Quiz | Jatin Verma’s IAS Academy

Let Us Help you!

Or
Call Now +918882932364
Correct Incorrect Unattempted
Q1

Which of the following is/are sources for the reconstruction of the history of Harshvardhana?

1. The famous Sanskrit drama Ratnavali

2. The Works of Bana

3. The travel accounts of Fa-Hien

4. The inscription at Banskhera

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q2

With reference to the administration of Harshvardhana, consider the following statements:

1. Due to the influence of Buddhism on administration, there were no cruel punishments, unlike the Mauryan period.

2. The administration of Harshvardhana was decentralized and feudal in nature.

3. The officers were rewarded with grants of land.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3

With reference to the history of ancient India, the term 'nilopitu' was used to denote

Q4

With reference to the status of Buddhism during the time of Harshvardhana, consider the following statements:

1. Earlier Harsha a devout Saiva the turned into an ardent Buddhist.

2. Harshvardhana held a great religious assembly at Prayag.

3. Nalanda had a huge monastic establishment and all the costs of running the university were borne by Harshvardhana.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q5

Which of the following drama/ dramas was/were written by Harshvardhana, in the beginning of the seventh century A.D.?

1. Ratnavali

2. Nagananda

3. Priyardarsika

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Q6

Consider the following statements:

1. The Vedic communities had established a taxation system and maintained small professional armies.

2. The peasantry in later Vedic time was called Bala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q7

Which of the following was/were features of the sixth century B.C.?

1. The development of a fully agricultural economy.

2. The emergence of a class-less egalitarian society.

3. The formation of a large empire.

4. The emergence of the tradition of slavery.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q8

Regarding tantricism, consider the following statements:

1. It emerged in the eight century A.D.

2. It admitted both women and sudras into its ranks.

3. It stressed on the use of magic rituals.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q9

Which of the following rulers were contemporary to Harshavardhana?

1. Bhaskaravarman

2. Dhuruvasena II of Valabhi

3. Rudrasimha III

4. Pulakesin II of Western Chalukya

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q10

The seven Ratha temples found at Mahabalipuram are attributed to

Q11

With reference to India's cultural contacts with the Asian countries, consider the following statements:

1. The Indians learned the art of growing silk from China.

2. The Theravada form of Buddhism was developed by Chinese people.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q12

Which one of the following monuments carries the architectural achievements of the period of Harshvardhana?

Q1.

Which of the following is/are sources for the reconstruction of the history of Harshvardhana?

1. The famous Sanskrit drama Ratnavali

2. The Works of Bana

3. The travel accounts of Fa-Hien

4. The inscription at Banskhera

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 3 and 4 only
b) 1, 2 and 4 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Solution : b)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Fa-Hien came to India in the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya who ruled in India before Harshvardhana.

The decline of the Gupta Empire was followed by a period of political disorder and disunity in North India. It was only at the beginning of the seventh century A.D. that Harshvardhana succeeded in establishing a larger kingdom in north India.

The chief sources for tracing the history of Harsha and his times are:

  1. The Harshacharita was written by Bana
  2. The Travel accounts of Hiuen Tsang.
  3. The dramas are written by Harsha, namely Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyardarsika
  4. The Madhuben plate inscription and the Sonipat
  5. The Banskhera inscription contains the signature of Harsha.

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 22; Page number 154

TN Board Textbook; Page number 113

Q2.

With reference to the administration of Harshvardhana, consider the following statements:

1. Due to the influence of Buddhism on administration, there were no cruel punishments, unlike the Mauryan period.

2. The administration of Harshvardhana was decentralized and feudal in nature.

3. The officers were rewarded with grants of land.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statement 1 is incorrect. The administration of Harsha was organized on the same lines as the Guptas did. Hiuen Tsang gives a detailed picture of this. Cruel punishments of the Mauryan period continued in the times of Harsha. Hiuen Tsang condemned the trials as barbarous and superstitious. The Chinese pilgrim Huan-Tsang, about whom special care may have been taken by the government, was robbed of his belongings, although he reports that according to the laws of the land severe punishments were inflicted for crime. The robbery was considered to be second treason for which the right hand of the robber was amputated.

Statement 2 is correct. Harsha governed his empire on the same lines as the Guptas did, except that his administration had become more feudal and decentralized. 

Statement 3 is correct. Land grants continued to be made to priests for special services rendered to the state. Besides, Harsha is credited with the grant of land to the officers by charters. These grants allowed the same concessions to the priest as were allowed by the earlier grants.

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 22; Page number 154

Q3.

With reference to the history of ancient India, the term 'nilopitu' was used to denote

a) Stone inscription written in the praise of the king.
b) Latter of credit given to merchants.
c) Archive of public records.
d) A distinct style of temple construction.
Solution : c)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

The maintenance of public records was the salient feature of Harshvardhana’s administration. The archive of the Harsha period was known as nilopitu and it was under the control of special officers. Both good and bad events happened during his time had been recorded.

Source)

TN Textbook; Page number 116

Q4.

With reference to the status of Buddhism during the time of Harshvardhana, consider the following statements:

1. Earlier Harsha a devout Saiva the turned into an ardent Buddhist.

2. Harshvardhana held a great religious assembly at Prayag.

3. Nalanda had a huge monastic establishment and all the costs of running the university were borne by Harshvardhana.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statement 1 is correct. In his early life, Harshvardhana was a devout Saiva but later he became an ardent Hinayana Buddhist. Hiuen Tsang converted him to Mahayana Buddhism.

Statement 2 is correct. Harshvardhana followed a tolerant religious policy. A Saiva in his early years, he regularly became a great patron of Buddhism. He held a great assembly at Prayag which was attended by all the tributary princes, ministers, nobles, etc.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Nalanda had a huge monastic establishment in the time of Harshvardhana. According to the Chinese accounts, the monastery at Nalanda was supported by the revenues of 200 villages. 

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 22; Page number: 155

Q5.

Which of the following drama/ dramas was/were written by Harshvardhana, in the beginning of the seventh century A.D.?

1. Ratnavali

2. Nagananda

3. Priyardarsika

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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

Harsha was a literary figure. He wrote three plays, namely Ratnavali, Nagananda, and Priyardarsika

Source)

 Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 22; Page number 155

TN Board Textbook; Page number 113

Q6.

Consider the following statements:

1. The Vedic communities had established a taxation system and maintained small professional armies.

2. The peasantry in later Vedic time was called Bala.

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 : b)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Vedic Communities had established neither a taxation system nor a professional army. There did not exist collectors of taxes apart from the kinsmen of the prince. Payment made to the king was not much different from the sacrificial offering made to the gods. The tribal militia of the pastoral society was replaced by the peasant militia of agricultural society.

The vis or the tribal peasantry formed the sena or the armed host. The peasantry in the later Vedic times was called force (bala). The army to protect the asvamedha horse comprised both the kshtriyas and the Vis. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 26; Page number 174

Q7.

Which of the following was/were features of the sixth century B.C.?

1. The development of a fully agricultural economy.

2. The emergence of a class-less egalitarian society.

3. The formation of a large empire.

4. The emergence of the tradition of slavery.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 2 only
b) 1, 3 and 4 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Solution : b)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The use of iron tools for the crafts and cultivation created conditions for the transformation of the comparatively egalitarian Vedic society into a fully agricultural and class-divided social order in the sixth century B. C.  Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Once the forested areas of the middle Gangetic basin were cleared with the help of the iron axe, one of the most fertile parts of the world was opened to settlement, resulting in numerous rural and urban settlements. Large territorial states resulted in the formation of the Magadhan Empire. All this was possible because with the help of the iron ploughshare, sickles, and other tools peasants produced a good deal more than what they needed for their subsistence.

Statement 4 is correct. The new technique and the use of force enabled some people to possess large stretches of land which needed a good number of slaves and hired labourers. In Vedic times, people cultivated their fields with the help of family members, there is no word for wage-earner in Vedic literature. But slaves and wage-earner engaged in cultivation became a regular feature in the age of Buddha. In the Mauryan period, they worked on large state farms.

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 26; Page number 176

Q8.

Regarding tantricism, consider the following statements:

1. It emerged in the eight century A.D.

2. It admitted both women and sudras into its ranks.

3. It stressed on the use of magic rituals.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statement 1 is incorrect. The most remarkable development in the religious field in India from about the sixth centuary A.D was the spread of Trantricism. In the fifith-seventh centuries many brahmanas received land in Nepal, Assam, Bengal, Orissa, central India and the Deccan, and it is about the time the tantric texts, shrines and practices also appeared.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Tantricism admitted both women and sudras into its rank, and laid great stress on the use of the magic rituals. Some of the rituals may have been in use in earlier times, but they were systematized and recorded in the tantic texts from about the sixth century A.D. They were intended to satisify the material desires of the devotees for physical possessions and to cure the say-to-day diseases and injuries.

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 26; Page number 17

Q9.

Which of the following rulers were contemporary to Harshavardhana?

1. Bhaskaravarman

2. Dhuruvasena II of Valabhi

3. Rudrasimha III

4. Pulakesin II of Western Chalukya

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1, 3 and 4 only
b) 3 and 4 only
c) 1, 2 and 4 only
d) 2 and 3 only
Solution : c)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

Pulakesin II of Western Chalukya, Dhuruvasena II of Valabhi and Bhaskaravarman were contemporary of Harshavardhana. Harsha fought against Dhuruvasena II of Valabhi and defeated him. Dhuruvasena II became a vassal.

The accounts of Hiuen Tsang and the inscriptions of Pulakesin II provide the details of Harsha's campaign against the Western Chalukya ruler Pulakesin II.

Harsha maintained cordial relations with the ruler of Assam, Bhaskaravarman.

Rudrasimha III was the last ruler of the Saka satrap. He was defeated by Chandragupta II of Saka satraps of western India was contemporary of Chandragupta II. After this victory he performed the horse sacrifice and assumed the title Sakari, meaning, ‘destroyer of Sakas’. He also called himself Vikramaditya.

Source)

TN Board Textbook; Page number 160

Q10.

The seven Ratha temples found at Mahabalipuram are attributed to

a) The Chalukyas
b) The Pallavas
c) The Kadambas
d) The Pandayas
Solution : b)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

The Pallava kings constructed several stone temples in the sevnth and eight centuries. The most famous of them are the seven ratha temples found at Mahabalipuram, at a distance of 65 km from Madras. These were built in the seventh century by Narasimhavarman, who founded the port city of Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram.

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter 23; Page number 159

Q11.

With reference to India's cultural contacts with the Asian countries, consider the following statements:

1. The Indians learned the art of growing silk from China.

2. The Theravada form of Buddhism was developed by Chinese people.

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 :-

Statements 1 is correct. The Indians learned the art of growing silk from China, and the Chinese learned from India the art of Buddhist painting.

Statement 2 is incorrect. In the early centuries of the Christian era, Buddhism spread from India to Burma. The Burmese developed the Theraveda form of Buddhism and erected many temples and statues in honour of the Buddha. 

Source)

Ancient India by RS Sharma

Chapter-24; Page number 164

Q12.

Which one of the following monuments carries the architectural achievements of the period of Harshvardhana?

a) Temple at Deogarh near Jhansi
b) Bhitari monolithic pillar
c) Statue of standing Buddha at Mathura
d) Brick temple of Lakshmana at Sirpur
Solution : d)
Unattempted. Explanation :-

The art and architecture of Harsha’s period are very few and mostly followed the Gupta style. Hiuen Tsang describes the glory of the monastery with many storeys built by Harsha at Nalanda. He also speaks of a copper statue of Buddha with eight feet in height. The brick temple of Lakshmana at Sirpur with its rich architecture is assigned to the period of Harsha.

Source)

TN Board Textbook; Page number 119