Previous year ssc Indian History:Dynasties of Ancient India-Part5

 

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Dynasties of Ancient India-Part5

Daily Online General Knowledge Quiz:Previous year paper gk questions with answers and explanation in English on Indian History:Dynasties of Ancient India.

 1. During whose reign did the Gandhara School of Art blossom?
A. Harsha
B. Ashoka
C. Kanishka
D. Chandragupta II

Kanishka

Note: The Kushan period is considered to be golden period of Gandhara. Gandhara art flourished and produced some of the best pieces of Indian sculpture.

Gandhara civilization peaked during the reign of the great Kushan king Kanishka. The primary cities of Gandhara were Purushapura (now Peshawar), Takshashila (or Taxila) and Pushkalavati.

 2. The Gupta Saka was founded by?
A. Chandragupta I
B. Chandragupta II
C. Samudragupta
D. Kumaragupta

Chandragupta I

Note: Chandragupta I is known for making alliances with many power families in the Ganges region.

The well-known Gupta era started on 26th February AD 320 is attributed to Chandragupta I. Hence, it is surmised that the Gupta era began on the occasion of the coronation of Chandragupta.

Surmise-suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it

 3. The tutor of Alexander, the great was?
A. Darius
B. Cyrus
C.Socrates
D. Aristotle

Aristotle

Note: Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy.

Aristotle was invited by Philip II of Macedonia to become the tutor of his son Alexander in 343 BC.

Aristotle was appointed as the head of the Royal Academy of Macedonia during that time, he gave lessons not only to Alexander but also to two other future kings, Ptolemy and Cassander.

 4. Ashoka called the third Buddhist Council at?
A. Pataliputra
B. Magadha
C.Kalinga
D. Sarnath

Pataliputra

Note: The third Buddhist Council was convened by Ashoka in Pataliputra. The traditional reason for convening the Third Buddhist Council is reported to have been to rid the Sangha of corruption in the form of enemies who in the guise of supporters had infiltrated the Sangha, as well as bogus monks. It was presided over by the Moggaliputta Tissa.

rid-make someone or something free of (an unwanted person or thing).

Infiltration-the process of secretly becoming part of a group in order to get information or to influence the way that a group thinks or behaves

bogus-not genuine or true

 5. The greatest development in the Kushana period was in the field of?
A. Religion
B. Art
C. Literature
D. Architecture

Art

Note: The Kushans were great patrons of art. During this time, Buddha was first represented in human form. In the earliest Buddhist art of India, the Buddha was not represented in human form. His presence was indicated instead by a sign, such as a pair of footprints, an empty seat, or an empty space beneath a parasol.

Other Hindu and Jain deities also began to be shown in human form. Mathura and Gandhara were the two main centres of art during the time of the Kushans.

 6. Prince Elara conquered Sri Lanka in the 2nd century BC. With which of the following dynasties of Dravida ruler was he associated?
A. Chera
B. Chola
C.Pandya
D. Pallava

Chola

Note: Elara,also known as Manu Needhi Cholan was a Chola king who ruled Sri Lanka from 205 BC to 161 BC. Often referred to as 'the Just King'. The Tamil name Elara means, 'the one who rules the ellai (boundary)'.

Although, he was an invader,, he is often regarded as one of Sri Lanka's wisest and most just monarchs.

 7. Harsha Vardhana organised his religious assembly at?
A. Mathura
B. Tamralipt
C.Prayag
D. Varanasi

Prayag

Note: Harsha invited Hieun Tsang to attend assembly at Prayag, which he used to hold after every 5 years on the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna.

The assembly was attended by the kings of 18 kingdoms and about 500000 people including Sramanas. Heretics, Nigranthas, the poor, the orphans etc, attended this assembly. The Prayag assembly is a glorious example of the generosity of Harsha Vardhana, as he gave all his personal wealth and belongings in charity during the assembly.

Sramanas- were those who practiced an ascetic, or strict and self-denying, lifestyle in pursuit of spiritual liberation. They are commonly known as monks.

Nigrantha-One without no bound

Heretic- is a person who violates established rules and tenants of a religion, or is a person who has views that don't conform to the norm.

 8. Who was the first known Gupta ruler?
A. Sri Gupta
B. Chandragupta I
C.Ghatotkacha
D. Kumaragupta I

Sri Gupta

Note: Sri Gupta (240-280) was a preimperial Gupta king. The first evidence of Sri Gupta from the writings of I- Sing around 690 CE, who describes that the Poona copper inscription of Prabhavati Gupta provides an information about Sri Gupta.

 9. Who is considered as the greatest of all the Vijayanagara rulers?
A. Krishnadeva Raya
B. Vira Narasimha
C. Sadasiva Raya
D. Rama Raya

Krishnadeva Raya

Note: Krishnadeva Raya was the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty. Emperor Krishnadeva Raya earned the titles Andhra Bhoja, Mooru Rayara Ganda and Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana. Portuguese travellers Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz also visited the Vijayanagara empire during his reign. Travelogues indicate that the king was not only an able administrator, but also an excellent general.

 10. Which dynasty succeeded the Chalukyas in the Western India?
A. Cholas
B. Kakatiyas
C. Pallavas
D. Rashtrakutas

Rashtrakutas

Note: The Chalukya dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of Southern and Central India. The earliest dynasty, known as the 'Badami Chalukyas' ruled from Vatapi(Badami).

After the death of Pulakeshin II, the Eastern Chalukyas became an independent kingdom in the Eastern Deccan.

The Eastern Chalukyas ruled in Vengi. In the Western Deccan, the rise of the Rashtrakutas in the middle of the 8th century eclipsed the Chalukyas of Badami before being revived by their descendants, the Western Chalukyas, in the late 10th century. Those Western Chalukyas ruled from Basavakalyan till the end of the twelfth century.

 11. Up to where did Chandragupta Maurya's empire extend in the North-West?
A. Ravi river
B. Indus river
C. Satluj river
D. Hindukush range

Indus river

Note: After Chandragupta's conquests, the Maurya empire extended from Bengal and Assam in the East to Afghanistan and Balochistan, some part of the Eastern and South-East Iran in the West, to Kashmir and Nepal in the North and to the Deccan plateau in the South. The vast empire extended from the Bay of Bengal in the East, to the Indus river in the West.

 12. With whom is 'Junagarh Rock Inscription' associated?
A. Rudradaman
B. Bimbisara
C.Chandragupta II
D. Gautamiputra Satakarni

Rudradaman

Note: The Junagarh rock inscription was carved under the orders of king Rudradaman. The inscription is a chronicle about the rebuilding of a dam named Urjayat around the lake Sudarshana.

The dam lay in the region of Saurashtra and the closest town appears to have been a place called Girinagar. The dam was originally built by Vaishya Pushyagupta, who was the Governor of the region under Chandragupta Maurya

Conduits from the dam were later built under orders of his grandson; Emperor Asoka.

Conduit-a channel for conveying water or other fluid.

 13. Which of the following powers did not fight for the Tungabhadra Doab?
A. Pallavas and Chalukyas
B. Cholas and later Chalukyas of Kalyana
C.Golkonda and Ahmednagar Sultanates
D. Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms

Golkonda and Ahmednagar Sultanates

Note: The kingdoms of Golkonda and Ahmednagar Sultanates did not contend for the Tungabhadra doab.

Contend- to compete in order to win something.

Doab-Doab is the tract of land between two converging rivers.

 14. The title 'Indian Napoleon' has been attached to?
A. Chandragupta Maurya
B. Samudragupta
C.Chandragupta I
D. Harshavardhana

Samudragupta

Note: Samudragupta is known as the Napolean of India. Historian VA Smith called him so because of his great military conquests known from the 'Prayag Prashasti' inscriptions written by his courtier and poet Harisena, who also describes him as the hero of a hundred battles.

 15. Who among the following also had the name 'Devanama Priyadassi'?
A. Mauryan King Ashoka
B. Mauryan king Chandra Gupta Maurya
C. Gautam Buddha
D. Bhagawan Mahavir

Mauryan King Ashoka

Note: The edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the pillars of Ashoka. These inscriptions represent the first tangible evidence of Buddhism.

In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as 'beloved of the Gods' and 'King Priyadarshini'

The identification of king Priyadarshini with Ashoka was confirmed by an inscription discovered in 1915 by C Beadon at Maski.