Ans: D

Exp: 

Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Haryanka ruler Bimbisara was a contemporary of the Buddha Bimbisara also known as Seniya or Sreniya is the first king to have a standing army Bimbisara’s father was defeated by an Anga king, so as revenge Bimbisara defeated the Anga king Brahmadatta.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Nandas were powerful rulers. Mahapadmananda was a great conqueror called Ekarat, Eka-Chchhatra or Sarvakshatrantaka. Eka – Chchhatra meant that he brought the whole earth under one umbrella

 Pair 3 is correctly matched: Udayin was succeeded by the dynasty of Sisunagas who temporarily shifted the capital to They destroyed the power of Avanti which brought to an end the rivalry between Magadha and Avanti. A Sisunaga ruler Kalasoka (Kakavarin) transferred the capital from Vaishali to Pataliputra. The Sisunagas were in course of time supplanted by the Nandas

 Pair 4 is correctly matched: The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka. He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions. Most of Ashoka’s inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.

Ans: C

Exp:

Option (a) is incorrect: In the beginning of the 6th century B.C., northern India consisted of a large number of independent kingdoms. Some of them had monarchical forms of government, while some others were republics.

Option (b) is incorrect: While there was a concentration of monarchies on the Gangetic plain, the republics were scattered in the foothills of the Himalayas and in northwestern India.

Option (c) is correct: Some of the republics consisted of only one tribe like the Sakyas, Licchavis and Mallas. In the republics, the power of decision in all matters of state vested with the Public Assembly which was composed of the tribal representatives or heads of families.

Option (d) is incorrect: The Buddhist literature ‘Anguttara Nikaya’ gives a list of sixteen great kingdoms called ‘Sixteen Mahajanapadas’. They were Anga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vajji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kambhoja.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The inscriptions of Asoka were first deciphered by James Princep in 1837. The Edicts of Ashoka are written in Pali language and in some places Prakrit was used. The Brahmi script was employed for writing. In northwestern India Asokan inscriptions were found in Kharosthi script.

Statement 2 is correct: There are minor Rock Edicts and minor pillar Edicts. These Edicts of Asoka deal with Asoka’s Dhamma and also instructions given to his officials. The XIII Rock Edict gives details about his war with Kalinga. The Pillar Edict VII gives a summary of his efforts to promote the Dhamma within his kingdom.

Ans: B

Exp:

Ashoka’s policy of Dhamma was a broad concept. His principles of Dhamma were clearly stated in his Edicts. The main features of Asoka’s Dhamma as mentioned in his various Edicts may be summed as follows:

• Prohibition of animal sacrifices and festive gatherings and avoiding expensive and meaningless ceremonies and rituals. Service to father and mother, practice of ahimsa, love of truth, reverence to teachers and good treatment of relatives.
• Humane treatment of servants by masters and prisoners by government officials. Tolerance among all the religious sects. Conquest through Dhamma instead of through war. 
• The concept of non-violence and other similar ideas of Asoka’s Dhamma are identical with the teachings of Buddha. But he did not equate Dhamma with Buddhist teachings. Buddhism remained his personal belief. Hence, Option B is the correct answer.
• His Dhamma signifies a general code of conduct. Asoka wished that his Dhamma should spread through all social levels.

Ans: B

Exp:

The sixth century B.C. witnessed the emergence of Mahajanapadas. Most of the mahajanapadas were ruled by Kings but Ganas or Sanghas were Oligarchies. The power was shared by a number of men, collectively called ‘Rajas’. Both Mahavira and Buddha belonged to such Ganas. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.

• Each Mahajanapada had a capital city but it was often Fortified. All capital cities were not necessarily fortified. Maintaining these fortified cities required resources. So, each Mahajanapada didn’t have a fortified capital city. Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect.
• This era was a turning point in the early history which was associated with the cities, growing use of iron and development of ‘Coinage’. Hence, Statement 3 is correct.