Ancient History MCQ – Ancient history spans the time from 3000 BC to 750 AD on all continents where people were present. The Bronze Age is usually accepted to represent the start of recorded history. The three-age approach divides ancient history into the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.

Ancient History MCQ
1. In Indus Valley Civilization in which of the following location clay model of a plow found?
A) Mohenjodaro
B) Harappa
C) Kalibangan
D) Lothal
2. Which of the following Upanishads mentions the term Satyamev jayate?
A) Katha Upanishad
B) Mundaka Upanishad
C) Isha Upanishad
D) Chandogya Upanishad
3. Who is regarded as Indian archaeology founding father?
A) John Marshall
B) Alexander Cunningham
C) Mortimer Wheeler
D) R. D. Banerji
4. Who was the first Indian mathematician approach mathematics as a field of study?
A) Aryabhata
B) Brahmagupta
C) Bhaskaracharya
D) Varahamihira
Ancient History MCQ
5. Which of the following king killed the final Mauryan king Brihadrath?
A) Pushyamitra Shunga
B) Vasudeva Kanva
C) Kharavela
D) Simuka
6. From which of these kingdoms did Gautama Buddha mother Mahamaya come from _.
A) Magadha
B) Kosala
C) Sakya
D) Vatsa
7. Which of the following was the Satavahanas official language?
A) Sanskrit
B) Prakrit
C) Pali
D) Tamil
8. Which dynasty is associated with the Gandhara School of Art?
A) Kushan
B) Gupta
C) Maurya
D) Shunga
9. Buddha get enlightenment in which of the following tree?
A) Ashoka tree
B) Peepal tree
C) Neem tree
D) Mango tree
Ancient History MCQ
10. What is Pulkeshin ruling period?
A) 543–566 CE
B) 610–642 CE
C) 270–232 BCE
D) 78–102 CE
11. What is the Yajur Vedas Upveda?
A) Ayurveda
B) Dhanurveda
C) Gandharvaveda
D) Arthashastra
12. Which the Indian Subcontinent has the earliest indications of agriculture?
A) Mehrgarh
B) Harappa
C) Lothal
D) Kalibangan
13. Who was the first monarch of Indo-Greeks who convert there religion to Buddhism?
A) Menander I
B) Demetrius I
C) Antialcidas
D) Apollodotus I
14. Which of the following helped the Rajukas with secretarial bookkeeping and other odd jobs?
A) Yuktas
B) Sthanikas
C) Gopas
D) Mahamatras
Ancient History MCQ
15. Which language was employed in the inscriptions and currency of Kanishka?
A) Sanskrit
B) Prakrit
C) Greek
D) Bactrian
16. Which of the following dynasties monarchs identified as Brahma – Kshatriya?
A) Satavahana
B) Gupta
C) Kushan
D) Maurya
17. Which is the North – East Indian Neolithic site?
A) Burzahom
B) Mehrgarh
C) Chirand
D) Hallur
18. Who established the Kingdom of Rashtrakutas?
A) Dantidurga
B) Amoghavarsha
C) Krishna I
D) Govinda III
19. The first punched marked coins are introduced in which century.
A) 6th century BCE
B) 5th century BCE
C) 4th century BCE
D) 3rd century BCE
Ancient History MCQ
20. Which caves is the well known Kailasa rock cut temple, located in___________.
A) Ajanta Caves
B) Ellora Caves
C) Elephanta Caves
D) Udayagiri Caves
21. Which of the following was the principal city of the kingdom of Satavahana?
A) Ujjain
B) Paithan
C) Taxila
D) Kanchipuram
22. Which of the following is known as Mohenjodaros largest construction?
A) The Great Bath
B) The Assembly Hall
C) The Granary
D) The Priest King’s Residence
23. Which of the following describes the major location of Ochre Colored Pottery (OCP) culture?
A) Gangetic Plain
B) Indus Valley
C) Deccan Plateau
D) Eastern India
24. The author of the well-known book Brihat Katha?
A) Kalidasa
B) Banabhatta
C) Gunadhya
D) Vishakhadatta
Ancient History MCQ
25. How many well known mahajanapadas existed in ancient India?
A) 12
B) 16
C) 24
D) 32
26. What does the phrase ‘limbs of the Vedas’ mean?
A) The four primary texts of the Vedas
B) The six Vedangas that are auxiliary disciplines of the Vedas
C) The various interpretations and commentaries on the Vedas
D) The different recensions of each Veda
27. Which of the following has a mention to the ‘Great Flood’?
A) Rig Veda
B) Mahabharata
C) Ramayana
D) Satapatha Brahmana
28. Which of the following best describes the term ‘followers of the way of life’?
A) Brahmins
B) Kshatriyas
C) Vaishyas
D) Shramanas
29. Which of the following described the Mauryan administrations primary revenue source?
A) Trade tariffs and duties
B) Agriculture and land taxes
C) Tribute from conquered territories
D) State-owned enterprises and monopolies
Ancient History MCQ
30. Where did the Mahasamghika School originate?
A) Bodh Gaya
B) Sarnath
C) Rajagriha
D) Vaishali
31. Which racial group was identified as the architect of the Indus civilization?
A) Dravidian
B) Aryan
C) Sumerian
D) Mediterranean
32. Which of the following describes the Sama Vedas recensions, or Shakhas?
A) Only one recension is known
B) Two main recensions, Kauthuma and Ranayaniya
C) Multiple recensions, similar to the Rig Veda
D) No recensions; it is a singular text
33. Which dynasty displayed their passion for music through coins?
A) Gupta
B) Kushan
C) Maurya
D) Chola
34. Which of the following is regarded as the final Buddhist text to be compiled in India?
A) Lotus Sutra
B) Divyavadana
C) Milindapanha
D) Abhidhamma Pitaka
Ancient History MCQ
35. In which book is the Buddhist conversation between Nagasena and Menander I documented?
A) Digha Nikaya
B) Milindapanha
C) Majjhima Nikaya
D) Vinaya Pitaka
36. Who dispatched the Greek king Megasthenes to Chandragupta Maurya’s court?
A) Alexander the Great
B) Seleucus Nicator
C) Antiochus I
D) Ptolemy I Soter
37. Which of the subsequent historical Tamil kingdoms achieved popularity because of Sangam literature?
A) Chera
B) Chola
C) Pandya
D) Pallava
38. Where exactly is the ancient site Deh Morasi Ghundai located?
A) India
B) Pakistan
C) Afghanistan
D) Bangladesh
39. Which of the following ancient kingdoms had Pushkalavati as its capital?
A) Gandhara
B) Kosala
C) Magadha
D) Vatsa
Ancient History MCQ
40. Among the following Indo-Greek kings, which of them appointed Heliodorus as his Greek ambassador?
A) Antialcidas
B) Menander I
C) Apollodotus II
D) Demetrius
41. Who wrote the oldest Prakrit grammar that is currently in existence, Prākrita Prakāśa?
A) Vararuchi
B) Panini
C) Patanjali
D) Hemachandra
42. In the Barabar Hill area, those who took advantage of Asoka’s services were __?
A) Merchants and traders
B) Ajivikas and other ascetics
C) Soldiers and administrators
D) Farmers and peasants
43. Which of the subsequent monarchs held the title “Avanisimha”?
A) Pulakeshin II
B) Harsha
C) Samudragupta
D) Rajendra Chola
44. Who was regarded as yogas founder?
A) Patanjali
B) Adi Shankaracharya
C) Swami Vivekananda
D) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Ancient History MCQ
45. Who was the doctor in the court of Kanishka?
A) Charaka
B) Sushruta
C) Vagbhata
D) Patanjali
46. Who was Ajatashatrus father?
A) Bimbisara
B) Udayin
C) Chanda Pradyota Mahasena
D) Pasenadi
47. Which of these sects did King Kharavela practice?
A) Buddhism
B) Jainism
C) Vaishnavism
D) Shaivism
48. Which of the following groups issued gold coins first?
A) Mauryans
B) Guptas
C) Indo-Greeks
D) Kushanas
49. The primary proponent of materialistic philosophy in ancient India was who?
A) Nagarjuna
B) Kapila
C) Charvaka
D) Kanada
Ancient History MCQ
50. Where was the first Sermon delivered by the Buddha?
A) Bodh Gaya
B) Sarnath
C) Kushinagar
D) Lumbini
60. Which of the following locations did Buddha allow women to join the sangha as Bhikshunis?
A) Bodh Gaya
B) Sarnath
C) Kushinagar
D) Vaishali
61. What era is the standing statue of Gautam Buddha from?
A) Mauryan Period
B) Gupta Period
C) Kushan Period
D) Sunga Period
62. To which literature does the well-known Tolkappiyam from the Sangam era belong?
A) Tamil
B) Sanskrit
C) Pali
D) Prakrit
63. Which of the subsequent emperors instituted the two laws, the Danda Samata and the Vyavahar Samta?
A) Ashoka
B) Chandragupta II
C) Samudragupta
D) Harshavardhana
64. Which of the following, which one is not a Buddhist sect?
A) Theravada
B) Mahayana
C) Vajrayana
D) Charvaka
Ancient History MCQ
65. Which of the following groups issued the first recorded satraps in Mathura?
A) Mauryans
B) Kushans
C) Indo-Greeks
D) Shakas
66. What emblem symbolizes the Buddha’s birth?
A) Lotus
B) Bodhi Tree
C) Wheel
D) Elephant
67. Which of the following monarchs constructed a stupa in Purushpura (modern Peshawar) to store the Buddha’s relics?
A) Ashoka
B) Kanishka
C) Harsha
D) Chandragupta II
69. In the sixth century BCE, large geographical states in North India were referred to as?
A) Janapadas
B) Mahajanapadas
C) Rajyas
D) Mandalas
Ancient History MCQ
70. Which city served as the capital in the sixth century BCE?
A) Pataliputra
B) Varanasi
C) Rajgir
D) Ujjain
71. In the sixth century BCE, what was the name of the wealthy peasants?
A) Grihapatis
B) Vaisyas
C) Shudras
D) Kshatriyas
72. Which of the following inscriptions refers to Ashoka as Buddhashakya?
A) Rock Edict XIII
B) Pillar Edict VII
C) The Maski Edict
D) The Sarnath Inscription
73. Which of the following rock edicts referenced Dhamma Mahamattas?
A) Rock Edict V
B) Rock Edict XII
C) Pillar Edict II
D) Rock Edict IV
74. Who established the Vakatakas’ Vatsagulma lineage?
A) Vindhyashakti
B) Pravarasena I
C) Rudrasena II
D) Prithvisena II
Ancient History MCQ
75. Which Pallava king constructed Mahabalipuram’s Shore Temple?
A) Mahendravarman I
B) Narasimhavarman I
C) Rajasimha (Narasimhavarman II)
D) Paramesvaravarman I
76. Which of the following king referred to as “the first empire builder of Indian history”?
A) Chandragupta Maurya
B) Samudragupta
C) Ashoka
D) Harshavardhana
77. Which of the following Gupta dynasty emperors initiated the Gupta Era?
A) Chandragupta I
B) Samudragupta
C) Chandragupta II
D) Kumaragupta I
78. The author of the Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha was which of the following?
A) Kalidasa
B) Amarasimha
C) Vishnusharma
D) Varahamihira
79. Which location was the foundation for the larger-than-life stone sculpture of a horse?
A) Sanchi
B) Ajanta
C) Ellora
D) Lepakshi
Ancient History MCQ
80. Following Pravarasena’s death, the Vakataka kingdom split into which of the following ruling branches?
A) Nandivardhana and Vatsagulma
B) Magadha and Kosala
C) Gandhara and Kamboja
D) Kuru and Panchala
Important MCQs of Indian History
- History of India MCQS
- Indus Valley Civilization MCQ
- Vedic Civilization MCQ
- Ancient History MCQ
- Medieval Indian History MCQ
- Modern Indian History MCQ
- Gupta Dynasty MCQ
- South Indian History MCQ
- Delhi Sultanate MCQ
- Mughal Empire MCQ
- Maratha Empire MCQ
- MCQ on Vijayanagara Empire
- Magadha Empire MCQ
- Battle of Panipat MCQs
- Battle of Plassey MCQ
- Battle of Buxar MCQ
- Battle of Haldighati MCQ
- Sangam Age MCQ
- Stone Age MCQ
- Bronze Age MCQ
- Iron Age MCQ