The progress made during the reign of the Gupta Empire made India a leader in intellectual pursuits, especially science and mathematics. Which of these statements about the Gupta Empire are true? Click each statement to check your answer.
| Statement | Answer |
| Their scientists understood the movement of the earth within the solar system. | Yes. Scientists of the Gupta Empire were the first in the world to claim that the Earth went round the sun. |
| Rulers governed without the use of capital punishment. | Yes. Buddhism, which was adopted by an earlier empire, helped make the Indian government less harsh than some. |
| They fought numerous battles in order to add to their territory and riches. | No. The Gupta were less interested in conquest and expansion than in building up aspects of culture and civilization. |
| They traded using gold coins depicting kings. | Yes. Coins made in the Gupta Empire bore intricate designs featuring images of their king or Chandra. |
| They figured out the use of zero to solve problems in mathematics. | Yes. Indian mathematicians under the Gupta pioneered the use of the number zero to solve math problems. |
| They discovered new ways of combining metals. | Yes. Gupta metallurgy was far ahead of metal-working in other cultures. They were the first to make large structures from iron. |
| They remained isolated from travelers along the Silk Road. | No. India is situated between China and Western Europe, so it was visited by steady streams of traders along the Silk Road. |
| The empire had a population of around 75 million people at its largest. | Yes. All modern Indians are descended from this group. |
| Hindu culture emerged during the reign of the Gupta. | No. The origin of Hinduism goes back much farther in history than the Gupta Empire. |
| A Gupta astronomer estimated the circumference of the Earth. | Yes, and he was very close to the actual size of the Earth, as determined by modern methods. |
