Q51. Who were the first kings to issue gold coins in India?
(a) Mauryas
(b) Indo-Greeks
(c) Guptas
(d) Kushans
Answer: (b)
Explanation: The Indo-Greeks were the first to introduce gold coins in India. Each Indo-Greek King had his own distinctive coins (with his portrait). For e.g. Menander II issued gold coins and one of his coins in known as “Athene Promachus”.
Q52. Who among the following were contemporaries of Kanishka?
(a) Kamban, Banabhatta, Ashvagosha
(b) Nagarjuna, Ashvagosha, Vasumitra
(c) Asvagosha, Kalidasa, Banabhatta
(d) Kalidas, Kamba, Vasumitra
Answer: (b)
Explanation: Nagarjuna- the Mahayana Philosopher. Ashvagosha – the poet, Musician and Buddhist Monk. Vasumitra – the Buddhist Monk who presided over the fourth Buddhist council. All of these were contemporary to Kushana Ruler Kanishka.
Q53. With who is ‘Junagarh Rock Inscription’ associated?
(a) Rudradaman (b) Bimbisara
(c) Chandragupta-II
(d) Gautamiputra Satakarni
Answer: (a)
Explanation: The ‘Junagarh Rock Inscription’ is associated with Kshatrap ruler Rudradaman. It narrates the construction of the Urjyat Dam around Lake Sudarshan. These are the earliest known classical Sanskrit inscription.
Q54. Which one of the following dynasties was ruling over North India at the time of Alexander’s invasion?
(a) Nanda
(b) Maurya
(c) Sunga
(d) Kanva
Answer: (a) Nanda
Explanation: Alexander invaded India in 326 BC. Nandas were ruling over India at that time. The chronological order of these 4 dynasties was: Nanda, Maurya, Sunga and Kanvas.
Q55. In the Vedic Period, which animal was known as ‘Aghanya’?
(a) Bull
(b) Sheep
(c) Cow
(d) Elephant
Answer: (c)
Explanation: The word Aghanya is referred to as the cow in many mantras of Vedas. The meaning of this word means, “Not to be killed under any circumstances”. In the Rig-Veda, the Bull was the symbol of strength, Power and male Virility. The Vedic status of the bull was inherited by Nandi, the companion and vehicle of Shiva in later literature.
Q56. Harshavardhana organised his religious assembly at-
(a) Mathura
(b) Prayag
(c) Varanasi
(d) Tamralipt
Answer: (b)
Explanation: Harshavardhana organized his religious assembly at Prayag (Confluence of Ganga and Yamuna) in 643 A.D. The Prayag Assembly is also called “Maha Moksha Parishad”.
Q57. The game of ‘dice’ was part of the ritual of:
(a) Agnistoma
(b) Aswamegha
(c) Rajasuya
(d) Vajapeya
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Dicing seems to have a special significance when connected with myths and rituals. Dicing involves uncertainty, chance, the vagaries of fortune. The dice game is representative of the challenges that a king must endure during his reign. The game of dice is a part of the rituals of Rajasuya Yagya.
The Aswamegha was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Srauta tradition of the Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty.
Vajpeya Yajna was a Soma–Yajna, the offering of Soma formed an essential part of the Yajna, along with the killing of other animals. But is somewhere different from the Yajna. Somewhere it was a race of chariots.
Agnistoma literally means ‘Praise of Agni’. It is the system of sacrifices that forms the link between men and god.
Q58. The Gayatri mantra is dedicated to:
(a) Indra
(b) Aditi
(c) Gayatri
(d) Savitri
Answer: (d)
Explanation: The Gayatri Mantra is a highly revered mantra, based on a Vedic Sanskrit verse from a hymn of the Rigveda. The Gayatri mantra is dedicated to Savitri is hence called Savitri. It is considered to be among the holiest mantras of Hinduism.
Q59. Which of the following Mandalas is completely devoted to the Vedic God Soma?
(a) 1
(b) 5
(c) 9
(d) 10
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Soma was one of the more important gods in Rigveda. The ninth Mandala of the Rigveda, also called the Soma Mandala, has 114 hymns, entirely devoted to Soma Pavamana, ‘Purifying Soma’, the sacred potion of the Vedic religion.
The first and the 10th Mandala are the latest part of Rig-Veda which was composed during the Early Iron Age. It has many hymns addressed to the different deities in which Agni, Indra are Vishnu are important.
Q60. The greatest development in the Kushana period was in the field of-
(a) Religion
(b) Art
(c) Literature
(d) Architecture
Answer: (b)
Explanation: The greatest development in the Kushana period was in the field of art. He patronized both Gandhara and Mathura Buddhist School of Art.
Q61. ‘Charak’ was the famous court physician of-
(a) Harsha
(b) Chandra Gupta Maurya
(c) Ashoka
(d) Kanishka
Answer: (d)
Explanation: Charak was the famous court physician of Kanishka
Q62. Who among the following wrote Sanskrit grammar?
(a) Panini
(b) Manu
(c) Kalidasa
(d) Charak
Answer: (a)
Explanation: Panini was a Sanskrit grammarian who gave a comprehensive and scientific theory of phonetics, phonology and morphology of the Sanskrit language.
Manusmriti is an ancient legal text among the many Dharmasastras of Hinduism. It was written by Manu and was one of the first Sanskrit texts translated during the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Indian Puranas. Among his plays, Abhijnana Sakuntalam, Malvikagna mitram and Kumara Samvawan are important.
Charaka: He was one of the fathers contributors to Ayurveda developed in Ancient India. He is famous for authoring the medical treatise, the Charaka Samhita.
Q63. Who was the author of the Kadambari, a great romantic play?
(a) Banabhatta
(b) Harshavardhana
(c) Baskarvardhana
(d) Bindusara
Answer: (a)
Explanation: Banabhatta was the poet in the court of King Harsha Vardhana. He wrote the famous romantic novel Kadambari, which was completed by his son Bhushanbhatta.
Q64. Who among the following presided over the Buddhist Council held during the reign of Kanishka at Kashmir?
(a) Parsva
(b) Nagarjuna
(c) Sudraka
(d) Vasumitra
Answer: (d) Vasumitra
Explanation: Vasumitra and Ashavaghosh together presided over the fourth council. In this council, Buddhists were divided into Mahayanists and Hinayanists.
Q65. The words “Satyameva Jayate” in the state emblem of India have been adopted from which one of the following?
(a) Mundaka Upanishad
(b) Katha Upanishad
(c) Mandukya Upanishad
(d) Chhandogya Upanishad
Answer: (a)
Explanation: ‘Satyameva Jayate’ is a mantra from the ancient Indian scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Upon independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India.
Q66. Which one of the following animals has not represented seals and terracotta art of the Harappa culture?
(a) Cow
(b) Elephant
(c) Rhinoceros
(d) Tiger
Answer: (a) Cow
Explanation: Cow, camel, horse and lion were not depicted on seals. Unicorn (bull) was the animal most commonly represented on the seals.
Q67. Satvahanas minted their coins predominantly in-
(a) Lead
(b) Silver
(c) Gold
(d) Copper
Answer: (a)
Explanation: The Satvahanas predominantly minted their coins in lead. They also used ‘potin’ an alloy of silver and copper to mint coins.
Q68. Who is called the ‘second Ashoka’?
(a) Samudra Gupta
(b) Chandra Gupta Maurya
(c) Kanishka
(d) Harshavardhana
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Kushana King Kanishka is also called “the second Ashoka”. As he was also a great administrator and warrior and worked for the propagation of Buddhism.
Q69. The great law given of ancient time was:
(a) Vatsyayana
(b) Ashoka
(c) Manu
(d) Panini
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Manu-smriti (Laws of Manu), traditionally, is the most authoritative of the books of the Hindu code (Dharmashastra) in India. It is attributed to the legendary first man and lawgiver, Manu. In its present form, it dates from the 1st century BCE. Vatsyayana wrote Kamasutra and Ancient Indian book on sex education.
Q70. Which of the following Upanishad is the earliest?
(a) Chhandogya Upanishad
(b) Mundakopnishad
(c) Brihdaranyak Upanishad
(d) Taitariya Upanishad
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Brihdaranyak Upanishad is a pre-Buddhist text of the period of 9th Century BCE to 6th Century BCE.
The period of Chhandogya Upanishad is uncertain, but according to some historians, it lies between the 8th Century BCE to 6th Century BCE.
Q71. The capital of Kanishka was:
(a) Puruspura
(b) Benares
(c) Allahabad
(d) Sarnath
Answer: (a)
Explanation: Kanishka – the great ruler of the Kushana empire. His main capital was at Puruspura and another Capital was Mathura.
Q72. The largest number of Rigvedic hymns is devoted to:
(a) Agni
(b) Indra
(c) Rudra
(d) Vishnu
Answer: (b)
Explanation: The Rigvedic hymns are dedicated to various deities, chief of whom are Indra, a heroic god praised for having slain his enemy Vrtra; Agni, the sacrificial fire; and Soma, the sacred potion or the plant it is made from.
Q73. ‘Puruspura’ is the other name for-
(a) Patna
(b) Pataliputra
(c) Peshawar
(d) Punjab
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Peshawar was the other name of ‘Puruspura’ (It became a great centre of Buddhist learning.)
Q74. With which of the following centres of learning, Chanakya the famous teacher of Chandragupta Maurya, was associated?
(a) Taxila
(b) Nalanda
(c) Vikramshila
(d) Vaishali
Answer: (a)
Explanation: Chanakya – the chief minister of Chandragupta Maurya used to teach political science and Economics at the Taxila University. Under the reign of the Mauryan Empire Ashoka, it became an important Buddhist learning centre.
Q75. Banabhatta was the court poet of which emperor?
(a) Vikramaditya
(b) Kumaragupta
(c) Harshvardhana
(d) Kanishka
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Banabhatta was the court poet of king Harshavardhana. He wrote the biography of king Harsha ‘Harsha Charita’ and the famous novel ‘Kadambari’.
