Multiple choice questions( MCQ and Quiz) of Chapter 5, Class 7 Social Science Geography,
Multiple choice questions ( MCQ and Quiz) of The Rise of Empires
Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society: India and Beyond MCQ QUIZ,
1. The word ‘empire’ comes from which source?
a) Latin
b) Arabic
c) Sanskrit
d) Tamil
Answer. a) Latin
The word ‘empire’ comes from the Latin ‘imperium’, which means ‘supreme power’. Simply put, an empire is a collection of smaller kingdoms or territories over which a powerful ruler or group of rulers exerts power, often after waging war against the smaller kingdoms. The smaller territories still had their own rulers, but they were all tributaries to the emperor, who ruled the whole territory from a capital, usually a major centre of economic and administrative power.
In ancient Sanskrit texts, words commonly used for ‘emperor’ made this clear; they included samrāj, meaning ‘the lord of all’ or ‘supreme ruler’; adhirāja or ‘overlord’; and rājādhirāja or ‘king of kings’.
2. Who were the Guilds in Ancient India?
a) Trader
b) Head of province
c) Small king
d) Princes
Answer. a) Trader
1. Guilds were powerful associations of traders, craftsmen, moneylenders, or agriculturists.
2. As far as evidence shows, a guild had a head (who was usually elected) and executive officers who were supposed to have all kinds of ethical qualities.
3. Guilds had the autonomy to create their own internal rules, and the king was not to interfere with them.
4. Guilds brought together people who ended up being collaborators rather than competitors, as they realised that sharing resources and information on markets, supply and demand, workforce, etc., was to everyone’s benefit.
5. The institution of guilds provides an excellent example of the self-organising abilities of Indian society.
3. Which was the India’s first Empire?
a) Kuru
b) Koshala
c) Gandhara
d) Magadha
Answer. d) Magadha
Magadha (modern-day south Bihar and some adjoining areas) rose in importance and set the stage for the fusion of many kingdoms into India’s first empire. Powerful early kings, such as Ajātaśhatru, played a crucial role in establishing Magadha as a dominant centre of power.
4. Which Magadh king was contemporary with Siddhārtha Gautama ( Buddha) and Vardhamānan( Mahāvīra)?
a) Ashoka
b) Chandragupta Maurya
c) Ajatashatru
d) Mahāpadma Nanda
Answer. c) Ajatashatru
1. Powerful early kings, such as Ajātaśhatru, played a crucial role in establishing Magadha as a dominant centre of power.
2. Siddhārtha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha, and Vardhamānan, better known as Mahāvīra, lived in the time of King Ajātaśhatru.
5. Who was the founder of the Nanda Dynasty?
a) Mahāpadma Nanda
b) Ajatashatru
c) Dhana Nanda
d) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer. a) Mahāpadma Nanda
Around the 5th century BCE, Mahāpadma Nanda rose to prominence in Magadha and founded the Nanda dynasty. He successfully unified many smaller kingdoms and extended his empire across parts of eastern and northern India.
6. Who was the last ruler of the Nanda Dynasty?
a) Mahāpadma Nanda
b) Ajatashatru
c) Dhana Nanda
d) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer. c) Dhana Nanda
From various accounts of the Nanda dynasty, it appears that its last emperor, Dhana Nanda, though very rich, became highly unpopular as he oppressed and exploited his people. This paved the way for the Nanda empire to be conquered and absorbed into what would become one of the largest empires India ever knew — the Maurya empire.
7. Aṣhṭādhyāyi was written by?
a) Ramanujacharya
b) Aryabhatt
c) Ved Vyas
d) Panini
Answer. d) Panini
The famed Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini lived around the 5th century BCE, during the time of the Nandas. He is known for composing the Aṣhṭādhyāyi ( comprised of eight chapters), an ancient text that lists the rules of Sanskrit grammar in 3,996 short sūtras.
8. The governor of the provinces of the Persian and Greek empires is known as?
a) Lord
b) Overlord
c) Satraps
d) Banda
Answer. c) Satraps
The satraps were governors of provinces of the Persian and Greek empires who were left behind by the overlord (like Alexander) to manage the far-off territories. These satraps had significant power and freedom despite being mere officials of the rulers.
9. Alexander invaded India in which year?
a) 334 BC
b) 327 BC
c) 326 BC
d) 323 BC
Answer. c) 326 BC
1. Alexander, a young and powerful Greek king from Macedonia, campaigned against the Persian Empire to avenge earlier Persian invasions of Greece (during which some Indian soldiers from the Persian-ruled northwest of India fought against Greeks!).
2. Eager to reach the “end of the world”, Alexander pushed on further east and brought his campaign to India, defeated Porus in Punjab, and, encountering fierce resistance from local tribes and rulers, massacred the population of several cities. Greek records mention that in a few battles, “women fought side by side with their men.” Alexander himself was seriously wounded in a battle. Tired and homesick, his soldiers lost the will to fight and refused to move deeper into India, towards the Ganga River.
10. Who founded the Mauryan empire?
a) Mahāpadma Nanda
b) Ajatashatru
c) Dhana Nanda
d) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer. d) Chandragupta Maurya
1. Around 321 BCE, just a few years after Alexander left India with his army, a new dynasty and new empire emerged: the Maurya Empire, founded by Chandragupta Maurya.
2. Chandragupta managed this feat with the help of an able mentor named Kauṭilya, who used his knowledge of politics, governance, and economics to create an empire that remains one of the greatest in Indian history.
11. The other name of Kautilya is ---
a) Chāṇakya
b) Viṣhnugupta
c) Vishkanya
d) Chāṇakya and Viṣhnugupta
Answer. d) Chāṇakya or Viṣhnugupta
1. According to Buddhist texts, Kauṭilya—sometimes referred to as Chāṇakya or Viṣhnugupta—was a teacher at the world-renowned Takṣhaśhila (modern-day Taxila) university
2. Kauṭilya advised Dhana Nanda to change his ways or witness the collapse of his empire. Angered, Dhana Nanda insulted Kauṭilya and threw him out of his court. This led to Kauṭilya’s vow to end the ‘evil Nanda’ rule.
12. What was the capital of the Magadha Empire at the time of Maurya?
a) Rajgriha
b) Pataliputra
c) Takshashila
d) Ujjain
Answer. b) Pataliputra
1. Chandragupta Maurya took control of Magadha to establish his rule, with Pāṭaliputra as his capital.
2. Kauṭilya helped Chandragupta Maurya gradually expand his empire. He defeated the Greek satraps left behind by Alexander in the northwest and integrated the region into an empire that stretched from the northern plains to the Deccan plateau.
13. The book Indica was written by?
a) Ramanujacharya
b) Aryabhatt
c) Megasthenes
d) Kautilya
Answer. c) Megasthenes
1. Greek historian and diplomat, Megasthenes, who wrote about his travels in India in his book Indika — the first such written account — unfortunately lost except for some excerpts quoted by later Greek scholars.
14. The book Arthashastra was written by?
a) Ramanujacharya
b) Aryabhatt
c) Megasthenes
d) Kautilya
Answer. d) Kautilya
1. Kauṭilya had a clear vision of how a kingdom (rājya) should be established, managed, and consolidated. In his famous work Arthaśhāstra (literally, ‘the science of governance and economics’), he listed Directives in many areas, like defence, economics, administration, justice, urban planning, agriculture, and people’s welfare.
2. One of his most important political concepts is the saptānga, or the seven parts that constitute a kingdom.
15. "Devanampiya Piyadasi" was the name of which king?
a) Ashoka
b) Ajatashatru
c) Samundragupt
d) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer. a) Ashoka;
In his edicts, Aśhoka called himself ‘Devanampiya Piyadasi’; the first word means ‘Beloved of the Gods’; the second, ‘one who regards others with kindness’. And indeed, the language of the edicts makes it clear that he was interested in depicting himself as a benevolent and compassionate ruler
16. Sohagaura copper plate inscription found in which state?
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Madhya Pradesh
c) Bihar
d) Haryana
Answer. a) Uttar Pradesh
The Sohagaura copper plate inscription, dating back to the 4th–3rd century BCE, is one of India’s earliest known administrative records. Discovered in Sohgaura, Uttar Pradesh, it is written in Prakrit using the Brahmi script and is believed to have been issued during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. The inscription mentions the establishment of a granary to store grain as a precaution against famines, highlighting the state’s efforts to ensure food security and support its people during times of crisis.
17. What is the meaning of the four lions on the Sarnath Pillar?
a) dharmachakra
b) Buddha Teaching
c) Royal power
d) Love for animals
Answer. c) Royal power
This capital (a word which, here, means ‘top portion’ or ‘head’) was the top of a pillar that Aśhoka got erected at Sarnath, near Varanasi, where the Buddha gave his first teaching. The four lions symbolise the royal power; on the ring below, four powerful animals (an elephant, a bull, a horse, and one more lion) are depicted, along with the dharmachakra or wheel of dharma, which symbolises the Buddha’s teachings.
18. Which of the following animals is not part of the capital of the Sarnath Pillar?
a) Bull
b) Elephant
c) Horse
d) Tiger
Answer. d) Tiger
The four lions symbolise the royal power; on the ring below, four powerful animals (an elephant, a bull, a horse, and one more lion) are depicted, along with the dharmachakra or wheel of dharma, which symbolises the Buddha’s teachings.
19. The Elephant pillar of Ashoka is located in which place?
a) Sarnath
b) Sanchi
c) Patliputra
d) Dhauli
Answer. d) Dhauli
Rock sculpture of a life-size elephant at Dhauli (in present-day Odisha, near Bhubaneswar), which symbolises the Buddha — intelligent, powerful, patient, and calm. An edict of Aśhoka was engraved on a rock nearby.
20. The motto satyameva jayate or “truth alone triumphs” comes from which Upanishad?
a) Muṇḍaka
b) Chandogya
c) Katha
d) Brihadaranyaka
Answer. a) Muṇḍaka
the Sanskrit motto satyameva jayate, or “truth alone triumphs,” comes from
the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣhad
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