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. The famous Konark Sun temple was built by whom?
[A] Narshimhadeva I
[B] Angabhima deva I
[C] Konkanivarman
[D] Narsimhavarman II
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Narshimhadeva I]
Notes:
The 13th-century famous Konark Sun temple was built by King Narshimhadeva I (of the Eastern Ganga dynasty) at Konark, Odisha around AD1250.
12. The Bodhisattva Doctrine is associated with _?
[A] Mahayana Buddhism
[B] Hinayana Buddhism
[C] Vajrayana Buddhism
[D] Theravada Buddhism
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ Mahayana Buddhism]
Notes:
Bodhisattva is the Sanskrit term associated to Mahayana Buddhism. A bodhisattva is who follows the ideal of the Mahayana, aims at the highest Good for himself and also for others and is motivated by great compassion and has generated bodhicitta and wish to attain buddhahood.
13. Who introduced Buddhism in Nepal?
[A] Samudragupta
[B] Ashoka
[C] Chandragupta
[D] Harshavardhana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ashoka]
Notes:
Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced Gautama Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newars. Lumbini is considered to lie in present-day Rupandehi district, Lumbini zone of Nepal.
14. Which of the following ages in Indian History is referred to as the ‘Golden Age’?
[A] Ancient
[B] Maurya
[C] Gupta
[D] Mughal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Gupta]
Notes:
The Gupta age around 1500 years ago was truly a golden age as far as achievements in literature, architecture etc. were concerned. The poet Kalidasa lived in this age, and the iron pillar which still stands in the open today as it has for hundreds of years without rusting was built then.
15. Which of the following is found at Eran which is an example of Malwa Culture site?
[A] Horse burials
[B] Rampart along with a ditch
[C] Megaliths
[D] Microlith tools
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Rampart along with a ditch ]
Notes:
Major sites of Malwa Culture include Daimabad, Inamgaon, Kayatha, Nagda, Vidisha, Eran, Mandsaur, and Navdatoli (near Maheshwar). A massive fortification wall and a moat have been discovered at Eran
16. In ancient Indian Buddhist monasteries, a ceremony called Pavarana used to be held. What was it?
[A] occasion to elect the Sanghaparinayaka and two speakers one on Dhamma and the other on Vinaya
[B] confession by monks of their offences committed during their stay in the monasteries during the rainy season
[C] ceremony of initiation of new person into the Buddhist Sangha in which the head is shaved an when yellow robes are offered
[D] gathering of Buddhist monks on the next day to the full moon day of Ashadha when they take up affixed abode for the next four months or rainy season
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [confession by monks of their offences committed during their stay in the monasteries during the rainy season]
Notes:
Pavarana is a Buddhist holy day celebrated on the full moon of the eleventh lunar month. It marks the end of the month of Vassa, sometimes called “Buddhist Lent.” This day marks the end of the rainy season in some Asian countries like Thailand, where Theravada Buddhism is practiced. On this day, each monk must come before the community of monks and atone for an offense he may have committed during the Vassa.
17. The majority of the Harappan pottery was:
[A] Plain pottery
[B] Black-painted pottery
[C] Polychrome pottery
[D] Red-painted pottery
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Plain pottery]
Notes:
The majority of pottery produced and used during the Mature Harappan Phase was plain and simply fashioned, unpainted sturdy vessels likely meant for daily domestic utilization. However, painted and inscribed wares, terracotta bangles, toys, statues, and specialized vessels like perforated jars also constituted notable proportions typifying regional variations in material cultures across Indus settlements indicating localized craft production.
18. In Indus Valley Civillization, cemeteries of the Harappan cities were generally located at:
[A] around the perimeter of the settlements
[B] near the residences
[C] at the heart of the cities
[D] within the citadels
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [around the perimeter of the settlements]
Notes:
Unlike contemporaneous Mesopotamian and Egyptian cities, the major urban centers of the Indus Valley Civilization typically did not have designated burial grounds for the dead located within city walls or residential areas. Instead, archaeologists have discovered Harappan cemeteries mostly around the perimeter of settlements away from active inhabited zones, suggesting organized zoning policies existed for funerary spaces across Harappan town planning conventions over two millennia.
19. In which Harappan sites pot-stone fragment of a hut-pot of Mesopotamian origin has been found?
[A] Harappa
[B] Lothal
[C] Mohenjodaro
[D] Chanhudaro
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mohenjodaro]
Notes:
Excavations at Mohenjo-daro city of the Indus Valley civilization, have uncovered a small fragment made of potstone belonging to a cylindrical hut-shaped vessel featuring carved decoration reminiscent of Mesopotamian style. This signifies the Harappan trade networks and contact with contemporary Near Eastern urban cultures in the 3rd millennium BCE. Such imports affirm inter-civilizational exchanges between the early world cities of the Bronze Age.
20. Which of the following Harappan sites has shown the evidence of pit-dwellings?
[A] Burzahom
[B] Sarai Khola
[C] Gufkral
[D] All the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [All the above]
Notes:
Several Harappan phase small rural settlements have revealed remains of pit-dwellings, including Burzahom near Srinagar, Nageen in Baluchistan, several sites in Haryana like Farmana, and Gufkral in Kashmir among others spanning the civilization’s territory. These were structures built partially underground for insulation and represented a more basic accommodation for semi-nomadic pastoral communities on the periphery, contrasting the brick houses and planned drainage system of metropolitan Harappan cities.
