Question

The Mauryan administration was highly ____________.
A) Decentralized
B) Liberal
C) Centralized
D) Despotic

Answer 1

Hint:
i) The Maurya Empire was a historical force of the geographically extensive Iron Age, centered in Magadha and established by Chandragupta Maurya.
ii) Between 322 and 185 BCE, she ruled the Indian subcontinent.
iii) The empire was the Indian subcontinent's largest political body, stretching over 5 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles) at its zenith under Ashoka.

Complete answer:
Option A. Decentralized: Decentralization means the transfer of the powers and governance authority of the Union Government and State Governments to organizations at the sub-state level i.e. In India, panchayats. Decentralization was never on the rulers' agenda. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option B. Liberal: Francisco Luis Gomes championed independence, self-rule, and democratic unity for India in the Portuguese colony of Goa. His outstanding contributions to liberal philosophy and economics led him to be widely acknowledged in Europe as The Prince of Intellectuals". Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option C. centralized: The Empire experienced close to half a century of centralized rule under Ashoka after the Kalinga War. It has been estimated that the empire's population is about 50-60 million, making the Mauryan Empire one of antiquity's most populous empires. Hence, this option is correct.

Option D. Despotic: Despotism is a form of government in which, with absolute authority, a single person dominates. Normally, as in an autocracy, that entity is an individual, the despot, but societies that limit respect and power to particular groups have also been called despotic. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Therefore, from the above conclusion, Option C. centralized is a correct answer.

Note:
i) Seleucus I, a diadochus and founder of the Seleucid Empire, was then defeated by the Mauryan Empire during the Seleucid-Mauryan war.
ii) The Nanda Empire ruled over most of the Indian Subcontinent prior to the Maurya Empire.
iii) As a consequence of conquering the Mahajanapadas, the Nanda Empire was a large, militaristic, and economically powerful empire.