Q15. The chapter describes Indian society of this period as organised in a 'two-fold system'. The two categories were

• A. Janapada and mahajanapada
• B. Gana and sangha
• C. Sabha and samiti
• D. Jati and varna