43 practice questions on Sangam Age from the Ancient & Medieval History section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
43 come with a written explanation and 3 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
9 Easy25 Medium9 Hard3 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questionmedium
Which one of the following explains the practice of 'Vattakirutal' as mentioned in Sangam poems?
AKings employing women bodyguards
BLearned persons assembling in royal courts to discuss religious and philosophical matters
CYoung girls keeping watch over agricultural fields and driving away birds and animals
DA king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - A king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death
Vattakirutal (vatakkiruttal), literally sitting facing north, was a Sangam-era rite in which a defeated or dishonoured king fasted unto death facing the north to preserve his honour; Sangam poems record the Chera king Cheraman Kanaikkal Irumporai and others undertaking it. Women bodyguards in royal service are mentioned in other contexts, such as Megasthenes' account of the Mauryas, not by this term. Assemblies of the learned relate to institutions like the Sangam itself, and girls guarding millet fields appear as a poetic motif in kurinji songs, but neither practice is called Vattakirutal.
Q2
Previous year questioneasy
With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as
Acapital cities
Bports
Ccentres of iron-and-steel making
Dshrines of Jain Tirthankaras
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - ports
All three were celebrated ports of the Sangam age. Korkai on the Tamraparni estuary was the Pandya port famous for pearl fisheries, Poompuhar (Kaveripattinam) at the Kaveri mouth was the great Chola port, and Muchiri (Muziris) on the Kerala coast was the Chera port central to Roman trade in pepper and spices. They were not the inland capitals of these kingdoms, which were Madurai, Uraiyur and Vanji respectively. Nor are they associated with iron and steel production or with Jain Tirthankara shrines, making ports the only correct description.
Q3
Previous year questionmedium
India maintained its early cultural contacts and trade links with Southeast Asia across the Bay of Bengal. For this pre-eminence of early maritime history of Bay of Bengal, which of the following could be the most convincing explanation/explanations?
AAs compared to other countries, India had a better ship building technology in ancient and medieval times
BThe rulers of southern India always patronized traders, brahmin priests and buddhist monks in this context
CMonsoon winds across the Bay of Bengal facilitated sea voyages
DBoth (a) and (b) are convincing explanations in this context
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - Monsoon winds across the Bay of Bengal facilitated sea voyages
The most convincing single explanation is that the regular, predictable monsoon winds across the Bay of Bengal gave ancient mariners a natural propulsion system for sailing to and from Southeast Asia, enabling sustained trade and cultural exchange. The claim that India had uniquely superior shipbuilding technology is an overstatement that cannot be firmly established. The assertion that southern rulers 'always' patronised traders, brahmins and monks is too absolute and was not a constant. Because option (a) and (b) are not reliable, the combined option (d) also fails, leaving the monsoon winds as the best answer.
Q4
medium
In Sangam literature, the convention that classifies poems into 'Aham' (akam) and 'Puram' (puram) refers to:
AThemes of love/inner life versus war/public life
BTwo metres used in Tamil prosody
CTwo grades of bards attached to chieftains
DTwo categories of land revenue
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - Themes of love/inner life versus war/public life
Sangam poetry is broadly divided into Aham (akam), dealing with love and the inner/personal world, and Puram, dealing with war, heroism, kingship and public life. This thematic dichotomy underlies the anthologies of the Ettuthogai and Pattuppattu and is a defining feature of classical Tamil literary convention.
Q5
medium
With reference to the Sangam Age of South India, consider the following:
1. The Sangam corpus was composed primarily in the Tamil language.
2. The three crowned kings of the Tamil country were the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas.
3. Madurai was a celebrated centre associated with the Pandyas.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A1 and 2 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - 1, 2 and 3
All three are correct. The Sangam literature was composed in early Tamil. The 'muvendar' or three crowned kings were the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. Madurai was the capital and a great literary and cultural centre of the Pandyas. Hence the answer is 1, 2 and 3.
Q6
easy
With reference to the Sangam Age, the term 'Tinai' refers to which of the following?
AA system of land revenue assessment based on irrigation
BAn eco-geographical landscape division that organised Tamil poetry and life
CA council of poets attached to the Pandya court
DA coastal trading guild dealing in pearls
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - An eco-geographical landscape division that organised Tamil poetry and life
Tinai in Sangam literature denotes the eco-geographical landscape divisions, each with its own deity, occupation and poetic mood: Kurinji (hills), Mullai (forests/pasture), Marutam (agricultural plains), Neital (coast) and Palai (arid). This framework shaped both akam (love) poetry and the socio-economic life depicted. It is not a revenue system or a poets' council.
Q7
medium
With reference to the Sangam Age of South India, consider the following statements:
1. The three Sangams (literary assemblies) are traditionally said to have been patronised by the Pandya rulers.
2. 'Tolkappiyam' is a work on Tamil grammar and poetics belonging to the Sangam corpus.
3. The term 'Tinai' in Sangam literature refers to ecological-cum-emotional landscapes such as Kurinji and Marutam.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
AOnly one
BOnly two
CAll three
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - All three
All three are correct. Tamil tradition holds that three Sangams (assemblies of poets) were held under the patronage of the Pandya kings. The Tolkappiyam, attributed to Tolkappiyar, is the earliest extant Tamil grammar and treats grammar as well as poetics. The concept of Tinai divides the Tamil country into eco-emotional landscapes (Kurinji-hills, Mullai-pastoral, Marutam-agricultural, Neital-coastal, Palai-arid), each linked to a mood of love or war. Hence all three are correct.
Q8
medium
Consider the following statements about Sangam literature and the five tinais (ecological landscapes) of akam poetry:
1. Each tinai was associated with a particular landscape and a corresponding mood or phase of love.
2. 'Marutam' was associated with the agricultural/riverine landscape.
3. 'Palai' represented the desert or parched wasteland.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
AOnly one
BOnly two
CAll three
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - All three
All three statements are correct. In Tamil akam poetics the land was divided into five tinais, each tied to a landscape and an associated emotional situation in love. Marutam corresponds to the cultivated riverine/agricultural tract, and Palai to the arid desert/wasteland (a derived rather than purely natural landscape). Since all three are accurate, the answer is 'All three'.
Practice all 43 Sangam Age questions free
Timed practice, instant scoring, and explanations for every question. Free forever - no card, no catch.