Indian History Questions And Answers Practice Gk General Knowledge Questions Online test Quiz Set 9 for All competitive exams (UPSC, SSC ,SSC CGL)
1 .The language from which the term 'India' is derived is
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C
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The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu. The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi which translates as the people of the Indus"." |
2 .Vaishakha Poornima has a great significance because it was on this day
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D
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The day of Vaisakh Purnima, which usually falls in the month of May, is considered most sacred by Buddhists all over the world. Buddha attained Supreme Enlighten or Buddha hood, beneath the Bodhi-tree at Boddha Gaya. Forty-five years later at the age of eighty, he finally passed away in Parinivana on the same day of the year at Kushinagar. Vaisaka Purnima is celebrated especially in Boddha Gaya, Lumbini and in Kushinara as they are the holy places that were connected with the blessed ones birth, enlighten and the Parinirvana. |
3 .The staple food of the Vedic Aryans was
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B
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The Vedic economy revolved around cow and dairy products which is clear from the references found in the Rig Veda. The economy was primarily pastoral. The staple diet of the people was milk, ghee (clarified butter), vegetables, fruit and barley. On special occasions like a religious feast or the arrival of a guest, a more elaborate meal was organized. |
4 .With which of the following centres of learning, Chanakya the famous teacher of Chandragupta Maurya, was associated ?
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A
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Takshashila, (later corrupted as Taxila), was Chanakya's breeding ground of acquiring knowledge in the practical and theoretical aspect. He served there as a teacher also before becoming the chief advisor and mentor of Chandragupta Maurya. During the reign of Chandragupta's grandson Asoka, Taxila became a great Buddhist centre of learning. |
5 .Rath temples at Mahabalipuram were built in the reign of which Pallava ruler ?
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B
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Pancha Rathas is an example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century, located at Mahabalipuram. The Pancha Rathas shrines were carved during the reign of King Mahendravarman-I and his son Narasimhavarman-I. The purpose of their construction is not known, structures are not completed. |
6 .Which one of the following Chola kings conquered Ceylon (Singhal) first ?
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B
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Rajaraja began his conquests by attacking the confederation between the rulers of the Pandya and Krala kingdoms and of Ceylon. Rajendra Chola I, the son of Rajaraja, invaded the island in 1018 A.D. As a result of the campaign, Rajendra captured the crown of the Sinhala king, his Queen and daughter. The Sinhala king Mahinda-V was taken prisoner and transported to the Chola country. The naval supremacy of the Colas continued under the immediate successors of Rajendra. Rajadhiraja |
7 .Most of the Chola temples were dedicated to
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B
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The Great Living Chola Temples are important Hindu Kovils that were built during the 10th through 12th centuries CE in the south of India, and together have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The kovils are the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur, Brihadeeswarar kovil at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvarar Kovil at Darasuram. In all these temples, the chief deity who has been depicted and worshipped is Lord Shiva. The Cholas were followers of Saiva pantheon. |
8 .In the Gupta period, the largest number of coins were issued in
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A
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Coins minted in the Gupta Age were mostly made in gold. These coins consisted of the depiction of Indian deities and legends in Brahmi. Events like the Asvamedha Yagya and the accomplishments of the kings were also depicted on the coins. |
9 .The tax which the kings used to collect from the people in the Vedic period was called
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A
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The Vedic state derived its revenue from people's contribution, technically known as 'Bali'. Of all the terms used in connection with the items of revenue to the state, it is'bali' which is mentioned most in the Vedic texts. Its use is, however, not restricted exclusively to the fiscal sense but also to offerings to a god" and to tributes paid by hostile tribes to the king. A man is depicted in the Rig Veda as presenting oblation (bali) to Agni." |
10 .Buddha preached his first sermon at
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B
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Sarnath is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh. |
11 .'Charak' was the famous court physician of
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D
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Galaxies of great scholars like Asvaghosa (the Buddhist Writer), Nagarjuna (the philosopher), Samgharaksha (the chaplain), Mathara (the politician), Vasumitra (the Buddhist scholar), Charaka (the physician) and Agisala (the engineer) adorned the court of Kanishka. There were two important physicians in Kanishka's time namely Charaka and Susruta. Charaka was one of the principal contributors to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, who is referred to as the Father of Medicine. |
12 .Great Stupa at Sanchi is in
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B
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The'Great Stupa' at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India and was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BC. It is located in Raisen District of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Sanchi is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century AD. |
13 .Which one of the following stages of the life of man in Aryan Society, in ascending order of age, is correct ?
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A
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An ashrama in Hinduism is one of four stages in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smriti and later Classical Sanskrit texts. Those stages are: Brahmachari (student), Grihasta (Householder), Vanaprastha (forest dweller or Hermit in semi retirement) and Sannyasi (the renounced one in full retirement). The Ashram system is believed by the Hindus to lead to a fulfillment of the four aims of life namely, Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure), and Moksha (liberation). |
14 .Harappa is situated on the bank of the river :
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B
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Harappa, is an archaeological site in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, which takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River. The two greatest cities, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, emerged circa 2600 BC along the Indus River valley in Punjab and Sindh. |
15 .Who was the Chola king who brought Ganga from North to South ?
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C
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Rajendra Chola I extended the influences of the already vast Chola empire up to the banks of the river Ganges in the north and across the ocean. Rajendra's territories extended coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Maldives, conquered the kings of Srivijaya (Sumatra, Java and Malay Peninsula in South East Asia) and Pegu islands with his fleet of ships. He defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal and Bihar, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. |
16 .What was Chandragupta II also known as ?
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C
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Chandragupta II was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire of India who took the epithet of Vikramaditya. 4th century CE Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, credits Chandragupta Vikramaditya with having conquered about twenty one kingdoms, both in and outside India. The title'Vikramaditya' was later used by 16th century Hindu king Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya as well. |
17 .That the Rig-Vedic aryans were a pastoral people is borne out by the fact that
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D
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Economy in the Rig Vedic period was sustained by a combination of pastoralism and agriculture. There are references, in the Rig Veda, to leveling of field, seed, implements, yet the maximum references are made to 'cow.' Such terms as gotra, godhuli, goghana, gavya, gavyuti, etc shows the overwhelming place cow had in the period. The Vedic socio-economic-politico system revolved around cow. |
18 .The Aryans successded in their conflicts with the pre-Aryans because
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D
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The Aryans success can partly be attributed to the superiority of their technology, particularly weapon technology, over the people they conquered, namely the Dravidian people in South Asia. The Aryans had advanced bronze weapons, later iron weapons and horse drawn chariots with light spoked wheels. The native people the conquered at best had oxcarts and often only stone-age weapons. |
19 .The Chola kings were ruling over
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A
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Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until the 13th century AD. The heartland of the Cholas was the fertile valley of the Kaveri River, but they ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power from the later half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th century. |
20 .Coins made of metal first appeared in
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C
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Metal currency was minted in India well before the Mauryan empire (322'185 BC). The first Indian coins were minted around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanapadas of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The coins of this period were punch marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana. Early coins of India (400 BC' 100 A.D.) were made of silver and copper, and bore animal and plant symbols on them. |
21 .Arrange the following Magadhan dynasties in chronological order: I. Nandas II. Sisunagas III. Mauryas IV. Haryankas
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C
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Some of the dynasties to have ruled Magadha were: Haryanka Kingdom (684'424 BC); Shishunaga Kingdom (413'345 BC); Nanda Empire (424'321 BC); and Maurya Empire (321'184 BC). |
22 .Which of the following are beliefs of Buddhism ? (a) The world is full of sorrows. (b) People suffer on account of desires. (c) If desires are conquered, nirvana will be attained. (d) The existence of God and Soul must be recognised.
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C
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The Four Noble Truths are one of the central teachings of the Buddhist tradition. The teachings on the four noble truths explain the nature of dukkha (suffering" |
23 .Which of the following is not the 'Tri Ratna' of Jainism ?
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C
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In Jainism the three jewels (also referred to as ratnatraya) are understood as samyagdarshana ('right faith'), samyagjnana ('right knowledge'), and samyakcharitra ('right conduct'). One of the three cannot exist exclusive of the others, and all are required for spiritual liberation. |
24 .Who among the following was the pioneer of Yoga ?
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A
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The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are 196 Indian sutras (aphorisms) that constitute the foundational text of Raja yoga. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali prescribes adherence to eight limbs" or steps (the sum of which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga" |
25 .The Greeks were driven out of India by
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A
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In the year 305 BC, Seleucus-I Nicator went to India and apparently occupied territory as far as the Indus, and eventually waged war with the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. His Indian campaign was, however, a failure. Seleucus ceded a considerable amount of territory to Chandragupta in exchange for 500 war elephants, which were to play a key role in the forthcoming battles. |
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