Q70. Which city served as a major intersection of north-south and east-west trade routes during the pre-Gupta and Gupta periods?
[WBCS Mains – 2020]
A. Ujjain
B. Taxila
C. Madurai
D. Tamralipti
Answer: A. Ujjain
Explanation: Ujjain’s position in Malwa linked northern India, the Deccan and western ports, making it an important commercial and cultural hub.
Q69. In early Indian irrigation, Araghatta referred to a:
[WBCS Mains – 2020]
A. Water-lifting device
B. Tax on merchants
C. Military formation
D. Type of temple
Answer: A. Water-lifting device
Explanation: Araghatta denoted a mechanical water-lifting arrangement, usually associated with irrigation and the expansion or intensification of agriculture.
Q68. Which ruler’s biography is Harshacharita?
[SSC CGL – 2020]
A. Harshavardhana
B. Samudragupta
C. Ashoka
D. Kanishka
Answer: A. Harshavardhana
Explanation: Banabhatta’s Harshacharita narrates the ancestry and early career of Harsha and remains a major source despite its highly literary character.
Q67. Harsha’s contemporary ruler in the Deccan was:
[SSC CHSL – 2020]
A. Pulakeshin II
B. Rajaraja Chola
C. Krishnadevaraya
D. Amoghavarsha
Answer: A. Pulakeshin II
Explanation: The two rulers represented major northern and Deccan powers in the seventh century and confronted one another along the Narmada frontier.
Q66. Which Gupta-era university became particularly famous for Mahayana Buddhist studies?
[SSC CHSL – 2020]
A. Nalanda
B. Vallabhi
C. Kanchi
D. Ujjain
Answer: A. Nalanda
Explanation: Nalanda developed a vast monastic and scholastic establishment where Buddhist philosophy, logic, grammar, medicine and other subjects were studied.
Q65. Which Gupta ruler’s reign witnessed the visit of Faxian?
[SSC CGL – 2020]
A. Chandragupta II
B. Samudragupta
C. Skandagupta
D. Kumaragupta
Answer: A. Chandragupta II
Explanation: Faxian travelled through Gupta-controlled regions in the early fifth century and described administrative conditions, Buddhist institutions and aspects of social life.
Q64. Information about which king is found in the post-Gupta Kuruspal inscription of Bastar?
[CGPSC Civil Service – 2020]
A. Harshagupta
B. Someshvara I
C. Mahashivagupta Balarjuna
D. Rajyavardhana
Answer: B. Someshvara I
Explanation: The Kuruspal inscription records the Naga ruler Someshvara I and provides evidence concerning regional political authority in the post-Gupta/early medieval Chhattisgarh region.
Q63. During the post-Gupta period, land classifications were based on which criteria?
[WBCS Mains – 2019]
A. Cultivated or uncultivated status
B. Irrigated or unirrigated status
C. Crops grown
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: Early medieval agrarian administration distinguished land according to cultivation, irrigation and crop patterns, helping determine productivity, fiscal rights and revenue assessment.
Q62. Which period is frequently described as the “Golden Age” of ancient India?
[SSC CPO – 2019]
A. Gupta period
B. Mauryan period
C. Sultanate period
D. Mughal period
Answer: A. Gupta period
Explanation: The conventional label reflects major achievements in Sanskrit literature, science, art and architecture, though modern historians stress unequal social and economic experiences.
Q61. Which Gupta ruler is particularly associated with the title Vikramaditya?
[SSC CPO – 2019]
A. Chandragupta II
B. Chandragupta I
C. Samudragupta
D. Skandagupta
Answer: A. Chandragupta II
Explanation: Chandragupta II’s western conquests and cultural reputation led to his lasting association with the prestigious title Vikramaditya in historical tradition.
