Education and Educational Institutions – UGC NET History – Practice Questions

Education, Science and Religious Learning

1. In early medieval India, education was primarily restricted to:
A) Peasants and artisans
B) Women and traders
C) Brahmanas and upper-class groups, especially Kayasthas
D) Buddhist monks only

2. Which of the following best characterizes education in early medieval India?
A) Universal and compulsory education
B) Limited education with no concept of mass schooling
C) State-funded education for all castes
D) Industrial and technical training for all

3. Assertion (A): Education in early medieval India was widely accessible to all social classes.
Reason (R): Reading and writing were restricted mainly to Brahmanas and upper-class people.

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

4. Students who could not pay fees in early medieval India generally:
A) Were denied education permanently
B) Became soldiers
C) Provided personal service to the teacher
D) Worked in temples

5. Match List I with List II regarding educational centres.

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

6. Which subject formed a major part of education in early medieval India?
A) Engineering
B) Vedas and grammar
C) Political science exclusively
D) Maritime studies

7. Nalanda was famous as:
A) A military training centre
B) A centre of temple administration
C) India’s most renowned secular educational institution
D) A trade guild centre

8. Which among the following centres flourished as a major learning centre in Kashmir?
A) Buddhist monasteries only
B) Saiva sects and educational centres
C) Merchant academies
D) Jain schools only

9. Assertion (A): Philosophical education was considered incomplete without scholarly travel.
Reason (R): Philosophers were expected to debate scholars at different centres of learning.

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

10. Kamandaka’s Nitisara is associated with:
A) Astronomy
B) Medicine
C) Politics and political morality
D) Temple architecture

11. Match List I with List II regarding scholars and contributions.

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

12. The Kayasthas specialized in teaching related to:
A) Warfare
B) Temple rituals
C) Administration and accountancy
D) Agriculture

13. Which of the following sciences continued to be taught at many centres?
A) Metallurgy only
B) Mathematics, astronomy, and medicine
C) Shipbuilding
D) Political economy only

14. Abu Maashir of Balkh studied for ten years at:
A) Nalanda
B) Vikramsila
C) Banaras
D) Kashmir

15. Assertion (A): Craft education was mainly state-controlled.
Reason (R): Guilds and families played a major role in vocational training.

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

16. The responsibility of teaching crafts and professions generally rested with:
A) Kings
B) Monasteries only
C) Guilds or individual families
D) Brahmana councils only

17. Which factor contributed to the decline of surgery during the period?
A) Lack of metals
B) Taboo against dissection of dead bodies
C) Foreign invasions
D) Lack of physicians

18. During this period, surgery increasingly came to be practiced by:
A) Brahmanas
B) Monks
C) Barbers
D) Merchants

19. Match List I with List II regarding scientific developments.

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

20. Which text of Bhaskara II remained influential for a long time?
A) Aryabhatiya
B) Panchasiddhantika
C) Lilavati
D) Mitakshara

21. Assertion (A): Astronomy gained greater prominence than astrology in this period.
Reason (R): Astrology gradually overshadowed astronomy.

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

22. Mercury contributed significantly to advances in:
A) Architecture
B) Astronomy
C) Medicine
D) Literature

23. India remained dependent on imported horses because:
A) Horses were culturally banned
B) No successful method of breeding fine horses developed
C) Kings disliked cavalry
D) Traders opposed horse breeding

24. Which regions supplied quality horses to India?
A) China and Tibet
B) Sri Lanka and Burma
C) Arabia, Iran, and Central Asia
D) Southeast Asia only

25. Match List I with List II regarding causes of scientific stagnation.

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

26. Al-Biruni lived in India approximately for:
A) Two years
B) Five years
C) Ten years
D) Twenty years

27. Which scholar commented on the insular attitude of learned Brahmanas?
A) Abu Maashir
B) Banabhatta
C) Al-Biruni
D) Kalhana

28. Assertion (A): Al-Biruni criticized Indian learning entirely.
Reason (R): He admired Indian science but criticized intellectual isolation.

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

29. Which among the following best explains stagnation in science?
A) Expansion of trade
B) Isolation from external scientific developments
C) Growth of universities
D) State restrictions alone

30. Match List I with List II regarding educational practices.

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

31. Which of the following best describes education in early medieval India?
A) Universal literacy
B) Restricted, elite-centered, and occupation-oriented
C) Industrial and scientific education for all
D) State-sponsored mass learning

32. Which among the following centres was NOT located in Bihar?
A) Nalanda
B) Vikramsila
C) Uddhandapura
D) Sringeri

33. Assertion (A): Education for crafts was often hereditary.
Reason (R): Guilds and family traditions dominated vocational training.

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

34. Which among the following best captures the scientific climate of the period?
A) Rapid scientific revolution
B) Selective advances amid overall stagnation
C) Complete disappearance of science
D) Industrial dominance

35. Which statement best summarizes education and science in early medieval India?
A) Mass literacy and advanced experimentation dominated society
B) Education remained elite-centered, science saw mixed progress, and intellectual isolation hindered innovation
C) Science completely disappeared
D) Trade guilds controlled all universities