Thursday, July 17, 2014

Quiz 621: Indian History for UPPSC Examination

1. The harappans used intaglio seals, made mostly of carved and fired steatite :
[A]As an export commodity.
[B]As a medium of exchange in place of coins.
[C]As amulets and charms to ward off evil spirits.
[D]For marking their goods and property.

Option [D]
The seals of the ancient Harappan's were probably used in much the same way they are today, to sign letters or for commercial transactions. The Harappan seals were used for marking goods and bales of merchandise. (Hence Option d. is correct)

2. Which of the following deities were associated with the ‘Rig Vedic Period’ ?
1.Purandara
2.Varuna
3.Savitri
4.Usha
Choose the correct option:
[A]1 and 2
[B]1, 2 and 3
[C]1, 3 and 4
[D]1, 2, 3 and 4

Option [D]
Indra (also known as Purandra:meaning ‘breaker of forts’), Agni, Soma, Varuna (Upholder of cosmic order) Asvins, Maruts, Mitra, Ushas (Goddess of dawn), Savitri (Deity invoked in the gayatri mantra) , Pushan, Dyaus and Prithvi were some of the major deities of Rig Vedic Period. They were invoked for their blessings by the Vedic Aryans.

3. Which of the following statements about the Gandhara School of Art is NOT correct?
[A]It displays Greek artistic influence and the concept of the "man-god" was essentially inspired by Greek mythological culture.
[B]Gandhara School of art enjoyed the liberal patronage of Indo-Greek rulers.
[C]Artistically, the Gandharan school of sculpture is said to have contributed wavy hair, drapery covering both shoulders, shoes and sandals etc.
[D]The Gandhara art primarily depicted the Buddhist themes.

Option [B]
Option [B] is incorrect because Gandhara School of art enjoyed the liberal patronage of Kushana rulers especially Kanishka. The Gandhara art primarily depicted the Buddhist themes. It displays Greek artistic influence and the concept of the "man-god" was essentially inspired by Greek mythological culture. Artistically, the Gandharan school of sculpture is said to have contributed wavy hair, drapery covering both shoulders, shoes and sandals etc. (Hence Options [A], [C] and[D] are correct)

4. In the light of events which occurred during the reign of Shahjahan, select the statement which is NOT correct:
[A]The capital of the mughal empire was shifted from Agra to Delhi.
[B]Monthly scale was introduced in Mansabdari system.
[C]Foreign travelers Bernier, Travernier and Manucci visited the Mughal court.
[D]Jats and Satnamis raised the banner of rebellion.

Option [D]
Monthly scale was introduced in Mansabdari system by ShahJahan. Month-ratio or Month-scale system It was a new scaling device under which the salaries of mansabdars were put on a month scale: ten months, eight months, six months or even less. The obligations of the mansabdars for main¬taining a quota of sawars were brought down accordingly. The month-scale system was applied to both jagirs and those who were paid in cash. Jats and Satnamis raised the banner of rebellion during the reign of Aurangzeb.(Hence Option d. is incorrect)

5. Which legendary Sufi saint of Chishti order was popularly known as ‘Chirag-e-Dehlavi (Chirag of Delhi)’?
[A]Nizamuddin Auliya
[B]Nizamuddin Auliya
[C]Shaikh Nasiruddin Mahmud
[D]Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki

Option [C]
Nasiruddin Mahmud Chirag-e-Delhi (ca 1274-1356) was a 14th century mystic-poet and a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order. He was a murid (disciple) of noted Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, and later his successor. He was the last important Sufi of the Chishti Order from Delhi. He was given the title, "Roshan Chirag-e-Delhi", which in Urdu, means "Illuminated Lamp of Delhi".

6. The rulers of Bahmani kingdom encouraged the development of art and architecture in the form of cities, buildings, mosques and fortresses. The incorrect statement in this context is:
[A]The city of Hyderabad was founded by Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur.
[B]Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur, the mausoleum of Mohammad Adil Shah is the largest dome.
[C]The Char Minar of Hyderabad was built by Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah of Golkunda.
[D]Mahmud Gawan built a college at Bidar.

Option [A]
Hyderabad was established in 1591 AD on the banks of the Musi River on the northern tip of the Deccan Plateau by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah.

7. Consider the following Statements regarding the history of Kashmir during the ancient and early medieval age -
1.Kashmir was the part of Ashoka’s empire and Srinagar was founded by him.
2.Kalhana’s authoritative work ‘Rajatarangini’ is on history of Kashmir.
3.Zain-ul-Abidin was a great liberal king known as ‘Akbar of Kashmir’.
4.Kashmir was annexed to the Mughal Empire by Akbar
Which of the above statements is / are correct?
[A]2 and 3
[B]1, 2 and 4
[C]2, 3 and 4
[D]All of them

Option [D]

8. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct regarding developments in the field of music during Medieval India?
1.Sangeet Ratnakar is the earliest known treatise on music composed during Medieval period.
2.Ragdarpan, a famous work on music was translated into Persian, during the reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.
3.Sultan Hussain Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur was a great musician and patron of music who wrote a great book on music known as ‘Man Kautuhal’
Choose the correct option:
[A]Only 1
[B]Only 2
[C]Both 1 and 3
[D]1, 2 and 3

Option [A]
Sangeet Ratnakar is the earliest known treatise on music composed during Medieval period by Sharangadeva.(Hence Statement 1. is correct) Ragdarpan, a famous work on music was translated into Persian, during the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.(Hence Statement 2. is incorrect) Raja Man Singh of Gwalior was a great musician and patron of music who wrote a great book on music known as ‘Man Kautuhal’ (Hence Statement 3. is incorrect)

9. The silver coin which was introduced by Sher Shah and continued by the Mughals was :
[A]Rupaya
[B]Dinar
[C]Asharfi
[D]Muhar

Option [A]
Sher Shah issued a coin of silver which was termed ‘Rupaya’. This weighed 178 grains and was the precursor of the modern rupee. It remained largely unchanged till the early 20th Century. Together with the silver Rupaya were issued gold coins called the Mohur weighing 169 grains and copper coins called Dam.

10. Which of the following statements about the Gupta Empire under Samudragupta is NOT correct?
[A]Prayaga Prashasti of Samudragupta composed by his court poet Harisena is engraved on an Ashokan pillar at Allahabad.
[B]Samudragupta was the first Gupta ruler to have exercised direct administrative control over western and Southern India.
[C]Samudragupta carved out an extensive empire which is evident from the fact that he had performed an Asvamedha sacrifice.
[D]None of the above.

Option [B]

11. Consider the following Statements regarding the Turkish rulers of Sultanate period:
1.Illtutmish formed a Group of Forty nobles known as 'Turkan-i- Chihalgani'.
2.Balban was very much influenced by Iranian customs and traditions and under their influence started the customs of Sijda and Paibos in his court.
3.Alauddin Khilji was the first Sultan of Delhi who invaded southern India.
4.Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveler visited India during the reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.
Select the statements which are correct:
[A]1 and 2
[B]1, 2 and 3
[C]1, 3 and 4
[D]1, 2, 3 and 4

Option [D]

12. In 1837, James Princep deciphered an Inscription in Brahmi script referring to a king called ‘Devanamapiya Piyadassi’. The celebrated monarch known by this epithet was :
[A]Ashoka
[B]Akbar
[C]Kanishka
[D]Chandragupta Vikramaditya

Option [A]

13. Select the statement which is NOT correct regarding Kalidasa:
[A]Kalidasa was a renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist of Gupta period.
[B]He was one of the nine gems in the court of Chandragupta I.
[C]Kumarasambhavam and Ritusamhara are his two epic works.
[D]His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy

Option [B]
He was one of the nine gems in the court of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya.

14. Who were Manu, Yajnavalkya , Narada and Brihaspati ?
[A]Law givers of ancient India
[B]Gods of Vedic religion
[C]Buddhist scholars and logicians
[D]Celebrated mathematicians and astronomers of ancient India

Option [A]

15. Consider the following statements about the advent of Europeans as trading entities in India-
1.The French Company was the last amongst the European Trading powers to reach India.
2.The ‘Cartaze’ were used by the Portuguese to monopolize trade along the Coromandel coast.
Which of the above statements is / are correct?
[A]Only 1
[B]Only 2
[C]Both 1 and 2
[D]Neither 1 nor 2

Option [C]
The order of coming of Europeans in India is Portuguese-Dutch-English-French. French Company was the last amongst the European Trading powers
to reach India. (Hence Statement 1. is correct) The "cartazes" licensing system was created in 1502 to control and enforce the Portuguese trade monopoly over a wide area in the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of local commerce. Officially, no vessel was permitted to sail in the Indian coast without this document, risking losing their cargo, being attacked and even sunk by the Portuguese - mainly Muslim, Hindu and Malay merchant ships. Every year, during the monsoon, Portuguese fleets patrolled the coasts requiring this document. (Hence Statement 2. is correct)

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