CBSE Class 12 History Kinship Caste and Class Early Societies Assignment Set 02

Very Short Answer Questions :

Question. What do you understand of Exogamy Marriage types.
Answer: Marriage outside the unit.

Question. Which elements are considered by historians when they analyse text Book.
Answer: They examine whether text were written in which languages. They also consider the kinds of text; author; audience; time period etc.

Question. What sources are used by Historian for understanding of social changes?
Answer: Textual Traditions.
– From Inscriptions.

Short Answer Questions :

Question. Why were mothers important in Satavahana rule?
Answer: Satavahana rules were Identified through matronymics (Names Derived from mother) – Although this may suggest that mothers were important.
– We have got name like gautami putra Satakarni , Vashishthi putra Pulvami .

Question. What rules did the Dharma sutras and Dharma Shastra’s contain about the Ideal ”occupations” of the four Varna’s?
Answer: Brahmanas were supposed to study and teach the Vedas, perform sacrifices and give and receive gifts.
– Kshatriyas were to engage in warfare, protect people and justice, study the Vedas and get sacifices performed.
– The last three occupations were also assigned to the Vaishyas ie crafts, Agriculture and trade.
– Shudras were assigned only serving the three ”higher” varnas.

Question. What do you understand by ” The critical edition of the Mahabharata”?
Answer: One of the most ambitious projects of scholarship began in 1919.
– Under the leadership of a noted Indian Sanskritist V.S. Sukthankar.
– A te am comprising a dozen of scholars initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.

Question. Describe the Duties of the Chandalas.
Answer: They had to live outside the village.
– Use discarded utensils.
– Wear Clothes of the dead and ornaments of iron.

Question. Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
Answer: Probably composed by charioteer – bards known as sutas.
– From the fifth century BCE Brahmanas took over the story and began to commit it to writing.
– Also possible that the upheavals that often accompanied the establishment of these states.
– Where old social values were often replaced by new norms.
– Another Phase in the composition of the text between C 200 BCE and 200 C.E.
– Between 200 BCE and 400 BCE Large didactic sections were included the manusmriti.

Question. Draupadi’s Marriage
Drupada the king of Panchala groined a competition where the challenges were to string a bow and hit target: the winner would be chosen to marry his daughter Draupadi. Arjuna was victorious and was garlanded by Draupadi. The Pandavas returned with her to their mother Kunti, who, even before she saw them to share whatever they had got. She realized mistake when shesaw Draupadi. But her command could not be violated. After much deliberation, Yudhisthira decided that Draupadi would be their common wife. 
When Drupada was told about this, he protested. However, the seer Vyasa arrived and told him that the Pandavas were in reality incarnations of Indra. Whose wife had been reborn as Draupadi and they were thus destined for each other?
 Vyasa added that in another instance a young woman had prayed to Shiva for a husband. And in her enthusiasm, had prayed five times instead of once. This women was known reborned as Draupadi and Shiva had fulfilled her desire convinced by these stories, Drupada consented to marriage.
1. What was the competition organized by the Panchala king Drupada for the marriage of his daughter?
2. Which two explanations were given by Vyasa to convince king Drupada for Draupadi being the common wife of the Pandvas?
3. What form of the marriage was Draupadi’s marriage to the Pandvas? Give two views of historians about the form of marriage.
Answer: Drupada organized a competition where the challenge was to string a bow and hit a target.
– Vyasa told that the Pandvas were in reality incarnations of Indra. He also told that a woman was blessed by Lord Shiva to have five husband was reborn as Draupadi.
– It was an example of polyandry. Some historians believe that such kind of marriages were perhaps prevalent in some section of societies. Some historians believe that such tradition was present in the Himalayan region.