Do you think it would have been easy for slaves to join the sangha? Give reasons for your answer.

Why do you think ordinary men and women did not generally keep records of what they did?

Read the story on page 122. In what ways is the monkey king similar to or different from the kings you read about in Chapters 5 and 10?

What were the new administrative arrangements during this period?

What kind of evidence from burials do archaeologists use to find out whether there were social differences amongst those who were buried?

Match the following:

Narmada Valley                       The first big kingdom
Magadha                                 Hunting and gathering
Garo                                        hills Cities about 2500 years ago
Indus and its tributaries           Early agriculture
Ganga Valley                          The first cities

What changes do you find in the army at this time?

What were the means adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma?

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

Describe the functions of the gramabhojaka. Why do you think he was powerful?

Why did kings want to control the Silk Route?

Read the story on page 122. In what ways is the monkey king similar to or different from the kings you read about in Chapters 5 and 10?

What were the questions that Upanishadic thinkers wanted to answer?

In what ways do you think that the life of a raja was different from that of a dasa or dasi?

List one major difference between manuscripts and inscriptions.

What were the new administrative arrangements during this period?

Mention three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana.

State whether true or false:

(a) Ujjain was the gateway to the north-west.
(c) Chandragupta’s ideas were written down in the Arthashastra.
(d) Kalinga was the ancient name of Bengal.
(e) Most Ashokan inscriptions are in the Brahmi script.

Return to Rasheeda’s question. Can you think of some answers to it?

Why were metals, writing, the wheel, and the plough important for the Harappans?

How do archaeologists know that cloth was used in the Harappan civilisation?