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.
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.
The title Kaviraja (King of Poets) was assumed by which Gupta emperor on account of his patronization of fine arts?
Chandragupta I
Samudragupta ✓
Chandragupta II
Kumaragupta I
Samudragupta adopted the title Kaviraja, reflecting his own literary accomplishments and patronage of the arts — consistent with his "Lyrist" coin type showing him playing the Veena, projecting an image of the cultured warrior-king.
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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.
