Ans: B

Exp:

The Gupta period is remarkable for the production of secular literature. It was called the Golden Era for art and literature. The period saw the development of Sanskrit grammar based on Panini, who wrote Ashtadhyayi and Patanjali, who wrote Mahabhashya on the topic. This period is particularly memorable for the compilation of the Amarakosa, a thesaurus in Sanskrit, by Amarasimha.

In the Surya Siddanta, Aryabhatta (belonging to the late fifth and early sixth century CE) examined the true cause of solar eclipses. In the calculation of the size of the earth, he is very close to the modern estimation. He was the first astronomer to discover that the earth rotates on its own axis. He is also the author of Aryabhattiyam, which deals with arithmetic, geometry and algebra. 

 Abhijnanasakuntalam was written by Kalidasa and is considered to be one of the best hundred literary works in the world. It was one of the earliest Indian works to be translated into European languages, the other work being the Bhagavadgita. He wrote two other plays- the Malavikagnimitra and Vikramorvasiya. His two well-known epics are Raghuvamsa and Kumarasambhava. Ritusamhara and Meghaduta are his two lyrics.

Ans: D

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Buddhism was not so important in the Gupta period as it was in the days of Ashoka and Kanishka. It no longer received Royal patronage in the Gupta period. It suffered especially in Magadha, and Brahmanism had come to the forefront. The progress of Brahmanism led to the neglect of Buddhism and Jainism. Fahien refers to the decline of Buddhism in the Gangetic Valley. However, some stupas and viharas(monasteries) were constructed, and Nalanda became a centre of Buddhist education.

Statement 2 is correct: Idol worship in the temples became a common feature of Hinduism from the Gupta period. The two gods who commanded the worship of their followers were Vishnu and Shiva. Most of the Gupta kings were Vaishnavaites. The worship of images and celebration of religious festivals with elaborate rituals made Hinduism popular. Religious literature like the Puranas was composed during this period.

Statement 3 is correct: Though the Gupta Kings were mainly followers of Hinduism, they followed a policy of tolerance towards the different religious sects. We find no example of the persecution of the followers of Buddhism and Jainism. This was also on account of the change in the character of Buddhism, which had come to acquire many of the features of Hinduism.

Ans: B

Exp: 

Statement 1 is incorrect:  Allahabad pillar inscription or Prayaga Prashasti was composed in 33 lines by Harisena and engraved in Sanskrit in Nagari script. It is engraved on an Ashoka pillar in Kaushambi(near Allahabad), constructed by Ashoka, Emperor of the Maurya dynasty who flourished in the third century BCE. Later it was moved to Allahabad first. It does not bear any date, and for this reason, historians have presumed that it was composed probably before the Ashwamedha Yajna performed by Samudragupta.

Statement 2 is correct: It describes the personality of Samudragupta, the circumstances of his accession, his military campaigns in North India and Deccan, his relationship with other contemporary rulers and his accomplishments as a poet and scholar. In this inscription, Samudragupta is compared to Purusha(Supreme Being). As per this inscription, Samudra Gupta defeated 9 Kings in the North, 12 Kings in the South, reduced all the Atavika States to vassalage.

Ans: C

Exp:

 The Gupta empire was divided into provinces known as Deshas or Bhuktis administered by Governors known as Uparikas. The Provinces were further divided into districts called as Vishayas, controlled by Vishayapatis. The administrative units below the district level included clusters of settlements known variously as vithi, bhumi, pathaka and peta. Vithi was a part of Vishaya. A group or collection of villages was called Pathaka and Santaka. Smaller units of a village were Agrahara and Patta. There are also mentions of administrators referred to as ayuktakas and vithi-mahattaras. Mahattara has a range of meanings, including village elder, village headman and head of a family community. At the village level, villagers chose functionaries such as gramika and gramadhyaksha.

Ans: B

Exp: 

Statement 1 is correct: Contemporary to the Sakas were the Satavahanas in the Deccan. Establishing the initial monarchical authority in the Deccan after the decline of the Mauryan Empire, the Satavahana dynasty played a pivotal role in the region’s political landscape. 

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Satavahanas extended their power over Karnataka and Andhra. Their greatest competitors were the Shakas, who had established power in the upper Deccan and western India. At one stage the Satavahanas were dispossessed of their dominions by the Shakas in Maharashtra and western India. However, the fortunes of the Satavahanas were later restored by Gautamiputra Satakarni, who defeated the Shakas. The earliest inscriptions of the

Satavahanas relate to the first century BC, when they defeated the Kanvas and established power in parts of central India.

Statement 3 is incorrect:  According to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, there was the rivalry between the Kshatrapas and the Satavahanas over control of maritime trade and the competition between the ports of Bharuch and Kalyan. The Greek ships entering Kalyan, a port near present Bombay, were sent under guard to the port of Bharuch. Perhaps control of the lucrative foreign trade was one of the causes for the conflict between the Satavahanas and Kshatrapas.