CLASS 9 SOCIAL SCIENCE | CHAPTER 5: STATE AND SOCIETY UP TO 1000 CE
50 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQs)
Q1. What is meant by society?
(A) A system of social relationships among individuals
(B) A group consisting only of rulers
(C) A system based entirely on written laws
(D) An organisation consisting only of traders
Answer: (A) A system of social relationships among individuals
Q2. What does the term “State” refer to?
(A) A group of families living together
(B) A community sharing the same occupation
(C) An organised political system based on rules and laws
(D) A group of people engaged only in agriculture
Answer: (C) An organised political system based on rules and laws
Q3. Which is considered the earliest known corpus of Indian literature?
(A) Sangam literature
(B) The Vedas
(C) The Arthaśhāstra
(D) The Jātaka tales
Answer: (B) The Vedas
Q4. Which Veda is regarded as the earliest?
(A) Yajur Veda
(B) Sāma Veda
(C) Atharva Veda
(D) Ṛig Veda
Answer: (D) Ṛig Veda
Q5. How many hymns, or sūktas, does the Ṛig Veda contain?
(A) 1,028
(B) 500
(C) 2,000
(D) 108
Answer: (A) 1,028
Q6. Which Veda elaborates on the performance of yajñas and the rituals associated with them?
(A) Sāma Veda
(B) Atharva Veda
(C) Yajur Veda
(D) Ṛig Veda
Answer: (C) Yajur Veda
Q7. Which Veda contains hymns arranged for musical recitation?
(A) Atharva Veda
(B) Sāma Veda
(C) Yajur Veda
(D) Ṛig Veda
Answer: (B) Sāma Veda
Q8. Which of the following is one of the four parts of each Veda?
(A) Purāṇa
(B) Jātaka
(C) Śhreṇī
(D) Upaniṣhad
Answer: (D) Upaniṣhad
Q9. What was the basic unit of early Vedic social organisation?
(A) Jana
(B) Janapada
(C) Mahājanapada
(D) Empire
Answer: (A) Jana
Q10. What primarily connected the members of a jana?
(A) Common trade routes
(B) Membership in a guild
(C) Kinship ties
(D) Residence in different empires
Answer: (C) Kinship ties
Q11. What was the primary role of the rājā in early Vedic society?
(A) To supervise overseas trade only
(B) To lead the clan in warfare and protect its members
(C) To manage all craft guilds
(D) To conduct only religious education
Answer: (B) To lead the clan in warfare and protect its members
Q12. Which assembly primarily served a judicial function during the Vedic period?
(A) Samiti
(B) Vidhata
(C) Janapada
(D) Sabhā
Answer: (D) Sabhā
Q13. Which Vedic assembly was a larger body concerned with policy decisions and political affairs?
(A) Samiti
(B) Sabhā
(C) Mantri-pariṣhad
(D) Śhreṇī
Answer: (A) Samiti
Q14. Which assembly functioned as a popular gathering of members of the community?
(A) Sabhā
(B) Samiti
(C) Vidhata
(D) Mantri-pariṣhad
Answer: (C) Vidhata
Q15. What did the term “janapada” originally indicate?
(A) A fortified city
(B) A place where a people first set its feet
(C) A religious institution
(D) A group of professional traders
Answer: (B) A place where a people first set its feet
Q16. Approximately when did the transition from kinship-based communities to territorial janapadas take place?
(A) 300–800 CE
(B) 600–300 BCE
(C) 1500–1000 CE
(D) 1000–600 BCE
Answer: (D) 1000–600 BCE
Q17. How many mahājanapadas are usually mentioned in historical sources for this period?
(A) Sixteen
(B) Twelve
(C) Eight
(D) Thirty
Answer: (A) Sixteen
Q18. Which mahājanapada gradually emerged as the most powerful?
(A) Gandhāra
(B) Avanti
(C) Magadha
(D) Matsya
Answer: (C) Magadha
Q19. Which two forms of political organisation existed in northern India during the period of the mahājanapadas?
(A) Only village republics and guilds
(B) Monarchical states and republican states
(C) Only empires and colonial states
(D) Only tribal councils and trading ports
Answer: (B) Monarchical states and republican states
Q20. Which three kingdoms were known as the three crowned kings of Tamilakam?
(A) Pallavas, Chālukyas and Guptas
(B) Mauryas, Nandas and Śhuṅgas
(C) Pālas, Pratihāras and Rāṣhṭrakūṭas
(D) Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas
Answer: (D) Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas
Q21. Which literary tradition is an important source for the history of the early Tamil kingdoms?
(A) Sangam literature
(B) Cuneiform literature
(C) Egyptian hieroglyphs
(D) Chinese oracle inscriptions
Answer: (A) Sangam literature
Q22. Which royal emblem represented the Cholas?
(A) Fish
(B) Bow
(C) Tiger
(D) Elephant
Answer: (C) Tiger
Q23. Which royal emblem represented the Pandyas?
(A) Tiger
(B) Fish
(C) Bow
(D) Lion
Answer: (B) Fish
Q24. According to the Arthaśhāstra, how many constituents formed the state under the Saptāṁga theory?
(A) Four
(B) Five
(C) Six
(D) Seven
Answer: (D) Seven
Q25. Which of the following was one of the seven constituents of the state described by Kauṭilya?
(A) Treasury
(B) Printing press
(C) Parliament
(D) Factory
Answer: (A) Treasury
Q26. What was the primary function of the council of ministers, or mantri-pariṣhad?
(A) To organise only religious festivals
(B) To supervise only village schools
(C) To advise and support the king
(D) To replace the king permanently
Answer: (C) To advise and support the king
Q27. What was the smallest administrative unit in many early Indian kingdoms?
(A) Province
(B) Village
(C) Empire
(D) Mahājanapada
Answer: (B) Village
Q28. Who was known as the grāmika in the Satavāhana administrative system?
(A) The chief minister
(B) The commander-in-chief
(C) The provincial governor
(D) The village headman
Answer: (D) The village headman
Q29. What were the provinces of northern India often called during the period of decentralised administration from approximately 300 to 800 CE?
(A) Bhuktis
(B) Nāḍus
(C) Urs
(D) Śhreṇīs
Answer: (A) Bhuktis
Q30. What were the provinces of southern India often called during this period?
(A) Bhuktis only
(B) Viṣhayas only
(C) Maṇḍalas or maṇḍalams
(D) Janas
Answer: (C) Maṇḍalas or maṇḍalams
Q31. Which dynasty is associated with the tax-free land grants known as Brahmadeya villages?
(A) Mauryas
(B) Pallavas
(C) Nandas
(D) Śhuṅgas
Answer: (B) Pallavas
Q32. What were the Brahmin settlements receiving land grants from the Chālukyas known as?
(A) Bhuktis
(B) Nāḍus
(C) Vithis
(D) Agrahārams
Answer: (D) Agrahārams
Q33. Which three powers were involved in the tripartite struggle for control of Kannauj?
(A) Gurjara–Pratihāras, Pālas and Rāṣhṭrakūṭas
(B) Mauryas, Guptas and Cholas
(C) Cheras, Pandyas and Pallavas
(D) Nandas, Śhuṅgas and Satavāhanas
Answer: (A) Gurjara–Pratihāras, Pālas and Rāṣhṭrakūṭas
Q34. Which inscription provides information about the Kudavolai, or ballot-pot, system of village elections?
(A) Junagadh Rock Inscription
(B) Sanchi gateway inscription
(C) Uttaramerur inscription
(D) Nāśhik cave inscription
Answer: (C) Uttaramerur inscription
Q35. What was the Kudavolai system?
(A) A method of collecting land revenue
(B) A system of selecting village representatives by drawing names from a pot
(C) A technique of constructing irrigation dams
(D) A system of appointing military commanders
Answer: (B) A system of selecting village representatives by drawing names from a pot
Q36. Which inscription records information about three rulers from different periods, including Aśhoka, Rudradaman I and Skandagupta?
(A) Uttaramerur inscription
(B) Mandsaur Stone Inscription
(C) Nāśhik cave inscription
(D) Junagadh Rock Inscription
Answer: (D) Junagadh Rock Inscription
Q37. Which fourfold structure is associated with the varṇa system?
(A) Brāhmaṇas, Kṣhatriyas, Vaiśhyas and Śhūdras
(B) Kings, ministers, soldiers and merchants
(C) Farmers, traders, artisans and scribes
(D) Gurus, students, monks and householders
Answer: (A) Brāhmaṇas, Kṣhatriyas, Vaiśhyas and Śhūdras
Q38. Which group was primarily associated with agriculture, pastoralism and trade in the varṇa system?
(A) Brāhmaṇas
(B) Kṣhatriyas
(C) Vaiśhyas
(D) Śhūdras only
Answer: (C) Vaiśhyas
Q39. What does the term “jāti” refer to in the chapter?
(A) A royal title
(B) A distinct social group that developed over time
(C) A provincial administrative division
(D) A type of Vedic assembly
Answer: (B) A distinct social group that developed over time
Q40. Which inscription mentions a guild of silk weavers who migrated from Lata in Gujarat to Dashapura in Madhya Pradesh?
(A) Junagadh Rock Inscription
(B) Uttaramerur inscription
(C) Nāśhik cave inscription
(D) Mandsaur Stone Inscription
Answer: (D) Mandsaur Stone Inscription
Q41. Which women are mentioned in the chapter as celebrated poetesses of the Sangam tradition?
(A) Avvaiyar and Vennikuyattiyar
(B) Ghoṣhā and Apālā only
(C) Sembiyan Mahādevī and Lopāmudrā only
(D) Gargi and Maitreyi only
Answer: (A) Avvaiyar and Vennikuyattiyar
Q42. What was Bhakti?
(A) A system of collecting taxes
(B) A method of choosing village officials
(C) A path of devotion offering a direct connection with the gods
(D) A type of military training
Answer: (C) A path of devotion offering a direct connection with the gods
Q43. Who were the Āḻvārs?
(A) Buddhist rulers
(B) Saint-poets who composed hymns in praise of Lord Viṣhṇu
(C) Ministers in the Gupta administration
(D) Guilds of merchants
Answer: (B) Saint-poets who composed hymns in praise of Lord Viṣhṇu
Q44. Who were the Nāyanmārs?
(A) Groups of village tax collectors
(B) Ancient agricultural communities
(C) Buddhist monks who wrote the Jātaka tales
(D) Śhaiva saint-poets who composed hymns in praise of Lord Śhiva
Answer: (D) Śhaiva saint-poets who composed hymns in praise of Lord Śhiva
Q45. What was the main purpose of education in early India, as described in the chapter?
(A) Holistic development and preparation for life
(B) Training students only for government jobs
(C) Teaching only military skills
(D) Preparing students exclusively for trade
Answer: (A) Holistic development and preparation for life
Q46. What was a gurukula?
(A) A royal treasury
(B) A guild of artisans
(C) A traditional educational setting centred on the teacher’s home
(D) A provincial administrative office
Answer: (C) A traditional educational setting centred on the teacher’s home
Q47. What was an important basis of the economy of early India?
(A) Factory production alone
(B) Agriculture supported by irrigation
(C) Overseas trade alone
(D) Mining without agriculture
Answer: (B) Agriculture supported by irrigation
Q48. What were the two important land routes mentioned in connection with early Indian trade?
(A) Silk Route and Royal Road
(B) Northern Road and Southern Sea Route
(C) Ganga Patha and Sarasvatī Patha
(D) Dakṣiṇāpatha and Uttarāpatha
Answer: (D) Dakṣiṇāpatha and Uttarāpatha
Q49. What were guilds, or śhreṇīs?
(A) Associations of people engaged in the same profession, craft or occupation
(B) Assemblies consisting only of kings
(C) Religious texts composed during the Vedic period
(D) Administrative divisions of an empire
Answer: (A) Associations of people engaged in the same profession, craft or occupation
Q50. Besides regulating the quality and prices of goods, what other role did guilds perform?
(A) They replaced all village assemblies.
(B) They controlled the succession of kings.
(C) They functioned as banks, financiers and trustees.
(D) They conducted all royal coronation ceremonies.
Answer: (C) They functioned as banks, financiers and trustees.
CLASS 9 SOCIAL SCIENCE
CHAPTER 5: STATE AND SOCIETY UP TO 1000 CE
ASSERTION–REASON QUESTIONS
Directions: Choose the correct option for each question.
(A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
(D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Q1. Assertion (A): The Vedas are important sources for understanding early Indian society.
Reason (R): Vedic texts provide information about social structures, political systems, economic activities and religious practices.
Answer: (A)
Q2. Assertion (A): Early Vedic society was organised into territory-based mahājanapadas.
Reason (R): Early Vedic society was organised into janas connected primarily by kinship ties.
Answer: (D)
Q3. Assertion (A): The sabhā was a smaller assembly during the Vedic period.
Reason (R): The sabhā primarily performed judicial functions and consisted of selected elites.
Answer: (A)
Q4. Assertion (A): The samiti was a larger assembly concerned with policy decisions and political affairs.
Reason (R): The samiti represented the broader population.
Answer: (A)
Q5. Assertion (A): The emergence of janapadas marked a shift towards territorial identity.
Reason (R): The term janapada refers to the place where a people first set its feet.
Answer: (A)
Q6. Assertion (A): Magadha gradually emerged as the most powerful mahājanapada.
Reason (R): Magadha had a strategic location, fertile plains and strong rulers.
Answer: (A)
Q7. Assertion (A): All mahājanapadas were governed by hereditary monarchs.
Reason (R): Some political formations were republican states known as gaṇas or saṁghas.
Answer: (D)
Q8. Assertion (A): Sangam literature is an important source for studying the early Tamil kingdoms.
Reason (R): Sangam poems provide information about kings, society and cultural traditions.
Answer: (A)
Q9. Assertion (A): The tiger was the royal emblem of the Pandyas.
Reason (R): The fish was the royal emblem of the Pandyas.
Answer: (D)
Q10. Assertion (A): Kauṭilya described the state as having seven constituents.
Reason (R): These included the king, ministers, territory, forts, treasury, army and allies.
Answer: (A)
Q11. Assertion (A): The king was expected to protect his subjects and administer justice.
Reason (R): Early Indian texts discussed the ethical duties and responsibilities of rulers.
Answer: (A)
Q12. Assertion (A): The council of ministers was known as the mantri-pariṣhad.
Reason (R): Its primary role was to advise and support the king.
Answer: (A)
Q13. Assertion (A): The grāmika was the village headman in the Satavāhana administrative system.
Reason (R): The Satavāhana Empire was divided into administrative units called āhāras.
Answer: (B)
Q14. Assertion (A): Provinces were unnecessary for administering large kingdoms.
Reason (R): Dividing kingdoms into provinces and smaller units helped manage administration.
Answer: (D)
Q15. Assertion (A): Brahmadeya villages were associated with tax-free land grants.
Reason (R): The Pallavas made tax-free land grants to villages.
Answer: (A)
Q16. Assertion (A): The Kudavolai system was associated with village elections in southern India.
Reason (R): The system involved selecting names from a pot to choose village representatives.
Answer: (A)
Q17. Assertion (A): The Junagadh Rock Inscription contains records associated with rulers from different periods.
Reason (R): The inscription site preserves records associated with Aśhoka, Rudradaman I and Skandagupta.
Answer: (A)
Q18. Assertion (A): The varṇa system consisted of four broad categories.
Reason (R): These categories were Brāhmaṇas, Kṣhatriyas, Vaiśhyas and Śhūdras.
Answer: (A)
Q19. Assertion (A): Guilds, or śhreṇīs, were associations of people engaged in similar occupations.
Reason (R): Guilds could also function as banks, financiers and trustees.
Answer: (B)
Q20. Assertion (A): Agriculture was an important foundation of the early Indian economy.
Reason (R): Irrigation supported agricultural production, while trade routes and guilds contributed to economic activity.
Answer: (B)
