History – Yearwise Questions – Ancient Indian History – W.B.C.S. Mains Examination.
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WBCS Main Question Paper – 2019
- Who was the propounder of the Ajivika Sect?
(A) Purana Kassapa
(B) Pakuddha Kaccayana
(C) Makkali Gosala
(D) Alita Keshakambalm - Which of the following is not a feature of Lothal ?
(A) Discovery of a dockyard
(B) Rectangular and circular fire alters for animal sacrifice
(C) Depiction of a ship on a seal
(D) Evidence of the use of the plough - 3. Lands, during the post-Gupta period, were classified on the basis of
(A) Being cultivated and uncultivated
(B) Being irrigated and unirrigated
(C) Crops being grown on the lands
(D) All of the above - The spies during the Sangam age was known as
(A) Spasas
(B) Dutas
(C) Orrars
(D) Sanjayans - The Pallava-Chola style of architecture is commonly known as
(A) Pallava
(B) Chola
(C) Nagara
(D) Dravida
WBCS Main Question Paper – 2018
- Which one among the Harappan sites was probably a trading outpost
meant for procuring lapislazuli?
a) Shortugai
b) Musa Khel
c) Mundigak
d) Damb Sadat - Alvar was _____ hymnodist of the Tamil devotional cult.
a) Shaivite
b) Vaishnavite
c) Buddhist
d) Jam - 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 - 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 - The Kandahar Edict of Asoka was written in
a) Aramaic
b) Greek
c) Brahmi
d) Both Aramaic and Greek
WBCS Main Question Paper – 2017
- Who composed the Aihole Inscription ?
(A) Ravikirti
(B) Harisen
(C) Bilhan
(D) None of the above - King “Chandra” of Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription has been identified with
(A) Chandragupta Maurya
(B) Chandragupa I (Gupta)
(C) Chandrasen
(D) Chandragupta II (Gupta) - Who is the author of the Book “Asoka and decline of the Mauryas” ?
(A) D. N. Jha
(B) Romila Thapar
(C) R. S. Sharma
(D) A. L. Basham - The ruins of Harappa were first noticed by
(A) M. S. Vats
(B) M. Wheeler
(C) B. B. Lal
(D) Charles Mason - Who was the founder of the ‘Ajivika’ sect ?
(A) Purana Kassap
(B) Pakudha Kaccayana
(C) Makkaii Gosala
(D) Ajit Kesakambalin - Which of the following is not a representative of the Buddhist art ?
(A) Stupa
(B) Gopuram
(C) Vihara
(D) Chaitya - Both Lord Buddha and Mahavira died in the reign of
(A) Bimbisara
(B) Ajatasatru
(C) Udayin
(D) Dasratha - Which of the following periods was considered by Gordon Childe as a
period of “revolution” ?
(A) Palaeolithic
(B) Mesolithic
(C) Neolithic
(D) Harappan - The urban centers of the Harappan Civilisation faded out around –
(A) 2200 BC
(B) 2100-2000 BC
(C) 2000-1900BC
(D) 1800-1750BC - The most prominent deity in the Rigveda was
(A) Agni
(B) Indra
(C) Vishnu
(D) Shiva
11.Among the Bronze Age Civilizations which one was undoubtedly the
largest in extent ?
(A) Egyptian
(B) Mesopotamian
(C) Harappan
(D) Mehargarh
- Which of the following areas were viewed as impure by the later Vedic
authors ?
(A) Anga
(B) Magadha
(C) Vanga
(D) All of the above - 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 - Which one of the following events of Buddha’s life did not take place on a full moon day (Purnima) ?
(A) Birth
(B) Death
(C) Enlightenment
(D) Renunciation - The most celebrated river in the Rigveda was
(A) Ganga
(B) Saraswati
(C) Sindhu (Indus)
(D) Yamuna - In the long history of domestication of animals, according to Wenke
which was he earliest animal to be domesticated ?
(A) Goat
(B) Pig
(C) Horse
(D) Dog - Microliths are typical of
(A) Paleolithic Age
(B) Mesolithic Age
(C) Neolithic Age
(D) Chalcolithic Age - In which State of India Ataranji kheda is situated ?
(A) Bihar
(B) Madhya Pradesh
(C) U.P.
(D) Gujarat - The first Indian rulers to issue gold coins on the Roman pattern were
(A) Sungas
(B) Kushanas
(C) Indo-Greeks
(D) Vakatakas - The earliest evidence of settled agriculture in the subcontinent comes
from
(A) Mehargarh
(B) Amri
(C) Kalibangan
(D) Dholavira - 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 - The earliest known stone tools in the Indian subcontinent have been
discovered from-
(A) Potwar Plateau in Pakistan
(B) Hungsi Valley (Karnataka)
(C) Didwana (Rajasthan)
(D) Bhimbetka (M.P.) - The oldest deciphered script of the Indian subcontinent.
(A) Brahmi
(B) Harappan
(C) Prakrit
(D) Devanagari - Which of the following is considered to be the earliest Indian text on
music ?
(A) Krishna Yajurveda
(B) Atharva Veda
(C) Sama Veda
(D) Purusha Shukta - In the Buddhist context, which one refers to texts that are supposed to
contain what the Buddha himself said ?
(A) Sutta
(B) Vinaya
(C) Abhidhamma
(D) Milindapanha - There are Four Vedas and each Veda has _____ parts.
(A) two
(B) three
(C) four
(D) six - Rummindei pillar of Ashoka is put up to mark Buddha’s
(A) Birth
(B) Enlightenment
(C) First Sermon
(D) Death - Name the author of ‘Pancharatra’ and ‘Svapna-Vasavadatta’
(A) Kalidasa
(B) Bhasa
(C) Ashvaghosha
(D) Kalhan - Which style of architecture was developed by the Chalukyas of Badami ?
(A) Vesara
(B) Dravida
(C) Nagara
(D) Gopuram - Which dynasty described itself as the ‘Brahma-Kshatriya‘ ?
(A) Senas
(B) Palas
(C) Rashtrakutas
(D) Pratiharas - The dynasty which Harshavardhan belonged to was
(A) Varmans
(B) Maukharis
(C) Pushyamitras
(D) Pushyabhutis - By whom was the kulinism (system of nobility among Brahmins and
kayasthas) in Bengal started ?
(A) Gopal
(B) Dharmapal
(C) Vijayasena
(D) Ballalasena - By whom and when the Gupta era was started ?
(A) Kumargupta I in 324 CE
(B) Srigupta in 309-10 CE .
(C) Chandragupta l in 319-320 CE
(D) Samudragupta in 324 CE - Who among the following was the first to describe Sudras as a class of
agriculturists ?
(A) Manu
(B) Fa Hien
(C) Hiuen Tsang
(D) Narad - 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
(C) Purugupta
(D) Kumaragupta I - Which Chalukya ruler is credited with repelling the Arab invasion of South Gujarat ?
(A) Vikramaditya I
(B) Pulakesin I
(C) Pulakesin ll
(D) Vikramaditya II - Which one of the following was not situated in the Ganga plain?
(A) Kosala Kingdom
(B) Asmaka Kingdom
(C) Vatsya Kingdom
(D) Magadha Kingdom
WBCS Main Question Paper – 2016
- Who was the ruler of Taxila when Alexander’s army crossed the Indus in
326 BC ?
(A) Porus (Puru)
(B) Ambhi
(C) Abhisara
(D) None of these - 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
(C) 300 BCE-200 CE
(D) 200 CE - Name of which Indian ruler is inseparably associated with the first known International treaty made in Indian history ?
(A) Mahapadma Nanda
(B) Chandragupta Maurya
(C) Bindusara
(D) Asoka - Who tells us that ‘India’ (Indus Valley) was the 20th and most prosperous
satrapy (province) of the Persian empire ?
(A) Herodotus
(B) Megasthenese
(C) Fa Hien
(D) Yijing - Name the historians who have rejected the idea of a marriage alliance
between Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus –
(A) Vincent Smith
(B) H.C. Roychoudhury
(C) H P. Shastri
(D) B.N.Mukherjee and Romila Thapar - Which of the following major rock edicts of Asoka are in Prakrit language
and Kharosthi scrips ?
(A) Manshera
(B) Shabbazgarbi
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) Dhauli - Haribhadra, the famous Buddhist author was at the court of –
(A) Gopala
(B) Mahipala
(C) Devapala
(D) Dharmapala - Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Diodorus Siculus – Bibliotheca Historica
(B) Strabo – Geography
(C) Anrian – lndica
(D) Claudius Aelianus – Naturalis Historica - Who was the founder of the Chalukyas of Badami ?
(A) Vikramaditya I
(B) Pulkesin I
(C) Kirtivarman I
(D) Vijayaditya - Which of the following kingdoms was referred to as ‘Ruhma’ by the Arab merchant Sulaiman ?
(A) Rashtrakuta
(B) Chola
(C) Pala
(D) Pratihara - Which of the following is / are the well-known ancient geographical
epithets of India ?
(A) Saptadvipa
(B) Bharatvarsha
(C) Jambudvipa
(D) Both (A) and (B) - The earliest use of the term ‘Hindustan’ appears in which inscription of
Sasanid ruler Shahpur I ?
(A) Naqsh-e-Rustam
(B) Persepolis
(C) Behistun
(D) Hamadan - Which period of Indian history has been designated by Romila Thapar as ‘Threshold Times’ ?
(A) BCE 200 – 300 CE
(B) CE 300 – CE 600
(C) CE 300 – CE 800
(D) CE 600 – CE 1300 - Which archaeologist has recently contested the identification of
impressive brick-built structure at Harappa as a ‘Granary’ ?
(A) R.E.M. Wheeler
(B) Bridget Allchin
(C) Raymond Allchin
(D) J.M. Kenoyer - Which of the following was not a regional headquarters in the Maurya
empire ?
(A) Ujjaiyini
(B) Taxila
(C) Tosali
(D) Tambaparini - Which civilization was undoubtedly the largest in extent among the
Bronze age civilizations ?
(A) The Harappan Civilization
(B) Egyptian civilization
(C) Mesopotamian civilization
(D) Roman civilization - To whom was the Lomas Rishi cave in the Barabar hills (near Gaya)
donated by Asoka ?
(A) Ajivika monks
(B) Jain monks
(C) Brahmnas
(D) Shri Lankan Buddhist monks - At which of the following Ports have a sizable Roman settlement and a
Roman factory have been discovered ?
(A) Tamralipti
(B) Muziris or Mushri
(C) Arikamedu
(D) Kaveripattanam - Seaborne trade between India and Rome received great impetus during
the reign of Roman Emperor –
(A) Augustus
(B) Claudius
(C) Trajan
(D) Nero - The history of ancient Indian trade rightly begins from the ____ period.
(A) Harappan
(B) Later Vedic
(C) Maurya
(D) Kushana - Who considered the Harappan crafts “technically the peer of the rest”
among products of the Bronze Age ?
(A) Gordon Childe
(B) Shereen Ratnagar
(C) R.S. Bisht
(D) Asco Parpola - By whom was the most significant commentary on the Rigveda
composed in the medieval Period in the Vijayanagar realm ?
A) Chakrapanidatta
(B) Sayana
(C) Kannada
(D) Sagarnandin - 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
(C) Atri
(D) Gritsamada - Which Rigvedic river is known as Ravi and also as Iravati ?
(A) Vitasta
(B) Asikni
(C) Parushni
(D) Sutudri - 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
(C) Katbopanishada
(D) Manu smriti - Which of the following were the most prominent monarchical
mahajanapadas during the age of the Buddha ?
(A) Vajjis or Vrijis
(B) Kosal and Vatsa
(C) Avanti and Magadha
(D) All listed in (B) and (C) - 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
(C) Both North India and Deccan
(D) Chola dynasty - Navanityakam of the Gupta period was a book on
(A) Medicine
(B) Metallurgy
(C) Mathematics
(D) Astronomy - Who among the following dynasties were the first to transfer all sources
of revenue to the Brahmins ?
(A) Vakatakas
(B) Guptas
(C) Pallavas
(D) Chalukyas - 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
(C) Nagarjuna School
(D) Amaravati School - Mandasor pillar inscription of the early 6th Century CE belongs to
(A) Anantavarman
(B) Mihirkula
(C) Yasodharman
(D) Toramana - 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)
(C) Vanga (in the Ganga delta)
(D) All of the above - 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
(C) Prasenjit
(D) Sisunaga - Which of the following statements is not correct ?
(A) The Rigveda consists of 1028 hymns (Suktas)
(B) The Rigveda is divided into ten books (mandalas) of unequal sizes.
(C) The Rigveda is a monolithic text.
(D) The Rigveda is, not a monolithic text and consists of several literary layers.
WBCS Main Question Paper – 2015
- 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 - Which one of the following tribal assemblies has normally involved in
the election of the tribal chief ?
(A) Samiti
(B) Sabha
(C) Gora
(D) Vidata - ‘House burials’ are reported from :
(A) Gufral in Kashmir
(B) Ghaligal – in the northeast
(C) Uleri in Almora
(D) Balathal in Rajasthan - Which of the following were the main items of export of the Indus
people ?
(i) Gold and Silver
(ii) Cotton goods
(iii) Terra cottas
(iv) Seals
(v) Pottery
Select the answer from the codes below
(A) ii, iii and v
(B) i, iii and iv
(C) i, ii, iv and v
(D) All of them
- 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
(C) K. M. Srivastava
(D) S. R. Rao - According to the latest excavations, Manda is the ______ site of the
Indus civilization ?
(A) Northern most
(B) Southernmost
(C) Eastern most
(D) Western most - 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
(C) Perforated
(D) Knobbed - The Harappan bricks were mainly
(A) Sawn with the help of a saw-like instrument
(B) Made in an open mould
(C) Hand-made
(D) Cut with the help of a chisel - Where do we find the three phases, viz. Paleolithic, Mesolithic and
Neolithic Cultures in sequence ?
(A) Bolan Valley
(B) Krishna Valley
(C) Godavari Valley
(D) Kashmir Valley - Which of the following is not a principal tool of the Early Stone Age ?
(A) Scraper
(B) Handaxe
(C) Cleaver
(D) Chopper - 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
(C) 615 AD
(D) 351 AD - Which one of the following was the meeting ground for the
Brahmanical and devotional religious levels ?
(A) Maths
(B) Temples
(C) Ghatikas
(D) Samas - 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
(C) Growth of Trade and commerce
(D) Increase in Agrarian surplus - Which one of the following has not been mentioned as ‘asineva’ in
Ashokan inscriptions
(A) Greed and passion
(B) Cruelty and anger
(C) Pride and fury
(D) Envy and revenge - 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
(C) Philadelphus
(D) Gondophernes - 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
(C) i, ii, iv, v and vi
(D) i, iii, iv and v
- Who among the following started the general use of stone for
monuments ?
(A) Chandra Gupta Maurya
(B) Bimbisara
(C) Bindusara
(D) Asoka - ‘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 –
(A) Barabar Cave Inscriptions
(B) Minor Rock Edicts
(C) Tarai Pillars
(D) Kallinga Inscriptions
19. According to ‘Rajtarangini’ Ashoka’s favorite deity was
(A) Siva
(B) Vishnu
(C) Vasudeva
(D) Buddha - Which of the following sources describe the Mauryas as belonged to
the Sudhra Varna ?
(A) Puranas
(B) Jatakas
(C) Purvas
(D) European Classical Writers - Which one of the following sources states that Srinagar was built by
Ashoka ?
(A) Kalahana’s Rajtarangini
(B) Divyavandana
(C) Taranatha’s History of Tibet
(D) Mahavamsa - Which of the following statement is incorrect ?
(A) Kautilya was Chandragupta’s guide and mentor
(B) Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara
(C) Chandragupta was known to the Greeks as ‘Amitrochates’, the
destroyer of foes
(D) Chandragupta is said to have died of slow starvation in south India - Who among the following was not a Greek Ambassador staying at
the Mauryan Court ?
(A) Megasthenes
(B) Diodorus
(C) Deimachus
(D) Dionisius - Kontakasodhanas of the Mauryan period were
(A) Royal treasuries
(B) Civil courts
(C) Criminal courts
(D) Police stations - The hereditary soldiers of the Mauryan period were known as
(A) Bhritakas
(B) Maula
(C) Vardhaki
(D) Aravivala
WBCS Main Question Paper – 2014
- Official stamping of weights and measures and their periodical
inspection are prescribed by
(A) Manu
(B) Narada
(C) Brihaspati
(D) Parasara - The Kharosthi script derived from
(A) Pictographs
(B) Aramaic
(C) Sanskrit
(D) Brahmi - Name the class which is conspicuous by its absence from the list of
seven classes given by Megasthenes
(A) Artisans
(B) Traders
(C) Cultivatiors
(D) Philosophers
- The Gold coins of the Gupta dynasty were known as
(A) Sataman
(B) Dinara
(C) Muhara
(D) Varaha - The language of the Jain religious text was
(A) Sanskrit
(B) Pali
(C) Prakrit
(D) Bengali - At which of the following places has the largest belt of painted rock
shelter of pre-historic period been found ?
(A) Bhaja
(B) Bhimbetka
(C) Bagor
(D) Ajanta - Which of the following sources states that Srinagar was built by Asoka?
(A) Divyavadana
(B) Rajtarangini
(C) Taranath’s History of Tibet
(D) Mahavamsa - Who was Minandar ?
(A) A Parthian king
(B) A Bactrian Greek King
(C) A Saka King
(D) None of the above - Rummindei pillar of Asoka is put up to mark Buddha’s
(A) Birth
(B) Enlightenment
(C) First Sermon
(D) Death - Who introduced Gold Coins in India ?
(A) The Mauryas
(B) The Kushanas
(C) The Greeks
(D) The Cholas - The name of our motherland ‘Bharata’ was first mentioned in
(A) Vishnu Purana
(B) Vayu Purana
(C) Markendaya Purana
(D) Matsya Purana - Who wrote Milindapanha ?
(A) Asvaghosha
(B) Nagarjuna
(C) Basumitra
(D) Nagasena - We know about the Bactrian Greeks only from
(A) Inscriptions
(B) Coins
(C) Manuscripts
(D) Relics
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