1)India is a subcontinent comprising all of the following modern nations EXCEPT A) Nepal.

B) Tibet. C) Pakistan. D) Kashmir.

E) Sri Lanka.

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2. India is divided from the rest of Asia by the A) Western Ghats.

B) Indian Ocean. C) Ganges River. D) Himalayan Mountains.

E) Bay of Bengal.

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3. India?s climate is governed by A) monsoon winds.

B) mountains along the coast. C) ocean currents. D) global warming.

E) the Pacific Gulf Stream.

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4. Civilization arose in India about 2500 B.C.E. A) on the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

B) along the Indus River. C) along the coastal regions of the Western Ghats. D) in the Himalayan Mountains.

E) along the Indian and Deccan Rivers.

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5. Which of the following is NOT true of the early Indian civilization? A) Their pictographic script has not yet been deciphered.

B) Bronze and copper were used for tools and weapons. C) Agriculture was primitive, involving neither irrigation nor domestication of animals. D) Textiles became important trade items.

E) Trade was conducted with Mesopotamia.

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6. The economy of the Indus civilization produced A) grapes.

B) corn. C) rice. D) cotton textiles.

E) silk.

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7. The key technology that allowed the Aryans to invade and conquer the more sophisticated Neolithic civilization of the Indus River valley included
   1. elephants. B) Sanskrit.

C) metal weapons. D) horse-drawn chariots.

E) all of the above.

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8. The decline of the Indus Valley civilization resulted due to A) unknown causes.

B) natural disasters. C) invasion by Chinese armies. D) civil war.

E) disease.

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9. The indigenous people of India were the A) Celts.

B) Brahmans. C) Indo-Europeans. D) Aryans.

E) Dravidians.

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10. Indo-European languages included all of the following EXCEPT A) Sanskrit.                     B) Arabic.          C) Persian.        D) German. E) English.

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11. Much information exists about India from 1500 B.C.E. to 100 B.C.E., and the Aryan civilization comes from
    1. religious texts called the Rig-Veda. B) information found on tablets kept by trading partners during the same time period.

C) the tombs of the kings. D) corresponding records discovered in China.

E) the extensive agricultural records kept during this time.

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12. All of the following were major contributions of the Aryans to Indian civilization EXCEPT A) the foundation of the caste system.

B) rituals and ceremonies. C) the Sanskrit language. D) agricultural techniques.

E) the sacred Vedic literature.

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13. The god most worshipped by the Aryans was A) Veda.                                 B) Rig.C) Indra.          D) Varuna.       E) Dasas.

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14. During the Early Vedic Era, each tribe was ruled by a war leader or A) Brahman.

B) rita. C) raja. D) Shudra.

E) Kshatriyas.

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15. Which of the following characteristics from the past remain(s) significant to modern Indian politics?
    1. the sense of sacred space to the Indian people B) the lack of natural resources

C) the belief that all people are equal D) the existence of tribal assemblies

E) all of the above

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16. During the Early Vedic Age, all of the following social categories existed EXCEPT A) Kshatriyas.

B) Shudras. C) Vaishyas. D) Ramayana.

E) Brahmans.

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17. This religion emphasizes proper behavior for one?s station in life and the eventual release from the cycle of rebirth.
    1. Islam B) Buddhism

C) Judaism D) Hinduism

E) Christianity

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18. The Brahmans gained great power and prestige because A) they were warlords.

2. they controlled the complex rites of sacrifice believed to cause prosperity, good luck, and long life.
3. they controlled the grain reserves in times of famine. D) they served also as kings.

E) none of the above.

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19. The Untouchables of the Later Vedic Age A) were serfs.

B) referred to the merchants and shopkeepers. C) were the criminals. D) remained restricted to the cities.

E) held menial and degrading occupations.

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20. The three pillars of Indian society are all of the following EXCEPT A) the joint family.

B) Confucianism. C) the autonomous village. D) the caste system.

E) all of the above.

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21. Dramatic cultural changes occurred about 600 BCE   in India when A) invasions from China altered India?s political structure.

B) a radical religious sect attacked the traditional Vedic beliefs. C) Confucianism was adopted. D) catastrophic flooding resulting from a typhoon destroyed the major urban areas.

E) an epidemic drastically reduced the population.

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22. A common denominator of Indian society has been A) interest placed on the value of the individual.

B) the religious connection between the individual and the spirits. C) emphasis on communal interests. D) a matriarchal society.

E) equal treatment of men and women.

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23. Which of the following is NOT consistent with the Upanishads? A) Brahman is the only permanent reality.

B) They introduced the transmigration of the soul. C) The moksha is the escape from karma. D) Escape from samsara can occur only through immersing oneself in brahman through

meditation. E) Emperors are gods.

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24. Dharma means A) bad deeds.

B) suffering. C) religious law. D) heaven.

E) a holy book.

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25. The most significant contribution of Jainism is A) the concept of free will.

B) the concept of karma. C) the concept of sin. D) the concept of immortality.

E) the concept of ahimsa.

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26. Which of the following is consistent with Jainism? A) Women may participate.

B) Most lay Jains became merchants. C) All destructive acts must be avoided. D) The middle class was included.

E) all of the above.

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27. Siddhartha Gautama A) was born a prince of the Shakyas of India.

B) defined the Middle Way to human happiness. C) renounced his birthright to become an ascetic. D) discovered the Four Noble Truths.

E) all of the above.

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28. Which of the following is NOT consistent with Buddhism? A) The Great Awakening

B) The cause of suffering is desire. C) Individualism is of primary importance. D) Happiness results from following the Middle Way.

E) Words must be governed by moral precepts.

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29. All of the following are part of Buddhism?s Noble Eightfold Path EXCEPT A) right community.

B) right speech. C) right livelihood. D) right resolve.

E) right conduct.

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30. Stupas were A) imperial palaces for Mauryan emperors.

B) Graeco-Bactrian statues. C) a community of monks. D) shrines for Buddhist holy relics.

E) members of the Hindu warrior caste.

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31. In Buddhism, the Three Precious Jewels refer to A) nirvana, wisdom, meditation.

B) the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha. C) moral precepts included in Buddhism. D) Buddha?s denunciation of material goods.

E) the growing community of monks walking the Path.

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32. Alexander the Great?s impact on India A) spread throughout the sub-continent.

B) included language, religion, and art. C) was non-existent. D) lasted for more than a century.

E) opened routes between India and countries to the west.

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33. The roots of the Mauryan Empire lay A) in the Babylonian Exile.

B) in the disintegration of Alexander the Great?s Empire. C) within the conquests of the Shang Dynasty. D) with the Aryan arrival.

E) none of the above.

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34. India?s first empire was founded about 320 B.C.E. by A) Pataliputra.

B) Alexander the Great. C) Buddha. D) Chandragupta Maurya.

E) Mahavira.

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35. Which of the following is NOT consistent with the Mauryan Empire? A) The Brahman priesthood served as magistrates.

B) The existence of a large professional army served the empire. C) The empire consisted of all of India except the extreme South. D) There existed an efficient administrative system.

E) The state controlled the economic life.

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36. The ancient Anthashastra A) provided advice to the Brahman on the best ways to convert non-believers.

B) has no comparable works in the Western world. C) is no longer in print. D) encourages compromise with opponents.

E) none of the above.

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37. Which of the following does NOT describe Chandragupta?s reign? A) conquest of Mesopotamia

B) state ownership of all land C) trade with China D) agriculture as the main source of wealth

E) the ability to feed the population

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38. Ashoka?s reign was noted for A) its conquest of surrounding regions.

B) the decline and fall of the Mauryan Empire. C) its peace and toleration. D) its wars of religious persecution.

E) its development of Hinduism.

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39. The fall of India?s Mauryan Empire has been attributed to all of the following causes EXCEPT A) problems of control and communication due to its vast area.

B) India?s military weakness due to Ashoka?s advocacy of nonviolence. C) Brahman hostility to Ashoka?s advocacy of Buddhism. D) widespread immorality and corruption under the Mauryans.

E) all of the above.

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40. Following the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, India A) separated in various districts ruled by warlords.

B) became a Muslim-led theocracy. C) fell into a period of anarchy. D) was annexed by China.

E) was invaded by the descendants of Alexander the Great?s soldiers from Bactria.

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41. When Bactria was overrun by nomadic tribesmen A) Roman conquest followed.

B) the Greek government there disappeared. C) religious wars ensued. D) self-rule by the Indian middle class resulted..

E) conquest of India by China was made possible.

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42. What is the major factor that distinguished southern India from northern India? A) contact with the West

B) warfare methods C) an abundance of resources D) industry and population

E) literature and art

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43. Which of the following is NOT consistent with South India? A) It was divided under the power of various warring states.

B) It developed a classic literature including poetry. C) It remained primitive and without a distinct civilization.

4. It retained a closer orientation toward the sea than Northern India.
5. It conducted trade with the Roman Empire.

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44. Hinduism tends to be otherworldly for all of the following beliefs EXCEPT A) it has no centralized authority.

B) this physical world is not real and is the cause of all suffering. C) each individual soul is a part of the World Soul, which is the nonphysical, fundamental

reality of the universe. D) the gods of Hinduism represent only nonphysical forces beyond the touch or concern of

human things. E) salvation can come only with the release of the soul from the restraints of the physical world.

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45. Which of the following is NOT regarded as paramount in Hinduism? A) Kali

B) Shiva C) ancestor worship D) Devi

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46. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are examples of A) Buddhist shrines.

B) Hindu gods. C) common Buddhist mantras. D) powerful female gods.

E) none of the above.

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47. Sita remains an emblem of A) the cosmic demon.

B) the ideal Hindu woman. C) a royal throne. D) an epic poem.

E) the ideal ruler.

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48. According to some ancient Hindu texts, the world today is in a(n) A) Golden Age.

B) Age of Dissolution. C) Age of Trey. D) Age of Deuce.

E) Twilight Period.