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Civil Services Preliminary Exam Question Paper
Indian History
1. The copper-hoard culture in the post-Harappa period has provisionally been identified with which one of the following pottery types ?
(a) Sothi pottery
(b) Ochre colour pottery
(c) Painted grey ware
(d) Northern Black polished ware
2. Which one of the following contains the famous Gayatri mantra ?
(a)Rigveda
(b) Samveda
(c)Yajurveda
(d) Atharvaveda
3. In which one of the following Smrutis is found the statement : "the royal charters were written on cloth or copper plate" ?
(a) Manusmruti
(b) Parasharasmruti
(c) Yagnyavalkyasmruti
(d) Shankhasmruti
4. The famous Dasarajna (battle of ten kings) is mentioned in
(a) Rigveda
(b) Yajurveda
(c) Samaveda
(d) None of the above
5. In which Vedic Sukta is found the reference to the origin of the four Varnas ?
(a) Ushas
(b) Purusha
(c) Nasadiya
(d) Aranyani
6. Which one of the following dramas was written by Sriharsha ?
(a) Kundamala
(b) Priyadarshika
(c) Karpuramanjari
(d) Malati-Madhava
7. Against which republican state did Ajatashatru fight for more than 16 years to establish Magadhan 1suzetainty over Eastern India ?
(a) Mallas of Pava and Kushinara
(b) Videhas of Mithila
(c) Lichhavis of Vaishali
(d) Koliyas of Ramagrama
8. Who was the twenty-second Tirthankara ?
(a) Parsvanatha
(b) Righabha
(c) Aristhancmi
(d) Neminatha
9. Directions for erecting stupas and chaityas, and an account of the contest for Buddha's relics to deposit in them is found for the first time in
(a) Milindapanha
(b) Majjhim Nikaya
(c) Mahaparinibbana Sutta
(d) Jnariaprasthana Sutra
10. What is the modern name of Kundagrama where 'Mahavira was born ?
(a) Vaishali
(b) Patana
(c) Basukunda
(d) Paithan
11. In Buddhism what does Patimokkha stand for?
(a) A description of Mahayana Buddhism
(b) A description of Hinayana Buddhism
(c) The Rules of the Samgha
(d) The questions of king Menander
12. According to Mathura pillar inscription, Uditacharya consecrated two Sivalingas named
(a) Gutteshwara and Kadarnbeshwara
(b) Nageshwara and Naganath
(c) Kapileshwara and Upmiteshwara
(d) Nanjundeshwara and Shrishaile-shwara
13. Pindakara under the Mauryan rulers was a tax
(a) paid in labour
(b) on irrigation
(c) on non-agricultural produce
(d) collected jointly from a village
14. Consider the following places :
1. Ahiraura
2. Dhauli
3. Girnar
At which of the above place/places do Ashoka's rock edicts occur?
(a) I only
(b) I and 2 only
(c) 2 and, 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
15. Who of the following deciphered the Brahmi script ?
(a) William Jones
(b) James Prinsep
(c) John Marshall
(d) E. J. H: Mackay
16. In which one among the following edicts of Ashoka, his Kalinga War is mentioned ?
(a) Pillar Edict I
(b) Pillar Edict VII
(c) Rock Edict XI
(d) Rock Edict XIII
17. The fact that the Satavahanas did maritime trade and had naval.power is proved from the availability of a special type of coins, `ship with double mast'. Which ruler of. the dynasty was supposed
to have issued these coins ?
(a) Simuka
(b) Satakarni II
(c) Gautamiputra Satakarni
(d) Yajna Sri Satakarni
18. Which one of the following represents the ancient town of Vijayapuri of the -Ikshvakus ?
(a) Amaravati
(b) Nagar junakonda
(c) Vijayawada
(d) Vizianagaram
19. Which Sangam Literary work says that the Aryans introduced the ritual and ceremony of marriage (Karanam) ?
(a) Tolkappiyam
(b) Pattuppattu
(c) Ettut togai
(d) Manimekalai
20. The reign period of which one of the following Parthian rulers has been definitely fixed in the famous Takht-i- Bahi inscription ?
(a) Vonones
(b) Maucs
(c) Gondophernes
(d) Apollorius
21. Which one of the Sailendra kings built a monastery at Nalanda.and requested the Pala emperor Devapala to grant five villages for its maintenance ?
(a) Dharanindravarman
(b) Balaputradeva
(c) Chaudamani Vat-man
(d) Sri Mara Vijaya Hungavarman
22. Which one of the following rulers assumed 'the title of Hazrat-i-Ala ?
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddi.n Khalji
(c) Mohammad bin Tughluq
(d) Sher Shah Sur]
23. Who of the following did not serve Alauddin Khalji as coin mander-in-chief of army ?
(a) Alp Khan
(b) Khizr Khan
(c) Nusrat Khan
(d)Zafar Khan
24. What was Kharaj in the 13th century ?
(a) Tax on cultivation
(b) Tax on land transfer
(c) Waiver of the tax on' land
(d)Tax on irrigated lands
25. The foundation of which one of the following towns was not laid by Sultan Feroze Shah Tughluq ?
(a) Hissar
(b) Ferozabad
(c) Faridabad
(d) Jaunpur
26. Who of the following rulers was the contemporary of the Great Vaishnava saint Chaitanya in Bengal ?
(a) Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah
(b) Sikandar Shah-II
(c) Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah
(d) Alauddin Hussain Shah
27. During medieval times, the term pinjana referred to '
(a) Weaver's loom
(b) Cotton carder's' bow
(c) Spinning wheel
(d) None of the above
28. Abdur Razzak was sent as an ambassador to the court of Deva Raya II by
(a) Sultan Alauddin of Iraq
(b) Sultan Bahaman of Egypt
(c) Sultan Shah Rukh of Khurasan
(d) Sultan Bahzad of Turkey
29. Harihara 11, in one of his inscriptions, gives a detailed account of the military achievements of Bukka I. Which one 'of the following is that inscription ?
(a) Channaraya pattana inscription
(b) Bitragunta grant
(c) Penugonda inscription
(d) Kondavidu grant
30. Which one, of the following books provides information on Humayun's reign ?
(a) Tarikh-i-Rashidi
(b)Tabaqat-i-Nasiri
(c)Futuhus Salatin
(d)None--of the above
31. Consider the following ancient tribes :
1. Anga
2. Gandhari
3. Vratya
Which of the above tribe/tribes existed during Vedic period ?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
32. Who among the following was the famous Persian Master painter. who came to India with Humayun ?
(a)Sayyid All Hamdani
(b) Sayyid Ali Tabrezi
(c) Mir Mohammad 1-lamadani
(d) Muhammud Murad
33. Inthe context of disintegration of Mughal Empire, who of the following was deposed by Wazir Ghazi-ud-din Imad-ul-mulk ?
(a)Muhammad Shah
(b)Ahmad Shah
(c) Alamgir-I1
(d) Akbar-II
34. Among the following what was the name of the lowest unit of Shershah's administration ?
(a) Jagir
(b) Pargana
(c) Mahal
(d) Sarkar
35. The capital city of Ahmedabad was built by Ahmad Shah on the old site of
(a) Sarkhej
(b) Sidhpur
(c) Idar
(d) Asawal
