MCQ
upsc-p1-history-mauryan-empire MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 15 upsc-p1-history-mauryan-empire questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Arrange the following developments in chronological order from earliest to latest: (a) Ashoka's conquest of Kalinga (b) Transition from Mauryan to Shunga rule under Pushyamitra (c) Chandragupta Maurya's treaty with Seleucus Nicator (d) Overthrow of Nanda power by Chandragupta Maurya Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Chandragupta first displaced Nanda power and founded the Mauryan state. His settlement with Seleucus followed during the consolidation of Mauryan power in the northwest. Ashoka's Kalinga conquest occurred later in the dynasty, and the killing of the last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha by Pushyamitra marks the subsequent transition to Shunga rule. Thus option B gives the correct order.
Q2With reference to Mauryan provincial administration, consider the following statements: 1. Princes governed important provinces such as Taxila, Ujjain, Tosali and Suvarnagiri. 2. Rajukas were merely clerks without authority over reward or punishment. 3. Tours by officials served both administrative inspection and communication of dhamma. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Royal princes were placed in strategic provinces, and official tours combined inspection with dhamma communication. Statement 2 is incorrect because Ashoka gave rajukas authority connected with reward and punishment, indicating substantial local judicial and administrative responsibility.
Q3Arrange the following Mauryan rulers in chronological order from earliest to latest: (a) Dasharatha (b) Bindusara (c) Chandragupta Maurya (d) Ashoka Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Chandragupta Maurya founded the empire after overthrowing Nanda power. Bindusara consolidated it between Chandragupta and Ashoka. Ashoka ruled after Bindusara, while Dasharatha belongs to the post-Ashokan succession and continued Ajivika cave patronage. Therefore the order is c-b-d-a, given in option A.
Q4With reference to Ashokan edicts, consider the following statements: 1. Most edicts use Prakrit in the Brahmi script. 2. Kharoshthi was written from left to right. 3. The reference to Hellenistic rulers in Major Rock Edict XIII proves that Ashoka ruled their territories. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is correct. Most Ashokan edicts use Prakrit in Brahmi. Statement 2 is incorrect because Kharoshthi was written from right to left. Statement 3 is also incorrect: the reference to Hellenistic rulers shows Ashoka's diplomatic horizon, not political control over their territories.
Q5With reference to the decline of the Mauryan Empire, consider the following statements: 1. Succession problems and provincial assertion are among the explanations for weakening after Ashoka. 2. Maintaining officials, the army, roads and public works could create administrative and fiscal strain. 3. Ashoka's non-violence alone is an adequate explanation for the decline. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statements 1 and 2 are correct and express the multi-causal view of decline. Statement 3 is incorrect because Ashoka retained punishment, officials and imperial authority; succession, provincial pressures, fiscal burdens and changing frontiers must be considered together.
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More questions
6Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I (Inscriptional category) (a) Major Rock Edict XII (b) Major Rock Edict XIII (c) Maski Minor Rock Edict (d) Barabar cave inscriptions List II (Association) 1. Identification of Devanampiya Piyadassi with Ashoka 2. Ashoka's remorse after the Kalinga War and dhamma-vijaya 3. Dedication of caves to the Ajivikas 4. Respect among sects
7Consider the following statements about Ashoka's dhamma: 1. It was identical to Buddhist doctrine and made the Four Noble Truths the core public message of the edicts. 2. It required Ashoka to abandon kingship, punishment and administrative officials. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
8Arrange the following developments in chronological order, from the earliest to the latest: (a) Decline of Nanda power in Magadha (b) Consolidation of the Mauryan Empire under Bindusara (c) Ashoka's conquest of Kalinga (d) Chandragupta Maurya's foundation of the empire Select the correct answer using the code given below.
9With reference to Ashoka's dhamma, consider the following statements: 1. It included respect for parents and elders, kindness to servants, restraint and harmony among sects. 2. It was broader than technical Buddhist doctrine in its public message. 3. It required Ashoka to renounce kingship, punishment and the administrative machinery of the empire. Which of the statements given above are correct?
10Consider the following statements about the Arthashastra: 1. Its saptanga theory analyses the state through seven elements, including the king, ministers, treasury, army and allies. 2. Its mandala theory is a strategic model rather than a fixed territorial map. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
11Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I (Official) (a) Kumara (b) Rajuka (c) Pradesika (d) Yukta List II (Association) 1. Subordinate record-keeping or executive work 2. Provincial prince 3. Local justice and administration 4. District-level supervision
12Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I (a) Maski (b) Barabar caves (c) Sarnath lion capital (d) Major Rock Edict XII List II 1. Inter-sect respect and restraint in speech 2. Identification of Devanampiya Piyadassi with Ashoka 3. Ajivika dedication and Mauryan-polished interiors 4. Mauryan animal capital later adopted as India's national emblem
13Arrange the following developments in Ashoka's reign in their logical chronological order: (a) Appointment of dhamma-mahamatras (b) Conquest of Kalinga (c) Later pillar messages on dhamma and justice (d) Remorse over the suffering caused by the conquest Select the correct answer using the code given below.
14With reference to Mauryan rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements: 1. Ashoka dedicated caves such as Sudama to the Ajivikas. 2. Lomas Rishi cave bears an Ashokan dedicatory inscription. 3. Dasharatha is associated with Ajivika cave dedications at the Nagarjuni caves. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
15With reference to the sources for the Mauryan Empire, consider the following statements: 1. The Arthashastra is a normative treatise on statecraft and should not be read as an exact diary of Mauryan administration. 2. The presence of an Ashokan edict at a place proves uniform direct Mauryan rule throughout the corresponding modern region. 3. Megasthenes' account survives through later writers and therefore needs to be used with caution. Which of the statements given above are correct?