Ancient History PYQs

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1. Prelims 2026Q1Prehistory & Harappan Civilisation

   Consider the following assertion :

   In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.

   Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion ?

   1.The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda

   2.The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote

   3.The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems

   Select the answer using the code given below :

   a1 onlyb2 onlyc1 and 2d3
2. Prelims 2026Q3Vedic Period

   Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched ?

   1.Vitasta : Chenab

   2.Asikni : Jhelum

   3.Parushni : Ravi

   4.Yavyavati : Beas

   Select the answer using the code given below :

   a1 and 2b3 and 4c3 onlyd4 only
3. Prelims 2026Q5Post-Mauryan & Sangam Age

   Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched ?

   1.Senguttuvan : Chera

   2.Udiyanjeral : Chola

   3.Nedunjeliyan : Pandya

   Select the answer using the code given below :

   a1 and 2b2 onlyc1 and 3d3 only
4. Prelims 2026Q10Vedic Period

   In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni (‘mistress of the field’) originate ?

   aRigvedabAtharvavedacAshtadhyayidArthashastra
5. Prelims 2026Q13Ancient Society, Economy & Science

   Consider the following statements :

   I.Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins, e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, and kakanika.

   II.The literary evidence from Pali texts is corroborated by archaeological evidence of punch-marked coins from many sites, most of them made of silver.

   The above statements have been associated with which of the following ?

   1.Emergence of urban life

   2.Transition to money economy

   Select the answer using the code given below :

   a1 onlyb2 onlycBoth 1 and 2dNeither 1 nor 2
6. Prelims 2026Q17Ancient Society, Economy & Science

   Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India :

   1.The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595 – 596).

   2.In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India.

   3.The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century.

   Which of the statements given above are correct ?

   a1 and 2 onlyb1 and 3 onlyc2 and 3 onlyd1, 2 and 3
7. Prelims 2026Q18Prehistory & Harappan Civilisation

   Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns :

   I.There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels.

   II.Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered.

   III.There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.

   Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements ?

   1.Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home.

   2.Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed.

   3.Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system.

   Select the answer using the code given below :

   a1 and 2 onlyb2 and 3 onlyc1 and 3 onlyd1, 2 and 3
8. Prelims 2026Q20Vedic Period

   Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period :

   I.Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface.

   II.Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells.

   Which of the following information support/supports the above statements ?

   1.There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water.

   2.Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/kulisha (axe) and datra /sreni (sickle).

   3.There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts.

   Select the answer using the code given below :

   a1 and 2 onlyb1, 2 and 3c1 and 3 onlyd3 only
9. Prelims 2025Q15Gupta & Post-Gupta Age

   Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of

   aSamudraguptabChandragupta IIcKumaragupta IdSkandagupta
10. Prelims 2025Q17Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire

    With reference to ancient India (600–322 BC), consider the following pairs :

    Territorial region : River flowing in the region

    I.Asmaka : Godavari

    II.Kamboja : Vipas

    III.Avanti : Mahanadi

    IV.Kosala : Sarayu

    How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

    aOnly onebOnly twocOnly threedAll the four
11. Prelims 2025Q19Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire

    Ashokan inscriptions suggest that the ‘Pradeshika’, ‘Rajuka’ and ‘Yukta’ were important officers at the

    avillage-level administrationbdistrict-level administrationcprovincial administrationdlevel of the central administration
12. Prelims 2025Q72Prehistory & Harappan Civilisation

    The famous female figurine known as 'Dancing Girl', found at Mohenjo-daro, is made of

    acarnelianbclaycbronzedgold
13. Prelims 2024Q54Buddhism, Jainism & Other Sects

    With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets ?

    1.Nayaputta

    2.Shakyamuni

    3.Tathagata

    Select the correct answer using the code given below :

    a1 onlyb2 and 3 onlyc1, 2 and 3dNone of the above are epithets of Gautama Buddha
14. Prelims 2024Q55Prehistory & Harappan Civilisation

    Consider the following information :

    Archaeological Site	State	Description
    1. Chandraketugarh	Odisha	Trading Port town
    2. Inamgaon	Maharashtra	Chalcolithic site
    3. Mangadu	Kerala	Megalithic site
    4. Salihundam	Andhra Pradesh	Rock-cut cave shrines

    In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

    a1 and 2b2 and 3c3 and 4d1 and 4
15. Prelims 2024Q58Vedic Period

    Consider the following statements :

    1.There are no parables in Upanishads.

    2.Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

    a1 onlyb2 onlycBoth 1 and 2dNeither 1 nor 2
16. Prelims 2024Q64Buddhism, Jainism & Other Sects

    Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on :

    aPrajnaparamita SutrabVisuddhimaggacSarvastivada VinayadLalitavistara
17. Prelims 2023Q41Buddhism, Jainism & Other Sects

    In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

    aAndhrabGandharacKalingadMagadha
18. Prelims 2023Q43Post-Mauryan & Sangam Age

    With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as

    acapital citiesbportsccentres of iron-and-steel makingdshrines of Jain Tirthankaras
19. Prelims 2023Q44Post-Mauryan & Sangam Age

    Which one of the following explains the practice of 'Vattakirutal' as mentioned in Sangam poems?

    aKings employing women bodyguardsbLearned persons assembling in royal courts to discuss religious and philosophical matterscYoung girls keeping watch over agricultural fields and driving away birds and animalsdA king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death
20. Prelims 2023Q81Inscriptions, Coins & Foreign Travellers

    With reference to the Indian History, Alexander Rea, A. H. Longhurst, Robert Sewell, James Burgess and Walter Elliot were associated with

    aarchaeological excavationsbestablishment of English Press in Colonial Indiacestablishment of Churches in Princely Statesdconstruction of railways in Colonial India