Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in Current Affairs.

They believed in life after death.

1. Internal quarrels among the rulers led to disunity and disorder. 

2. The rulers failed to bring a perfect and workable political system.

The Mesopotamian society was divided into four groups: 

1. The Royals. 

2. The Priests. 

3. Rich Landlords and Merchants. 

4. Slaves.

The river plains of Hwang-Ho in northern China and Yangtze and Sikiyang in Southern China, provided moderate challenges and minimum facilities, to develop a civilization.

Egyptian civilization developed on the banks of River Nile.

Earlier Egyptian pictographic writing was called as Hieroglyphics.

The early people settled into villages, which developed into cities and later the City-States were formed. They were ruled by Kings. This is also known as pre-dynastic period. 

Correct option is (b) deteriorating environment

The early Egyptians settled into villages, which developed into cities and later the City-States were formed. They were ruled by Kings. This is known as the pre-dynastic period. These Kings were engaged in inter City – State quarrels. Stronger City-States showed their supremacy and started taking over other weaker City-States. This made way to the birth of Kingdoms. Different dynasties ruled these Kingdoms. About 30 dynasties have ruled Egypt for more than 3000 years. No dynasty survived for more than 6-7 generations.

The Egyptian Kings were called ‘Pharaohs’. They were considered as representatives of God on earth, hence enjoyed unlimited power. The Pharaoh ‘Menes’, united south and north Egypt in around 3000 B.C.E and made Memphis as his capital. The strong central government with absolute monarchy, a well-controlled administration and strict implementation of laws were the basic features of Egyptian polity. 

The rule of dynasties can be divided into 3 phases.

1. The Period of Old Kingdom. 

2. The Period of Middle Kingdom. 

3. The Period of New Kingdom.

The Period of Old Kingdom: It is also known as the Period of Pyramids. The Pharaohs of this period were very strong. There was a council of elders to advise the King, whose advice was not binding on the King. Pharaohs appointed Vizir, the Prime Minister who headed the Administration, Justice, and Treasury. The Local officers maintained the records and the accounts.

The Period of Middle Kingdom: It is also known as the period of Feudal Lords. During this period, Lords became more powerful than the Pharaohs. It led to many internal wars and anarchy. The authority of Pharaohs was restored by Amen Hotep I.

The Period of New Kingdom: During the new Kingdom, the Kings raised a powerful army and built a very strong Empire. Thutmose I conquered new territories and expanded the Empire. His daughter, Hatshepsut succeeded him. She was the first Empress in the history of the world. She ruled for twenty-one years.

Hammurabi, the Babylonian King who ruled Sumer between 2123 to 2081 B.C.E was one of the greatest Rulers of Mesopotamian civilization. He was a great conqueror and an able administrator. He became immortal in the history of mankind by compiling his ‘Code of Law’. He collected all the existing civil laws, classified them, improved on them, added new ones and codified them into one body of laws. It included 282 laws, relating to all aspects of life such as personal property, trade, and business, accidents, labour, marriages, divorce, slaves, rights of men and women, etc.

The code of law is engraved on a black stone, with the image of King Hammurabi receiving the laws from God Shamash the Sun God. The code is a mixture of enlightened laws and barbarous punishments. It gave complete responsibility to the State to give justice and deterred people from committing crimes. It aimed at providing equality, and rights to own property for women and slaves. It was truly an everlasting and monumental legal achievement of Hammurabi. 

Thutmose I was the father of Hatshepsut. 

Ra was their Sun God.

Ra was the Sun God. Osiris, the God of the dead or underworld, Isis was the Goddess of. motherhood and the wife of Osiris. Horus, Hathor, etc. were minor Gods. 

Greek civilization is the most ancient civilization of Europe.

The two rivers Euphrates and Tigris formed the fertile plains. Early tillers settled in villages. With the growth of population, these villages developed into towns and later into cities. These plains were the cradles of many civilizations which developed and later vanished during 3500 to 500 B.C.E. Hence Mesopotamia is called as ‘Both the Cradle and Graveyard of Civilizations’. 

Mesopotamia included the area of present Eastern Syria, Southern Turkey and most of Iraq.

Mesopotamia is also called as ‘The Cradle and Graveyard of civilizations’ and ‘The Land of Shinar’. 

Mesopotamia is a Greek word which means ‘Land between two rivers’.

Civilization refers to our material gains, or what we have.

Because of Nile, plenty of food, fodder and uninterrupted supply of water was possible to Egypt. The food security provided sufficient leisure for the growth of civilization. Nile is born in the thick equatorial forests of Africa. It is in full spate throughout the year. But for Nile, Egyptian civilization would not have developed. Therefore Egypt is called the gift of Nile.

1. Social conditions: 

The Mesopotamian society was divided into four levels.

• The Royals 
• The Priests 
• Rich landlords and Merchants 
• Slaves

Nobles enjoyed powers by heredity. They commanded great prestige and power in Administration and Army. Priests and scribes held high posts in the administration. They enjoyed a high status in the society. Farmers, artists, craftsmen, shopkeepers, and merchants for pied the third strata and slaves were at the lowest level. They could be bought and sold. Women enjoyed considerable freedom with right to property. They had social, religious and economic freedom.

2. Economic condition: Agriculture was their main occupation, followed by cattle rearing and dairy farming. They used water wisely by digging canals from both Euphrates and Tigris. Mesopotamians also built dykes, embankments and storage basins to utilise water throughout the year. It is believed that the Shadoof was developed by them, for artificial irrigation.

Wheat, barley, fruits, and dates were grown in abundance and exported. Initially, they had a barter system but later started using metal coins. They exported wooden and fiber clothes, hides, dates, etc. They imported various metals. They had trade relations with India and Egypt. Horses and asses were used as means of transport.

Han Dynasty replaced Qin Dynasty.

Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, etc were the first human settlements. Humans first formed groups to live together. Valleys of rivers like Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris, Indus, Hwang – Ho and Yangtze-Sikiyang, etc. have helped these great civilizations to flourish. Hence the river valleys are called the cradles of civilizations. 

Civilization refers to our material gains and to the huge group of geographically oriented people. 

1. The invention of moving wheel by man brought major changes in the professions of potter, carpenter, blacksmith, etc. and the transport system. 

2. The discovery of the cultivation of land, or Agriculture around 6,000 B.C., brought a great change in the way of living of the early humans, making them settlers from being nomads.

Shih hu Wang Ti was the greatest Ruler of China belonging to the Han dynasty. Shih means first and Hu Wang Ti means Emperor. 

(a) Raja Ram Mohan Roy

(c) Kanishka

Correct option is: (a) Yuan Chwang

Correct option is: (a) Menander

Correct option is: (a) Ashvaghosh

Vishnusharma.

There were several small kingdoms in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, ruled by Greek kings also known as Indo-Greek kings.

Correct option is: (a) Kanauj

The capital of Harshavardhan’s Empire was Kanauj.

The questions that were discussed between Bhikkhu Nagasena and Milinda is the content of the book ‘Milind-Panha’.

Correct option is: (b) Brihadratha

The Indo-Greek had a tradition of putting the picture of the king on one side and that of a deity on the other of the coin. This tradition later took root in India.

The Buddhist bhikkhu Yuan Chwang had come to India from China during Harshavardhan’s reign.

The last Mauryan emperor was Brihadratha.

The Mauryan general Pushyamitra Shunga revolted against Brihadratha, killed him and became the king himself.

Shrigupta was the founder of the Gupta dynasty.

During the time of Kaniska, poet Ashvagosh and vaidya Charaka were well-known.

Correct option is: (c) Kanishkapur

Correct option is: (c) three

Samudragupta and Chandragupta II were the two notable kings of the Gupta Dynasty.

Prabhakar Vardhan was the founder of the . Vardhan Dynasty.

Correct option is: (b) Charaka

• Aurangzeb descended to the South.
• Sambhaji Maharaj was put to death.
• Rajaram Maharaj escaped from Raigad fort.
• Maharani Yesubai and Shahu put under arrest.
• Aurangzeb died at Ahmadnagar.

2, 4, 1, 5, 3 

2. Poor thing, he must have come out with Balamani Amma’ , said Sankaran. 

4. We looked at thumbi and he looked at us. 

1. He was shivering in the cold. 

5. Sankaran spread a gunny bag on the Verandah. 

3. Lie down on this.