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Ancient, medieval and modern India, freedom struggle. Filter by topic or year.

36 questions

  • 2026 · Question 3 · Ancient India

    Consider the following statements : I. Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins, e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, and kakanika. II. The literary evidence from Pali texts is corroborated by archaeological evidence of punch-marked coins from many sites, most of them made of silver. The above statements have been associated with which of the following ? 1. Emergence of urban life 2. Transition to money economy Select the answer using the code given below :

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2026 · Question 7 · Ancient India

    Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India : 1. The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595 – 596). 2. In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India. 3. The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2026 · Question 8 · Ancient India

    Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns : I. There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels. II. Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered. III. There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements ? 1. Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home. 2. Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed. 3. Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system. Select the answer using the code given below :

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2026 · Question 10 · Ancient India

    Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period : I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface. II. Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells. Which of the following information support/supports the above statements ? 1. There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water. 2. Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/ kulisha (axe) and datra /sreni (sickle). 3. There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts. Select the answer using the code given below :

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2025 · Question 17 · Ancient India

    With reference to ancient India (600–322 BC), consider the following pairs : Territorial region | River flowing in the region I. | Asmaka | Godavari II. | Kamboja | Vipas III. | Avanti | Mahanadi IV. | Kosala | Sarayu How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2024 · Question 54 · Ancient India

    With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets ? 1. Nayaputta 2. Shakyamuni 3. Tathagata Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2024 · Question 55 · Ancient India

    Consider the following information : Archaeological Site | State | Description 1. Chandraketugarh | Odisha | Trading Port town 2. Inamgaon | Maharashtra | Chalcolithic site 3. Mangadu | Kerala | Megalithic site 4. Salihundam | Andhra Pradesh | Rock-cut cave shrines In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2023 · Question 44 · Ancient India

    Which one of the following explains the practice of ‘Vattakirutal’ as mentioned in Sangam poems?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2022 · Question 60 · Ancient India

    According to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which of the following are correct ? 1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment. 2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free. 3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master’s son. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2022 · Question 91 · Ancient India

    Consider the following pairs : Site of Ashoka’s major rock edicts | Location in the State of 1. Dhauli — Odisha 2. Erragudi — Andhra Pradesh 3. Jaugada — Madhya Pradesh 4. Kalsi — Karnataka How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2022 · Question 93 · Ancient India

    Which one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct ?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2021 · Question 34 · Ancient India

    From the decline of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India? 1. The Guptas of Magadha 2. The Paramaras of Malwa 3. The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar 4. The Maukharis of Kanauj 5. The Yadavas of Devagiri 6. The Maitrakas of Valabhi Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2021 · Question 40 · Ancient India

    With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2020 · Question 30 · Ancient India

    Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription ? “Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely.”

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2020 · Question 36 · Ancient India

    With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements : 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga. 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana. 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta – II. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2019 · Question 10 · Ancient India

    With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2017 · Question 2 · Ancient India

    With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them. 2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron. 3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)

  • 2016 · Question 80 · Ancient India

    In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs : Term | Description 1. Eripatti | Land, revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank 2. Taniyurs | Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins 3. Ghatikas | Colleges generally attached to the temples Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

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    Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary), General Studies Paper I (opens in a new tab)