History (Part-3) (CDS-Solved Paper)

Total Questions: 50

21. The Agrahara in early India was [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

Correct Answer: (a) the name of a village or land granted to Brahmins
Solution:

Agrahara is a type of land grants given to Brahmin by the royal kings and this land is exempted from all kinds of taxes.

22. Which of the following statement(s) about the Vijayanagara empire is/are true? [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

1. The kings claimed to rule on behalf of the God Virupaksha.
2. Rulers used the title ‘Hindu Suratrana’ to indicate their close links with Gods.
3. All royal orders were signed in Kannada, Sanskrit and Tamil.
4. Royal portrait sculpture was now displayed in temples.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 4
Solution:

The Vijayanagara Empire was based in the Deccan Plateau region in South India. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of Sangama Dynasty. The Vijayanagara kings claimed to rule on behalf of the God Virupaksha. All royal orders were signed “Shri Virupaksha”, usually in the Kannada script.

Rulers also indicated their close links with the Gods by using the title “Hindu Suratrana” that meant Hindu Sultan. Further, royal portrait sculpture was displayed in temples. Hence, statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct and statement 3 is incorrect.

23. Iqta in medieval India meant [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

Correct Answer: (b) land revenue from different territorial units assigned to army officers
Solution:

Iqta was Islamic practice of tax farming that was introduced by Iltutmish in Delhi Sultanate. It was basically grant of revenue from territory in lieu of salary. This grant was not hereditary.

24. Which one of the following books was not illustrated with paintings in Akbar’s court? [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

Correct Answer: (c) Baburnama
Solution:

Tuzuk-i-Baburi (or Baburnama) was the autobiography of Babur. It was not illustrated with paintings in Akbars court.
Baburnama During the reign of Akbar, Tujuk-i-Babri was completely translated to Persian by a Mughal courtier. Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana named it Baburnama. Hamzanama Narrates the legendary exploits of Amir Hamza (an uncle of the prophet Muhammad). Akbar commissioned his court workshop to create an illustrated manuscript of the Hamzanama. Razmnama is the Persian translation of one of the great Hindu epics of India, the Mahabharata.
Tarikh-i-Alfi ‘History of a thousand year’ was written for the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

25. Which kingdom did the temple of Hazara Rama belong to? [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

Correct Answer: (c) Vijayanagara
Solution:

Hazara Rama belonged to the Vijayanagara kingdom. Other important temples of Vijayanagara empire were
(i) Vithalswami temple at Hampi.
(ii) Tadapatri and Parvati temples at Chidambaram.
(iii) Varadraja and Ekambarnath temples at Kanchipuram.

26. Consider the following statements about votive inscriptions in the 2nd century BC: [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

1. They record gifts made to religious institutions.
2. They tell us about the idea of transference of the meritorious results of the action of one person to another person.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) Only 1
Solution:

Votive inscription denotes votive offerings to a deity by one or more persons. They may express gratitude for victory in a battle or for a merchant ship that has returned safely home. They record gifts made to religious institutions.

27. Consider the following statements: [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

1. Abhinavagupta wrote a comprehensive treatise called the Tantraloka which systematically presents the teachings of the Kula and Trika systems.

2. The Samaraichchakaha by Haribhadra Suri written in Gujarat around the 8th century is technically not a tantric work but is saturated with tantric ideas and practices.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) Only 1
Solution:

Abhinavagupta was a philosopher, mystic and aesthetician from Kashmir. His most important work was Tantraloka, a synthesis of all the Trika system.

Abhinavaguptas most important work on the philosophy of art is Abhinavabharati – a long and complex commentary on Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni.
Hence, Statement 1 is correct. Aacharya Haribhadra Suri was a Svetambara mendicant Jain leader and author.

With his writings, he established Sanskrit as the language of Jain study. Samaraiccakaha is a narrative which outlines the effects of ‘karma’ in a story about the enmity of its characters which endures over several reincarnations. Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect.

28. Consider the following statements : [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

1. The inscriptions on the pillar at Rummindei give vivid details of Ashoka’s Dhamma. 2. The Nigalisagar inscription records the fact of Ashoka having visited the Konagamana stupa.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) Only 2
Solution:

Rummindei Pillar Inscription provides details of Ashoka’s visit to Lumbini. The Lumbini Pillar Edict recorded that sometime after the twentieth year of his reign, Ashoka travelled to the Buddha’s birthplace and personally made offerings.

He then had a stone pillar set up and reduced the taxes of the people in that area. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect. Nigalisagar Pillar Inscription was originally located at Kapilvastu.

The Ashoka inscription engraved on the pillar in Brahmi script and Pali language attests the fact that Emperor Ashoka enlarged the Kanaka muni Buddha’s stupa, worshiped it and erected a stone pillar for Kanaka muni Buddha on the occasion of the twentieth year of his coronation.
Hence, statement 2 is correct.

29. Consider the following statements: [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

1. The province of Assam was created in the year 1911.
2. Eleven districts comprising Assam were separated from the Lieutenant Governorship of Bengal and established as an independent administration under a Chief Commissioner in the year 1874.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Solution:

The province of Assam was created in 1911 by the probation of Eastern Bengal and Assam. The Assam territory was first separated from Bengal in 1874 as the ‘North-East Frontier’. Eleven districts comprising Assam were separated from the Lieutenant Governorship of Bengal and established as an independent administration under a Chief Commissioner in the year 1874. Hence, both the statements are true.

30. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true? [Morning Shift-2016 (I)]

1. Faxian’s Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan was the earliest first-hand Chinese account of Buddhist sites and practices in India.
2. Faxian was only 25 years old at the time of writing the text.
3. Faxian’s main aim in coming to India was to obtain and take back texts containing monastic rules.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3
Solution:

Faxian (Fa-Hien) was Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled by foot from China to India. Visited India in the early 5th century, during the reign of Chandragupta-II. Faxian’s Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan was the earliest first hand Chinese account of Buddhist sites and practices in India. Its main aim in coming to India was to obtain and take back texts containing monastic rule. Hence, statement 1 and 3 are true.