CBSE Class 7 Social Science Chapter 04 New Beginnings Cities And States MCQs Set 03

Answer: (A) Gandhara

Explanation:
The chapter notes that the sixteen mahajanapadas stretched from Gandhara in the northwest to Anga in the east and Ashmaka in central India near the Godavari.

Answer: (C) Godavari

Explanation:
Ashmaka is described as being in central India, near the Godavari River. This detail helps define how far south the mahajanapada system extended before reaching purely regional kingdoms further south.

Answer: (B) The fertile Gangetic plains

Explanation:
The caption accompanying the map explains that the rich, fertile plains along the Ganga supported the growth and prosperity of the mahajanapadas.

Answer: (B) That after a long gap following the Harappan decline, urban life and organised states re-emerged and reshaped India

Explanation:
The chapter traces how, after roughly a thousand years without urban life following the Harappan collapse, new cities, states and governance systems arose in the 1st millennium BCE—hence the idea of fresh beginnings.

Answer: (C) Shudras

Explanation:
Shudras are described as artisans, craftspeople, workers and servants, distinct from the trading Vaishyas, the ruling-warrior Kshatriyas, and the knowledge-focused Brahmins.

Answer: (B) Complex societies rarely, if ever, manage to achieve real equality despite it being a common aspiration

Explanation:
• Complex societies tend to split into groups by occupation or class.\n• This division often results in some groups gaining more wealth or power than others.\n• The chapter states that equality, though widely desired, has almost never been truly realised by any society.

Answer: (C) Janapadas

Explanation:
The timeline shows smaller janapadas forming first, with several of them merging over time into the larger mahajanapadas by around the 8th or 7th century BCE.

Answer: (C) Kuru

Explanation:
The map places Indraprastha as the capital of Kuru, located among the cluster of mahajanapadas in the northern plains.

Answer: (A) Shurasena

Explanation:
Mathura appears on the map as the capital city of Shurasena, one of the mahajanapadas situated in the northern Ganga-Yamuna region.

Answer: (D) Panchala

Explanation:
Ahichchhatra is identified on the map as belonging to Panchala, whose territory lay in the fertile northern plains alongside neighbours like Kuru and Matsya.

Answer: (B) That the epic's geography shares several place names with the later mahajanapadas, hinting at a continuity of regional identity over time

Explanation:
By asking learners to list shared names between the two maps, the chapter is pointing towards continuity between the world described in the Mahabharata and the historical mahajanapadas that followed.

Answer: (B) Lateral roads connecting to major ports on the eastern and western coasts

Explanation:
The chapter mentions lateral roads branching off to link inland regions with busy coastal ports, which served as important centres of trade.

Answer: (B) A community whose members share a specific hereditary occupation

Explanation:
Jati refers to a group tied together by a particular livelihood or skill, such as farming, metalwork or trade, passed down across generations—distinct from varna, which was a broader fourfold classification.

Answer: (B) Anga

Explanation:
Champa is marked as the capital of Anga, positioned at the eastern edge of the mahajanapadas near Magadha.

Answer: (C) Malla

Explanation:
• Vajji and Malla are described together as exceptions to the usual monarchical pattern.\n• Both allowed their sabha or samiti to select the ruler and decide major matters.\n• This is why scholars call such gana or sangha states 'early republics'.

Answer: (A) Kautilya's Arthashastra

Explanation:
The passage on fortifying capitals and building a self-sufficient economy is credited to Kautilya's Arthashastra, quoted right below the chapter title.

Answer: (A) Chedi

Explanation:
Tripuri appears on the map as Chedi's capital, located near the Vindhya region between Avanti and Vatsa.

Answer: (A) Takshashila and Pushkalavati

Explanation:
Gandhara, placed in the far northwest of the mahajanapadas map, is shown with both Takshashila and Pushkalavati marked as its capitals, unlike most other states which have a single capital city listed.

Answer: (A) Virata

Explanation:
Virata sits at the western edge of the mahajanapada map, marking Matsya's territory.

Answer: (A) Vrijji

Explanation:
The text presents 'Vajji' and 'Vrijji' as two forms of the same name for this early republic that selected its ruler through the assembly.

Answer: (A) Kushinara

Explanation:
Kushinara is shown close to Malla's territory in the northeastern part of the map, near the Vrijji region.

Answer: (A) They connected inland regions to busy trading ports on both coasts

Explanation:
• Lateral roads branched off from the main north-south routes
• They reached important ports on the western and eastern coasts
• These ports functioned as lively centres of trade, linking inland regions to maritime commerce

Answer: (A) Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti

Explanation:
The Let's Explore activity specifically names Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti as the strongest of the new states, asking students to locate their capitals on the map.

Answer: (A) Copper and bronze metallurgy

Explanation:
The Harappan civilisation had already mastered copper and bronze working; the Second Urbanisation's major technological leap instead came from iron, which improved both farming tools and weaponry.

Answer: (A) It sets up ideas about what makes a state secure and prosperous, framing the story of India's early states

Explanation:
Placing Kautilya's vision of a strong, self-sufficient kingdom at the very opening gives readers a framework of ideal statecraft to keep in mind while learning how real janapadas and mahajanapadas actually developed and governed themselves.