Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings (Cultural Developments)
Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 – 2 Marks Questions
Question 1.
Why are Buddhist stupas said to be “stories in stone”? Explain. (HOTS, All India 2016)
Answer:
Each Buddhist stupa has a history of its own. The sculptures in the stupas depicted different stories which were taken from different texts at that time. Art historians have identified that the sculpture at Sanchi was a scene from the Vessantara Jataka. Often historians tried to understand the meaning of sculpture by comparing it with textual evidence.
Question 2.
How was Buddha’s presence shown through symbols? Give two examples. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Examples to show Buddha’s presence shown through symbols are:
- The empty seat indicated the meditation of the Buddha.
- The stupas represented the mahaparinibbana of the Buddha.
Question 3.
Mention the internal functioning of the Buddhist Sanghas. (All India 2010)
Answer:
The internal functioning of Buddhist Sangha was based on the traditions of ganas and sanghas. Within the sangha, there were equal status given to all of them because they shed their earlier social identities on becoming bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.
Women were included later in the sanghas.
The bhikkhus in the sangha had to observe certain rules such as to abide by their duties, such as a bowl to receive food once a day from the ordinary people. Consensus was arrived on all issues through discussions. All decisions were taken with the majority opinion or by a vote on the subject.
Question 4.
Name the two types of sources through which we come to know about Buddha and his teachings. (Delhi 2008)
Answer:
Two sources through which we come to know about Buddha and his teachings are as follows:
- Various Buddhist texts like Tripitakas or three baskets and the Jataka stories.
- Various pillar inscriptions and rock edicts.
Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 – 4 Marks Questions
Question 5.
How was the fate of Amaravati stupa different from the Sanchi stupa? Explain. (All India 2016)
or
Critically examine why Sanchi survived while Amaravati did not? HOTS, (All India 2010)
Answer:
The stupa at Amaravati was one of the largest and the most significant among the Buddhist stupas. The stupa at Sanchi survived while Amaravati did not. Ther reasons are:
- It is said that the stupa at Amaravati was discovered sometime earlier than the one at Sanchi.
- Perhaps, the scholars were not aware of the significance of preserving the archaeological remains at the site where they were originally found.
- The Sanchi stupa Was discovered in the year 1818. At that time, three of its four gateways were still standing, the fourth was lying on the spot and the mound was in good condition.
But from the Amaravati, several pieces of sculptures were already used by the British administration in London to decorate the gardens. There was an insignificant little mound and was totally denuded of its former glory.
Question 6.
“Many rituals, religious beliefs and practices were not recorded in a permanent visible form as monuments or sculptures or even paintings”. Critically examine the statement. (HOTS, All India 2012)
Answer:
Many rituals, religious beliefs and practices were not recorded in a permanent visible form as monument, sculptures or even paintings.
This can be understood through the following points:
- There are many communities and people who may not have known to keep records for their rituals, religious beliefs and practices.
- However, they may had vibrant traditions of religious activities and their own philosophical ideas.
- Generally, people want to record those things which are clearly visible. They do not feel urgency to record their daily practices about religion and philosophy.
Thus, we have a partial view of the rich visual traditions that were presented in the form of sculpture, architecture and paintings and any of these sculptures were damaged over the centuries. But beyond these, there is a vast history of men which is not yet recorded.
Question 7.
Describe the teachings of the Buddha. (Delhi 2011)
or
Describe how Buddha’s teachings have been reconstructed from the stories of Sutta Pitaka? All India 2011
or
Write down the eternal truth of Buddhism. (All India 2009)
or
Explain briefly the teachings of Buddha. (Delhi 2008)
Answer:
The teachings of Buddha are as follows:
- The world is transient (anicca) and constantly changing. It is also soulless as there is nothing permanent or eternal in it.
- Within this transient world, sorrow (dukkha) is intrinsic to human existence.
- By following the path of moderation between severe penance and self-indulgence, human beings can use above these worldly pleasures.
- He advised kings and gahapatis to be humane and ethical. Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of humans rather than of divine origin.
- He emphasised individual agency and righteous action as the means to escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain self-realisation and nibbana (literally means the extinguishing of ego and desire).
This ends the cycle of suffering for those who renounced the world. - The words to his followers were “Be lamps into yourselves as all of you must work out your own liberation.”
Question 8.
Describe how the Buddha’s teachings have been reconstructed from the stories of Sutta Pitaka. (All India 2011)
Answer:
The Buddha’s teachings have been reconstructed from the stories found mainly in the Sutta Pitaka in the following ways:
- Although some stories suggest the Buddha’s miraculous powers, others suggest that the Buddha tried to convince people through reason and persuasion rather than through displays of supernatural powers.
- When a grief-stricken woman, whose child had died, came to the Buddha, he sympathetically convinced her about the inevitability of death rather than bring her son back to life. These types of stories were narrated in the language spoken by ordinary people, so that they could easily understand.
- In Sutta Pitaka, the Buddha explained five ways through which a master could look after his servants and employees. These were:
- by assigning them work according to their strength.
- by supplying them with food and wages.
- by tending them in sickness.
- by sharing delicacies with them.
- by granting leaves at times.
- In Sutta Pitaka, there were instructions about how to behave with parents, teachers and wife.
Question 9.
Describe briefly the early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut. (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
The early stupas at Sanchi and Bharhut were built in the 2nd century BCE. The main features of these stupas were:
- These were plain except for the stone railings, which resembled a bamboo or wooden fence. The gateways of these stupas were richly carved and installed at the four cardinal points.
- Worshippers entered through the Eastern gateway and walked around the mound in a clockwise direction, keeping the mound on the right, imitating the sun’s course through the sky.
- Later, the mound of the stupas made to be elaborately carved with niches and sculptures, like Amaravati and Shahji-Ki-Dheri in Peshawar.
- An elevation of the great stupas of Sanchi provides a vertical perspective.
Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 – 8 Marks Questions
Question 10.
Explain the structural and sculptural features of the Sanchi stupa. (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
The Sanchi stupa was built in the 2nd century BCE and regarded as one of the important stupas in India. It was discovered in 1888.
The structural features of the Sanchi stupa are:
- The stupa originated as a simple semi-circular mound of Earth, later called Anda. Above the anda was the harmika, a balcony-like structure that represented the abode of the Gods. There was a mast called the yashti, arising from the harmika and it was surmounted by a chhatri or umbrella.
- Around the mound, there was a railing, separating the sacred space from the world. There were stone railings and the gateways, which were richly carved and installed at the four cardinal points.
- An elevation of the great stupa provides a vertical perspective.
The sculptural features of the Sanchi stupa are:
- Art historians identified the scene depicted in the gateways as a scene from the Vessantara Jataka. They often try to understand the meaning of sculpture by comparing it with textual evidence.
- Many symbols like empty seat, wheel, tree were used to indicate the different teachings of Buddhism in Sanchi stupa. For instance, the empty seat was meant to represent the mahaparinibbana.
Wheel stood for the first sermon of Buddha. - Other sculptures at Sanchi were perhaps not directly inspired by Buddhist ideas. These figures included beautiful women swinging from the edge of the gateway holding into a tree, like, Shalabhanjika was a woman whose touch caused trees to flower and bear fruit.
- There are other images in Sanchi stupa. Depiction of animals like elephants, horses, monkeys and cattle were found there. Animals were used as symbols of human attributes, e.g. elephants were depicted to signify strength and wisdom.
- There is a motif in Sanchi stupa of a woman surrounded by lotuses and elephants, which seems to be sprinkling water on her as if performing an Abhisheka or consecration. It has been identified by some historians as Maya, the mother of Buddha while others identify her with a popular Goddess Gajalakshmi (Goddess of good fortune).
Question 11.
How did Sutta Pitaka reconstruct the philosophy of Buddhism? Mention about Buddhist Tipitaka. (HOTS; All India 2015)
Answer:
After the death of Buddha, his teachings were compiled by his disciples and were known as Tipitaka. Sutta-Pitaka was one of the Tipitaka.
The main features of Sutta Pitaka are:
1. The Buddha’s teachings have been reconstructed from stories found mainly in the Sutta Pitaka. Some stories ’ describe his miraculous powers and other stories suggest that the Buddha tried to convince people through reason and persuasion, rather than through displays of supernatural power. Sometimes, through stories, the teachings of the Buddha were narrated in the language spoken by common men, so that individual effort was expected to transform social relations.
2. The Buddha emphasised individual agency and righteous action as the means to escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain self-realisation and nibbana. By extinguishing ego and desire, individual could end the cycle of his . sufferings and renounce the world.
Tipitaka literally means three baskets to hold different types of texts.
The main features of it are:
- The Vinaya Pitaka included rules and regulations for those who joined the Sangha or monastic order.
- The Sutta Pitaka included the teachings of the Buddha.
- The Abhidhamma Pitaka dealt with philosophical matters. Each pitaka comprised a number of texts.
- According to Buddhist philosophy the world is transient (anicca) and constantly changing. The world is soulless (anatta) as there is nothing permanent or eternal in it.
- Within this transient world, sorrow (dukkha) is intrinsic to human existence. It is by following the path of moderation between severe penance and self-indulgence, the human beings can rise above these worldly troubles.
- The Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of humans rather than of divine origin. Therefore, he advised kings and gahapatis to be humane and ethical.
Question 12.
Discuss how and why were stupas built? (All India 2013,2008)
Answer:
The stupas were built with donation made for building them. The kings such as Satavahanas, wealthy persons, guilds of the merchants and artisans and even monks, common men and nuns made donation for building stupas. We find records of donations that were made for building and decorating the stupa on the railings and pillars of the stupas. The inscriptions also mention the names of hundreds of donors and sometimes the name of the place from where they came, their occupations and names of their relatives as well. For instance, one of the gateways at Sanchi was built with the money donated by the guilds of ivory-workers.
The stupas were regarded as sacred place and the relics of Buddha i.e. his bodily remains or objects used by him were buried here. These mounds were known as stupas. The tradition of building stupas may have been pre-Buddhist, but they attained much popularity as an emblem of both the Buddha and Buddhism.
The scholars find a mention of ‘Ashokavadana’ a Buddhist text, in that Asoka distributed portions of the Buddha’s relics to every important town and ordered the construction of stupas over them. By the 2nd century BCE, a large number of stupas including those at Bharhut, Sanchi and Sarnath were built.
Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 Source Based Questions
Question 13.
Buddhism in Practice:
This is an excerpt from the Sutta Pitaka, and contains the advice given by the Buddha to a wealthy householder named Sigala.
In five ways should a master look after his servants and employees… by assigning them work according to their strength, by supplying them with food. and wages, by tending them in sickness; by sharing delicacies with them and by granting leave at times …
In five ways should the clansmen look after the needs of Samanas (those who have renounced the world) and Brahmanas; by affection in act and speech and mind, by keeping open house to them and supplying their worldly needs.
There are similar instructions to Sigala about how to behave with his parents, teacher and wife.
1. In what ways should a master look after his servants and employees? (All India 2017)
or
What advice was given by Buddha to Sigala regarding relationship between a master and his servants and employees? (Delhi 2013)
2. In what ways should the clansmen look after the needs of Samanas? (All India 2017)
or
List the instructions given by Buddha to the clansmen for Samanas and Brahmanas. (Delhi 2013)
3. Explain the main aspects of Buddhist philosophy. (All India 2017)
or
According to you what suggestion Buddha would have advocated regarding parents and teachers? (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
1. The advice given by Buddha to Sigala regarding relationship between a master and his servants and employees are:
- A master should look after his servants and employees in five ways.
- He should assign them work according to their strength, by supplying them with food and wages.
- A master should tend them in sickness, by sharing delicacies with them and by-granting leave at times.
2. The instructions given by Buddha to the clansmen for Samanas and Brahmanas are:
- The clansmen should look after the needs of Samanas (those who have renounced the world) and Brahmanas in five ways.
- The clansmen should have affection in act and speech and mind by keeping open to house.
- The clansmen should also fulfil the worldly needs of Samanas and Brahmanas.
3. The suggestions Buddha would have advocated regarding parents and teachers are similar. According to Buddha, parents and teachers ought to be respected and their needs should be fulfilled with grace and dignity.
Question 14.
Why were Stupas Built?
This is an excerpt from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, part of the Sutta Pitaka. As the Buddha lay, dying Ananda asked him “What are we to do Lord, with the remains of the Tathagata (another name for the Buddha)?” The Buddha replied, “Hinder not yourselves Ananda by honouring the remains of the Tathagata. Be zealous, be intent on your own good.”
But when pressed further, the Buddha said, “At the four crossroads, they should erect a thupa (Pali for stupa) to the Tathagata. And whosoever shall there place garlands or perfume…. or make a salutation there, or become in its presence calm of heart, that shall long be to them for a profit and joy.”
- Why were the stupas built?
- What Asoka did with the relics of Buddha?
- Describe the structure of the stupas. (All India 2009)
Answer:
1. Stupas were built because the relics of Buddha such as his bodily remains or objects used by him were buried there. These mounds were called stupas which came to be associated with Buddhism.
2. Asoka distributed portions of Buddha’s relics to every important town and ordered the construction of stupas over them.
3. Structure of stupas is as follows:
- Anda: It is a semi-circular mound of Earth called anda.
- Harmika: Above anda was the harmika, a balcony-like structure that represented the abode of the Gods.
- Yashti: Arising from harmika was a mast called yashti. It was surmounted by a chhatri or umbrella.
- Railing: Around the mound was a railing which separated the sacred place from the secular world.
Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 Map Based Questions
Question 15.
In the outline map of India, three places which are major Buddhist sites have been marked as A, B and C. Identify them and write their correct names on the lines drawn near them. (All India 2017)
Answer:
Question 16.
On the given political map of India, locate and label the following.
- Bodhgaya. (All India 2014 )
- Lumbini. (Delhi Board 2014)
- Sanchi. (Delhi Board 2011)
Answer:
Important Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 Value Based Questions
Question 17.
“The mid first millennium BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in the world history.” Justify. (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
The mid first millennium BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in world history because of the following facts:
- Emergence of Thinkers: It saw the emergence of thinkers such as Zarathustra in Iran, Kong Zi in China, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in Greece and Mahavira and Gautam Buddha among others in India.
- Understanding of the Mysteries of Existence: Thinkers tried to understand the mysteries of existence and the relationship between human beings and the cosmic order.
- Development of New Kingdoms and Cities: It was the time when new kingdoms and cities were developing.
- Change in Social and Economic Life: Social and economic life were changing in a variety of ways, e.g. in the Ganga valley growth of town, new crafts and trade took place.
- New Agricultural Technology: There was extension of agriculture due to occupation of new lands, application of new techniques and use of iron tools.
Question 18.
“Buddha laid stress on right conduct and values.”
In the light of the above message, explain his teachings of life. (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
The teachings of Buddha are as follows:
- The world is transient (anicca) and constantly changing. It is also soulless as there is nothing permanent or eternal in it.
- Within this transient world, sorrow (dukkha) is intrinsic to human existence.
- By following the path of moderation between severe penance and self-indulgence, human beings can use above these worldly pleasures.
- He advised kings and gahapatis to be humane and ethical. Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of humans rather than of divine origin.
- He emphasised individual agency and righteous action as the means to escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain self-realisation and nibbana (literally means the extinguishing of ego and desire).
This ends the cycle of suffering for those who renounced the world. - The words to his followers were “Be lamps into yourselves as all of you must work out your own liberation.”
Question 19.
“The principle of ahimsa and renunciation emphasised by Jainism has left its mark.” Support the statement with Lord Mahavira’s messages. (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The most important idea of Jainism is that the entire world is animated, even stones, rocks and water have life. In Jainism, the principle of ahimsa is emphasised. Jainism focuses on non-injury to living beings especially to humans, plants and insects.
Impacts of Jainism on Indian thinking are:
- The idea of ahimsa left its mark on Indian thinking on the whole especially the thinking of Buddha and Gandhiji.
- It also influenced Indian thinking in the light of the cycle of birth and rebirth through karma and renouncing the world to free oneself from the cycle of karma. In this respect, asceticism and penance are required.
- From the perspective of morality, vows like not to steal, kill, lie or possess property and observing celibacy were emphasised, which is easily evident in Indian thinking.
- It has stressed on simple way of life.
- Vegetarianism’has also been derived from this thinking.
Question 20.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
According to these traditions, Siddhartha, as the Buddha was named at birth, was the son of a chief of the Sakya clan. He has a sheltered upbringing within the palace, insulated from the harsh realities of life. One day he persuaded his charioteer to take him into the city. His first journey into the world outside was traumatic. He was deeply anguished when he saw an old man, a sick man and a corpse. He realised in that moment that the decay and destruction of the human body was inevitable. He also saw a homeless mendicant, who, it seemed to him, had come to terms with old age, disease and death, and found peace. Siddhartha decided that he too would adopt the same path. Soon after, he left the palace and set out in search of his own truth.
- Who was Siddhartha?
- Which truths of life changed the life of Siddhartha?
Answer:
1. Siddhartha, as the Buddha was named at birth, was the son of a chief of the Sakya clan. He has a sheltered upbringing within the palace, insulated from the harsh realities of life.
2. One day Siddhartha went on to a journey into the city with his charioteer. This journey changed the life of Siddhartha. He was deeply anguished when he saw an old man, a sick man and a corpse. He realised in that moment that the decay and destruction of the human body was inevitable. He also saw a homeless mendicant, who, it seemed to him, had come to term with old age, disease and death, and found peace. Siddhartha decided that he too would adopt the same path. Soon after, he left the palace and set out in search of his own truth.
Question 21.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Soon there grew a body of disciples of the Buddha and he founded a sangha, an organisation of monks who too became teachers of dhamma. These monks lived simply, possessing only the essential requisites for survival, such as a bowl to receive food once a day from the laity. As they lived on alms, they were known as bhikkhus.
Initially, only men were allowed into the sangha, but later women also came to be admitted. According to Buddhist texts, this was made possible through the mediation of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s dearest disciples, who persuaded him to allow women into the sangha. The Buddha’s foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami was the first woman to be ordained as a bhikkhuni. Many women who entered the sangha became teachers of dhamma and went on to become theris, or respected women who had attained liberation.
- What were the attributes of Buddhist monks?
- How did women come to be admitted in sangha? What was the position of women in this sangha?
Answer:
1. The attributes of Buddhist monks are:
- Buddhist monks were the disciples of the Buddha for whom he founded a sangha.
- In this organisation, these monks were the teachers of dhamma.
- These monks lived simply, possessing only the essential requisites for survival, such as a bowl to receive food once a day from the laity.
- As they lived on alms, they were known as bhikkhus.
2. Women came to be admitted in sangha after the mediation of a disciple of Buddha, Ananda. The Buddha’s foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami was the first woman to be ordained as a bhikkhuni. Many women who entered the sangha became teachers of dhamma and went on to become theris or respected women who had attained liberation.