History & Culture chapter practice
Practise 80+ Guptas and Classical India MCQs for UPSC Prelims in History & Culture, including 9+ previous year questions. The sample set below is shown with correct answers and explanations.
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Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of:
Explanation
Correct. Fa-hien visited India between approximately 399 and 414 CE, during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (r. c. 375–415 CE). His travelogue, Fo-Kuo-Ki, provides valuable accounts of Gupta administration, the condition of Buddhism, and social life.
With reference to the history of India, the terms 'kulyavapa' and 'dronavapa' denote:
Explanation
Correct. Kulyavapa and Dronavapa were units of land measurement used during the Gupta period in Bengal. They were based on the quantity of seed required to sow a given area — a kulya or drona of seed respectively. Gupta copper plate grants frequently use these terms when specifying land donations.
With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were known as:
Explanation
Correct. Ghantasala (Andhra Pradesh coast), Kadura (Karnataka coast) and Chaul (Maharashtra coast) were all significant ports that facilitated overseas maritime trade during the Gupta period, connecting India with Southeast Asia, the Roman world and East Africa.
With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?
Explanation
Correct. Vishti was a form of compulsory unpaid labour that the state could demand from subjects. Gupta inscriptions mention it alongside other revenue obligations, treating it as a form of tax paid through labour rather than money or produce.
Assertion (A): The origin of the feudal system in ancient India can be traced to military campaigns. Reason (R): There was considerable expansion of the feudal system during the Gupta period.
Explanation
Correct. The origin of feudalism in India is linked to the practice of granting land to military officers and Brahmins, which intensified during military campaigns. The Gupta period did witness expansion of feudal land grants (agrahara and brahmadeya), but this expansion is not the direct reason for feudalism's military origins.
Which one of the following ports handled the north Indian trade during the Gupta period?
Explanation
Correct. Tamralipti (modern Tamluk in West Bengal) was the principal port for north Indian maritime trade during the Gupta period. Located at the mouth of the Hooghly river, it served as the gateway for trade with Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and China.
The silver coins issued by the Guptas were called:
Explanation
Correct. The Gupta silver coins were called Rupaka, derived from the Sanskrit word for silver. These coins were modelled on the Western Kshatrapa coinage after Chandragupta II conquered the western territories.
Who among the following is known for his work on medicine during the Gupta period?
Explanation
Correct. Sushruta is celebrated as the father of Indian surgery. His Sushruta Samhita, which was further refined during the Gupta period, describes over 300 surgical procedures including rhinoplasty, cataract surgery, and caesarean section.
In Sanskrit plays written during the Gupta Period women and sudras speak:
Explanation
Correct. In Gupta-period Sanskrit dramas, the convention established by Bharata's Natyashastra required women and lower-caste characters to speak Prakrit dialects (such as Shauraseni and Maharashtri), while male upper-caste characters spoke Sanskrit.
Consider the following statements about the Gupta administration: 1. The empire was divided into provinces called Bhuktis, governed by Uparikas. 2. Bhuktis were subdivided into Vishyas, administered by Vishyapatis. 3. Villages were the lowest unit, managed by Gramikas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Correct. Gupta administration followed a hierarchical structure: Bhuktis (provinces) under Uparikas, Vishyas (districts) under Vishyapatis, and villages under Gramikas. This system is well-documented in copper plate inscriptions from Bengal and Bihar.
The Vakatakas, who were important contemporaries of the Guptas, are best known for:
Explanation
Correct. The Vakataka dynasty, particularly under Harishena (c. 475–500 CE), patronised the later phase of the Ajanta cave paintings (Caves 1, 2, 16, 17). The Vakatakas were allied to the Guptas through the marriage of Chandragupta II's daughter Prabhavatigupta to Vakataka ruler Rudrasena II.
Which of the following statements about Gupta-period sculpture is correct?
Explanation
Correct. The Mathura school during the Gupta period produced iconic images with characteristic features such as the 'wet drapery' or transparent clinging garment, serene facial expressions, and the distinctive halo behind the head. The standing Buddha from Mathura and the seated Buddha from Sarnath are masterpieces of this style.
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