Ways with Words:
A. Match the words with their meanings.
Brevity – lasting only for a short time
Conquest – victory over a place or people by use of military force
Resemblance – the state of being alike
Barbarian – a member of an uncivilized group of people of culture
Ally – one state united to another by a treaty or a league for a military purpose
Nobility – state of being noble in character, quality, or rank
Ruthlessness – character of having no pity or compassion
Decimation – the killing or destruction of a large number of a population
Harsh – cruel
Elixir – liquid that is believed to cure all ills
B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:
a) Why is the Zhou Age called a feudal age?
Answer: The Zhou Age is called a feudal age because it had a strong resemblance to some of the forms of feudalism in medieval Europe.
b) What is the location advantage of the Qin?
Answer: The location advantage of the Qin is quite favourable. Its territory in modern Shaanxi province wass quite safe which was surrounded by the mountains and gorges in the East and had easy access to the North China Plain through the Yellow River passes.
c) What contributed to the success in the warfare as described in the text?
Answer: Following are the things that contributed to the success in the warfare as described in the text:
▪︎Their favourable and safe geographical location.
▪︎Their experienced, skilled and ruthless terracotta army force.
▪︎Their expert use of war-related resources: weapons, horses, chariots etc.
d) Why did the Qin invite the foreign advisor, Shang Yang?
Answer: The Qin invited the foreign advisor Shang Yang because the kingdom of Qin lacked skilled intellectuals and politicians.
e) What were the key features of the Qin political system?
Answer: The key features of the Qin political system were:
1. Collectivization programme
2. Decimation of aristocratic power
3. Freedom of farmers from serfdom
4. Collective responsibility of people to kingdom
5. fear and control over people
6. Award and punishment for regarding and disregarding the kingdom
f. How were the people treated during the Qin Period?
Answer: During the Qin Period, people were treated according to the legalization. All the people had to follow rules and work for the welfare of the kingdom collectively. They were threatened, controlled and kept away from education. They were severely punished if they violated the rules of the kingdom.
g) Why did Shi Huangdi stop educating ordinary people?
Answer: Shi Huangdi stopped educating ordinary people to control them easily. According to him, uneducated people were easier to control. Stupid people were easily controlled and ruled over. They never questioned the emperor and his empire.
h) What did the Qin achieve by the legalism in practice?
Answer: By the legalism in practice, the Qin achieved the following things:
1. Superior terracotta army
2. A disciplined bureaucracy
3. An obedient populace
4. An unquestioned authority of a strong central
government.
i) Why did Shi Huangdi never slept in the same room for two consecutive nights?
Answer: Shi Huangdi never slept in the same room for two consecutive nights because he was afraid of being assassinated.
j) What are the everlasting marks of the Qin Dynasty?
Answer: The everlasting marks of the Qin Dynasty are as follows:
1. Concept of Legalism
2. The Terracotta Army
3. The Great Wall of China
4.The Grand Canal
5. Roads.
IMPORTANT CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
a) The Great Wall and the Taj Mahal are the creation of autocratic rulers. Present your view for or against this statement.
Answer: I think that the autocratic rulers did their best tasks during their regimes in the past. Their contributions to the welfare of their states were outstanding. During that time, most of autocratic rulers used to do tasks related to the development of their states. A sense of love towards their states was seen within them. They used to give priority to their kingdom at first. These two amazing creations are the most popular wonders of the world among seven wonders. ‘The Great Wall of China and ‘The Taj Mahal of India’ are still quite popular in the world due to their artistic creations. Both of the creations are the unique creations of autocratic rulers of China and India. The Qin dynasty of China and the Mugal dynasty of India had built these two different wonders during their regimes. The construction of these two great architectures had been possible through the Qin Shi’s and Shah Jahan’s autocratic regimes. These emperors had assigned thousands of workers, slaves, and peasants for the construction of these two great architectures. These two creations have made these two dynasties and their emperors immortal. In this modern time too, people remember these emperors for their outstanding achievements for their dynasties. Though the emperors were autocratic, they achieved huge success in their history. Their policies brought quite drastic changes during that time.
6) How do you describe the pros and cons of feudalism?
Answer: Feudalism is defined as a dominant social system that existed in Europe during the Middle Ages in which people worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and the use of land in return.
Following were the pros and cons of feudalism in the past time:
PROS:
1. Feudalism helped common people from the foreign invaders as well as violence.
2. The feudalists used to save the common men from the tyranny of the king.
3. Feudalism had an outstanding role in eradicating slavery from Europe.
4. The knights used to play a vital role in saving the weak people.
5. The Lords were the major persons who keep away people’s worries.
6. Feudalism helped people to develop the qualities like loyalty, bravery, generosity, and humility.
CONS:
1. The concept of feudalism used to divide poor and rich people into two classes. It created class divisions among people.
2. Common and weak people had to be dependent upon the Lords.
3. People were not equally treated.
4. Easy environment for powerful people to impose their power over others. Lords could easily do whatever they wanted.
5. Peasants had to survive under the lords and they were not allowed to leave their lords’ land.
6. They were restricted in movement and even daily activities without their lords’ permission.
IMPORTANT FOR EXAM:
Narrate your memorable event with some exciting experiences that you had.
Answer: I have experienced so many interesting as well as exciting events in my life. Among them, the most memorable event which I experienced was related to my academic life. After passing my SEE in the first division, I moved to Kathmandu for the first time in my life. I wanted to join the best college so that I could get a better education. In Kathmandu, I came to know that the best college in Kathmandu was Apex International College. So, I decided to admit it there. On the first day, when I stepped inside the gate of Apex International College, I got stunned to see its big buildings as well as a huge crowd of students wandering around in the ground. All of the students seemed quite busy. I asked one of the students from class 12 about the admission process as well as the principal’s office. He ushered me towards three stories building. I thanked him and moved towards there. While moving there, everyone kept eye on me smiling. I entered that building and moved up via stairs. Everywhere, I found only girls who were looking at me intently. I didn’t find any boys there. Finally, gathering some courage, I asked one of the beautiful girls named Rama about the principal’s office. She laughed at once and informed me that I was in the girl’s hostel where boys were not allowed to enter. She also informed me about ragging. I was quite perplexed and rushed out of the building. From that day, I knew about the ragging in the plus two levels. All in all, I got the chance to see many beautiful faces.
