Post-Gupta & Regional Kingdoms MCQs for UPSC Prelims

67 practice questions on Post-Gupta & Regional Kingdoms from the Ancient & Medieval History section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 67 come with a written explanation and 18 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

9 Easy 35 Medium 23 Hard 18 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question easy

Which of the following phrases defines the nature of the 'Hundi' generally referred to in the sources of the post-Harsha period?

  1. A An advisory issued by the king to his subordinates
  2. B A diary to be maintained for daily accounts
  3. C A bill of exchange
  4. D An order from the feudal lord to his subordinates
Show answer and explanation

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.

Q2
Previous year question hard

Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom?

  1. A Kakinada
  2. B Motupalli
  3. C Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam)
  4. D Nelluru
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Motupalli

Motupalli, on the Andhra coast, was a very important seaport of the Kakatiya kingdom and is famous for the Kakatiya ruler Ganapatideva's Abhaya Sasanam (a charter assuring safety to foreign traders); Marco Polo also referred to it. Kakinada and Machilipatnam rose to prominence in later periods, and Nelluru (Nellore) was not the principal Kakatiya port, so Motupalli is the correct answer.

Q3
Previous year question medium

With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A 1 and 2
  2. B 2 only
  3. C 1 and 3
  4. D 3 only
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 only

The Mitakshara and Dayabhaga were schools of Hindu inheritance law applied across communities, not divided by caste, so statement 1 is wrong. Under Mitakshara a son acquires a right in ancestral property by birth, hence he can claim it during the father's lifetime, while under Dayabhaga the son's right arises only on the father's death; this makes statement 2 correct. Statement 3 inverts the reality, since neither system was confined to property of male members alone, so it is wrong, leaving only statement 2 as correct.

Q4
Previous year question hard

The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from robbery. 2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person. 3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 1 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

Statement 1 is incorrect; Hiuen Tsang recorded that travel was not entirely safe and that he himself was robbed, so roads and river-routes were not completely immune from robbery. Statement 2 is correct, as his account describes ordeals by fire, water and poison used to determine guilt or innocence. Statement 3 is correct, as he noted that tradesmen paid light duties at ferries and barrier stations. Therefore option (b) is right.

Q5
Previous year question medium

With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of the feudal system? 1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority 2. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land 3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

Feudalism is defined by exactly the opposite of statement 1: it arose from the weakening and decentralisation of central authority, with power passing to provincial and local lords, so statement 1 is wrong. Statement 2 is correct because the feudal order, in India associated with the spread of land grants and the samanta system, rested on administrative control flowing from possession of land rather than from a salaried bureaucracy. Statement 3 is also correct, since the chain of personal allegiance between vassal and overlord, with obligations of service and tribute, is the defining political bond of feudalism. Hence 2 and 3 only.

Q6
Previous year question hard

With reference to ancient India, consider the following pairs: Literary work - Author 1. Devichandragupta - Bilhana 2. Hammira-Mahakavya - Nayachandra Suri 3. Milinda-panha - Nagarjuna 4. Nitivakyamrita - Somadeva Suri How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  1. A Only one
  2. B Only two
  3. C Only three
  4. D All four
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Only two

Pairs 2 and 4 are correct. The Hammira-Mahakavya, recounting the Chauhan ruler Hammira of Ranthambore, was composed by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri, and the Nitivakyamrita, a treatise on polity, was written by Somadeva Suri. Pair 1 is wrong because the play Devichandragupta is attributed to Vishakhadatta, the author of Mudrarakshasa, not to the Kashmiri poet Bilhana, who wrote Vikramankadevacharita. Pair 3 is wrong because the Milinda-panha, the dialogue between king Menander and the monk Nagasena, is an anonymous Pali work and is not authored by the philosopher Nagarjuna.

Q7
Previous year question hard

From the decline of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India? 1. The Guptas of Magadha 2. The Paramaras of Malwa 3. The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar 4. The Maukharis of Kanauj 5. The Yadavas of Devagiri 6. The Maitrakas of Valabhi Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A 1, 2 and 5
  2. B 1, 3, 4 and 6
  3. C 2, 3 and 4
  4. D 5 and 6
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 1, 3, 4 and 6

Between the fall of the imperial Guptas and the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, northern India was held by the Later Guptas of Magadha (1), the Pushyabhutis of Thanesar (3), the Maukharis of Kanauj (4) and the Maitrakas of Valabhi (6). The Paramaras of Malwa (2) and the Yadavas of Devagiri (5) emerged only later, around the ninth to thirteenth centuries, so they are excluded. Hence the correct combination is 1, 3, 4 and 6.

Q8
Previous year question medium

Who among the following rulers in ancient India had assumed the titles 'Mattavilasa', 'Vichitrachitta' and 'Gunabhara'?

  1. A Mahendravarman I
  2. B Simhavishnu
  3. C Narasimhavarman I
  4. D Simhavarman
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Mahendravarman I

The Pallava king Mahendravarman I (c. 600-630 CE) bore the titles Mattavilasa, Vichitrachitta and Gunabhara; he also authored the Sanskrit farce Mattavilasa Prahasana and pioneered rock-cut temple architecture, so (a) is correct. Simhavishnu was his father who founded the line's greatness but is not linked to these titles. Narasimhavarman I, his son, was famous as Mamalla and Vatapikonda after defeating the Chalukyas. Simhavarman was an earlier Pallava ruler with no association with these epithets.

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More Ancient & Medieval History topics

Jainism & Buddhism 66 Delhi Sultanate 59 Vijayanagara & Bahmani 57 Mughal Empire 55 Gupta Empire 48 Mauryan Empire 47 Bhakti & Sufi Movements 44 Sangam Age 43 Vedic Age 43 Indus Valley Civilization 41 Post-Mauryan Period 40 Prehistory & Stone Age 37 Maratha Empire 37 Mahajanapadas 32 Regional & Provincial Kingdoms 28