Ancient Indian History MCQs
Multiple Choice Quiz Questions (MCQs) on Ancient Indian History for General Studies and GK preparation of SSC, NDA, CDS, UPSC, UPPSC and State PSC Examinations.
11. There is no evidence of cultivation of which among the Barley , Sugarcane, Rice & Field pea at any of the sites of the Indus valley ?
[A] Sugarcane, Rice & Field pea
[B] Rice & Field pea
[C] Sugarcane Only
[D] Rice only
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Sugarcane Only]
Notes:
The correct answer is “Sugarcane Only.” While barley and rice were cultivated in the Indus Valley Civilization, there is no archaeological evidence of sugarcane cultivation in that region during that period. The Indus Valley Civilization, which thrived around 2500 BCE, is known for its advanced agricultural practices, including the cultivation of barley and rice, but sugarcane was primarily cultivated in other regions, such as Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, before spreading to India later.
12. Which among the following Brahman provides details of cultivation process?
[A] Aitarey
[B] Kaushitaki
[C] Satpatha
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Satpatha]
Notes:
The Shatapatha / Satapatha Brahmana is a commentary on the Śukla Yajurveda. It is described as the most complete, systematic, and important of the Brahmanas. It contains details of cultivation process along with detailed explanations of Vedic sacrificial rituals, symbolism, and mythology.
13. Who are the mother, wife, and daughter of Emperor Asoka respectively?
[A] Mahadevi, Subhadrangi, Sanghmitra
[B] Subhadrangi, Mahadevi, Sanghmitra
[C] Mahadevi, Sanghamitra, Subhadrangi
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Subhadrangi, Mahadevi, Sanghmitra]
Notes:
Emperor Asoka, who ruled most of India after the Maurya Dynasty, was born to his mother, Subhadrangi. He was married to Mahadevi and they had a daughter named Sanghmitra. Asoka is known for his significant contributions to Buddhism.
14. Which of the following religious text is written in the form of questions and answers?
[A] Vinaya Pitaka
[B] Sutta Pitaka
[C] Abhidhamma Pitaka
[D] Prakirnas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Abhidhamma Pitaka]
Notes:
The Abhidhamma Pitaka is a detailed scholastic analysis and summary of the Buddha’s teachings in the Suttas. Everything written in this is in the form of question and answer.
15. To perform which among the following functions, Rajukas were appointed by Asoka?
[A] Revenue Functions
[B] Judicial Functions
[C] Religious Functions
[D] Military Functions
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Judicial Functions]
Notes:
The rajukas worked in a judicial capacity as well as being revenue administrators. During asoka’s reign they were given increased judicial powers in the settlement of disputes.
16. Who among the following rulers of Karkota dynasty built the Martand Surya temple?
[A] Lalitaditya Muktapida
[B] Durlabh Vardhan
[C] Durlabahaka
[D] Avanativarmana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Lalitaditya Muktapida]
Notes:
The Martand Sun Temple was built by an emperor of the Kashmiri Karkoṭa dynasty, Lalitaditya Muktapida in the 8th century. The temple was destroyed by Islamic ruler Sikandar Butshikan in the early 15th century.
17. What is Panduvaraguddum, that was in news recently?
[A] A sweet dish of Telangana which recently got a GI tag.
[B] A disputed village between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
[C] A a nesting zone of olive ridley turtles.
[D] It is a megalithic site in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [It is a megalithic site in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.]
Notes:
A reappraisal of a megalithic site of Panduvaraguddum has discovered 18 dolmenoid cists (burial places) surrounded by slab circles on a big granite hill in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
18. Which Satvahana ruler adopted the title Tri-samudra-toya-pita-vahana?
[A] Gautamiputra Sri Satkarni
[B] Vashishtiputra Pulumayi
[C] Simuka
[D] Yajnasri Satkarni
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Gautamiputra Sri Satkarni]
Notes:
Gautamiputra Sri Satkarni adopted the title Tri-samudra-toya-pita-vahana which meant ‘the ruler whose subjects drank the water of the three seas of the east,west and south’. The Bay of Bengal,The Arabian Sea and The Indian Ocean.
19. Which of the following statements is not correct about Nalanda University?
[A] It was an ancient Buddhist learning centre
[B] A Chinese Hiuen Tsang studied here
[C] We came to know about it only through the writings of Chinese pilgrims
[D] It was mainly responsible for spreading Buddhism to China, Japan and South East Asia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [We came to know about it only through the writings of Chinese pilgrims]
Notes:
Nalanda was an ancient Mahavihara. It was a large and revered Buddhist monastery. It flourished under the patronage of the Gupta Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries. At its peak the school attracted scholars and students from near and far, with some travelling from Tibet, China, Korea, and Central Asia.
Hiuen Tsang travelled around India between the years of 630 and 643 CE and visited Nalanda first in 637 and then again in 642, spending a total of around two years at the monastery.
20. Who among the following wrote “The Arctic Home of the Vedas”?
[A] Minoo Masani
[B] Acharya Vinoba Bhave
[C] S. Radhakrishnan
[D] Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Bal Gangadhar Tilak]
Notes:
The Arctic Home in the Vedas is a 1903 book on the origin of Aryanic People by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a mathematician turned astronomer, historian, journalist, philosopher and political leader of India.
