Quiz | Jatin Verma’s IAS Academy

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Q1

With reference to the cultural and social history of India, what was 'shraman' tradition?

Q2

Which one of the following sites of the Indus Valley civilisation is often termed as 'Manchester of Indus Valley civilisation'?

Q3

With reference to the script of the Harappan people, consider the following statements:

1. James Princep deciphered the script of the Harappan people.

2. Animal impressions were also part of their script.

3. The script was written mostly from right to left, but, bi-directional writing style has also been found. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q4

With reference to the bronze casting method of the Harappan civilisation, consider the following statements:

1. The Bronze dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro is the world’s oldest bronze sculpture.

2. The bull of Kalibangan was made by using the bronze casting method. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q5

Consider the following statements:

1. Red sandstone was the principal building material of the Mauryan rulers.

2. Kumrahar and Pataliputra were two most important cities of the Mauryan Empire located in the present-day DescriptionOdisha and Bihar respectively.

3. During the time of Ashoka, the pillars were usually made of chunar sandstone and comprised of four parts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q6

The phase 'Satyameva Jayate' which is a part of the National Emblem of India has originally been taken from

Q7

Consider the following statements:

1. Indus Valley civilization sites do not have large monumental structures such as temples or palaces for rulers, unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization.

2. The people of Indus Valley civilization were not familiar with the use of gypsum mortar.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q8

Consider the following statements:

1. During the later Vedic period the art of stupas reached its climax.

2. Although a Vedic tradition, stupas were further popularised by the Buddhists.

3. Sanchi Stupa of Madhya Pradesh is the oldest surviving form of a stupa.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q1.

With reference to the cultural and social history of India, what was 'shraman' tradition?

a) A set of Vedic rituals and sacrifices to be performed by one in his life.
b) The followers of the Vedic religion who used to travel long distance and spread religious messages through story-telling.
c) An early Vedic tradition of helping brahmans and granting land to them.
d) A Non-Vedic movement parallel to Vedic Hinduism.
Solution : d)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Shraman was a Buddhist sect, followers of which use to wander from place to place.

The Shramana tradition or movement was a Non-Vedic movement parallel to Vedic Hinduism in ancient India. The Shramana tradition gave rise to Jainism, Buddhism, and Yoga, and was responsible for the related concepts of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) and moksha (liberation from that cycle).

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1 (Mauryan Art and Architecture)

Q2.

Which one of the following sites of the Indus Valley civilisation is often termed as 'Manchester of Indus Valley civilisation'?

a) Dholavira
b) Harappa
c) Lothal
d) Mohenjo-daro
Solution : c)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Lothal is often termed as the Manchester of Indus Valley civilisation. It is located in Gujarat. It was an important site for naval trade, had a Dockyard, practice of burial of cremated remains, rice husk, fire altars, painted jar, modern-day chess, terracotta figure of horse and ship, instruments for measuring 45, 90 and 180 degree angles, the practice of burial of cremated remains.

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1

Q3.

With reference to the script of the Harappan people, consider the following statements:

1. James Princep deciphered the script of the Harappan people.

2. Animal impressions were also part of their script.

3. The script was written mostly from right to left, but, bi-directional writing style has also been found. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 2 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution : b)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

  • Statement 1 is incorrect. The script of the Harappan people has not been deciphered so far. James Princep (1799-1840) was an English scholar, orientalist and antiquary. He was the first to decipher the inscriptions of Ashoka and the Brahmi script.

  • Statements 2 and 3 are correct. The script was written mostly from right to left, but, bi-directional writing style i.e right to left on one line and left to right on another line has also been found. Animal impressions were also there, generally five, which were carved. The script was written mostly from right to left, but, bi-directional writing style i.e right to left on one line and left to right on another line has also been found. Animal impressions were also there, generally five, which were carved

  • The script was written mostly from right to left, but, bi-directional writing style i.e right to left on one line and left to right on another line has also been found.

 

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1

Q4.

With reference to the bronze casting method of the Harappan civilisation, consider the following statements:

1. The Bronze dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro is the world’s oldest bronze sculpture.

2. The bull of Kalibangan was made by using the bronze casting method. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Solution : c)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Both the statements are correct. The Dancing Girl is the world’s oldest bronze sculpture. It was found in Mohenjo-daro. This Dancing Girl' stands in a ‘tribhanga’ dancing posture with the right hand on her hip.

The Harappan civilisation saw a wide scale practise of bronze casting. The bronze statues were made using “lost wax technique” or “Cire Perdue”. The Bronze bull of Kalibangan is another fine example of this technique.

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1

 

Q5.

Consider the following statements:

1. Red sandstone was the principal building material of the Mauryan rulers.

2. Kumrahar and Pataliputra were two most important cities of the Mauryan Empire located in the present-day DescriptionOdisha and Bihar respectively.

3. During the time of Ashoka, the pillars were usually made of chunar sandstone and comprised of four parts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 2 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution : c)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Statement 1 is incorrect. Wood was the principal building material. Megasthenes described the palace as one of the greatest creations of mankind.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Mauryan Empire was the first powerful empire to come to power in India. The capital at Pataliputra and the palaces at Kumrahar were created to reflect the splendour of the Mauryan Empire. Both the cities were located in the present day bihar.

Statement 3 is correct. During the time of Ashoka, the pillars were usually made of chunar sandstone and comprised of four parts. A long Shaft formed the base and was made up of a single piece of stone or monolith. On top of it lay the capital, which was either lotus shaped or bell shaped.

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1(Mauryan Art and Architecture)

Q6.

The phase 'Satyameva Jayate' which is a part of the National Emblem of India has originally been taken from

a) The Chandogya
b) The Mundaka Upanishad
c) The Katha Upanishad
d) The Aitareya Upanishad
Solution : b)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

In the National Emblem of India, the words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. The Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1 (Mauryan Art and Architecture)

Q7.

Consider the following statements:

1. Indus Valley civilization sites do not have large monumental structures such as temples or palaces for rulers, unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization.

2. The people of Indus Valley civilization were not familiar with the use of gypsum mortar.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Solution : a)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Statement 1 is correct. Indus Valley civilization sites do not have large monumental structures such as temples or palaces for rulers unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization. The city was divided into two parts–An upraised citadel and the lower-part of the city. An upraised citadel in the western part was used for constructing buildings of large dimensions, such as granaries, administrative buildings, pillared halls and courtyard.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Harappans used burnt mud bricks of standardised dimensions for the purpose of construction. Many layers of well-baked brick were laid out and then joined together using gypsum mortar. In the in the excavation sites of IVC, mainly three types of buildings have been found–dwelling houses, public buildings and public baths.

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1

 

Q8.

Consider the following statements:

1. During the later Vedic period the art of stupas reached its climax.

2. Although a Vedic tradition, stupas were further popularised by the Buddhists.

3. Sanchi Stupa of Madhya Pradesh is the oldest surviving form of a stupa.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 only
d) 2 only
Solution : d)
Unattempted. Explanation :-
  • Statement 1 is incorrect. Stupas were burial mounds prevalent in India from the Vedic period. It is a conventional representation of a funeral cumulus in which relics and ashes of the dead were kept. During the period of Ashoka, the art of stupas reached its climax. Almost 84000 stupas were erected during his period.
  • Statement 2 is correct. Although a Vedic tradition, stupas were popularised by the Buddhists. After the death of Buddha, 9 stupas were erected. 8 of them had the relics of Buddha at their medhi while the ninth had the pot in which the relics were originally kept.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect. While the Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh is the most famous of the Ashokan stupas, the Piprahwa stupa in Uttar Pradesh is the oldest one.

Source) Indian Art and culture (Nitin Singhania); Chapter-1 (Mauryan Art and Architecture)