NCERT Solutions Class 6 Social Science History

Chapter 5: Kingdoms, Kings, and an early republic

1. State whether true or false:

(a) Rajas who let the ashvamedha horse pass through their lands were invited to the sacrifice.

Answer: True

Explanation: The rajas that let the ashvamedha or horse to pass through their kingdoms were invited to the sacrifice.

(b) The charioteer sprinkled sacred water on the king.

Answer: False

Explanation: The priests sprinkled sacred water on the king during the rituals.

(c) Archaeologists have found palaces in the settlements of the janapadas.

Answer: False

Explanation: Archaeologists have found that people in the settlements of janapadas lived in juts and kept cattle and other animals.

(d) Pots to store grain were made out of Painted Grey Ware.

Answer: False

Explanation: Pots to store the grains were found in the settlements of the janapadas and were either grey or red. A special type of pottery was made of Painted Grey Ware.

(e) Many cities in mahajanapadas were fortified.

Answer: True

Explanation: Fortified means that huge walls of brick, wood, or stone were built around such cities.

2. Fill in the chart given below with the terms: hunter-gatherers, farmers, traders' crafts persons, herders.

• Farmers paid taxes equal to 1/6^th of their production.
• Craft persons had to work for a day every month for the king to pay the taxes.
• Herders paid taxes in the form of animal produce.
• Traders paid taxes based on the goods brought and sold.
• Hunters and gatherers paid taxes by providing forest produce to the raja.

3. Who were the groups who could not participate in the assemblies of the ganas?

Answer: Women, Dasas, and kammakaras could not participate in the assemblies of the ganas. Dasas were also known as the slaves, and the kammakaras were known as the landless labourers.

4. Why did the rajas of mahajanapadas build forts?

Answer: The rajas of mahajanapadas build forts to protect the people from the attack of other kings. The large, impressive, and tall walls around the fort were also built to show how rich and powerful were the rulers.

5. In what ways are present-day elections different from the ways in which rulers were chosen in janapadas?

Answer: The present-day elections are very different from the elections in which rulers were chosen in janapadas.

The rajas that performed big sacrifices were declared as rajas or janapadas. While today, the elections are based on the democratic system. Every individual of age 18 or above has the right to vote irrespective of the caste, colour, gender, etc.