Post Maurya Period History UPSC MCQs

Question. The Satavahanas are credited for the
(a) spread of Buddhism in the Deccan
(b) spread of Jainism in the Deccan
(c) the earliest inscription recording royal land grants
(d) introduction of coin in India

Question. The Ghandhara School of Art was influenced by
(a) Jainism
(b) Buddhism
(c) Saivism
(d) Ajivikas

Question. 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

Question. 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

Question. Who is the greatest of the Satavahana rulers?
(a) Chanda Satakarni
(b) Gautamipuyra Satakarni
(c) Pulumavi
(d) Vasishthiputra Pulumayi

Question. The Satavahanas claimed their descent from
(a) the Brahmanas
(b) the Kshatriyas
(c) Brahma
(d) Surya

Question. Name the inscription which shows Chandragupta Maurya’s rule over western India
(a) Junagadh Rock Edict of Rudradaman
(b) Girnar Rock Edict of Ashoka
(c) Sopara Rock Edict of Ashoka
(d) Bahapur Edict of New Delhi

Question. Ashokan script was deciphered in 1837 by
(a) William Jones
(b) James Princep
(c) Lord Macaulay
(d) Sir John Marshall

Question. Harappans built their houses using
(a) sandstone
(b) wood
(c) marble
(d) baked and unbaked bricks

Question. The Harappans knew many industries except
(a) dyeing
(b) iron smelting
(c) pottery
(d) weaving

Question. How many kinds of state are included in the list of mahajanapadas?
(a) three
(b) seven
(c) two
(d) five

Question. The two kinds of state were
(a) padas and rajyas
(b) ganas and rajyas
(c) sanghas and padas
(d) ganas and sanghas

Question. The oldest surviving texts in India are
(a) the Puranas
(b) the Dharmashastras
(c) the Vedas
(d) the Tipitakas/Tripitakas

Question. Early Jaina literature were written in
(a) Sanskrit
(b) Pali
(c) Tamil
(d) Prakrit

Question. The earliest deciphered epigraphy in India is
(a) Brahmi script
(b) Indus script
(c) Kharosthi script
(d) Tamil script

Question. 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

Question. The study of inscription is called
(a) palaeography
(b) historiography
(c) epigraphy
(d) numismatic

Question. The study of scripts is called
(a) palaeography
(b) historiography
(c) epigraphy
(d) numismatic

Question. Kanishka was a great patron of
(a) Brahmanical Hinduism
(b) Mahayana Buddhism
(c) Hinayana Buddhism
(d) Sufism

Question. The most powerful king of the Kushana Kanishka was a follower of
(a) Jainism
(b) Buddhism
(c) Saivism
(d) Ajivikas

Question. In 1920, the excavation of Harappa was started by
(a) Daya Ram Sahni
(b) Mortimer Wheeler
(c) Sir John Marshall
(d) R. D. Banerji

Question. The excavation of Mohenjodaro was started by
(a) Daya Ram Sahni
(b) Mortimer Wheeler
(c) Sir John Marshall
(d) R. D. Banerji

Question. Literary sources include
(a) architectural remains
(b) material remains
(c) coins and oral tradition
(d) texts – written and oral

Question. 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

Question. 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

Question. The most important animal worshipped by the Indus Valley people was
(a) tiger
(b) cow
(c) humped bull
(d) deer

Question. Harappan dockyard was discovered at
(a) Ropar
(b) Kalibangan
(c) Lothal
(d) Harappa

Question. The metal which was not used by the Harrapan people was
(a) gold
(b) silver
(c) iron
(d) bronze

Question. Yavana in ancient Indian texts and Sangam poems refer to
(a) Greeks and Romans
(b) all foreigners
(c) Greeks and foreigners
(d) Roman and Indian traders of spices

Question. Valuable information regarding Indo-Mediterranean trade come from the findings of
(a) coins and fishing nets
(b) pottery and knives
(c) fishing nets and pottery
(d) coins and pottery

Question. 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.

Question. The period c. 200 BCE to 300 CE witnessed some striking developments. One of the most important was the
(a) emergence of Brahmanical religion
(b) development of varna into caste system
(c) emergence of Sufism
(d) emergence of early Hinduism

Question. The post Mauryan period witnessed
(a) the distancing of Buddhism from Brahminical religion
(b) the clubbing of Buddhism and Jainism into one cult
(c) the emergence of multiple interlocking religious practices
(d) the replacing of goddesses for gods

Question. 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

Question. 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

Question. Which of the following is not included as part of archaeology?
(a) marine archaeology
(b) assemblage
(c) pot sherd
(d) painting

Question. Numismatic is the study of
(a) inscriptions
(b) coins
(c) archaeological remains
(d) artifacts

Question. 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

Question. 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

Question. Kalinga war took place in
(a) 326 BCE
(b) 261 BCE
(c) 78 CE
(d) 87 CE

Question. Ashoka converted to Buddhism
(a) when he became king
(b) before the Kalinga war
(c) after the Kalinga war
(d) just before he died

Question. 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

Question. 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

Question. 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

Question. Sangam poems offer
(a) a good idea of everyday life in the time when they were composed
(b) a good idea of the Deccan India of the past
(c) a good idea of everyday life of the poet
(d) a good idea of everyday life of the monarch

Question. The two best known Tamil epics are
(a) Ettutokai and Pattupattu
(b) Pattupattu and Tolkappiyam
(c) Tolkappiyam and Silappadiram
(d) Silappadiram and Manimekalai

Question. 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

Question. The Sangam corpus includes
(a) six of the eight anthologies of poems
(b) four of the eight anthologies of poems
(c) six of the nine anthologies of poems
(d) four of the nine anthologies of poems

Question. Which of the following is essentially a work of grammar along with other discussions?
(a) Ettutokai
(b) Pattupattu
(c) Tolkappiyam
(d) Tirukkural

Question. 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

Fill in the Blanks :

Question. The oldest coins found in India were made mostly of __________ and copper.

Question. The Buddhist and Jaina texts listed _______ powerful states called the mahajanapadas which flourished in the early 6th century BCE.

Question. The new capital of Magadha was ___________________.

Question. The discovery of Indus civilization was formally announced in 1924 by ________________________.

Question. The national emblem of India, Ashoka Pillar is found in Sarnath ____________.

Question. ____________ refers to the ideal and proper conduct of a person which leads to the fulfillment of goals of human life.

Question. Sangam literature was written in ancient Tamil under the patronage of ____________ kings.

Question. ________ established Shaka power in Gandhara and ruled around 80-60 BCE.

Question. Guilds appear to have had a close relationship with __________.

Question. The great Chinese Silk Route connected _________ and central Asia, West Asia and Europe.

Question. The two famous schools of art in the post-Mauryan period were the _____________ and Mathura schools.

Question. A major schism in the Buddhist sangha led to the emergence of ____________ and Hinayana.

Question. The term ‘Vaishnava as an epithet of a worshipper of Vishnu occurs in the later portions of the _______________.

Question. The last ruler of Mauryan empire was assassinated by ______________________.

Question. Har Prasad Sastri suggested ____________________ as the main cause for the downfall of the Mauryan empire.

Question. All the industries found at a site form its _______________ in archaeological study.

Question. According to the Buddhist text, the term _________ meant a hamlet consisting of a large house and smaller houses.

Question. The Buddhist texts were written in ___________ language.

Question. ___________________ studies the behavior and practices of living communities.

Question. _____________ ceremony was a sacred thread ceremony.

Question. Asvamedha was a sacrifice associated with claims to ____________ paramountcy.

Question. Bindusara was known as patronizing __________ sect.

Question. Father of Ashoka was ____________.

Question. The _________ and samiti are the assemblies in the Rig Vedic times.

Question. Samiti was a larger assembly than the sabha which is presided over by the __________.