Emergence of State and Empire – 25 Important MCQs
- From
which period did North India undergo major political and social changes
according to the passage?
A) 10th–7th century BCE
B) 6th–3rd century BCE
C) 3rd–1st century BCE
D) 1st–3rd century CE
Answer: B) 6th–3rd century BCE
- Which
two religions emerged as prominent religions during this period?
A) Hinduism and Islam
B) Buddhism and Christianity
C) Buddhism and Jainism
D) Jainism and Zoroastrianism
Answer: C) Buddhism and Jainism
- Buddhism
and Jainism are referred to as ______ religions.
A) Vedic
B) Sramanic
C) Brahmanical
D) Tantric
Answer: B) Sramanic
- The
term ‘Sramana’ is derived from which language?
A) Tamil
B) Pali
C) Sanskrit
D) Prakrit
Answer: C) Sanskrit
- The
term ‘Sramana’ means:
A) King
B) Teacher
C) Warrior
D) Merchant
Answer: B) Teacher
- The
emergence of Buddhism and Jainism significantly changed the social order
centred around:
A) Trade
B) Agriculture
C) Vedic rituals
D) Warfare
Answer: C) Vedic rituals
- What
happened to minor states and clan federations during this period?
A) They disappeared without conflict
B) They merged through conquests to form larger states
C) They became independent villages
D) They were ruled by foreign kings
Answer: B) They merged through conquests to form larger states
- A
ruler who ruled a large empire as one supreme king was known as:
A) Senapati
B) Gramika
C) Chakravartin or Ekarat
D) Mahamatra
Answer: C) Chakravartin or Ekarat
- The
rise of a centralised empire primarily took place in the:
A) Indus Valley
B) Gangetic plains
C) Deccan Plateau
D) Himalayan region
Answer: B) Gangetic plains
- Which
present-day regions were particularly associated with the rise of the
large state?
A) Punjab and Haryana
B) Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh
C) Gujarat and Rajasthan
D) Maharashtra and Karnataka
Answer: B) Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh
- Which
ecological condition favoured the rise of a large state in the Gangetic
plains?
A) Desert climate
B) Mountainous terrain
C) Flat plains and plentiful water
D) Dense coastal forests
Answer: C) Flat plains and plentiful water
- Which
river and its tributaries served as important waterways for trade and
travel?
A) Narmada
B) Godavari
C) Ganga
D) Kaveri
Answer: C) Ganga
- Who started the process of empire building in
Magadha according to the passage?
A) Chandragupta Maurya
B) Bimbisara
C) Ashoka
D) Dhanananda
Answer: B) Bimbisara
- Bimbisara
was a contemporary of:
A) Mahavira only
B) Buddha
C) Ashoka
D) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer: B) Buddha
- The
empire-building process initiated by Bimbisara was strengthened by:
A) Bindusara and Ashoka
B) Ajatashatru and the Nandas
C) Chandragupta and Chanakya
D) Rudradaman and Pushyagupta
Answer: B) Ajatashatru and the Nandas
- Who
founded the Mauryan Empire?
A) Bimbisara
B) Ajatashatru
C) Chandragupta Maurya
D) Ashoka
Answer: C) Chandragupta Maurya
- Which of the following is NOT one of the first
three well-known Mauryan emperors mentioned in the passage?
A) Chandragupta Maurya
B) Bindusara
C) Ashoka
D) Ajatashatru
Answer: D) Ajatashatru
- Which Sri Lankan chronicle written in Pali is an
important source for Mauryan history?
A) Arthashastra
B) Mahavamsa
C) Mudrarakshasa
D) Rajatarangini
Answer: B) Mahavamsa
- Which two archaeological and historical tools
provide important information about earlier periods?
A) Numismatics and astronomy
B) Archaeology and epigraphy
C) Geography and linguistics
D) Literature and mythology
Answer: B) Archaeology and epigraphy
- Archaeological excavations provide information
about the ______ of ancient cities.
A) Political parties
B) Urban morphology
C) Religious doctrines
D) Royal genealogy
Answer: B) Urban morphology
- Who
deciphered the Brahmi script of the inscriptions at Sanchi in 1837?
A) Alexander Cunningham
B) James Prinsep
C) John Marshall
D) William Jones
Answer: B) James Prinsep
- The
most widely known epigraphical sources of the Mauryan period are the:
A) Junagadh inscriptions
B) Sanchi inscriptions
C) Edicts of Ashoka
D) Allahabad Pillar inscriptions
Answer: C) Edicts of Ashoka
- The
phrase “Devanampiya Piyadassi” refers to:
A) Chandragupta Maurya
B) Bindusara
C) Ashoka
D) Rudradaman
Answer: C) Ashoka
- In which year was the decisive identification of
Devanampiya Piyadassi as Ashoka made?
A) 1837
B) 1877
C) 1905
D) 1915
Answer: D) 1915
- Who
wrote the play Mudrarakshasa, which narrates Chandragupta’s
accession to the throne?
A) Kautilya
B) Megasthenes
C) Visakhadatta
D) Banabhatta
Answer: C) Visakhadatta
