History: 2010: CBSE: [All India]: Set – III
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Q1
What does the motif of a woman, surrounded by lotuses and elephants, depict? Mention the two opinions.
Marks:2View AnswerAnswer:
Historians identify the figure as Maya, the mother of Buddha, others identify her with a popular goddess, Gajalakshmi – literally, the goddess of good fortune – who is associated with elephants.
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Q2
What does the third part of the Ain, ‘Mulk Abadi’ deal with?
Marks:2View AnswerAnswer:
The book, mulk abadi, deals with the fiscal relations of the empire and provides rich quantitative information on revenue rates. Accounts of 12 provinces are given in this section. It also contains the geographic, topographic and economic profile of all subas.
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Q3
Mention any two ceremonies performed on the occasion of Mahanavmi Dibba.
Marks:2View AnswerAnswer:
On the festive day of Mahanavmi, better known as Dussehra, the ceremonies that took place were: worship of idols, worship of state horse and sacrifice of animals used to take place.
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Q4
How was the separation between town and countryside fluid? State any two reasons.
Marks:2View AnswerAnswer:
During the medieval period, the separation between town and countryside was fluid as the peasant in search of employment during the off season used to reside in the town, whereas people of town took shelter in the countryside when the cities were under attack.
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Q5
Mention two new transport facilities introduced in the new colonial cities and also one important effect of it.
Marks:2View AnswerAnswer:
New transport facilities such as horse-drawn carriage and subsequently, trams and buses meant that people could live at a distance from the city centre. Over time, there was a gradual separation of the place of work from the place of residence.
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Q6
“An understanding of the function of an artefact is often shaped by its resemblance with present day things.” Support your answer with suitable evidence.
Marks:5View AnswerAnswer:
This is true that an understanding of the function of an artefact is often shaped by its resemblance with the present day things. Tools used for harvesting in Harappan civilisation are compared with the tools of modern period and on the basis of these comparisons, their utility is shaped. Similarly, the saddle querns found at the Harappan sites are compared with the shapes of the saddle querns of modern period.
Archaeologists also try to identify the function of an artefact by investigating the context in which it was found, was it found in a house, in a drain, in a grave or in a kiln. -
Q7
What did B.B. Lal note about the houses in the second phase of the Mahabharata period (c. twelfth – seventh centuries BCE)?
Marks:5View AnswerAnswer:
B.B. Lal excavated at a village named Hastinapura. He found evidence of five occupational levels, of which the second and third are important for us. He wrote that limited area was excavated, no definite plans of houses were obtained but walls of mud and mud bricks were duly encountered. The discovery of mud plaster with prominent reed marks suggested that some of the houses had reed walls plastered over with mud. In the third phase, he found the evidence of use of mud brick along with the burnt bricks. Soakage jars and brick drains were used for draining out refuse water, while terracotta ring-wells may have been used both as wells and drainage pits. -
Q8
Critically examine why Sanchi survived while Amaravati did not.
Marks:5View AnswerAnswer:
Amaravati was discovered long before the discovery of Sanchi Stupa. It was in 1796 that the local raja stumbled upon it for using its stones. Even scholars and the British failed to realise its importance and took away most of the structures. The British understood the value of the findings and realised how critical it was to preserve things where they had been found instead of removing them from the site after a long time. Sanchi was discovered in 1818 and was in good condition. Three of its four gateways were still standing. The efforts of the Begums of Bhopal in preserving Sanchi contributed to catastrophic difference between the two stupas. -
Q9
Describe the significance of temple building in the Sacred Centre of Vijayanagara.
Marks:5View AnswerAnswer:
Temple building in the region had a long history, going back to dynasties such as the Pallavas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas and Cholas. Rulers very often encouraged temple building as a means of associating themselves with the divine often. Temples also functioned as centres of learning. It is likely that the very choice of the site of Vijayanagara was inspired by the existence of the shrines of Virupaksha and Pamapadevi. In fact, the Vijayanagara kings claimed to rule on behalf of the god Virupaksha. Royal Portrait Sculpture was now displayed in temples and the king’s visit to the temples was treated as important state occasions on which he was accompanied by the important nayakas of the empire. -
Q10
“Granting of titles to men of merit was an important aspect of Mughal polity,” Justify the statement with suitable evidence.
Marks:5View AnswerAnswer:
The granting of titles to men of merit was an important aspect of Mughal polity. A man’s ascent in the court hierarchy could be traced through the tiles he held. The title ‘Asaf Khan’ originated with the legendary minister of the prophet king Sulaiman and was given to highest minister. The title Mirza Raja was accorded by Aurangzeb to his two highest ranking nobles, Jai Singh and Jaswant Singh. Titles could be earned or paid for. Mir Khan offered Rs. one lakh to Aurangzeb for the letter alif, that is A, to be added to his name to make it Amir Khan.
Other awards included khilat, the robe of honour, a garment once worn by the emperor and imbued with his benediction. One of the gifts, the sarapa (“head to foot”), consisted of a tunic, a turban and a sash (patka). Jewelled ornaments were often given as gifts by the emperor. The lotus blossom set with jewels (padma murassa) was given only in exceptional circumstances.
