- Passage 1
Languages and scripts
Most Asokan inscriptions were in the Prakrit language while those in the northwest of the subcontinent were in Aramaic and Greek. Most Prakrit inscriptions were written in the Brahmi script; however, some, in the northwest, were written in Kharosthi. The Aramaic and Greek scripts were used for inscriptions in Afghanistan.
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: In which language were most Asokan inscriptions written?
Answer: Most Asokan inscriptions were written in the Prakrit language.
Question 2: What scripts were commonly used for Prakrit inscriptions?
Answer: Most Prakrit inscriptions were written in the Brahmi script.
Question 3: In which regions of the subcontinent were inscriptions found in Aramaic and Greek?
Answer: Inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek were found in the northwest of the subcontinent.
Question 4: What script was used for some Prakrit inscriptions in the northwest?
Answer: Some Prakrit inscriptions in the northwest were written in the Kharosthi script.
Question 5: Which country had inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek?
Answer: Afghanistan had inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek.
- Passage 2
In praise of Samudragupta
This is an excerpt from the Prayaga Prashasti:
He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by the overflowing of the multitude of (his) many good qualities adorned by hundreds of good actions, has wiped off the fame of other kings with the soles of (his) feet; (he is) Purusha (the Supreme Being), being the cause of the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad (he is) incomprehensible; (he is) one whose tender heart can be captured only by devotion and humility; (he is) possessed of compassion; (he is) the giver of many hundred-thousands of cows; (his) mind has received ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering; (he is) resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera (the god of wealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains) and Yama (the god of death)…
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: According to the Prayaga Prashasti, what quality made Samudragupta stand out among kings?
Answer: Samudragupta stood out among kings due to the overflowing multitude of his many good qualities.
Question 2: How does the passage describe Samudragupta’s impact on the fame of other kings?
Answer: The passage mentions that Samudragupta, through his many good actions, has wiped off the fame of other kings with the soles of his feet.
Question 3: According to the passage, what qualities make Samudragupta incomprehensible?
Answer: Samudragupta is described as incomprehensible due to being Purusha (the Supreme Being), the cause of prosperity for the good, and the destruction of the bad.
Question 4: What virtues are attributed to Samudragupta in terms of his character?
Answer: Samudragupta is described as possessing a tender heart that can be captured by devotion and humility, as well as being compassionate and kind to mankind.
Question 5: According to the Prayaga Prashasti, who are some of the deities to whom Samudragupta is compared?
Answer: Samudragupta is compared to Kubera (the god of wealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains), and Yama (the god of death) in the passage.
- Passage 3
Life in a small village
The Harshacharita is a biography of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Kanauj (see Map 3), composed in Sanskrit by his court poet, Banabhatta (c. seventh century CE). This is an excerpt from the text, an extremely rare representation of life in a settlement on the outskirts of a forest in the Vindhyas:
The outskirts being for the most part forest, many parcels of rice-land, threshing ground and arable land were being apportioned by small farmers … it was mainly spade culture … owing to the difficulty of ploughing the sparsely scattered fields covered with grass, with their few clear spaces, their black soil stiff as black iron …
There were people moving along with bundles of bark … countless sacks of plucked flowers, … loads of flax and hemp bundles, quantities of honey, peacocks’ tail feathers, wreaths of wax, logs, and grass. Village wives hastened end route for neighbouring villages, all intent on thoughts of sale and bearing on their head’s baskets filled with various gathered forest fruits.
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: According to the Harshacharita, what is the predominant landscape in the outskirts of the settlement described?
Answer: The outskirts of the settlement are mainly covered by forests, as mentioned in the passage.
Question 2: What type of agriculture is predominantly practiced in the described settlement, and why?
Answer: The predominant type of agriculture is spade culture, mainly due to the difficulty of ploughing the sparsely scattered fields covered with grass and their stiff black soil.
Question 3: What kinds of goods were being transported by the people mentioned in the passage?
Answer: People were transporting bundles of bark, sacks of plucked flowers, loads of flax and hemp bundles, quantities of honey, peacocks’ tail feathers, wreaths of wax, logs, and grass.
Question 4: Why were village wives hastening to neighboring villages according to the passage?
Answer: Village wives were hastening to neighboring villages with baskets filled with various gathered forest fruits, all intent on thoughts of sale.
Question 5: In what century was the Harshacharita composed, and who was its subject?
Answer: The Harshacharita was composed in the seventh century CE, and it is a biography of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Kanauj.
- Passage 4
Prabhavati Gupta and the village of Danguna
This is what Prabhavati Gupta states in her inscription: Prabhavati Gupta … commands the gramakutumbinas (householders/peasants living in the village), Brahmanas and others living in the village of Danguna …
“Be it known to you that on the twelfth (lunar day) of the bright (fortnight) of Kartika, we have, in order to increase our religious merit donated this village with the pouring out of water, to the Acharya (teacher) Chanalasvamin … You should obey all (his) commands …
We confer on (him) the following exemptions typical of an Agrahara …(this village is) not to be entered by soldiers and policemen; (it is) exempt from (the obligation to provide) grass, (animal) hides as seats, and charcoal (to touring royal officers); exempt from (the royal prerogative of) purchasing fermenting liquors and digging (salt); exempt from (the right to) mines and Khadira trees; exempt from (the obligation to supply) flowers and milk; (it is donated) together with (the right to) hidden treasures and deposits (and) together with major and minor taxes …”
This charter has been written in the thirteenth (regnal) year. (It has been) engraved by Chakradasa.
Questions / Answer:
Question 1: Who does Prabhavati Gupta address in her inscription, and what is their role in the village of Danguna?
Answer: Prabhavati Gupta addresses the gramakutumbinas (householders/peasants living in the village), Brahmanas, and others living in the village of Danguna.
Question 2: On what specific date and month did Prabhavati Gupta make the donation mentioned in the inscription, and what was the purpose of the donation?
Answer: Prabhavati Gupta made the donation on the twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of Kartika to increase religious merit, as stated in the inscription.
Question 3: Whom did Prabhavati Gupta donate the village of Danguna to, and what special title or role is attributed to this person?
Answer: Prabhavati Gupta donated the village to the Acharya (teacher) Chanalasvamin, and he is mentioned in the inscription as the recipient of the donation.
Question 4: What exemptions and privileges are conferred upon the village of Danguna as a result of this donation?
Answer: The village is exempt from being entered by soldiers and policemen, providing grass, hides, charcoal to royal officers, royal prerogatives related to fermenting liquors and salt, rights to mines and Khadira trees, and obligations to supply flowers and milk. It also includes exemptions from major and minor taxes.
Question 5: Who engraved the charter, and in which regnal year was it written?
Answer: The charter was engraved by Chakradasa, and it was written in the thirteenth regnal year, as mentioned in the inscription.
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