UPSC Ancient India – Chapter 11: The Mauryan Empire – Rise, Rulers and Administration (21 MCQs)

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UPSC Ancient India – Chapter 11: The Mauryan Empire – Rise, Rulers and Administration (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 author of the Arthashastra is traditionally believed to be:

Correct Answer: C [Kautilya]

Explanation:

Tradition attributes the Arthashastra to Kautilya, also called Chanakya, the adviser of Chandragupta Maurya.

2.  

The Mauryan official who was the chief collector of revenue was the:

Correct Answer: D [samaharta]

Explanation:

In the Arthashastra the samaharta was the chief collector of revenue, while the sannidhata kept the treasury.

3.  

Bindusara was known to the Greeks as:

Correct Answer: D [Amitrochates]

Explanation:

Greek writers called Bindusara Amitrochates, from the Sanskrit title Amitraghata, 'slayer of foes'.

4.  

Which of the following was NOT one of the five major political centres of the Mauryan empire?

Correct Answer: C [Kaushambi]

Explanation:

The five centres were Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri; Kaushambi was not among them.

5.  

The last Mauryan king, Brihadratha, was killed by:

Correct Answer: C [Pushyamitra Shunga]

Explanation:

Pushyamitra Shunga, Brihadratha's commander, killed him around 185 BCE and founded the Shunga dynasty.

6.  

Megasthenes came to the Mauryan court as the envoy of:

Correct Answer: D [Seleucus Nicator]

Explanation:

After the treaty of c. 305 BCE, Seleucus Nicator sent Megasthenes as his envoy to Chandragupta's court.

7.  

In the saptanga theory, "durga" refers to the:

Correct Answer: A [fortified capital]

Explanation:

Among the seven limbs of the state, durga means the fortified capital or fort.

8.  

The Sudarshana lake in Saurashtra was first built under Chandragupta Maurya by his governor:

Correct Answer: B [Pushyagupta]

Explanation:

Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription says Chandragupta's governor Pushyagupta built the Sudarshana lake.

9.  

According to Megasthenes, the city of Pataliputra was governed by:

Correct Answer: A [six committees of five members each]

Explanation:

Megasthenes says Pataliputra was run by six committees of five members each, for crafts, foreigners, births and deaths, trade, goods and taxes.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. The Arthashastra describes the seven limbs of the state.
2. The Arthashastra mentions rules about slaves.
3. Megasthenes' Indica survives as a complete text.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

The Arthashastra describes the saptanga and has rules on dasas; the Indica survives only in later quotations, so 1 and 2 only.

11.  

Assertion (A): Pradeshika, Rajuka and Yukta are known from Ashokan inscriptions.

Reason (R): Rock Edict III orders them to tour every five years to teach dhamma.

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

Explanation:

Both are true, and A holds because Rock Edict III, an Ashokan inscription, names these officers and orders their five-yearly tours.

12.  

The Arthashastra's superintendent of mines was the:

Correct Answer: B [akaradhyaksha]

Explanation:

In the Arthashastra the akaradhyaksha was the superintendent of mines.

13.  

The drama Mudrarakshasa deals with:

Correct Answer: B [Chandragupta Maurya's rise to power]

Explanation:

Vishakhadatta's Mudrarakshasa dramatises how Chanakya helped Chandragupta Maurya overthrow the Nandas and win power.

14.  

The Greek envoy Deimachus came to the court of:

Correct Answer: C [Bindusara]

Explanation:

Antiochus I, the Seleucid king, sent Deimachus as his envoy to Bindusara's court at Pataliputra.

15.  

In the Mauryan period, the village headman was called the:

Correct Answer: B [gramika]

Explanation:

The gramika was the headman of the village, the lowest unit of Mauryan administration.

16.  

The Arthashastra was rediscovered and published in the early twentieth century by:

Correct Answer: D [R. Shamasastry]

Explanation:

R. Shamasastry found the Arthashastra manuscript in Mysore in 1905 and published the text and an English translation.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Accession of Ashoka
2. Chandragupta Maurya takes power
3. End of the Mauryan dynasty
4. Treaty between Chandragupta and Seleucus

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Explanation:

Order: Chandragupta Maurya takes power (c. 321 BCE) → Treaty between Chandragupta and Seleucus (c. 305 BCE) → Accession of Ashoka (c. 268 BCE) → End of the Mauryan dynasty (c. 185 BCE).

18.  

The Mauryan land tax called bhaga was:

Correct Answer: A [a share of the produce]

Explanation:

Bhaga was the king's share of the produce, usually one-sixth, the main Mauryan land tax.

19.  

Megasthenes' statement that there was no slavery in India is contradicted by the detailed rules on slaves (dasas) in:

Correct Answer: D [the Arthashastra]

Explanation:

The Arthashastra lays down detailed rules on dasas, proving slavery existed despite Megasthenes' 'no slavery' claim.

20.  

Megasthenes divided the society of Mauryan India into:

Correct Answer: B [seven classes]

Explanation:

philosophers, farmers, herdsmen and hunters, artisans, soldiers, overseers and councillors.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2025

Ashokan inscriptions suggest that the 'Pradeshika', 'Rajuka' and 'Yukta' were important officers at the

Correct Answer: B [district-level administration]

Explanation:

they appear together in Rock Edict III and are understood as district-level officers.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U01 · Ancient India (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-ancient-india

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