UGC NET History Practice Question

Arrange the following events in chronological order: (i) Defeat of Darius III by Alexander (ii) Battle of Hydaspes between Alexander and Porus (iii) Coronation of Emperor Ashoka (iv) Assassination of Brihadratha by Pushyamitra Sunga

(i), (ii), (iii), (iv) ✓

(ii), (i), (iii), (iv)

(i), (iii), (ii), (iv)

(iii), (i), (ii), (iv)

Correct order: Alexander defeated Darius III at Gaugamela (331 BCE) before advancing into India to fight Porus at Hydaspes (326 BCE); Ashoka's coronation followed later (c. 268 BCE); the Mauryan empire finally ended when Pushyamitra Sunga killed Brihadratha (c. 185 BCE) — a standard sequencing question testing the broad Mauryan-era timeline.

In the Mauryan administrative system, the officer designated as Samaharta was primarily responsible for:

Military recruitment

Collection of revenue and state expenditure management ✓

Judicial administration in urban courts

Maintenance of royal mints

The Samaharta, per Kautilya's Arthashastra, was the chief officer overseeing revenue collection across the empire and managing state expenditure — effectively the head of the Mauryan finance department, working alongside the Sannidhata (treasurer).

Which Mauryan Rock Edict explicitly mentions Ashoka's remorse over the suffering caused by the Kalinga War?

Major Rock Edict X

Major Rock Edict XII

Major Rock Edict XIII ✓

Pillar Edict VII

Major Rock Edict XIII is the famous "Kalinga Edict" in which Ashoka expresses deep remorse for the death and suffering caused by the Kalinga War and announces his turn toward Dhamma-conquest instead of military conquest.

The Saptanga theory of the state expounded by Kautilya includes which of the following seven elements?

Swami, Amatya, Janapada, Durg, Kosha, Danda, Mitra ✓

Raja, Praja, Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha, Danda

King, Priest, Merchant, Soldier, Farmer, Craftsman, Servant

Fort, Army, Treasury, Revenue, Spies, Religion, Trade

Kautilya's Saptanga (seven-limbed) theory of the state names Swami (king), Amatya (ministers), Janapada (territory/population), Durga (fort), Kosha (treasury), Danda (army/coercive power), and Mitra (ally) as the seven essential constituent elements of a state.

Which ruler belonging to the Western Kshatrapa dynasty restored the Sudarshana Lake dam and issued a Sanskrit inscription?

Nahapana

Rudradaman I ✓

Chastana

Jayadaman

Rudradaman I repaired the Sudarshana Lake embankment (originally Mauryan-built) and commemorated it in the Junagadh Rock Inscription — the same inscription notable as the earliest major Sanskrit epigraphic record.

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More Free UGC NET History Practice

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.