NTA UGC NET/JRF Exam December-2023 ARCHAEOLOGY

Total Questions: 100

81. Match List-I with List-IП.

Correct Answer: D.
Solution:

J.N. Banerjea is well-known for his extensive work on Hindu iconography, specifically in his book "The Development of Hindu Iconography", which catalogues and explains the evolution of Hindu religious imagery. T.A. Gopinatha Rao authored "Elements of Hindu Iconography", a seminal work that details the symbols, motifs, and iconography used in Hindu religious art and architecture.
D.C. Sircar wrote about various topics, but his expertise did not directly relate to the options provided for his works. K.P. Jaiswal is renowned for his contributions to Indian history, particularly in his research on the political history of India, but here it does not match with the book options given.

82. Match List-I with List-II.

Correct Answer: B.
Solution:

The ²³⁴U series dating method is commonly used for corals due to their calcium carbonate structures which contain uranium. Fission track dating is typically applied to obsidian, a volcanic glass, because of the tracks left in the glass by the spontaneous fission of uranium-238.
Tephro-chronology, which uses volcanic ash layers for dating, naturally corresponds with volcanic deposits. ESR (Electron Spin Resonance) is effectively used for dating tooth enamel, as it measures trapped charge within the crystalline structures of calcified tissues.

83. Match List-I with List-II.

Correct Answer: B.
Solution:

M.R. Sahni is recognized for his work in palaeontology, particularly in the study of prehistoric life forms based on their fossilized remains. R.L. Raikes's area of expertise was hydrology, which involves the study of the properties and effects of water on Earth.
Gurdip Singh was a pioneer in paleo-ecology, focusing on the reconstruction of ancient environments through pollen analysis and other ecological indicators. Ramprasad Chanda's field was archaeology, contributing to the understanding of historical human activities through material remains.

84. Match List-I with List-II.

Correct Answer: C.
Solution:

85. Match List-I with List-II.

Correct Answer: B.

86. Given below are two statements:

Statement I: James Prinsep identified the Brahmi script based on numismatical analysis.
Statement II: George Turnour identified Ashoka as 'Piyadasi' based on the Buddhist Ceylonese Chronicles.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: A. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
Solution:

Both statements are correct. James Prinsep, an English scholar and antiquarian, was indeed the first to successfully decipher the Brahmi script in the 1830s, primarily using his numismatic analysis, which played a crucial role in understanding the script on ancient Indian coins.
George Turnour, a historian and civil servant in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), identified Ashoka as 'Piyadasi (or 'Beloved of the Gods') using the Buddhist Ceylonese Chronicles, particularly the "Mahavamsa", which helped him link the name with the inscriptions found on pillars and rocks across India.

87. Given below are two statements:

Statement I: The early punch-marked coins were cut and clipped to adjust them into proper weights.
Statement II: The punch-marked coins were usually oval shaped.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: C. Statement I is correct, but Statement II is incorrect
Solution:

Statement I is correct; early punch-marked coins, used primarily during the early Indian currency system before the widespread use of die-struck coins, were indeed often cut or clipped to adjust them to proper weights as a measure of value control and standardization. Statement II is incorrect; while there is variability in shapes, punch-marked coins were generally not oval but rather irregularly round or sometimes rectangular, reflecting their handmade nature.

88. Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).

Assertion (A): The Indian Mesolithic settlements spread to new ecological zones.
Reason (R): There was an increase in population because of favourable environment conditions and technological innovations.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Solution:

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). The expansion of Mesolithic settlements into new ecological zones during the Mesolithic period in India was indeed facilitated by a combination of favorable environmental conditions and technological innovations, such as the development of microlithic tools, which supported increased population densities and allowed for wider geographical dispersion.

89. Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R)

Assertion (A): The levallois technique is an advanced technique of making flake fools.
Reason (R): It is named after a site in Germany.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: C. (A) is correct, but (R) is not correct
Solution:

Assertion (A) is correct; the Levallois technique is a sophisticated method for producing flint tools that involves preparing a flint core to allow the removal of uniformly shaped flakes. It represents a significant advancement in tool-making technology during the Paleolithic era.
However, Reason (R) is incorrect; the Levallois technique is named after the Levallois-Perret suburb of Paris, France, where evidence of this technique was first found, not a site in Germany.

90. Given below are two statements:

Statement I: AMS is fundamentally similar to radiocarbon dating.
Statement II: AMS measures the concentration of ¹⁴C in relation to the normal isotope ¹²C.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: D. Statement I is incorrect, but Statement II is correct
Solution:

Statement I is incorrect; while Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and traditional radiocarbon dating both measure the decay of carbon-14 to estimate the age of organic materials, AMS is more precise and requires smaller sample sizes because it counts the atoms of carbon-14 directly, rather than measuring their decay.
Statement II is correct; AMS measures the ratio of carbon-14 to the more stable carbon isotopes, such as carbon-12, to determine the concentration of carbon-14, which is crucial for dating purposes.