SLC ACADEMY GK Class Test Page 1 of 6

1. Which of the following items has not been found (c) Boulders (d) Megaliths
in the Harappan graves? 11. Why is the sixth century BCE often considered a
(a) Pottery and ornaments major turning point in Indian history?
(b) Iron hand axe (a) Emergence of states, cities, and towns; Use of
(c) Jewellery (d) Copper mirrors iron
2. Harappa is located on the banks of which river? (b) Emergence of states, cities, and towns;
(a) Indus (b) Chenab Dominance of Hinduism
(c) Ravi (d) Jhelum (c) Dominance of Hinduism; Use of iron
3. The ‘Great Bath’ was found in which town of the (d) Emergence of Buddhism and Jainism,
Indus Valley Civilisation? Extensive use of Copper
(a) Mohenjodaro (b) Harappa 12. Who composed the Prayag Prashasti in praise of
(c) Lothal (d) Rangpur Samudragupta?
4. Which town in Indus Valley Civilisation had no (a) Prabhavati Gupta (b) Harisena
Citadel? (c) Kautilya (d) Banabhatta
(a) Mohenjodaro (b) Harappa 13. Which of the following is not one of the main
(c) Chanhudaro (d) Lothal features of Ashoka’s dhamma?
5. What was the main feature of the Harappa (a) Respect the elders and be generous to the
Civilisation? Brahmins.
(a) Town planning (b) Art and architecture (b) Consider your religion superior to the other
(c) Administration (d) Agriculture religions.
6. Where were large granaries found? (c) Gahapati should respect members of the
(a) Lothal and Dholavira family, relatives, servants, the poor, and the
(b) Kalibangan slaves.
(c) Banawali (d) Follow non-violence.
(d) Harappa and Mohenjodaro 14. What were the guilds of the merchants and
7. Which of the following statements is incorrect craftsmen called?
regarding the weights used during the Harappan (a) Shrenis (b) Ur
period? (c) Adimai (d) Uzhavar
(a) The Harappan people had developed several 15. What is James Prinsep’s contribution in the
kinds of small and heavyweights. development of the Indian epigraphy?
(b) They were cubical in shape and had no (a) He deciphered the Brahmi script used in most
markings. of the Ashokan inscriptions.
(c) These weights were mostly made of hard (b) He deciphered the Kharoshthi script used in
stones like chert. most of the Ashokan inscriptions.
(d) The higher denominations of weights were (c) Both ‘a’ and ‘b’
binary in multiples of two. (d) None of these
8. Which of the following is not one of the features 16. Ventures of which of the following traders were
of Harappan writing? risky but highly profitable?
(a) The Harappan script was pictographic and not (a) Peddlers
alphabetical. (b) Seafarers
(b) It has been deciphered by James Prinsep. (c) Merchants with caravans of bullock carts and
(c) It had too many signs, somewhere between pack-animals
375 and 400. (d) All of the above
(d) The script was written from right to left. 17. Who issued the first coins bearing the names of
9. Which of the following metal was NOT known rulers?
to the Harappans? (a) Mauryas (b) Guptas
(a) Bronze (b) Silver (c) Indo-Greeks (d) Satavahanas
(c) Copper (d) Iron 18. Name the languages in which the Ashokan
10. What are big rocks kept on the burial in central inscriptions were written.
and south India called? (a) Pali, Prakrit, and Greek
(a) Northern Black Polished Ware . (b) Pali, Sanskrit, and Aramaic
(b) Pillars (c) Prakrit, Aramaic, and Greek

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(d) Pali, Sanskrit, and Greek 25. Which of the following items was not found in
19. Consider the following statements regarding the Harappan culture?
Magadha. (a) Stone Blades (b) Copper mirror
(i) Magadha was the most powerful (c) Stone Seals (d) Beads jewellery
mahajanapada. 26. Which of these was a luxury object?
(ii) Initially Pataliputra was the capital of (a) Sickle (b) Queen stones
Magadha and later it was shifted to Rajagriha. (c) Pots of Faience (d) All of the above.
(iii) Elephants were found in abundance in the 27. Traces of canals have been found at the Harappan
forests of Magadha. site of ...............
Which of the following statement(s) is/are (a) Dholavira in Gujarat
correct? (b) Shortughai in Afghanistan
(a) I and II (b) II and III (c) I and III (d) II only (c) Kalibangan in Rajasthan
20. Identify the best reason for considering King (d) Sind
Ashoka as ‘Devanampiya’ and ‘Piyadassi’ by his 28. Which of these is the characteristic feature of
subjects. citadel at Lothal?
(a) Ashoka commissioned the edicts himself (a) Low walls (b) High walls
(b) He adopted the title of ‘Devaputra’. (c) Built at a height (d) Away from the river.
(c) Epigraphists have concluded him as devanam 29. Which among the following is not a notable
priya. artefact found in Mohenjodaro site?
(d) He did well being of society through (a) Dancing Girl (b) Dockyard
Dhamma. (c) Pashupati-seal (d) Priest-King
21. Which one of the following statements was not a 30. Which of the following Harappan civilisation
justified reason for Magadha being a powerful sites are presently outside India?
mahajana pada? (1) Kalibangan (2) Shortugai
(a) Magadha was drained by several rivers which (3) Chanhudaro (4) Lothal
made the land very fertile. (a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(b) In Magadha there were rich deposits of iron (c) 3 and 4 (d) 1 and d
ore. 31. Consider the following statements regarding the
(c) Pataliputra, the capital of Magadha, was identification of Shiva, a figure represented on
fortified. Harappan seals:
(d) Magadha was ruled by powerful kings.
1. It is shown in the form of Gajapati
22. Which one of the following statement(s) is/ are
2. It is shown seated in Yogic posture.
correct about the subsistence strategies of 3. It is surrounded by animals.
Harappa? 4. It is shown with a female figure identifiable
(1) Archaeologists have reconstructed dietary with Parvati. Which of the above statements are
practices from finds of charred grains and seeds. correct reasons for identifying the figure with
(2) Archaeo-botanists have studied grains found Shiva?
at Harappa like millets, barley, etc. (a) 1 and 4 (b) 2 and 3
(3) Animals were domesticated according to (c) 2 and 4 (d) 3 and 4
archeo-botanists. 32. Chanhudaro was famous for __________
(a) (1) and (2) only (b) (2) and (3) only (a) Brick making (b) Bead making
(c) (1), (2) and (3) (d) (2) only (c) Ship building (d) Weapon making
23. Which of the following was a part of Harappan 33. The most distinctive features of Harappan cities
people’s diet? was __________
(a) Millets (b) Animal Products (a) The planned drainage system
(c) Mango seeds (d) Both (a) and (b) (b) The broad courtyard
24. Which one of the following was used most likely (c) The citadel (d) The burials
for harvesting during Harappan Civilization? 34. Which among the following is a very soft stone?
(a) Stone blades (b) Tractors (a) Lapis-lazuli (b) Carnelian
(c) Cattle (c) Jasper (d) Steatite
(d) Agriculture was not practiced during the 35. Which of these sites of Harappan Civilisation
Harappan civilization belong to Haryana?

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(a) Kalibangan (b) Lothal (c) Stone Seals (d) Beads jewellery
(c) Banawali (d) Shortugai 43. Which of the following is NOT considered as a
36. Why is Harappan script called enigmatic? possible reason for the end of Harappan?
Identify the appropriate reason from the (a) Floods (b) Climate changes
following options. (c) Afforestation (d) All of the above.
(a) It was pictograph and uniform. 44. In which of the following, the problems of
(b) It was written from left to right. archaeological interpretation most evident?
(c) Most scripts were short, the longest contained (a) Architecture (b) Religious practices
26 signs, each sign stood for a vowel or (c) Social structure
consonant. (d) Occupational structure
(d) It shows common feature of writing. 45. The Director General of ASI who brought a
37. Which of the following site is called as center of military precision to the practice of archeology
Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture by the was ___________
archaeologists? (a) John Marshal
(a) Mohenjodaro (b) Nageshwar (b) R.E.M. Wheeler
(c) Khetri (d) Dholavira (c) Alexender Cunningham
38. Which of the following statements are true (d) Howard Carter
regarding the script written on seals used during 46. In which of these countries, do sites of Indus
the Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro period? civilization exists?
(i) The seals usually have a line of writing, (a) New Zeland (b) Russia
probably containing the name and title of the (c) Africa (d) Pakistan
owner. 47. ‘The Story of Indian Archaeology’ is written by
(ii) The motif on the seals (generally an animal) __________
conveyed a meaning to those who could not read. (a) Rakhal Das Banerji (b) S.N Roy
(iii) Most inscriptions are quite short and it was (c) John Marshall
evidently not alphabetical and as has many signs. (d) Alexander Cunningham
(iv) The script was written from left to right as 48. The significance of Harappan seals began to
some seals show a wider spacing on the left and realize when _________
cramping on the right. (a) Archaeologist Daya Ram Sahani in the early
(a) (i),(ii),(iv). (b) (i),(ii),(iii). decades of the twentieth century discovers the
(c) (i),(iii),(iv). (d) (ii),(iii),(iv). seals at Harappa.
39. How was inter-country communication done (b) A Harappan seal was given to Cunningham
during Harappan Civilization? by an Englishman
(a) Waterways (b) Roadways (c) The first professional archaeologist John
(c) Railways (d) All of the above. Marshall brought his experience of working in
40. The best source of lapis lazuli, a blue stone that Greece and Crete to work in India.
was apparently very highly valued was found in (d) Rakhal Das Banerji found similar seals at
................ Mohenjodaro.
(a) Bharuch in Gujarat 49. The bones of which of these animals have been
(b) Shortughai in Afganisthan found at Harappan sites?
(c) Kalibagan in Rajasthan (a) Lion (b) Pig
(d) Dholavira in Gujarat (c) Deer (d) Both (b) and (c)
41. Mesopotamian texts datable to the third 50. ‘My Archaeological Mission to India and
millennium BCE refer to copper coming from a Pakistan’ was written by _________
region called Magan. Magan was probably the (a) John Marshal (b) R.E.M Wheeler
ancient name of .................. (c) Alexender Cunningham
(a) Oman (b) Kuwait (d) Howard Carter
(c) Qatar (d) Iran 51. Some scholars have suggested that “proto-Shiva”
42. Which among the following are possibly the most is possibly a shaman. Which of the following
distinctive artefact of the Harappan civilisation? statement is the correct meaning of the word,
(a) Pottery and ornaments. shaman?
(b) Copper mirror
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(a) People who claim magical and healing (c) Chedi (d) Kuru
powers, as well as an ability to communicate with 59. Which one of the following was the first capital
the other world . of Magadha?
(b) A semi-nomadic group of desert-dwellers of (a) Rajagaha (b) Ujjain
Arabia (c) Taxila (d) Gandhara
(c) A person who serves as a professional copyist, 60. Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanapada
specially who made copies of manuscripts. from sixth to fourth century BCE. Historians
(d) A person who has the authority to perform or offered different kinds of explanations for the
administer various religious rites. growth of Magadha. Which of the following
52. Which one of the following statement is incorrect
statement is incorrect regarding the growth of
regarding the weights used during the Harappa &
Magadha?
Mohenjo Daro period?
(a) Magadha was a region where agriculture was
(a) In Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro period, epecially productive.
exchanges were regulated by a precise system of (b) Iron mines were accessible and provided
weights, usually made of a stone called chert. resources for tools and weapons.
(b) They were generally cubical and without (c) Magadha’s proximity to the sea makes it a
markings. business hub. Many foreign traders used to come
(c) The higher dominations of weights were here for trading purposes.
binary in multiple of two. (d) Elephants, an important component of the
(d) The smaller weights were probably used for army, were found in forests in the region.
weighing jewellery and beads 61. The first gold coin was issued in the first century
53. Megasthenes mentions a committee with six
CE by:
subcommittees of military, of which the fifth
(a) Mauryas (b) Mughals
looked after (c) Kushanas (d) Rajputs
(a) chariots. (b) foot-soldiers. 62. The Prayaga Prashasti (also known as the
(c) horses. (d) transport. Allahabad Pillar Inscription) was composed in
54. _______ were elaborate stone structures in
Sanskrit by Harishena. Harishena was the court
central and south India in first millennium BCE.
poet of which of the following kings?
(a) Pannai. (b) Megaliths.
(a) King Samudragupta
(c) Dhamma. (d) None of the above.
(b) King Ashoka
55. Identify the best reason for considering King
(c) King Chandra Gupta Maurya
Ashoka as ‘Devanampiya’ or ‘Piyadassi’ by his (d) King Kanishka
subjects. 63. Periplus in Greek means:
(a) Asoka commissioned the edicts himself. (a) Act of bread making (b) Sailing around
(b) He adopted the title of ‘Devaputra’. (c) Bead Making (d) Ships
(c) Epigraphists have concluded him as 64. Who was Dhamma Mahamatta?
Devanampiya. (a) Special revenue officers appointed by Ashoka
(d) He worked for the well being of society for tax collection
through Dhamma. (b) Special officers appointed by Ashoka for
56. Which of these archaeological sources occupy a maintaining law and order in the kingdom
significant place in the reconstruction of the (c) Special officers appointed by Ashoka to
ancient Indian history? spread the message of dhamma
(a) Vedas (b) Coins (d) Special officer appointed by Ashoka to stop
(c) Inscriptions (d) Both (b) and (c) the spread of dhamma
57. In which of the following languages have the 65. Who was the first ruler to inscribe his messages
earliest inscriptions been recorded? to his subjects and officials on stone surfaces –
(a) English (b) Prakrit natural rocks as well as polished pillars?
(c) Pali (d) Sanskrit (a) Kanishka
58. Which one of these became the most powerful (b) Bimbisara
Mahajanapada between the sixth and the fourth (c) Chandra Gupta Maurya
centuries BCE? (d) Ashoka
(a) Magadha (b) Kashi

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66. Who composed the Prayag Prashasti in praise of (a) Bimbisara. (b) Chandragupta II.
Samudragupta? (c) Chandragupta Maurya (d) Ashoka.
(a) Prabhavati Gupta (b) Harisena 77. The first issue of Epigraphia Indica was
(c) Kautilya (d) Banabhatta published in
67. The __________ describes the plight of the (a) 1885. (b) 1886.
subjects of a wicked king; these included elderly (c) 1887. (d) 1888.
women and men, cultivators, herders, village 78. The spectacular gold coins which facilitated long
boys and even animals. distance transactions were issued by
(a) Gandatindu Jataka (b) Panchtantara (a) Kushanas (b) The Mauryan rulers
(c) Jataka (d) Vayushastra (c) The Saka rulers (d) The Gupta rulers
68. Which of these was Asoka reign? 79. According to the rock inscription in Sanskrit,
(a) c. 268–231 BCE (b) c. 600–500 BCE composed around second century CE, Sudarshan
(c) c. 606–647 CE (d) c. 200–100 BCE lake, an artificial reservoir was repaired by
69. Ventures of which of the following traders were (a) Kushana king Kanishka
risky but highly profitable? (b) Saka king Rudradaman
(a) Peddlers (c) Kannauj ruler Harsha
(b) Seafarers (d) Chandragupta II
(c) Merchants with caravans of bullock carts and 80. Name the languages in which the Ashokan
pack-animals inscriptions were written.
(d) All of the above (a) Pali, Prakrit, and Greek
70. ______ was the owner, master or head of a (b) Pali, Sanskrit, and Aramaic
household. (c) Prakrit, Aramaic, and Greek
(a) Pannai. (b) Mahamatta. (d) Pali, Sanskrit, and Greek
(c) Dhamma. (d) Gahapati. 81. Which of the following problems do the
71. Which one of the following is the author of archaeologists face while deciphering the
Arthashastra? inscriptions?
(a) Kalhana. (b) Kalidasa. (a) Damaged letters
(c) Kautilya. (d) Bāṇabhaṭṭa. (b) Faint letters
72. Which one of the following statement is incorrect (c) Exact meaning of the words used in
regarding the word, ‘Gahapati’? inscriptions
(a) They are the owner, master or head of a (d) All of the above
household. 82. Rajagaha which was a capital of Maghadha, was
(b) They are the owner of the resources – land, a fortified settlement, located amongst hills.
animals and other things – that belonged to the Later, in the fourth century BCE, the capital was
house-hold. shifted to Pataliputra, present-day Patna. Idenify
(c) They are the officials of the king. the incorrect reason about choosing the city of
(d) They belonged to the urban elite, including Patliputra in this aspect.
wealthy merchants. (a) Patiliputra is situated at the bank of the river
73. The Prayaga Prashasti was composed in Ganga which was a commanding route of
(a) Sanskrit. (b) Pali. communication along the Ganga.
(c) Prakrit. (d) Brahmi. (b) It’s central location in northeastern India led
74. Tamil Sangam literature mentions slaves as R rulers of successive dynasties to base their
(a) Pannai (b) Adimai administrative capital here.
(c) Uazhavar (d) Velar (c) It is Situated at the confluence of the Ganges,
75. Ashoka is mentioned by which titles in his Gandhaka, and Son rivers, Pataliputra formed a
inscriptions? "water fort or jaldurga.
(a) Ashoka, Piyadassi (d) Pataliputra is the capital of Nandas,
(b) Masattuvan, Ashoka Mauryans, Sungas and the Guptas down to the
(c) Devanampiya, Piyadassi Cholas.
(d) Devaputra, Piyadassi 83. James Prinsep was able to decipher Asokan
76. The first ever ruler to propagate the principles of Brahmiin the year
Dhamma was (a) 1835 (b) 1838
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(c) 1856 (d) 1738 (c) Aztecs. (d) Maya.
84. King Ashoka sometimes mentioned as
‘Piyadassi’, in the inscription. The meaning of
‘Piyadassi’, is ....................
(a) Beloved of the gods
(b) Pleasant to behold
(c) Beautiful eyes
(d) Beloved of nature
85. Which of these archaeological sources occupy a
significant place in the reconstruction of the
ancient Indian history?
(a) Vedas (b) Coins
(c) Inscriptions (d) Both (b) and (c)
86. Sangam is a literature of _______ language.
(a) Tamil (b) Malayalam
(c) Sanskrit (d) Marathi
87. The early Tamil Sangam literature mentions
slaves known as
(a) adimai. (b) pannai.
(c) vellalar. (d) uzhavar.
88. Alexander Cunningham published a set of
Asokan inscriptions in
(a) 1874. (b) 1875.
(c) 1876. (d) 1877.
89. The Arthashastra was composed by
(a) Banabhatta. (b) Kautilya.
(c) Ravikirti. (d) Ashvaghosha
90. According to a rock inscription in Sanskrit,
composed around second century CE, the
Sudarshana lake was repaired by a king of the
(a) Indo-Greeks. (b) Kushanas.
(c) Satavahanas. (d) Rudradaman I
91. Scholars in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries were primarily interested in the
histories of:
(a) kings (b) travellers
(c) inventions (d) None of the Above
92. Scholars from the mid-twentieth century
onwards, were primarily interested in the
histories of ....................
(a) Kings
(b) Issues such as economic change, different
social groups, etc.
(c) Religious beliefs of people
(d) Marginalised groups.
93. The term 'Sovanika' was used in ancient India as
reference to
(a) carpenter. (b) goldsmith.
(c) potter. (d) sculptor.
94. Who were a clan of nomadic people living in
China?
(a) Greeks. (b) Kushanas.
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