Every question from this NCERT chapter, with a detailed explanation.
In the Mauryan administration, the provincial centre of Suvarnagiri was likely important for:
Which of the following is the correct chronological order of these rulers/events? 1. Accession of Chandragupta Maurya 2. Invasion of Alexander of Macedon 3. Reign of Asoka 4. End of the Mauryan Empire Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Who among the following was a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya and wrote an account that survives in fragments?
Consider the following statements regarding Asoka’s Dhamma: 1. It included respect towards elders and generosity towards Brahmanas. 2. It strictly forbade any interaction with slaves and servants. 3. It required the rejection of all religions other than Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the fortification of Rajagaha: 1. It was a fortified settlement located amongst hills. 2. The fortification walls were built using burnt bricks only. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the developments in the Indian subcontinent during the 1,500 years following the end of the Harappan civilisation, consider the following statements: 1. The Rigveda was composed by people living along the Indus and its tributaries. 2. Megaliths emerged in central and south India only after the 4th century CE. 3. In megalithic burials, the dead were often buried with iron tools and weapons. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Mahajanapadas of the sixth century BCE: 1. The Dharmasutras laid down norms only for the Brahmanas and not for the rulers. 2. Some Mahajanapadas, known as ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies where power was shared by a number of men. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to early Indian history, which of the following sources mention the sixteen states known as the Mahajanapadas?
With reference to the Mahajanapadas and their capitals, which of the following pairs are correctly matched? 1. Gandhara : Taxila 2. Anga : Champa 3. Magadha : Rajgir (initially) 4. Avanti : Ujjayini Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Consider the following statements regarding the rise of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanapada: 1. It was a region where agriculture was especially productive. 2. Iron mines in present-day Jharkhand were accessible for tools and weapons. 3. The Ganga river system acted as a barrier to communication. 4. Early Buddhist writers attributed its power solely to the geographical advantages and not to individual rulers. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the scripts and languages used in early inscriptions: 1. Most Asokan inscriptions were in the Sanskrit language. 2. Aramaic and Greek scripts were used for inscriptions in Afghanistan. 3. Prakrit inscriptions in the northwest were written in the Kharosthi script. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the military organisation of the Mauryas as described by Megasthenes: 1. A committee with six subcommittees coordinated military activity. 2. The committee had no responsibility for the navy. 3. Transport and provisions were managed by a separate civilian department, not the military committee. 4. One subcommittee was responsible for the infantry. Which of the statements given above are correct?
The special officers appointed by Asoka to spread the message of dhamma were known as:
Consider the following statements regarding the decline of the Mauryan Empire: 1. By the second century BCE, new chiefdoms and kingdoms emerged in several parts of the subcontinent. 2. The empire encompassed the entire subcontinent including the deep south. 3. Control within the empire was likely strongest in the capital and provincial centres. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
In the context of early Tamilakam, the term "Tamilakam" included parts of which present-day states?
Consider the following statements regarding "Chiefs" and "Kings" in the south: 1. Chiefs generally collected regular taxes, whereas kings depended on gifts. 2. The Satavahanas and Shakas derived revenues from long-distance trade. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
Consider the following statements regarding the Kushana rulers: 1. They ruled over a small kingdom confined to the Kashmir valley. 2. Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found in a shrine at Mat near Mathura. 3. They were the first to issue gold coins that were virtually identical in weight to those of the Roman emperors. Which of the statements given above are correct?
The Prayaga Prashasti, also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta, was composed by which of the following court poets?
Consider the following statements regarding the Prayaga Prashasti: 1. It is a biography of Chandragupta Maurya. 2. It describes the king as "Purusha". 3. It claims the king is equal to gods like Kubera and Indra. 4. It was composed in Pali. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Silappadikaram: 1. It describes a visit of a Pandya chief to the forest. 2. The people brought no gifts for the chief. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the exemptions granted to the village of Danguna in Prabhavati Gupta's inscription: 1. It was not to be entered by soldiers and policemen. 2. It was exempt from providing grass and animal hides to royal officers. 3. It was exempt from the royal prerogative of digging for salt. 4. It was granted the right to hidden treasures and deposits. Which of the statements given above are correct?
In land grant inscriptions from the seventh century onwards in Tamil Nadu, which language was typically used alongside Sanskrit to record the details of the land?
In ancient and early medieval India, most land grant inscriptions were customarily recorded on which of the following materials?
Consider the following statements regarding the village of Danguna mentioned in Prabhavati Gupta's inscription: 1. The grant was made to a merchant guild. 2. The villagers were commanded to obey the new lord of the village. 3. The inscription was engraved by Chakradasa. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding Shrenis: 1. They were solely religious bodies with no role in production or marketing. 2. They were organisations of craft producers and merchants. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I (City) | List II (Feature/Route) A. Pataliputra | 1. Riverine route B. Ujjayini | 2. Land route C. Puhar | 3. Coastal route D. Mathura | 4. Commercial and cultural activity
Consider the following statements regarding the identification of Asoka in inscriptions: 1. The name "Asoka" is mentioned in every inscription issued by him. 2. Titles like Devanampiya and Piyadassi are often used instead of his name. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
James Prinsep, who deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi, was an officer in the:
Archaeological evidence of a bead-making industry using precious and semi-precious stones has been found in which site in Tamil Nadu?
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I (Text/Inscription) | List II (Language) A. Jatakas | 1. Sanskrit B. Manusmrti | 2. Tamil C. Silappadikaram | 3. Pali D. Satavahana Inscriptions | 4. Prakrit
Consider the following statements regarding the titles used by Asoka: 1. Devanampiya translates to "beloved of the gods". 2. Piyadassi translates to "destroyer of enemies". 3. These titles appear on coins issued by the Indo-Greeks. 4. Epigraphists matched these titles with the name Asoka through comparative study of inscriptions. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the issuance of coins: 1. Punch-marked coins were issued only by kings, never by merchants or bankers. 2. The first coins to bear the names and images of rulers were issued by the Indo-Greeks. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which dynasty issued the largest hoards of gold coins in the early historic period, which were virtually identical in weight to Roman coins?
Consider the following statements regarding the Yaudheyas: 1. They did not issue any coins. 2. They were a tribal republic in Punjab and Haryana. 3. Their coins point to their lack of interest in economic exchanges. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the decipherment of Brahmi: 1. Most scripts used to write modern Indian languages are derived from Brahmi. 2. James Prinsep deciphered Asokan Brahmi in 1838 by comparing it with Greek scripts. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I (Script/Language) | List II (Context) A. Prakrit | 1. Used in most Asokan inscriptions B. Aramaic | 2. Used in inscriptions in the northwest C. Brahmi | 3. Used in inscriptions in Afghanistan D. Kharosthi | 4. Language of ordinary people
In the administrative terminology used in Asokan inscriptions, the term ‘Pativedaka’ refers to which of the following officials?
Consider the following statements regarding the Harshacharita: 1. It was composed in the Pali language. 2. It is a biography of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Kanauj. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Harshacharita describes a village on the outskirts of the Vindhya forest as being primarily involved in the production of:
In early Indian numismatics, the earliest coins known as punch-marked coins were primarily made of which of the following metals?
In early historic Indian society as reflected in Pali texts, the term ‘Gahapati’ was used to refer to which of the following?
Consider the following statements regarding agricultural technologies in early India: 1. The iron-tipped ploughshare was primarily used in semi-arid regions like Rajasthan. 2. Transplantation of paddy was introduced in the Ganga valley to increase production. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the spread of plough agriculture: 1. It spread in fertile alluvial river valleys from c. sixth century BCE. 2. Cultivators in semi-arid areas adopted the plough as early as the sixth century BCE. 3. Hoe agriculture was completely abandoned in hilly tracts by the Mauryan period. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Sudarshana Lake in Gujarat, an artificial reservoir, was repaired by which Shaka ruler in the second century CE?
The title Devaputra adopted by the Kushana rulers is most plausibly considered to have been influenced by which of the following traditions?
Consider the following statements regarding the Manusmrti and its advice on boundaries: 1. It is a legal text written in Sanskrit. 2. It advises the king to have concealed boundary markers buried. 3. Suggested markers include stones, bones, cow’s hair, and ashes. 4. It suggests that boundaries are irrelevant if the king is powerful. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding rural society in the early historic period: 1. There was a growing differentiation amongst people engaged in agriculture. 2. Village headmen had no authority over other cultivators. 3. The position of the village headman was often hereditary. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Prabhavati Gupta, known from her land grant inscriptions during the Vakataka period, was the daughter of which Gupta ruler?
Consider the following statements regarding the land grant by Prabhavati Gupta: 1. Sanskrit legal texts explicitly allowed women to hold land on par with men. 2. The inscription indicates that Prabhavati Gupta had access to land, suggesting that legal norms were not uniformly implemented. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
In the context of ancient Indian land grants, the term "Agrahara" referred to land granted to: