Chapter 4

Early Societies in South Asia

MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The chief god of the early Aryans was
a. Enlil.
b. a mother goddess.
c. Varuna.
d. Indra.
e. Manu.
2. After the Aryans and Dravidians mied and intermingled!
a. Indra still remained the leading god.
b. Indra disa""eared com"letely.
c. Amon#$e re"laced Indra as the ruler of the gods.
d. the worshi" of Indra evolved into a monotheistic religion.
e. Indra receded into the bac%ground.
&. The earliest %nown urban society in India was the
a. 'antu.
b. Indo#Euro"ean.
c. (ara""an.
d. )umerian.
e. (indu.
*. Much of early (ara""an history remains a mystery because
a. the archaeological remains are under water.
b. they lac%ed a written language.
c. their records were destroyed by a Meso"otamian invasion.
d. the Aryans undertoo% a systematic destruction of (ara""an written records.
e. +one of these answers is correct.
,. If the -ree% historian (erodotus had %nown of the (ara""an society! he might have used the "hrase .the
gift of the ////////0 to describe it.
a. +ile
b. Tigris
c. Indus
d. 1angt2e
e. Eu"hrates
3. 4hic%ens were first domesticated in
a. 4hina.
b. Meso"otamia.
c. -reece.
d. Egy"t.
e. India.
5. Mohen6o#daro was
a. the mother goddess of the earliest Indian society.
b. an im"ortant early thin%er in the rise of (induism.
c. one of the two main cities of the (ara""an society.
d. a collection of early Indian religious tets.
e. the combination of two Indian sun gods.
7. 'ased on archaeological evidence from early Indian history! historians believe that
a. (ara""a and Mohen6o#daro served as economic and "olitical centers.
b. the (ara""an world was one of constant civil war.
c. the 4hinese were a constant influence.
d. there was little true culture in India before the arrival of the Indo#Euro"eans.
e. early Indian cities remained small and unso"histicated by com"arison to other ancient cities.
8. At its height! the "o"ulation of Mohen6o#daro reached
a. 19!999.
b. 29!999.
c. *9!999.
d. 5,!999.
e. 199!999.
19. Evidence relating to trade indicates that (ara""an India
a. was isolated and did not trade.
b. traded eclusively with 4hina.
c. traded eclusively with Egy"t.
d. im"orted substantially more than they e"orted.
e. traded with the Meso"otamians.
11. :hich statement about (ara""an society is ;A<)E=
a. Most of their houses featured "rivate showers and toilets.
b. They traded etensively with the Meso"otamians.
c. They had social distinctions.
d. Their writings have "rovided a wealth of information for historians.
e. They "roduced re"resentational art.
12. (ara""an religion
a. focused on the worshi" of the sun.
b. was strongly monotheistic.
c. reflected a strong concern for fertility.
d. focused on the worshi" of the moon.
e. is the same as (induism.
1&. >ne of the biggest reasons for the decline of the (ara""an society was li%ely
a. a devastating "lague.
b. ecological degradation.
c. a 4hinese invasion.
d. a Meso"otamian invasion.
e. a bloody civil war.
1*. The Indo#Euro"eans who entered India called themselves Aryans! which means
a. .agents of the lord %ing.0
b. .horse masters.0
c. .noble "eo"le.0
d. ."eo"le of Indra.0
e. .the "ure.0
1,. The Aryans were
a. the "riestly class of the (ara""an society.
b. 4hinese merchants.
c. the "olitical remnants of the (ara""an %ings.
d. Indo#Euro"eans.
e. -ermanic invaders.
13. The Aryans came into India
a. in a centuries#long migration.
b. as "art of a violent! organi2ed military cam"aign.
c. as religious "ilgrims.
d. after fleeing "ersecution in 4hina.
e. as a slave class that eventually rebelled against (ara""an re"ression.
15. :hich of the following statements about the Aryans is +>T true=
a. They might have been the first "eo"le to domesticate horses! hitching them to carts and wagons.
b. They s"read variations of their language from India to Euro"e.
c. Their original homeland was "robably the ?%raine and southern $ussia.
d. They brought the first written language to India.
e. They consumed both dairy "roducts and beef.
17. The biggest military advantage of the Indo#Euro"eans was
a. their horses.
b. their use of bron2e wea"ons.
c. their use of iron wea"ons.
d. their use of battering rams.
e. their camels.
18. Most of our information about the early Aryans comes from the
a. ?"anishads.
b. Vedas.
c. Dasas.
d. Rajas.
e. Book of Songs.
29. The Aryans referred to social classes by the term
a. karmas.
b. varnas.
c. moksha.
d. samsara.
e. rajas.
21. :hich of the following social classes in the caste system is associated with warriors and aristocrats=
a. shudras
b. kshatriyas
c. vaishyas
d. brahmins
e. dasas
22. The tas% of butchering animals or handling dead bodies usually fell to the
a. untouchables.
b. shudras.
c. vaishyas.
d. jati.
e. kshatriyas.
2&. :hich of the following answers reflects the early varna hierarchy from highest to lowest=
a. brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras
b. kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, shudras
c. brahmins, kshatriyas, shudras, vaishyas
d. kshatriyas, vaishyas, brahmins, shudras
e. kshatriyas, brahmins, shudras, vaishyas
2*. A jati is
a. a subcaste.
b. a serf in the caste system.
c. another name for the transmigration of the soul.
d. a "riest in the caste system.
e. an untouchable.
2,. The first century '.4.E. wor% that dealt with moral behavior and social relationshi"s was the
a. ?"anishads.
b. Rig Veda.
c. Varna.
d. Lawbook of anu.
e. Book of Songs.
23. :hen a (indu widow voluntarily threw herself on her dead husband@s funeral "yre it was %nown as
a. jati.
b. manu.
c. samsara.
d. sati.
e. dasa.
25. Vedic society was
a. strongly matriarchal.
b. mar%ed by eAuality of the sees.
c. strongly "atriarchal.
d. alternately "atriarchal and matriarchal! de"ending u"on which god was in "ower.
e. strongly "atriarchal until the creation of the Lawbook of anu changed gender rules.
27. :hat Aryan god was associated with war and rain=
a. Varuna
b. Indra
c. Agni
d. Brishna
e. Inanna
28. The Aryans believed that Varuna
a. was the founder of India.
b. re"resented war and rain.
c. oversaw the behavior of mortals and "reserved the cosmic order.
d. determined the caste that souls entered into as "art of transmigration.
e. wrote the Lawbook of anu.
&9. The most im"ortant as"ect of the Aryan religion during the early Vedic times was
a. the "ro"er "erformance of ritual sacrifices.
b. an ethical code of conduct.
c. a tightly#structured monotheism.
d. the acce"tance of Indra as the redeemer.
e. the enlightenment of the 'uddha.
&1. The .:orld of the ;athers0
a. is a term associated with the brahmin caste.
b. is the conce"t which best e"resses the "atriarchal nature of Indian society.
c. re"resents the hierarchical nature of the caste system.
d. was the Aryan heaven.
e. was the goal of adolescent boys as they underwent ritualistic circumcision.
&2. The ?"anishads were
a. the "riestly class from the caste system.
b. a branch of the Indo#Euro"eans who settled in northern India.
c. commentaries and reflections on the Vedas.
d. warriors.
e. the untouchables.
&&. In (induism the highest goal of the individual soul was to
a. follow the ;our +oble Truths.
b. esca"e the cycle of birth and rebirth and enter into "ermanent union with Brahman.
c. enter into "ermanent union with Indra and thus esca"e the cycle of "ermanent rebirth.
d. fulfill the individual@s s"ecial destiny as s"elled out in the "rocess of "redestination.
e. "erform sati.
&*. This "assage from the ?"anishads e"lains what (indu conce"t= .+ow as a man is li%e this or li%e that!
according as he acts and according as he behaves! so will he beC a man of good acts will become good! a
man of bad acts! bad.0
a. dharma
b. samsara
c. varna
d. karma
e. moksha
&,. The two "rinci"al means to achieve the goal of moksha are
a. righteous battle and conAuest.
b. asceticism and meditation.
c. intellectual stimulation and hedonistic "leasure.
d. artistic e"ression and logical intellectual "rogression.
e. blood#letting and human sacrifice.
TRUE/FALSE
&3. Dasas is the Aryan term for the Dravidians.
&5. )evering all ties with the "hysical world and identifying oneself with the ultimate reality of the world s"irit
is moksha.
&7. Indra was the Aryan god who "reserved the cosmic order.
&8. The "riests were called brahmins.
*9. The ?"anishads are reflections and commentaries on the Vedas.