1. In the age of the Buddha, how many mahajanapadas are traditionally recorded?
2. Which mahajanapada had its capital at Champa?
3. The kingdom of Anga was eventually absorbed by which neighbouring power?
4. The Vajjis were a confederacy comprising how many clans?
5. Which was the most powerful clan among the Vajjis?
6. The Lichchhavi capital, Vaisali, is identical with which present-day village?
7. Varanasi, the capital of the kingdom of Kasi, is associated with excavations at which site?
8. The kingdom of Kosala had its capital at which city?
9. Sravasti has been identified with which archaeological site?
10. Consider the following statements regarding Kasi and Kosala:
(I) Kasi's capital was Varanasi, enclosed by mud-walls in the sixth century B.C.
(II) Kasi was initially the most powerful state but eventually submitted to Kosala.
(III) Kosala's city of Ayodhya was settled on a large scale before the sixth century B.C.
Which of the above is/are correct?
11. The birthplace of the Buddha, Kapilavastu, has been identified with which site?
12. One of the capitals of the Mallas lay at Kusinara, identical with which present-day place?
13. The Vatsa kingdom, a Kuru clan that shifted from Hastinapur, had its capital at which city?
14. Kausambi was located near the confluence of the Ganga and which other river?
15. Consider the following pairs:
(I) Avanti (northern part) – Ujjain
(II) Avanti (southern part) – Mahishamati
(III) Vatsa – Kausambi
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
16. Magadha came into prominence under the leadership of which king?
17. Bimbisara belonged to which dynasty?
18. Bimbisara placed Anga, after its acquisition, under the viceroyalty of which prince?
19. Consider the following statements regarding Bimbisara's marriage alliances:
(I) His first wife was the daughter of the king of Kosala and sister of Prasenajit.
(II) The Kosalan bride brought him a dowry of a Kasi village yielding a revenue of 100,000.
(III) His second wife, Chellana, was a Lichchhavi princess from Vaisali.
Which of the above is/are correct?
20. Bimbisara's third wife was the daughter of the chief of which clan?
21. Magadha's most serious rival, ruled by Chanda Pradyota Mahasena, had its capital at which city?
22. Bimbisara is said to have sent which physician to Ujjain to treat Chanda Pradyota's jaundice?
23. Bimbisara's kingdom is said to have consisted of how many villages?
24. The earliest capital of Magadha, Rajgir, was originally known by which name?
25. Rajgir's natural defence came from being surrounded by how many hills?
26. According to the Buddhist chronicles, Bimbisara ruled for approximately how many years?
27. Ajatasatru seized the Magadhan throne by killing which predecessor?
28. Ajatasatru's prolonged conflict with Kosala was eventually settled by the Kosalan king ceding possession of which territory?
29. Ajatasatru destroyed the independence of the Lichchhavis by defeating them at which fortified republic?
30. It took Ajatasatru how many years to destroy Vaisali?
31. Which king built a fort at the confluence of the Ganga and Son at Patna, foreseeing its strategic position?
32. Udayin was succeeded by which dynasty, which temporarily shifted the Magadhan capital to Vaisali?
33. The Sisunagas' greatest achievement was the destruction of the power of which rival kingdom?
34. The Sisunagas were succeeded by which dynasty, regarded as the most powerful rulers of Magadha?
35. Consider the following statements regarding the Nandas:
(I) They added Kalinga to the Magadhan empire during the reign of Mahapadma Nanda.
(II) Their king claimed to be ekarat, the sole sovereign, having destroyed all other ruling princes.
(III) Alexander, who invaded Panjab at that time, dared not move towards the east because of their power.
Which of the above is/are correct?
36. Table:
Ruler/Dynasty | Notable Contribution
Bimbisara | Founded Magadhan supremacy through conquest and marriage alliances
Ajatasatru | Destroyed the Lichchhavi confederacy and annexed Kasi
Mahapadma Nanda | Conquered Kalinga and claimed to be ekarat
Which Magadhan ruler is credited with conquering Kalinga?
37. The Nandas are said to have maintained an infantry of what strength?
38. The Nandas are said to have maintained how many war elephants?
39. Which factor is cited as enabling the Magadhan princes to equip themselves with effective weapons unavailable to rivals?
40. In the fifth century B.C., the Magadhan princes shifted their capital from Rajgir to which city?
41. Consider the following statements regarding Pataliputra's location:
(I) It was situated at the confluence of the Ganga, the Gandak and the Son.
(II) A fourth river called the Sarayu joined the Ganga not far from Pataliputra.
(III) It lay in the centre of the Magadhan kingdom, which extended from the Himalayas to the hills of Chotanagpur.
Which of the above is/are correct?
42. Pataliputra's near-invulnerability due to being surrounded by rivers on most sides earned it the description of a true what?
43. The Iranian ruler Darius annexed Panjab (west of the Indus) and Sindh in which year?
44. The Indian territory annexed by Darius constituted which numbered province (satrapy) of the Iranian empire?
45. What was the total number of satrapies in the Iranian empire?
46. Consider the following statements regarding the Indian satrapy under Iran:
(I) It included Sindh, the north-west frontier, and the part of Panjab west of the Indus.
(II) It was the most fertile and populous part of the Iranian empire.
(III) It paid a tribute of 360 talents of gold, one-third of Iran's total Asian revenue.
Which of the above is/are correct?
47. Which Iranian king, successor of Darius, employed Indians in his long war against the Greeks?
48. The Iranian scribes introduced into India a form of writing known as which script?
49. The Kharosthi script was written in which direction?
50. Some Asokan inscriptions in north-west India were written in Kharosthi script, which continued in use in the country till which century?
51. For the Iranian term dipi, the Asokan scribe used which corresponding term?
52. Consider the following statements on the Indo-Iranian contact:
(I) It lasted for about 200 years.
(II) It gave an impetus to Indo-Iranian trade and commerce.
(III) The punch-marked coins found in India were introduced as a direct result of contact with Iran.
Which of the above is/are correct?
53. Alexander finally destroyed the Iranian empire as ruler of which kingdom?
54. Which Greek historian, called the father of history, had painted India as a fabulous land that tempted Alexander?
55. Which two rulers of north-west India were well known among those Alexander conquered piecemeal?
56. Ambhi, who readily submitted to Alexander, was the ruler of which territory?
57. Porus's kingdom lay between which two rivers?
58. After defeating Porus, how did Alexander treat him?
59. Alexander's eastward advance was finally halted at which river, due to his army's refusal to proceed further?
60. Alexander remained in India for approximately how long?
61. Alexander divided his own territorial possessions in India into three parts placed under how many Greek governors?
62. Alexander sent his fleet under which friend to explore the coast between the Indus and the Euphrates?
63. Consider the following statements regarding the outcomes of Alexander's invasion:
(I) It established direct contact between India and Greece.
(II) It opened up four distinct routes by land and sea, aiding Greek merchants and craftsmen.
(III) It led to the establishment of more Greek settlements in the north-west, including Alexandria in the Kabul region.
Which of the above is/are correct?
64. Alexander's historians provided information about which social custom involving the burning of widows?
65. Alexander sent how many oxen from India to Macedonia for use in Greece?
66. By destroying the power of petty states in north-west India, Alexander's invasion paved the way for the expansion of which later empire?
67. According to tradition, which future emperor had seen something of the working of Alexander's military machine and used this knowledge in destroying the power of the Nandas?
68. The abbreviation NBP stands for which type of pottery?
69. Archaeologically, the NBP phase marks the beginning of which century?
70. The use of burnt bricks and ringwells appeared in the middle of the NBP phase, i.e., in which century?
71. The NBP phase marked the beginning of which development in Indian urban history?
72. Consider the following statements on urban settlement history:
(I) The Harappan towns finally disappeared in about 1500 B.C.
(II) For about 1,000 years after the Harappan decline, no towns are found in India.
(III) The second urbanization began with the appearance of towns in the middle Gangetic basin in the sixth century B.C.
Which of the above is/are correct?
73. At Vaisali, which locality called Saddalaputta had 500 potters' shops?
74. Artisans and merchants at Vaisali and other towns were organized into guilds under their respective heads, who were known by which term?
75. How many guilds of artisans are mentioned as existing in this period?
76. Consider the following statements regarding guilds of this period:
(I) 18 guilds of artisans are mentioned.
(II) Only the guilds of smiths, carpenters, leather workers and painters are specifically named.
(III) Both artisans and merchants lived in fixed localities in towns.
Which of the above is/are correct?
77. What fraction of their produce did peasants have to pay as tax in this period?
78. Rich peasants who worked large plots of land with slaves and agricultural labourers were called by which term?
79. Which term for coins found in the Vedic texts is taken to be a name for coins, though actual coins are not earlier than the sixth century B.C.?
80. The earliest punch-marked coins were made largely of which metal?
81. Consider the following statements on punch-marked coins:
(I) They were called punch-marked because pieces of metal were punched with certain marks such as the hill, tree, fish, bull, elephant and crescent.
(II) The earliest hoards of these coins have been found in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Magadha.
(III) Some early coins are also found in Taxila.
Which of the above is/are correct?
82. From which two regions were the iron ores used at Rajghat (Varanasi) reportedly obtained?
83. In both Kosala and Magadha, despite the use of punch-marked coins, influential brahmanas and setthis were paid by grant of what?
84. Higher officials who assisted the king in administration, performing functions such as minister, commander, and judge, were called by which term?
85. The minister (a specific official function) was designated by which term?
86. Consider the following pairs:
(I) Varsakara – minister of Magadha
(II) Dirghacharayana – minister of Kosala
(III) Bhandagarika – commander (senapati)
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
87. Village headmen, who assessed and collected taxes and maintained law and order locally, were known by titles including which term?
88. How many gramikas are said to have been summoned by Bimbisara?
89. At the time of Alexander's invasion, the Nanda ruler of Magadha kept how many cavalry?
90. Bali, a voluntary payment made by tribesmen to their chiefs in Vedic times, became what by the age of the Buddha?
91. Officers appointed to collect the peasants' tax were called by which term?
92. Customs collected from traders on the sale of commodities were collected by officers known as saulkika or which other term?
93. Popular assemblies such as the sabha and samiti, common in Vedic times, had by this period largely done what?
94. In the republics of the Sakyas and Lichchhavis, the ruling class belonged to which common social basis?
95. Among the Lichchhavis of Vaisali, how many rajas are said to have sat on the ruling assembly?
96. Consider the following statements on republican administrative machinery:
(I) It consisted of raja, uparaja (vice-king), senapati (commander) and bhandagarika (treasurer).
(II) In the republics of the Malavas and Kshudrakas (post-Maurya times), brahmanas were given citizenship but slaves and hired labourers were excluded.
(III) In a state on the Beas river, membership was restricted to those who could supply at least one elephant to the state.
Which of the above is/are correct?
97. The Indian legal and judicial system based on varna division originated in which type of texts?
98. According to the lawgivers' fiction recorded in this period, the sudras were said to have been born from which part of the Creator?
99. Which of the following statements about the legal treatment of varnas is correct?
100. The principle of "tooth for tooth and eye for eye" reflected which basis for criminal punishment in this period?
101. In the varna-based social and economic order of this period, who were called vaisyas?
