UPSC Medieval India – Chapter 6: Early Medieval Economy, Society and Culture (22 MCQs)

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UPSC Medieval India – Chapter 6: Early Medieval Economy, Society and Culture (22 MCQs) – 22 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 thesis of "Indian feudalism" is most closely associated with:

Correct Answer: D [R. S. Sharma]

Explanation:

his book "Indian Feudalism" framed the debate.

2.  

The Dayabhaga school of Hindu law was founded on the work of:

Correct Answer: C [Jimutavahana]

Explanation:

Jimutavahana's Dayabhaga, followed in Bengal, gave sons a right in family property only after the father's death.

3.  

In early medieval inscriptions, a hereditary village headman was called:

Correct Answer: A [pattakila]

Explanation:

Inscriptions use pattakila for the village headman, often hereditary, who represented the king in the village.

4.  

The Lilavati, a work on mathematics, was written by:

Correct Answer: D [Bhaskara II]

Explanation:

The Lilavati, a work on arithmetic, was written by Bhaskara II c. 1150 as part of his Siddhanta Shiromani.

5.  

The philosophy of Advaita was taught by:

Correct Answer: A [Shankaracharya]

Explanation:

Shankaracharya taught Advaita: the individual self and Brahman are one, and the world is maya.

6.  

The Sringeri matha, traditionally linked with Shankaracharya, is in present-day:

Correct Answer: B [Karnataka]

Explanation:

Sringeri, the southern matha traditionally founded by Shankaracharya, lies in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka.

7.  

Nannaya began the Telugu Mahabharata at the court of the:

Correct Answer: B [Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi]

Explanation:

Nannaya began the Telugu Mahabharata in the eleventh century under the Eastern Chalukya king Rajaraja Narendra of Vengi.

8.  

Pampa, Ponna and which other poet are called the "three gems" of Kannada literature?

Correct Answer: A [Ranna]

Explanation:

Ranna, author of the Ajita Purana and Gadayuddha, completes the trio of Pampa, Ponna and Ranna.

9.  

The class of scribes and record-keepers that grew in importance in this period was the:

Correct Answer: C [Kayasthas]

Explanation:

Kayasthas, scribes and record-keepers, rose in importance as land grants and written administration expanded.

10.  

Consider the following statements about early medieval India:

1. Land grants to Brahmanas increased.
2. Samantas were subordinate chiefs who owed tribute and military service.
3. Sea trade with South-East Asia stopped completely after 750 CE.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

statements 1 and 2 describe the growth of land grants and the samanta system.

11.  

Assertion (A): The number of jatis increased greatly in the early medieval period.

Reason (R): Tribal and occupational groups were absorbed into caste society.

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

Explanation:

absorption of tribes and occupational groups as new jatis explains the rise in their number.

12.  

The Kapalikas and Kalamukhas were sects of:

Correct Answer: D [Shaivism]

Explanation:

Pashupatas, Kapalikas and Kalamukhas were Shaiva orders.

13.  

The Lingaraja temple, an example of the Nagara style, is at:

Correct Answer: A [Bhubaneswar]

Explanation:

capital of Odisha; an eleventh-century Nagara temple.

14.  

In early medieval records, the term agrahara refers to:

Correct Answer: A [a village or land granted to Brahmanas]

Explanation:

also called brahmadeya, usually recorded on copper plates.

15.  

In this period Buddhism survived mainly in:

Correct Answer: D [Bengal and Bihar]

Explanation:

In this period Buddhism survived mainly in Bengal and Bihar under the patronage of the Pala kings, who supported monasteries such as Nalanda and Vikramashila.

16.  

A feature of the Nagara style of temple architecture is the:

Correct Answer: B [curvilinear shikhara]

Explanation:

Nagara temples of north India have a curvilinear shikhara over the sanctum, as at Khajuraho and Bhubaneswar.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Siddhanta Shiromani of Bhaskara II
2. Shankaracharya
3. Nannaya's Telugu Mahabharata
4. Jnaneshwari

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Explanation:

Shankaracharya (8th century), Nannaya (11th century), Bhaskara II (c. 1150), Jnaneshwari (c. 1290); the regional literatures grew steadily through the period.

18.  

In early medieval revenue terminology, bhaga meant:

Correct Answer: D [the king's share of the produce]

Explanation:

the main land tax, usually a share of the crop; rates in the texts range from one-sixth upwards.

19.  

Ramanuja propounded the philosophy of:

Correct Answer: D [Vishishtadvaita]

Explanation:

the self and the world are real but depend on Brahman as the body depends on the soul; this gave a philosophical basis to devotion to Vishnu.

20.  

The leading thinker of Kashmir Shaivism was:

Correct Answer: C [Abhinavagupta]

Explanation:

he also wrote on aesthetics and the theory of rasa, building on earlier Kashmiri thinkers.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2015

With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of the feudal system?

1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority.
2. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land.
3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: B [2 and 3 only]

Explanation:

feudalism rests on land and lord–vassal ties, with weak central authority.

22.  
UPSC Prelims 2014

In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for

Correct Answer: B [village headmen]

Explanation:

Inscriptions use mahattara for village elders or headmen and pattakila for the hereditary village headman.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U02 · Medieval India (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-medieval-india

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