Wednesday 23 July 2014

History Prelims General Studies 2014 Mock Test

1.      Consider the following statements.
1.      Panini’s Ashtadhyayi was written in the fifth century B.C.
2.      Nirukta’s Yaska is a work that seeks to give etymological explanation to Vedic Sanskrit
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a)    1 only
(b)   2 only
(c)    Both 1 and 2
(d)   Neither 1 nor 2

2.      Consider the following statements.
1.      Megasthenes, in 4th century B.C. felt that the Indian society as a whole was divided into seven different classes.
2.      He says that out of the seven classes, philosophers were the most respected
3.      Brahmanas were included in the group of philosophers
4.      Shramanas were included in the group of philosophers
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 and 2 only
(b)   1, 2 and 3
(c)    1, 2 and 4
(d)    All of them

3.      Consider the following statements.
1.      The Indus civilization was the most extensive of the ancient riverine civilizations
2.      The reference to the “land of the Meluhha” comes from Mesopotamian sources
3.      Sothi-Siswal cultures in Rajasthan/Haryana, Kayastha culture in Central India pre-dated Harappan civilization
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 only
(b)    1 and 2 only
(c)     2 and 3 only
(d)    1 and 3 only




4.      Consider the following statements.
1.      The city-plan of Dholavira differed from that of the other cities of Harappan civilization
2.      A short inscription in large-sized letters was unearthed at Dholavira and has been described as a signboard
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 only
(b)   2 only
(c)    Both 1 and 2
(d)   Neither 1 nor 2

5.      Consider the following statements concerning gana-sanghas in Ancient India.
1.      Gana-sanghas were an alternative polity to the kingdoms of the second urbanization
2.      These were systems where the heads of families belonging to a clan or several clans governed the territory occupied by them through an assembly, of which they alone were members
3.      While the kingdoms of the second urbanization concentrated in the Ganges plain, the gana-sanghas were located in the periphery of these kingdoms
4.      Brahmanical sources approved the gana-sangha system of polity as they performed the required rituals and observed the rules of varna
         Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 only
(b)   1 and 2 only
(c)    1, 2 and 3 only
(d)   All of them

6.      Who among the following was not a contemporary of Emperor Ashoka?
(a)    Phillip II of Macedon
(b)   Antiochus II Theos of Syria
(c)    Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt
(d)   Alexander of Epirus

7.      Consider the following statements concerning trade in Ancient India.
1.      The discovery of Hippalus introduced a radical change in navigation as ships could use the monsoon winds for mid-ocean crossing
2.      Periplus, a Greek maritime geography belonged to the first century AD
3.      Broach, was among the largest entrepots on the western coast and handled the bulk of the maritime trade with West Asia
4.      Most of the Roman coins found on excavations in Peninsular India belong to the period of Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius
          Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 only
(b)   1 and 2 only
(c)    1,2  and 3 only
(d)   All of them
8.      Consider the following statements concerning Buddhist stupas.
1.      Stupas should be built, strictly, only on top of a relic of Buddha himself
2.      Stupas were objects of respect only, but not of worship
3.      As with the case in Hindu temples, size was a pointer to power and prestige and this was demonstrated in the huge sizes of certain stupas
4.      Stupas, generally, do not offer much scope to an architect
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 and 2 only
(b)   2 and 3 only
(c)    3 and 4 only
(d)   1 and 4only

9.      Consider the following statements concerning Gandhara art.
1.      The mother of the Buddha resembled an Athenian matron in Gandhara depictions
2.      The emergence of Gandhara art coincided with the introduction of multiple celestial beings and heavens in Buddhist theology
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 only
(b)   2 only
(c)    Both 1 and 2
(d)   Neither 1 nor 2

10.  Consider the following statements.
1.      The Greek botanist Theophrastus gave details of the medicinal use of various Indian plants and herbs in his “History of Plants”
2.      “Natural History” was the work of Ptolemy
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 only
(b)   2 only
(c)    Both 1 and 2
(d)   Neither 1 nor 2

11.  Consider the following statements concerning Varahamihira, the astronomer.
1.      His works discussed cultivation of new crops such as indigo and methods of water-divining
2.      Varahamihira’s emphasis was on astronomy rather than astrology
3.      His work “Panchasiddhantika” (Five schools of Astronomy) reflected a close knowledge of Hellenistic astronomy
Which of the above statements is/are true?
(a)    1 and 2 only
(b)   2 and 3 only
(c)    1 and 3 only
(d)   None of them

12.  Which of the following is wrongly matched?
(a)    50 BC to 50 AD – Peak period of Roman trade with India
(b)   125 AD – Gautamiputra ruling the Satavahana kingdom
(c)    150-166 AD – Menander, the best known Indo-Green ruler
(d)   50 AD – Kharavela, King of Kalinga

13.  Which of the following is wrongly matched?
(a)    Rasa – a mood or an emotion evoked in creative literature, music and dance
(b)   Samsara – cycle of transmigration
(c)    Bodhisattva – voluntarily postpones release from rebirth
(d)   Rajasuya – associated with the worship of Vishnu

14.  Who among the following is NOT regarded as a Scholar-King?
a)      Amoghavarsha I of Malkhed
b)      Somesvara III of Kalyana
c)      Bhoja of Dhara
d)      Narasimhavarma I of Kanchi

15.  Which of the following Chinese compared the two places of learning, Nalanda and Valabhi, to the most famous educational institutions in China?
a)      Hieun Tsang
b)      I-tsing
c)      Fa-Hsien
d)      Wang-hiuen-tse

16.  Which of the following is wrongly matched?
a)      Political treatise – Visakhadatta
b)      Lyric poetry – Jayadeva
c)      Prose romance – Dandin
d)      Historical literature – Kalhana

17.  Consider the following statements.
1.      The term “jana” occurs at about 275 places in the Rig veda
2.      The term “vis” finds no mention in the Rig veda
3.      The term for family (kula) is mentioned rarely in the Rig veda
Which of the above statements is/are true?
a)      1 only
b)      1 and 2 only
c)      1 and 3 only
d)      2 and 3 only



18.  Consider the following statements concerning Mauryan Administration.
1.      The State enjoyed a monopoly in mining
2.      Irrigation facilities was provided to the people, by the state, free of charge
3.      The administration of Pataliputra was carried on by six committees of five members each
Which of the above statements are true?
a)      1 only
b)      1 and 2 only
c)      2 and 3 only
d)      1 and 3 only

19.  Which of the following places received a tribute (bali) exemption from Emperor Ashoka on account of its association with Buddha?
a)      Saranath
b)      Lumbini
c)      Sanchi
d)      Gaya

20.  Who among the following Greeks set up a pillar in honour of Vasudeva near Vidisa in Madhya Pradesh around the middle of the second century B.C.?
a)      Apollodorus
b)      Diodorus
c)      Dionysius
d)      Heliodorus

21.  Which one of the following is correctly matched?
a)      Strabo                    -           Geography
b)      Diodorus                -           Periplus of Erythrean Sea
c)      Arrian                    -           Library of History
d)      Pliny the Elder       -           Indika

22.  Consider the following statements.
1.      The court language of the Guptas undoubtedly was Sanskrit
2.      Gupta period saw development of Sanskrit grammar
3.      Amarakosha, a Sanskrit work, belonged to the Gupta period
Which of the above statements are true?
a)      1 and 2 only
b)      2 and 3 only
c)      1 and 3 only
d)      All of them




23.   Papanatha and Virupaksha are temples situated in which of the following places?
a)      Khajuraho
b)      Pattadakal
c)      Kanchipuram
d)      Varanasi

24.  The spread of which of the following is regarded as the most remarkable development in the religious field in India from about the sixth century A.D.
a)      Sufism
b)      Bhakti
c)      Tantricism
d)      Agnosticism

25.  Which among the following philosophical sects of ancient India argued that what is not experienced by man through his sensual organs does not really exist?
a)      Samkhya
b)      Vaisesika
c)      Vedanta

d)      Lokayata