(2019 Admission onwards) HIS3 B04

School of Distance Education

Indian History - I 1

UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT


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

(b) Godavari Valley

(c) Belan Valley

(d) Krishna Valley

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

(a) Kalibangan

(b) Amri

(c) Mehrgarh

(d) Inamgarh

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

(a) Bhimbetka

(b) Atranjikhera

(c) Mahishadal

(b) Barudih

4. The OCP Culture is found mainly in:

(a) Eastern UP

(b) Western UP

(c) Bihar

(b) Bengal

5. Megaliths of south India are mainly associated with:

(a) Mesolithic Age

(b) Neolithic Age

(c) Chalcolithic Age

(b) Iron Age



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

(a) 3750 years

(b) 5730 years

(c) 7350 years

(b) 9530 years

7. Ochre Coloured Pottery is closely connected with:

(a) Aryans

(b) Early Harappans

(c) late Harappans

(d) Mature Harappans

8. Which one of the following is the latest Indus city discovered in India?

(a) Manda

(b) Dholavira

(c) Daimabad

(d) Rangpur

9. Majority of the Indus terracotta figurines were

(a) hand-modelled

(b) made in single moulds

(c) cut with a saw

(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

(b) i,ii and iii

(c) i,iii and iv

(d) All of them

11. The majority of the Harappan pottery was

(a) Polychrome pottery

(b) Black-painted pottery

(c) Red-painted pottery

(d) Plain pottery

12. Bones of camel are discovered at:

(a) Kalibangan

(b) Lothal

(c) Harappa

(d) Mohenjodaro



13. For which one of the following crops there is no evidence of cultivation fromanyone

of the Indus sites?

(a) Barley

(b) Sugarcane

(c) Rice

(d) Field peas

14. Which of the following were the most standardised products of the Harappans?

(a) Pottery

(b) Terracotta

(c) Bricks

(d) Statues

15. Which one of the following Indus cities has houses with doors on the main streets?

(a) Lothal

(b) Surkotada

(c) Chanhudaro

(d) Banawali

16. The whole area of Harappan culture represents a

(a) circular area

(b) square area

(c) zigzag formation

(d) triangle area

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

(a) Harappa

(b) Kalibangan

(c) Ropar

(d) Rangpur

18. The ruins of Harappa were first noticed by

(a) Charles Mason

(b) Sahni

(c) M Wheeler

(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



(iii) White marble

(iv) Steatite

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below

(a) ii and iv

(b) i and iii

(c) i, ii and iii

(d) All the four

21. Of the all Harappan sites, which has the most impressive drainage system?

(a) Harappa

(b) Banawali

(c) Dholavira

(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

(b) their desire to colonise

(c) the population expansion

(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

(b) Mohenjodaro

(c) Chanhudaro

(d) Amri

24. Which one of the following Indus sites was destroyed by fire?

(a) Lothal

(b) Kalibangan

(c) KotDiji

(d) Amri

25. The cemeteries of the Harappan cities were generally located

(a) around the perimeter of the

settlements

(b) within the citadels

(c) at the heart of the cities

(d) near the residences

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

(b) Taittiriya Brahmana

(c) Aitareya Brahmana

(d) Satapatha Brahmana



27. Majority of the Indus beads meant for export to Mesopotamia were made of

(a) Steatite

(b) Terracotta

(c) Carnelian

(d) Jade

28. What is Epigraphy?

(a) Study of coins

(b) Study of old writing used in inscriptions

(c) Study of inscriptions

(d) Study of material remains of the past

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

(a) Historical period

(b) Prehistorical period

(c) Post-Historical period

(d) Proto-Historical period

30. Which is the oldest age

(a) Bronze Age

(b) Neolithic Age

(c) Mesolithic 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

(b) Visvamitra

(c) Yajnavalkya

(d) UddalakaAruni



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

(b) Sita—furrows

(c) Datra—sickle

(d) Surpa—axe

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

(a) cultivation

(b) trade and commerce

(c) handicrafts

(d) hunting and gathering

37. The word kusidin used in the Satapatha Brahmana was a designation for the

(a) usurer

(b) bard

(c) perfume-maker

(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

(b) Satapatha Brahmana

(c) Kausitaki Upanishad

(d) Atharva Veda Samhita



42.Who was the first to discover close affinities between Sanskrit and some of the

principal languages of Europe?

(a) Max Mueller

(b) Sir William Jones

(c) Penka

(d) Filippo Sasetti

43.The origin of Indian music can be traced to which of the following Vedic Samhitas?

(a) Rig Veda

(b) Sama Veda

(c) Yajur Veda

(d) Atharva Veda

44. Which of the following Vedic Samhitas is partly in verse and partly in prose?

(a) Rig Veda

(b) Sama Veda

(c) Yajur Veda

(d) Atharva Veda

45. Which of the following does not come under sruti literature?

(a) Brahmanas

(b) Vedangas

(c) Aranyakas

(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

(b) Agni

(c) Varuna

(d) Soma

48. Which of the following later Vedic gods is said to have evolved from the

Harappan cult of Pasupati Mahadeva?

(a) Prajapati

(b) Rudra

(c) Vishnu

(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



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

(b) Sama Veda

(c) Yajur 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

(b) Ardha-Magadhi

(c) Suraseni

(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

(b) Bhadrabahu

(c) Sambhutavijaya

(d) DevardhiKshamasramana

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

(a) Brahmanism

(b) Buddhism

(c) Jainism

(d) Ajivikas



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

(a) birth

(b) enlightenment

(c) first sermon

(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

(b) Pushyamitra Sunga

(c) Sasanka

(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

(b) Kakavarin

(c) Chandragupta Maurya

(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

(b) iv, ii, iii and i

(c) iii, i, iv and ii

(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.



66. Which of the following is not correctly matched?

(a) Kalinga—Jaugada

(b) Dakshinapatha—Suvarnagiri

(c) Avantirattha—Ujjain

(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


(a) i, ii, iii and iv

(b) i, ii, iv and v

(c) iii, iv and v

(d) All of these

70. Didarganj in Bihar is known for:

(a) stone figure of yakshi

(b) stone figure of yaksha

(c) stone figure of chauri-bearer

(d) stone elephant

71.The name of the currency which was in circulation in the Mauryan empire is:

(a) pana

(b) tola

(c) kakini

(d) dinar



72.Kantakasodhanas of the Mauryan period were

(a) royal treasuries

(b) civil courts

(c) criminal 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

(b) Padmavati

(c) Vidisamahadevi

(d) Karuvaki

75. Who among the following was not a Greek ambassador staying at the Mauryan

court?

(a) Megasthenes

(b) Diodorus

(c) Deimachus

(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

(b) Asoka

(c) Bindusara

(d) Dasaratha

77.When and by whom were the Asokan inscriptions deciphered for the first time?

(a) 1787—John Tower

(b) 1810—Harry Smith

(c) 1825—Charles Metcalfe

(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

(b) Burnt bricks

(c) Stone

(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



81.Which among the following gives a graphic account of south Indian tradewith

theRomans?

(a) Manimegalai

(b) Silappadigaram

(c) Purananuru

(d) Maduraikkanji

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

fishery was located at

(a) Muziris

(b) Arikamedu

(c) Korkai

(d) Kaveripattinam

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

(a) Classical singers and dancers

(b) Folk singers and dancers

(c) Dead soldiers and folk heroes

(d) Poets and scholars

84. Which one of the following Sangam works deals exclusively with the Cherarulers?

(a) Purananuru

(b) Padirrupattu

(c) Paripadal

(d) Pannirupadalam

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

was written by

(a) Nakkirar

(b) GudalurKilar

(c) MangudiMarudan

(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

(b) Marakanam

(c) Kaveripattinam

(d) Muziris

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

(a) cremation

(b) partial burial

(c) pit 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



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

(b) Private endowment

(c) Eulogy of a king

(d) Copper plate

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

(a) Allahabad prasasti

(b) Mehrauliprasasti

(c) Eran prasasti

(d) Junagarh prasasti

93.Which of the following Gupta emperors is represented on his coins as playingthe lute

or veena?

(a) Chandragupta I

(b) Chandragupta II

(c) Samudragupta

(d) Skandagupta

94.Which of the following works tells us about the succession of Chandragupta Ito the

throne?

(a) Devichandraguptam

(b) KaumudiMahotsava

(c) Mrichchhakatika

(d) AbhigyanaSakuntalam

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

(a) Kalidasa

(b) Sudraka

(c) Harisena

(d) Ravikirti

96.Kalidasa’s works include

(i) AbhigyanaSakuntalam

(ii) Meghadootam



(iii) Raghuvamsa

(iv) Malavikagnimitram

(v) Ritusamhara

(vi) Kumarasambhava,


(a) All of them

(b) i, ii, iii and iv

(c) i, ii, iv, v and vi

(d) i, iii, iv and v

97.Which of the following cities was regarded as the best silk cloth producer?

(a) Kausambi

(b) Ujjain

(c) Varanasi

(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

(b) Varaha

(c) Lakshmi

(d) Bull

100.Which one of the following terms does not refer to a land measure?

(a) Hala

(b) Kalanju

(c) Karisa

(d) Kulyavapa



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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(2019 Admission onwards) HIS3 B04

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