School of Distance Education

UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT
School of Distance Education
III SEMESTER
(2019 Admission onwards)

Core Course
HIS3 B04

INDIAN HISTORY-I
Multiple Choice Questions

1.Where do we find the three phases, viz. Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic Cultures
in sequence?
(a) Kashmir Valley (c) Belan Valley
(b) Godavari Valley (d) Krishna Valley

2.The earliest evidence of settled agriculture in the subcontinent comes from:

(a) Kalibangan (c) Mehrgarh
(b) Amri (d) Inamgarh

3.Excellent cave paintings of Mesolithic Age are found at:

(a) Bhimbetka (c) Mahishadal
(b) Atranjikhera (b) Barudih

4. The OCP Culture is found mainly in:

(a) Eastern UP (c) Bihar
(b) Western UP (b) Bengal

5. Megaliths of south India are mainly associated with:

(a) Mesolithic Age (c) Chalcolithic Age
(b) Neolithic Age (b) Iron Age

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6.The half-life of Carbon-14 is:

(a) 3750 years (c) 7350 years
(b) 5730 years (b) 9530 years

7. Ochre Coloured Pottery is closely connected with:

(a) Aryans (c) late Harappans
(b) Early Harappans (d) Mature Harappans

8. Which one of the following is the latest Indus city discovered in India?
(a) Manda (c) Daimabad
(b) Dholavira (d) Rangpur

9. Majority of the Indus terracotta figurines were

(a) hand-modelled (c) cut with a saw
(b) made in single moulds (d) sculptured with a chisel

10. The religious iconography of Indus people consists of

(i) Seals and Sealings
(ii) Images and Statues
(iii) Terracotta figurines
(iv) Amulets and Tablets
Choose the answer from the codes given below
(a) i and ii (c) i,iii and iv
(b) i,ii and iii (d) All of them

11. The majority of the Harappan pottery was

(a) Polychrome pottery (c) Red-painted pottery
(b) Black-painted pottery (d) Plain pottery

12. Bones of camel are discovered at:

(a) Kalibangan (c) Harappa
(b) Lothal (d) Mohenjodaro

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13. For which one of the following crops there is no evidence of cultivation fromanyone
of the Indus sites?
(a) Barley (c) Rice
(b) Sugarcane (d) Field peas

14. Which of the following were the most standardised products of the Harappans?
(a) Pottery (c) Bricks
(b) Terracotta (d) Statues

15. Which one of the following Indus cities has houses with doors on the main streets?
(a) Lothal (c) Chanhudaro
(b) Surkotada (d) Banawali

16. The whole area of Harappan culture represents a

(a) circular area (c) zigzag formation
(b) square area (d) triangle area

17. Which has the earliest ploughed field in the world?

(a) Harappa (c) Ropar
(b) Kalibangan (d) Rangpur

18. The ruins of Harappa were first noticed by

(a) Charles Mason (c) M Wheeler
(b) Sahni (d) MS Vats

19. What was kharaj?

(a) A tribute (b) Booty (c) Land tax (d) Gift

20. The most common materials used for the Harappan stone sculptures are
(i) Hard sandstone
(ii) Soft limestone

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(iii) White marble

(iv) Steatite
Choose the correct answer from the codes given below
(a) ii and iv (c) i, ii and iii
(b) i and iii (d) All the four

21. Of the all Harappan sites, which has the most impressive drainage system?
(a) Harappa (c) Dholavira
(b) Banawali (d) Mohenjodaro

22.The reason for the spread of Harappan culture and settlement of new colonies in far
off places was
(a) to meet their religious obligations (c) the population expansion
(b) their desire to colonise (d) to safeguard their security concerns.

23. Which one of the following places had a culture, called Jhangar culture, in its
late Harappan phase?
(a) Kalibangan (c) Chanhudaro
(b) Mohenjodaro (d) Amri

24. Which one of the following Indus sites was destroyed by fire?
(a) Lothal (c) KotDiji
(b) Kalibangan (d) Amri

25. The cemeteries of the Harappan cities were generally located

(a) around the perimeter of the (c) at the heart of the cities
settlements
(d) near the residences
(b) within the citadels

26. Which one of the following Vedic texts, apart from the Rig Veda Samhita, cites Indra
as the destroyer of the Indus civilisation?
(a) Atharva Veda Samhita (c) Aitareya Brahmana
(b) Taittiriya Brahmana (d) Satapatha Brahmana

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27. Majority of the Indus beads meant for export to Mesopotamia were made of
(a) Steatite (c) Carnelian
(b) Terracotta (d) Jade

28. What is Epigraphy?

(a) Study of coins (c) Study of inscriptions
(b) Study of old writing used in inscriptions (d) Study of material remains of the past

29. Indus civilisation belongs to which of the following periods?

(a) Historical period (c) Post-Historical period
(b) Prehistorical period (d) Proto-Historical period

30. Which is the oldest age

(a) Bronze Age (c) Mesolithic Age
(b) Neolithic Age (d) Palaeolithic Age

31. What was Dasarajna?

(a) Ten incarnations of Vishnu
(b) A former slave turned into a ruler
(c) Battle of the ten kings
(d) Ten sacrifices to be performed by the son of a slave mother

32. Which was probably the most popular assembly in which even women
enjoyed an equal status with men in the early Vedic period?
(a) Sabha (b) Samiti (c) Gana (d) Vidata

33. Which priest was responsible for the organisation of the confederacy of ten
kings when he was dismissed by Sudas, the Tritsu ruler of the Bharata tribe?
(a) Vasishtha (c) Yajnavalkya
(b) Visvamitra (d) UddalakaAruni

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34. How many times is the word varna used in the Rig Veda in the sense of a
birth-based social division?
(a) Ten (b) Five (c) Once (d) Nil

35. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?

(a) Sira—plough (c) Datra—sickle
(b) Sita—furrows (d) Surpa—axe

36.According to the Rig Veda, Panis were indulged in

(a) cultivation (c) handicrafts
(b) trade and commerce (d) hunting and gathering

37. The word kusidin used in the Satapatha Brahmana was a designation for the
(a) usurer (c) perfume-maker
(b) bard (d) outcaste

38. How many times does the term jana in the sense of a tribe occur in the Rig
Veda?
(a) 250 (b) 275 (c) 300 (d) 325

39. The Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas are together known as
(a) Samhitas (b) Sruti (c) Trijnana (d) Trayi Veda

40. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

(a) Sama Veda Samhita—Origins of Indian music
(b) Atharva Veda Samhita—Origins of Indian medicine
(c) Rig Veda Samhita—Earliest Prose
(d) Yajur Veda Samhita—Origins of rituals

41.Which one of the following Vedic texts deals with the ploughing rituals at length?
(a) Yajur Veda Samhita (c) Kausitaki Upanishad
(b) Satapatha Brahmana (d) Atharva Veda Samhita

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42.Who was the first to discover close affinities between Sanskrit and some of the
principal languages of Europe?
(a) Max Mueller (c) Penka
(b) Sir William Jones (d) Filippo Sasetti

43.The origin of Indian music can be traced to which of the following Vedic Samhitas?
(a) Rig Veda (c) Yajur Veda
(b) Sama Veda (d) Atharva Veda

44. Which of the following Vedic Samhitas is partly in verse and partly in prose?
(a) Rig Veda (c) Yajur Veda
(b) Sama Veda (d) Atharva Veda

45. Which of the following does not come under sruti literature?
(a) Brahmanas (c) Aranyakas
(b) Vedangas (d) Upanishads

46. Which of the following animals was probably not known to the Vedic
people?
(a) Elephant (b) Lion (c) Tiger (d) Horse

47. Which of the following Rig Vedic gods is said to be the upholder of the Rta
or cosmic order?
(a) Indra (c) Varuna
(b) Agni (d) Soma

48. Which of the following later Vedic gods is said to have evolved from the
Harappan cult of Pasupati Mahadeva?
(a) Prajapati (c) Vishnu
(b) Rudra (d) Pushan

49. Which one of the following tribal assemblies is considered as the oldest of all?
(a) Sabha (b) Samiti (c) Vidata (d) Gana

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50. Which of the four Vedic Samhitas is considered as the least useful for the purpose of
reconstruction of the history of the Aryans?
(a) Rig Veda (c) Yajur Veda
(b) Sama Veda (d) Atharva Veda

51.Jaina philosophy is known as

(a) Pudgala (b) Samkhya (c) Samachari (d) Syadvada

52.Which one of the six traditional schools of Hindu philosophy closely resembles the Jaina
philosophy?
(a) Nyaya (b) Samkhya (c) Mimamsa (d) Vaisesika

53. Which one of the following four Agnikula families was known for its
patronage of Jainism.
(a) Chauhans (b) Solankis (c) Pawars (d) Pariharas

54.Mahavira preached in the

(a) Magadhi (c) Suraseni
(b) Ardha-Magadhi (d) Apabhramsa

55. What is Mahabhinishkramana?

(a) The renunciation of worldly life by Mahavira
(b) The ‘Great Going Forth’ by Mahavira
(c) The renunciation of worldly life by Buddha
(d) The delivery of the first sermon by Buddha

56.Who is the author of the JainaKalpasutra, an invaluable source for the early
history of Jainism?
(a) Sthulabahu (c) Sambhutavijaya
(b) Bhadrabahu (d) DevardhiKshamasramana

57.Nandas, the rulers of Magadha, were probably patrons of

(a) Brahmanism (c) Jainism
(b) Buddhism (d) Ajivikas

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58.Rummindei pillar of Asoka is put up to mark Buddha’s

(a) birth (c) first sermon
(b) enlightenment (d) death

59.The Buddha can best be described as an

(a) Atheist (b) Theist (c) Materialist (d) Agnostic

60.Who is said to have destroyed the original pipal tree at Bodh Gaya?
(a) Bakhtiyar Khalji (c) Sasanka
(b) Pushyamitra Sunga (d) Mihirakula

61. The first systematic exposition of Yoga is attributed to

(a) Patanjali (b) Jaimini (c) Kanada (d) Gautama

62. Who was the founder of the Haryanka dynasty?

(a) Ajatasatru (b) Bindusara (c) Bimbisara (d) Kalasoka

63. Which Magadhan ruler is said to have shifted the capital from Rajgil to
Pataliputra?
(a) Udayin (c) Chandragupta Maurya
(b) Kakavarin (d) Bimbisara

64.Arrange the following Magadha dynasties in the chronological order

(i) Nandas
(ii) Sisunagas
(iii) Mauryas
(iv) Haryankas
Choose the answer from the codes given below:
(a) ii, i, iv and iii (c) iii, i, iv and ii
(b) iv, ii, iii and i (d) iv, ii, i and iii

65. Which of the following is not one of the four Noble Truths taught by the Buddha?
(a) The world is full of sorrows.
(b) Desires cause all sorrows.
(c) If desires are conquered, all sorrows can be eliminated.
(d) The only way this can be done is by following the ten-fold path.

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66. Which of the following is not correctly matched?

(a) Kalinga—Jaugada (c) Avantirattha—Ujjain
(b) Dakshinapatha—Suvarnagiri (d) Uttarapatha—Taxila

67. Sanchi stupa was said to be originally built by the following king of Mauryan empire
(a) Dasaratha (b) Samprati (c) Asoka (d) Bindusara

68. Which of the following about the Arthasastra is/are incorrect?

(i) It is divided into 15 parvas.
(ii) It was originally written in Prakrit language.
(iii) It is a treatise on Mauryan political economy and administration.
(iv) Its evidence is not corroborated by any other source.
Select the answer from the codes below:
(a) i, ii and iv (b) ii and iii (c) ii and iv (d) i and iv

69. Which of the following southern kingdoms were contemporaries of Asoka?

(i) Keralaputras
(ii) Cholas
(iii) Pallavas
(iv) Pandyas
(v) Satyaputras
Select the answer from the codes below:
(a) i, ii, iii and iv (c) iii, iv and v
(b) i, ii, iv and v (d) All of these

70. Didarganj in Bihar is known for:

(a) stone figure of yakshi (c) stone figure of chauri-bearer
(b) stone figure of yaksha (d) stone elephant

71.The name of the currency which was in circulation in the Mauryan empire is:
(a) pana (c) kakini
(b) tola (d) dinar

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72.Kantakasodhanas of the Mauryan period were

(a) royal treasuries (c) criminal courts
(b) civil courts (d) police stations

73. Which one of the following was not a source of law in the Mauryan period?
(a) Dharma (b) Prajavakya (c) Rajasasana (d) Vyavahara

74.Who is the queen of Asoka, mentioned in the Queen’s Edict, as making religious and
charitable donations?
(a) Asandhimitta (c) Vidisamahadevi
(b) Padmavati (d) Karuvaki

75. Who among the following was not a Greek ambassador staying at the Mauryan
court?
(a) Megasthenes (c) Deimachus
(b) Diodorus (d) Dionysius

76. Who among the following Mauryan emperors entered into a marriage alliance with
Seleucus Nikator, the Greek ruler of West Asia?
(a) Chandragupta Maurya (c) Bindusara
(b) Asoka (d) Dasaratha

77.When and by whom were the Asokan inscriptions deciphered for the first time?
(a) 1787—John Tower (c) 1825—Charles Metcalfe
(b) 1810—Harry Smith (d) 1837—James Prinsep

78.Which of the following classes is conspicuous by its absence in the list of seven classes given
by Megasthenes for India?
(a) Cultivators (b) Traders (c) Philosophers (d) Artisans

79. Which material was extensively used in the construction work during theMauryan
Age?
(a) Wood (c) Stone
(b) Burnt bricks (d) Sun-dried bricks

80.Asoka was stationed as viceroy (governor) at the time of Bindusara’s death at

(a) Taxila (b) Suiarnagiri (c) Ujjain (d) Tosali

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81.Which among the following gives a graphic account of south Indian tradewith
theRomans?
(a) Manimegalai (c) Purananuru
(b) Silappadigaram (d) Maduraikkanji

82.According to the Periplus and Sangam texts, particularly Maduraikkanji, apearl

fishery was located at
(a) Muziris (c) Korkai
(b) Arikamedu (d) Kaveripattinam

83.Who were the viralis and panars of the Sangam age?

(a) Classical singers and dancers (c) Dead soldiers and folk heroes
(b) Folk singers and dancers (d) Poets and scholars

84. Which one of the following Sangam works deals exclusively with the Cherarulers?
(a) Purananuru (c) Paripadal
(b) Padirrupattu (d) Pannirupadalam

85.Maduraikkanji, which contains a full-length description of the Pandyancapital of Madurai,

was written by
(a) Nakkirar (c) MangudiMarudan
(b) GudalurKilar (d) Paranar

86.The first sangam was presided over by

(a) Skanda (b) Tolkappiyar (c) Vasishta (d) Agastya

87.Temple of Augustus was built at:

(a) Tondi (c) Kaveripattinam
(b) Marakanam (d) Muziris

88. The predominant burial practice of the Sangam age was:

(a) cremation (c) pit burial
(b) partial burial (d) inhumation

89.On which of the following imports from India did the Roman Senate lay anembargo
as it was a menace to the city’s morals?
(a) Saffron (b) Wine (c) Pepper (d) Muslin

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90.The main cause of conflict between the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas duringthe
Sangam age was
(a) the desire to control the fertile deltas
(b) the desire to control coastal region
(c) the need for access to important trading centres
(d) none of these

91.What is a prasasti?
(a) Royal charter (c) Eulogy of a king
(b) Private endowment (d) Copper plate

92.Which one of the following inscriptions is found on an iron pillar?

(a) Allahabad prasasti (c) Eran prasasti
(b) Mehrauliprasasti (d) Junagarh prasasti

93.Which of the following Gupta emperors is represented on his coins as playingthe lute
or veena?
(a) Chandragupta I (c) Samudragupta
(b) Chandragupta II (d) Skandagupta

94.Which of the following works tells us about the succession of Chandragupta Ito the
throne?
(a) Devichandraguptam (c) Mrichchhakatika
(b) KaumudiMahotsava (d) AbhigyanaSakuntalam

95.Who is the author of the famous Allahabad prasasti?

(a) Kalidasa (c) Harisena
(b) Sudraka (d) Ravikirti

96.Kalidasa’s works include

(i) AbhigyanaSakuntalam
(ii) Meghadootam

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(iii) Raghuvamsa
(iv) Malavikagnimitram
(v) Ritusamhara
(vi) Kumarasambhava,
Select the answer from the codes below:
(a) All of them (c) i, ii, iv, v and vi
(b) i, ii, iii and iv (d) i, iii, iv and v

97.Which of the following cities was regarded as the best silk cloth producer?
(a) Kausambi (c) Varanasi
(b) Ujjain (d) Pataliputra

98.Debasement and disappearance of coins in late Gupta period indicates:

(a) Decline of agricultural production
(b) Cheapness of commodities
(c) Decline of trade and commerce
(d) Non-availability of metals

99.The Gupta charters contained royal seal with an emblem. What is the figurein the
emblem?
(a) Garuda (c) Lakshmi
(b) Varaha (d) Bull

100.Which one of the following terms does not refer to a land measure?
(a) Hala (c) Karisa
(b) Kalanju (d) Kulyavapa

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ANSWER KEY

1. d 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. d 6. b 7. c
8. b 9. a 10. d 11. d 12. a 13. b 14. c
15. a 16. d 17. b 18. a 19. a 20. a 21. d
22. c 23. d 24. d 25. a 26. b 27. c 28. c
29. d 30. d 31. c 32. d 33. b 34. d 35. d
36. b 37. a 38. b 39. d 40. c 41. b 42. b
43. c 44. b 45. c 46. c 47. c 48. b 49. c
50. b 51.d 52.b 53.b 54. b 55.c 56. b
57.c 58.a 59.d 60. C 61.a 62.c 63.b
64. d 65.d 66.a 67.c 68.a 69.b 70.c
71.a 72.c 73.b 74.d 75.b 76.a 77.d
78.b 79.a 80.b 81.b 82.c 83.b 84.b
85.c 86.d 87.d 88.d 89.d 90.a 91.c
92.b 93.c 94.b 95.c 96.a 97.c 98.c
99.a 100.b

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