Q20. At which place did Siddhartha Gautama attain supreme knowledge or enlightenment?
[RPF Constable – 2019]
A. Bodh Gaya
B. Lumbini
C. Sarnath
D. Kushinagar
Answer: A. Bodh Gaya
Explanation: Bodh Gaya in Bihar is the sacred location of Siddhartha’s enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree, making it Buddhism’s foremost pilgrimage destination.
Q19. Who composed Buddhacharita, the poetic biography of Gautama Buddha?
[DSSSB JE – 2019]
A. Ashvaghosha
B. Nagarjuna
C. Vasumitra
D. Bhavabhuti
Answer: A. Ashvaghosha
Explanation: Ashvaghosha was an influential Buddhist poet and thinker remembered particularly for Buddhacharita and Saundarananda, composed in sophisticated classical Sanskrit.
Q18. Paintings and sculptures of the Ajanta Caves principally portray tales belonging to:
[RRB ALP – 2019]
A. Buddhism
B. Islam
C. Christianity
D. Maratha history
Answer: A. Buddhism
Explanation: Ajanta’s murals and sculpture draw extensively from Buddha’s life, Bodhisattvas, Jataka tales and other Buddhist narrative traditions.
Q17. Buddha preached his first sermon and established the foundations of his monastic order at:
[UPSSSC Lower PCS – 2019]
A. Sarnath
B. Kaushambi
C. Bodh Gaya
D. Jhansi
Answer: A. Sarnath
Explanation: At Sarnath, Buddha preached to five ascetics who became his first disciples, forming the nucleus of the Buddhist Sangha.
Q16. Sarnath, where Buddha delivered his first sermon, is situated close to:
[UPSSSC Lower PCS – 2019]
A. Varanasi
B. Mathura
C. Ayodhya
D. Jhansi
Answer: A. Varanasi
Explanation: Sarnath lies approximately ten kilometres northeast of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and is one of the most sacred places of Buddhist pilgrimage.
Q15. Gautama Buddha preached the Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta at:
[UPSSSC Junior Assistant – 2019]
A. Sarnath
B. Kapilavastu
C. Lumbini
D. Bodh Gaya
Answer: A. Sarnath
Explanation: The Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta represents Buddha’s first discourse at Sarnath, introducing the Middle Way, Noble Truths and path to liberation.
Q14. In the Eightfold Path, which pair was identified in the exam with the foundation of ‘Right Knowledge’?
[UGC NET Education – 2019]
A. Right Faith and Right Resolve
B. Right Speech and Action
C. Right Action and Livelihood
D. Right Concentration and Speech
Answer: A. Right Faith and Right Resolve
Explanation: Buddhist educational classifications often group right understanding and intention within wisdom, forming the intellectual orientation from which ethical conduct and disciplined meditation develop.
Q13. Which Buddhist chronicles are important traditional sources concerning Ashoka’s association with Buddhism?
[UPSC CDS – 2019]
A. Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa
B. Rajatarangini and Harshacharita
C. Ain-i-Akbari and Akbarnama
D. Sangam poems only
Answer: A. Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa
Explanation: Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicles Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa preserve influential narratives about Ashoka, the Third Council, Mahinda and Buddhism’s transmission to Sri Lanka.
Q12. Which features are characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism?
- Deification/exaltation of Buddha
- Bodhisattva ideal
- Buddha image worship
[UPSC CSE – 2019]
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Mahayana expanded devotional conceptions of Buddha, elevated compassionate Bodhisattvas and encouraged elaborate image worship alongside new sutras and philosophical traditions.
Q11. Where was the Second Buddhist Council traditionally held?
[SSC Stenographer – 2019]
A. Vaishali
B. Rajagriha
C. Pataliputra
D. Kashmir
Answer: A. Vaishali
Explanation: The Second Council was traditionally held at Vaishali about a century after Buddha’s death, mainly to settle disputes concerning monastic discipline.
