RAS question
The four Vedas are:
Correct answer: (C) Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva.
The four Vedas are the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda.
Explanation
NIOS states that there are four Vedas: the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. This is the standard ancient Indian literary classification tested here. Rig is associated with hymns, Yajur with rituals and sacrifice formulae, Sama with melodies and music, and Atharva with spells and aspects of daily life. Each Veda is also connected with Brahmanas, Upanishads and Aranyakas, which matters because some options mix the names of Vedas with later textual layers. So the right answer is the option that names all four Vedas, not a combination of Vedas and associated literature.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Upanishad and Purana are important Sanskrit texts, but they are not two of the four Vedas, so this option replaces Yajur and Atharva with non-Vedic categories.
- (B) Epic and Sutra are literary forms or textual categories, not Vedas, so this option gives only Rig and Sama from the required fourfold list.
- (D) Brahmana and Aranyaka are associated parts or layers of Vedic literature, but they are not separate Vedas alongside Rig and Yajur.
Concept
This tests the basic classification of Vedic literature within Ancient Indian History. RAS often returns to it because later questions on Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, epics and Puranas depend on keeping the primary Veda list clear.