(Political History: Ancient Period)

1. Which one of the following Gupta rulers was related to the Licchavis on his mother’s side? (IAS 2004)

(a) Srigupta (b) Chandragupta-1

(c) Ghatotkachagupta (d) Samudragupta

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2. Who was the first king to conquer Malwa, Gujarat and Maharashtra?

(a) Skandagupta (b) Samudragupta

(c) Chandragupta Maurya (d) Harshavardhana

3. Name the great Hindu King who combined in himself the qualities of Samudragupta and Ashoka?

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(a) Kanishka (b) Chandragupta I

(c) Chandragupta II (d) Harshavardhana

4. Who among the following was a great ruler of Kalinga in ancient times?

(I.F.S. 1993)

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(a) Ajatasatru (b) Bindusara

(c) Kharavela (d) Mayurasarman

5. The great Hindu law-giver was

(a) Kapil (b) Banabhatta

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(c) Kautilya (d) Manu

6. Which of the following is the correct chronological order?

(a) Kushans -Guptas- Sungas -Mauryas

(b) Mauryas -Sungas- Kushans -Guptas

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(c) Guptas- Kushans- Mauryas – Sungas

(d) Sungas -Mauryas- Guptas- Kushans

7. Which of the following was an important port of the eastern coast during the Gupta period?

(a) Broach (b) Kalyan

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(c) Tamralipti (d) Sopara

8. The Arab conquest of Sindh took place in (C.D.S.1993)

(a) 712 A.D. (b) 740 A.D.

(c) 1001 AD. (d) 1009A.D.

9. Sakas were finally overthrown by (Railways, 95)

(a) Kanishka (b) Chandragupta Vikramaditya

(c) Devapala (d) Gautamiputra Satakarni

10. Which of the following was a republic in sixth century B.C.?

(a) Magadha (b) Vrijian state

(c) Avanti (d) None of these

11. Which of the following gives detailed instructions on the control of the state, the organization of the national economy and the conduct of war? (IAS 2002)

(a) Arthashastra (b) Rajatarangini (c) Atharvaveda (d) Mahabharta

12. The Arthashastra is not concerned with

(a) Administration of tests of loyalty to ministers.

(b) Assignments of lands to officers for their services.

(c) Appointment of superintending officers for agriculture.

(d) Appointment of superintending officers for industries.

13. The original name of the Kushanas was in (C.D.S. 1994)

(a) Persia (b) Macedonia

(c) Arabia (d) Chinese Turkistan

14. Who among the following was not a Saka ruler?

(a) Rudradaman (b) Menander

(c) Sodasa (d) Nahapana

15. Maurya empire declined after Ashoka mainly because of

(a) Ashoka’s excessive patronage to Buddhism.

(b) The policy of ahimsa leading to military weakness.

(c) Weak successors of Ashoka

(d) Decentralisation of powers

16. The most commonly used coin, during the Mauryan peroid, was

(a) Suvarna (b) Kakini

(c) Nishka (d) Karashapana

17. The first monarch of Magadh kingdom in the sixth century B.C. was

(a) Bimbisara (b) Prasenajit

(c) Ajatashatru (d) Jarasandha

18. Chandragupta Maurya’s empire extended in the north-west upto

(U.D.C. 1995)

(a) Ravi (b) Indus

(c) Sutlej (d) Hindukush

19. Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the power of Nandas at

(L.I.C., A.A.0, 1990)

(a) Taxila (b) Magadha

(c) Ujjain (d) Sravana Belgola

20. The six distinct schools of Indian philosophy-Vedanta, Mimamsa, Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisesika became fully articulated during the (CPOAC2003)

(a) Vedic age (b) Gupta age (c) Kushana Age (d) Mauryan age

21. The official religion during the rule of the Sunga dynasty was

(a) Buddhism (b) Brahmanism

(c) Jainism (d) The Ajivika religion

22. The Huna leader Mihirgula was defeated by (R.R.B.1995)

(a) Rajyavardhana (b) Chandragupta

(c) Yashodharman (d) Buddhagupta

23. Who amongst the rulers of southern India were the contemporaries of kings of the Gupta Empire?

(a) Satavahanas (b) Rashtrakutas

(c) Vakatakas (d) Cholas

24. The name by which Ashoka is generally referred to in his inscriptions is (I.A.S. 1995)

(a) Priyadarsi (b) Dharmadeva

(c) Chakravarti (d) Dharmakirti

25. Hindu colonies were founded in the South-east Asian countries mostly during the period of (C.D.S. 1995)

(a) The Guptas (b) The Mauryas

(c) The Rajputs (d) The Cholas

26. Before ascending the Maurya throne, Ashoka served as a Viceroy of

(a) Tosali (b) Patliputra

(c) Taxila (d) Kaushambi

27. After the Mauryas, the most important kingdom in Deccan and Central India was that of

(a) Pallavas (b) Cholas

(c) Satavahanas (d) Vakatakas

28. The ‘Kaulinya system’ was introduced in Bengal by (Railways, 1995)

(a) Hemanta Sena (b) Ballala Sena

(c) Lakshmana Sena (d) Vijaya Sena

29. Who amongst the following is credited by a Chinese pilgrim with having built the ancient city of Rajagriha, the modern Rajgir in Patna district?

(a) Udayi (b) Ajatashatru

(c) Prasenajit (d) Bimbisara

30. Pulakesin II was a contemporary of (Stenographer’s Exam, 1994)

(a) Samudragupta (b) Ashoka

(c) Chandragupta Maurya (d) Harsha

31. In early ancient India, the largest urban centre was

(a) Pataliputra (b) Taxila

(c) Kausambi (d) Kanauj

32. Which Saka ruler was responsible for important irrigation works in Saurashtra?

(a) Nahapana (b) Menander

(c) Rudradaman (d) None of these

33. The most important kingdom in Deccan and Central India after the Mauryas was the

(a) Cholas (b) Satavahanas

(c) Vakatakas (d) Pallavas

34. Which of the following dynasties ruled over Magadha in the 6th century B.C.?

(a) Mauryas (b) Nandas

(c) Haryanka (d) Sisunaga

35. Which of the following became the most important city of northern India under Harsha?

(a) Pataliputra (b) Ujjain

(c) Kanauj (d) Thaneswar

36. The most famous Indo Greek ruler to rule over India, noted for his justice and popularity with his subjects, was

(a) Rudradaman (b) Menander

(c) Eukratides (d) Demetrios

37. The Arab conquest of Sind took place in 712A.D. under the leadership of (C.D.S.1991)

(a) Muhammad bin Kasim (b) Subuktagin

(c) Mahmud Ghaznavi (d) Qutub-ud-din

38. Chandragupta II fought war with the

(a) Sakas (b) Huns

(c) Kushans (d) Parthians.

39. The Gupta feudatories who became strong and independent in Gujarat were known as (C.D.S.9S)

(a) Vakatakas (b) Maitrakas

(c) Yaudheyas (d) Pundra Vardhanas

40. Lichchavi princess Kumara Devi was married to

(a) Pravarasena (b) Chandragupta I (c) Chandragupta II (d) Harshavardhana

41. Gondophernes belonged to

(a) The Saka dynasty (b) The Parthian dynasty

(c) The Kusliana dynasty (d) The Satavahana dynasty

42. Rudradaman was one of the greatest

(a) Saka rulers (b) Kushan rulers

(c) Maurya rulers (d) Pallava rulers

43. The Council of the ‘Nine Gems’ is associated with (Railways, 1995)

(a) Ballala Sena (b) Harshavardhana

(c) Chandragupta II (d) Devapala

44. The ancient kingdom of Avanti had its capital at

(a) Vaishali (b) Pataliputra

(c) Ujjain (d) Ayodhya

45. Affange the following in chronological order:

1. Skandagupta 2. Rajendra Choladeva I 3. Chandragupta I 41 Harshavardhana

(a) 1,3,2,4 (b) 2,3,1,4

(c) 3,1,4,2 (d) 4,1,3,2

46. The Asokan inscription which gives an account of the Kalinga war and its effects is (C.D.S.94)

(a) Gimar Rock Edict (b) Minor Rock Edict III

(c) Minor Rock Edict IV (d) Minor Rock Edict XIII

47. The only ruler of India who ruled over territories in Central Asia beyond the Pamirs was

(a) Kanishka (b) Ashoka

(c) Samudragupta (d) Harsha

48. The great Royal Road mentioned by Megasthenes ran from

(a) Prayag to Ujjaini (b) Indus to Pataliputra

(c) Pataliputra to Prayag (d) Pataliputra to Taxila

49. Who among the following is considered as the first national ruler of India?

(a) Chandragupta Maurya (b) Ashoka (c) Chandragupta I (d) Kanishka

50. Which of the following was not a kingdom in ancient India?

(a) Avanti (b) Vatsa

(c) Hampi (d) Kosala

51. Which of the following was/were the reasons for general decline of foreign trade during the later Gupta period? Selected the answer from the codes given below

1. Quality of goods declined

2. Arabs and Chinese intervention in the trade

3. Decline and fall of the Roman empire

4. Indian law makers declared it a great sin for a Hindu to travel by sea

(a) 1,2 and4 (b) 1, 3 and 4

(c) 2, 3 and 4 (d) All of the above

52. Samudragupta of the Gupta dynasty was unique among the Indian Hindu rulers owing to (IAS 2003)

(a) His contribution to the revival of Hinduism

(b) His passion for conquest and empire building

(c) He founded an empire that lasted over two centuries

(d) His patronage of art, especially music and poetry

53. Arrange the following eras in chronological order? (IAS 2003)

(i) Saka era (ii) Vikrama era

(iii) Kalachuri era (iv) Gupta era

(a) II, I, III and IV (b) I, II III and IV

(c) II, I, IV and III (d) III, I, II and IV

54. The subject matter of Ajanta paintings were (tvs 2003)

(a) Buddha’s life and Bodhisatva

(b) Garuda, Yaksha, Gandhai va and Apsaras

(c) Animals, birds and flowers

(d) All of the above

55. In the courtyard of the Quwwatul Islam Mosque of Delhi stanch famous iron pillar in the memory of

(a) Ashoka (b) Chandra

(c) Harsha (d) Anangapala

ANSWERS

1. (c) 2. (c) 3(d) 4 (b) 5 (d) 6.(b) 7.(c) 8.(a) 9.(d) 10.(b)

11.(a) 12. (b) 13.(d) 14.(b) 15 (c) 16 (d) 17.(a) 18.(d) 19.(b) 20.(b)

21. (b) 22. (c) 23. (a) 24. (a) 25 (b) 26.(c) 27.(c) 28.(b) 29.(d) 30.(d)

31. (a) 32. (c) 33.(b) 34. (c) 35(c) 36 (b) 37. (a) 38 (a) 39 (b) 40. (b)

41. (b) 42. (a) 43. (c) 44. (c) 45. (c) 46 (d) 47. (a) 48. (b) 49. (a) 50. (c)

51 (c) 52. (b) 53. (a) 54. (d)