Ancient & Medieval History MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: C - 3 and 4 only

The Buddha spent most of his life teaching in the eastern Gangetic plains. Kosala, with its capital Shravasti where he passed many rainy seasons, and Magadha, where he attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and was patronised by King Bimbisara, were directly associated with his life, so statements 3 and 4 are correct. Avanti and Gandhara lay outside this core region and are not linked to his life, so statements 1 and 2 are wrong. Hence 3 and 4 only.

Correct answer: D - traders

The Banjaras were nomadic trading and transport communities who moved goods, especially grain and salt, in bullock caravans across long distances during the medieval period, making them traders. They were not settled cultivators, so option (a) is wrong. They were a commercial and carrier community, not a martial or warrior group, ruling out option (b). Weaving was the occupation of communities such as the Julahas, not the Banjaras, eliminating option (c).

Correct answer: C - A bill of exchange

A hundi was a financial instrument used by merchants and bankers to transfer money and extend credit across distances, functioning essentially as an indigenous bill of exchange. A trader could deposit money in one place and have it paid out elsewhere on presenting the hundi, which reduced the risk of carrying cash on trade routes. It was a commercial document of the mercantile world, not a royal advisory or administrative order, so the options involving kings and feudal lords are wrong. It was also not an account book or diary; the hundi itself represented a payable claim.

Correct answer: D - Neither 1 nor 2

A jagir was a revenue assignment given to a mansabdar in lieu of cash salary for military and administrative service, not specifically for judicial and police duties, so statement 1 misdescribes the institution. Statement 2 reverses the actual position: jagirs were transferable and non-hereditary, with jagirdars routinely rotated, while zamindari rights over revenue collection were customarily hereditary. Zamindars also often carried local policing and militia obligations, which further weakens statement 1. Since both statements are wrong, the answer is neither 1 nor 2.

Correct answer: A - ports handling foreign trade

Ghantasala on the Andhra coast, Kadura (Kaduva) and Chaul on the western Konkan coast were thriving maritime ports that handled India's flourishing overseas trade during the Gupta period. They were trading and shipping centres rather than seats of royal power, so the capitals option is wrong. They are not primarily remembered for monumental stone art or as major Buddhist pilgrimage sites such as Bodh Gaya or Sarnath, so those options are wrong. Hence they were well known as ports handling foreign trade.

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

At the Second Buddhist Council the Sangha split into the Sthaviravadins (Elders) and the Mahasanghikas; the Sthaviravada tradition is the orthodox line associated with Theravada, not Mahayana, so statement 1 is wrong. The Lokottaravadins were indeed a sub-sect that branched off from the Mahasanghikas and held that the Buddha was a transcendent (lokottara) being, so statement 2 is correct. This Mahasanghika tendency to deify the Buddha and treat him as superhuman prepared the doctrinal ground for Mahayana Buddhism, making statement 3 correct too. The answer is 2 and 3 only.