HISTORY

CH-3 Kinship, Caste and Class

Q.1 In which type of marriage does a woman have several husbands?

(a) Endogamy
(b) Exogamy
(c) Polygyny
(d) Polyandry
Q.2 Shakas who came from Central Asia were regarded by the Brahmanas as
(a) Dasas
(b) Untouchables
(c) Mlechchhas
(d) Aryans

Q.3 Which of the following statements is correct about the classification of people in terms of
‘gotra’ under Brahmanical practice around 1000 BCE onwards?
(a) After marriage women were expected to give up their father’s gotra.
(b) They were supposed to adopt the gotra of their husband.
(c) Another important rule was that members of the same gotra could not marry.
(d) All of these.

Q.4 The original story of Mahabharata was composed by

(a) Brahmanas
(b) Kshatriyas
(c) Sutas
(d) None of these
Q.5 What was the object of the team of V.S. Sukthankar?
(a) Prepare critical edition of Mahabharata
(b) Translate Mahabharata in the English language
(c) Prepare critical edition of Manusmriti
(d) Translate Manusmriti in Tamil

Q.6 How many verses are there in Mahabharata?

(a) 20 thousand
(b) 50 thousand
(c) One Lakh
(d) More than one lakh

Q.7 Who won the battle of Mahabharata?

(a) Pandavas
(b) Kaurvas
(c) Mauryans
(d) Salvahanas

Q.8 Which of these is the most important dharmashastra?

(a) Manusmriti
(b) Mahabharata
(c) Rigveda
(d) None of these

Q.9 According to Shastras, only __ could rule the country.

(a) Brahmins
(b) Kshatriyas
(e) Vaishyas
(d) Shudras

Q.10 Which of these rulers followed endogamy?

(a) Satvahanas
(b) Pandavas
(e) Mauryas
(d) None of these

Q.11 Which of these was the wife of Pandavas?

(a) Pradevi Gupta
(b) Gautami
(c) Draupadi
(d) Dithya

Q.12 Duryodhana and his brothers were known as

(a) Kauravas
(b) Pandavas
(c) Malechhes
(d) Nishada

Q.13 The earliest inscriptions were written on which material?

(a) Paper
(b) Metal
(c) Stones
(d) Wood

Q.14 Which of the following was one of the occupations of Kshatriyas?

(a) Perform sacrifices and give gifts
(b) To teach Vedas
(c) Trade
(d) Agriculture

Q.15 Which of the following statements is incorrect about the duties as laid down in
Manusmriti for the Chandalas?
(a) They had to live on the outskirts of the village.
(b) They had to use discarded utensils.
(c) They were supposed to wear old clothes of the villagers and ornaments made from shells.
(d) It was their duty to serve as executioner and dispose of the bodies of those who had no
relatives.

Q.16 Which of the following strategies were evolved by Brahmanas to enforce the norms of
Varna order from c. 600 BCE to 600 CE?
(a) Brahmanas used to emphasise that the varna system is divine.
(b) Brahmanas tried to convince people that their occupation and status are determined by
birth.
(c) Brahmanas advised the kings to ensure that people follow the norms of the varna system
within the kingdom.
(d) All of these.

Q.17 Which of the following statements is correct about the importance of gender differences
in the early societies from c. 600 BCE to 600 CE?
(i) Societies were patriliny in nature.
(ii) Women were allowed to give land grants.
(iii) Sons were considered important for the continuity of the family.
(a) Only ‘i.’
(b) Both ‘ii’ and ‘iii’
(c) Both ‘i’ and ‘iii’
(d) All the above

18. Which of the following statements is correct for patritiny?

1. Wife was claimant to the throne and other resources in case of death of the king.
2. Sons could claim the throne and the resources.
3. Only the eldest son could claim these.
4. None of these

19. Not all families are identical. Which of the following is/are the distinguishing feature(s)?
1. Number of members
2. Their relationship with one another varies
3. Kind of activities they indulge in
4. All of the above

20. Which of the following do you find correct about the central story of the epic
Mahabharata?
1. Two neighbouring kings pitted against each other
2. Father and son pitted against each other
3. Two sets of warring cousins
4. Brother and stepbrother fighting for the throne

21. According to Manusmriti, which of the following is/are the feature(s) of Chandalas?
1. They lived outside the village.
2. They used discarded utensils.
3. They wore ornaments of iron.
 4. All of the above

22. Which of the following was/were the means of acquiring wealth for men?
1. Inheritance
2. Conquests
3. Acceptance of gifts
4. All of the above

23. What does Polyandry mean?

1. The practice of a man having several wives
2. The practice of a woman having several husbands
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None of these

24. Polyandry is central to the narrative. What conclusion do the historians draw out of it?
1. Polyandry may have been prevalent amongst ruling elites.
2. It may have seemed undesirable from Brahmanical point of view.
3. During times of warfare, there may have been shortage of women, giving
rise to polyandrous custom.
4. All of the above

25. Mahabharata proved to be a dynamic text. If so, which of the following do you find
wrong?
1. Versions of epic were written in different languages.
2. Several episodes circulating among people found their way into the epic.
3. The central story remained the same.
4. Several episodes were depicted in sculptures and paintings.

26. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

1. Kauravas – Sons of Dhritrashtra
2. Dharma shastras – Sanskrit text
3. Ekalavya – Pupil of Drona
4. Suvarnakara – The goldsmiths
27. Match the following:

1. Brahmanas (i) Study and teach the Vedas

2. Kshatriyas (ii) Engage in trade and agriculture
3. Vaishyas (iii) Engage in warfare and protect people
4. Shudras (iv) Servitude
1. 1 - i, 2 - iii, 3 - ii, 4 - iv
2. 1 - iv, 2 - iii, 3 - ii, 4 - i
3. 1 - i, 2 - iv, 3 - ii, 4 - iii
4. None of these

28. Which of the following items were staked by Yudhisthira in a game of dice with
Duryodhana?
1. Gold, elephants and chariots
2. Treasury and kingdom
3. His brothers, himself and even Draupadi
4. All of the above

29. Which of the following statements is wrong for Mahabharata?

1. In its present form, it runs into over 100,000 verses.
2. It took a period of 1000 years to compose.
3. The central story is about two warring cousins.
4. It does not lay down any norms of behaviour for social groups.

30. Brahmanas evolved strategies to enforce these norms of varnas. Find the odd one out.
1. They asserted that the varna was of divine origin.
2. They exhorted kings to implement these norms.
3. They persuaded people to believe that their status was determined by birth.
4. None of these

31. Drupada, the king of Panchala and father of Draupadi did not accede to the idea of
Draupadi being common wife of all the Pandavs. However, sage Vyasa convinced him that
1. Pandavs were in fact reincarnations of Indra
2. wife of Indra had been reborn as Draupadi
 3. Pandavas and Draupadi are destined for each other
4. All of the above
For question numbers 12-16, two statements are given- one labeled Assertion (A)
and the other labeled Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these questions from
the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below:
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 but R is true.

1. Assertion (A): Drupada refused to approve of Draupadi's odd five-man

marriage.
Reason (R): Drupada was informed by the Seer Vyasa that the Pandavas were
the embodiment of Indra, whose wife had been reborn as Draupadi.
2. Assertion(A): The principle of patriliny would have been essential for the elite
families.
Reason (R): As per the Dharmashastras, it was an established belief that the
brother carried forward the dynasty.
3. Assertion (A): Within early Sanskrit tradition, the Mahabharata epic is referred
to as an itihasa.
Reason (R): The new kings wanted their itihasa to be recorded and preserved
more systematically.
4. Assertion (A): Gandhari appealed to Duryodhana not to fight a war against the
Pandavas.
Reason (R): There is no good in a war, no law and profit are there to fight a
war.
5. Assertion (A): Hidimba was the sister of a man-eating rakshasa to capture the
Pandavas.
Reason (R): The Pandavas had to flee to the forest due to the conspiracy led by
their cousin Duryodhana against them.

Answer questions 17-20 based on the following case study:

Study this painting carefully and answer the following questions by choosing
the correct option:
6. The most important didactic section of the Mahabharata is .
a. Arthashastra
b. Devi Bhagavata Purana
c. Bhagavad Gita
d. Dhammapada
7. What do you think, according to this painting is the meaning of 'Didactic'?
a. Something that is meant for purposes of archery.
b. Something that is meant for purposes of instruction.
c. Something that is meant for purposes of marriage.
d. Something that is meant for purposes of wars.
8. Who is serving as a charioteer in the given painting?
a. Arjuna
b. Krishna
c. Dronacharya
d. Eklavya
9. Which of the following is correct regarding the given painting?
a. This painting dates to the eighteenth century.
b. This painting dates to the nineteenth century.
c. This painting dates to the eighth century.
d. This painting dates to the twelfth century.