Ans: B

Exp: 

Alexander marched to India through the Khyber Pass in 326 B.C. after conquering the Persian Empire. Ambhi, the prince of Taxila, and Porus, who ruled between the Jhelum and the Chenab, were the two kings of northwest India. They could have effectively resisted Alexander’s advancement if they had been able to put up a joint front, but they were unable to do so, and the Khyber Pass remained unguarded, which gave a passage to Alexander into India.

Reference: Chapter 16, Iranian and Macedonian Invasions, R.S. Sharma

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The Iranian ruler Darius penetrated north-west India in 516 BC and annexed the Punjab, west of the Indus and Sindh. These regions were known as the “Indian Satrapy” in the Iranian Empire. It was the most fertile and populous part of the empire. The tribute from these areas accounted for one-third of the total revenue Iran received from its Asian provinces.

Statement 2 is correct: The Indians were enrolled in the Iranian army. Xerxes, Darius’s successor, employed Indians in the long war against the Greeks.  It appears that parts of India continued to be a part of the Iranian empire until its invasion by Alexander. 

Reference: Chapter 16, Iranian and Macedonian Invasions, R.S. Sharma

Ans: A

Exp:

The Iranian scribes had introduced a writing system known as the Kharoshthi script in India. It was also known as the Gandhari Script. It was written in the Arabic style, from right to left. Some of the Ashokan inscriptions in north-west India were written in this script in the third century BC. It was employed in India until the third century AD.

Reference: Chapter 16, Iranian and Macedonian Invasions, R.S. Sharma

Ans: A

Exp:

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

Alexander’s invasion helped in the political unification of northern India under the Mauryas. The destruction of the small states in North-West India by Alexander aided the Mauryan empire’s easy expansion and also encouraged the Mauryas to capture the northwestern frontier of India. According to tradition, Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Maurya empire, had seen the workings of Alexander’s military machine and had acquired knowledge that helped him destroy the power of the Nandas. 

Reference: Chapter 16, Iranian and Macedonian Invasions, R.S. Sharma

Ans: C

Exp:

The Indo-Iranian contact lasted for about 200 years, and it had several significant outcomes as a result of that-

• • It gave an impetus to Indo-Iranian trade and commerce by the Persian Contact.

• The Iranian influence on Maurya sculpture can be seen in the monuments of Ashoka’s time, especially the bell-shaped capitals and Ashoka’s edicts 

• The Greeks learned about the great wealth of India through the Iranians, which whetted their greed and led to Alexander’s invasion of India.
• Iranian scribes brought into India a form of writing that came to be known as the Kharoshthi script. Some Ashokan inscriptions in north-west India were written in the third century BC in the Kharoshthi script.

Reference: Chapter 16, Iranian and Macedonian Invasions, R.S. Sharma