Q20. Meghaduta was written by:
[SSC CGL – 2016]
A. Kalidasa
B. Banabhatta
C. Harisena
D. Bharavi
Answer: A. Kalidasa
Explanation: Meghaduta, or “Cloud Messenger,” is Kalidasa’s celebrated lyric poem in which an exiled Yaksha asks a cloud to carry a message northward.
Q19. Chandragupta II is most closely associated with which title?
[SSC CGL – 2016]
A. Vikramaditya
B. Devanampiya
C. Amitraghata
D. Priyadarshi
Answer: A. Vikramaditya
Explanation: Vikramaditya became the best-known title connected with Chandragupta II, whose reign included victory over the Western Kshatrapas and substantial cultural flourishing.
Q18. Which inscription provides one of the earliest explicit epigraphic references connected with sati?
[SSC CGL – 2016]
A. Eran inscription of Bhanugupta’s time
B. Aihole inscription
C. Hathigumpha inscription
D. Nasik inscription
Answer: A. Eran inscription of Bhanugupta’s time
Explanation: The 510 CE Eran record mentions the wife of warrior Goparaja joining him on the funeral pyre and is frequently cited in discussions of sati.
Q17. Which Gupta ruler was the first to assume the title Parama Bhagavata according to the examination tradition?
[SSC CGL – 2016]
A. Chandragupta II
B. Chandragupta I
C. Skandagupta
D. Vishnugupta
Answer: A. Chandragupta II
Explanation: Parama Bhagavata expressed intense devotion to Vishnu and reflects the strong Vaishnava orientation evident in Gupta royal ideology and iconography.
Q16. Who wrote Malavikagnimitram?
[SSC CPO – 2016]
A. Kalidasa
B. Banabhatta
C. Vishakhadatta
D. Dandin
Answer: A. Kalidasa
Explanation: Kalidasa’s Sanskrit drama centres on Shunga king Agnimitra and Malavika and is among the important surviving works of classical Sanskrit theatre.
Q15. Which author is often popularly styled the “Shakespeare of India”?
[SSC CPO – 2016]
A. Kalidasa
B. Harisena
C. Aryabhata
D. Amarasimha
Answer: A. Kalidasa
Explanation: The comparison reflects Kalidasa’s exceptional reputation for dramatic and poetic works such as Abhijnanashakuntalam, Meghaduta and Raghuvamsha.
Q14. Which Gupta ruler married Kumaradevi of the Lichchhavi family?
[State PSC – 2016]
A. Chandragupta I
B. Samudragupta
C. Skandagupta
D. Kumaragupta
Answer: A. Chandragupta I
Explanation: The alliance enhanced Gupta prestige and is prominently represented on royal coinage, suggesting the political importance attached to Kumaradevi’s Lichchhavi lineage.
Q13. Which of the following works was written by Kalidasa?
[WBCS Mains – 2015]
A. Abhijnanashakuntalam
B. Meghaduta
C. Raghuvamsha
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: Kalidasa produced major Sanskrit dramas and poems, and these three works are central to his reputation as one of classical India’s greatest literary figures.
Q12. Gupta gold coins were known as:
[WBCS Mains – 2014]
A. Dinaras
B. Tankas
C. Jitals
D. Satamanas
Answer: A. Dinaras
Explanation: Gupta Dinaras are renowned for artistic quality, varied royal types and religious imagery, while also providing valuable evidence on rulers, titles and ceremonies.
Q11. Which great astronomer and mathematician flourished during the Gupta age?
[SSC CHSL – 2014]
A. Aryabhata
B. Panini
C. Patanjali
D. Kautilya
Answer: A. Aryabhata
Explanation: Aryabhata’s Aryabhatiya made major contributions to mathematical astronomy, including place-value calculations, trigonometric methods and scientific explanations of eclipses.
