PSC OBJECTIVE -INDIAN HISTORY

 Which of the following is an architectural achievement of the Chandellas ?
(a) Sun Temple, Modhera
(b) Rock-cut caves at Mahabalipuram
(c) Temples at Khajuraho
(d) Sun Temple, Konark
Answer: Temples at Khajuraho

 Who built the Tower of Victory (Vijay Stambha) in the Chittor fort ?
(a) Rana Khumba
(b) Rana Ratan Singh
(c) Rana Sanga
(d) Rana Hamir Deva
Answer: Rana Khumba

 Which of the following is similar to the Taj Mahal in construction ?
(a) Humayun's tomb
(b) Bibi-ka-maqbara
(c) Akbar's tomb
(d) Jahangir's tomb
Answer: Humayun's tomb

Purana Qila was constructed during the reign of
(a) Jahangir
(b) Sher Shah
(c) Humayun
(d) Akbar
Answer: Sher Shah

 The temple of Angkorvat is in
(a) Laos
(b) Vietnam
(c) Myanmar
(d) Gambodia
Answer: Gambodia

 Graeco-Roman influence in Indian art is found at
(a) Sanchi
(b) Bharhut
(c) Gandhara
(d) Bodh Gaya
Answer: Sanchi

 The Hathigumpha inscription is found in
(a) Nasik (Maharashtra)
(b) Halebid (Karnataka)
(c) Kakatiya (Andhra Pradesh)
(d) Udayagiri (Cuttack)
Answer: Udayagiri (Cuttack)

The tomb of Babar is at
(a) Sikandra
(b) Kabul
(c) Lahore
(d) Sasaram
Answer: Kabul

 The most famous interpolation made by the Brahmins was the addition of Bhagvad Gita to
(a) Vedas
(b) Puranas
(c) Upanishads
(d) Mahabharat
Answer: Mahabharat

Taxila was a famous site of
(a) Mauryan Art
(b) Gupta Art
(c) Gandhara Art
(d) Early Vedic Art
Answer; Gandhara Art

 The Vimana style in temple architecture came into vogue during the reign of
(a) Cholas
(b) Rashtrakutas
(c) Mauryas
(d) Guptas
Answer: Cholas

In Mughal paintings, one notices the adoption of the principle of foreshortening whereby near and distant people and things could be placed in perspective. This was due to the influence of
(a) British
(b) Spanish
(c) Dutch
(d) Portuguese
Answer: Portuguese

 The two colossal images of the Buddha at Bamiyan are works of
(a) The Maurya Art
(b) The early Mathura school of Art
(c) The Gandhara Art
(d) The Gupta Art
Answer: The Gupta Art

 Qutab Minar was built by
(a) Razia Sultan
(b) shahjahan
(c) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
(d) Iltutmish
Answer: Qutb-ud-din Aibak

 Bronze coins of Nataraja cast during the Chola period invariably show the deity with
(a) Eight hands
(b) Six hands
(c) Two hands
(d) Four hands
Answer: Six hands

Ajanta paintings are the finest specimens of
(a) Rock engravings
(b) Rajasthani miniature paintings
(c) Persian art
(d) Indian cave paintings
Answer: Rajasthani miniature paintings

The paintings in the Ajanta and Ellora Caves are indicative of development of art under the
(a) Pallavas
(b) Chalukyas
(c) Pandyas
(d) Rashtrakutas
Answer: Rashtrakutas

 The buildings constructed by which Mughal ruler represent the climax in the evolution of Mughal arhitecture ?
(a) Akbar
(b) Aurangzeb
(c) Jehangir
(d) Shahjahan
Answer: Shahjahan

Who among the following Gupta rulers was a poet and a musician and was adorned with the title of Kaviraja or King of poets ?
(a) None of these
(b) Samudragupta
(c) Chandragupta I
(d) Skandagupta
Answer: Samudragupta

The new element of Gopuram was encouraged in temples of South India by
(a) Pandyas
(b) Chalukyas
(c) Cholas
(d) Pallavas
Answer: Pandyas

 Which of the following was built by Rashtrakutas ?
(a) Siva temple of Ellora
(b) Channakeshava temple of Betur
(c) Kailasha temple of Mahabalipuram
(d) Surya temple of Konark
Answer: Siva temple of Ellora

Of all the great powers that made the history of South India, none had a more marked effect on the architecture of this region than the earliest of all. This observation refers to
(a) Cholas
(b) Pallavas
(c) Rashtrakutas
(d) Chalukyas
Answer: Pallavas

The earliest extant (still standing) temples date from
(a) The Sunga period
(b) The Gupta period
(c) The Vedic period
(d) The Maurya period
Answer: The Gupta period

Which of the following is not connected with Kushans ?
(a) Fourth Buddhist Council
(b) Gandhara Art
(c) Mathura Art
(d) Ajanta paintings
Answer: Gandhara Art

Ajanta paintings depict scenes from the
(a) Mahabharat
(b) Upanishads
(c) Jatakas
(d) Ramayana
Answer: Jatakas

 The stupa at Sanchi and the railings surrounding it, belong to the period of
(a) Kushans
(b) Mauryas
(c) Guptas
(d) Cholas
Answer: Mauryas

 The temple built during the medieval period by which of the following dynasties are known as Seven Pagodas?
(a) Choias
(b) Hoysalas
(c) Pallavas
(d) Chalukyas
Answer: Pallavas

 The first Mughal building to have been built entirely of marble is
(a) Akbar's mausoleum
(b) Itmat-ud-Daula's tomb
(c) Humayun's tomb
(d) Taj Mahal
Answer: Taj Mahal

The finest and most eleborate temple of Chola architecture is the
(a) Subrahmanya temple at Thanjaur
(b) Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram
(c) Kailashanatha temple at Kanchipuram
(d) Brihadisvara temple at Thanjaur
Answer: Brihadisvara temple at Thanjaur

 Biwi Ka Maqbara is the tomb of
(a) Nurjahan
(b) Mumtaz Mahal
(c) Humayun's sister
(d) Aurangzeb's wife
Answer: Mumtaz Mahal

 Akbar built the Panch Mahal, noted for its various types of pillars, at
(a) Delhi
(b) Lahore
(c) Agra
(d) Fatehpur Sikri
Answer: Fatehpur Sikri

Who built the mausoleum of Jahangir and where ?
(a) Nur Jahan at Lahore
(b) Nur Jahan at Fatehpur Sikri
(c) Shahjahan at Agra
(d) Shahjahan at Delhi
Answer: Nur Jahan at Lahore

The city of Agra was founded by
(a) Ibrahim Lodi
(b) Firuz Tughlaq
(c) Sikandar Lodi
(d) Rana Sanga
Answer: Sikandar Lodi

An overwhelming majority of the images at Ajanta are those of
(a) Buddha
(b) Durga
(c) Siva
(d) Vishnu
Answer: Buddha

The largest grant of villages to temples and brahmana was given by the ruling dynasty known as
(a) Pratiharas
(b) The Guptas
(c) The Palas
(d) Rashtrakutas
Answer: The Guptas

Which of the following Indian kings excelled in art and music ?
(a) Harshavardhana
(b) Kanishka
(c) Samudragupta
(d) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer: Samudragupta

Which Sultans added the Alai Darwaza to the Qutab Minar ?
(a) Alauddin Khilji
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Firoz Tughlaq
Answer: Alauddin Khilji

 The use of Kharoshti in ancient Indian architecture is the result of India's contact with
(a) Iran
(b) Central Asia
(c) Greece
(d) China
Answer: Greece

 The rock-cut caves at Elephanta belong to the period of
(a) Rashtrakutas
(b) Vakatakas
(c) Satavahanas
(d) Chalukyas
Answer: Chalukyas

The Kailashanath Temple at Ellora was excavated at the instance of
(a) Govinda III
(b) Amoghavarsha I
(c) Krishna I
(d) Krishna II
Answer: Krishna I

 The material used in Mathura school of art is
(a) Slate
(b) Red sandstone
(c) Granite
(d) White marble
Answer: Red sandstone

Which one of the following monuments has a dome which is said to be one of the largest in the world ?
(a) Jama Masjid, Delhi
(b) Tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, Delhi
(c) Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur
(d) Tomb of Sher Shah, Sasaram
Answer: Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur

 The Mughal school of painting formed the spinal column of the various schools of Indian miniature art. Which of the following painting styles was not affected by Mughal Painting ?
(a) Kangra
(b) Kalighata
(c) Rajasthani
(d) Pahari
Answer: Kangra

Most of the buildings of Fatehpur Sikri are built with
(a) Red sandstone
(b) Marble
(c) Brick
(d) Limestone
Answer: Red sandstone

 Which of the following is not true about Ajanta Caves ?
(a) They are in Maharashtra.
(b) They do not have paintings of flora and fauna.
(c) They are decorated with Buddhist art.
(d) They depict the techniques used in ancient India.
Answer: They depict the techniques used in ancient India.

On the wall of which of the following buildings built by Shah Jahan, the Persian couplet If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this is inscribed ?
(a) Moti Masjid
(b) Diwani-e-Am, Delhi
(c) Jasmine Palace
(d) Diwani-i-Khas, Delhi
Answer: Diwani-i-Khas, Delhi

 The Rathas at Mahabalipuram are
(a) Monolithic structures
(b) All the above
(c) Square or rectangular
(d) Eight in number
Answer: All the above

Arhai-Din-Ka Jhopra built by Qutuddin Aibak is located in
(a) Badayun
(b) Kalinjas
(c) Ajmer
(d) Delhi
Answer: Ajmer

 Tansen, the greatest musician of Akbar's court, belonged to
(a) Delhi
(b) Kanauj
(c) Agra
(d) Gwalior
Answer: Gwalior

The famous book Geet Govind was written by
(a) Banabhatta
(b) Jayadev
(c) Mirabai
(d) Kalidas
Answer: Jayadev

Kalidasa lived during the reign of
(a) Chandragupta II
(b) Chandragupta II
(c) Samudragupta
(d) Ashoka, the Great
Answer: Chandragupta II

Which of the following works of kalidasa is not a play ?
(a) Vikramorvasiya
(b) Malavikagnimitra
(c) Meghadoot
(d) Abhijinana Shakuntalam
Answer: Meghadoot

The Panchatantra was written during the
(a) Sultanate period
(b) Gupta period
(c) Maurya period
(d) Later Vedic period
Answer: Maurya period

The famous epic Mahabharata was written by
(a) Valmiki
(b) Bhavabhuti
(c) Patanjali
(d) Ved Vyas
Answer: Ved Vyas

Aryabhatta was a famous
(a) Scientist
(b) Painter
(c) Astronomer
(d) Physician
Answer: Astronomer

Who among the following was a lexicographer?
(a) Banabhatta
(b) Panini
(c) Dandin
(d) Amarasimha
Answer: Amarasimha

Who is author of Ashtadhyayi?
(a) Charak
(b) Aryabhatta
(c) Vishnu Sharma
(d) Panini
Answer: Panini

Names of sixteen Mahajanapadas were found in
(a) Anguttara Nikaya
(b) Harshacharita
(c) Indica
(d) Kalpa Sutra
Answer: Anguttara Nikaya

Harsha wrote
(a) Kadambari
(b) Meghasandesam
(c) Ratnavali
(d) Raghuvamsa
Answer: Ratnavali

Mitakshara, an authoritative treatise on Hindu law, was written by
(a) Vigneswara
(b) Manu
(c) Jimutavahana
(d) Hemadri
Answer: Vigneswara

Kalhan's Rajatarangini is a history of
(a) Kashmir
(b) Chandragupta's reign
(c) Harsha's reign
(d) Rajasthan
Answer: Kashmir

Who among the following is the author of the book Yogasutra?
(a) Manu
(b) Visvamitra
(c) Vasishtha
(d) Patanjali
Answer: Patanjali

The Shahnama was written by
(a) Abul Fazal
(b) Firdausi
(c) Alberuni
(d) Amir Khusrao
Answer: Firdausi

The great scholar, Banabhatta, lived during the reign of
(a) Chandragupta II
(b) Ashoka
(c) Kanishka
(d) Harsha
Answer: Harsha

Which of the following is an ancient Indian work relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony ?
(a) Brahamanas
(b) Aranyakas
(c) Amarakosa
(d) Vajasaneyi Samhita
Answer: Brahamanas

Padmavat of Malik Muhammad Jaisi, a notable work in Hindi, was completed during the reign of
(a) Akbar
(b) Aurangzeb
(c) Sher Shah
(d) Babar
Answer: Sher Shah

The poet Harisena was the courtier of
(a) Lakshmana Sena
(b) Chandragupta
(c) Samudragupta
(d) Skandagupta
Answer: Samudragupta

All the following literary works are traditionally ascribed to personages who lived in the Maurya period, except
(a) Mrichchhakatika
(b) Kalpasutra of Bhadrabahu
(c) Kautilya's Arthashastra
(d) Katha Vathu
Answer: Mrichchhakatika

Which is not a Vedic text ?
(a) The Smritis
(b) The Upanishads
(c) The Brahmanas
(d) The Angas
Answer: The Angas

Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitamanas during the reign of
(a) Rama Raya
(b) Krishnadeva Raya
(c) Akbar
(d) Jehangir
Answer: Akbar

In which of the following modern states Asokan insirations are not found ?
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Orissa
(c) Karnataka
(d) Andhra Pradesh
Answer: Tamil Nadu

Who among the following saints wrote Bijak?
(a) Tulsidas
(b) Guru Arjun
(c) Kabir
(d) Ramdas
Answer: Kabir

Matta Vilasa Prahansa was written during the period of
(a) None of these
(b) Pallavas
(c) Sangam
(d) Later Pandayas
Answer: Pallavas

The account of Babur's life was written in
(a) Turki
(b) Arabic
(c) Urdu
(d) Persian
Answer: Turki

Mahabharata is also known as
(a) Chhandogya
(b) Vijay-pitaka
(c) Katha Vatthu
(d) Jayanama-Itihasa
Answer: Jayanama-Itihasa

The Head of the University of Nalanda was the great Bengali scholar
(a) Sheelabhadra
(b) Shreejnan Atisha
(c) Basubandhu
(d) Nagarjuna
Answer: Sheelabhadra

Tahqiq - I - Hind, a famous literary work, was written by
(a) Minhaj-us-Siraj
(b) Alberuni
(c) Badauni
(d) Nizam-ud-din-Ahmad
Answer: Alberuni

Of the following, the oldest Sanskrit poet, whose composition still remains in original classical style, is
(a) Bhavabhuti
(b) Dandin
(c) Ashvaghosa
(d) Kalidasa
Answer: Ashvaghosa

The most outstanding feature of Babar's memoirs (Tuzuk-i-Baburi) is its
(a) Literary value
(b) Authentic record
(c) Candidness in description
(d) Large volume
Answer: Candidness in description

Who among the following ladies wrote a historical account during the Mughal Period ?
(a) Gulbadan Begam
(b) Zebun-nissa Begam
(c) Nurjahan Begam
(d) Jahanara Begam
Answer: Gulbadan Begam

The first major work in the development of Marathi literature, was done by
(a) Sant Dhyaneshwar
(b) Sant Namdev
(c) Yogi Mukundraj
(d) Sant Ramdas
Answer: Sant Namdev

Who among the following literary figures of the Gupta Age is given the title of Indian Shakespeare?
(a) Bharavi
(b) Kalidasa
(c) Harisena
(d) Vishakhadatta
Answer: Kalidasa

In which of the following inscriptions is Ashoka mentioned by name ?
(a) Bairat inscription
(b) None of these
(c) Major Rock Edict at Girnar
(d) Lamghan inscription
Answer: Bairat inscription

Kadambari was written by
(a) Harsha
(b) Bana
(c) Kalidasa
(d) Kautilya
Answer: Bana

The famous poet in the court of Alauddin Khilji was
(a) Barauni
(b) Sadi
(c) Badre Chach
(d) Amir Khusrau
Answer: Amir Khusrau

Sangam literature is
(a) Early Tamil literature attributed to the first three centuries of the Christian era.
(b) Sanskrit works of Puranic nature dealing with the sanctity of the place where there is confluence of rivers in Prayaga.
(c) Classical Sanskrit literature patronised by the Guptas.
(d) Pali literature dealing with the history of the Buddhist samghas.
Answer: Early Tamil literature attributed to the first three centuries of the Christian era.

Who recast the original single Veda into four Vedas ?
(a) None of these
(b) Vyas
(c) Patanjali
(d) Shankaracharya
Answer: Vyas

The Buddhist religious literature produced during the Mauryan period was in
(a) Ardhamagadhi
(b) Pali
(c) Sanskrit
(d) Prakrit
Answer: Prakrit

Dhanvantri, a renowed physician of ancient India, adorned the court of
(a) Kanishka
(b) Ashoka
(c) Samudragupta
(d) Chandragupta Vikramaditya
Answer: Chandragupta Vikramaditya

The literature of the Sangam Age was written mostly in the form of
(a) Drama
(b) All the above
(c) Poetry
(d) Prose
Answer: Poetry

In the beginning, Jain texts were originally written in
(a) Pali
(b) None of these
(c) Sanskrit
(d) Prakrit
Answer: Prakrit

The immediate cause of invasion of Ahmad Shah Abdali on India was
(a) He was attracted by its wealth.
(b) He was invited by Shah Nawaz Khan.
(c) He hed a strong army.
(d) The Indian rulers were weak.
Answer: The Indian rulers were weak.

The invasion of Huns first took place during the rule of
(a) Gupta
(b) Kushans
(c) Mauryas
(d) Nandas
Answer: Gupta

The First Battle of Panipat was fought in the year
(a) 1764
(b) 1776
(c) 1526
(d) 1527
Answer: 1526

 Fahien came to India during the reign of
(a) Chandragupta Vikramaditya
(b) Ashoka
(c) Harshavardhana
(d) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer: Chandragupta Vikramaditya

The Second Battle of Panipat was fought during the reign of
(a) Humayun
(b) Aurangzeb
(c) Akbar
(d) Babar
Answer: Akbar

Alberuni came to India with
(a) Alexander
(b) Timur
(c) Babur
(d) Mahmud of Ghazni
Answer: Mahmud of Ghazni

 Who looted the temple of Somnath ?
(a) Mohammad Ghori
(b) Nadir Shah
(c) Mahmood of Ghazni
(d) Changhiz Khan
Answer: Mahmood of Ghazni

 The historical source attributed to Megasthenes is
(a) Indica
(b) The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea
(c) Naturalis Historia
(d) Geography
Answer: Indica

Changiz Khan invaded India during the rule of
(a) Balban
(b) Ala-ud-din Khilji
(c) Iltutmish
(d) Qutubuddin Aibak
Answer: Iltutmish

The first to invade India out of the following were
(a) Turks
(b) Mongols
(c) Arabs
(d) Afghans
Answer: Arabs

Black Hole Episode was the main cause of
(a) Battle of Wandiwash
(b) Battle of Haldighati
(c) Battle of Plassey
(d) Battle of Buxar
Answer: Battle of Plassey

Who among the following scholars was the first to visit India ?
(a) Ibn- Batutah
(b) Marco Polo
(c) Fa-Hien
(d) Hiuen Tsang
Answer: Fa-Hien

Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim, visited India during the reign of
(a) Ashoka
(b) Harshavardhana
(c) Chandragupta I
(d) Kanishka
Answer: Harshavardhana

 The Battle of Talikota was fought in the year
(a) 1586
(b) 1565
(c) 1526
(d) 1576
Answer: 1565

 The first Muslim invasion of India was led by
(a) Mahmud Ghazni
(b) Timur Lane
(c) Muhammad Ghori
(d) Muhammad bin Kasim
Answer: Muhammad bin Kasim

The term Macedonia's Madman referred to
(a) Xerxes
(b) Darius
(c) Alexander
(d) Philip II
Answer: Alexander

The Third Battle of Panipat was fought between
(a) Marathas and Britishers
(b) Rajputs and Britishers
(c) Marathas and Rajputs
(d) Marathas and Afghans
Answer: Marathas and Afghans

 The Battle of Kanwah was fought between
(a) Babar and Rana Sangha
(b) Akbar and Rana Sangram Singh
(c) Babar and Hemu
(d) Akbar and Rana Pratap
Answer: Babar and Rana Sangha

Which of the following statements is incorrect in regard to Battle of Buxar ?
(a) Mir Kasim was routed at the Battle of Buxar
(b) None of these
(c) The battle was fought in 1863.
(d) British took over the administration of Bengal after the battle.
Answer: The battle was fought in 1863.

 Chengez Khan was a
(a) Mongol
(b) None of these
(c) Turk
(d) Persian
Answer: Mongol

 Akbar defeated Rana Pratap in the Battle of Haldighati in the year
(a) 1596
(b) 1576
(c) 1570
(d) 1588
Answer: 1576