History and Culture
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. Find the following words in the text and
use them in sentences of your own.
Invasion
The people live under a constant threat of invasion.
Disregard
The present article will disregard this distinction.
Paramount
His happiness was of paramount importance.
Populace
They had the populace on their side.
Revolt
The peasants' revolt was crushed by the king.
Assassination
He was in constant fear of assassination and distrusted all around him.
Serfdom
It has reduced us politically to serfdom.
D. Consult a dictionary and prepare a list of
ten homographs.
Bass -
a type of fish/low, deep voice
Bat -
a piece of sports equipment/an animal
Evening -
smoothing out/after sunset
Bear -
to endure/animal
Close -
connected/lock
Lean -
thin/rest against
Bow -
bend forward/front of a ship
Lead -
metal/start off in front
Skip -
jump/miss out
Fair -
appearance/reasonable
Comprehension
B. Answer these questions.
a. Why is the Zhou Age called a feudal age?
Answer: The
Zhou Age is called a feudal age because Zhou period had followed the rule of
feudalism.
b. What is the location advantage of the Qin?
Answer: The
location advantage of Qin is the territory or area of dynasty is well bounded
by mountains.
c. What contributed to the success in the
warfare as described in the text?
Answer: The
location of the state, their size of the army, and their expert use of the
chariot contributed to their success in warfare.
d. Why did the Qin invite the foreign
advisor, Shang Yang?
Answer: The
Qin invited the foreign advisor, Shang Yang due to the lack of intellectual
peoples in Qin.
e. What were the key features of the Qin
political system?
Answer: The
key features of the Qin political system were fear and control.
f. How were the people treated during the Qin
Period?
Answer: The
people were treated almost like slave in that period. People were supposed to
contribute in all projects for welfare of Nation and were deprived from the
approach of education.
g. Why did Shi Huangdi stop educating
ordinary people?
Answer: Shi
Huangdi stopped educating ordinary people because he believed that illiterate
people can be controlled easily.
h. What did the Qin achieve by the legalism
in practice?
Answer: The
Qin achieved superior army, disciplined populace, obedient peoples, the great
wall, great canal etc. by the help of legalism.
i. Why did Shi Huangdi never sleep in the
same room for two consecutive nights?
Answer: Shi
Huangdi never slept in the same room for two consecutive nights because of
constant fear of assassination.
j. What are the everlasting marks of the Qin
Dynasty?
Answer: The
everlasting marks of the Qin Dynasty are as follows:
1. The Terracotta Army
2. Concept of Legalism
3. The Great Wall of China
4. The Grand Canal
5. Roads.
Critical thinking
a. The Great Wall and the Taj Mahal are the
creation of the autocratic rulers. Present your view for or against this
statement.
Answer: Yes,
I believe that the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal were created by
autocratic rulers. The Great Wall of China was built to protect the northern
empire of China from enemy attacks. There are nineteen walls. The first wall
was built in the 7th century BC.
The Great Wall of China cannot be built by individual effort. As punishment,
people were forced to undertake such projects by autocratic rulers. The text
mentions that people throughout the empire must share responsibility with each
other. If a person did not behave according to the rules, others had to contact
them. If they did not, they were dismembered or beheaded. Those who made the
greatest contribution to the state were highly rewarded, while those whose
lives were deemed inconsequential were used as slaves in Shi Huangdi's
construction projects such as the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canal, and the
streets that grew up in the simple trade and travel.
Likewise, Taj Mahal is the result of the autocratic ruler of the Mughal Emperor
of India, Shah Jahan. It is believed that he built it to immortalize his wife
Mumtaz. Shah Jahan is said to have cut off the artists' hands to prevent them
from recreating the same type of structure. Historical facts show that the king
was more inconsiderate than romantic. It took 20,000 workers to build the Taj
Mahal over 20 years.
Everyone remembers the names of the emperors who built the structures, but no
one is eager to explore the reality behind the structures. Therefore, The Great
Wall and the Taj Mahal can be considered as the creation of the autocratic
rulers.
b. 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.
Pros of
feudalism
Feudalism helped protect communities from the violence and warfare that broke
out after the fall of Rome and the collapse of strong central government in
Western Europe. Feudalism secured Western Europe's society and kept out
powerful invaders. The Lords were the major persons who keep away people's
worries. Feudalism helped people to develop the qualities like loyalty,
bravery, generosity, and humility.
Cons of
feudalism
The concept of feudalism used to divide poor and rich people into two classes.
It created class divisions among people. Common and weak people had to be
dependent upon the Lords. Easy environment for powerful people to impose their
power over others. Lords could easily do whatever they wanted. Peasants had to
survive under the lords and they were not allowed to leave their lords' land.
They were restricted in movement and even daily activities without their lords'
permission.
Writing
a. Write an email to your friend living
abroad stating the contributions of Prithvi Narayan Shah in the unification of
Nepal.
Answer:
To: lorem123@gmail.com
From: ram123@gmail.com
Subject: Contributions
of Prithivi Narayan Shah in the Unification of Nepal
Following the recent discussions on the above subject, here are more
clarifications on the immeasurable contributions that Prithivi Narayan Shah
brought to ensure that Nepal is what it is today.
Shah ended the divisions and infighting that existed between the four major
Nepalese principalities of Gorkha, Malla, Patan, and Bhadgaon. Though the
prince was a very ambitious member of the Shah ruling family of Gorkha, his
personal involvement brought the wars among Malla, Patan, and Bhadgaon to an
end.
He did not stop there. He resolved their long-term differences and consolidated
them to become modern-day Nepal. Shah also worked hard to strengthen the unity
of Nepal. This unity ended the many years when foreigners could easily invade
any of the small states to conquer them.
No doubt, you will appreciate that this was not a mere achievement. While
others were dividing nations, he united. While others conquered nations for
their selfish interests, he strengthened Nepal for national unity.
From this brief email, you will appreciate that Shah made lasting contributions
to the Nepal we can call home today.
From your friend,
Ram
Grammar (Past
Tense)
B. Complete the texts below using the correct
past forms of the verbs from the bracket.
a. The Maya established a very advanced civilisation in
the jungles of the Yucatan. However, their culture disappeared (disappear)
by the time Europeans first arrived (arrive) in the New World.
b. When I turned (turn) on the radio
yesterday, I heard (hear) a song that was
popular when I was (be) at the basic level of my
study. It took (take) me back to some old
memories.
c. I was looking for a job. I applied (apply) for a job last
week. Fortunately, I got (get) it and now I am a job
holder.
C. Choose the correct words from the list and
complete the sentences with the correct verb form.
a. Newton saw an
apple falling from the tree.
b. Ramesh Bikal wrote many popular stories.
c. My jacket is expensive. It cost me Rs 5000.
d. She got up early in the morning
yesterday.
e. When I was small, my father taught me
at home.
f. Why did you throw the cap away?
D. Put the verb into the correct form and
complete the sentences.
a. I went to see the film, but I did not it. (not/enjoy)
b. I met Rojina in town in a few days
ago. (meet)
c. It was very warm, so I took off my coat. (take off)
d. Though the bed was very comfortable, I did not sleep very
well. (not/sleep)
e. I started new job last week. (start)
g. He was too busy in the office
yesterday. (be)
h. Nita invited her to the party, but she
didn’t come. (invite)
