Post Maurya Period History UPSC MCQs

Question. Archaeological sources which have writing on them are
(a) literary sources
(b) archaeological sources
(c) both literary and archaeological sources
(d) none of the above

Question. Who was the author of Indika?
(a) Kautilya
(b) Megasthenese
(c) Vishakadutta
(d) Kalhana

Question. Arthasastra belongs to which period
(a) Maurya
(b) Gupta
(c) Marathas
(d) Mughal

Question. Archaeology is the study of human past through
(a) remains of dead organism
(b) skeletal remains
(c) ancient texts
(d) material remains

Question. The reason for the victory of the Aryans over the indigenous people of non-Aryan origin was
(a) lack of unity among the indigenous people
(b) better organization among the Aryans
(c) superior military technology and the use of the horse and chariot
(d) cultural conflict

Question. The date of the Rig (early) Vedic period is
(a) c. 1500 – 1000 BCE
(b) c. 1400 – 1200 BCE
(c) c. 1000 – 500 BCE
(d) c. 700 – 200 BCE

Question. The term ‘Jana’ in the Rig Veda stood for
(a) clan
(b) tribe
(c) nation
(d) tribal

Question. Which of the following was not true of the drainage system?
(a) Every house had its own courtyard and bathroom
(b) All the houses in all the cities had wells
(c) Water flowed from the house to the streets which had drains
(d) Drains were covered with bricks and sometimes with stone slabs

Question. Which of the following was the common feature of town planning of all Harappan sites?
(a) Arrangement of the houses in the cities followed grid system, roads cut across one another at right angles, and city was divided into so many blocks
(b) They all had great bath
(c) Some houses were made of quality burnt bricks while others were made of marble and unbaked bricks
(d) Granaries formed important part of all Harappan sites

Question. The main occupation of the Rig-Vedic society was
(a) pastoral and agriculture
(b) hunting and gathering
(c) trade and commerce
(d) none of the above

Question. Which among the following facts prove greater affinity of Aryans with Indo-European?
(a) racial concept
(b) ethnological concept
(c) cultural concept
(d) linguistic concept

Question. Before coming to India, the Aryans had remained for some time in
(a) Asia Minor
(b) Northern Iranian plateau
(c) Afghanistan
(d) They came straight to India

Question. The Purasha-Sukta (Purusha Hymn) of the Rig Veda refers to
(a) two social groups
(b) three social groups
(c) four social groups
(d) five social groups

Question. Who was the first to suggest the similarity between Sanskrit language and Greek and Latin?
(a) Sir William Jones
(b) Monier Williams
(c) Max Mueller
(d) A. C. Das

Question. Society came to be divided into four varnas during
(a) Rig-Vedic period
(b) Later-Vedic Period
(c) Post-Vedic Period
(d) Aryan period

Question. The date of Later Vedic period is
(a) 1100-500 BCE
(b) 1000-500 BCE
(c) 1200-500 BCE
(d) 1300-500 BCE

Question. The Buddha attained enlightenment at
(a) Gaya
(b) Patilaputra
(c) Patna
(d) Sarnath

Question. Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon at
(a) Lumbini
(b) Sarnath
(c) Kapilvastu
(d) Kosala

Question. Dvija literally means
(a) twice born
(b) salvation
(c) liberation
(d) brahmanas

Question. Bhagaduga was the
(a) tax collector
(b) commander of the army
(c) chief priest
(d) charioteer

Question. Which statement about the word Jaina is correct?
(a) It refers to one who leads an ascetic life
(b) It comes from the word jina (victor) which refers to the tirthankaras
(c) It refers to person who is free from all passions and desires
(d) It refers to non-violent life

Question. According to Jaina doctrine, everything that exists has
(a) three aspects
(b) four aspects
(c) five aspects
(d) seven aspects

Question. The most prestigious amusement of the Vedic period was
(a) dice
(b) music
(c) chariot race
(d) dance

Question. Which statement is not correct about learning in Vedic age?
(a) during the earlier Vedic period instruction remained entirely oral
(b) they had developed system of writing
(c) in the later Vedic period, the institution of brahmacharyn had become regularized
(d) education was restricted to the upper castes and the teaching of the Vedas generally to the brahmanas, although in theory it was open to all dvija castes

Question. The Rig-Vedic period saw the absence of
(a) gold
(b) iron
(c) copper
(d) bronze

Question. Of the 10 Books of the Rig Veda, the Rig Vedic period covers
(a) all 10 Books
(b) Books 1 – 5
(c) Books 2 – 7
(d) Books 1 – 8

Question. Which of the following statements about later Vedic is not correct?
(a) unit of society was family which was patriarchal
(b) joint family was prevalent
(c) a daughter was a source of pride and joy
(d) the birth of a son was especially welcome

Question. What is the implication of upanayana?
(a) the final benediction by the teacher at the time of departure of student
(b) initiation ceremony marking the transition from the stage of young adolescent boy to that of a brahmacharya
(c) the arrangement of conferences for discussion and argument
(d) a royal ceremony raising the status of a raja to a maharaja

Question. The basic unit of the early Vedic age was
(a) kula
(b) grama
(c) vis
(d) jana

Question. The most important god of the Rig Vedic period
(a) Indra
(b) Krishna
(c) Shiva
(d) Rudra

Question. The eternal, imperishable reality in the universe is known as
(a) ahimsa
(b) karma
(c) brahman
(d) samsara

Question. The saptanga rajya lists important
(a) 3 elements of State
(b) 5 elements of State
(c) 7 elements of State
(d) 9 elements of State

Question. Which factor probably did not facilitate the rise of the Mauryas?
(a) Death of Alexander and growing difficulties of the Greeks in holding to the Punjab
(b) Decline of the prestige of the republican states of the North-West and the Punjab
(c) Unpopularity and tyranny of the last Nanda king
(d) Shudra origin of the Nandas

Question. The idea of the soul or inner reality of an individual is called
(a) atman
(b) karma
(c) samsara
(d) brahman

Question. Which of the following crime is not mentioned in the Vedic sources?
(a) theft
(b) cattle-stealing
(c) kidnapping for ransom
(d) homicide and incest

Question. In times of emergency peasants were
(a) compelled to raise more crops
(b) join the army
(c) pay mor tax
(d) none of the above

Question. The most important feature of the Mauryan economy was
(a) trade and commerce
(b) mining and metallurgy
(c) agriculture
(d) state control over economic activities

Question. Which game was regarded prestigious and was part of the ritual of certain royal ceremonies in the later Vedic period?
(a) chariot race
(b) singing
(c) dancing
(d) gambling

Question. Janapada meant
(a) a region consisting of urban and rural settlements
(b) a region consisting of only tribal settlements
(c) a region consisting of big towns and cities
(d) a region consisting of only dvijas

Question. The term ‘janapada’ literally means
(a) the foorprint of a tribe
(b) the foothold of a tribe
(c) the home of a tribe
(d) the foothold of the kshatriyas

Question. The Ashokan inscriptions were generally located near
(a) highways
(b) offices
(c) pot towns
(d) public places

Question. The Sanchi Stupa was built by
(a) Ashoka
(b) Kanishka
(c) Chandragupta Maurya
(d) Bindusara

Question. Among the 16 Mahajanapadas, the emerged as the most powerful was
(a) Maghadha
(b) Kosala
(c) Kashi
(d) Anga

Question. The rise of Maghada to political supremacy began with
(a) Ajatashatru
(b) Bimbisara
(c) Siddhartha
(d) Chandragupta

Question. One of the most important site for India’s maritime trade was
(a) Patan
(b) Nagara
(c) Arikamedu
(d) Surat

Question. The Sangam literature was written in the language of
(a) Sanskrit
(b) Tamil
(c) Telugu
(d) Kannada

Question. The first rulers of Magadha were the
(a) Nandas
(b) Shishunagas
(c) Haryankas
(d) Mauryans

Question. How many mahajanapadas were there?
(a) 13
(b) 15
(c) 16
(d) 17

Question. What was the most common mode of conduct during the Vedic period?
(a) money
(b) cow
(c) barter system
(d) gold coins

Question. Later Vedic period is also known as
(a) Ochre- Coloured pottery (OCP) culture
(b) Painted grey ware (PGW) culture
(c) Northern Black Polished Ware (NBP/NBPW) culture
(d) Painted Black Ware (PBW) culture

Fill in the blanks

Question. The goal of the Upanishadic thought is the realization of _____________.

Question. The word Brahman means something that grants ______________.

Question. The Harappan civilization was an urban culture of the ___________ age.

Question. The first capital of Magadha was ______________.

Question. It was ______________ which first used elephant in wars.

Question. The ___________ was the royal priest of the early Vedic political organization.

Question. Bhikkhuni Sangha was a monastic order for _____________.

Question. Mahavira was believed to the _________ Jaina Tirthankara.

Question. Artifacts help to understand the ______________ development in a more specific and technical way.

Question. The ___________________ coins are the earliest coins in India.

Question. The ______________ found in Mohenjodaro was probably used for ceremonial bathing.

Question. According to _____________________, the Harappan state was a highly centralized empire.

Question. Mortimer Wheeler argued that the Harappan civilization was destroyed by ___________ invaders.

Question. _________ is the consort of Shiva and is considered the personification of material energy (Mother Nature or Prakriti).

Question. Sangam literature refers to the literary texts in ___________.

Question. _____________ were the fortified settlements on high mounds in Harrapan cities.

Question. The only Harappan site with a dockyard is ____________.

Question. The function of the purohita was to accompany the __________ to battle, recite prayers and supervise the performance of rituals.

Question. The Rig Veda mentions two varnas – the arya varna and __________ varna.

Question. Varna literally means _________.

Question. The court art of Mauryan empire exhibits foreign influence, especially of ___________.

Question. Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the last king of __________ dynasty.

Question. The ___________ of the Pali canon was a high-level businessman associated with trade and money lending.

Question. The gahapati was also a wealthy property owner and producer of ___________.

Question. __________________ is the study of the remains of dead organisms.