1. What general description is indicative of ancient
India as a political unit?
A. Disunity under rulers in separate states
B. Powerful dynasties ruling over a united India
C. Indian empires enduring foe lengthy time periods D. Minimal cultural cohesion
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. This has happened, but not often
C. United empires have not endured there for very lengthy periods
2. What do the Aryan epics contain valuable
information on?
A. Rituals & sacrifices B. Mystical speculation C. Social values & classes D. Conquests of the Aryans
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. The Brahmanas cover this B. The Upanishads cover this D. The Vedas mention this
3. How was India first unified politically?
A. Through the Janapadas B. By Alexander the Great
C. When Chandragupta Maurya Marched into northwest Inida
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. Janapadas were disunited territories
B. Alexander’s troops mutinied and he turned back
D. The Hindu faith had exited a long time, during which India had not been united
4. What did the Maurya Dynasty base its
government upon?
A. Earlier political structures B. Artha Shastra
C. Mahabharata
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. They were actually regional state governments
5. The Maurya state appears to have
controlled/regulated all these except for:
A. Gender relations B. The guilds
C. The religious establishment D. Caste rules
CORRECT ANSWER = B.
A. These rules were ardently enforced
C. The state attempted to regulate its use of wealth & power
6. What religious faith seems to have been
particularly favored by the Maurya and Kushana
Dynasties?
A. Buddhism B. Hinduism
C. Confucianism D. None of these
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. Hindus were given no particular favor
C. This was an ethnic Chinese faith and did not factor in India
7. To what did the first Gupta Emperor owe his rise
to power?
A. Military prowess
B. A fortunate marriage
C. Political assassination of opponents D. Coming from a prominent family
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. It was his son Samudra Gupta who earned that distinction
C. He did not perpetrate this
8. What statement is most correctly applicable to
developments during the Gupta Period?
A. Gupta rule was highly centralized, and rigidly controlled from the top
B. Literature began moving away from Sanskrit to modern Hindi script
C. The term “Golden Age” was applied to this period because of its rulers’ political accomplishments
D. The was a revival of Hindu philosophy and religious authority
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. Gupta rule was often indirect
B. There was a great resurgence of Sanskrit literature C. It was applied more because of the period’s cultural
9. How did the Huna invasion most impact India?
A. Northern cities were favored, and prospered accordingly
B. No further unification of India from the inside was seriously attempted
C. India’s population pool was seriously weakened
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. Northern urban centers declined
C. It was, rather, enriched by Gujaras & Rajputs entering western India
10. How has the history of India been generally
interpreted and written?
A. From the perspective of the Ganges Valley B. From the perspective of the Indus Valley C. From a Buddhist perspective
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. The Indus Valley declined and became a desert region C. Buddhism declined and the majority of Indians are of
11. What most accurately reflects the interaction
between Aryan and non-Aryan Indians?
A. The Aryans were the first recorded peoples to migrate into India
B. The most distinct and separate region of India has been the far east
C. The people of Gujarat identify strongly with the rest of India
D. Many non-Aryans were absorbed into the caste system
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. Some immigrants certainly preceded the Aryans B. This distinction belongs to the far south
C. They have always seen themselves as a distinct ethnic group
12. What generally marks the historical relationship
between India and Southeast Asia?
A. Constant military struggle and attempted conquests B. Complete domination by Buddhist cultural elements C. Peaceful religious and cultural diffusion from India
over the centuries
D. Deliberate isolation of certain kingdoms from Indian influence
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. This was the exception rather than the rule B. Hindu elements were equally active
13. How may it be said that comparisons of India
with Rome and China cannot be straight forward?
A. China and Rome drew upon much more ancient traditions
B. India was totally dominated by a single religious group
C. Chinese and Latin languages had more in common with each other
D. In China and Rome the state, unlike in India, was fundamental to all areas of life
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. Indian civilization is believed to be more ancient than either of the others
B. Hinduism & Buddhism vied with each other during this time
C. Latin and Indian language belong to the same (Indo-European) language family
14. Again, in comparison with the Chinese and
Roman empires, how has the Indian example
proved unique?
A. In imposing central institutions on its subjects B. In integrating rather than defeating its
constituent parts
C. In proving to be more resistant to outside ideas D. In its tensions between centralized and regional
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. This was actually Roman and Chinese policy
C. India has been assimilating outside ideas for centuries D. This is true of all empires
