Mauryas to Guptas: Sangam age and early medieval kingdoms: previous-year questions
46 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 21 of them came in the last five papers.
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The religion of early Vedic Aryans was primarily of
Answer (c) & explanation
Worship of nature and Yajnas is correct (c). Rigvedic gods were forces of nature: Indra (rain and thunder, the most praised), Agni (fire), Varuna (water and cosmic order), Surya, Vayu and others. They were worshipped through yajnas (fire sacrifices) and hymns, mainly for cattle, children and victory. (a) and (d) are wrong: Bhakti, loving devotion to a personal god, came much later. (b) is wrong: there were no temples or images in early Vedic religion.
Notice the later shift: in the later Vedic period, Prajapati, Vishnu and Rudra rose, rituals grew elaborate, and priests gained power, which the Upanishads, Buddhism and Jainism later questioned. Trap: image worship is a much later feature of Hinduism.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the scientific progress of ancient India, which of the statements given below are correct?
- 1. Different kinds of specialized surgical instruments were in common use by 1st century AD.
- 2. Transplant of internal organs in the human body had begun by the beginning of 3rd century AD.
- 3. The concept of sine of an angle was known in 5th century AD.
- 4. The concept of cyclic quadrilaterals was known in 7th century AD.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct (c). The Sushruta Samhita describes over 100 surgical instruments and operations such as plastic surgery of the nose (rhinoplasty) and cataract couching, showing specialised tools in use by the early centuries AD (1). Aryabhata (5th century) used the sine (jya) in his Aryabhatiya (3). Brahmagupta (7th century) gave his formula for the area of cyclic quadrilaterals (4). Statement 2 is wrong: there is no evidence of internal organ transplants in ancient India. So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the others: Charaka (medicine), Varahamihira (Pancha Siddhantika), and Brahmagupta's rules for zero. Sushruta is called the 'father of surgery'. Trap: skin grafts are not organ transplants.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the guilds (Shreni) of ancient India that played a very important role in the country’s economy, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. Every guild was registered with the central authority of the State and the king was the chief administrative authority on them.
- 2. The wages, rules of work, standards and prices were fixed by the guild.
- 3. The guild had judicial powers over its own members.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (c). Shrenis, guilds of artisans and merchants, were self-governing. They fixed wages, work rules, quality standards and prices for their members (2), and had judicial powers to settle disputes and punish members (3). The Dharmashastras told kings to respect guild customs. Statement 1 is wrong: guilds were not registered with a central state authority, nor did the king run them. So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the evidence: inscriptions at Sanchi and Nasik record guild donations; guilds acted as banks, taking deposits and paying interest; the Mandasor inscription (436 CE) records a silk-weavers' guild building a sun temple. The Arthashastra mentions guild-based soldiers. Trap: guilds were autonomous, not state departments.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The “dharma” and “rita” depict a central idea of ancient Vedic civilization of India. In this context, consider the following statements :
- 1. Dharma was a conception of obligations and of the discharge of one’s duties to oneself and to others.
- 2. Rita was the fundamental moral law governing the functioning of the universe and all it contained.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Rita in the Rigveda is the cosmic and moral order that keeps the sun, seasons and right conduct in place; the god Varuna is its guardian (2). Dharma grew out of it as the idea of duty and right conduct: what one owes to oneself, family and society (1). So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the later growth: dharma became central in the Dharmasutras, the Manusmriti and the Gita, and varnashrama dharma tied duties to class and life stage. The Rigvedic idea of 'satya' (truth) is closely linked to rita. In Buddhism, dhamma means the Buddha's teaching, and Ashoka's Dhamma was a moral code. Trap: rita is cosmic order, not a ritual.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
India maintained its early cultural contacts and trade links with Southeast Asia across the Bay of Bengal. For this pre-eminence of early maritime history of Bay of Bengal, which of the following could be the most convincing explanation/explanations ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Monsoon winds is correct (c). The monsoon winds reverse with the seasons: the south-west monsoon carries ships east towards Southeast Asia, and the north-east monsoon brings them back. Sailors timed voyages to these winds, which made the Bay of Bengal a regular, busy sea route from Tamralipti and the Coromandel coast to Suvarnabhumi. (a) is wrong: there is no proof that India's ship-building was better than others'. (b) is wrong: patronage helped, but 'always' overstates it, and it explains less than geography. (d) fails because (a) and (b) are weak.
Notice the legacy: Indian scripts, Hindu-Buddhist temples such as Angkor Wat and Borobudur, and the Chola expedition to Srivijaya (1025). Trap: human factors sound weighty, but the wind made it possible.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Regarding the Indus Valley Civilization, consider the following statements :
- 1. It was predominantly a secular civilization and the religious element, though present, did not dominate the scene.
- 2. During this period, cotton was used for manufacturing textiles in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct per UPSC's key (c), though statement 1 is an interpretation. Harappan cities have no clear temples or palaces of priest-kings; seals, the 'Proto-Shiva', mother goddess figurines and fire altars show that religion was present but did not dominate public life, so many scholars call it largely secular (1). Harappans were among the first in the world to grow and weave cotton; a cotton fragment was found at Mohenjo-daro, and Greeks later called cotton 'sindon' (2). So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the caution: the script is undeciphered, so views on religion remain tentative. Other facts: the Great Bath, granaries, and planned drains. Dholavira became a World Heritage Site in 2021. Trap: absence of temples is not absence of religion.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.