Traders Kings and Pilgrims - Worksheets

 CBSE Worksheet 01

Ch-9 Traders Kings and Pilgrims

  1. Name the two Buddhist sects.
    1. Mahayanas and Hinayanas
    2. Mahayanas and Dinayanas
    3. Sahayanas and Dinayanas
    4. Sahayanas and Hinayanas
  2. Wearing ________ became the fashion amongst rulers and rich people in Rome.
    1. Jute
    2. Silk
    3. Woollen
    4. Cotton
  3. ________ is the sacred book of the Hindus. It is a part of the great epic, Mahabharata.
    1. Bible
    2. Ramayana
    3. Geeta
    4. Vedas
  4. ________ is called Black Gold in Roman.
    1. Black Silk
    2. Black Stone
    3. Black Pepper
    4. Black Coal
  5. The Kushanas were the earliest rulers in the Indian sub-continent to issue
    1. Silver Coins
    2. Copper Coins
    3. Gold Coins
    4. Bronze Coins
  6. Match the columns:
    Column AColumn B
    (i) Muvendar(a) Chinese pilgrim
    (ii) Ashvaghosha(b) Mahayana Buddhism
    (iii) Bodhisattvas(c) Buddhacharita
    (iv) Xuan Zang(d) Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
  7. Fill in the blanks:
    1. ________ is the oldest Christian Community.
    2. A unique centre of Buddhist learning was ________.
    3. The famous Kushana ruler ________ organised a Buddhist council.
    4. Gold,________ and ________ were in abundance in South India.
  8. State true or false:
    1. Silk route started in China.
    2. Amongst the river valleys, that of the Kaveri is the least fertile.
    3. Chinese rulers sent gifts of silk to rulers in Iran and West Asia.
    4. Fa Xian began his journey back home from Bengal.
  9. Discuss in brief the contribution of traders and sailors in exploration and use of sea routes in the ancient age.
  10. Why did the kings want to control the Silk Route?
  11. The chiefs did not collect regular taxes. Why?
  12. Write a note on Indo-Roman trade during the ancient age.
  13. Explain the role of Kings, Pilgrims and Travellers in spreading Buddhism outside India.
  14. Discuss in short the Xuan Zang’s visit to India.

CBSE Worksheet 01
Ch-9 Traders Kings and Pilgrims

Solution

  1. (a) Mahayanas and Hinayanas
    Explanation: Hinayana follows the original teaching of Buddha. It emphasizes individual salvation through self discipline and meditation. Mahayana sect of Buddhism believes in the heavenliness of Buddha and believes in Idol Worship.
  2. (b) Silk
    Explanation: Silk is highly valued fabric in most societies because of its rich, glossy colours and smooth texture. The knowledge of silk spread in West as Chinese rulers sometimes sent gifts of silk to rulers in Iran and West Asia.
  3. (c) Geeta
    Explanation: The concept of bhakti is also present in the sacred book of the Hindus i.e.Bhagwad Geeta which is included in the Mahabharata.
  4. (c) Black Pepper
    Explanation: Pepper was known as Black Gold in Roman empire because it valued very much there.
  5. (c) Gold Coins
    Explanation: The Kushanas were amongst the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins. These were used by traders along the Silk Route.
  6. ​​​​​(i) - (d), (ii) - (c), (iii) - (b), (iv) - (a).
    1. Syrian Christian
    2. Nalanda University
    3. Kanishka
    4. spices, precious stones
    1. True
    2. False (Amongst the river valleys, that of the Kaveri is the most fertile)
    3. True
    4. True
  9. Traders explored several sea routes. Some of these followed the coasts. There were others across the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, where sailors took advantage of the monsoon winds to cross the seas more quickly. So, if they wanted to reach the western coast of the Indian subcontinent from East Africa or Africa, they chose to sail with the south-west monsoon.
  10. The Kings want to control the Silk Route so they can be benefited from taxes, gifts, tributes brought by merchants and traders who travelled along the route.
  11. The chiefs did not collect regular taxes instead they:
    1. demanded and received gifts from people.
    2. went on military expeditions and collected tribute from neighbouring areas.
    3. kept some wealth and distributed the rest between supporters, family members, poets etc.
  12. India’s Black-pepper was particularly valued in the Roman empire so much that it was known as black gold. Traders carried many other Indian articles along with black-pepper in ships, across the sea, and in caravans to Rome. Many Roman gold coins have been found in south India.
  13. Role of Kings: Rulers like Kanishka organised a Buddhist council, where scholars met and discussed important matters. Ashvaghosh, who wrote the Buddha Charita, lived at the court of King Kanishka. King Kanishka also patronized Buddhist monks and donated money to build monasteries.
    Role of Pilgrims and Travellers: As traders journeyed to distant lands in caravans and ships, pilgrims often travelled with them. The best-known of these are the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, Fa Xian, who came to the subcontinent about 1600 years ago, Xuan Zang (who came around 1400 years ago) and I-Qing, who came about 50 years after Xuan Zang. They came to visit places associated with the life of the Buddha as well as famous monasteries. Each of these pilgrims left an account of his journey. They wrote of the dangers they encountered on their travels, which often took years, of the countries and the monasteries that they visited, and the books they carried back with them.
  14. Xuan Zang came to India about 1400 years ago. He came to visit places associated with the life of the Buddha as well as famous Buddhist monasteries. Xuan Zang, who took the land route back to China (through the north-west, and Central Asia) carried back with him statues of the Buddha made of gold, silver and sandalwood, and over 600 manuscripts loaded on the backs of 20 horses. Over 50 manuscripts were lost when the boat on which he was crossing the Indus capsized. He spent the rest of his life translating the remaining manuscripts from Sanskrit into Chinese.