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Indian HistoryEasyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2022, GAT

Arthashastra, the classical work of Indian political thought, focuses primarily on

  1. A.economy
  2. B.culture
  3. C.statecraft
  4. D.monarchy

Correct answer

C. statecraft

Explanation

The correct answer is C, statecraft. The Arthashastra is a manual on how a king should govern, defend and expand his state, so its main subject is statecraft. It is credited to Kautilya, also called Chanakya or Vishnugupta, the adviser of Chandragupta Maurya. Its fifteen books deal with administration, law and justice, taxation, espionage, diplomacy and war, and it sets out the saptanga theory of the seven limbs of the state and the mandala theory of neighbouring kingdoms. The text was rediscovered in 1905 by R. Shamasastry in Mysore. Option A is wrong because, despite its name, the economy is only one part of the work; artha here means the wealth and welfare of the state as a whole. Option B is wrong because culture is not its focus; it is a practical treatise on government. Option D is wrong because it assumes monarchy rather than studying it, and its concern is how the ruler should run the state. Exam tip: Arthashastra = Kautilya = statecraft, saptanga theory.

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to Indian freedom struggle, consider the following events :

1. Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy

2. Quit India Movement launched

3. Second Round Table Conference

What is the correct chronological sequence of the above events ?

  1. A.1-2-3
  2. B.2-1-3
  3. C.3-2-1
  4. D.3-1-2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 3-2-1

The Second Round Table Conference came in 1931, the Quit India Movement in 1942 and the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in 1946.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following events :

1. The first democratically elected communist party government formed in a State in India.

2. India's then largest bank, 'Imperial Bank of India', was renamed 'State Bank of India'.

3. Air India was nationalised and became the national carrier.

4. Goa became a part of independent India.

Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of the above events ?

  1. A.4-1-2-3
  2. B.3-2-1-4
  3. C.4-2-1-3
  4. D.3-1-2-4
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 3-2-1-4

The events run Air India's nationalisation (1953), the birth of the State Bank of India (1955), the Kerala communist government (1957) and Goa's liberation (1961).

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs :

Institution — Founder

1. Sanskrit College at Benaras — William Jones

2. Calcutta Madarsa — Warren Hastings

3. Fort William College — Arthur Wellesley

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?

  1. A.1 and 2
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.1 and 3
  4. D.3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madarsa, but the other two institutions are linked with the wrong founders. Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781 to train Muslim scholars in Arabic and Persian learning and in Islamic law, which the Company courts needed.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct ?

  1. A.Sangam poems are devoid of any reference to material culture.
  2. B.The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.
  3. C.Sangam poems have no reference to warrior ethic.
  4. D.Sangam literature refers to magical forces as irrational.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.

Sangam texts mention Brahmanas, kings and traders, showing that the poets knew of the varna order even though Tamil society was not organised strictly by it.