Coins, Pottery & Material Culture MCQs for UPSC Prelims
48 practice questions on Coins, Pottery & Material Culture from the Art & Culture section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
48 come with a written explanation and 1 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
3 Easy19 Medium26 Hard1 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questionhard
Consider the following pairs :
(Historical place) (Well-known for)
1. Burzahom : Rock-cut shrines
2. Chandraketugarh : Terracotta art
3. Ganeshwar : Copper artefacts
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
A1 only
B1 and 2
C3 only
D2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - 2 and 3
Chandraketugarh in West Bengal is famous for its exquisite terracotta figurines and Ganeshwar in Rajasthan is a Chalcolithic site that supplied copper artefacts to the Harappans, so pairs 2 and 3 are correct. Burzahom in Kashmir is a Neolithic-Megalithic site known for pit-dwellings, bone tools and megaliths, not rock-cut shrines, which makes pair 1 wrong. Hence the only fully correct combination is 2 and 3, and every option that includes Burzahom must be rejected.
Q2
hard
Consider the following statements regarding the punch-marked coins (Aahat coins) of early historic India:
1. They are among the earliest coins of India and bear symbols stamped individually with separate punches rather than a single die.
2. They were typically made of silver and copper.
3. They usually carried the legend of the issuing king in Brahmi script.
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: A - 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: punch-marked coins are India's earliest coinage, made chiefly of silver (and some copper), bearing multiple symbols (sun, geometric shapes, animals) impressed by separate punches. Statement 3 is wrong: they generally carried only symbols and no royal legend or name; inscribed legends naming kings appear later, notably with the Indo-Greeks and subsequent dynasties.
Q3
medium
Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), an important diagnostic pottery type, is chiefly associated with which period of early Indian history?
AThe age of the Mahajanapadas and the rise of cities in the Ganga valley
BThe Mature Harappan urban phase
CThe Lower Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer period
DThe late Mughal period
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - The age of the Mahajanapadas and the rise of cities in the Ganga valley
Northern Black Polished Ware is a fine, lustrous, glossy black pottery characteristic of the second urbanisation in the Ganga valley, associated with the Mahajanapadas and the early historic period (roughly mid-first millennium BCE). It is not Harappan (which is marked by Red and Black-and-Red wares), nor Palaeolithic (which predates pottery), nor Mughal. Hence the Mahajanapada/second-urbanisation period is correct.
Q4
hard
The earliest indigenous Indian coins, the 'punch-marked coins' (karshapanas), are best described by which of the following?
AMostly silver and copper pieces bearing several independently punched symbols rather than a single die-struck legend
BGold coins struck with a portrait of the ruler and a Brahmi legend on a single die
CLead tokens cast in moulds and bearing bilingual Greek and Kharosthi script
DCowrie-shell currency standardised by the Mauryan state
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - Mostly silver and copper pieces bearing several independently punched symbols rather than a single die-struck legend
Punch-marked coins, among the earliest Indian coinage (Janapada/Mauryan era), were typically silver (and some copper) flans on which a series of symbols, such as the sun, six-armed wheel, hills and trees, were impressed by separate punches. Portrait gold coins with legends are characteristic of the later Indo-Greeks and Kushanas/Guptas; bilingual die-struck issues belong to the Indo-Greeks.
Q5
hard
With reference to the punch-marked coins of ancient India, consider the following statements:
1. They are among the earliest coins of the Indian subcontinent.
2. They were generally made of silver and copper and bore symbols stamped with separate punches.
3. They carried legends in Brahmi naming the issuing king.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
AOnly one
BOnly two
CAll three
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - Only two
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: punch-marked coins (Aahat coins) are among the earliest Indian coins, usually of silver or copper, bearing multiple symbols each impressed by a separate punch. Statement 3 is wrong; these coins carried only symbols and not inscribed royal legends. Inscribed coins naming rulers appeared later, notably under the Indo-Greeks. Hence two statements are correct.
Q6
medium
Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), an archaeologically significant pottery type, is most closely associated with which phase of ancient Indian history?
AThe second urbanisation associated with the Mahajanapadas and early historic Ganga valley
Correct answer: A - The second urbanisation associated with the Mahajanapadas and early historic Ganga valley
Northern Black Polished Ware, a fine, glossy black-surfaced deluxe pottery, is a hallmark of the second urbanisation in the Ganga valley around the era of the Mahajanapadas and early historic period. It postdates the Harappan civilisation, is far later than the Mesolithic, and is not characteristic of the early Vedic pastoral phase (which is more linked with Painted Grey Ware in later layers). Hence option 1 is correct.
Q7
easy
The Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), a fine, glossy pottery, is an important marker associated with which broad phase of ancient Indian history?
AThe second urbanisation, around the age of the Mahajanapadas and early Magadhan ascendancy
BThe Lower Palaeolithic stone-tool cultures
CThe mature Harappan (Indus Valley) civilization
DThe early Vedic (Rigvedic) period
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - The second urbanisation, around the age of the Mahajanapadas and early Magadhan ascendancy
Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) is a luxury pottery with a distinctive glossy, mirror-like surface, archaeologically associated with the period of the second urbanisation in the Ganga valley, roughly the age of the Mahajanapadas and the rise of Magadha (mid-first millennium BCE). It postdates the Harappan civilization (which had its own distinctive red-and-black wares) and the Palaeolithic, and is later than the early Vedic phase (often linked with Painted Grey Ware). Hence the second urbanisation / Mahajanapada phase is correct.
Q8
hard
Consider the following statements about the punch-marked coins of ancient India:
1. They are among the earliest coins of the Indian subcontinent and were generally made of silver and copper.
2. They bear symbols stamped or punched onto the metal rather than a continuous inscription or legend.
3. They are commonly associated with the period of the Mahajanapadas and the Mauryan Empire.
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. Punch-marked coins (often called karshapanas/panas) are among the earliest coins of India, typically of silver and also copper. They carry symbols (such as the sun, geometric and animal motifs) individually punched onto the metal flan, rather than legends or continuous inscriptions, which appeared on later coinage. They are characteristically associated with the era of the Mahajanapadas and continued under the Mauryas. All three are accurate.
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