Q1The Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation is best described as a:
- ANomadic pastoral society
- BBronze Age urban civilisation
- CIron Age empire
- DStone Age settlement
Q2The Great Bath, a notable structure of the Harappan civilisation, was found at:
- AHarappa
- BMohenjo-daro
- CLothal
- DKalibangan
Q3 (statement-based). Consider the following about Harappan sites:
- Lothal had a dockyard.
- Dholavira is known for its water management and a signboard inscription.
- Kalibangan showed evidence of ploughed fields.
How many are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Q4The four Vedas, in the order generally regarded as the oldest first, begin with the:
- ASama Veda
- BYajur Veda
- CRig Veda
- DAtharva Veda
Q5The term "Aryans" in the Vedic context primarily refers to:
- AA racial category proven by archaeology
- BA group identified mainly by language and culture in the Vedic texts
- CA single dynasty
- DTraders from West Asia
Q6Match List I (Text) with List II (Nature):
- ARig Veda
- BSama Veda
- CYajur Veda
- DAtharva Veda
- Melodies and chants
- Hymns of praise
- Sacrificial formulae
- Spells and charms
Codes:
- (a) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
- (b) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
- (c) A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4
- (d) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
Q7Among the sixteen Mahajanapadas, which one eventually grew into the most powerful and absorbed the others?
- AAvanti
- BMagadha
- CGandhara
- DKuru
Q8The founder of Jainism's twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara was:
- ARishabhadeva
- BParshvanatha
- CMahavira (Vardhamana)
- DGautama Buddha
Q9The Buddha delivered his first sermon, the "turning of the wheel of law", at:
- ABodh Gaya
- BSarnath
- CKushinagar
- DLumbini
Q10 (statement-based). Consider the following about the teachings of the Buddha:
- The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path form the core.
- The Buddha rejected the authority of the Vedas and elaborate ritual.
- He taught in Sanskrit to reach the priestly class.
How many are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Q11Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire with the help of his mentor:
- AMegasthenes
- BKautilya (Chanakya)
- CAshoka
- DBindusara
Q12The Greek ambassador to the Mauryan court who wrote "Indica" was:
- AFa-Hien
- BHiuen Tsang
- CMegasthenes
- DPtolemy
Q13The Kalinga War, after which Ashoka embraced Buddhism, is recorded in his:
- AAllahabad Pillar inscription
- BMajor Rock Edict XIII
- CJunagadh inscription
- DAihole inscription
Q14 (assertion-reason). Assertion (A): Ashoka propagated "Dhamma" across his empire.
Reason (R): His edicts, inscribed on rocks and pillars in Prakrit and the Brahmi script, conveyed a code of moral conduct and tolerance.
- (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
- (c) A is true, R is false
- (d) A is false, R is true
Q15The "Arthashastra", a treatise on statecraft and economy, is attributed to:
- APatanjali
- BKautilya
- CKalidasa
- DPanini
Q16After the decline of the Mauryas, the Shunga dynasty was founded by:
- APushyamitra Shunga
- BKanishka
- CGautamiputra Satakarni
- DDemetrius
Q17The Kushana ruler who convened the Fourth Buddhist Council and patronised Gandhara art was:
- AKanishka
- BMenander
- CRudradaman
- DSamudragupta
Q18Match List I (Dynasty) with List II (Notable feature):
- ASatavahanas
- BKushanas
- CIndo-Greeks
- DGuptas
- Gandhara and Mathura schools of art flourished
- First to issue large numbers of gold coins of high purity in India
- Deccan power, issued lead and other coins
- Introduced features of Hellenistic coinage to India
Codes:
- (a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
- (b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
- (c) A-1, B-3, C-4, D-2
- (d) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
Q19The Gupta age is often called the "Golden Age" of ancient India because of advances in:
- AIron smelting only
- BLiterature, science, mathematics and art
- CMaritime conquest of Europe
- DIndustrial manufacturing
Q20The astronomer-mathematician who proposed that the Earth rotates on its axis and lived in the Gupta era was:
- AAryabhata
- BCharaka
- CSushruta
- DPanini
Q21 (statement-based). Consider the following about the Gupta administration:
- Samudragupta's military campaigns are recorded in the Allahabad (Prayag) Prashasti.
- Chandragupta II is associated with the title Vikramaditya.
- Fa-Hien, a Chinese pilgrim, visited India during this period.
How many are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Q22The iron pillar at Mehrauli (Delhi), noted for its rust resistance, is associated with the:
- AMauryan period
- BGupta period
- CSultanate period
- DMughal period
Q23The Sangam literature throws light on the early history of:
- ANorth-western India
- BThe far south (Tamil region) under the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas
- CCentral Asia
- DBengal
Q24 (assertion-reason). Assertion (A): The Gupta period saw a flowering of Sanskrit literature.
Reason (R): Kalidasa, author of Abhijnanashakuntalam and Meghaduta, is traditionally associated with the court of a Gupta ruler.
- (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
- (c) A is true, R is false
- (d) A is false, R is true
Q25Which of the following best summarises the trajectory of ancient Indian polity from the Mahajanapadas to the Guptas?
- AConstant fragmentation with no large states ever forming
- BThe rise of Magadha, the first pan-Indian empire under the Mauryas, regional successor states, and a classical revival under the Guptas
- CContinuous foreign rule throughout
- DPurely maritime empires without land power