According to Arthashastra, during Mauryan period North-West was important for
- A.Cotton
- B.Gold and precious stones
- C.Silver and copper
- D.Blanket
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, blanket. The Arthashastra, a book on statecraft attributed to Kautilya or Chanakya, the minister of Chandragupta Maurya, lists what each part of the empire supplied to the state. It names the north-west as the source of blankets, along with horses, and this is the line NCERT's history chapter on the Mauryas quotes. The north-west also mattered because the road from Taxila carried trade towards Central Asia and West Asia, and Taxila was one of the four provincial capitals of the empire. B is wrong because the same text places gold and precious stones in south India, the region Ashoka's family valued for its mines. A is wrong because cotton is linked with the black soil tracts of the Deccan and Gujarat, not with the north-west. C is wrong because copper and silver came from mines in Rajasthan and elsewhere, and the text does not tie them to this region. Exam tip: Arthashastra, north-west for blankets and horses, south India for gold and precious stones.
Practice Questions
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- A.Henry Dundas
- B.Alexander Reed
- C.David Ricardo
- D.Mountstuart Elphinstone
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- A.Piyadassi
- B.Colin Mackenzie
- C.Alexander Cunningham
- D.James Prinsep
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Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the Justice Party is not correct?
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- B.It was patronized mainly by richer landowning and urban middle class Non-Brahmins.
- C.It succeeded in getting the provision for 28 reserved seats for the Non-Brahmins in the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.
- D.It supported the call given by the Congress to boycott elections in 1920.
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Read the full explanation →Which organization was started at the Haridwar Kumbh Mela in 1915?
- A.Sanatan Dharma Sabha
- B.Dev Samaj
- C.Brahmin Sabha
- D.Hindu Mahasabha
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Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the All India Depressed Classes Association is not correct?
- A.The All India Depressed Classes Association was formed in Nagpur with M. C. Rajah as its first elected President.
- B.The All India Depressed Classes Association was not attended by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in 1926.
- C.Ambedkar resigned from the All India Depressed Classes Association and formed his own All India Depressed Classes Congress in 1930.
- D.The All India Depressed Classes Association favoured Ambedkar's demand for separate electorate for the depressed classes.
Show answer
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Read the full explanation →