August 16, 2022

Ancient Indian History – WBCS Main Question Paper

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Ancient Indian History WBCS Main Question Paper

wbcs main ancient history questions

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2021

19. The river mentioned most frequently in the Rig Vedic hymns was

(A) Ganga

(B) Yamuna

(D) Saraswati

35. Which Indian geographer had given information about Solar and Lunar eclipses?

(A) Aryabhatta

(B) Varah Mihir

(D) Bhaskaracharya

39. Which ruler of Magadha was called ‘Amitrochates’ (Amitraghata – Slayer of Enemies) in Greek records?

(A) Bimbisara

(B) Ajatashatru

(D) Asoka

43. The main sources of ancient Indian Geographical concepts are

(A) Hindu Mythology

(B) Travellers Account

(D) All of the above

72. Ancient Indian Geography hinges on

(A) Systematic Study

(B) Observation

(D) Scientific Laws

161. Which of the following statements is true of the Harappan civilisation?

(i) Harappan civilisation comprised of a network of urban constellations, drawing on the agricultural surplus generated by the surrounding countryside.

(ii) The Harappans seem to have flourishing trade relation with Sumeria and Egypt.

(iii) The seals are suspected to be connected with trading activities of the Harappans.

(iv) Overland trade rested primarily on bullock and horse-drawn carriages.

(v) Some deities akin to the mothergoddess and Pashupati seem to have been popular.

(A) (i), (ii), (iii)

(B) (i), (ii), (iii), (v)

(D) (iii), (iv)

176. Which is our earliest source for the existence of untouchables in India?

(400–350 BCE)

(A) Atharva Veda

(B) Chandogya Upanishad

(D) Harshacharita

182. What were villages granted to Brahmins and inhabited by Brahmins known as?

(A) Devadana

(B) Brahmadeya

(D) Mangalam

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2020

2. What is the meaning of the word ‘Sangam’ in the Sangam Age?

(A) Royal Court

(B) Assembly of Poets

(D) Meeting of rivers

3. Who composed the Sanskrit kavya ‘Saundarananda’?

(spiritual adviser of Kanishka)

(A) Asvaghosa

(B) Kalidasa

(D) Visnu Sharma

5. Rulers of which dynasty patronised Jainism?

(6th – 12th century)

(A) Chalukya

(B) Pallava

(D) Chauhan

14. The learned lady who is said to have debated with the famous law-giver Yajnavalkya was

(9th – 7th century BCE)

(A) Gargi

(B) Maitreyi

(D) Kalindi

15. The river Chenab was known in the Vedic period by the name of

(A) Asikni

(B) Purushni

(D) Shutudri

18. What was the ‘Araghatta’?

(A) A machine to break forts

(B) An irrigation canal

(D) A type of cloth

28. Which of the following statements is incorrect about the position of women during the age of Buddha?

(A) The position of women generally deteriorated

(B) There were several instances of child marriages.

(D) Education was denied to women.

32. Which of the following was the basic unit of Vedic society?

(A) Jana

(B) Vidatha

(D) Sangh

41. Who was the most important God in the Rigveda?

(A) Agni

(B) Indra

(D) Vishnu

43. Who among the following scholars declared that the ‘Saptsindhava’ region was the homeland of the Aryans?

(A) Dr. A. C. Das

(B) Prof. Max Muller

(D) Dr. K. K. Sharma

47. The Nayanar group of saints in North India were devotees of Lord

(A) Vishnu

(B) Shiva

(D) Buddha

53. Which of the following is the biggest Harappan civilization site?

(A) Ropar

(B) Lothal

(D) Rakhigarhi

60. The river most mentioned in the Rigveda is

(A) Sindhu

(B) Shutudri

(D) Gandaki

61. “The most unique feature of this site is its dockyard; the world’s first tidal port, which served as a main seaport for the Indus people”.

The above statement holds true for which site?

(A) Ropar

(B) Lothal

(D) Banawali

64. The word ‘Veda’, derived from ‘Vid’ refers to

(A) Knowledge

(B) Energy

(D) Karma

71. Which dynasty ruled over Magadha after the Mauryan dynasty?

(A) Satavahana

(B) Sunga

(D) Kanva

72. Which particular city became the nodal point for trade routes running from north to south and east to west in the pre-Gupta and Gupta periods?

(Madhya Pradesh)

(A) Taxila

(B) Mathura

(D) Vidisa

76. Vedic literature is also known as

(A) Shruti

(B) Smriti

(D) Vedanga

77. The Indian who was involved in the excavations of Harppa and Mohenjodaro is

(1922)

(A) S.D. Rathore

(B) K.K. Menon

(D) R.D. Sharma

83. Kalibangan is located at

(A) Gujarat

(B) Rajasthan

(D) Punjab

86. When and by whom were the Ashokan Inscriptions deciphered for the first time?

(A) 1787 – John Tower

(B) 1810-Harry Smith

(D) 1837 – James Prinsep

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2019

51. Which of the following is not a feature of Lothal ?

(plough – Kalibangan)

(A) Discovery of a dockyard

(B) Rectangular and circular fire alters for animal sacrifice

(D) Evidence of the use of the plough

52. Who was the propounder of the Ajivika Sect?

(5th century BCE)

(A) Purana Kassapa

(B) Pakuddha Kaccayana

(D) Alita Keshakambalm

53.The spies during the Sangam age was known as

(A) Spasas

(B) Dutas

(D) Sanjayans

54. Lands, during the post-Gupta period, were classified on the basis of

(A) Being cultivated and uncultivated

(B) Being irrigated and unirrigated

(D) All of the above

55. The Pallava-Chola style of architecture is commonly known as

(A) Pallava

(B) Chola

(D) Dravida

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2018

54. Alvar was _____ hymnodist of the Tamil devotional cult.

(A) Shaivite

(B) Vaishnavite

(D) Jam

101. Which one among the Harappan sites was probably a trading outpost meant for procuring lapislazuli?

(Afghanistan)

(A) Shortugai

(B) Musa Khel

(D) Damb Sadat

102. The Kandahar Edict of Asoka was written in

a) Aramaic

b) Greek

c) Brahmi

d) Both Aramaic and Greek

103. The centre of Sangam literature and the patrons of Sangam poets were

a) The Cheras of Vanji

b) The Cholas of Uraiyur

c) The Pandyas of Madurai

d) All of the above

104. The theory of the emergence of feudalism in the post Gupta period is disputed on the ground that

a) all the lands donated were not secular land grants.

b) the status of the peasants was not that of serfs.

c) the brahmin donees did not always belong to the ruling class.

d) All of the three above

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2017

1. Who is the author of the Book “Asoka and decline of the Mauryas” ?

(published in 1961)

(A) D. N. Jha

(B) Romila Thapar

(D) A. L. Basham

2. Who composed the Aihole Inscription ?

(634)

(A) Ravikirti

(B) Harisen

(D) None of the above

3. King “Chandra” of Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription has been identified with

(A) Chandragupta Maurya

(B) Chandragupa I (Gupta)

(D) Chandragupta II (Gupta)

4. The ruins of Harappa were first noticed by

(1826)

(A) M. S. Vats

(B) M. Wheeler

(D) Charles Mason

5. Both Lord Buddha and Mahavira died in the reign of

(483 BCE & 467 BCE)

(A) Bimbisara

(B) Ajatasatru

(D) Dasratha

6. Who was the founder of the ‘Ajivika’ sect ?

(5th century BCE)

(A) Purana Kassap

(B) Pakudha Kaccayana

(D) Ajit Kesakambalin

7. Which of the following is not a representative of the Buddhist art ?

(Gopuram – Dravidian architecture)

(A) Stupa

(B) Gopuram

(D) Chaitya

8. Which of the following periods was considered by Gordon Childe as a period of “revolution” ?

(around 10,000 BCE)

(A) Palaeolithic

(B) Mesolithic

(D) Harappan

9. Among the Bronze Age Civilizations which one was undoubtedly the largest in extent ?

(A) Egyptian

(B) Mesopotamian

(D) Mehargarh

10. The urban centers of the Harappan Civilisation faded out around –

(A) 2200 BC

(B) 2100-2000 BC

(D) 1800-1750 BC

11. The most prominent deity in the Rigveda was

(A) Agni

(B) Indra

(D) Shiva

12. Which of the following areas were viewed as impure by the later Vedic authors ?

(A) Anga

(B) Magadha

(D) All of the above

13. The most celebrated river in the Rigveda was

(A) Ganga

(B) Saraswati

(D) Yamuna

14. Which geographical region of India witnessed the maximum concentration of the Mahajanapadas in the 6th century BC ?

(A) North India

(B) Godavari valley

(Q Malwa plateau

(D) North-West frontier of the subcontinent

15. Which one of the following events of Buddha’s life did not take place on a full moon day (Purnima) ?

(A) Birth

(B) Death

(D) Renunciation

17. In the long history of domestication of animals, according to Wenke which was the earliest animal to be domesticated ?

(A) Goat

(B) Pig

(D) Dog

18. Microliths are typical of

(35,000 to 3,000 years ago)

(A) Paleolithic Age

(B) Mesolithic Age

(D) Chalcolithic Age

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

(7000 BCE)

(A) Mehargarh

(B) Amri

(D) Dholavira

20. In which State of India Ataranji kheda is situated ?

(Etah district, bank of Kali river)

(A) Bihar

(B) Madhya Pradesh

(D) Gujarat

21. The first Indian rulers to issue gold coins on the Roman pattern were

(A) Sungas

(B) Kushanas

(D) Vakatakas

22. Which of the following 7th century Chinese travelers lived for ten years in the great monastery of Nalanda ?

(A) Fa-Hien

(B) Hiuen Tsang

(C) Yijing

(D) Arrian

23. Which of the following is considered to be the earliest Indian text on music ?

(A) Krishna Yajurveda

(B) Atharva Veda

(D) Purusha Shukta

24. The earliest known stone tools in the Indian subcontinent have been discovered from-

(A) Potwar plateau in Pakistan

(B) Hungsi Valley (Karnataka)

(D) Bhimbetka (M.P.)

25. The oldest deciphered script of the Indian subcontinent.

(A) Brahmi

(B) Harappan

(D) Devanagari

26. In the Buddhist context, which one refers to texts that are supposed to contain what the Buddha himself said ?

(A) Sutta

(B) Vinaya

(D) Milindapanha

27. There are Four Vedas and each Veda has _____ parts.

(A) two

(B) three

(D) six

28. Rummindei pillar of Ashoka is put up to mark Buddha’s

(Lumbini, Nepal )

(A) Birth

(B) Enlightenment

(D) Death

30. Name the author of ‘Pancharatra’ and ‘Svapna-Vasavadatta’

(A) Kalidasa

(B) Bhasa

(D) Kalhan

46. Which style of architecture was developed by the Chalukyas of Badami ?

(A) Vesara

(B) Dravida

(D) Gopuram

51. Which dynasty described itself as the ‘Brahma-Kshatriya‘ ?

(1097-1230)

(A) Senas

(B) Palas

(D) Pratiharas

52. The dynasty which Harshavardhan belonged to was

(606-647)

(A) Varmans

(B) Maukharis

(D) Pushyabhutis

54. By whom was the kulinism (system of nobility among Brahmins and kayasthas) in Bengal started ?

(A) Gopal

(B) Dharmapal

(D) Ballalasena

65. By whom and when the Gupta era was started ?

(A) Kumargupta I in 324 CE

(B) Srigupta in 309-10 CE .

(D) Samudragupta in 324 CE

66. Who among the following was the first to describe Sudras as a class of agriculturists ?

(A) Manu

(B) Fa Hien

(D) Narad

67. Which of the following Gupta rulers is said to have embraced Buddhism towards the end of his life and also founded the Nalanda University ?

(A) Skandagupta

(B) Buddhagupta

(D) Kumaragupta l

70. Which Chalukya ruler is credited with repelling the Arab invasion of South Gujarat ?

(A) Vikramaditya I

(B) Pulakesin I

(D) Vikramaditya II

130. Which one of the following was not situated in the Ganga plain?

(A) Kosala Kingdom

(B) Asmaka Kingdom

(D) Magadha Kingdom

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2016

1. Who was the ruler of Taxila when Alexander’s army crossed the Indus in 326 BC ?

(A) Porus (Puru)

(B) Ambhi

(D) None of these

2. Who tells us that ‘India’ (Indus Valley) was the 20th and most prosperous satrapy (province) of the Persian empire ?

(A) Herodotus

(B) Megasthenese

(D) Yijing

3. On the basis of evidences emerging from the site of Kodumanal the beginning of urbanization in Tamil Nadu goes back to –

(A) 800 BCE

(B) 500-400 BCE

(D) 200 CE

4. Name of which Indian ruler is inseparably associated with the first known International treaty made in Indian history ?

(303 BCE)

(A) Mahapadma Nanda

(B) Chandragupta Maurya

(D) Asoka

5. Name the historians who have rejected the idea of a marriage alliance between Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus –

(A) Vincent Smith

(B) H.C. Roychoudhury

(D) B. N. Mukherjee and Romila Thapar

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

(302-298 BCE)

(A) Diodorus Siculus – Bibliotheca Historica

(B) Strabo – Geography

(D) Claudius Aelianus – Naturalis Historica

7. Which of the following major rock edicts of Asoka are in Prakrit language and Kharosthi scrips ?

(A) Manshera

(B) Shabbazgarbi

(D) Dhauli

8. Haribhadra, the famous Buddhist author was at the court of –

(A) Gopala

(B) Mahipala

(D) Dharmapala

20. Who was the founder of the Chalukyas of Badami ?

(543 CE)

(A) Vikramaditya I

(B) Pulkesin I

(D) Vijayaditya

21. Which of the following kingdoms was referred to as ‘Ruhma’ by the Arab merchant Sulaiman ?

(9th century)

(A) Rashtrakuta

(B) Chola

(D) Pratihara

22. Which of the following is/are the well-known ancient geographical epithets of India ?

(A) Saptadvipa

(B) Bharatvarsha

(D) Both (A) and (B)

23. The earliest use of the term ‘Hindustan’ appears in which inscription of Sasanid ruler Shahpur I ?

(A) Naqsh-e-Rustam

(B) Persepolis

(D) Hamadan

24. Which period of Indian history has been designated by Romila Thapar as ‘Threshold Times’ ?

(A) BCE 200 – 300 CE

(B) CE 300 – CE 600

(D) CE 600 – CE 1300

25. Which civilization was undoubtedly the largest in extent among the Bronze age civilizations ?

(1,250,000 km²)

(A) The Harappan civilization

(B) Egyptian civilization

(D) Roman civilization

26. Which archaeologist h as recently contested the identification of impressive brick-built structure at Harappa as a ‘Granary’ ?

(A) R.E.M. Wheeler

(B) Bridget Allchin

(D) J.M. Kenoyer

32. Which of the following was not a regional headquarters in the Maurya empire ?

(A) Ujjaiyini

(B) Taxila

(D) Tambaparini

33. To whom was the Lomas Rishi cave in the Barabar hills (near Gaya) donated by Asoka ?

(A) Ajivika monks

(B) Jain monks

(D) Shri Lankan Buddhist monks

34. The history of ancient Indian trade rightly begins from the ____ period.

(A) Harappan

(B) Later Vedic

(D) Kushana

35. At which of the following Ports have a sizable Roman settlement and a Roman factory have been discovered ?

(A) Tamralipti

(B) Muziris or Mushri

(D) Kaveripattanam

36. Seaborne trade between India and Rome received great impetus during the reign of Roman Emperor –

(A) Augustus

(B) Claudius

(D) Nero

37. Who considered the Harappan crafts “technically the peer of the rest” among products of the Bronze Age ?

(A) Gordon Childe

(B) Shereen Ratnagar

(D) Asco Parpola

38. By whom was the most significant commentary on the Rigveda composed in the medieval Period in the Vijayanagar realm ?

A) Chakrapanidatta

(B) Sayana

(D) Sagarnandin

40. Name the chief of the Rigvedic Bharata tribe who fought against a confederacy of ten tribes (in the battle of 10 kings)

(A) Sudas

(B) Divodasa

(D) Gritsamada

42. Which Rigvedic river is known as Ravi and also as Iravati ?

(A) Vitasta

(B) Asikni

(D) Sutudri

43. The earliest reference to the division of society into four strata occurs in which of the following texts ?

(A) The Purusha-sukta of the Rig Veda Samhita

(B) Yajur Veda Samhita

(D) Manu smriti

44. Which of the following were the most prominent monarchical mahajanapadas during the age of the Buddha ?

(A) Vajjis or Vrijis

(B) Kosal and Vatsa

(D) All listed in (B) and (C)

46. During the post-Maurya times, elaborate vedic sacrificial rituals like the Vajapeya, Rajasuya and Aswamedha were regularly performed by the rulers of

(A) North India

(B) The Deccan

(D) Chola dynasty

47. Which school of Art flourished in the region between the lower valleys of Krishna and Godavari during 2nd Century BCE – 3rd Century CE ?

(A) Gandhara School

(B) Mathura School

(D) Amaravati School

48. Navanityakam of the Gupta period was a book on

(A) Medicine

(B) Metallurgy

(D) Astronomy

49. Who among the following dynasties were the first to transfer all sources of revenue to the Brahmins ?

(A) Vakatakas

(B) Guptas

(D) Chalukyas

50. Mandasor pillar inscription of the early 6th Century CE belongs to

(A) Anantavarman

(B) Mihirkula

(D) Toramana

39. Which of the following statements is not correct ?

(1500-1000 BCE)

(A) The Rigveda consists of 1028 hymns (Suktas)

(B) The Rigveda is divided into ten books (mandalas) of unequal sizes.

(D) The Rigveda is, not a monolithic text and consists of several literary layers.

41. Which of the following areas were viewed by the later Vedic authors as impure and far away from the heartland of the Vedic culture ?

(A) Anga (Eastern Bihar)

(B) Magadha (Southern Bihar)

(D) All of the above

45. Which Magadhan ruler launched final military assault on the Gana rajyas of Kasi-Kosal with the help of new weapons like rathamushala and mahasilakantaka ?

(A) Bimbisara

(B) Ajatasatru

(D) Sisunaga

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2015

161. Which of the following Rig Vedic Gods is said to be the upholder of the Rita or Cosmic Order ?

(A) Indra

(B) Agni

(C) Varuna

(D) Soma

162. Which one of the following tribal assemblies has normally involved in the election of the tribal chief ?

(A) Samiti

(B) Sabha

(D) Vidata

163. ‘House burials’ are reported from :

(A) Gufral in Kashmir

(B) Ghaligal – in the northeast

(D) Balathal in Rajasthan

164. Which of the following were the main items of export of the Indus people ?

(i) Gold and Silver

(ii) Cotton goods

(iii) Terracottas

(iv) Seals

(v) Pottery

Select the answer from the codes below

(A) ii, iii and v

(B) i, iii and iv

(D) All of them

165. Who among the following archaeologist has been claiming that he was successfully deciphered the Indus script, though others have not accepted the claim ?

(A) MEM Wheeler

(B) Gordon Childe

(D) S. R. Rao

166. According to the latest excavations, Manda is the ______ site of the Indus civilization ?

(A) Northern most

(B) Southernmost

(D) Western most

167. Which one of the following types of Harappan pottery is said to be the earliest example of its kind in the world ?

(A) Polychrome

(B) Glazed

(D) Knobbed

168. The Harappan bricks were mainly

(A) Sawn with the help of a saw-like instrument

(B) Made in an open mouId

(D) Cut with the help of a chisel

169. Where do we find the three phases, viz. Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic Cultures in sequence ?

(A) Bolan Valley

(B) Krishna Valley

(D) Kashmir Valley

170. Which of the following is not a principal tool of the Early Stone Age ?

(A) Scraper

(B) Handaxe

(D) Chopper

175. When were the Silkworms introduced into the Byzantine empire from China, adversely affecting India’s already declining foreign trade ?

(A) 451 AD

(B) 551 AD

(D) 351 AD

176. Kalidasa’s work include

(i) Abhigyana Sakuntalam

(ii) Meghadootam

(iii) Raghuvamsa

(iv) Malavikagnimitram

(v) Ritusamhara

(vi) Kumara Sambhava

Select the answer from the codes below –

(A) All of them

(B) i, ii, iii and iv

(D) i, iii, iv and v

177. Which one of the following was the meeting ground for the Brahmanical and devotional religious levels ?

(A) Maths

(B) Temples

(D) Samas

179. Which of the following is the main reason for the development of towns in the Harappan period ?

(A) Development of Science and technology

(B) Development of Arts and crafts

(D) Increase in Agrarian surplus

180. Which one of the following has not been mentioned as ‘asineva’ in Ashokan inscriptions

(A) Greed and passion

(B) Cruelty and anger

(D) Envy and revenge

181. Who was the Bacterian King that invaded India in about 182 BC and wrested a considerable part of the North West ?

(A) Demetrius

(B) Antigonus

(D) Gondophernes

182. Who among the following started the general use of stone for monuments ?

(A) Chandra Gupta Maurya

(B) Bimbisara

(D) Asoka

183. ‘Just as for my children, I desire that they should enjoy all happiness and prosperity both in this world and the next. So for all men I desire the like happiness and prosperity’. This is stated in –

(Major Rock Edict 13)

(A) Barabar Cave Inscriptions

(B) Minor Rock Edicts

(D) Kallinga Inscriptions

184. According to ‘Rajtarangini’ Ashoka’s favorite deity was

(A) Siva

(B) Vishnu

(D) Buddha

185. Which of the following statement is incorrect ?

(Sandrakottos)

(A) Kautilya was Chandragupta’s guide and mentor

(B) Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara

(D) Chandragupta is said to have died of slow starvation in south India

186. Which of the following sources describe the Mauryas was belonged to the Sudhra Varna ?

(A) Puranas

(B) Jatakas

(D) European Classical Writers

187. Which one of the following sources states that Srinagar was built by Ashoka ?

(A) Kalahana’s Rajtarangini

(B) Divyavandana

(D) Mahavamsa

188. Who among the following was not a Greek Ambassador staying at the Mauryan Court ?

(A) Megasthenes

(B) Diodorus

(D) Dionisius

189. Kontakasodhanas of the Mauryan period were

(A) Royal treasuries

(B) Civil courts

(D) Police stations

190. The hereditary soldiers of the Mauryan period were known as

(A) Bhritakas

(B) Maula

(D) Aravivala

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2014

51. At which of the following places has the largest belt of painted rock shelter of pre-historic period been found ?

(A) Bhaja

(B) Bhimbetka

(D) Ajanta

52. Official stamping of weights and measures and their periodical inspection are prescribed by

(A) Manu

(B) Narada

(D) Parasara

53. The Kharosthi script derived from

(A) Pictographs

(B) Aramaic

(D) Brahmi

54. Name the class which is conspicuous by its absence from the list of seven classes given by Megasthenes

(A) Artisans

(B) Traders

(D) Philosophers

55. The Gold coins of the Gupta dynasty were known as

(A) Sataman

(B) Dinara

(D) Varaha

56. The language of the Jain religious text was

(A) Sanskrit

(B) Pali

(D) Bengali

57. Which of the following sources states that Srinagar was built by Asoka ?

(A) Divyavadana

(B) Rajatarangini

(D) Mahavamsa

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

(Lumbini, Nepal)

(A) Birth

(B) Enlightenment

(D) Death

70. The name of our motherland ‘Bharata’ was first mentioned in

(A) Vishnu Purana

(B) Vayu Purana

(D) Matsya Purana

71. We know about the Bactrian Greeks only from

(A) Inscriptions

(B) Coins

(D) Relics

72. Who introduced Gold Coins in India ?

(A) The Mauryas

(B) The Kushanas

(D) The Cholas

73. Who was Minandar ?

(A) A Parthian king

(B) A Bactrian Greek King

(D) None of the above

74. Who wrote Milindapanha ?

(A) Asvaghosha

(B) Nagarjuna

(D) Nagasena