HISTORY OF INDIA UPTO POST-MAURYA PERIOD MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

PAPER II

HISTORY OF INDIA UPTO POST-MAURYA PERIOD

MCQ for UNIVERSITY Question Bank 2020

UNIT I :

1. Literary sources include

a. architectural remains

b. material remains

c. coins and oral tradition

d. texts - written and oral

2. Pre-history is the term used for the past

a. before the advent of writing

b. before the advent of painting

c. during the time of the cavemen

d. before history

3. Proto-history refers to people or civilization

a. that were not familiar with the art of writing

b. whose script has remained undeciphered so far

c. who used sign language instead of script

d. with developed stone tools

4. There are

a. 3 Vedas

b. 4 Vedas

c. 5 Vedas

d. 7 Vedas

5. The oldest surviving texts in India are

a. the Puranas

b. the Dharmashastras

c. the Vedas

d. the Tipitakas/Tripitakas

6. What are the two Sanskrit epics?

a. the Mahabharata and Ramayana

b. the Puranas and Dharmashastra

c. the Vedas and Smritis

d. the Aryankas and Upanishads

7. The Tipitaka/Tripitaka was written in

a. Pali

b. Sanskrit

c. Prakrit

d. Persian

8. Early Jaina literature were written in

a. Sanskrit

b. Pali

c. Tamil

d. Prakrit

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9. The accounts of foreign writers

a. are not important as they are not written by Indians

b. are important as they give the true picture of ancient India

c. are important as they fill up the gaps in ancient Indian history, not found in Indian writings

d. are not important as they are not written in Indian languages

10. The most common language used in ancient literary sources is

a. Sanskrit

b. Pali

c. Tamil

d. Persian

11. The earliest deciphered epigraphy in India is

a. Brahmi script

b. Indus script

c. Kharosthi script

d. Tamil script

12. 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

13. Archaeology is the study of human past through

a. remains of dead organism

b. skeletal remains

c. ancient texts

d. material remains

14. Archaeology is often described as

a. the brother of history

b. the mother of history

c. the handmaid of history

d. the sister of history

15. Which of the following is not included as part of archaeology?

a. marine archaeology

b. assemblage

c. pot sherd

d. painting

16. Numismatic is the study of

a. inscriptions

b. coins

c. archaeological remains

d. artifacts

17. The study of inscription is called

a. palaeography

b. historiography

c. epigraphy

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d. numismatic

18. The study of scripts is called

a. palaeography

b. historiography

c. epigraphy

d. numismatic

19. Field archaeology deals with

a. the exploration and excavation of sites

b. the study of ancient games

c. radiocarbon dating

d. the preservation of artefact

20. The study of behaviour and practices of living communities to interpret past communities is called

a. Palaeo-pathology

b. New Archaeology

c. Ethno-archaeology

d. Archaeometry

21. In 1920, the excavation of Harappa was started by

a. Daya Ram Sahni

b. Mortimer Wheeler

c. Sir John Marshall

d. R. D. Banerji

22. The excavation of Mohenjodaro was started by

a. Daya Ram Sahni

b. Mortimer Wheeler

c. Sir John Marshall

d. R. D. Banerji

23. The formal announcement of the discovery of Harappan civilization was made in 1924 by the Director

General of the Archaeology Survey of India

a. Alexander Cunningham

b. Mortimer Wheeler

c. Sir John Marshall

d. Vincent A. Smith

24. The Harappan Civilization belongs to the

a. Mesolithic Age

b. Paleolithic Age

c. Chalcolithic Age

d. Neolithic Age

25. Most scholars date Mature Harappa

a. c.3000 – 2500 BCE

b. c 2600 – 1900 BCE

c. c.2500 – 1500 BCE

d. c.2300 – 1500 BCE

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26. The most important animal worshipped by the Indus Valley people was

a. tiger

b. cow

c. humped bull

d. deer

27. The least depicted animal on Harappan seals is

a. horse

b. bull

c. rhinoceros

d. humped bull

28. The Great Bath was found in

a. Mohenjodaro

b. Harrapa

c. Lothal

d. Kalibangan

29. Harappan dockyard was discovered at

a. Ropar

b. Kalibangan

c. Lothal

d. Harappa

30. The metal which was not used by the Harrapan people was

a. gold

b. silver

c. iron

d. bronze

31. Harappans built their houses using

a. sandstone

b. wood

c. marble

d. baked and unbaked bricks

32. The Harappans knew many industries except

a. dyeing

b. iron smelting

c. pottery

d. weaving

33. Choose the correct statement

a. ‘Fire altars’ have been found only at a few Harappan sites.

b. In all the excavated Harappan sites ‘Fire altars’ have been found.

c. Not a single ‘fire altar’ have been discovered so far.

d. ‘Fire altars’ have been found only at Harappa.

34. 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

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c. Water flowed from the house to the streets which had drains

d. Drains were covered with bricks and sometimes with stone slabs

35. 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

36. Which of the following was not one of the tools and implements of the Harappan people?

a. needles

b. axes

c. sickles

d. fork and spoons

37. One of the following traditions of present-day Hinduism has no basis in Harappan cult

a. Sakti worship

b. Dedication of temples to a particular deity

c. Worship of Siva and Pashupati

d. Worship of Siva-linga in the form of conical and cylindrical stones

38. Late Harappan phase witnessed

a. regional variations in the culture

b. urban phase of the culture

c. declining phase of the culture

d. use of iron by the people

39. Late Harappa saw the shift of people

a. to the east and the south

b. to the west

c. to the north

d. to the west and the north

40. Which of the following were the causes for the decline of the Harappan civilization?

a. Aryan invasion

b. religious differences among the priests

c. natural calamities such as deforestation, floods, earthquakes and famines

d. all of the above

UNIT II:

41. Which one among the following is most widely accepted as the homeland of Indo-Aryans?

a. India

b. Artic region

c. Eastern Europe (north of the Black Sea)

d. Central Europe

42. 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

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43. 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

44. 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

45. What is Avesta?

a. name of a Vedic god

b. a place in Iran

c. religious book of ancient Iranians

d. a place in Harappa

46. What is the importance of Avesta for Vedic period?

a. The words, phrases, stanzas, myths and legends in it suggest the similarity between Rig Veda and

Avesta and that their ancestors had lived together for a long time

b. It has no importance for the understanding of Vedic culture

c. It shows the cultural exchange between ancient Iranians and Rig Vedic people

d. It shows close similarity between the physical features of the Iranian Aryans and the Vedic Aryans

47. Which is not true about the early Aryan movement?

a. From their original homeland tribe after tribe of Aryans began to migrate in different directions

b. A large section of them gradually found their way into India through the north-western passes in the

Hindu Kush Mountains

c. Some of the earlier migrations were absorbed in the cultural life of the Harappans

d. Aryans came in one swift movement to invade the people of north west India

48. 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

49. 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

50. The only source for the early Vedic age is

a. excavation

b. the Epics

c. the Dharmasashtras

d. the Rig Veda

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51. The main cause of wars among the early Aryans, especially in the battle of the ten kings in the Rig Veda

was

a. intrigues of the purohitas

b. exhibition of prowess

c. foreign invasions

d. cattle and land disputes

52. The term ‘Jana’ in the Rig Veda stood for

a. clan

b. tribe

c. nation

d. tribal

53. The basic unit of the early Vedic age was

a. kula

b. grama

c. vis

d. jana

54. The most important god of the Rig Vedic period

a. Indra

b. Krishna

c. Shiva

d. Rudra

55. The Rig-Vedic period saw the absence of

a. gold

b. iron

c. copper

d. bronze

56. 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

57. 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

58. The form of wealth of the Rig Vedic people was

a. cattle

b. gold

c. land

d. silver

59. During the early Vedic period, words like Panchalas or Kurus or Bharat referred to

a. people or tribe

b. territories

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c. kingdoms

d. state

60. 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

61. What was the most common mode of conduct during the Vedic period?

a. money

b. cow

c. barter system

d. gold coins

62. 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

63. Society came to be divided into four varnas during

a. Rig-Vedic period

b. Later-Vedic Period

c. Post-Vedic Period

d. Aryan period

64. The date of Later Vedic period is

a. 1100-500 BCE

b. 1000-500 BCE

c. 1200-500 BCE

d. 1300-500 BCE

65. 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

66. 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

67. Dvija literally means

a. twice born

b. salvation

c. liberation

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d. brahmanas

68. Bhagaduga was the

a. tax collector

b. commander of the army

c. chief priest

d. charioteer

69. The most prestigious amusement of the Vedic period was

a. dice

b. music

c. chariot race

d. dance

70. Which played the most important part in later Vedic economy?

a. agriculture

b. cattle-breeding

c. trade and commerce

d. industry

71. As compared to early-Vedic age, the condition of women during the later-Vedic age had

a. improved

b. remained the same

c. deteriorated

d. became the same as men

72. 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

73. 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

74. 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

75. Which of the following is not true about sabha and samiti?

a. among tribes which had no elected chief, these assemblies exercised the function of governance and

authority

b. they acted as check on the chief’s authority

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c. in later Vedic times they lost importance while royal power increased

d. women were permitted to sit and preside over the meetings

76. A major concern of Upanishadic thought is to explore and explain the meaning and relationship between

a. brahman and samsara

b. atman and moksha

c. brahman and atman

d. samsara and moksha

77. The eternal, imperishable reality in the universe is known as

a. ahimsa

b. karma

c. brahman

d. samsara

78. The idea of the soul or inner reality of an individual is called

a. atman

b. karma

c. samsara

d. brahman

79. The transition of the four-fold order of the varna to that of the caste system took place in

a. Early Vedic period

b. Later Vedic period

c. Post Vedic period

d. Mauryan period

80. The Upanishads does not reject ritual but emphasised on the attainment of

a. enlightenment

b. knowledge

c. liberation

d. salvation

UNIT III:

81. 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

82. 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

83. How many mahajanapadas were there?

a. 13

b. 15

c. 16

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HISTORY OF INDIA UPTO POST-MAURYA PERIOD MCQs

HISTORY OF INDIA UPTO POST-MAURYA PERIOD MCQs

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