MCQ
upsc-p1-history-vedic-age MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 9 upsc-p1-history-vedic-age questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1Arrange the following layers of Vedic literature in the order that best represents the movement from mantra collection towards philosophical inquiry: 1. Upanishads 2. Samhitas 3. Aranyakas 4. Brahmanas Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Option B gives the conceptual sequence: Samhitas are mantra collections; Brahmanas explain ritual; Aranyakas reinterpret ritual symbolically and inwardly; and the Upanishads foreground philosophical inquiry into self, ultimate reality and knowledge.
Q2Consider the following statements about material culture and exchange in the Vedic Age: 1. Painted Grey Ware is a direct ethnic label for every Vedic community and site. 2. In later contexts, shyama ayas or krishna ayas is generally taken to mean iron. 3. Nishka must be treated as a regular coin of the Early Vedic economy. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Only Statement 2 is correct. The iron identification applies broadly to later contexts. Painted Grey Ware has only a broad, probabilistic correlation with later Vedic zones and is not a direct ethnic label. Nishka appears as an ornament or valuable object and should not automatically be read as regular Early Vedic coinage.
Q3Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below. List I (Vedic text) A. Samaveda B. Yajurveda C. Atharvaveda D. Aranyakas List II (Principal association) 1. Sacrificial formulae and ritual instructions 2. Symbolic and inward interpretation of ritual 3. Musical arrangement and chanting of hymns 4. Charms, healing and domestic concerns
Option C gives the correct matches. Samaveda arranges hymns for singing; Yajurveda supplies sacrificial formulae and instructions; Atharvaveda includes charms, healing and domestic concerns; and the Aranyakas reinterpret ritual symbolically and inwardly.
Q4With reference to the preservation of Vedic texts, consider the following statements: 1. Padapatha, kramapatha and other recitation methods helped preserve every word and sound with remarkable accuracy. 2. Dependence on early written manuscripts was the principal means by which the Vedas were preserved in Early Vedic society. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Statement 1 is correct and Statement 2 is incorrect. Disciplined oral methods, including reordered recitations, checked words and sounds from multiple directions. The cultural achievement lay mainly in oral preservation; writing and early manuscripts were not defining markers of Early Vedic society.
Q5Consider the following statements about society in the Vedic Age: 1. The family was broadly patriarchal and patrilineal, with the grihapati heading the household. 2. The four-varna scheme occurs in the Purusha Sukta of the 10th mandala, generally treated as a later Rigvedic layer. 3. All women and all Shudras were uniformly denied learning throughout the entire Vedic Age. Which of the statements given above are correct? Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Vedic society was broadly patriarchal, and the Purusha Sukta belongs to the 10th mandala's later layer. Statement 3 is too absolute: access to learning narrowed over time and varied with status, lineage, region and ritual context.
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6Consider the following statements about the geographical transition during the Vedic Age: 1. The Rigvedic world is most strongly associated with the north-west, including the Punjab and Sapta-Sindhu region. 2. Later Vedic developments are more closely associated with Kuru-Panchala, the Ganga-Yamuna doab and movement towards Kosala and Videha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Select the correct answer using the code given below.
7Arrange the following geographical settings in the broad order in which they become prominent from the Rigvedic phase to the transition towards the mahajanapadas: 1. Middle Ganga plain in the transition towards larger states 2. Kuru-Panchala and the Ganga-Yamuna doab 3. Punjab and the Sapta-Sindhu region 4. Kosala and Videha towards the eastern edge of later developments Select the correct answer using the code given below.
8With reference to the layers of Vedic literature, consider the following statements: 1. The Rigveda Samhita has 10 mandalas, of which Mandalas 2-7 are often treated as the older family books. 2. The Brahmanas are prose texts that explain sacrificial rituals, their symbolism and priestly duties. 3. The Aranyakas stand outside Vedic literature because they completely reject ritual. Which of the statements given above are correct? Select the correct answer using the code given below.
9With reference to Vedic polity, consider the following statements: 1. Sabha and samiti indicate participatory elements in the early polity. 2. The Early Vedic rajan headed a permanent bureaucracy and a professional standing army. 3. Later rituals such as rajasuya, vajapeya and ashvamedha strengthened royal status and linked authority with sacrificial legitimacy. Which of the statements given above are correct? Select the correct answer using the code given below.