Solutions – Diagnostic ‘Ancient, Medieval

History and Art and Culture’ L1 Test

1. Answer – B
Mahajanapada - Capital
1. Kamboja - Rajapura/Pooncha
2. Gandhara - Taxila
3. Kuru - Indraprastha
4. Panchala - Ahichchatra and Kampliya
5. Shurasena - Mathura
6. Matsya - Viratnagar
7. Vatsa - Kaushambi
8. Avanti - Ujjaini/Mahismati
9. Chedi - Sothivati
10. Kosala - Shravasti
11. Mallas - Kusinara
12. Vajji - Vaishali
13. Kashi - Kashi/Varanasi
14. Magadha - Rajgir
15. Anga - Champa
16. Asmaka - Paitha

2. Answer – B
We do not come across any officer concerned with the collection of taxes.
Probably the chiefs received from the people voluntary offerings called bali.
Presents and spoils of war were perhaps distributed in some Vedic Assemblies.
3. Answer – C
Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmadnagar emerged following the break-up of
Bahamani kingdom and they combined to crush the Vijayanagara empire at
the battle of Bannihatti in 1565.

Bijapur and Golconda extended its territories at the cost of Vijayanagara while
Ahmadnagar overran Berar.

Similar to Rajputs in North India, the Marathas were the backbone of the
landed aristocracy in Deccan and the Deccani States following a policy of
winning over the Marathas to their side.

4. Answer – A
Realization of land revenue in cash enabled Alauddin to pay his soldiers in
cash. He was the first Sultan in the Sultanat to do so.

5. Answer – B
Towards the close of the 13th century Marco Polo came to Coromandel coastal
and malabar coastal districts and had given an account of the Pandya
Kingdom in his book Travels of Marco Polo.

6. Answer – D
Losar is a major festival in Arunachal Pradesh as it marks the Tibetan New
Year. Tribes like Monpa, Sherdukpens, Memba, Khamba and Nah following
the Mahayana sect of Buddhism celebrate this festival.

Saga Dawa is one of the major Buddhist festivals in Sikkim and is celebrated
in the Tibetan lunar month.

Nongkrem Dance Festival is a way of celebrating the harvest. The festival is

celebrated in the month of November each year by the Khasi Tribe of
Meghalaya

Chapchar Kut is an agriculture festival in Mizoram. Celebrated in the month

of March every year, Chapar Kut marks the time for planting in the state.
7. Answer – B
Vedanta means the end of Veda.
Brahmasutra by Badrayana was compiled in the second century BC.

8. Answer – C
Under the prime ministership of Mahmud Gawan, the Bahamani kingdom
reached its height of power and territorial limits. NOTE - NCERT says Krishna
Deva Rai is the founder while Tamil Nadu and other sources says Vir
Narasimha is the founder of Tuluva Dynasty. The answer given here is in line
with NCERT.

9. Answer – A
A fiscal and administrative unit called Dandabhukti was formed in the border
areas lying between Bengal and Orissa. Danda means punishment, and
Bhukti enjoyment.
Apparently the unit was created for taming and punishing the tribal
inhabitants of that region.

10. Answer – B
Alexander's invasion occurred during the reign of Nandas.

Ashoka did not seek to propagate Buddhism through his Dhamma.

11. Answer – C
Although the rubab and sarangi were introduced by the Turks into India, Amir
Khusrao was not the inventor of these instruments. He is credited with the
invention of Tabla and Sitar.

12. Answer – D
The powerful Sailendra Dynasty, which was Buddhist in faith and which ruled
over Malaya, Java, Sumatra and the neighbouring islands sent many
embassies to the Pala court. (They were not at war with Rajaraja I. )

13. Answer – B
Warriors and priests (kshatriyas and brahmanas) were exempted from paying
taxes and the burden fell on the peasants who were Vaishyas or grihapatis.
Artisans and traders also had to pay taxes.
 The Licchavis and Sakyas were republics wherein the power lay in the hands
of tribal oligarchies.

14. Answer – A
Mughals introduced themes like court, battle scenes and the chase, and added
new colours and new forms.
Mughal paintings reached a climax under Jahangir.
Under Akbar, European painting was introduced at the court by the
Portuguese priests. Under their influence, the principles of foreshortening,
whereby near and distant people and things could be placed in perspective
were adopted.

15. Answer – B
Portuguese monopolised trade with India but could neither adequately police
the vast expanse of Indian Ocean, nor control the trade or the traders there.
Gujarati and Arab traders continued to dominate the most lucrative Asian
trade, i.e,. trade in Indian textiles, supplemented by rice and sugar.
The Portuguese could not act as a bridge for transmitting to India the science
and technology which had grown in Europe since the renaissance. This was
partly because they themselves were not as deeply affected by the renaissance.
They transmitted a number of agricultural products from Central America
such as potato, tobacco, maize, peanut etc.

16. Answer – B
Perhaps the ‘Dancing Girl’ from Mohenjodaro is the earliest bronze sculpture
datable to 2500 BCE.

The additional importance of the Gupta and Vakataka bronzes is that they
were portable and monks carried them from place to place for the purpose of
individual worship or to be installed in Buddhist viharas.

17. Answer – A
Malik-us-Sharq (Lord of the East) was the title given to Sharqi wazir Malik
Sarwar.

18. Answer – B
The most renowned scholars of astronomy were Aryabhatta and
Varahamihira. Aryabhatta belonged to the fifth century and Varahamihira to
the sixth.
 Aryabhatta calculated the position of planets according to the Babylonian
method. He discovered the cause of solar and lunar eclipse. The circumference
of the earth which he measured on the basis of speculation is considered to
be correct even now.

Varahamihira wrote Brihatsamhita. He stated that the moon rotates around

the earth and the earth rotates around the Sun.

19. Answer – A
The chahalganis or "the forty" were the Turkish chiefs of Delhi Sultanat.

20. Answer – D
Villagers were subjected to forced labour called as Vishti for serving the royal
Army. Further, whenever the Royal Army passed through the countryside the
local people had to feed it.

For the first time the civil and criminal law was clearly defined and
demarcated.

Kumaramatyas were appointed by the king in the home provinces and

possibly paid in cash.

21. Answer – C
It was Alauddin Khilji who reduced Khuts and Muqaddams to the position of
ordinary cultivators to improve the agriculture.

22. Answer – B
The terms nishka and satamana in the Vedic texts are taken to be names of
coins, but they seem to have been prestige objects made of metal.

23. Answer – A
Animal figurines were considered un-Islamic and were not used for
decorations.
Although the use of arch and dome increased under the Turks in India, these
were not Turkish inventions.

24. Answer – C
Samkhya - The presence of divine agency is not essential to the creation of the
world. The world owes its creation and evolution more to Nature or Prakriti.

Nyaya - School of analysis was developed as a system of logic.

 Vaisheshika - This school gives importance to material elements or dravya. It
propounded the theory of Atom.

Mimamsa - It literally means the art of reasoning and interpretation.

25. Answer – D
Self explanatory

26. Answer – D
With the conquest of Ranthambhor by Alauddin Khalji, the power of the
Chauhans in Rajputana had finally come to an end. From its ruins a number
of new states arose. The state of Marwar with its capital at Jodhpur was one
of these.

27. Answer – B
The Vasishthas ruled on the borders of Andhra in South Kalinga, the Nalas in
the forest area of Mahakantara, and the Manas in the coastal area in the North
beyond the Mahanadi.
Each state developed its system of taxation, administration and military
organization.
The Nalas, and probably the Manas also evolved their system of coinage.
Each kingdom favoured Brahmanas with land grants and even invited them
from outside, and most kings performed vedic sacrifices not only for spiritual
merit but also for power, prestige and legitimacy.

28. Answer – C
There are many subdivisions of Nagara temples depending upon the shape of
the shikhara.
Rekha-prasada or latina - Simple shikhara which is square at the base and
whose walls curve or slope inward to a point on top.
Phamsana - Their roofs are composed of several slabs that gently rise to a
single point over the centre of the building, unlike the latina ones which look
like sharply rising tall towers.
Valabhi - These are rectangular buildings with a roof that rises into a vaulted
chamber.

29. Answer – B
The Gupta period was poor in Architecture. All we get is a few temples made
of brick made in UP and a stone temple.

Bhagvatism or Vaishnavism overshadowed Mahayana Buddhism by Gupta

times. Overall decline occurred in Buddhism as it no longer received royal
patronage.
30. Answer – D
The Ashokan inscriptions mention the Cholas, Pandyas, Keralaputras and
Satyaputras living on the borders of the empire; of these only the Satyaputras
are not clearly identified. Tamraparnis or the people of Sri Lanka are also
mentioned.

31. Answer – B
Kathputli, Kundhei, Gombeyatt and Bommalattam are string puppet art
forms.
Putul Nautch is a rod puppet form.
Pavakoothu is a glove puppet form.

32. Answer – B
Enadi - Title given to captains of the Army at a formal ceremony.
Vellalas - Rich peasants.
Arsar - Ruling class
Kadaisiyar - Lowest class
Periyars - Agricultural Labourers

33. Answer – B
Paleolithic paintings are majorly about man, animal and geometric patterns.

In the Mesolithic period themes multiplied but the paintings are smaller in
size.

Paintings of the Chalcolithic period reveal the association, contact, and

mutual exchange of requirements of cave dwellers with settled agricultural
communities.

34. Answer – A
The Bhakti movement continued during the 16th and 17th centuries. The
Sikh Movement under Guru Nanak and in Maharashtra led by Tukaram were
amongst the new movements.
Dara Shikoh's significant work was an anthology of the Vedas, in the
introduction to which he declared the Vedas to be 'heavenly books in point of
time' and 'in conformity with the holy Quran', thus underlining the belief that
there was no fundamental difference between Hinduism and Islam.
Dadu Dayal preached a non-sectarian (nipakh) path in Gujarat.

35. Answer – A
Lothal- Gujarat
Dholavira- Gujarat
Kalibangan- Rajasthan
Shortughai- Afghanistan
36. Answer – A
Urdu language in its Dakhini form saw great patronage and development
under the Deccani States.

Quli Qutb Shah founded Hyderabad and built the Char Minar.

Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Rauza were Bijapuri buildings.

37. Answer – B
Kannauj was popular during Ancient period.

Ibn Battutah calls Delhi as the largest city in the eastern part of Islamic world.
He says that Daulatabad (Deogir) equalled Delhi in size.

38. Answer – B
In post-Gupta times, Hindu divinities came to be arranged according to their
grades in the hierarchy. Just as society was divided into unequal classes
based on ritual, landed property, military power, etc., the divinities were also
divided into unequal ranks. Vishnu, Shiva and Durga appeared as supreme
deities, presiding over many other gods and goddesses, who were placed in
lower positions as retainers and attendants. We find the practice of
worshipping Brahma, Ganapati, Vishnu, Shakti and Shiva. They were called
panchadeva or five divinities.

39. Answer – C
The Turks did not have superior weapons as compared to the Rajputs.
The iron stirrup had spread in India from 8th century onwards, in hand to
hand combat Indians were considered to be best in the world and they also
had an advantage of elephants.
The weakness of the Rajputs were social and organisational.

40. Answer – A
Chandragupta 1 started Gupta Era in A.D. 319-20

41. Answer – C
Treaty of Purandar- 1665
Shivaji's visit to Agra- 1666
Shivaji's coronation at Raigarh- 1674
Karnataka expedition- 1677 onwards

42. Answer – D
Self explanatory
43. Answer – C
The narrative texts are 18 major works called Melkannaku. The didactic texts
are 18 minor works called Kilkanakku.

44. Answer – D
Several tribal or clan-based assemblies such as the sabha, samiti, vidhata,
gana are mentioned in the Rig veda. They exercised deliberative, military and
religious functions.

Even women attended Sabha and Vidhata in Rig Vedic times.

We have traces of election of the king by the tribal assembly called the samiti.

45. Answer – C
A unique form of architecture developed in the hills of Kumaon, Garhwal,
Himachal and Kashmir. Kashmir’s proximity to prominent Gandhara sites
(such as Taxila, Peshawar and the northwest frontier) lent the region a strong
Gandhara influence by the fifth century CE.
This began to mix with the Gupta and post-Gupta traditions that were brought
to it from Sarnath, Mathura and even centres in Gujarat and Bengal. The best
example of hill architecture comes from the Pandrethan Temple of Kashmir.
The hills also had their own tradition of wooden buildings with pitched roofs.
Sometimes, the temple itself takes on a pagoda shape. Due to the snowy
conditions, the roof is peaked and slants slowly outward.
Animal figurines were used for decorations in the hill temples.

46. Answer – C
The Indus valley people knew the use of copper, bronze, silver, gold but not
iron.

The Ramayana mentions chariots covered with leather. The Rig Vedic
charioteers used varma (coats of mail) and sipra/sironastra (helmets).
Equipped with asi (swords), hanas (arrows) and ilhianus (bows), the
Kshatriyas on the chariots went to combat.

As per UPSC, statement 3 is correct (although this is a controversial point).

47. Answer – A
The real founder of the Pratihara empire and the greatest ruler of the dynasty
was Bhoja. We do not know much about his early life, or when he ascended
the throne. He recovered Kannauj which remained the capital of the Pratihara
empire for almost a century.
 He was the devotee of Vishnu and adopted the title of "Adivaraha" which has
been found inscribed in some of his coins.

48. Answer – D
Nirguna Bhakti saints believed in the Ultimate Reality as formless, without
attributes or quality. Nanak, Kabir and Raidas were nirguna bhakti saints.

Tukaram was devoted to Lord Vithoba.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a devotee of Lord Krishna.
Shankaradev preached devotion to Lord Krishna.

49. Answer – C
Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher and theologian who
consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.
Vallabhacharya, also known as Vallabha the philosophy of Shuddha advaita
(Pure Nondualism).

50. Answer – C
The Pala empire was founded by Gopala, probably in 750 when he was elected
king by the notable men of the area to end the anarchy prevailing there.
Nalanda university was revived by Dharmapala and 200 villages were set apart
for meeting its expenses. He also founded the Vikramasila university.

51. Answer – A
The soldiers were not to be paid in cash, but by assignments on the land
revenue of villages. This meant soldiers either had to go to the villages to
collect his salary and absent himself from service, or to give the assignment
to some middleman who would give him a half or one third of its value.

He banned inhuman punishments such as cutting off heads, feet, nose etc.
for theft and other offences.

52. Answer – B
Asthapradhan officials:
Peshwas - Finances and General Administration
Sar-i-naubat - Senapati, War
Majumdar - Accountant
Wakenavis - Intelligence, Posts and Household Affairs
Surunavis - Chitnis, Correspondence
Dabir - Master of Ceremonies
Nyayadhish - Justice
Panditrao - Charitable Grants, Religious Affairs
53. Answer – B
Pliny wrote his account called Natural History. He believed that Rome was
being drained of gold on account of her trade with India. This may be an
exaggeration. But as early as A.D. 22 we hear of complaints against excessive
expenditure on the purchase of pepper from the East.

54. Answer – C
Huein Tsang visited India during the reign of Harsha , and not Changragupta
II

55. Answer – A
In the second century BC Apastamba produced a practical geometry for the
construction of altars at which kings could offer sacrifices.

56. Answer – A
The guilds often consisted of people belonging to different castes. In the course
of time, some of the older shrenis/guild emerged as sub-castes.

With the decline of trade and commerce in the ninth and tenth century, these
bodies lost their former importance. We find very few references, during this
period, to guilds receiving endowments.

57. Answer – A
Beautiful examples of painting comparable to those of Ajanta have been found
not only in Sri Lanka but also in the Tun Huang Caves on the Chinese border.

The greatest Buddhist temple is found not in India but in Borobudur in

Indonesia. It was constructed in the eighth century AD and 436 images of
Buddha were engraved on it.

The temple of Angkor wat in Cambodia is larger than that of Borobudur.

58. Answer – C
Most of the IVC sites known are from the Late Harappan phase.
Gabarbands or nalas enclosed by dams for storing water were a feature in
parts of Balochistan and Afghanistan, but channel or canal irrigation seems
to have been absent.

59. Answer – C
Historian Barani refused to consider the state in India as truly Islamic, but
one based on worldly or secular considerations which means Jahandari.
60. Answer – A
Self explanatory

61. Answer – A
Yakshagana is a traditional Indian theatre form, developed in Dakshina
Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of
Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in
Kerala
It combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques
with a unique style and form.
It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during the
period of the Bhakti movement.

Towards the south from Udupi to Kasaragod of Tulu Nadu region, the form of
Yakshagana is called as 'Badagu thittu' and towards north upto Uttara Canara
it's called 'Thenku Thittu'. Both of these forms equally played all over the
region. Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. Its stories
are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from
both Hindu and Jain and other ancient Indic tradition

62. Answer – C
Kandhar inscriptions of Ashoka speaks of the success of his policy with the
hunters and fishermen, who gave up killing animals and possibly took to a
settled agricultural life

63. Answer – C
Although the Buddhist monks had renounced the world and repeatedly
criticized the greedy Brahmanas, in several ways they resembled the
brahmanas. Both of them did not participate directly in production, and lived
on the alms or gifts given by the society. Both of them emphasised the virtues
of carrying out family obligations, protecting private property and respecting
political authority. Both of them supported the social order based on classes;
for the monks however the varna was based on action and attributes but for
the brahmanas it was based on birth.
Brahamans did not renounce the world.

64. Answer – C
Humayun had started the policy of entering into matrimonial alliances with
Rajput rulers.
65. Answer – D
Bhil paintings usually consist of large, un-lifelike shapes of everyday
characters filled in with earthy, yet bright colours, and then covered with an
overlay of uniform dots in several patterns and colours that stand out
strikingly against the background

Warli paintings are extremely rudimentary wall paintings that use a very basic
graphic vocabulary: a circle, a triangle and a square. The circle and triangle
come from their observation of nature, the circle representing the sun and the
moon, the triangle derived from mountains and pointed trees.

The Saura wall paintings are called italons or ikons (or ekons) and are
dedicated to Idital (also edital) the main deity of the Sauras. These paintings
draw upon tribal folklore and have ritualistic importance.

66. Answer – B
It was Iranian in origin and considered un-Islamic.

67. Answer – A
Pandya kings patronised Titumalaipuram caves and Jaina caves at
Sittanavasal.

The inscriptions at Mandagapattu mentions Pallava king Mahendravarman 1

with numerous titles such as Vichitrachitta(curious minded),
chitrakarapuli)tiger among artists), chaityakari(temple builder). He is also
responsible for building temples at Panamalai and Kanchipuram.

Paintings at the Kanchipuram temple were patronised by Pallava king

Rajasimha.

68. Answer – A
Harshacharita - Banabhatta
Amarakosha - Amarasimha (luminary in the court of Chandragupta 2)
Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadarshika - Harshavardhana

69. Answer – D
Widow remarriage was included from among the practices prohibited in the
Kali Age. But this apparently applied to the three upper castes only.
Annulment of the marriage was allowed in special circumstances, such as
desertion, loathsome disease, etc. But not all writers agree with this.
70. Answer – A
Rig Veda is a collection of prayers offered to Agni, Indra, Varuna and other
gods.
It consists of ten mandalas or books of which Books II to VII form its earliest
portions.

71. Answer – D
Tappa is a form of semi classical vocal music inspired by the folk songs of
camel riders in the Punjab area.

In Pandavani, tales from Mahabharata are sung as a ballad and one or two
episodes are chosen for the night’s performance. It belongs to Chattisgarh.

72. Answer – D
Self explanatory

73. Answer – A
Human ancestors of the Paleolithic age were nomadic hunter-gatherers who
lived in temporary cave and rock shelters and did not have knowledge of house
building.

The Mesolithic age was characterised by tools known as microliths (tiny blade
tools).

Domestication of animals began in the Mesolithic age and continued into the
Neolithic age.

74. Answer – B
Akbar never attacked Abdullah Uzbek.
Abdullah Uzbek urged Akbar to lead an expedition from India to Iran. Akbar
was not moved by this appeal.

75. Answer – B
Dantidurga - Fixed the capital at Manyakhet or Malkhed near modern
Sholapur.
Krishna 1 - Built a rock cut temple of Shiva at Ellora in the ninth
century.
Amoghavarsha - He himself was a poet and wrote the first Kannada book
on poetics.
 Krishna 3 - He defeated the Chola king, Parantaka 1 and annexed

the northern part of Chola empire. He then pressed down

to Rameshwaram and set up a pillar of victory there and
built a temple.

76. Answer – A
Rajukas were vested with the authority of not only rewarding people but also
punishing them wherever necessary.

77. Answer – B
There are largely three phases in relations of Aurangzeb with the Deccani
states.
First phase- till 1668- Main attempt was to recover from Bijapur territories
belonging to the Ahmednagar State surrendered to it by the treaty of 1636
Second phase- till 1684- efforts were made to pressurize Bijapur and Golconda
into joining hands with Mughals against Shivaji and Sambhaji
Third phase- Aurangzeb decided that it was necessary to conquer Bijapur and
Golconda first, to destroy the Marathas

78. Answer – D
Arrian was a Greek Historian.
It was Darius who Made Punjab, Sindh and west of Indus, the 20th Satrapy
of Iran

79. Answer – B
Yogi Gorakhnath was a Hindu yogi and saint who was the influential founder
of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India.
The followers were known as Nath Panthis. The path they preached was called
Tantra which was open to all, irrespective of caste distinctions.

80. Answer – C
Later Vedic Sites are largely found in the western UP and adjoining areas of
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
They led a settled life.
Iron was known to the Later Vedic people.

81. Answer – C
Akbar commissioned the translation of Singhan Battisi, Atharva Veda, the
Bible, Mahabharat and Ramayana.
Humayun built the new city of Dinpanah near Delhi.
82. Answer – B
The failure of Mughals at Qandhar did not reflect the weakness of Mughal
Artillery. It rather showed the inherent strength of Qandhar fort if held by a
determined commander, and ineffectiveness of medieval artillery against
strong forts.

83. Answer – C
The Matsya purana authorises the husband to beat his erring wife with rope
or a split bamboo.

84. Answer – B
Indo-Greeks were the first rulers in India to issue coins which can definitely
be attributed to the kings. Indo-Greeks were first to issue Gold coins in India,
which increased in number under the Kushanas.

Rudradaman was a great lover of Sanskrit. He issued the first ever long
inscription in chaste Sanskrit. All the earlier longer inscriptions that we have
in this country were composed in Prakrit.

The invention of the sitar can be traced to the Mughal period in India. It is
said that this instrument was developed from Persian lutes which were
commonly played in the Mughul darbars. Many documents cite an 18th
century fakir named Amir Khusru as the inventor of the sitar.

85. Answer – D
The Brahmana ruler Pushyamitra Shunga persecuted the Buddhists.
Several instances of persecution occur in the sixth-seventh centuries AD. The
Huna king Mihirkula, who was a worshipper of shiva, killed hundreds of
Buddhists.
The Shaivite Shashanka of Gauda cut off the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, where
the Buddha had attained enlightenment.

86. Answer – B
Battle of Chandawar was fought between Muizuddin Muhammad and
Jaichandra near Kannauj.

87. Answer – C
The immediate cause of Shah Jahan's rebellion was his refusal to proceed to
Qandhar as he was afraid that intrigues would be hatched against him during
his absence from court.
 He made an alliance with Malik Ambar, who was at war with the Mughals at
the time.

Eventually, Shah Jahan wrote letters of apology to Jahangir and as part of the
agreement, Dara and Aurangzeb were sent to the court as hostages.

88. Answer – A
Garbhagriha - small cubicle with a single entrance, housing a main icon.
Mandapa - The entrance space to accomodate large numbers of worshippers.

89. Answer – B
Gold coins were first issued by Indo-Greeks and issued at a large scale by the
Kushanas. Satvahanas issued lead, potin, copper and bronze money.

Satvahanas granted land to both Brahmin priests and Buddhist monks.

90. Answer – B
The Mesopotamian records from about 2350 BC onwards refer to trade
relations with Meluha, which was the ancient name given to the Indus region.

91. Answer – B
The Mathara dynasty ruled in the Kalinga region during 4th and 5th centuries
CE. Their territory included parts of the area between the present-day Ganjam
district of Odisha and the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh.

The Varman dynasty was the first historical dynasty of the Kamarupa
kingdom in Assam region. It was established by Pushyavarman, a
contemporary of Samudragupta.

The Khadga dynasty was a dynasty which ruled the areas of Vanga and
Samatata in Bengal from the mid-7th to early 8th Century CE.
Chronologically, the dynasty emerged as a powerful kingdom between the fall
of Gauda Kingdom and the rise of the Pala Empire.

92. Answer – B
Black and red ware pottery was widely prevalent in Chalcolithic settlement.
Northern Black Polished Ware was characteristic of the Mahajanapada period.

93. Answer – D
Kashmir Saffron got its GI tag in May 2020
Chak-Hao, the black rice of Manipur and the Gorakhpur terracotta have
bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in April 2020. Chak-Hao, a
 scented glutinous rice which has been in cultivation in Manipur over
centuries, is characterised by its special aroma
The terracotta work of Gorakhpur is a centuries-old traditional art form, where
the potters make various animal figures like, horses, elephants, camels, goats,
ox, etc. with hand-applied ornamentation.

94. Answer – A
Kuchipudi involves the show of dexterity of the dancers in footwork and their
control and balance over their bodies, techniques like dancing on the rim of a
brass plate and with a pitcher full of water on the head was introduced.

95. Answer – B
Battle of Khanwa- Babur and Rana Sanga of Mewar
Battle of Haldighati- Akbar and Maharana Pratap

96. Answer – A
Dargah Gharib Nawaz- Ajmer, Rajasthan
Hemkund Sahib- Uttarakhand
Badrinath- Uttarakhand
Kye Monastery- Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh

97. Answer – B
Magadha came into prominence under the leadership of Bimbisara, who
belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He was the contemporary of the Buddha.

98. Answer – A
Shivaji laid the foundation of a strong state by curbing the power of
deshmukhs. Deshmukh was a historical title given to a person who was
granted a territory of land, in Maharashtra, Telangana and Chhattisgarh. The
granted territory was usually referred to as the Deshmukhi. The Deshmukh
was in effect the ruler of the territory, and he was entitled to a portion of the
collected taxes. It was also his duty to maintain the basic services in the
territory, such as police and judicial duties. It was typically a hereditary
system.

99. Answer – C
The very reasons which made the nayanars and alvars popular in south India
limited their appeal outside the area, viz., the fact that they preached and
composed in local languages. Sanskrit was still the vehicle of thought in the
country. The spread from South to North was a slow and long drawn-out
process.
 With the fall of Brahmin prestige and power, movements that challenged the
superiority of Brahmins and caste system came up which created fertile
ground for the spread of Bhakti movements.

100. Answer – C
Large tracts of land called 'fiefs' were dominated by chiefs known as 'vassals'.

101. Answer – D
Prajnaparamita is a body of sutras and their commentaries that represents
the oldest of the major forms of Mahayana Buddhism. The name denotes the
female personification of the literature or of wisdom, sometimes called the
Mother of All Buddhas.

The Digha Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the first of the five nikayas, or
collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that
compose the Pali Tipitaka of Buddhism.

The Therigatha, often translated as Verses of the Elder Nuns, is a Buddhist

text, a collection of short poems of early women who were elder nuns.

Manimekalai, written by Buddhist poet Sithalai Sathanar, is a sequel to

Sillapaddikaram and tells the story of Manimekalai, the beautiful young
daughter of Kovalan and the dancer Madhavi. After Kovalan’s unjust death,
Madhavi, once a courtesan, became a Buddhist nun. It is a Buddhist text.

102. Answer – D
Huyen langlon is an Indian martial art from Manipur. It consists of two main
components: thang-ta (armed combat) and sarit sarak (unarmed fighting).

103. Answer – B
Ashoka is mentioned by name in Maski and Gujarra inscriptions.

104. Answer – D
The Turks introduced or popularized a number of new crafts and techniques.
The use of armoured stirrup, and the large scale use of armour .
An even important development was the improvement of rahat (miscalled the
Persian wheel). The other crafts included paper making (developed in China
but introduced in India by Turks), glass making, the spinning wheel and an
improved loom for weaving.
Mention may also be made of the introduction of a superior mortar which
enabled the Turks to erect magnificent buildings based on arch and dome.
105. Answer – A
The battle that was fought between the Bharatas on the one hand and the
host of ten chiefs on the other is known as the Battle of Ten Kings.
This Battle was fought on the river Parushni, identical with river Ravi, and it
gave victory to Sudas and established the supremacy of the Bharatas.
Of the defeated tribes, the most important was that of the Purus.
Subsequently the Bharas joined hands with Purus and formed a new ruling
tribe called the Kurus.

106. Answer – B
Dravida temples are often guarded by fierce devpalas, whereas Nagara temples
have river goddesses and mithunas at their entrance.

107. Answer – C
Sher Shah merely restored the old imperial road called the Grand Trunk road.
He was not the founder.

108. Answer – A
Tantricism admitted both women and shudras into its ranks, and laid great
stress on the use of magic rituals. Some of the rituals may have been in use
in earlier times, but they were systematized and recorded in the tantric texts
from about the sixth century AD onwards.
They were intended to satisfy the material desires of the devotees for physical
possession and to cure the day to day diseases and injuries.

109. Answer – D
Jainism recognized the existence of the gods but placed them lower than the
jina.

It did not condemn the existence of the Varna system, as Buddhism did.
According to Mahavira, a person is born in high or in a lower Varna in
consequence of the sins or the virtues acquired by him in the previous birth.

Jainism mainly aims at the attainment of freedom from worldly bonds which
can be obtained through full knowledge and action. It is not necessary to use
any ritual for liberation.

110. Answer – B

The most representative of Nagara style of construction are the temples of

Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh and at Bhubaneswar in Orissa. The
 Parsvanatha temple, the Visvanatha temple and the Kandarya Mahadeo
temple are at Khajuraho.

Meenakshi and Brihadishwara temple - Dravidan style of temple construction.

111. Answer – C
Bhand Pather, the traditional theatre form of Kashmir, is a unique
combination of dance, music and acting. Satire, wit and parody are preferred
for inducing laughter.

Raasleela is based exclusively on Lord Krishna legends; it is believed that

Nand Das wrote the initial plays based on the life of Krishna.

Bhaona is a presentation of the Ankia Naat of Assam.

112. Answer – D
Rise of feudatories led to them trying to claim independence from the Gupta
empire.
Practice of land grants for religious purposes made it difficult to maintain a
large professional army.
Yashodharman of Malwa successfully challenged the authority of Guptas and
set up victory pillars.

113. Answer – C
The richest iron deposits were situated not far away from Rajgir, the earliest
capital of Magadha.
It was surrounded by a group of five hills.

114. Answer – A
Eran - Madhya Pradesh
Ganeshwar - Rajasthan

115. Answer – A
Prakrit text Gathasattasai/Gathasaptasati is attributed to a Satavahana king
called Hala
116. Answer – A
Pala and Pratiharas -
Bhukti (provinces) - Uparika (head of province)
Mandala or Visaya (district) - Visayapati (head of district)
The unit below the visaya was called Pattala.
Samantas or Bhogapatis were smaller chieftains who dominated over a
number of villages.

Rashtrakuta -
The directly administered areas were divided into Rashtra (provinces), visaya
and Bhukti. Rashtrapati was the head of rashtra.

117. Answer – C
Akbar built the Ibadat Khana in 1575 at his new capital Fatehpur Sikri. The
proceedings were initially confined to Muslims. The behaviour of mullahs
disgusted Akbar and after this Akbar opened the Ibadat Khana to people of all
religions.

The debates in Ibadat Khana led to greater bitterness between different

religions as the representatives of each tried to prove their superiority.

The Ibadat Khana was discontinued by Akbar himself in 1582.

118. Answer – D
Menander was a famous Indo-Greek king who converted to Buddhism.
Rudradaman was a Shaka ruler who undertook repairs of Sudarshana lake.
Gondophernes was a Parthian king in whose reign St. Thomas came to India.

119. Answer – B
Nagas - Central India
Yaudheyas - Eastern Rajasthan with the adjacent areas of Haryana,
Punjab and UP
Mitras - Kaushambi, Mathura Avanti
Ahichchhatra - Bareilly district of UP

120. Answer – C
Hsuan tsang takes notice of untouchables such as scavengers, executioners,
etc. They lived outside the villages, and took garlic and onion. The
untouchables announced their entry into the town by shouting loudly so that
people might keep away from them.

An astrologer called Varahamihira who belonged to the sixth century,

prescribed houses in sizes varying according to the Varna, as was the old
practice.
121. Answer – A
The famous Male torso is made up of red sandstone.

122. Answer – C
The headless statue of Kanishka was found at Mathura and belongs to
Mathura school of art.

123. Answer – B
Offices under Sultans - Functions
1. diwan-i-arz - Military department
2. diwan-i-risalat - Religious matters
3. diwan-i-insha - State correspondence.

124. Answer – A
He was a Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus to the court of Chandragupta
Maurya.

125. Answer – C
Hoysalas were influenced by western Chalukyan style of architechture as seen
in the Hoyesaleshvara temple of Halebid.

126. Answer – B
Parshvanatha, the predecessor of Mahavira, had asked his followers to cover
the upper and lower portions of their body, Mahavira asked them to discard
clothes altogether. This implies that Mahavira asked his followers to lead a
more austere life.

127. Answer – C
Under the mansabdari system, each mansab (rank) was divided into two- Zat
fixed the personal status and salary, which sawar fixed the number of
cavalrymen to be maintained. No one could have a higher quota of sawars
than their zat rank.
128. Answer – A
Mongols under Changez Khan fought with the crown prince of Khwarizmi
empire Jalaluddin on the banks of river Indus in 1221.

In 1299, a Mongol force under Qutlugh Khwaja arrived in Delhi, cut off the
communication of Delhi with the neighbouring areas, and even entered many
streets in the City.

129. Answer – D
It was the Battle of Tarain which was fought between Muizuddin Muhammad
and Prithviraja Chauhan (Muhammad Ghuri).

The Battle of Chanderi took place in the aftermath of the Battle of Khanwa in
which the Mughal Emperor Babur had defeated a confederacy of Rajputs and
Afghans which was headed by Rana Sanga of Mewar.

Muizuddin Muhammad belonged to Ghurid empire based in Ghur of North-

west Afghanistan.

130. Answer – B
Amir Khusrau (1253 - 1325) was a Sufi singer, poet and scholar from India.
He was a mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, India.
He served multiple Sultanat rulers from the time of Balban to Mohammed bin
Tughlaq.

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (Ghazi Malik) founded the dynasty in 1320.

131. Answer – A
Brihadeshwara temple was built at Thanjavur by Rajaraja I

132. Answer – C
By incorporating Kabul and Qandhar into India (areas which made India
vulnerable to invasions), Babur and his successors were able to give India
security from external invasions for about 200 years.
Babur's victory led to popularisation of gunpowder and artillery which reduced
the importance of forts.
The control of Kabul and Qandhar also strengthened India's foreign trade.

133. Answer – A
Shah Jahan maintained alliances with Rajputs however no Rajput Raja was
appointed governor of a province and no new matrimonial relations were made
with leading Rajput Rajas. It is considered that the alliance with Rajputs
 having become so consolidated, matrimonial relations were no longer felt
necessary.

Aurangzeb's policy towards Marwar and Mewar brought no advantage to the

Mughals. Mughal failure against these states led to loss of Mughal prestige.
The breach with Marwar and Mewar weakened the Rajput alliance with
Mughals.

134. Answer – B
Language families represented in India:
Indo-Aryan language family (78.05%)
Dravidian language family (19.64%)
Austroasiatic language family
Sino-Tibetan language family
Tai–Kadai language family
Great Andamanese languages

135. Answer – B
The 10th century marked the rise of orthodox schools based on the Quran
and Hadis. The works of these traditionalists crystallised in four schools of
the Islamic Law, of which the Hanafi was most liberal and adopted by eastern
Turks who later came to India.

The early Sufis freely drew upon various Hinduism rituals and practices
including yogic practices and assimilated into the Sufi movement. Their
ideological base remained Islamic.

Islam had been establised in Sindh in 8th century, in Punjab in 10th century
and in Kerala between 8th and 10th century, before the Turks

136. Answer – B
Krishna Deva Raya paid scant attention to the development of a navy, unlike
the Cholas or early Vijayanagara rulers.
Under him, the political administration of the kingdom was highly centralised.
He also tried to create a more centralised administration by ousting all the
nayaks from the Tungabhadra doab.

137. Answer – B
As of November 2019, there are 5 Indian cities in UCCN:
Jaipur - Crafts and Folk Arts
Varanasi - Music
Chennai - Music
Mumbai - Film
Hyderabad - Gastronomy
138. Answer – A
It was Ahmad Shah 1 who shifted the capital from Patan to the new city of
Ahmedabad.

139. Answer – D
The banjaras specialised in carrying trade and moved from place to place with
foodgrains, salt, ghee etc.
Zamindars had their own armed forces and generally lived in forts or garhis.
The Mughals did not follow a racialist policy for nobility and included Rajputs,
Afghans, Hindus, Indian Muslims etc.

140. Answer –D
Self explanatory

141. Answer – D
Self explanatory

142. Answer – B
Mitakshara - Vijnaneshwar
Rajatarangini - Kalhana
Sabaq-i-hindi - Amir Khusrau
Kitab-ul-hind - Al Biruni

143. Answer – D
A number of land revenue assessment systems were followed under Akbar
such as- dahsala, zabit, batai and ghalla-bakhshi

144. Answer – C
Papanatha temple and Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal were built by
Chalukyas of Badami.

Vijayanagara Empire built the Virupaksha Temple at Hampi.

The Pallava kings constructed a number of stone temples in the seventh and
eighth centuries. The most famous of them are the Ratha temples found at
Mahabalipuram. This city is also famous for Shore temple. Kailashnath temple
was built in the eighth century at Kanchipuram.

145. Answer – C
Varna-Samkara means intermixture of social classes.
146. Answer – C
Sufis teachers did include women mystics, such as Rabia (8th century).

Ba-shara Sufi orders followed Islamic law whereas Be-shara Sufi orders were
not bound by it. Both Ba-shara and Be-shara sufi orders prevailed in India,
the latter being followed more by wandering saints.

Of the ba-shara movements, only the Chisti and Suharwadi silsilahs acquired
significance in India. Suhrawadi silsila was confined to Punjab and Multan

147. Answer – D
Upon inheriting the throne after Babur, Humayun was faced by twin
challenges in both the east and west of his empire. Sher Khan, the leader of
the Afghans was a threat in the east. While in the west, the ruler of Gujarat
Bahadur Shah was growing in power. At the outset, Humayun considered the
Afghan challenge the more serious of the two.

148. Answer – D
Harsha's authority was limited to North India except Kashmir. Rajasthan,
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa were under his direct control.
The early history of Harsha's reign is reconstructed from a study of
Banabhatta's Harshacharita.
In Eastern India Harsha faced opposition from the Shaivite king Shashanka
of Gauda. Harsha's southward march was stopped on the Narmada river by
Chalukya king Pulakeshin.

149. Answer – D
Ashwaghosha enjoyed patronage of the Kushanas. He wrote Buddhacharita,
which is a biography of buddha. He also composed the Saundarananda, which
is a fine example of Sanskrit kavya.
The progress of Mahayana Buddhism led to the composition of numerous
avadanas.
Vatsyayana composed a secular literature named Kamasutra.

150. Answer – C
Upper palaeolithic phase marks the appearance of New Flint Industries and
of Men of the modern type (Homo sapiens).
Farming communities were seen in the Neolithic period.