Important Ancient History of India GK MCQ questions for Competitive Exams. Topic wise practice set in English from previous year exam question papers of SSC, UPSSSC and other government jobs exams.
Prehistoric Era and Harappan Civilization
Q.1: The social system of the Harappan people was ……………?
a) Fairly egalitarian
b) Slave-labor based
c) Caste-based
d) Varna-based
Q.2: The houses in the Indus Valley were made of?
a) Bricks
b) Bamboo
c) Stone
d) Wood
Q.3: The inhabitants of Harappa were-
a) Rural
b) Urban
c) Nomadic
d) Tribal
Q.4: The Harappan people were the first to produce which of the following?
a) Coins
b) Bronze tools
c) Cotton
d) Barley
Q.5: The Harappan civilization belonged to which age?
a) Bronze Age
b) Neolithic Age
c) Paleolithic Age
d) Iron Age
Q.6: What was the script of the Indus Valley Civilization?
a) Tamil
b) Kharosthi
c) Unknown
d) Brahmi
Q.7: The first ancient city discovered in India was?
a) Harappa
b) Punjab
c) Mohenjo-daro
d) Sing
Q.8: Epigraphy refers to
a) Study of coins
b) Study of inscriptions
c) Study of epics
d) Study of geography
Q.9: The discovery of measuring scales proved that the Indus Valley people were familiar with measurement and weighing. Where was this discovery made?
a) Kalibangan
b) Harappa
c) Chanhudaro
d) Lothal
Q.10: One of the most significant sculptures of the Indus Valley Civilization was?
a) Nataraja
b) Dancing girl
c) Buddha
d) Narasimha
Q.11: Who among the following is NOT associated with the study of Harappan culture?
a) Charles Masson
b) Cunningham
c) M. Wheeler
d) P. S. Vats
Q.12: Who was the first to discover the Harappan Civilization?
a) Sir John Marshall
b) R. D. Banerjee
c) A. Cunningham
d) Daya Ram Sahni
Q.13: Which of the following was the port city of the Indus Valley Civilization?
a) Kalibangan
b) Lothal
c) Ropar
d) Mohenjo-daro
Q.14: Which of the following domesticated animals was NOT present in the terracotta figurines of the Indus Valley Civilization?
a) Buffalo
b) Sheep
c) Cow
d) Pig
Vedic Civilization: Ancient History GK MCQ
Q.15: Which of the following Vedas provides information about the civilization of the ancient Vedic era?
a) Rigveda
b) Yajurveda
c) Atharvaveda
d) Samaveda
Q.16: The primary food of the Vedic Aryans was?
a) Barley and Rice
b) Milk and its products
c) Rice and Pulses
d) Vegetables and Fruits
Q.17: Which metal was first used by the Vedic people?
a) Silver
b) Gold
c) Iron
d) Copper
Q.18: The Aryans were successful in their conflicts with pre-Aryans because –
a) They used elephants on a large scale
b) They were taller and stronger
c) They belonged to an advanced urban culture
d) They used chariots driven by horses
Q.19: In the Aryan civilization, the stages of life, in ascending order, were –
a) Brahmacharya-Grihastha-Vanaprastha-Sannyasa
b) Grihastha-Brahmacharya-Vanaprastha-Sannyasa
c) Brahmacharya-Vanaprastha-Sannyasa-Grihastha
d) Grihastha-Sannyasa-Vanaprastha-Brahmacharya
Q.20: In the early Vedic period, the Varna system was based on –
a) Education
b) Birth
c) Profession
d) Talent
Q.21: Who was the first European to call ‘Aryans’ a race?
a) Sir William Jones
b) H. H. Wilson
c) Max Muller
d) General Cunningham
Q.22: From where is the famous ‘Gayatri Mantra’ taken?
a) Yajurveda
b) Atharvaveda
c) Rigveda
d) Samaveda
Q.23: Which of the following crafts was not practiced by the Aryans?
a) Pottery
b) Jewelry
c) Carpentry
d) Blacksmithing
Q.24: Which of the following learned women challenged the invincible Yajnavalkya in a debate?
a) Ghosha
b) Apala
c) Maitreyi
d) Gargi
Buddhism and Jainism
Q.25: Where was Gautam Buddha born?
a) Kushinagar
b) Sarnath
c) Bodh Gaya
d) Lumbini
Q.26: To which clan did Buddha belong?
a) Jnatrika
b) Maurya
c) Shakya
d) Kuru
Q.27: Where was the First Buddhist Council held?
a) Vaishali
b) Kashmir
c) Rajgriha
d) Pataliputra
Q.28: What is the meaning of ‘Buddha’?
a) Enlightened
b) Preacher of religion
c) Talented
d) Powerful
Q.29: Identify the Buddhist literature from the following:
a) Tripitaka
b) Upanishads
c) Anga
d) Aranyakas
Q.30: Buddhism made a significant impact by connecting two sections of society. These sections were:
a) Merchants and Priests
b) Moneylenders and Slaves
c) Warriors and Traders
d) Women and Shudras
Q.31: Where did Buddha deliver his first sermon?
a) Gaya
b) Sarnath
c) Pataliputra
d) Vaishali
Q.32: The Gandhara art style of painting was initiated by which tradition?
a) Hinayana Sect
b) Mahayana Sect
c) Vaishnavism
d) Shaivism
Q.33: Metal coins first appeared during:
a) Harappan Civilization
b) Later Vedic Period
c) Buddha’s time
d) Mauryan Period
Q.34: Early Buddhist literature was composed in which language?
a) Pali
b) Sanskrit
c) Aramaic
d) Prakrit
Q.35: During whose reign was the engraving work in the famous Ajanta caves started?
a) Kadamba
b) Satavahana
c) Rashtrakuta
d) Maratha
Q.36: In Buddhism, the ‘Bull’ is associated with which event of Buddha’s life?
a) Birth
b) Great Renunciation
c) Enlightenment
d) Mahaparinirvana
Q.37: Where did Buddha attain Mahaparinirvana?
a) Kushinagar
b) Kapilavastu
c) Pava
d) Kundagrama
Q.38: Where did Buddha attain enlightenment?
a) Sarnath
b) Bodh Gaya
c) Kapilavastu
d) Rajgriha
Q.39: Which religion preaches that “Desire is the root cause of all suffering”?
a) Buddhism
b) Jainism
c) Sikhism
d) Hinduism
Q.40: The Tamil literary masterpiece ‘Jivaka Chintamani’ is associated with which religion?
a) Jain
b) Buddh
c) Hindu
d) Christian
Q.41: Who was Mahavira?
a) 21st Tirthankara
b) 24th Tirthankara
c) 23rd Tirthankara
d) 22nd Tirthankara
Q.42: Who was the mother of Mahavira?
a) Yashoda
b) Anojja
c) Trishala
d) Devnandi
Q.43: In which Kshatriya clan was Mahavira born?
a) Shakya
b) Jnatrika
c) Mallas
d) Licchavi
Q.44: Who was the famous ruler of ancient India who adopted Jainism in his later years?
a) Samudragupta
b) Bindusara
c) Chandragupta
d) Ashoka
Q.45: Which type of pottery is considered a symbol of the beginning of the second urbanization in India?
a) Painted Grey Ware
b) Northern Black Polished Ware
c) Ochre-colored Pottery
d) Black and Red Ware
Q.46: Which was the first ruler responsible for the rise of Magadha?
a) Bindusara
b) Ajatashatru
c) Bimbisara
d) Vasudeva
Q.47: Who was the teacher of Alexander the Great?
a) Darius
b) Cyrus
c) Socrates
d) Aristotle
Q.48: Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE in –
a) Persia
b) Babylon
c) Macedonia
d) Taxila
Q.49: In ancient times, which language was used to write source materials?
a) Sanskrit
b) Pali
c) Brahmi
d) Kharosthi
Q.50: Which of the following ancient Indian cities was home to the three learned sages Kapila, Gargi, and Maitreya?
a) Kashi
b) Mithila
c) Ujjayini
d) Pataliputra
Q.51: The ‘Mahabhashya’ was written by
a) Gargi
b) Manu
c) Bana
d) Patanjali
Maurya Period
Q.52: Who succeeded Chandragupta Maurya on the Mauryan throne?
a) Bimbisara
b) Ashoka
c) Bindusara
d) Vishnugupta
Q.53: Which of the following would best describe the Mauryan monarchy under Ashoka?
a) Enlightened despotism
b) Centralized autocracy
c) Oriental despotism
d) Guided democracy
Q.54: Which of the following was not a part of the Maurya dynasty?
a) Ajatashatru
b) Bindusara
c) Chandragupta Maurya
d) None of the above
Q.55: Who among the following was also known as ‘Devanam Priyadarshi’?
a) Maurya King Ashoka
b) Maurya King Chandragupta Maurya
c) Gautama Buddha
d) Lord Mahavira
Q.56: Which foreign traveler visited India first among the following?
a) Xuanzang (Hieun Tsang)
b) Megasthenes
c) I-Tsing
d) Fa-Hien
Q.57: Who wrote ‘Indica’?
a) I-Tsing
b) Megasthenes
c) Fa-Hien
d) Xuanzang (Hieun Tsang)
Q.58: Ashoka embraced Buddhism after being influenced by which Buddhist monk?
a) Vishnugupta
b) Upagupta
c) Brahmagupta
d) Brihadratha
Q.59: Chandragupta Maurya’s famous teacher, Chanakya, was associated with which educational center?
a) Taxila
b) Nalanda
c) Vikramshila
d) Vaishali
Q.60: The impact of the Kalinga War on Ashoka is most evident in
a) Edicts engraved on pillars
b) The 13th rock edict
c) Inscriptions
d) None of the above
Q.61: In all of his inscriptions, Ashoka consistently used which Prakrit language?
a) Ardha-Magadhi
b) Shuraseni
c) Magadhi
d) Angika
Q.62: Who was the first person to decipher Ashoka’s inscriptions, and when?
a) 1810 – Harry Smith
b) 1787 – John Tower
c) 1825 – Charles Metcalfe
d) 1837 – James Prinsep
Q.63: Who provided patronage to the Third Buddhist Council?
a) Kanishka
b) Ashoka
c) Mahakasyapa Upali
d) Sabakarni
Q.64: Which dynasty ruled Magadha after the Maurya dynasty?
a) Satavahana
b) Shunga
c) Nanda
d) Kanva
Post-Mauryan Period
Q.65: Who started the Shaka era, which is used by the Government of India?
a) Kanishka
b) Vikramaditya
c) Samudragupta
d) Ashoka
Q.66: Who initiated the famous ‘Silk Route’ for Indians?
a) Kanishka
b) Ashoka
c) Harsha
d) Fa-Hien
Q.67: Who introduced the ‘Yavanika’ (curtain) in Indian theatre?
a) Shakas
b) Parthians
c) Greeks
d) Kushans
Q.68: Charaka was the royal physician of which ruler?
a) Harsha
b) Chandragupta Maurya
c) Ashoka
d) Kanishka
Q.69: The school of art developed by the fusion of Indian and Greek styles during the Kushan period is known by which name?
a) Kushan Art
b) Persian Art
c) Gandhara Art
d) Mughal Art
Q.70: In which year did Kanishka ascend the throne?
a) 108 AD
b) 78 AD
c) 58 AD
d) 128 AD
Q.71: Which field saw the greatest development during the Kushan period?
a) Religion
b) Art
c) Literature
d) Architecture
Q.72: Which of the following pairs of authors and books is incorrect?
| Author | Book |
| (a) Vishakhadatta | Mudrarakshasa |
| (b) Kautilya | Arthashastra |
| (c) Megasthenes | Indica |
| (d) Nagarjuna | Dhruvaswamini |
Q.73: In which museum is the collection of Kushan sculptures most prominently displayed?
a) Mathura Museum
b) Bombay Museum
c) Madras Museum
d) Delhi Museum
Q.74: Match the following:
| (a) Vikram Samvat | 1. 248 A.D. |
| (b) Shaka Samvat | 2. 320 A.D. |
| (c) Kalachuri Samvat | 3. 58 B.C. |
| (d) Gupta Samvat | 4. 78 A.D. |
a) A1, B2, C3, D4
b) A3, B4, C1, D2
c) A4, B3, C2, D1
d) A2, B1, C4, D3
Q.75: Who discovered the art of paper making in the 2nd century B.C.?
a) The Chinese
b) The Romans
c) The Greeks
d) The Mongols
Q.76: The Gandhara style of sculpture during the Kushan period is a mixture of which of the following?
a) Indian-Islamic style
b) Indian-Persian style
c) Indian-Chinese style
d) Indian-Greek (Hellenistic) style
Q.77: What is the name of the art style that combines characteristics of Indian and Greek art?
a) Shikhar
b) Varn
c) Nagan
d) Gandhara
Q.78: The literary figures during Kanishka’s reign were
a) Nagarjuna and Ashvaghosha
b) Vasumitra and Ashvaghosha
c) Charaka and Sushruta
d) Ashvaghosha and Kalidasa
Gupta Period
Q.79: Who was the first known Gupta ruler?
a) Shri Gupta
b) Chandragupta I
c) Ghatotkacha
d) Kumaragupta I
Q.80: Who was the founder of the Gupta era?
a) Ghatotkacha
b) Shri Gupta
c) Chandragupta
d) Samudragupta
Q.81: Which ‘Gupta’ king assumed the title of ‘Vikramaditya’?
a) Skandagupta
b) Samudragupta
c) Chandragupta II
d) Kumaragupta
Q.82: Which Gupta king stopped the Huns from invading India?
a) Kumaragupta
b) Samudragupta
c) Skandagupta
d) Chandragupta
Q.83: Harishena was the court poet of which of the following kings?
a) Ashoka
b) Samudragupta
c) Chandragupta
d) Harshavardhan
Q.84: India’s trade with the Roman Empire ended with the attack on Rome by whom?
a) Arabs
b) Hungarians
c) Huns
d) Turks
Q.85: Who among the following is called the Napoleon of India due to his conquests?
a) Skandagupta
b) Chandragupta
c) Brahmagupta
d) Samudragupta
Q.86: Which metal coins were issued the most during the Gupta period?
a) Gold
b) Silver
c) Copper
d) Iron
Q.87: Who was the court poet of Kalidasa?
a) Chandragupta Maurya
b) Samudragupta
c) Chandragupta Vikramaditya
d) Harsh
Q.88: Who among the following was a great astronomer and mathematician during the Gupta rule?
a) Bhanugupta
b) Vagbhata
c) Aryabhata
d) Varahamihira
Q.89: Which of the following literary works is related to classical Sanskrit literature?
a) ‘Dhammapada’
b) ‘Vedas’
c) ‘Meghadutam’
d) ‘Dighanikaya’
Q.90: Which of the following is not a physician?
a) Sushruta
b) Charaka
c) Charvaka
d) Dhanvantari
Q.91: Who discovered the concept of zero?
a) Varahamihira
b) Aryabhata
c) Bhaskara
d) None of the above
South India
Q.92: The Sangam era is associated with the history of which region?
a) Banaras
b) Allahabad
c) Tamil Nadu
d) Khajuraho
Q.93: Which Chera king, known as the ‘Lal Chera,’ built the temple of Kannagi?
a) Elara
b) Karikala
c) Senguttuvan
d) Nedunjeral Adan
Q.94: Where did the Chalukyas establish their empire?
a) Far South
b) Malwa
c) South
d) Gujarat
Q.95: The caves and rock-cut temples at Ellora represent which religions?
a) Only Buddhists
b) Buddhists and Jains
c) Hindus and Jains
d) Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains
Q.96: Which Chola king carried the Ganges from North to South?
a) Rajaraja Chola
b) Mahendra
c) Rajendra Chola
d) Parantaka
Q.97: Who constructed the Virupaksha Temple?
a) Chalukyas
b) Pallavas
c) Vakatakas
d) Satavahanas
Q.98: The caves and rock-cut temples at Ellora are of which religions?
a) Hindu and Buddhist
b) Buddhist and Jain
c) Hindu and Jain
d) Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain
Q.99: Which religion did the Chola kings patronize?
a) Jainism
b) Buddhism
c) Shaivism
d) Vaishnavism
Q.100: Which of the following great composers was a ruler of a state?
a) Tyagaraja
b) Syama Sastri
c) Muthuswami Dikshitar
d) Swathi Thirunal
Q.101: Which ancient Indian empire is incorrectly paired with its capital?
a) Maurya – Pataliputra
b) Pandya – Madurai
c) Pallava – Vellore
d) Kakatiya – Warangal
Q.102: Pulakeshin II was the greatest ruler of which dynasty?
a) Chalukyas of Kalyani
b) Pallavas of Kanchi
c) Cholas of Tamil Nadu
d) Chalukyas of Vatapi
Q.103: Which inscription is associated with the Chalukya emperor Pulakeshin II?
a) Maski
b) Hathigumpha
c) Aihole
d) Nasik
Q.104: The Rath Temples at Mahabalipuram were built during the reign of which Pallava ruler?
a) Mahendravarman I
b) Narasimhavarman I
c) Parameswaravarman I
d) Nandivarman I
Q.105: Which Chola king was the first to conquer Lanka (Sri Lanka)?
a) Aditya I
b) Rajaraja I
c) Rajendra
d) Vijayalaya
Q.106: The most powerful Chola king to conquer Sri Lanka was-
a) Rajaraja I
b) Rajendra II
c) Rajendra Chola
d) Gangai Kondachola
Post-Gupta Era: Ancient Indian History GK MCQ
Q.107: Which university became famous in the Post-Gupta period?
a) Kanchi
b) Taxila
c) Nalanda
d) Vallabhi
Q.108: Who among the following wrote ‘Harshacharita’?
a) Kalidasa
b) Banabhatta
c) Valmiki
d) Vyasa
Q.109: Who was the author of the great romantic drama ‘Kadambari’?
a) Banabhatta
b) Harshavardhana
c) Bhaskaravardhana
d) Bindusara
Q.110: Who wrote ‘Prithviraj Raso’ among the following?
a) Bhavabhuti
b) Jayadeva
c) Chand Bardai
d) Banabhatta
Q.111: Which of the following rulers established the famous Vikramashila University for Buddhists?
a) Mahipal
b) Devpal
c) Gopal
d) Dharmapal
Q.112: Who among the following was the last Buddhist king, also known as a great scholar and writer of Sanskrit?
a) Kanishka
b) Ashoka
c) Bimbisara
d) Harshavardhana
Q.113: Who built the Khajuraho temples?
a) Holkar
b) Scindia
c) Bundela Rajputs
d) Chandel Rajputs
Q.114: Which Rajput ruler among the following founded the city of Bhopal?
a) Prithviraj Chauhan
b) Dharmapal
c) Raja Bhoj
d) Jaychand
Q.115: During whose reign did Xuanzang visit India?
a) Chandragupta I
b) Chandragupta II
c) Harshavardhana
d) Rudradaman
Q.116: Who was given the title ‘Prince of Pilgrims’?
a) Fa Hien
b) I-tsing
c) Xuanzang
d) Megasthenes
Q.117: The two greatest Indian artists, Bitpal and Dhiman, belonged to which period?
a) Pala period
b) Gupta period
c) Maurya period
d) Pathan period
Q.118: In which Indian state is Nalanda University located?
a) Bengal
b) Bihar
c) Odisha
d) Uttar Pradesh
Q.119: Who was the main proponent of the Advaita philosophy?
a) Madhvacharya
b) Shankaracharya
c) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
d) Ramanujacharya
Q.120: Who defeated Harshavardhana?
a) Prabhakar Vardhan
b) Pulakeshin II
c) Narasimhavarman Pallava
d) Shashanka
Q.121: Who defeated the Arabs in 738 AD?
a) Pratiharas
b) Rashtrakutas
c) Palas
d) Chalukyas
Q.122: Which of the following was not a center of learning in ancient India?
a) Takshashila
b) Vikramshila
c) Nalanda
d) Kaushambi
Q.123: The Great Stupa of Sanchi is located in
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Madhya Pradesh
c) Arunachal Pradesh
d) Andhra Pradesh
Q.124: The Kalinga king Kharavela patronized which religion?
a) Hinduism (Vaishnavism)
b) Shaivism
c) Buddhism
d) Jainism
