KINGS, FARMERS AND TOWNS

Q. 1. Identify the best reason for considering King Ashoka as ‘Devanampiya’ or ‘Piyadassi’ by his subjects. 

(A) Asoka commissioned the edicts himself. 

(B) He adoptedthe title of ‘Devaputra’. 

(C) Epigraphists have concluded him as Devanampiya. 

(D) He worked for the well being of society through Dhamma. 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

 Q. 2. Which one of the following was the first capital of Magadha? 

 (A) Rajagaha                    (B) Ujjain 

(C) Taxila                           (D) Gandhara 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

 Q.3. In which of the following languages have the earliest inscriptions been recorded?  

(A) English                    (B) Prakrit 

(C) Pali                           (D) Sanskrit 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 4. Which one of these became the most powerful Mahajanapada between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE?  

(A) Magadha                    (B) Kashi 

(C) Chedi                           (D) Kuru 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 5. Which of these archaeological sources occupy a significant place in the reconstruction of the ancient Indian history? 

(A) Vedas                 (B) Coins 

(C) Inscriptions      (D) Both (B) and (C) 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

 Q. 6. Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanapada from sixth to fourth century BCE. Historians offered different kinds of explanations for the growth of Magadha. Which of the following statement is incorrect regarding the growth of Magadha?  

(A) Magadha was a region where agriculture was especially productive. 

(B) Iron mines were accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons. 

(C) Magadha’s proximity to the sea makes it a business hub. Many foreign traders used to come here for trading purposes. 

(D) Elephants, an important component of the army, were found in forests in the region. 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q.7. Who was the first ruler to inscribe his messages to his subjects and officials on stone surfaces – natural rocks as well as polished pillars? 

(A) Kanishka                         

(B) Bimbisara 

(C) Chandra Gupta Maurya 

(D) Ashoka 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

Q. 8. The Prayaga Prashasti (also known as the Allahabad Pillar Inscription) was composed in Sanskrit by Harishena. Harishena was the court poet of which of the following kings? 

(A) King Samudragupta 

(B) King Ashoka 

(C) King Chandra Gupta Maurya 

(D) King Kanishka 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 9. Periplus in Greek means:  

(A) Act of bread making 

(B) Sailing around 

(C) Bead Making 

(D) Ships 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 10. The first gold coin was issued in the first century CE by:  

(A) Mauryas                          (B) Mughals 

(C) Kushanas                         (D) Rajputs 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q. 11. The .................. describes the plight of the subjects of a wicked king; these included elderly women and men, cultivators, herders, village boys and even animals. 

(A) Gandatindu Jataka 

(B) Panchtantara 

(C) Jataka 

(D) Vayushastra 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 12. According to the rock inscription in Sanskrit, composed around second century CE, Sudarshan lake, an artificial reservoir was repaired by  

(A) Kushana king Kanishka 

(B) Saka king Rudradaman 

(C) Kannauj ruler Harsha 

(D) Chandragupta II 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 13. Which one of the following statement is incorrect regarding the word, ‘Gahapati’?  

(A) They are the owner, master or head of a household. 

(B) They are the owner of the resources – land, animals and other things – that belonged to the house-hold. 

(C) They are the officials of the king. 

(D) They belonged to the urban elite, including wealthy merchants. 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q. 14. Tamil Sangam literature mentions slaves as  

(A) Pannai.                         (B) Adimai 

(C) Uazhavar                     (D) Velar 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 15. The spectacular gold coins which facilitated long distance transactions were issued by 

 (A) Kushanas 

(B) The Mauryan rulers 

(C) The Saka rulers 

(D) The Gupta rulers 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

Q. 16. Which of these was Asoka reign? 

(A) c. 268–231 BCE 

(B) c. 600–500 BCE 

(C) c. 606–647 CE 

(D) c. 200–100 BCE 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 17. Which of the following problems do the archaeologists face while deciphering the inscriptions?  

(A) Damaged letters                                                                                      (B) Faint letters 

(C) Exact meaning of the words used in inscriptions                            (D) All of the above 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

Q. 18. King Ashoka sometimes mentioned as ‘Piyadassi’, in the inscription. The meaning of ‘Piyadassi’, is .................... 

(A) Beloved of the gods                                       (B) Pleasant to behold 

(C) Beautiful eyes                                                 (D) Beloved of nature 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 19. James Prinsep was able to decipher Asokan Brahmiin the year  

(A) 1835           (B) 1838                  (C) 1856                          (D) 1738 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 20. Scholars in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were primarily interested in the histories of:  

(A) kings           (B) travellers             (C) inventions                 (D) None of the Above 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 21. Scholars from the mid-twentieth century onwards, were primarily interested in the histories of .................... .  

(A) Kings 

(B) Issues such as economic change, different social groups, etc. 

(C) Religious beliefs of people 

(D) Marginalised groups. 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 22. Name the language in which the Ashokan inscriptions were written. 

 

(A) Pali, Prakrit and Greek                       (B) Pali, Sanskrit and Aramaic 

(C) Pali, Prakrit and Aramaic                    (D) Pali, Sanskrit and Greek 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q. 23. Sangam is a literature of ................. language.  

(A) Tamil (B) Malayalam (C) Sanskrit (D) Marathi 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 24. Rajagaha which was a capital of Maghadha, was a fortified settlement, located amongst hills. Later, in the fourth century BCE, the capital was shifted to Pataliputra, present-day Patna. Idenify the incorrect reason about choosing the city of Patliputra in this aspect.  

(A) Patiliputra is situated at the bank of the river Ganga which was a commanding route of communication along the Ganga. 

(B) It’s central location in northeastern India led rulers of successive dynasties to base their administrative capital here. 

(C) It is Situated at the confluence of the Ganges, Gandhaka, and Son rivers, Pataliputra formed a "water fort or jaldurga. 

(D) Pataliputra is the capital of Nandas, Mauryans, Sungas and the Guptas down to the Cholas. 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

Directions : In the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R). Mark the correct choice as: 

(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 but R is false. 

(D) A is false and R is true. 

Q. 1. Assertion (A): Early texts suggest that there were sixteen states known as mahajanapadas. 

Reason (R): The lists are same as per Buddhists and Jaina texts. 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q. 2. Assertion (A): Historians have used a variety of sources to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. 

Reason (R): Arthashastra, composed by Kautilya or Chanakya, was one of the main source to reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire. 

 Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 3. Assertion (A): Nationalist leaders of India, in the twentieth century, regarded King Ashoka as an inspiring figure. A Reason (R): King Ashoka, arguably the most famous ruler of early India, conquered Kalinga. 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 4. Assertion (A): From the sixth century BCE, land and river routes criss-crossed the subcontinent and extended in various directions – overland into Central Asia and beyond, and overseas, from ports that dotted the coastline – extending across the Arabian Sea to East and North Africa and West Asia, and through the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia and China. 

Reason (R): Merchants travelled these routes with caravans of bullock carts and pack-animals.  

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 5. Assertion (A): To some extent, exchanges were facilitated by the introduction of coinage. 

Reason (R): These coins facilitated long-distance transactions from which kings also benefited.  

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 6. Assertion (A): Votive inscriptions record gifts made to religious institutions. 

Reason (R): On the pedestal is a Prakrit inscription, mentioning that a woman named Nagapiya, the wife of a goldsmith (sovanika) named Dharmaka, installed this image in a shrine. 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 7. Assertion (A): There were seafarers, whose ventures were risky but highly profitable.  

Reason (R): Spices, especially pepper, were in high demand in the Roman Empire, as were textiles and medicinal plants, and these were all transported across the Arabian Sea to the Mediterranean. 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 8. Assertion (A): Ashoka's inscription has not been found in Kalinga, although he conquered the region.  

Reason (R): The anguish of the conquest was too painful in the region, and therefore king Ashoka was unable to address the issue. 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 9. Assertion (A): Most scripts used to write modern Indian languages are derived from Sanskrit, the script used in most Asokan inscriptions. 

Reason (R): European scholars aided by Indian pandits worked backwards from contemporary Bengali and Devanagari manuscripts, comparing their letters with older specimens. 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

Q. 10. Assertion (A): Hoards of Roman coins have been found from archaeological sites in south India. 

Reason (R): South India was not part of the Roman Empire, but there were close connections through trade.  

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 11. Assertion (A): Punch-marked coins made of gold and bronze (c. sixth century BCE onwards) were amongst the earliest to be minted and used.  

Reason (R): Numismatists have studied these and other coins to reconstruct possible commercial networks. 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

I. Read the following excerpt from the Prayaga Prashasti carefully and answer the questions: 

This is an excerpt from the Prayaga Prashasti: He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by the overflowing of the multitude of (his) many good qualities adorned by hundreds of good actions, has wiped off the fame of other kings with the soles of (his) feet; (he is) Purusha (the Supreme Being), being the cause of the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad (he is) incomprehensible; (he is) one whose tender heart can be captured only by devotion and humility; (he is) possessed of compassion; (he is) the giver of many hundred-thousands of cows; (his) mind has received ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering; (he is) resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera (the god of wealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains) and Yama (the god of death) ... kingship? 

Q. 1. This inscription is known as a Prashasti because: 

(A) It is composed in praise of its patron. 

(B) It is composed by a court poet. 

(C) It is treasured as an important account of its patron. 

(D) It is composed in Sanskrit. 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 2. This excerpt mentions (he is) equal to (the Gods).... This projects what element of Kingship? 

(A) Means of claiming high status by identifying with a variety of deities. 

(B) Means of claiming themselves god like. 

(C) Means of claiming a number of titles. 

(D) All of the above. 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 3. Assertion (A): He is possessed of compassion. 

Reason (R): He is the giver of many hundred thousand cows; his mind has received ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering... 

(A) Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A. 

(B) Both A and R are correct but R is not the correct explanation of A. 

(C) A is incorrect but R is correct. 

(D) R is incorrect but A is correct. 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q. 4. Consider the following statements: 

(a) Histories of rulers have been reconstructed from literature, coins and inscription including Prashastis like the one in the excerpt. 

(b) While Historians often attempt to draw factual information from such a composition, those who composed and read them often treasured them as works of poetry rather than as accounts that were literally true. This excerpt is an example of such a case. 

Choose the correct option: 

(A) Both (a) and (b) are correct. 

(B) Only (a) is correct. 

(C) Only (b) is correct. 

(D) Neither (a) nor (b) are correct. 

Ans. Option (D) is correct. 

Observe the picture and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.  

Q. 1. What is the name of the sculptor? 

(A) The lion, the bull and the horse 

(B) The lion capital 

(C) The Asoka chakra 

(D) The das capital 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 2.  Where was it found? 

(A) Asokan pillar                                (B) Sanchi Stupa 

(C) Shravasti temple                          (D) Bodhgaya 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 3. How many lions are there on this sculptor? 

(A) 3                   (B) 4                   (C) 5                       (D) 6 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 4. Why is this relevant now? 

(A) It has been adopted as the National Emblem. 

(B) It has been taken away by British from India. 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

III. Observe the picture and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option. 

Q. 1. Where has this sculpture been found? 

(A) Agra (B) Mathura (C) Varanasi (D) Chennai 

Ans. Option (B) is correct. 

Q. 2. Which letter is inscribed on the pedestal? 

(A) Pali             (B) Sanskrit               (C) Prakrit                 (D) Kannada 

Ans. Option (C) is correct. 

Q. 3. The sculpture was made by the wife of a goldsmith named Dharmaka. What was the name of the lady? 

(A) Nagapiya              (B) Xuan Zang                (C) Mahadevi                      (D) Dhammi 

Ans. Option (A) is correct. 

Q. 4. The city from where this sculpture was found, was serving as centre of ............... in c. 6th century BCE? 

(A) Commercial activity                                        (B) Cultural activity 

(C) Political activity                                                (D) All of these 

Ans. Option (D) is correct.