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Q11. Many ideas about governance come from texts composed by scholars and advisors of the king. What might be some limitations of relying only on such sources?
Concept
Sources and ideals of kingship
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Suggested answer / synthesis:
this question requires interpretation or application. The answer below is built from the chapter evidence.
- These texts were written by scholars and advisors close to kings , so they show the ideal king , which may differ from the real one .
- A text like the Arthashastra describes how a king should behave (energetically, cooperating with ministers), but this does not prove every king actually did behave that way.
- Relying only on such sources risks mistaking prescription for description , that is, treating a guide to good kingship as if it were a factual record of how kings actually governed.
Revision: Question 11
Who wrote them
Scholars and advisors close to the king
What they show
The ideal king, not necessarily the real one
The risk
Mistaking prescription for description
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Such texts tell us what was expected of rulers, not always what rulers did
