Answer
List of the occupations of the people who lived within the Mauryan empire:
• Farming
• Herding
• Handicrafts
• Trading
• Hunting-gathering
2. Complete the following sentences:
(a) Officials collected _____________ from the area under the direct control of the ruler.
► tax
(b) Royal princes often went to the provinces as ________
► governors
(c) The Mauryan rulers tried to control ____________ and ____________ which were important
for transport.
► roads and rivers
(d) People in forested regions provided the Mauryan officials with __________
► elephant, timbers, honey and wax.
3. State whether true or false:
(a) Ujjain was the gateway to the north-west.
► False
(c) Chandragupta’s ideas were written down in the Arthashastra.
► False
(d) Kalinga was the ancient name of Bengal.
► False
(e) Most Ashokan inscriptions are in the Brahmi script.
► True
4. What were the problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing dhamma?
Answer
The problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing dhamma were:
• Religious conflict
• Animal sacrifice
• Ill-treatment of slaves and servants
• Quarrels in families and amongst neighbours.
5. What were the means adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma?
Answer
The means that Ashoka adopted to spread the message of dhamma were:
• He appointed officials, known as the dhamma mahamatta who went from place to place teaching people about dhamma.
• He got his messages inscribed on rocks and pillars, instructing his officials to read his message to those who could not read it themselves.
• He also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka.
6. 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
The slaves and servants were mostly prisoners of wars that is why they were ill-treated. Yes, I think the order of emperor would have improved their condition as he was the head of the state. He can issue law of punishment regarding this.