Q 27. Ancient Indian Territorial Regions and Rivers (Ancient History)

Q27. With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs:
Territorial region and River flowing in the region:
1. Asmaka : Godavari 
2. Kamboja : Vipas
3. Avanti : Mahanadi
4. Kosala : Sarayu
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) Only three
d) All the four
Answer: b
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  • Statement 1: Asmaka : Godavari:  This statement is correct. The Asmaka region was located in the southern part of ancient India, and the Godavari River flowed through this area.
  •  Statement 2: Kamboja : Vipas:  This statement is incorrect. The Kamboja region was located in the northwestern part of ancient India, near present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Vipas (Beas) River is not associated with Kamboja; it flows in the Punjab region.
  •  Statement 3: Avanti : Mahanadi: This statement is incorrect. Avanti was located in the western part of central India, around present-day Ujjain. The Mahanadi River flows in eastern India, not in the Avanti region.
  •  Statement 4: Kosala : Sarayu: This statement is correct. The Kosala region was located in the northeastern part of India, and the Sarayu River is associated with this region.
  •  Conclusion: Only two pairs (1 and 4) are correctly matched. Therefore, the correct answer is Option B: Only two.

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Q . Pre Maurya

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?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: b
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Statement 1: This statement is incorrect. In Kautilya’s Arthashastra, slavery as a result of judicial punishment is not explicitly mentioned. 
Slavery was not a practice in India, its a system found in Europe and Western History.  
Statement 2: This statement is correct. According to the Arthashastra, if a female slave bore her master a son, she was granted legal freedom. This was a provision to ensure the welfare of the child and the mother.  
Statement 3: This statement is correct. 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. This provision was intended to integrate the child into the family and provide him with rights and status.  
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Q . Pre Maurya

Between which of the following was the ancient town of Takshasila located?

a) Indus and Jhelum
b) b) Jhelum and Chenab
c) Chenab and Ravi
d) Ravi and Beas
Answer: a
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Q . Pre Maurya

Who among the following was not a contemporary of the other three?

a) Bimbisara
b) Gautama Buddha
c) Milinda
d) Prasenjit
Answer: c
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  • Bimbisara, Gautama Buddha, and Prasenjit were contemporaries in the 6th to 5th century BCE. Bimbisara was the king of the Magadha Empire and a patron of Gautama Buddha.   
  • Gautama Buddha was the founder of Buddhism and lived during the same period.  
  • Prasenjit was the king of Kosala and a contemporary of both Bimbisara and Gautama Buddha.  
  • Milinda, also known as Menander I, was a Greco-Bactrian king who ruled in the 2nd century BCE, several centuries after the other three figures. He is known for the Milinda Panha (The Questions of King Milinda), a Buddhist text documenting his dialogues with the monk Nagasena.
  • Alexander the Great was Greek (Macedonian), and his invasion of India (c. 327–325 BCE) was a major Hellenistic military campaign.
  •  Thus, Milinda was not a contemporary of Bimbisara, Gautama Buddha, and Prasenjit.
  • Note: Greeks came after Alexander's invasion:
    • Alexander the Great (336–323 BC): He was a Macedonian king and a key figure in the ancient Greek world, who initiated a massive, decade-long military campaign through Asia and into the Indian subcontinent. 
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Q . Pre Maurya

The practice of military governorship was first introduced in India by the

a) Greeks
b) Sakas
c) Parthians
d) Mughals
Answer: a
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  • Greeks were the first to introduce military governorship in India.
  •   They appointed Governors called strategos.
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Q . Pre Maurya

Which one of the following dynasties was ruling over North India at the time of Alexander’s invasion?

a) Nanda
b) Maurya
c) Sunga
d) Kanva
Answer: a
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Q . Pre Maurya

One consistent feature found in the history of southern India was the growth of small regional kingdoms rather than large empires because of

a) the absence of minerals like iron
b) too many divisions in the social structure
c) the absence of vast areas of fertile land
d) the scarcity of manpower
Answer: c
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Q . Pre Maurya

Which one of the following was initially the most powerful city state of India in the 6th century BC?

a) Gandhar
b) Kamboj
c) Kashi
d) Magadh
Answer: d
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Q . Pre Maurya

Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
1. Lothal: Ancient dockyard
2. Sarnath: First Sermon of Buddha
3. Rajgir: Lion capital of Ashoka
4. Nalanda: Great seat of Buddhist learning
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Codes:

a) 1, 2, 3 and 4
b) b) 3 and 4
c) 1, 2 and 4
d) 1 and 2
Answer: c
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Q . Pre Maurya

The given map relates to:

a) Kanishka at the time of his death.
b) Samudragupta after the close of his South Indian campaign.
c) Ashoka towards close of his reign.
d) Empire of Thaneswar on the eve of Harsha's accession.
Answer: c
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  •   The given map is related to the reign of Ashoka towards end of his rule.
  •   Ashoka (304–232 BC), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled over the Indian subcontinent from 269 BC to 232 BC.
  •   Extent of his Empire: His empire stretched from present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan in the west, to the present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam in the east, and as far south as northern Kerala and Andhra.
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Q . Pre Maurya

The following map shows four of the sixteen Mahajanapadas that existed in ancient India: The places marked A, B, C and D respectively are

a) Matsya, Cedi, Kosala, Anga
b) Surasena, Avanti, Vatsa, Magadha
c) Matsya, Avanti, Vatsa, Anga
d) Surasena, Cedi, Kosala, Magadha
Answer: c
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Q . Pre Maurya

The word ‘Hindu’ as reference to the people of Hind (India) was first used by:

a) Greeks
b) the Romans
c) Chinese
d) the Arabs
Answer: a
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Q . Pre Maurya

The ancient Indian coins were introduced in India?

a) 3rd century AD
b) 3rd century BC
c) Kanishka’s period
d) Ashoka’s reign
Answer: b
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Q . Pre Maurya

Out of the following the oldest dynasty is:

a) Mauryas
b) Nandas
c) Pallavas
d) Guptas
Answer: b
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Q . Pre Maurya

Earliest Indian coins belonged to which period?

a) 5th century B.C
b) Ashoka’s reign
c) 1st century A.D.
d) 3rd century A.D.
Answer: a
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