A. Tick the correct option.
1. Who was the last Kushan ruler?
Answer: Vasudev
2. Who is known as the Napolean of India?
Answer: Samudragupta
3. Who was the first person to prove that the Earth moves around the Sun?
Answer: Aryabhatta
4. Ajanta and Ellora caves are famous for their-
Answer: rock-cut temples
5. Which one of the following did not prevail during the period of Chandragupta-II?
Answer: Education was available to people of all the classes in the society.
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. ___________ was a renowned poet in the court of Chandragupta-II.
2. ___________ is a famous collection of tales written by Pt. Vishnu Sharma.
3. The rust-free Iron Pillar is located at ___________ in New Delhi.
4. In Gupta empire, ___________ was the main source of revenue.
5. The main sources of entertainment of people in Gupta empire were ___________ and ___________.
Answer: (1) Kalidasa (2) Panchtantra (3) Mehrauli (4) Taxation (5) animal fighting, festivals.
C. Write True or False for the following statements.
1. Ghatotkaccha Gupta ruled from 280 CE to 319 CE.
2. Chandragupta-II was a great warrior and an administrator.
3. Bhuktis or desh were not governed by Uparika-maharaja.
4. Many sun temples were built in the Gupta period.
5. Gupta period did not contribute at all to the field of literature.
Answer: (1) True (2) True (3) False (4) True (5) False.
D. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. Who established the Gupta empire and when?
Answer: Sri Gupta established the Gupta Empire in 275 CE.
2. What was the function of the Gram Panchayat in the Gupta period?
Answer: Function of the gram panchayat was to look after the needs of the villagers.
3. Which items were exported from India during the Gupta period.
Answer: India’s important export items were pearls, diamonds, precious stones, garments, ivory products, indigo, etc.
4. Who was Aryabhatta? What was his contribution?
Answer: Aryabhatta was a great scientist and mathematician. It was he who first proved that the earth moves round the sun on its axis. He had written a book Aryabhattiyam on mathematics.
5. Name two famous epics which were translated into Tamil during the Gupta period.
Answer: Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two famous epics which were translated into Tamil.
E. Answer the following questions.
1. Give three main sources of information about the period of Samudragupta.
Answer: The three main sources of information about the period of Samudragupta are:
- Inscription on Ashoka’s pillar at Allahabad
- Eran edict
- Coins of Samudragupta
2. How was trade carried on in the Gupta period?
Answer: Trade was carried on by land and river routes. Some important places like Peshawar (Pakistan), Mathura and Kaushambi (UP), Tamralipti (Bengal), Bharukaccha (Gujarat) and Ujjaini (MP) where all connected by roads.
The rivers, namely Ganga, Brahmaputra, Kaveri, Krishna and Godavari, provided waterways.
3. Highlight agriculture as an important occupation of the people.
Answer: Agriculture was the main occupation of the people. The farmers were the owners of land. The main crops were wheat, rice, pulses, Barley, sugarcane, cotton, jute, vegetables, etc.
4. Who was Kalidasa? Why is he remembered even today?
Answer: Kalidas was a renowned poet in the court of Chandragupta II. He was one of the nine gems of the royal court. He is remembered even today for his famous works. They are Abhijana Shakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram, Meghaduta and many others.
5. What is the contribution of the Gupta period in the field of science and technology?
Answer: The contribution of Gupta period in the field of science and technology has been no less. Astronomy, astrology, mathematics, medicine, chemistry and many others branch of science were well-developed during this period.