Multiple choice

The phrase ‘both the pillars and the capitals’ in the passage refers to which capitals?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

Asoka's edicts are to be found scattered in more than 30 places throughout India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Most of them are written in Brahmi script from which all Indian scripts and many of those used in Southeast Asia later developed. The language used in the edicts found in the eastern part of the sub-continent is a type of Magadhi, probably the official language of Asoka's court. The language used in the edicts found in the western part of India is closer to Sanskrit although one bilingual edict in Afghanistan is written in Aramaic and Greek. Asoka's edicts, which comprise the earliest decipherable corpus of written documents from India, have survived throughout the centuries because they are written on rocks and stone pillars. These pillars in particular are testimony to the technological and artistic genius of ancient Indian civilisation. Originally, there must have been many of them, although only 10 with inscriptions still survive. Averaging between  40 and 50 feet in height, and weighing up to 50 tonnes each, all the pillars were quarried at Chunar, just south of Varanasi and dragged, sometimes hundreds of miles, to where they were erected. Each pillar was originally capped by a capital, sometimes a roaring lion, a noble bull or a spirited horse, and the few capitals that survive are widely recognised as masterpieces of Indian art. Both the pillars and the capitals exhibit a remarkable mirror-like polish that has survived despite centuries of exposure to the elements.

  1. The capitals of the places where the pillars were found

  2. The capitals of places where edicts were issued

  3. The figures on the top of the pillars

  4. Cannot be determined

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The last and the second last lines of the passage mention the capitals. These are the figures which cap the pillars or are found on the top of the pillars. ‘Each pillar was originally capped by a capital, sometimes a roaring lion, a noble bull or a spirited horse, and the few capitals that survive are widely recognised as masterpieces of Indian art. Both the pillars and the capitals exhibit a remarkable mirror-like polish that has survived despite centuries of exposure to the elements.‘