"Ancient India & the Indus Valley Civilisation" — Practice

Question 1

Which Harappan site was the first to be discovered, in 1921?
(a) Harappa (b) Mohenjo-daro (c) Lothal (d) Dholavira

Accepted Answer

(a) Harappa.

Daya Ram Sahni discovered Harappa in 1921; R.D. Banerji discovered Mohenjo-daro the following year, in 1922.

Question 2

Which Harappan site is known for its dockyard, evidence of maritime trade?
(a) Lothal (b) Kalibangan (c) Banawali (d) Rakhigarhi

Accepted Answer

(a) Lothal.

Located in present-day Gujarat, Lothal's dockyard is the standout archaeological evidence of Harappan maritime trade connections.

Question 3

The script of the Indus Valley Civilisation is:
(a) undeciphered to date (b) fully deciphered and matches Sanskrit (c) identical to the Brahmi script (d) known only from Mesopotamian records

Accepted Answer

(a) undeciphered to date.

This is why much of what is understood about Harappan society (religion, political organisation) is inferred entirely from archaeology, not from the civilisation's own texts.

Question 4

The shift from a pastoral, tribal Rig Vedic society to a settled agricultural society with rigid Varna hierarchy occurred during the:
(a) Later Vedic period (b) Harappan period (c) Mauryan period (d) Gupta period

Accepted Answer

(a) Later Vedic period.

This period (c. 1000–600 BCE) saw the use of iron tools, the rise of larger territorial Janapadas, and a more rigid, hereditary Varna system compared to the fluid Rig Vedic society.

Question 5

The Buddha attained enlightenment at:
(a) Bodh Gaya (b) Lumbini (c) Sarnath (d) Kushinagar

Accepted Answer

(a) Bodh Gaya.

The four core Buddhist sites match the sequence of his life: Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon), Kushinagar (death/Mahaparinirvana).

Question 6

Which of the five Jain vows (Panchamahavrata) was specifically added by Mahavira, not inherited from Parshvanatha?
(a) Brahmacharya (celibacy) (b) Ahimsa (non-violence) (c) Satya (truth) (d) Asteya (non-stealing)

Accepted Answer

(a) Brahmacharya (celibacy).

The first four vows existed under Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara; Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara, added the fifth vow.

Question 7

Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire with the guidance of:
(a) Chanakya (Kautilya) (b) Harisena (c) Kalidasa (d) Aryabhata

Accepted Answer

(a) Chanakya (Kautilya).

Chanakya, author of the Arthashastra, guided Chandragupta in overthrowing the Nanda dynasty and later defeating Seleucus Nicator.

Question 8

Ashoka's policy of Dhamma, adopted after the Kalinga War, is best described as:
(a) a broader ethical/moral code of governance, not a declaration of Buddhism as state religion (b) a formal declaration making Buddhism the Mauryan state religion (c) a purely military strategy (d) an economic taxation policy

Accepted Answer

(a) a broader ethical/moral code of governance, not a declaration of Buddhism as state religion.

While Ashoka personally patronised Buddhism and propagated Dhamma through edicts, Dhamma itself was a wider ethical philosophy emphasising non-violence, tolerance and welfare, not a sectarian state-religion declaration.

Question 9

India's national emblem, the Lion Capital, originally belonged to an Ashokan pillar located at:
(a) Sarnath (b) Sanchi (c) Bodh Gaya (d) Pataliputra

Accepted Answer

(a) Sarnath.

The Lion Capital of Sarnath, one of Ashoka's pillar capitals, was adopted as independent India's national emblem.

Question 10

The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha, was overthrown by:
(a) Pushyamitra Shunga, his own commander (b) Chandragupta II (c) Samudragupta (d) Seleucus Nicator

Accepted Answer

(a) Pushyamitra Shunga, his own commander.

This overthrow (c. 185 BCE) founded the Shunga dynasty, marking the end of the Mauryan Empire.

Question 11

Samudragupta's military conquests are primarily known through:
(a) the Allahabad Prashasti, composed by his court poet Harisena (b) the Arthashastra (c) the Ashokan edicts (d) the accounts of Fa-Hien

Accepted Answer

(a) the Allahabad Prashasti, composed by his court poet Harisena.

This inscription is the primary historical source celebrating Samudragupta's extensive conquests, earning him the epithet 'Napoleon of India' among historians.

Question 12

Which Gupta-era scholar proposed that the Earth rotates on its axis and calculated the value of pi with notable accuracy?
(a) Aryabhata (b) Varahamihira (c) Kalidasa (d) Chanakya

Accepted Answer

(a) Aryabhata.

Author of the Aryabhatiya, Aryabhata's astronomical and mathematical contributions are distinct from Varahamihira's Brihat Samhita and Kalidasa's Sanskrit literary works.

Question 13

The Chinese traveller who visited India during Chandragupta II's reign and recorded an account of Gupta society was:
(a) Fa-Hien (Faxian) (b) Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) (c) I-tsing (d) Megasthenes

Accepted Answer

(a) Fa-Hien (Faxian).

Hiuen Tsang visited India much later, during Harshavardhana's reign in the 7th century CE; Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador at the Mauryan court, not a Gupta-era visitor.

Question 14

The Iron Pillar at Mehrauli, Delhi, notable for its rust-resistant metallurgy, is attributed to which period?
(a) Gupta period (b) Mauryan period (c) Delhi Sultanate period (d) Harappan period

Accepted Answer

(a) Gupta period.

The pillar's resistance to corrosion over many centuries is cited as evidence of advanced Gupta-era ironworking techniques.

Question 15

The decline of the Gupta Empire in the late 5th and 6th centuries CE is primarily attributed to:
(a) invasions by the Huna (Hun) tribes and internal fragmentation (b) the Kalinga War (c) the arrival of Alexander's forces (d) the rise of Buddhism

Accepted Answer

(a) invasions by the Huna (Hun) tribes and internal fragmentation.

These external pressures combined with weakening central authority to bring an end to the Gupta 'Golden Age.'

Practice — "Ancient India & the Indus Valley Civilisation"

Sign in to save attempts to your dashboard and track your accuracy over time

Find a verified tutor

Join a live course

Browse coaching centres

About

Categories

Support

Documentation

Get Study Tips & Updates

Download Our App

Download for iOS

Download for Android

Popular Cities