From the free UGC NET History Mock Test 2 — Unit 2: From State to Empire unit-wise mock test — real question, real answer, real explanation.
The system of Agrahara grants, which became widespread from the Gupta period onward, refers to:
Land granted tax-free to Brahmanas or religious institutions for learning and maintenance ✓
Land granted to military commanders in lieu of cash salary
Royal lands cultivated by state slaves
Revenue concessions granted to overseas traders
Agrahara grants were tax-free land donations made to Brahmanas or religious/educational institutions, becoming common from the Gupta period — an important source for understanding both land-revenue history and the spread of Brahmanical learning centers.
Which Mauryan ruler sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to propagate Buddhism?
Chandragupta Maurya
Bindusara
Ashoka ✓
Dasharatha
Ashoka sent his son Mahinda (Mahendra) and daughter Sanghamitta (Sanghamitra) to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism — an event central to Sri Lankan chronicles (Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa) and to Ashoka's broader Dhamma-propagation policy after the Kalinga War.
The term Pratishthana (modern Paithan in Maharashtra) served as the capital city of which dynasty?
Satavahana Dynasty ✓
Vakataka Dynasty
Ikshvaku Dynasty
Rashtrakuta Dynasty
Pratishthana (modern Paithan) served as a — and by some accounts the principal — capital of the Satavahana dynasty, a major center of Deccan political and commercial life during their rule.
Who was the Gupta ruler defeated by the Huna invader Toramana, leading to significant disruption in Northern India?
Kumaragupta I
Skandagupta
Narasimhagupta Baladitya ✓
Budhagupta
Toramana's Huna invasion inflicted major defeats on the later Gupta rulers, with Narasimhagupta Baladitya generally identified as the king defeated, contributing to the empire's political fragmentation — though Skandagupta had earlier successfully repelled an initial Huna attack.
The Fourth Buddhist Council, during which Buddhism split into Hinayana and Mahayana sects, was held at:
Rajagriha
Vaishali
Pataliputra
Kundalavana (Kashmir) ✓
The Fourth Buddhist Council, patronized by Kanishka, was held at Kundalavana in Kashmir, where the Sarvastivada school's texts were compiled and the Mahayana-Hinayana doctrinal split is traditionally associated with this period.
This is one question from a free, complete 50-question Unit-Wise mock test — take the real thing, under real time pressure, for free.
Take the Free Mock Test →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.
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Itihaaskar — UGC NET/JRF & UPSC History Optional notes by Parveen Malik (B.Tech. (CSE), M.A. (History), History JRF). Also spelt Itihaskar.
