Q 1. Why is the period that followed the Maurya Empire sometimes called the “Age of Reorganisation”?
A. After Emperor Aśhoka, the huge Maurya Empire broke into many smaller kingdoms. Old regions were split, joined or moved, and new rulers worked hard to arrange safe borders, fresh trade routes and new capitals. All these changes were like taking pieces apart and putting them together again, so historians call it an “Age of Reorganisation.”
Q 2. What values or principles guided most emperors of that time?
A. Rulers spoke of (a) protecting every school of thought, (b) caring for farmers because food feeds all, (c) fair taxes and justice for rich and poor, and (d) winning respect through good works—building wells, roads and temples—more than by fear alone.
Q 3. How did foreign invaders fit into Indian society and help cultural mixing?
A. Indo-Greeks, Śhakas and Kuṣhāṇas married local people, learned Indian languages, placed Indian gods on their coins, and blended Greek and Indian art styles (for example, the Gāndhāra Buddhas). This give-and-take created rich “mixed” cultures rather than simple conquest stories.
“LET’S EXPLORE”, “THINK ABOUT IT”, and other in-text tasks
(Questions are copied exactly, answers follow in plain, Class-5 English.)
Q 4. Create a timeline on a sheet of paper marking the period from the first year of the 2ⁿᵈ century BCE to the last year of the 3ʳᵈ century CE. How many years does this period cover?
A. From 200 BCE to 300 CE is about 500 years.
Q 5. Map work – How many kingdoms can you count in the area that were previously under the Maurya Empire?
A. Using the map on page 119 we see roughly six main successor powers inside old-Maurya land: Śhunga, Chedi, Sātavāhana, Indo-Greek, Śhaka, Kuṣhāṇa.
Q 6. Panel from the Bharhut Stūpa – What are the two figures on the right doing? Can you guess their profession? What does their attire tell you? List other things you notice.
A. They hold musical sticks and beat a side-drum, so they seem to be musicians. Their tidy clothes and jewels show they work for a temple or royal show, not as farmers. Behind them we notice a large decorated wheel (dharma-chakra) and orderly pillars, telling us the carving belongs to a sacred Buddhist place.
Q 7. Look closely at the collage (Fig 6.6). In a note, write your observations on clothes, jewellery and objects of daily use.
A. Men wear long tunics, Greek-style cloaks and high boots; women wear wrap-around saris, hairpins and heavy bangles. Everyday things include combs, pots, beads and a big two-mast ship, showing both city luxury and sea trade.
Q 8. THINK ABOUT IT – What could the tradition of putting the mother’s name first (e.g., Gautamīputra Sātakarṇi) mean?
A. It honours the queen-mother’s high respect in Sātavāhana society and also helps identify the right royal line when many kings share the same personal name.
Q 9. THINK ABOUT IT – In the line of old numerals, which shapes look like modern digits and which do not?
A. The Brahmi 1 (vertical stroke) and 2 (two strokes) look like our 1 and 2. The Brahmi 4 (cross-shape) and 7 (three lines) look quite different from today’s 4 and 7.
Q 10. THINK ABOUT IT – A yakṣha statue is signed by a goldsmith. What does that tell you about jobs then?
A. Craftspeople often practised many skills; a master of gold could also carve stone, showing flexible careers and wide training.
Q 11. THINK ABOUT IT – How did artisans cut rock-cut caves so neatly with only hammer and chisel?
A. They drew guide lines, tapped tiny pilot holes, then sliced layers slowly. Groups worked from roof down to floor to keep edges sharp and straight.
Q 12. THINK ABOUT IT – On the southern kingdoms map, what do the tiny symbols beside each name show?
A. They act like royal emblems: bow-fish for Pānḍyas, bow-tiger for Cholas, bow-arrow for Cheras. They mark each dynasty’s special identity.
Q 13. THINK ABOUT IT – Why were pearls such an important trade item?
A. Pearls were rare, shiny and small to carry, making them perfect luxury money for queens and foreign merchants.
Q 14. THINK ABOUT IT – How do historians learn about old trade links?
A. From foreign coins found in India, Roman pottery on Indian coasts, ship pictures on Sātavāhana coins, and Greek writers who listed Indian spices and gems.
Q 15. THINK ABOUT IT – Look at King Karikāla’s statue. What do posture, clothes and face say?
A. He stands straight, chest forward, holding a sword; his crown and wide belt show power; the calm face says he rules with confidence.
Q 16. LET’S EXPLORE – What could be the meaning of having Vāsudeva-Kṛiṣṇa or Lakṣhmī on Indo-Greek coins?
A. The kings wished local people to trust their money, so they placed loved Indian gods beside Greek letters—proof of friendly rule.
Q 17. LET’S EXPLORE – Headless statue of Kaṇiṣhka: what do you learn from clothes, weapon, boots?
A. Thick coat and high boots hint at a Central-Asian winter land; the long sword shows he led soldiers; the size and title “king of kings” scream royal strength.
Q 18. LET’S EXPLORE – On Kaṇiṣhka’s coins who appears besides the emperor and why?
A. One coin shows Buddha; another shows Śhiva with Nandi. Kaṇiṣhka wanted both Buddhists and Hindus to feel included, so he honoured their gods on state money.
Q 19. THINK ABOUT IT – Where is Gāndhāra? Does it remind you of a Mahābhārata name?
A. Gāndhāra lies in today’s north-west Pakistan/Afghanistan. Yes—Queen Gāndhārī, wife of Dhṛitarāṣhṭra, came from that land.
Q 20. LET’S EXPLORE – Classify each artefact in Fig 6.27 as Gāndhāra (G) or Mathurā (M).
1 = G (delicate schist, wavy toga folds)
2 = G (bodhisattva with moustache, Hellenic drape)
3 = M (red-sandstone linga worship scene, Indian style)
4 = M (sandstone naga group, smooth bodies)
5 = M (two red-stone gods, round faces)
6 = G (standing Buddha with robe edge fold)
END-OF-CHAPTER “QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES” (page 143)
Q 21 (1). Why was the post-Maurya era also known as the era of reorganisation?
A. Because many new kingdoms—Śhunga, Sātavāhana, Chedi, Chola, Chera, Pānḍya, Indo-Greek, Śhaka and Kuṣhāṇa—rose, fell, shifted borders and rebuilt trade links, all busy re-organising the map of India.
Q 22 (2). Write a note on the Sangam literature in 150 words.
A. Sangam poems are the earliest Tamil writings (about 300 BCE – 300 CE). Three poet gatherings, called “Sangams,” in Madurai and other cities, collected more than 2 000 short works. The songs talk about love-inside-the-house (akam) and heroic life-outside (puram). They praise kings, brave soldiers, farmers and generous chiefs, and also describe rivers, hills, seaports and busy markets. Because the poems name towns, crops, jewellery and war customs, historians use them to picture South Indian life. Clear rhythms and rich nature words make Sangam lines famous even today in school texts and songs.
Q 23 (3). Which rulers in this chapter used their mother’s name in their title, and why?
A. Gautamīputra Sātakarṇi and later Sātavāhana kings put their mother’s name first to honour her and to prove the prince came from the true royal queen.
Q 24 (4). Write a 250-word note about one kingdom you like and explain why.
Sample choice: The Sātavāhana Kingdom
The Sātavāhanas (2ⁿᵈ century BCE–3ʳᵈ century CE) ruled the Deccan from cities like Paithan and Amarāvatī.
They sat on the meeting point of north-south trade. Their coins show two-mast ships, telling us they sent cotton cloth, spices and pearls to Rome and brought back glass and wine. River valleys of the Godāvarī and Kṛishṇa gave rich rice harvests. Queens, such as Gautamī Bālaśhrī, issued land grants, so women held respect. The kings carved tax orders and donations inside cave halls at Kārlā and Nāneghāṭ, leaving us early Brahmi letters and even early Indian numerals. Sātavāhana art mixed local red-stone figures with foreign ideas, creating lively railings at Amarāvatī full of animals and lotus scrolls. I like this kingdom because it joined commerce (sea trade), culture (Buddhist caves) and care (land gifts to monks) into one story that still speaks to modern India’s mix of business and belief.
Q 25 (5). Imagine your own kingdom. What emblem and title will you choose? Describe values, rules and one special feature.
A. Kingdom of River-Light
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Emblem:* A fish under a rising sun—showing food and hope.
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Ruler’s title:* Sun-Friend.
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Values:* Share water fairly, protect forests, welcome every prayer place.
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Rules:* No child works until 14; markets use honest weights; anyone may meet the ruler on “Open-Gate Day” each month.
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Special feature:* Floating schools on big boats travel to villages during floods so learning never stops.
Q 26 (6). Outline-map task – mark famous post-Maurya structures.
A. Students should plot: Bharhut Stūpa (Madhya Pradesh), Nāneghāṭ Caves (Maharashtra), Karla Caves (Maharashtra), Udayagiri-Khandagiri Caves (Odisha), Heliodorus Pillar (Madhya Pradesh) and Grand Anicut (Tamil Nadu).