Ancient History MCQs | Indian Ancient History | Top Ancient History MCQs with Answer Quiz |
Ancient History MCQ type Questions with answer
1. Gandhara school of art came into existence in
- Hinayana sect
- Mahayana sec
- Vaishnava sect
- Shaiva sect
Answer: B. Mahayana sect
Explanation: Theahaya hip. The Kushan kings, particularly Kanishka, encouraged the Gandhara artists. The Gandhara sculptures have been found in the ruins of Taxila and in various ancient sites in Afghanistan and in West Pakistan. They consist mostly of the images of the Buda and relief sculptures presenting scenes from Buddhist texts. A number of Bodhisattva figures were carved out. A figure of Gandhara shows the first sermon in the deer park and the death of the Buddha. In all these figures there is a realistic treatment of the body although it is draped. In these sculptures there’s a tendency to mould the human body in a realistic manner paying great attention to accuracy and physical details particularly in the presentation of muscles, moustaches, etc. Also the representation of the thick bold fold lines forms a distinct characteristic Thus the Gandhara sculptures offer a striking contrast to what has been discovered elsewhere in India.
2. The first Indian ruler, who established the supremacy of Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea was
- Rajaraja I
- Rajendra I
- Rajadhiraja I
- Kulottunga I
Answer: A. Rajaraja I
Explanation: Rajaraja Chola I created a powerful standing army and a considerable navy, which achieved even greater success under his son Rajendra Chola I. One of the last conquests of Rajaraja was the naval conquest of the ‘old islands of the sea numbering 12,000’, the Maldives. Chola Navy also had played a major role in the invasion of Lanka.
3. The Saka era commencing from A.D. 78, was founded by
- Kanishka
- Asoka
- Chandragupta
- Vikramaditya
Answer: A.Kanishka
Explanation: The date of Kanishka’s accession is disputed, ranging from 78 to 248. The generally accepted date of 78 is also the basis for an era presumably started by the akas and used in addition to the Gregorian calenr by thepresent-day Indian government Gandhara School of art is mainly related tona Buddhism which encouraged image war.
4. With whom is ‘Junagarh Rock Inscription’ associated?
- Rudradaman
- Bimbisara
- Chandragupta IIPaladini
- Gautamiputra Satakarni
Answer: A.Rudradaman
Explanation: The Junagadh rock inscription, found in Junagadh was carved under the orders of King Rudradaman who had obtained the title of Mahakshatrapa. He was the grandson of the famous Mahakshatrapa Chastana and was a Saka ruler from the Western Kshatrapa dynasty. The inscription is a chronicle about the rebuilding of a dam named Urjayat around the lake Sudarshana. The dam lay in the region of Saurashtra and the closest town appears to have been a place called Girinagar. It was fed by the rivers Suvarnasikata and Palasini, along withother smaller streams. The dam was originally built by Vaishya Pushyagupta who was the governor of the region under Chandragupta Maurya. Conduits from the dam were later built under orders of his grandson; Emperor Asoka.
5. ‘Banabhatta’ was the court poet of which emperor?
- Vikramaditya
- Kumaragupta
- Harshavardhana
- Kanishka
Answer: C. Harshavardhana
Explanation: Banabhatta was a Sanskrit scholar and poet o India. He was the Asthana Kavi in the court of King Harshavardhana, who reigned in the years 606-647CE in north India. Bana’s principal works include a biography of Harsha, the Harshacharita and one of the world’s earliest novels, Kadambari. The other works ttributed to him is the Parvatiparinaya.
6. Nalanda University was a great center of learning, especially in
- Buddhism
- Jainism
- Vaishnavism
- Tantra
Answer: A.Buddhism
Explanation: Nalanda was an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India. It was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Sakraditya (whose identity is uncertain and who might have been either Kumara Gupta-I or Kumara Gupta-II) and 1197 CE, supported by patronage from the Hindu Gupta rulers as well as Buddhist emperors like Harsha and later emperors from the Pala Empire.
7. The language used to write source materials in ancient time was
- Sanskrit
- Pali
- Brahmi
- Kharosthi
Answer: B.Pali
Explanation: Pali is a Middle Indo-Aryan language (of Prakrit group) of the Indian subcontinent. It is best known as the language of many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures, as collected in the Pali Canon or Tipitaka, and as the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism. T. W. Rhys Davids in his book Buddhist India and Wilhelm Geiger in his book Pali Literature and Language suggested that Pali may have originated as a form of lingua franca or common language of culture among people who used differing dialects if North India.
8. India’s trade with the Roman Empire came to an end with the invasion of Rome by the
- Arabs
- Hungarians
- Hunas
- Turks
Answer: C.Hunas
Explanation: Roman trade with India started around the beginning of the Common Era following the reign of Augustus and his conquest of Egypt. Following the RomanPersian Wars Khosrow, I of the Persian Sassanian Dynasty captured the areas under the Roman-Byzan tine empire. The Arabs, led by Amr ibn al-‘As, crossed into Egypt in late 639 or early 640 C.E. That advance marked the beginning of the Islamic conquest of Egypt and the fall of ports such as Alexandria, used to secure trade with India by the Greco Roman world since the Ptolemaic dynasty. The decline in trade saw Southern India turn to Southeast Asia for international trade where it influenced the native culture to a greater degree than the impressions made on Rome. The Hunas invaded the Roman Empire under Attila the Hun in 454 C.E.
9. The people of the Indus Valley Civilization usually built their houses of
- Pucca bricks
- Stone
- Wood
- All of the above
Answer: A.Pucca bricks
Explanation: The Indus Valley Civilization, marked by its remarkable level of urbanization despite being a Bronze Age culture, is noted for its cities built of brick, road side drainage system, and multistoried houses. Houses were one or two stories high, made of baked brick, with flat roofs, and were just about identical. Each was built around a courtyard, with windows overlooking the courtyard. The outside walls had no windows. Each home had its own private drinking well and its own private bathroom.
10. Alexander and Porus fought a battle at
- Hydaspes
- Jhelum
- Panipat
- Tarain
Answer: A.Hydaspes
Explanation: The Battle of the Hydaspes River was fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against King Porus of the Hindu Paurava kingdom on the banks of the Hydaspes River (Uhelum River) in the Punjab near Bherain what is now modern-day Pakistan. The battle resulted in a complete Macedonian victory and the annexation of the Punjab, which lay beyond the confines of the defeated Persian Empire, into the Alexandrian Empire. The battle is historically significant foropening up India for Greek political (Seleucid Empire, Indo-Greeks) and cultural influence (Greco-Buddhist art) which was to continue for many centuries.
