Mauryan & Gupta Empires Quiz — 7 Free Questions

Question 1

How do the great eastern Indian monastic universities compare in date?

Question 2

Which Buddhist council is traditionally said to have been held at Pataliputra under the patronage of Ashoka, around 250 BCE?

Question 3

The founding of the Mauryan Empire by Chandragupta Maurya is usually dated to about which year?

Question 4

The Gupta era, widely used in later inscriptions and counted from 319 to 320 CE, is generally believed to mark the accession of which ruler?

Question 5

In his southern campaign, Samudragupta defeated Vishnugopa, the ruler of which city, the capital of the Pallavas?

Question 6

Which economic trends of the later Gupta period lead many historians to speak of the beginnings of 'Indian feudalism'?

Question 7

To which island did Ashoka send his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra as Buddhist missionaries, where they are said to have converted King Tissa?

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About Mauryan & Gupta Empires

This quiz is meant for students preparing for the IAS examination and other competitive tests, and for anyone who wants a firm grip on two of the most important periods of ancient Indian history: the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Empire. It covers the rise of Magadha and the Nandas; Chandragupta Maurya, Kautilya and the war with Seleucus; Bindusara; Ashoka, the Kalinga War and the policy of dhamma; and the Buddhist councils and missions. It then deals with Mauryan administration from the Arthashastra, the account of Megasthenes, the economy, society, coinage and the famous Mauryan pillars, capitals and caves. The Gupta section covers Sri Gupta, Chandragupta I and the Lichchhavi marriage, Samudragupta and the Prayag Prashasti, Chandragupta II Vikramaditya and the defeat of the Shakas, Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta and the Huna wars, and the decline of the empire. It also covers Gupta administration, land grants, coinage, society and religion, the growth of temple architecture, the sculpture of Sarnath and Mathura, the paintings of Ajanta and Bagh, Sanskrit literature, and the science of Aryabhata and Varahamihira. When complete it will have one hundred and twenty carefully checked questions, arranged in five packs of twenty-four.

Every question has four options, and the correct option can be in any position. After each question there is a detailed explanation of more than five lines, in simple Indian English that a school student can follow. The explanation gives the important dates, names, inscriptions and technical terms, and the points that examiners like to test, such as the difference between the Sarnath and Mathura schools of sculpture or between the northern and southern policies of Samudragupta.

Every fact has been checked against standard reference books on ancient Indian history and against the wording of the inscriptions and texts themselves.