Ans: B

Exp:

Pair 1 is correct: Sannidhata was the treasurer who was responsible for the storage of royal treasure, and of the state income both in cash and kind.

Pair 2 is incorrect: Sallekhana is death by fasting (religious) Since the founding of the religion, Jainism has given prominence to Sallekhana, death by ritual fasting facing north, as exemplified in the deaths of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya.

Pair 3 is correct: The Mauryan empire was a vast territorial entity. Various levels of administration were required to govern it well. Senior officers called pradeshikas were tasked with touring the empire every five years and performing an audit as well as keeping a check on the provincial administration. The Yukta was a junior officer giving secretarial kind of assistance to the other two. The officials fulfilled the following duties: survey and assessment of land; tours and inspections; revenue collection; and maintaining law and order.

Ans: C

Exp:

There are a total 33 inscriptions and are primarily classified into Major Rock Edicts, Minor Rock Edicts, Separate Rock Edicts, Major Pillar Edicts, and Minor Pillar Edicts.

Pair 1 is correct: 

First Edict: Declared prohibition of animal sacrifice.

Pair 2 is incorrect: 

Fourth Edict: Bheri Ghosha (war drum) replaced by Dhamma Ghosha and King Ashoka attached greatest value to this duty 

Fifth Edict: Appointment of Dhamma Mahamattas, a special cadre of officials entrusted to spread dhamma within the kingdom

Pair 3 is correct: 

Seventh Edict: Religious tolerance amongst all sects and welfare measures for public not only in his own kingdom but also in the neighbouring kingdoms of Cholas, Pandyas, and that of Antiochus in the north-west.

Pair 4 is correct: 

Thirteenth Edict: The Kalinga war (261 BCE, occurred in the ninth year after Ashoka’s consecration) changed his attitude and Ashoka, who was the worshipper of Shiva, turned towards Buddhism.

Ans: A

Exp: 

Originally from Topra (near Haryana) and Meerut, respectively, the  Mauryan columns were brought to the capital by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, who ruled Delhi in the 14th Century.

Legend goes that the emperor was fascinated by these pillars when he noticed them during his military campaigns. Tarikh-i- Firoz Shahi recalls that the king said that the pillars were the walking sticks of Bhima from the Mahabharata. Filled with admiration, Tughlaq decided to bring them to Delhi as trophies of his conquest.

Ans: B

Exp: 

The Kandahar inscription speaks of the success of his policy with the hunters and fishermen, who gave up killing animals and possibly took to a settled agricultural life. 

Ans: B

Exp:

The Maurya dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya. He took advantage of the growing weakness and unpopularity of the Nandas in the last days of their rule With the help of Chanakya, who is known as Kautilya, he overthrew the Nandas and established the rule of the Maurya dynasty. 

• Justin, A Greek writer, said that Chandragupta overran the whole of India with an army of 600,000 and Chandragupta liberated north-western India from the thraldom of Seleucus, who ruled over the area west of the Indus. In the war with the Greek viceroy, Chandragupta seems to have come out victorious. Eventually peace was concluded between the two, and in return for 500 elephants Seleucus gave him eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area west of the Indus. Hence, option B is the correct answer.