Numismatics Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The key gives II, I, III, IV (option B) as the sequence of the Gupta gold coin types: the King and Queen type, then the Lion slayer type, then the Kartikeya type and then the Chhatra type. Option A starts with the Lion slayer type, and options C and D place the Kartikeya or Chhatra type earlier than the Lion slayer, which the key does not accept. The sequence rests on the key. The King and Queen type, also called the Chandragupta-Kumaradevi type, is taken to commemorate the marriage of Chandragupta I with the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi.

Answer: B

The key gives (IV), (III), (II), (I), option B: Ardokhsho appears on the coins of Samudragupta, Lakshmi on those of Chandragupta II, Shiva on those of Kanishka I, and Kartikeya on those of Kumaragupta I. Option A pairs Lakshmi with Kanishka and Shiva with Chandragupta II, option C pairs Ardokhsho with Kumaragupta, and option D pairs Ardokhsho with Kanishka, so each of them is rejected on the key. Ardokhsho is a goddess of fortune from the Iranian world, shown on Kushana coins with a cornucopia.

Answer: B

The key gives (III), (IV), (II), (I), option B. The Chakravikrama type coins belong to Chandragupta II, the Apratigha type to Kumaragupta I, the Asvamedha type to Samudragupta and the King and Queen type to Chandragupta I. Option A pairs the items in serial order, option C gives the Chakravikrama type to Samudragupta, and option D gives it to Kumaragupta, so each of them is rejected. The Asvamedha coins of Samudragupta show a sacrificial horse before a yupa, the sacrificial post, and record the performance of the horse sacrifice.

Answer: C

The name of the goddess Uma appears on the coins of the Kushanas, so the third option is correct. The goddess is shown on coins of Huvishka with her name in the Kushana script. The Indo-Greeks, Sakas and Guptas did not put the name of Uma on their coins in the key. The goddess appears with Siva on coins of Huvishka, which is why the Kushanas are given in the key.

Answer: B

The coins of Chandragupta II were issued in gold and silver, so the second option is correct. His gold dinaras are well known, and he also issued silver coins for the Western region after conquering the Saka territory. Copper coins were also issued by him, but the key gives gold and silver as the pair, and the options with bronze are wrong. The remaining options differ from this on at least one fact that the key does not accept, so they are rejected.

Answer: A

The assertion is correct and the reason is false, so the first option is correct. Punch-marked coins carry only symbols stamped with punches and no legend. The reason, that writing was not known, is false because the Brahmi script was already in use in the time of Ashoka, who lived at about the time these coins were current, and the lack of a legend is due to the method of minting. So the options that call both true or the assertion false are wrong. The remaining codes either call a true statement false or accept a reason that does not hold, so they fail the check of each statement taken separately.

Answer: B

The assertion is true but the reason is false, so the second option is correct. The Gupta period is called the Golden Age because of its great achievements in art, architecture, literature and science, as well as its political stability and prosperity. It did not get the name from the discovery of gold mines, since the gold for the coinage came from other sources such as trade. Hence the reason cannot be accepted. The remaining codes either call a true statement false or accept a reason that does not hold, so they fail the check of each statement taken separately.

Answer: C

Both statements are correct but the reason is not the correct explanation, as the key puts it, so the third option is correct. The number of gold coins did decrease after Kumaragupta I, and gold was not abundantly available in India. But the decline is a matter of the economy and the policy of the later rulers, which are not captured by the explanation as stated, so the reason is called an incorrect explanation. The remaining codes either call a true statement false or accept a reason that does not hold, so they fail the check of each statement taken separately.

Answer: C

Both are correct and the reason explains the assertion, so the third option is correct. Roman coins have been found at many early historic towns in south India, and the cause is the flourishing trade of the early historical rulers with the Roman world. The options that call the assertion or the reason wrong are therefore rejected, and the one that says the reason is not an explanation is also wrong since trade accounts for the finds. The remaining codes either call a true statement false or accept a reason that does not hold, so they fail the check of each statement taken separately.

Answer: B

As per the key, the order is Karshapana, Bent Bars, Krishnaraja Rupak and Gadahiya, so the second option is correct. The punch-marked Karshapana and the bent bars are the early coins, the Krishnaraja Rupak belongs to the Rashtrakuta period and the Gadahiya coins to a later time. The options which start with the later coins reverse this order. Each of the other options breaks the order by putting a later item before an earlier one, so only the sequence in the key survives a pairwise check.