UGC NET History Practice Question

Which of the following Brahmi inscriptions is considered the earliest evidence of the use of Sanskrit in ancient Indian epigraphy?

Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela

Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I ✓

Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta

Aihole Inscription of Pulakeshin II

Rudradaman I's Junagadh Rock Inscription (c. 150 CE) is the earliest known long inscription composed in chaste, classical Sanskrit. Earlier royal inscriptions, including Ashoka's edicts, used Prakrit — Sanskrit only became the dominant epigraphic language centuries later.

The term 'Arikamedu' in ancient Indian archaeological contexts is primarily associated with which type of historical source material?

Prehistoric rock art sites

Indo-Roman trading hub with amphorae and Arretine ware ✓

Vedic sacrificial altars

Early Medieval temple granaries

Arikamedu, near Puducherry, was excavated by Mortimer Wheeler and revealed Roman amphorae, Arretine ware, and glass beads, confirming it as a major Indo-Roman trading settlement of the early centuries CE and a key archaeological source for maritime trade history.

In the context of Vedic literature, which text explicitly describes the process of agricultural ploughing with six, eight, twelve, or twenty-four oxen?

Rigveda Samhita

Shatapatha Brahmana

Taittiriya Samhita

Kathaka Samhita ✓

The Kathaka Samhita, a Yajurveda text, contains this specific description of multi-yoke ploughing, illustrating the growing scale and sophistication of Later Vedic agriculture compared to the pastoral emphasis of the earlier Rigvedic period.

Which of the following ancient Greek accounts mentions the division of Indian society into seven distinct occupational classes?

Geographia by Ptolemy

Indica by Megasthenes ✓

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

Bibliotheca Historica by Diodorus Siculus

Megasthenes, the Seleucid ambassador at Chandragupta Maurya's court, described Indian society as divided into seven classes (philosophers, farmers, herdsmen, artisans, soldiers, overseers, and councillors) in his Indica — a foreigner's outsider view, not identical to the varna system.

What is the primary subject matter of the ancient Tamil Sangam text Tolkappiyam?

Heroic poetry and martial deeds

Tamil grammar, poetics, and social conventions ✓

Philosophical discourses on Jainism

Maritime trade routes and currency systems

The Tolkappiyam is the oldest extant Tamil grammar, systematically covering phonology, grammar, and poetics (akam and puram conventions) — it is a foundational text for reconstructing Sangam-age society and literary norms, not a narrative or trade record.

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This question is part of our free Unit-Wise mock test series, drawn from the same real question bank used across every UGC NET History mock test on this site. For structured, chapter-by-chapter notes covering everything these questions test, see our UGC NET History Notes, or try the History Glossary Flashcard Quiz for daily term-by-term practice.