The Gupta era is reckoned from about which year?

The correct answer is B, the Saka era. The national calendar counts its years in the Saka reckoning, which began in 78 CE, so a Saka year is found roughly by subtracting 78 from the Christian year; it is printed in the Gazette of India and read out in the news bulletins of All India Radio. Option A, Vikram Samvat, began in 57 BCE and is the era of most traditional almanacs of northern India and the official calendar of Nepal, but it was not chosen for the national calendar. Option C, the Hijri era, began in 622 CE and is purely lunar, which makes it unsuitable for civil use in which dates must keep step with the seasons. Option D, the Gupta era, began about 319 CE and is of interest only to historians dating inscriptions.

The correct answer is C, 22 March 1957. That day was 1 Chaitra 1879 of the Saka era, and the calendar came into use on the recommendation of the Calendar Reform Committee, which had reported in 1955. Option A, 15 August 1947, is the date of independence and has nothing to do with the calendar question, though candidates reach for it whenever a national decision is asked about. Option B, 26 January 1950, is the day the Constitution came into force and the State Emblem was adopted, which makes it the most tempting wrong answer here. Option D, 1 April 1960, is simply a plausible looking date; note that 1 April is the start of the Indian financial year, which is a separate fact and a separate question. Remember the pairing: Saka era, 22 March 1957.

The correct answer is A, Chaitra. The national calendar begins on 1 Chaitra, which corresponds to 22 March in an ordinary year and to 21 March in a leap year, so that the year opens near the spring equinox. Chaitra has 30 days, or 31 in a leap year. Option B, Vaishakha, is the second month and has 31 days, like the four months that follow it up to Bhadra. Option C, Magha, is the eleventh month and is familiar to students because of Magha Purnima and the Magh Mela, which is why it is placed here. Option D, Kartika, is the eighth month of the national calendar, but in Gujarat the Vikram Samvat year begins in Kartika, the day after Diwali, and that genuine exception is what makes this option a trap.

The correct answer is B, 78 CE. The Saka reckoning is most often linked with the Kushana ruler Kanishka, and it is the era on which the Indian National Calendar is built, so the Saka year is about 78 less than the Christian year. Option A, 57 BCE, is the starting point of Vikram Samvat, traditionally connected with King Vikramaditya of Ujjain, and because 57 and 78 are the two numbers every candidate half remembers, they are placed together in almost every question of this kind. Option C, 319 CE, is the start of the Gupta era, founded by Chandragupta I and used to date Gupta inscriptions. Option D, 622 CE, is the start of the Hijri era, counted from the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina.

The correct answer is A, 57 years. Vikram Samvat began in 57 BCE, so the Vikrami year is obtained by adding 57 to the Christian year; this is the era printed on wedding invitations and traditional almanacs in northern India and is the official calendar of Nepal. Option B, 78 years, is the difference for the Saka era, which runs behind the Christian year rather than ahead of it, and the examiner counts on candidates confusing the direction as well as the number. Option C, 135 years, is the sum of 57 and 78 and is offered to catch a candidate who adds the two figures by mistake. Option D, 622 years, is the starting year of the Hijri era, not a difference at all; note also that Hijri years cannot be converted by simple subtraction because that calendar is lunar.