Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The Maurya dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who seems to have belonged to some ordinary family. As per the earlier Buddhist tradition, Chandragupta Maurya belonged to a kshatriya clan called Mauryas living in the region of Gorakhpur adjoining the Nepalese terai region. In all likelihood Chandragupta was a member of this clan.

Statement 2 is correct: As per a Greek writer Justin, Chandragupta Maurya overran the whole of India with an army of 600,000. Chandragupta was successful in building up a vast empire which included not only Bihar and good portions of Orissa and Bengal, but also western and northwestern India, and the Deccan Leaving Kerala, Tamil Nadu and parts of north-eastern India. The Mauryas ruled over the whole of the subcontinent In the north-west they held sway over certain areas which were not included even in the British empire.

Ans:B

Exp:

The Maurya dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who seems to have belonged to some ordinary family. According to the Brahmanical tradition he was born of Mura, a sudra woman in the court of the Nandas. Hence, option B is the correct answer.

• Durdhara was Chandragupta Maurya’s first wife and mother of Bindusara. Helena was the second wife of Chandragupta Maurya. Vidisha was the first wife of emperor Ashoka.

Ans:D

Exp:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Arthashastra was written by Kautilya during the Mauryan age. It provides a deep insight into the Mauryan administration. The Arthasastra was finally compiled a few centuries after the Maurya rule. The book contains material that is genuine and gives authentic information about the Maurya administration and economy.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus to the court of Chandragupta Maurya. The accounts of Megasthenes shed valuable light on the administration, society, and economy of Maurya during that time. According to Megasthenes, the administration of the armed forces was carried on by a board of 30 officers divided into six committees, each committee consisting of five members. The six wings of the armed forces—the army, the cavalry, the elephants, the chariots, the navy and transport. where each was assigned to the care of a separate committee.

Ans: B

Exp:

Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor, who ascended the throne about 297 BCE. Greek sources refer to him as Amitrochates, Greek for the Sanskrit “Amitraghata” which means the destroyer of foes. The name reflects his successful campaign in the Deccan. 

• Bindusara’s campaign stopped close to today’s Karnataka, probably because the territories of the extreme south, such as those of the Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras, had good relations with the Mauryas. After Bindusara’s death, his sons engaged in a war of succession, from which Ashoka emerged victorious after several years of conflict.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The history of Ashoka can be reconstructed on the basis of his edicts or inscriptions. He was the first Indian king to speak directly to the people through his inscriptions. They were engraved on rocks, on polished stone pillars mounted by capitals and in the caves.

Statement 2 is correct: These edicts are found not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in Kandahar in Afghanistan. These inscriptions are mm the form of 44 royal orders, and each royal order has several copies. The Ashokan edicts are found beyond the Indian subcontinent.

Statement 3 is correct: The inscriptions were composed in Prakrit language and written in the Brahmi script throughout the greater part of the empire. In the north-western part they were written in Kharosthi script, and in Kandahar in Afghanistan they were written in Aramaic, in Greek script and Greek language.