Iranian and Macedonian Invasions - UPSC Prelims Quiz
Answer all questions carefully. Questions are UPSC-level involving statement analysis, chronology, and cause-effect reasoning.
Persia and Alexander: Foreign Incursions and Their Impact on Ancient India•hard•6 questions•~10 min
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Question 01
hard
Consider the following statements about the Iranian invasion of India:
1. The Iranian ruler Darius I penetrated into north-west India in 516 BC and annexed Punjab (west of the Indus) and Sindh.
2. The Indian satrapy constituted the twentieth province of Iran and paid a tribute of 360 talents of gold - accounting for one-third of Iran's total revenue from its Asian provinces.
3. The Kharosthi script, brought by Iranian scribes, was written from left to right and was used in Asokan inscriptions in north-west India.
4. It is wrong to think that punch-marked coins continued in India as a result of contact with Iran.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 02
medium
Which of the following correctly identifies the cultural results of the Indo-Iranian contact as described by RS Sharma?
Question 03
medium
Consider the following statements about Alexander's campaign in India:
1. Alexander entered India through the Khyber pass and took five months to reach the Indus.
2. Ambhi, the ruler of Taxila, readily submitted to Alexander and augmented his army; Porus gave the first and the strongest resistance.
3. Alexander's army stopped at the Beas river because the Greek soldiers were war-weary, homesick, and deterred by reports of the formidable Nanda army on the Ganga.
4. Alexander remained in India for 19 months (326-325 BC) and appointed three Greek governors over his Indian territorial possessions.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 04
medium
The Greek historian Arrian's statement about Indians - 'In the art of war the Indians were far superior to the other nations inhabiting the area at that time' - is significant in the context of Alexander's Indian campaign because it:
Question 05
hard
Consider the following statements about the effects of Alexander's invasion of India:
1. Alexander's invasion provided the first occasion when ancient Europe came into close contact with ancient India.
2. Alexander's historians left clearly dated records of his campaign, enabling us to build Indian chronology for subsequent events on a definite basis.
3. By destroying the power of petty states in north-west India, Alexander's invasion paved the way for the expansion of the Maurya empire in that area.
4. Alexander's invasion directly led Chandragupta Maurya to adopt Greek military tactics and Greek administrative methods for his empire.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 06
medium
Which of the following pairs is correctly matched in the context of Alexander's invasion of India?
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