Which one of the following does not refer to the bow (and arrow) as a weapon of war in ancient India ?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Not a bow → Kunta (spear or lance) (of: Sharnga, Kunta, Kodanda, Karmuka)
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History · Ancient
Society, Economy, Administration & Law (Ancient): 35 previous year questions
UPSC has asked 35 questions on Society, Economy, Administration & Law (Ancient) between 1980 and 2025: CSE 18 · CDS 12 · NDA 3 · Geo-Scientist 1 · CAPF 1. 22 of them came after 2015, so this is a live topic examiners keep returning to. 18 were set in Civil Services Prelims; the rest come from UPSC's other papers, which draw on the same question bank.
Tap an option to check yourself. Answers follow the official UPSC key; where the key was dropped or disputed the question is not shown.
Which of the following can be considered a part of the ancient Indian Smriti Literature? 1. Puranas 2. Ramayana 3. Kalpa-Sutra 4. Vedas Select the answer using the code given below
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Smriti literature → Puranas, Ramayana, Kalpa-Sutra | Vedas → Shruti, not Smriti
The antariya was a garment worn by people during the Mauryan period. It was :
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Antariya (Mauryan) → unstitched length of cloth draped around the body
Consider the following pairs of High Offices and concerned Departments in the Mauryan Administration : 1. Samahartri Chief Collector of Revenue 2. Dauvarika Chief of Army 3. Akshapatala Records-cum-Audit Officer 4. Samnidhatri Treasurer Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Samahartri → chief collector of revenue | Akshapatala → records-cum-audit | Samnidhatri → treasurer | Dauvarika → chief of palace attendants, not of army
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using Lists : List-I (Unit in use in early India) List-II (Content) A. Muhurta 1. Measure of weight B. Raktika 2. Measure of time C. Angula 3. Metre of poetry D. Pada 4. Measure of length
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Muhurta → measure of time | Raktika → measure of weight | Angula → measure of length | Pada → metre of poetry
Which one of the following was NOT a way in which kings in ancient India attempted to claim a higher status ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Not a way kings claimed higher status → imposing high taxes (of: the four options)
Which one of the following statements on the issue of ownership according to Smriti literature is not correct ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Paternal estate → divided equally among sons | Marriage gifts (Stridhana) → retained by women | Stridhana → inherited by children; husband had no claim on it
What were Manigramam and Nanadesi in early medieval India ?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Manigramam and Nanadesi → guilds of Indian merchants
The ancient Sanskrit texts use the term kula to designate:
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Kula in ancient Sanskrit texts → families
With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim the right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim the right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Mitakshara → sons can claim property in father's lifetime; Dayabhaga → only after father's death | NOT: Mitakshara for upper, Dayabhaga for lower castes | NOT: Mitakshara male-only, Dayabhaga male and female property
Which of the following are prescribed as the duties of Vaishyas according to the Dharmashastras ? 1. Studying the Vedas 2. Engaging in trade Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Vaishya duties (Dharmashastras) → studying the Vedas and engaging in trade
With reference to the history of India, the terms “kulyavapa” and “dronavapa” denote
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Kulyavapa and dronavapa → measurement of land
Which of the following phrases defines the nature of the „Hundi‟ generally referred to in the sources of the post-Harsha period?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Hundi → a bill of exchange
With reference to forced labor (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Vishti (Gupta forced labour) → source of income for the State, a sort of tax
In the Manusmriti which form of marriage results from the “Voluntary union of a maiden and her lover” ?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Voluntary union of a maiden and her lover (Manusmriti) → sixth form (Gandharva)
According to the Manusmriti, women can acquire wealth through which of the following means?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Women acquire wealth (Manusmriti) → token of affection (of: purchase, investment, token of affection, inheritance)
Which of the following is/are the feature(s) of the Brahmadeya Grants during c 600–1200 AD? 1. Their creation meant a renunciation of actual or potential sources of revenue by the State. 2. These grants could vary from a small plot to several villages. 3. Most grants were made in unsettled areas. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Brahmadeya (c 600–1200 AD) → State renounced revenue sources | Size → small plot to several villages | Grants → mostly in settled areas, not unsettled
The Agrahara in early India was:
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Agrahara → village or land granted to Brahmins
Kamandaka‟s Nitisara is a contribution to:
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Kamandaka's Nitisara → political morality
Rakshasa type of marriage is:
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Rakshasa marriage → marriage by capture
In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs: Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Ghatika → education centre at Kanchipuram (Pallava period)
With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/ are the essential element/elements of the feudal system? 1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority. 2. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land. 3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Feudal system → administrative structure based on control and possession of land | Lord-vassal relationship | NOT: very strong central and very weak local authority
In medieval India, the designations „Mahattara‟ and „Pattakila‟ were used for
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Mahattara and Pattakila → village headmen
Consider the following statements Statement I: Kali age reflects the presence of deep social crisis characterised by varnasankara i.e., intermixture of varnas or social orders. Statement II: The Vaisyas and Sudras (peasants, artisans and labourers) either refused to perform producing functions or pay taxes or supply necessary labour for economic production resulting in weakening of Brahminical social order and social tension. Codes
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Kali age → deep social crisis, varnasankara (intermixture of varnas) | NOT: Vaisyas and Sudras refused production, taxes or labour
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:
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Guild → fixed wages, work rules, standards and prices | Guild → judicial powers over members | NOT: every guild registered with the State, king its chief authority
Assertion (A): The origin of feudal system in ancient India can be traced to military campaigns. Reason (R): There was considerable expansion of the feudal system during the Gupta period.
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Answer B (official UPSC key)Origin of feudal system → traced to military campaigns | Considerable expansion of feudal system in Gupta period | R does not explain A
Which one of the following was a corporation of merchants in ancient India?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Corporation of merchants → Manigrama
In the context of ancient Indian society, which one of the following terms does not belong to the category of the other three?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Odd one out (Kula, Vamsa, Kosa, Gotra) → Kosa
Who among the following were famous jurists of medieval India? 1. Vijnanesvara 2. Hemadri 3. Rajasekhara 4. Jimutavahana Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Famous jurists → Vijnanesvara, Hemadri, Jimutavahana (Rajasekhara not)
The term nishka, which meant an ornament in the Vedic period, was used in later times to denote a/an
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Nishka (Vedic ornament) → later denoted a coin
Who among the following was not a writer of legal texts?
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Answer D (official UPSC key)Not a writer of legal texts → Bharavi (of: Yajnavalkya, Manu, Narada, Bharavi)
Which one of the following can be classified as a "Pratiloma Marriage"?
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Pratiloma marriage → Brahmin girl marrying a Sudra boy
“Mitakshara” is associated with [1989]
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Answer A (official UPSC key)Mitakshara → Yajnavalkya (commentary on Yajnavalkya Smriti)
Major difference between 'Varna' and 'Jati', is that [1984]
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Varna vs Jati → Varnas only four, Jatis many
Who is regarded as the greatest law giver of ancient India?
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Answer C (official UPSC key)Greatest law giver of ancient India → Manu
Related topics
Prehistory & Stone Age · 22Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization · 65Vedic Age & Later Vedic Society · 48Mahajanapadas, Magadha & Nandas · 29Buddhism, Jainism & Other Sramana Movements · 100Mauryan Empire · 72Post-Mauryan Dynasties & Foreign Invaders · 69Sangam Age & Early Tamil Kingdoms · 20Gupta Empire · 79Harsha, Vakatakas & Post-Gupta Period · 20Foreign Contacts, Trade & Cultural Expansion (Ancient) · 19