Characteristics of Early Medieval India – UGC NET History – Practice Questions

Polity and Political Structures in Early Medieval India

1. The concept of the Early Medieval period in Indian history as a distinct phase was introduced primarily during which decade?
A) 1940s
B) 1950s
C) 1960s
D) 1970s

2. The Early Medieval period in Indian history is generally dated between:
A) 3rd to 8th century CE
B) 4th to 10th century CE
C) 6th to 12th/13th century CE
D) 8th to 15th century CE

3. Initially, historians viewed the Early Medieval period as:
A) A continuation of Vedic polity
B) Entirely different from the Early Historic phase
C) Similar to the Mughal polity
D) Identical to Gupta administration

4. Which form of polity dominated most parts of India during the Early Medieval period?
A) Republics
B) Tribal oligarchies
C) Confederacies
D) Monarchy

5. The Early Medieval period was once viewed as a transition between the decline of the Gupta Empire and the establishment of:
A) Mughal Empire
B) Vijayanagara Empire
C) Delhi Sultanate
D) Bahmani Sultanate

6. Which of the following was a major reason for some historians considering the Early Medieval period a “dark period”?
A) Lack of trade
B) Religious intolerance
C) Absence of vast territorial empires
D) Foreign invasions alone

7. The study of Early Medieval polity is primarily based on:
A) Coins and pottery
B) Foreign travelogues only
C) Temple architecture only
D) Inscriptions of ruling dynasties

8. Which among the following texts is a Smriti text useful for understanding polity in early medieval India?
A) Harshacharita
B) Rajatarangini
C) Sukranitisara
D) Kadambari

9. The Nitisara was composed by:
A) Bana
B) Vishakhadatta
C) Kalhana
D) Kamandaka

10. Charita Kavyas are best described as:
A) Religious hymns
B) Scientific treatises
C) Biographical compositions
D) Temple manuals

11. The ‘segmentary state’ model was originally created by:
A) Burton Stein
B) R.G. Fox
C) A. Southall
D) J.C. Heesterman

12. A. Southall developed the ‘segmentary state’ model based on his study of:
A) South India
B) Central Asia
C) Europe
D) East Africa

13. J.C. Heesterman applied the segmentary state model in relation to:
A) Temple economy
B) Mandala theory
C) Feudalism
D) Caste hierarchy

14. Burton Stein applied the segmentary state model to:
A) Mauryan polity
B) Mughal administration
C) South Indian polity from the Chola period onward
D) Gupta administration

15. R.G. Fox applied the segmentary state model to the organization of Rajput clans in:
A) Rajasthan during Sultanate rule
B) Punjab during Mughal period
C) U.P. during late Mughal period
D) Gujarat during Maratha rule

16. The concept of “Oriental Despotism” emphasized:
A) Democratic polity
B) Decentralized administration
C) Religious pluralism
D) Changeless polity and society

17. Who argued that hydraulic property and society prevailed in India from written history to the 19th century?
A) D.D. Kosambi
B) A.S. Altekar
C) K.A. Wittfogel
D) B.D. Chattopadhyaya

18. In monarchical states, the king was generally regarded as:
A) Symbolic ruler
B) Constitutional monarch
C) Religious authority only
D) Absolute despot despite benevolence

19. According to A.S. Altekar, the malaise of polity was generated by:
A) Tribal invasions
B) Religious conflict
C) Feudal tendencies
D) Maritime trade decline

20. T.V. Mahalingam highlighted checks on royal absolutism through:
A) Guilds
B) Peasants
C) Temples alone
D) Samantas or Mahamandalesvaras

21. K.A. Nilakanta Sastri described Chola polity as a transition from:
A) Feudalism to democracy
B) Republic to monarchy
C) Tribal chieftaincy to almost Byzantine royalty
D) Nomadic polity to temple polity

22. R.C. Majumdar viewed the reign of which ruler as the last resistance to political fragmentation?
A) Samudragupta
B) Rajaraja Chola
C) Chandragupta II
D) Harshavardhana

23. According to R.C. Majumdar, the decline after Harsha represented:
A) Rise of centralized monarchy
B) Failure of ideal imperial political order
C) Buddhist resurgence
D) Colonial intervention

24. Indian Feudalism theory was mainly proposed by:
A) Romila Thapar and Irfan Habib
B) D.D. Kosambi and R.S. Sharma
C) Burton Stein and Nilakanta Sastri
D) Altekar and Majumdar

25. The Indian Feudalism theory characterizes Early Medieval polity mainly through:
A) Strong bureaucratic centralization
B) Tribal republicanism
C) Political fragmentation
D) Maritime expansion

26. In feudal polity, the binary opposition between state and peasantry was replaced by:
A) Urban-rural divide
B) Temple-market nexus
C) Brahmana-Kshatriya alliance
D) Hierarchical intermediaries

27. Feudal polity crystallized centuries after the:
A) Gupta state
B) Chola empire
C) Mauryan state
D) Delhi Sultanate

28. Which early polities displayed some feudal elements according to historians?
A) Kushana and Satavahana
B) Chola and Pallava
C) Maurya and Gupta
D) Mughal and Sultanate

Correct Answer: A) Kushana and Satavahana

29. The widespread practice of assigning land instead of cash weakened the state mainly because it:
A) Increased urbanization
B) Enhanced trade
C) Transferred administrative and judicial rights
D) Reduced agriculture

30. The weakening of sovereignty through land assignments is termed:
A) Sanskritization
B) Ritualization
C) Urbanization
D) Parcelization of sovereignty

31. According to B.D. Chattopadhyaya, the Mauryan state represented a relationship between:
A) Tribes and republics
B) Metropolitan state and differentiated polities
C) Temples and guilds
D) Villages and cities

32. The decline of the Mauryan state, according to B.D. Chattopadhyaya, did NOT create:
A) Regional kingdoms
B) Political diversity
C) Political or economic crisis in state areas
D) New agrarian settlements

33. The samanta system was shown as central to early medieval polity by:
A) Burton Stein
B) B.N.S. Yadava
C) Wittfogel
D) A.S. Altekar

34. Agraharas and brahmadeyas refer to:
A) Military posts
B) Tax systems
C) Land grants
D) Trade guilds

35. The legitimation process in polity refers to:
A) Bureaucratic centralization
B) Urbanization
C) Validation of power through sacred authority
D) Military recruitment

36. According to B.D. Chattopadhyaya, legitimation involved interdependence between:
A) Guilds and kings
B) Merchants and temples
C) Temporal and sacred authority
D) Farmers and soldiers

37. The chief instrument of maintaining royal power was:
A) Dharma
B) Bhakti
C) Rituals
D) Danda (force)

38. The king was expected to permit the continuation of different regional and social norms called:
A) Arthas
B) Karmas
C) Dharmas
D) Yajnas

39. Which social group helped provide uniform norms across regions?
A) Vaishyas
B) Shudras
C) Guild leaders
D) Brahmanas

40. Which ideology became highly effective in integrating local cults into the Puranic fold?
A) Jainism
B) Tantricism
C) Buddhism
D) Bhakti ideology

41. In Odisha, which ruler surrendered temporal power to Jagannatha?
A) Kapilendra Deva
B) Narasimhadeva I
C) Anangabhima
D) Yayati Kesari

42. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
A-1, B-3, C-4, D-2
A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

43. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1

44. Assertion (A): The segmentary state model viewed ritual sovereignty as more important than political sovereignty.
Reason (R): The center possessed absolute monopoly of force throughout the territory.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

45. Assertion (A): The Early Medieval polity was dominated by monarchy.
Reason (R): Republican traditions entirely disappeared after the Mauryas.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

46. Assertion (A): Feudal polity linked political changes with economic and social transformations.
Reason (R): Feudal polity ignored agrarian relations and land grants.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

47. Assertion (A): Bhakti ideology played an integrative role in early medieval polity.
Reason (R): Temples acted as institutional centers integrating local cults.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

48. Which dynasty of the Brahmaputra valley linked itself with mythical lineages in inscriptions?
A) Pala dynasty
B) Chola dynasty
C) Bhaumanaraka dynasty
D) Paramara dynasty

49. Genealogies with mythical traditions started appearing prominently in inscriptions from:
A) 4th century CE
B) 5th century CE
C) 6th century CE
D) 7th century CE

50. B.D. Chattopadhyaya prefers the term ______ instead of “state formation” in the early medieval context.
A) Territorial state
B) Sacred kingship
C) Lineage domain
D) Imperial expansion

101. Which historian emphasized the constant need for validation of state power through a ‘legitimation process’?
A) R.S. Sharma
B) Burton Stein
C) B.D. Chattopadhyaya
D) R.C. Majumdar

102. The interdependence between king and priestly class in early medieval polity mainly reflected the relationship between:
A) Trade and agriculture
B) Local and imperial powers
C) Temporal and spiritual authority
D) Urban and rural administration

103. In early medieval polity, the state was expected to preserve social order as defined by:
A) Guild leaders
B) Military chiefs
C) Village assemblies
D) Guardians of the sacred domain

104. Which of the following statements regarding agraharas and devadanas is correct?
A) They were purely military grants
B) They were only administrative measures
C) They were socio-religious necessities for kings
D) They weakened Brahmanical institutions

105. According to B.D. Chattopadhyaya, the territorial limits of the state (janapada/rashtra) were:
A) Fixed and permanent
B) Geographically isolated
C) Legally codified
D) Dynamic and changing

106. The proliferation of ruling lineages in early medieval India primarily defined:
A) Religious reforms
B) Agricultural techniques
C) Political power
D) Urban architecture

107. Which of the following dynastic transitions reflects continuity in state society rather than abrupt political collapse?
A) Mauryas to Kushanas
B) Badami Chalukyas to Rashtrakutas to Kalyana Chalukyas
C) Delhi Sultanate to Mughals
D) Mughals to British

108. The emergence of local states in pre-state areas occurred due to:
A) Decentralization of centralized states only
B) Religious conversion
C) Territorial expansion into pre-state areas
D) Maritime trade decline

109. The horizontal spread of state society in early medieval India was represented mainly through:
A) Temple priests
B) Lineages at local bases
C) Urban guilds
D) Buddhist monasteries

110. Which among the following historians linked the feudal polity to broader social and economic transformations?
A) A.L. Basham
B) Romila Thapar
C) R.S. Sharma
D) K.M. Panikkar

111. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

112. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2
A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1

113. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

114. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1
A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2

115. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

116. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

117. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.

A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

118. Assertion (A): Early medieval inscriptions often contained inflated accounts of kings’ achievements.
Reason (R): Royal inscriptions primarily served legitimizing political functions.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

119. Assertion (A): The Early Medieval period was once considered a phase of decline and degeneration.
Reason (R): Historians associated political strength only with large territorial empires.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

120. Assertion (A): According to the feudal model, land grants strengthened the centralized authority of the king.
Reason (R): Administrative and judicial rights were transferred with land grants.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

121. Assertion (A): The samanta system represented a bureaucratic political order.
Reason (R): Rajapurusas had only a limited role in polity.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

122. Assertion (A): Segmentary state theory adequately explains all political and economic dimensions of early medieval polity.
Reason (R): B.D. Chattopadhyaya criticized it for overlooking politics and economy.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

123. Assertion (A): The Cholas reorganized conquered regions into administrative divisions.
Reason (R): Peripheral territories were incorporated into state structure.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

124. Assertion (A): The feudal polity model completely separates polity from society.
Reason (R): Feudalism theory connected polity with social and economic structures.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

125. Assertion (A): Agraharas and devadanas were merely administrative actions.
Reason (R): They had socio-religious significance in royal legitimation.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

126. Assertion (A): Genealogies in inscriptions frequently linked rulers to mythical lineages.
Reason (R): Such genealogies enhanced legitimacy of ruling houses.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
C) A is true, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

127. Assertion (A): Gurjara cultivators and Gurjara Pratiharas represented the same social and political category in Alwar.
Reason (R): Historians observed a distinction between cultivators and ruling lineages.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

128. Assertion (A): Warangal demonstrates that major polities only emerged in riverine nuclear regions.
Reason (R): Warangal flourished away from the Krishna-Godavari Doab.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

129. Assertion (A): Early medieval polity lacked ranking among subordinate elites.
Reason (R): Offices such as mandalika and mahasamanta reflected hierarchical ranking.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is true
D) Both A and R are false

130. Assertion (A): The segmentary state model stresses political sovereignty over ritual sovereignty.
Reason (R): Ritual hegemony was central in the periphery.

A) Both A and R are true
B) A is true, but R is false
C) A is false, but R is false
D) A is false, but R is true

131. Which among the following best describes ‘parcelization of sovereignty’?
A) Expansion of bureaucracy
B) Temple construction
C) Division of political authority through grants and intermediaries
D) Urbanization of villages

132. Which historian emphasized Chola polity as an example of segmentary state?
A) K.A. Nilakanta Sastri
B) R.C. Majumdar
C) Burton Stein
D) A.S. Altekar

133. Which among the following terms indicated a feudatory rank in early medieval polity?
A) Mahamatya
B) Vishayapati
C) Mandalesvara
D) Purohita

134. Which river basin became an important nucleus of Chola power?
A) Godavari Basin
B) Krishna Basin
C) Narmada Basin
D) Kaveri Basin

135. The early medieval political structure relied heavily on:
A) Cash salaries only
B) Fixed territorial bureaucracy
C) Military support from ranked intermediaries
D) Republican councils

136. The relationship between lineage and territory in early medieval India was:
A) Rigid and fixed
B) Constitutionally defined
C) Flexible and historically evolving
D) Entirely absent

137. Which of the following terms referred to diplomatic functions in polity?
A) Dandanayaka
B) Mahasamanta
C) Sandhivigrahika
D) Ranaka

138. The rise of local states in peripheral regions often involved:
A) Collapse of agrarian systems
B) Elimination of religious institutions
C) Colonization of pre-state areas
D) Destruction of lineage structures

139. Which concept best captures the integrative feature of early medieval polity?
A) Complete decentralization
B) Oriental despotism
C) Hydraulic society
D) Political integration through lineages and samantas

140. Which of the following best summarizes the nature of Early Medieval polity according to recent historiography?
A) Uniform centralized bureaucracy throughout India
B) Pure political fragmentation without integration
C) Complete ritual state without politics
D) Dynamic interaction of lineage power, legitimation, ranking, and integration