History · General Awareness

Ancient and World History

5,011 Questions

Ancient and world history covers the rise and fall of major civilizations, their cultural practices, and their administrative developments. Topics span from the Persian and Byzantine empires to the architectural marvels of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. This collection of practice questions is tailored for candidates preparing for history and general studies sections.

Ancient CivilizationsMilitary TacticsByzantine EmpirePersian EmpireCultural Blending

Ancient and World History Questions

Multiple choice

Who named this civilization as Indus Valley Civilization?

  1. Daya Ram sahni(1921)

  2. Sir John Marshall(1924)

  3. Both

  4. None
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sir John Marshall, the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, officially named and announced the civilization as the 'Indus Valley Civilization' in 1924 after examining findings from sites at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Daya Ram Sahni discovered and began excavating Harappa in 1921, but Marshall formally identified and named it as a distinct civilization in 1924.

Multiple choice

The largest IVC site is

  1. Mohenjodaro

  2. Allahdino

  3. Dholavira

  4. None
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mohenjodaro is the largest known site of the Indus Valley Civilization, covering approximately 300 hectares. It was the major urban center with the most extensive architectural remains including the Great Bath, granary, and citadel.

Multiple choice

Where was the mohenjodaro city situated?

  1. Punjab, northeast Pakistan

  2. Sindh, province of Pakistan

  3. Unknown

  4. None
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Mohenjodaro was located in the Larkana district of Sindh province in present-day Pakistan. It was one of the largest cities of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Multiple choice

Which of the following modern area was not covered in ancient IVC?

  1. Pakistan (sindh & punjab)

  2. India (Gujrat and rajasthan)

  3. Baloochistan

  4. none
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

All the listed modern regions were part of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization: Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan, Gujarat and Rajasthan in India, and Balochistan region. Therefore 'none' (meaning no area was left uncovered) is correct.

Multiple choice

The Indus Valley Civilisation is also called the

  1. Harappan culture

  2. Ganges culture

  3. Mughal culture

  4. Greek culture
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Indus Valley Civilisation is alternatively known as the Harappan culture, named after the first site discovered at Harappa in 1921. This nomenclature reflects archaeological naming conventions.

Multiple choice

Where did Alexander die?

  1. Taxila

  2. Babylon

  3. Patala

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 BCE at age 32. After returning from his Indian campaign, he settled in Babylon and fell ill, likely due to fever or poisoning. Taxila was a center of learning in India he visited, and Patala (near modern Hyderabad, Pakistan) was a city he founded on the Indus.

Multiple choice

Which of the following places is known as the cradle of Greek civilization?

  1. Sparta

  2. Athens

  3. Volos

  4. Larissa
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Athens is considered the cradle of Greek civilization as it birthed democracy, philosophy, art, and political science in the 5th century BCE. Figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle lived there, and it produced architectural marvels like the Parthenon. Sparta was a militaristic rival city-state, while Volos and Larissa are Thessalian cities of lesser historical prominence.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct about the silk routes?

a. Several silk routes have been identified by historians that lay over land and sea. b. Silk routes are known to have existed since before the Christian era and thrived almost till the fifteenth century. c. Chinese pottery, textiles, gold and silver travelled from China and spices from India and Southeast Asia to Europe.

  1. a, b and c

  2. a and b

  3. a only

  4. b only

  5. c only
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as both these statements are correct.

Multiple choice

Which city at different times was conquered by Alexander the Great Pompey, Christian Crusaders and Islamic ruler Saladin

  1. Athens

  2. Istanbul

  3. Jerusalem

  4. Rome
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Jerusalem has been conquered by multiple historical figures including Alexander the Great, Pompey, Christian Crusaders, and Saladin. Its strategic and religious significance made it a target throughout ancient and medieval history. Athens, Istanbul, and Rome do not match this specific combination.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank: Magasthenes was the ambassador of ____________.

  1. Nearchus

  2. Alexander

  3. Seleucus

  4. Porus
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus I Nicator (the Seleucid king) to the court of Chandragupta Maurya around 305-303 BCE. He wrote 'Indica,' a valuable account of ancient Indian society, politics, and geography. Seleucus had sent him after making peace with Chandragupta following the Seleucid-Mauryan war, establishing diplomatic relations between the two empires.

Multiple choice

Who started the ancient Olympic Games?

  1. The Egyptians

  2. The Romans

  3. The Greeks

  4. The Jews
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The ancient Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece, specifically in Olympia. They were not started by Egyptians, Romans, or Jews. The Greeks held these games as part of religious festivals starting around 776 BC.

Multiple choice

Which civilization was built and developed on the banks of the Tiber river?

  1. Russian Civilisation

  2. Roman Civilisation

  3. Arian Civilisation

  4. Indus Valley Civilisation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Roman civilization was founded on the banks of the Tiber River in central Italy. Rome's legendary founding dates to 753 BCE along the Tiber, which provided water, transportation, and fertile soil for agricultural development.

Multiple choice

Alexander defeated porus in 326 BC at the battle of

  1. Panipat

  2. Tarain

  3. Thaneswar

  4. Hydaspes
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Battle of Hydaspes was fought in 326 BC between Alexander's army and King Porus of the Paurava kingdom. The battle took place on the banks of the Hydaspes River (modern-day Jhelum River in Pakistan). Alexander won this battle but was so impressed by Porus's bravery that he allowed him to continue ruling his kingdom.

Multiple choice

Why did the Admiral circumnavigate Africa?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows.

Before telling how the ancients got to know that part of the world with which they finally became acquainted when the Roman Empire was at its greatest extent, it is as well to get some idea of the successive stages of their knowledge, leaving for the next chapter the story of how that knowledge was obtained. As in most branches of organised knowledge, it is to the Greeks that we owe our association with ancient views of this subject. In the early stages, they possibly learned something from the Phœnicians, who were the great traders and sailors of ancient times and who coasted along the Mediterranean, passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, and traded with the British Isles, which they visited for the tin found in Cornwall. It is even said that one of their admirals, at the command of Necho, King of Egypt, circumnavigated Africa, for Herodotus reports that on the homeward voyage, the sun set in the sea on the right hand. But the Phœnicians kept their geographical knowledge to themselves as a trade secret, and the Greeks learned, but little from them.

  1. He did so by his own wish.

  2. He wanted to rule Africa.

  3. He did so by the command of Necho.

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The line 'It is even said that one of their admirals, at the command of Necho .... homeward voyage the sun set in the sea on the right hand' suggests the answer.