CHAPTER 7: THE GUPTA ERA: AN AGE OF TIRELESS CREATIVITY
1. Which empire became weaker by the 3rd century CE, creating an opportunity for the rise of the Guptas?
A. Maurya Empire
B. Kushana Empire
C. Chola Empire
D. Pallava Empire
Answer: B. Kushana Empire
2. Where are the Guptas widely believed to have emerged as regional rulers?
A. A region near present-day Uttar Pradesh
B. Present-day Kerala
C. The island of Sri Lanka
D. Present-day Tamil Nadu
Answer: A. A region near present-day Uttar Pradesh
3. Between which centuries CE did the Gupta Empire flourish?
A. 1st to 2nd centuries
B. 3rd to 6th centuries
C. 7th to 9th centuries
D. 10th to 12th centuries
Answer: B. 3rd to 6th centuries
4. What was the capital of the Gupta Empire?
A. Madurai
B. Taxila
C. Pāṭaliputra
D. Kanchipuram
Answer: C. Pāṭaliputra
5. Which present-day city is identified with ancient Pāṭaliputra?
A. Patna
B. Delhi
C. Mumbai
D. Chennai
Answer: A. Patna
6. Which Gupta ruler was also known as Vikramāditya?
A. Chandragupta I
B. Samudragupta
C. Chandragupta II
D. Skandagupta
Answer: C. Chandragupta II
7. Which deity was Chandragupta II devoted to?
A. Viṣhṇu
B. Indra
C. Agni
D. Varuṇa
Answer: A. Viṣhṇu
8. Which bird-like figure associated with Viṣhṇu frequently appears on Gupta inscriptions?
A. Peacock
B. Garuḍa
C. Swan
D. Eagle of Rome
Answer: B. Garuḍa
9. Which inscription praises the achievements of Samudragupta?
A. Hāthīgumphā inscription
B. Prayāga praśhasti
C. Sohagaura copper plate
D. Junagadh inscription
Answer: B. Prayāga praśhasti
10. Who composed the Prayāga praśhasti in praise of Samudragupta?
A. Kālidāsa
B. Āryabhaṭa
C. Harisena
D. Varāhamihira
Answer: C. Harisena
11. What ambition of Samudragupta is described in the Prayāga praśhasti?
A. Dharani-bandha, or unifying the Earth
B. Abandoning all kingdoms
C. Ending all trade
D. Establishing a maritime republic
Answer: A. Dharani-bandha, or unifying the Earth
12. What did Samudragupta do to many kings he defeated?
A. He reinstated many of them and required tribute.
B. He gave all of them control over the Gupta capital.
C. He abolished all regional kingdoms immediately.
D. He required them to abandon agriculture.
Answer: A. He reinstated many of them and required tribute.
13. Which musical instrument is Samudragupta shown playing on one of his coins?
A. Flute
B. Veena
C. Drum
D. Sitar
Answer: B. Veena
14. Which ritual did ambitious kings sometimes perform to establish their power?
A. Aśhvamedha yajña
B. Sangam assembly
C. Buddhist pilgrimage
D. Harvest festival
Answer: A. Aśhvamedha yajña
15. What does the coin shown in the chapter’s Figure 7.7 depict?
A. A sacrificial horse associated with the aśhvamedha yajña
B. A Gupta king playing the veena
C. A ship crossing the Indian Ocean
D. A Buddhist monastery
Answer: A. A sacrificial horse associated with the aśhvamedha yajña
16. Which literary source mentioned in the chapter describes regions of the Gupta Empire?
A. Viṣhṇu Purāṇa
B. Indika
C. Arthaśhāstra
D. Silappadikāram
Answer: A. Viṣhṇu Purāṇa
17. Which Chinese traveller visited India in the early 5th century CE?
A. Xuanzang
B. Faxian
C. Megasthenes
D. Ibn Battuta
Answer: B. Faxian
18. Why did Faxian travel to India?
A. To visit Buddhist sacred sites, learn from scholars and collect Buddhist manuscripts
B. To conquer the Gupta Empire
C. To establish a Roman trading colony
D. To become a Gupta emperor
Answer: A. To visit Buddhist sacred sites, learn from scholars and collect Buddhist manuscripts
19. According to Faxian’s account, what did farmers cultivating royal land pay?
A. A portion of their grain
B. All their land
C. Only imported coins
D. No contribution under any circumstances
Answer: A. A portion of their grain
20. What limitation of Faxian’s travelogue does the chapter emphasise?
A. It reflects the writer’s perspective and covers only part of society.
B. It contains no observations about Indian society.
C. It describes only events from the modern period.
D. It was written by a Gupta emperor.
Answer: A. It reflects the writer’s perspective and covers only part of society.
21. Where did Faxian say the chanḍālas lived?
A. Outside the city limits
B. Inside the royal palace
C. Only in foreign countries
D. Inside the Gupta treasury
Answer: A. Outside the city limits
22. Which titles did Gupta rulers use to claim supreme authority?
A. Mahārājadhirāja, samrāṭ and chakravartin
B. Gramika, śhreni and muezzin
C. Governor, president and prime minister
D. Merchant, artisan and farmer
Answer: A. Mahārājadhirāja, samrāṭ and chakravartin
23. Which methods did the Gupta rulers use to expand and consolidate their empire?
A. Military conquests, diplomacy and alliances
B. Trade alone, without diplomacy or warfare
C. Abandoning all territories
D. Ending relations with neighbouring kingdoms
Answer: A. Military conquests, diplomacy and alliances
24. Who was Prabhāvatī Gupta?
A. The daughter of Chandragupta II
B. The wife of Samudragupta’s court poet
C. A Chinese traveller
D. The founder of the Gupta dynasty
Answer: A. The daughter of Chandragupta II
25. Why did Prabhāvatī Gupta become regent of the Vākāṭaka kingdom?
A. Her husband, a Vākāṭaka prince, died early.
B. She conquered the kingdom from her father.
C. She was appointed by Faxian.
D. She was the daughter of Harisena.
Answer: A. Her husband, a Vākāṭaka prince, died early.
26. What did Prabhāvatī Gupta help maintain during her regency?
A. Strong ties between the Guptas and Vākāṭakas
B. A permanent war between the two kingdoms
C. The independence of every foreign empire
D. The closure of temples and learning centres
Answer: A. Strong ties between the Guptas and Vākāṭakas
27. What was the primary source of revenue for the Gupta state?
A. Land tax
B. Income tax in its modern form
C. Petroleum exports
D. Railway fares
Answer: A. Land tax
28. Which of the following was another source of Gupta revenue?
A. Taxes on mines, irrigation, trade and crafts
B. Modern income tax alone
C. Digital payment fees
D. Foreign aid alone
Answer: A. Taxes on mines, irrigation, trade and crafts
29. Why did Gupta rulers grant land to local rulers, priests and chieftains?
A. To help administer the empire while giving local leaders some control
B. To end all forms of taxation
C. To eliminate regional administration
D. To prevent the recording of land ownership
Answer: A. To help administer the empire while giving local leaders some control
30. On what material were many Gupta land grants inscribed?
A. Copper plates
B. Plastic sheets
C. Paper currency
D. Wooden coins
Answer: A. Copper plates
31. With which regions did India trade during the Gupta era, according to the chapter?
A. The Mediterranean world, Southeast Asia and China
B. Only the Arctic regions
C. Only the Americas
D. Only the Himalayan villages
Answer: A. The Mediterranean world, Southeast Asia and China
32. Which group of goods did India export during the Gupta period?
A. Textiles, spices, ivory and gemstones
B. Cars, computers and aeroplanes
C. Petroleum and synthetic plastics
D. Only iron weapons
Answer: A. Textiles, spices, ivory and gemstones
33. Which island was an important stop on the trade route to Mediterranean markets?
A. Socotra
B. Madagascar
C. Greenland
D. Iceland
Answer: A. Socotra
34. What archaeological evidence supports the presence of Indian traders on Socotra?
A. Pottery, Brahmi-script inscriptions and designs such as a Buddhist stūpa
B. Modern railway tracks
C. Gupta-era printing presses
D. Plastic containers and electronic devices
Answer: A. Pottery, Brahmi-script inscriptions and designs such as a Buddhist stūpa
35. Which Buddhist institution is specifically mentioned as receiving Gupta patronage?
A. Nālandā
B. Taxila University of the modern era
C. Banaras Hindu University
D. University of Delhi
Answer: A. Nālandā
36. Why do some historians call the Gupta period the “classical age” of India?
A. Significant achievements occurred in art, literature, science and other fields.
B. All other kingdoms disappeared.
C. The period had no cultural diversity.
D. India stopped trading with other regions.
Answer: A. Significant achievements occurred in art, literature, science and other fields.
37. Which work did Āryabhaṭa author?
A. Āryabhaṭīya
B. Meghadūtam
C. Bṛihat Samhitā
D. Raghuvanśham
Answer: A. Āryabhaṭīya
38. What idea did Āryabhaṭa propose to explain the alternation of day and night?
A. Earth spins on its axis.
B. The Sun revolves around Earth every day.
C. The Moon produces its own sunlight.
D. The stars move around the Sun once every 24 hours.
Answer: A. Earth spins on its axis.
39. Which phenomenon did Āryabhaṭa explain correctly, according to the chapter?
A. Solar and lunar eclipses
B. The formation of every mountain range
C. The origin of all ocean currents
D. The movement of tectonic plates
Answer: A. Solar and lunar eclipses
40. Where did Varāhamihira live?
A. Ujjayinī
B. Madurai
C. Kanchipuram
D. Taxila
Answer: A. Ujjayinī
41. Which encyclopedic work was written by Varāhamihira?
A. Bṛihat Samhitā
B. Āryabhaṭīya
C. Meghadūtam
D. Silappadikāram
Answer: A. Bṛihat Samhitā
42. Which subjects did Varāhamihira’s Bṛihat Samhitā cover?
A. Astronomy, weather forecasting, architecture, town planning and farming
B. Only military warfare
C. Only poetry and drama
D. Only the collection of taxes
Answer: A. Astronomy, weather forecasting, architecture, town planning and farming
43. Which famous Sanskrit poet is associated with the Gupta period?
A. Kālidāsa
B. Harisena
C. Faxian
D. Megasthenes
Answer: A. Kālidāsa
44. What is the meaning of Kālidāsa’s work Meghadūtam?
A. The Cloud Messenger
B. The King of Kings
C. The Science of Numbers
D. The Book of Medicine
Answer: A. The Cloud Messenger
45. Which medical traditions were compiled and given a more systematic form during the Gupta period?
A. Āyurveda, including texts such as the Charaka Saṃhitā and Suśhruta Saṃhitā
B. Modern antibiotic medicine only
C. Traditional Chinese medicine alone
D. Modern robotic surgery
Answer: A. Āyurveda, including texts such as the Charaka Saṃhitā and Suśhruta Saṃhitā
46. Which artistic centre is renowned for its sculptures of the Buddha?
A. Sārnāth
B. Socotra
C. Pāṭaliputra’s royal treasury
D. The Thar Desert
Answer: A. Sārnāth
47. Which famous caves were developed with support from the Guptas and Vākāṭakas?
A. Ajanta Caves
B. Udayagiri Caves only
C. Elephanta Caves only
D. Amarnath Caves
Answer: A. Ajanta Caves
48. Which dynasty rose to power in parts of southern India as the Sātavāhanas declined?
A. Pallavas
B. Nandas
C. Mauryas
D. Śhungas
Answer: A. Pallavas
49. What was the capital of the Pallavas?
A. Kānchipuram
B. Pāṭaliputra
C. Ujjayinī
D. Prayāga
Answer: A. Kānchipuram
50. Which external group repeatedly attacked the Gupta Empire during the 6th century CE?
A. Hūṇas
B. Romans
C. Portuguese
D. British
Answer: A. Hūṇas
