Q10. Who wrote Kadambari?
[SSC CPO – 2008]
A. Banabhatta
B. Kalidasa
C. Bharavi
D. Harisena
Answer: A. Banabhatta
Explanation: Bana began the celebrated Sanskrit prose romance Kadambari, which was later completed by his son Bhushanabhatta after the author’s death.
Q9. Which Gupta ruler successfully resisted the Hunas?
[SSC Matric Level – 2002]
A. Skandagupta
B. Samudragupta
C. Chandragupta I
D. Kumaragupta II
Answer: A. Skandagupta
Explanation: Skandagupta’s military successes temporarily protected the empire from Huna pressure, but continuing invasions later contributed to the weakening of Gupta power.
Q8. Who was the famous mathematician-astronomer of the Gupta age?
[SSC Matric Level – 2002]
A. Aryabhata
B. Charaka
C. Panini
D. Chanakya
Answer: A. Aryabhata
Explanation: Aryabhata’s mathematical astronomy represented one of the outstanding scientific achievements of classical India and influenced later Indian and Islamic astronomical traditions.
Q7. The official and literary language most strongly associated with Gupta royal inscriptions was:
[SSC Matric Level – 2002]
A. Sanskrit
B. Persian
C. Arabic
D. Tamil
Answer: A. Sanskrit
Explanation: Sanskrit enjoyed exceptional royal prestige during Gupta rule and was extensively employed in inscriptions, court poetry, religious texts, drama and scholarly literature.
Q6. Who is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Gupta dynasty?
[SSC/General Studies PYQ – 2001]
A. Sri Gupta
B. Chandragupta I
C. Samudragupta
D. Ghatotkacha
Answer: A. Sri Gupta
Explanation: Sri Gupta was the earliest known ruler of the dynasty and bore the title Maharaja. His descendants gradually transformed the family into an imperial power.
Q5. The Gupta dynasty is particularly famous for achievements in:
[SSC Matric Level – 2001]
A. Art and architecture
B. Gunpowder warfare
C. European navigation
D. Printing technology
Answer: A. Art and architecture
Explanation: Gupta sculpture, temple design, terracotta work and associated Vakataka painting traditions established artistic models that influenced many later Indian regional styles.
Q4. Ajanta paintings are broadly associated in examination history with which classical period?
[SSC Matric Level – 2001]
A. Gupta-Vakataka period
B. Sultanate period
C. Mughal period
D. Vijayanagara period
Answer: A. Gupta-Vakataka period
Explanation: Ajanta’s finest surviving murals were created mainly under Vakataka patronage contemporaneous with the later Gupta age, displaying the mature classical artistic idiom.
Q3. Which ruler is traditionally associated with the title “Second Ashoka” in some older competitive-examination questions?
[SSC Matric Level – 1999]
A. Harshavardhana
B. Samudragupta
C. Chandragupta II
D. Skandagupta
Answer: A. Harshavardhana
Explanation: The comparison arose from Harsha’s religious patronage, charitable assemblies and support for Buddhism, although he also patronized Brahmanical traditions and was not simply an Ashokan replica.
Q2. Which post-Gupta institution became one of India’s most celebrated centres of Buddhist higher learning?
[SSC CGL – 1999]
A. Nalanda
B. Madurai
C. Sopara
D. Arikamedu
Answer: A. Nalanda
Explanation: Nalanda flourished through Gupta, Harsha and Pala patronage, attracting teachers and students from across Asia and developing an extensive monastic-academic establishment.
Q1. Kalidasa is traditionally associated with the court of which Gupta ruler?
[SSC Matric Level – 1999]
A. Chandragupta II Vikramaditya
B. Sri Gupta
C. Ghatotkacha
D. Vishnugupta
Answer: A. Chandragupta II Vikramaditya
Explanation: Traditional accounts place Kalidasa among the luminaries associated with Vikramaditya. While his exact chronology is debated, his works exemplify the classical Sanskrit culture linked with the Gupta age.
