CUET History MCQs Unit III Social Histories using the Mahabharata

Question : Women were allowed to retain the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage as:
(a) stridhana
(b) manusmriti
(c) biksha
(d) None of These

Answer : A

Question : Which of the following statement is not the correct interpretation of mahasammata?
(a) The idea of leadership was based purely on choice.
(b) The institution of kingship was based on the choice of God.
(c) Recognition of human agency in creating and institutionalising economic and social relations.
(d) Human beings were responsible for the creation of the system, they could also change it in future.

Answer : B

Question : Identify the years span, when an archeologist B.B.Lal excavated at a village named Hastinapura in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh)?
(a) 1951–52
(b) 1962–63
(c) 1970–71
(d) 1950–51

Answer : A

Question : Consider the following statements about Mahabharata:
(a) Historians have set aside the traditions as described in Mahabharata.
(b) It has around 10,000 verses.
(c) The main theme of Mahabharata is about the warring princes across India.
(d) Its critical edition was started by K. R. Mangalam in 1919 CE.
State which of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only (a)
(b) (a) and (2)
(c) (a), (2) and (4)
(d) None of these

Answer : D

Question : Which one of the following statement is not true regarding the word, ‘patriliny’ ?
(a) Patriliny had not existed prior to the composition of the epic, Mahabharata. The central story of the Mahabharata established the idea.
(b) Patriliny means tracing descent from father to son, grandson and so on.
(c) Most ruling dynasties (c. sixth century BCE onwards) claimed to follow this system, although there were variations in practice.
(d) The concern with patriliny was not unique to ruling families. It is evident in mantras in ritual texts such as the Rigveda.

Answer : A

Question : Ekalavya belonged to the category of:
(a) Vanik
(b) Mlechchha
(c) Brahmana
(d) Nishada

Answer : D

Question : Which foreign traveller wrote in his account that“untouchables” had to sound a clapper in the streets so that people could avoid seeing them.”?
(a) Fa-Hien or Fa-Xian R
(b) Hiuen-Tsang
(c) Marco Polo
(d) Megasthenes,

Answer : A

Question : Sutta Patika is a text belong to ___________ religion.
(a) Hindu
(b) Buddhist
(c) Jain
(d) None of this.

Answer : B

Question : Puranaruru is one of the anthologies of poems. To which literature does it belongs?
(a) Tamil Sangam literature.
(b) Buddhist literature
(c) Sanskrit literature
(d) Bengali literature

Answer : A

Question : Shakas who came from Central Asia were regarded by the Brahmanas as
(a) Dasas
(b) Untouchables
(c) Mlechchhas
(d) Aryans

Answer : C

Question : Panini’s ‘Ashtadhyayi’ is a work on
(a) Sanskrit grammar.
(b) Sanskrit history.
(c) Sanskrit mantras.
(d) Sanskrit plays.

Answer : A

Question : Present-day historians suggest that the fact that the author(s) describe a polyandrous union indicates that polyandry may have been prevalent amongst ruling elites at some point of time.
(a) Some historians note that while the practice of polyandry may have seemed unusual or even undesirable from the Brahmanical point of view, it was (and is) prevalent in the Himalayan region.
(b) There may have been a shortage of women during times of warfare, and this led to polyandry. In other words, it was attributed to a situation of crisis.
(c) The author(s) choose to associate this practice with the central characters of the Mahabharata because sometimes creative literature often has its own narrative requirements and does not always literally reflect social realities.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
(a) Only (a)
(b) (a) and (b)
(c) (a) and (c)
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

Question : What does the Sanskrit word ‘Kula’ define?
(a) Neighbours
(b) Families
(c) Deities
(d) None of these

Answer : B

Question : Which of the following statement is incorrect about the meaning of Endogamy?
(a) Endogamy refers to marriage outside the unit.
(b) Endogamy refers to marriage within a unit – this could be a kin group, caste, or a group living in the same locality.
(c) It is the practice of a man having several wives.
(d) It is the practice of a woman having several husbands.

Answer : B

Question : Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
(a) Kouravas–Son of Gandhari
(b) Ekalavya–Chandala
(c) Pandavas–Sons of Pandu
(d) Suvarnakaras–Goldsmith

Answer : B

Question : According to Manusmriti, for women, there are six means of acquiring wealth. Which one of the following statement is incorrect regarding those means?
(a) She could acquire wealth through any subsequent gift and whatever her “affectionate” husband might give her.
(b) She could acquire wealth through bridal procession .
(c) She could acquire wealth as a token of affection, and what she got from her brother, mother or father.
(d) She could acquire wealth after her husband’s death.

Answer : D

Question : Marriage within a unit, a kin group, caste or a group living in the same locality, is called
(a) endogamy.
(b) exogamy.
(c) polygyny.
(d) polyandry.

Answer : A

Question : The original story of Mahabharata was probably composed by
(a) Lord Ganesha
(b) Rishi Veda Vyasa
(c) Charioteer-bards known as sutas.
(d) Lord Brahama

Answer : C

Question : What was the object of the team of V.S. Sukthankar?
(a) Prepare critical edition of Mahabharata
(b) Translate Mahabharata in the English language
(c) Prepare critical edition of Manusmriti
(d) Translate Manusmriti in Tamil

Answer : A

Question : Under the leadership of a noted Indian Sanskritist,V.S. Sukthankar and his team comprising dozens of scholars initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata. Which of the following statements is incorrect about the critical edition of Mahabharata?
(a) The team worked out a method of comparing verses from each manuscript.
(b) They selected the verses that appeared common to most versions and published these in several volumes, running into over 13,000 pages.
(c) These variations were documented in footnotes and appendices to the main text.
(d) The project took 49 years to complete.

Answer : D

Question : Which one of the following statements is incorrect about the duties as laid down in Manusmriti for the Chandalas?
(a) They had to live on the outskirts of the village.
(b) They had to use discarded utensils.
(c) They were supposed to wear old clothes of the villagers and ornaments made from shells.
(d) It was their duty to serve as executioner and dispose of the bodies of those who had no relatives.

Answer : C

Question : Which of the following statement is correct regarding the interpretation of Sutta Pitaka?
(a) Originally human beings did not have fully evolved bodily forms, nor was the world of plants fully developed.
(b) All beings lived in an idyllic state of peace, taking from nature only what they needed for each meal.
(c) There was a gradual deterioration of this state as human beings became increasingly greedy, vindictive and deceitful.
(d) Human beings were not responsible for the creation of the system, they could not change it in future.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
(a) Only a
(b) a and b
(c) a, b, c
(d) Only d

Answer : C

Question : Historians consider several elements when they analyse texts such as:
(a) They examine the language of the texts whether they were written in Prakrit, Pali or Tamil, languages that were probably used by ordinary people, or in Sanskrit, a language meant almost exclusively for priests and elites.
(b) They also consider about the kind of texts like whether these were mantras, learnt and chanted by ritual specialists, or stories that people could have read, or heard.
(c) They also consider author’s perspective about the text.
(d) They try and ascertain the possible date of the composition of the texts as well as the place where they may have been composed.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
(a) Only (a)
(b) (a) and (b)
(c) (a) and (c)
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

Question : Who wrote the short story,“Kunti O Nishadi”?
(a) Mahadevi Verma
(b) Mahashweta Devi
(c) Krishna Sobti
(d) Ashapurna Devi

Answer : B

Question : According to the ______, the paternal estate was to be divided equally amongst sons after the death of the parents.
(a) Varnas
(b) Varnas
(c) Manusmriti
(d) Mahabharata

Answer : C

Question : How many verses are there in Mahabharata?
(a) One lakh
(b) 20000
(c) 50000
(d) More than one lakh

Answer : D

Question : According to The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras Kshatriyas were to engage in ___________
(a) warfare, protect people and administer justice, study the Vedas, get sacrifices performed, and make gifts
(b) study and teach the Vedas, perform sacrifices and get sacrifices performed, and give and receive gifts.
(c) in agriculture, pastoralism and trade.
(d) serving the BrahmAnswer :

Answer : A

Question : Which of the following strategies were evolved by Brahmanas to enforce the norms of Varna order from c. 600 BCE to 600 CE?
(a) Brahmanas used to emphasise that the varna system is divine.
(b) Brahmanas tried to convince people that their occupation and status are determined by birth.
(c) Brahmanas advised the kings to ensure that people follow the norms of the varna system within the kingdom.
(d) All of these.

Answer : D

Question : Which among the following was a strategy adopted by the Brahmanas to enforce the varna order?
(a) Assert that varna order was a human creation.
(b) Advised kings to punish those who violated these norms.
(c) Persuaded people that their status was determined by birth.
(d) Persuaded people that their status was determined by occupations they practised.

Answer : C

Question : Which of the following was one of the occupations of Kshatriyas?
(a) Perform sacrifices and give gifts
(b) To teach Vedas
(c) Trade
(d) Agriculture

Answer : A

Question : The classification of people, in the name of gotras in Hindu religion, was practised from c. 1000 BCE onwards, by the
(a) Brahmanas.
(b) Kshatriyas.
(c) Vaishyas.
(d) Shudras.

Answer : A

Question : The Brahmanas considered some people as being outside the system by classifying certain social categories as _______.
(a) Kinfolk
(b) Varnas
(c) Untouchable
(d) Nishada

Answer : C

Question : A forest-dwelling or a hunting community is called
(a) Nishada
(b) Chandala
(c) Suvarnakaras
(d) Shudras

Answer : A

Question : The janapada which was inhabited by the cousins Pandavas and Kauravas was that of
(a) Shurasenas.
(b) Mallas.
(c) Sakyas.
(d) Kurus.

Answer : D

Question : Consider the following statements regarding the rules of the marriage during the Early Societies:
I. At that time sons were important for the continuity of the patrilineage, daughters were viewed rather differently within this framework.
II. At the same time, marrying them into families outside the kin was considered desirable.
III. The system of exogamy gave rise to the belief that kanyadana or the gift of a daughter in marriage was an important religious duty of the father.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
(a) Only I
(b) I and II
(c) I and III
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

Question : The word ‘Didactic’,means R
(a) something that is meant for purposes of instruction.
(b) The description of events in a story
(c) Noticeable or sudden and often surprising
(d) Extremely mournful, melancholy or pathetic.

Answer : A