INDIAN HISTORY MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. The term ‘nishka’ which meant an ornament in the Vedic period was used in later times to denote a/an—

(A) Weapon

(B) Agricultural implement

(C) Script

(D) Coin

2. Which one of the following pairs of kings of ancient and medieval periods of Indian history and the works authored by them is correctly matched ?

(A) Krishnadevaraya : Samaranganasutradhra

(B) Mehendravarman : Mattavilasaprahasana

(C) Bhojadeva : Manasollasa

(D) Somesvara : Amuktamalyada

3. The founder of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides movement was—

(A) Charles Andrews

(B) Robert Montgomery

(C) Richard Temple

(D) Baden Powell

4. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?

(A) Dharamsastra : Works on religion and philosophy

(B) Chaturvarnya : Four Ashrams

(C) Shudra : Service to three varnas

(D) Mahamatra : Superior Officials

5. Chanakya was known as—

(A) Bhattasvamin 

(B) Rajasekhara

(C) Vishnugupta 

(D) Visakhadatta

6. A lot of details regarding the village administration under the Cholas is provided by the inscriptions at—

(A) Thanjavur 

(B) Uraiyur

(C) Kanchipuram 

(D) Uttaramerur

7. In Jainism ‘perfect knowledge’ is referred to as—

(A) Jina 

(B) Ratna

(C) Kaivalya 

(D) Nirvanas

8. Who among the following is NOT associated with medicine in ancient India ?

(A) Dhanvantri

(B) Bhaskaracharya

(C) Charaka

(D) Susruta

9. In Mughal paintings one notices the adoption of the principles of foreshortening whereby near and distant people and things could be placed in perspective. This was due to the influence of the—

(A) British 

(B) Dutch

(C) Portuguese 

(D) Danish

10. Ashokan inscriptions were first deciphered by—

(A) Buhler 

(B) Robert Sewell

(C) James Prinsep 

(D) Codrington

11. Among the four works mentioned below which one is encyclopaedic in nature ?

(A) Amarakosa

(B) Siddhantasiromani

(C) Brhat Samhita

(D) Ashtangahrdaya

12. Consider the following passage—

In the course of a career on the road spanning almost thirty years, he crossed the breadth of the Eastern hemisphere, visited territories equivalent to about 44 modern countries and put behind him a total distance of approximately 73000 miles.

The world’s greatest traveller of pre-modern times to whom the above passage refers is—

(A) Megasthenes 

(B) Fa Hien

(C) Marco Polo 

(D) Ibn Battuta

13. The first political organisation established in India in 1838 was known as—

(A) British India Society

(B) Bengal British India Society

(C) Settlers Association

(D) Zamindary Association

14. The foundation of modern education system in India was laid by—

(A) The Charter Act of 1813

(B) Macaulay’s Minutes of 1835

(C) The Hunter Commission of 1882

(D) Wood’s Despatch of 1854

15. Uplift of the backward classes was the main programme of the—

(A) Prarthana Samaj

(B) Satya Shodhak Samaj

(C) Arya Samaj

(D) Ramakrishna Mission

16. The Ryotwari settlement was introduced by the British in the—

(A) Bengal Presidency

(B) Madras Presidency

(C) Bombay Presidency

(D) Madras and Bombay Presidencies

17. The Buddhist Sect Mahayana formally came into existence during the reign of—

(A) Ajatashatru 

(B) Ashoka

(C) Dharmapala 

(D) Kanishka

18. The last in succession of Jaina Tirthankaras was—

(A) Parsvanatha 

(B) Rishabha

(C) Mahavira 

(D) Manisubrata

19. The earliest rock cut caves in western India are those at—

(A) Nasik, Ellora and Ajanta

(B) Junnar, Kalyan and Pitalkhora

(C) Ajanta, Bhaja and Kondane

(D) Bhaja, Pitalkhora and Kondane

20. The name by which Ashoka is generally referred to in his inscriptions is—

(A) Chakravarti 

(B) Dharmadeva

(C) Dharmakirti 

(D) Priyadarsi

21. Which one of the following is a monument constructed by Sher Shah ?

(A) Kila-i-Kuhna mosque at Delhi

(B) Atala Masjid at Jaunpur

(C) Barasona Masjid at Gaur

(D) Quiwwat-al-Islam mosque at Delhi

22. Which among the following cities is considered as one of the oldest surviving cities in the world ?

(A) Mathura 

(B) Varanasi

(C) Hardwar 

(D) Ayodhya

23. The earliest evidence of silver in India is found in the—

(A) Harappan culture

(B) Chalcolithic cultures of Western India

(C) Vedic texts

(D) Silver punch marked coins

24. Which one of the following is a language of Baluchistan but linguistically Dravidian ?

(A) Brahui 

(B) Kui

(C) Parji 

(D) Pengo

25. Which one of the following is the most fundamental difference between Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism ?

(A) Emphasis on ahimsa

(B) Casteless society

(C) Worship of gods and goddesses

(D) Worship of stupa

ANSWERS - Q.1. (D),  Q.2. (B), Q.3. (D), Q.4. (B), Q.5. (C),  

                       Q.6. (D), Q.7. (C), Q.8. (B), Q.9. (C), Q.10. (C),  

                       Q.11. (A), Q.12. (C), Q.13. (D), Q.14. (B), Q.15. (B),  

                       Q.16. (D), Q.17. (D), Q.18. (C), Q.19. (A), Q.20. (D),  

                       Q.21. (A), Q.22. (A), Q.23. (A), Q.24. (A), Q.25. (C).