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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GK

The location of the ancient city of Taxila (Takshshila), mentioned in ancient Indian texts, was identified by

  1. A.Alexander Cunningham
  2. B.R.D. Banerji
  3. C.John Marshall
  4. D.Daya Ram Sahni

Correct answer

A. Alexander Cunningham

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Alexander Cunningham. Alexander Cunningham, the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, identified the site of ancient Taxila near Rawalpindi in the 1860s.

Cunningham used the accounts of Greek writers on Alexander's campaign and of the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang to match the city named in Indian texts with the ruins at Shah-dheri, near today's Islamabad in Pakistan. He is called the father of Indian archaeology and also identified many other places linked with the Buddha. Years later, from 1913 to 1934, John Marshall led the large-scale excavation of Taxila, uncovering the cities of Bhir Mound, Sirkap and Sirsukh. Taxila was a great centre of learning, linked with Chanakya and Panini.

B is wrong because R.D. Banerji is known for discovering Mohenjo-daro in 1922. C is wrong because John Marshall excavated Taxila after Cunningham had identified it. D is wrong because Daya Ram Sahni is known for excavating Harappa in 1921.

Exam tip: Cunningham identified Taxila; Marshall excavated it; Sahni found Harappa (1921) and Banerji Mohenjo-daro (1922).

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Who among the following founded the Dharma Sabha?

  1. A.Krishna Mohan Banerjee
  2. B.Keshab Chandra Sen
  3. C.Radhakanta Deb
  4. D.Akshay Kumar Datta
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Radhakanta Deb

Raja Radhakanta Deb founded the Dharma Sabha in Calcutta in 1830 to defend orthodox Hindu customs against reformers. The Dharma Sabha was set up mainly to oppose Lord William Bentinck's regulation of 1829 that banned sati, which Raja Rammohan Roy had campaigned for.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Initially, what was the purpose of setting up of the hill stations during the colonial period in India?

  1. A.To serve as winter capitals for the British
  2. B.To serve the needs of the British army
  3. C.To source timber from forests
  4. D.To set up sanatoria
Show answer
Correct answer: B. To serve the needs of the British army

The first hill stations grew out of military needs: cantonments for troops and places where soldiers could be kept healthy.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : 1. The growth of socialist tendency in the national movement led to the foundation of the Congress Socialist Party in 1934 under the leadership of Acharya Narendra Deva and Jayaprakash Narayan. 2. In 1936, Jawaharlal Nehru urged the Congress to accept socialism as its goal and to bring itself closer to the peasantry and the working class. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

The Congress Socialist Party was formed in 1934 by Acharya Narendra Deva and Jayaprakash Narayan, and in 1936 Nehru asked the Congress to adopt socialism.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2022, GATEasy

Who among the following invented the flying shuttle?

  1. A.James Hargreaves
  2. B.John Kay
  3. C.Richard Arkwright
  4. D.Humphry Davy
Show answer
Correct answer: B. John Kay

He patented the flying shuttle in England in 1733. The flying shuttle let a single weaver send the thread across the loom by pulling a cord, so wider cloth could be woven much faster.