UPSC Ancient India – Chapter 7: The Mahajanapadas, the Rise of Magadha and Foreign Invasions (21 MCQs)

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UPSC Ancient India – Chapter 7: The Mahajanapadas, the Rise of Magadha and Foreign Invasions (21 MCQs) – 21 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The only Mahajanapada located south of the Vindhyas was:

Correct Answer: A [Assaka]

Explanation:

Assaka (Ashmaka), with its capital at Potana, lay on the Godavari in the Deccan – the only Mahajanapada south of the Vindhyas.

2.  

The capital of Vatsa was:

Correct Answer: B [Kaushambi]

Explanation:

Kaushambi, near present-day Prayagraj on the Yamuna, was the capital of Vatsa, the kingdom of Udayana.

3.  

Pataliputra was founded as the Magadhan capital by:

Correct Answer: D [Udayin]

Explanation:

Udayin, Ajatashatru's successor, built Pataliputra at the Ganga–Son confluence and shifted the Magadhan capital there from Rajagriha.

4.  

The Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali during the reign of:

Correct Answer: C [Kalashoka]

Explanation:

Kalashoka (Kakavarnin) of the Shishunaga dynasty patronised the Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali, about a century after the Buddha's death.

5.  

The Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BCE) was fought between Alexander and:

Correct Answer: D [Porus]

Explanation:

Porus (Paurava), ruling between the Jhelum and the Chenab, fought Alexander at the Hydaspes in 326 BCE and was defeated but restored.

6.  

Which of the following was a gana-sangha?

Correct Answer: C [Vajji]

Explanation:

The Vajji confederacy, centred on Vaishali and led by the Lichchhavis, was governed by an assembly of clan heads, not a king.

7.  

The Kharosthi script developed from:

Correct Answer: B [Aramaic]

Explanation:

Kharosthi, written right to left, grew out of Aramaic, the administrative script of the Achaemenid Persian empire in the north-west.

8.  

The pottery associated with the second urbanisation is:

Correct Answer: A [Northern Black Polished Ware]

Explanation:

Northern Black Polished Ware, a fine glossy pottery, is the hallmark of the new towns of the Ganga valley from the sixth century BCE.

9.  

The Achaemenid ruler under whom the Indus region (Hindush) became a Persian satrapy was:

Correct Answer: D [Darius I]

Explanation:

Darius I (c. 522–486 BCE) added Hindush, the Indus region, to his empire; it appears in his Persepolis and Naqsh-i-Rustam lists.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Bimbisara annexed Anga.
2. Shishunaga destroyed the power of Avanti.
3. Mahapadma Nanda founded the Haryanka dynasty.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Bimbisara annexed Anga and Shishunaga crushed Avanti, so statements 1 and 2 are right; Mahapadma founded the Nanda, not Haryanka, dynasty.

11.  

Assertion (A): Magadha's army could use elephants on a large scale.

Reason (R): Elephants were available from the forests of the region.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true and linked: the forests of eastern India supplied elephants, which let Magadha field them in large numbers in war.

12.  

The list of sixteen Mahajanapadas is usually taken from the:

Correct Answer: B [Anguttara Nikaya]

Explanation:

The Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya gives the standard list of sixteen Mahajanapadas, as cited in NCERT.

13.  

The capital of Kosala was:

Correct Answer: D [Shravasti]

Explanation:

Shravasti, in eastern Uttar Pradesh near the Rapti, was the capital of Kosala; Ayodhya and Saketa were its other important towns.

14.  

Alexander's army refused to advance beyond the:

Correct Answer: B [Beas]

Explanation:

At the Beas (Hyphasis) Alexander's tired army refused to march further east against the large forces of the Nandas.

15.  

Which Magadhan ruler was called ekarat and sarva-kshatrantaka?

Correct Answer: C [Mahapadma Nanda]

Explanation:

The Puranas call Mahapadma Nanda ekarat (sole ruler) and sarva-kshatrantaka (destroyer of all Kshatriyas) for his sweeping conquests.

16.  

Ujjayini was the capital of:

Correct Answer: D [Avanti]

Explanation:

Ujjayini on the Shipra was the northern capital of Avanti in Malwa; Mahishmati on the Narmada was its southern capital.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Death of Alexander
2. Second Buddhist Council
3. Chandragupta Maurya overthrows the Nandas
4. Battle of the Hydaspes

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-1-3]

Explanation:

Order: Second Buddhist Council (c. 383 BCE) → Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BCE) → Death of Alexander (323 BCE) → Chandragupta Maurya overthrows the Nandas (c. 321 BCE).

18.  

The capital of Anga was:

Correct Answer: B [Champa]

Explanation:

Champa, near present-day Bhagalpur in eastern Bihar, was the capital of Anga, which Bimbisara annexed to Magadha.

19.  

The ruler of Taxila who submitted to Alexander was:

Correct Answer: D [Ambhi]

Explanation:

Ambhi (Omphis), ruler of Taxila, submitted to Alexander and helped him against his rival Porus.

20.  

Which of the following was NOT a reason for Magadha's rise given by historians?

Correct Answer: A [Control of the sea route to Rome]

Explanation:

Magadha rose through fertile land, nearby iron ore and forest elephants; control of a sea route to Rome is wrong because Roman trade came much later.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2025

With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs:

Territorial region : River flowing in the region

I. Asmaka : Godavari

II. Kamboja : Vipas

III. Avanti : Mahanadi

IV. Kosala : Sarayu

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: B [Only two]

Explanation:

Asmaka on the Godavari and Kosala on the Sarayu are correct; Kamboja and Avanti are wrongly paired.

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