1. ‘Bull’ in Buddhism is associated
with which event of Buddha’s
life ?
(1) Birth
(2) Great departure
(3) Enlightenment
(4) Mahaparinirvan
2. Which of the following would be
the most accurate description of
the Mauryan Monarchy under
Ashoka ?
(1) Enlightened despotism
(2) Centralised autocracy
(3) Oriental despotism
(4) Guided democracy
3. The illustrious names of Aryabhatta and Varahamihir are associated with the age of the
(1) Guptas (2) Kushanas
(3) Mauryas (4) Palas
4. Lothal is a site where dockyards
of which of the following civilization were found ?
(1) Indus Valley
(2) Mesoptamian
(3) Egyptian
(4) Persian
5. ‘Buddha’ means
(1) The Enlightened one
(2) The Religious Preacher
(3) The Genius
(4) The Powerful
6. Where do you find the temple of
Angkor Wat ?
(1) In Thailand (2)In Malaysia
(3) In Cambodia (4)In Myanmar
7. Whose achievements are recorded in the Allahabad Pillar inscription ?
(1) Chandra Gupta Maurya
(2) Samudra Gupta
(3) Vikramaditya
(4) Skand Gupta
8. The essential feature of the Indus Valley Civilisation was
(1) worship of forces of nature
(2) organised city life
(3) pastoral farming
(4) caste society
9. Name the capital of the Pallavas
(1) Kanchi
(2) Vatapi
(3) Trichnapalli
(4) Mahabalipuram
10. The word ‘Veda’ means
(1) knowledge (2) wisdom
(3) skill (4) power
Answers: 1.(1) 2.(1)
3.(1) 4.(1) 5.(1) 6.(3)
7.(2) 8.(2) 9.(1) 10.(1)
Explaination:
1. (1) The five great events in Buddha’s life are represented by symbols as under: (a) Birth by Lotus and
Bull, (b) Great Renunciation by Horse, (c) Nirvana by
Bodhi Tree, (d) First Sermon by Dharmachakra or
Wheel and (e) Parinirvana or death by the stupa.
2. (1) Despotism is a form of government in which a
single entity rules with absolute power. However, in
enlightened absolutism (also known as benevolent
despotism), absolute monarchs used their authority
to institute a number of reforms in the political systems and societies of their countries. During Ashoka’s reign, the Mauryan Empire was indeed the first
attempt in India to secure administrative centralization on an extended scale. Within its framework it
united a number of people and tribes. Tha nature of
the Mauryan government was enlightened despotism.
The centralized monarchy became a paternal despotism under the able guidance of Ashoka.
3. (1) The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire
which existed from approximately 320 to 550 CE and
covered much of the Indian Subcontinent. Scholars
of this period include Varahamihira and Aryabhatta,
who is believed to be the first to come up with the
concept of zero, postulated the theory that the Earth
moves round the Sun, and studied solar and lunar
eclipses. The most famous works of Aryabhatta are
the Aryabhatiya and the Arya-siddhanta. Varahamihira was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and
astrologer who lived in Ujjain. He is considered to be
one of the nine jewels (Navaratnas) of the court of
legendary ruler Vikramaditya (thought to be the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II Vikramaditya).
4. (1) Lothal is one of the most prominent cities of the
ancient Indus valley civilization. Lothal’s dock—the
world’s earliest known, connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route
between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula
of Saurashtra when the surrounding Kutch desert of
today was a part of the Arabian Sea. It was a vital and
thriving trade centre in ancient times, with its trade
of beads, gems and valuable ornaments reaching the
far corners of West Asia and Africa.
5. (1) The word Buddha is a title for the first awakened
being in an era. “Buddha” is also sometimes translated as “The Enlightened One”. As Gautam fully comprehended the Four Noble Truths and as he arose
from the slumbers of ignorance he is called a Buddha. Before His Enlightenment he was a bodhisattva
which means one who is aspiring to attain Buddhahood. He was not born a Buddha, but became a Buddha by his own efforts. Every aspirant to Buddhahood passes through the bodhisattva period — a period comprising many lives over a vast period of time.
6. (3) The temple of Angor Vat is located in Angkor, Siem
Reap Province, in Cambodia. It is the largest Hindu
temple complex in the world. The temple was built by
King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his
state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from
the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat
was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have
remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu,
then Buddhist. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,
appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s
prime attraction for visitors.
7. (2) Allahabad Stone Pillar Inscription of Samudra Gupta
is writings in stone pillar during the term of King Samudra Gupta located in Allahabad which mentioned
events during his tenure in and around his empire. It
is one of the most important epigraphic evidences of
the Imperial Guptas. Composed by Harisena, it delineates the reign of the Guptas in ancient India. Achievements of different rulers of the Gupta lineage are also
mentioned in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. Harisena was the court poet and minister of Samudragupta.
8. (2) Among all the Bronze Age cultures, the Indus Valley civilization was the most urbanized. A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture is evident in the Indus Valley Civilization making them the
first urban centres in the region. The quality of municipal town planning suggests the knowledge of urban planning and efficient municipal governments.
By 2600 BCE, the Early Harappan communities had
been turned into large urban centres. Such urban
centres include Harappa, Ganeriwala, Mohenjo-Daro
in modern day Pakistan, and Dholavira, Kalibangan,
Rakhigarhi, Rupar, and Lothal in modern day India.
9. (1) Pallavas ruled regions of northern Tamil Nadu and
southern Andhra Pradesh between the second to the
ninth century CE. Kanchipuram served as the capital
city of the Pallava Kingdom from the 4th to the 9th
century. It is also known by its former names Kanchiampathi, Conjeevaram, and the nickname “The City
of Thousand Temples’. Kanchipuram was mentioned
in the Mahabhasya, written by Patanjali in the 2nd
century BC.
10. (1) The Vedas (“knowledge”) are a large body of texts
originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic
Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of
Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of
Hinduism. The Vedas are apauruveya (“not of human
agency”). They are supposed to have been directly
revealed, and thus are called sruti (“what is heard”),
distinguishing them from other religious texts, which
are called smriti (“what is remembered”).
