UGC NET History Practice Question

The Sangam period Patinenkilkanakku collections consist primarily of texts belonging to which theme?

Heroic war ballads

Didactic, ethical, and moral treatises ✓

Hymns dedicated to Murugan

Manuals on ship building and navigation

The Patinenkilkanakku ("Eighteen Minor Works"), which includes the Tirukkural, are predominantly didactic works on ethics, conduct, and moral philosophy, distinct from the heroic/martial Puram poetry of the main Sangam anthologies.

In epigraphy, the script known as Kharosthi was written in which direction?

Left to Right

Right to Left ✓

Top to Bottom

Boustrophedon (alternating directions)

Kharosthi, used mainly in the northwest (Gandhara region) and derived from Aramaic, was written right to left — unlike Brahmi, which was written left to right, this is a commonly tested distinguishing feature between the two major early Indian scripts.

Which of the following sites has yielded the earliest physical evidence of cultivated rice in the Indian subcontinent, dating back to c. 6000 BCE?

Mehrgarh

Lahuradewa / Koldihwa ✓

Burzahom

Chirand

Lahuradewa and Koldihwa in the Middle Ganga valley have produced some of the earliest claimed evidence of rice cultivation in South Asia, pushing back the timeline for Neolithic agriculture in the eastern Gangetic region, though some early rice-husk dating remains debated among archaeologists.

The Milindapanha is a famous Pali dialogue on Buddhist philosophy held between King Menander I and which Buddhist monk?

Nagasena ✓

Moggaliputta Tissa

Vasubandhu

Upagupta

The Milindapanha records a philosophical dialogue between the Indo-Greek king Menander I (Milinda) and the Buddhist monk Nagasena, an important source for understanding Indo-Greek engagement with Buddhism in the northwest.

Which Purana is explicitly divided into two major sections called Purva-khanda and Uttara-khanda and contains extensive geographical data on sacred sites (Tirthas)?

Skanda Purana

Padma Purana ✓

Agni Purana

Markandeya Purana

The Padma Purana is structured with distinct khandas (sections) including extensive Tirtha-mahatmya (sacred-site glorification) content, making it a valuable, if legend-heavy, source for the historical geography of pilgrimage sites.

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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.