State and Varna Society in the Age of the Buddha - UPSC Prelims Quiz
Answer all questions carefully. Questions are UPSC-level involving statement analysis, chronology, and cause-effect reasoning.
hard•8 questions•~14 min
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Question 01
hard
Consider the following statements about the Northern Black Polished Ware (NBP) phase:
1. The NBP phase is associated with a very glossy, shining type of pottery made of very fine fabric, apparently serving as the table-ware of richer people.
2. The use of burnt bricks and ringwells appeared from the very beginning of the NBP phase in the sixth century BC.
3. The Harappan towns finally disappeared in about 1500 BC, and after that for about 1,000 years no towns are found in India.
4. The NBP phase marked the beginning of the second urbanisation in India.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 02
medium
With reference to the origin and nature of punch-marked coins in ancient India, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
Question 03
medium
Consider the following statements about the taxation system and army in the age of the Buddha:
1. The tax rate was one-sixth of the produce, collected directly by royal agents with the help of village headmen.
2. 'Bali', which was a voluntary payment made by tribesmen to their chiefs in Vedic times, became a compulsory payment to be made by the peasants in the age of the Buddha.
3. Warriors and priests (kshatriyas and brahmanas) were exempted from payment of taxes; the burden fell on the peasants who were mainly vaisyas or grihapatis.
4. At the time of Alexander's invasion, the Nanda ruler of Magadha kept 20,000 cavalry, 200,000 infantry, 2000 horse-chariots, and about 4000 elephants.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 04
hard
With reference to the republican system of government in the age of the Buddha, consider the following statements:
1. In the republics of the Sakyas and Lichchhavis, the ruling class belonged to the same clan and the same varna.
2. In the case of the Lichchhavis of Vaisali, 7707 rajas sat on the assembly held in the motehall, but brahmanas were not included in this group.
3. The administrative machinery of the Sakyas and Lichchhavis consisted of raja, uparaja (vice-king), senapati (commander), and bhandagarika (treasurer).
4. In the tribal republics, brahmanas exercised great influence and their law-books were the primary source of law.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 05
hard
The Buddhist theory of the origin of kingship, as found in the Digha Nikaya, is significant because it:
Question 06
hard
Consider the following statements about the position of the sudras in the age of the Buddha:
1. All kinds of disabilities were imposed on the sudras - deprived of religious and legal rights and relegated to the lowest position in society.
2. Crimes committed by sudras against brahmanas were punished severely; crimes committed against sudras were punished lightly.
3. Both Jainism and Buddhism made substantial changes in the position of the sudras by declaring all human beings equal before the law.
4. Gautama Buddha visited the assemblies of the brahmanas, the kshatriyas, and the grihapatis (householders), but the assembly of the sudras is not mentioned in this connection.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 07
medium
With reference to the three types of villages described in the Pali texts, which of the following correctly identifies all three categories?
Question 08
hard
Which of the following statements about the gramini/gramabhojaka in the age of the Buddha is INCORRECT?