Sources and Early Indian History Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The correct matching is Tolkappiyam with Tamil Grammar (iii), Tirukkural with Jain Philosophy (i), Silappadikaram with Love Story (ii) and Paripadal with Philosophy (iv), which is code (B). The Tolkappiyam is the earliest Tamil grammar. The Tirukkural is claimed by the Jain tradition, hence the match with Jain philosophy in the key. The Silappadikaram is the epic of Kovalan and Kannagi, a story of love and fidelity, and the Paripadal is the Sangam anthology of devotional songs. Codes (A), (C) and (D) put the grammar or the love story elsewhere.

Answer: B

Statements 1 and 3 are correct, so the answer is 1 and 3. Harappan sites are found in both cities and rural settlements, and the tools and metal objects show the work of specialised artisans such as bronze-smiths and bead-makers.

Statement 2 is wrong because the Harappan inscriptions are in a single script, which is still undeciphered, not in different contemporary scripts. Statement 4 is wrong as the dockyard is known at Lothal, while Dholavira is noted for its water reservoirs. So options containing 2 or 4 are out.

Answer: D

Ganesha and Karttikeya are not referred to in the Rig-Veda as deities. They became prominent in later Puranic and epic tradition.

The Rig-Veda does refer to gods of natural phenomena such as Indra, Agni, Varuna and Mitra, to goddesses such as Ushas and Aditi, and to semi-divine beings such as gandharvas, apsaras and pishachas. So only option D names deities that are absent from it.

This is a factual recall item, so the keyed option is identified by matching the person, text, date or term in the stem, and each remaining option fails that match for the reason given above.

Answer: A

Avataravada, the doctrine of divine incarnation, is not contained in the Upanishads. It developed later, in the epics and Puranas, with the rise of Vaishnavism.

Atman (the self), Brahman (the ultimate reality) and Maya (illusion or appearance) are central ideas of the Upanishadic philosophy, so they are contained in the texts.

This is a factual recall item, so the keyed option is identified by matching the person, text, date or term in the stem, and each remaining option fails that match for the reason given above.

Answer: D

The statement that is not true is that the exploits of the chiefs are not given in the Sangam literature. In fact the poems describe the deeds, generosity and wars of the chiefs and kings in detail.

The other statements are true: the historicity of the Sangam age is debated, later Tamil commentaries of about the eighth century speak of three sangams, and the poems refer to wars among the Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras.

This is a factual recall item, so the keyed option is identified by matching the person, text, date or term in the stem, and each remaining option fails that match for the reason given above.

Answer: C

Patimokkha does not belong to Jainism; it is the Buddhist code of monastic rules recited by the monks at the fortnightly assembly.

Anekantavada (many-sidedness of truth), Ganadhara (the chief disciples of Mahavira) and Syadvada (the doctrine of conditional predication) are all Jain concepts.

This is a factual recall item, so the keyed option is identified by matching the person, text, date or term in the stem, and each remaining option fails that match for the reason given above.

Answer: C

Gungeria in Madhya Pradesh has yielded the largest number of copper hoard implements, over 400 copper tools and some silver ornaments in a single hoard found in Balaghat district.

Kayatha, Pondi and Maheshwar are known mainly as chalcolithic settlements, whose finds are pottery and stone tools, so they are not the sites of the largest copper hoard. The answer is Gungeria, option C, which is the location of the biggest copper hoard of central India. The Gungeria hoard was found in 1957 and it is one of the main pieces of evidence of the copper hoard culture, which is linked by many scholars with the Ochre Coloured Pottery culture.

Answer: C

Chandraketugarh is a site on the Ganga delta in Bengal (a with ii), Karur lies on the Amaravati river (c with i), and Vasavasamudram near Kalpakkam lies in the Palar valley (d with iii). This leaves Korkai with the Vaigai (b with iv), the pairing given by the official key.

The codes for a, b, c, d are ii, iv, i, iii, which is option C. The other options exchange two or more river valleys, such as placing Chandraketugarh in the Palar valley or Karur on the Ganga.

Answer: B

The Rabatak inscription is of Kanishka (a with iii), the Shar-i-Kuna inscription is an Ashokan edict found in Afghanistan (b with iv), the Angul copper plate belongs to Queen Dharmamahadevi (c with i) and the Basim plates are of the Vakataka king Vindhyashakti (d with ii).

The codes for a, b, c, d are iii, iv, i, ii, which is option B. The other options give the inscriptions to the wrong rulers.

Answer: D

The statement that the society of the Vedic age was wholly matriarchal is not correct. Vedic society was patriarchal: the family was headed by the father, descent was traced through the male line and sons were wanted for the continuity of the lineage.

Later additions to the Rigveda, the brahmavadinis, women who studied the sacred texts, and the beginning of the varna divisions in the later Vedic phase are all accepted facts, so options A, B and C are correct and option D is the incorrect one.