NTA UGC Net History Online Mock Test 38

2025 NTA UGC Net History Online Mock Test 38 held in India: 25 multiple-question answers from the history topic of the UGC NET Exam are given below.

NTA UGC Net History Online Mock Test 38

1. Which of the following was considered the most important internal trade route during the Mauryan period?

(a) From the north-west (in the region of Taxila) to Pataliputra
(b) From Shravasti to Pratisthana
(c) The sea route along the western coast
(d) The east coast route

2. What did the term vishti stand for during the Mauryan period?

(a) Province
(b) District
(c) Forced labour
(d) Seasonal conditions

3. According to the indigenous sources, including Asokan epigraphs, slavery existed in India during the Mauryan period, but Megasthenes said “all Indians are free and not one of them is a slave”. On what grounds did he infer so?

(a) Their status was not much different from hired labourers
(b) They could own property and also earn for themselves
(c) In some cases they could also buy back their freedom
(d) Both (b) and (c) above

4. During the Mauryan times royal houses were mostly built of:

(a) Baked bricks
(b) Wood
(c) Mud and lime
(d) Stones

5. The lowest order in the social scale of Mauryan society was not a slave but the out-caste. Which of the following statements about the outcastes is not correct?

(a) Their caste names referred directly to their profession or work
(b) They accepted the position of social ostracism
(c) They lived together with their families outside the towns
(d) They were not allowed to perform any rituals

6. Kautilya classified the spies into:

(a) Sansthah-stationary spies
(b) Sancharah-wandering spies
(c) Both (a) and (b) above
(d) Gudha purusha – secret agents

7. Why did Megasthenes divide Indian society into seven classes instead of the usual four?

(a) Because there was proliferation of castes
(b) Megasthenes included outcastes
(c) Megasthenes was confused between castes and classes of men engaged in various occupations
(d) He divided society into main occupational groups

8. The most common occupation of slaves during the Mauryan period was to work as:

(a) Agricultural labour
(b) Domestic servants
(c) Industrial labourer
(d) Labourers in the army

9. During the Mauryan period which of the following rights of the king implied his ownership of the land?

(a) His right to collect rent for the land
(b) His right to collect tax on the produce of the land
(c) His right to demand a compulsory second crop in times of need
(d) The classification of the crown lands

10. Which of the following modern methods of administration was not prevalent during the Mauryan period?

(a) Registration of foreigners
(b) Issue of licences to merchants
(c) Regulating weights and measures
(d) Supply of safe drinking water in towns and cities

11. In the Mauryan period tax evasion was punished with:

(a) Death
(b) Confiscation of goods
(c) Flogging
(d) Imprisonment

12. Which of the following was not one of the items of expenditure under public works?

(a) Roads and buildings
(b) Irrigation works and wells
(c) Construction of temples
(d) Construction of rest houses and hospitals

13. Which of the following was not a state monopoly during the Mauryan period?

(a) Mines and forests
(b) Pearl fisheries
(c) Ferries and bridges
(d) Slaughter houses and gambling houses

14. Which building of the Mauryan period was appreciated by Megasthenes, as “more magnificent than the palaces of Susa and Ecbatana”?

(a) The Mauryan palace at Pataliputra
(b) The Relic Tower at Taxila
(c) The Mauryan court at Pataliputra
(d) The Mauryan gardens at Rajagriha and Pataliputra

15. Which of the following Asokan inscriptions makes a specific reference to taxation?

(a) Rummindei Inscription
(b) Nigalisagar Inscription
(c) Kandahar Inscription
(d) Barabar Cave Inscription

16. In the Mauryan empire 10 per cent ad valorem excise duties were levied on:

(a) Liquor
(b) Imported goods
(c) Manufactured goods
(d) All the above

17. The most famous centre of learning during the Mauryan period was:

(a) Taxila
(b) Ujjain
(c) Nalanda
(d) Vallabhi

18. What was the main advantage of the guild system from the point of view of the state?

(a) It ensured a steady production and supply of goods
(b) It regulated employment and payment of fair wages
(c) It facilitated the collection of taxes
(d) It ensured the quality of goods produced

19. The system of guilds, which began in the early Buddhist period, continued through the Mauryan period. Which of the following was not one of the circumstances which helped in the development of guilds?

(a) Localisation of occupations
(b) Hereditary character of professions
(c) State support for promotion of guilds
(d) Wide acceptance of the idea of a guild leader (jetthaka)

20. To which of the following varnas did the cultivators mostly belong?

(a) Brahmin
(b) Kshatriya
(c) Vaisya
(d) Sudra

21. Which of the following statements about the guilds of the Mauryan period is not correct?

(a) They had developed into fairly large-scale organisations
(b) They were registered by local officials and had a recognised status
(c) They could move from one area to another without any hindrance
(d) They often served the purpose of modern banks

22. Which of the following routes beginning from the Mauryan empire to countries outside the border was the most important?

(a) From Taxila to Black Sea via Kabul and Bactria
(b) From India to Ecbatana via Kandahar and Herat
(c) The sea route from the west coast of India to ports along the south-eastern coast of Arabia
(d) From Negapatam to Sri Lanka

23. Which of the following statements about trade regulations in the Mauryan period is not correct?

(a) There was general control over process and profits
(b) The sale of merchandise was strictly supervised by the state
(c) The general tax levied on merchandise was fixed at one-tenth
(d) The state directly employed some of the artisans, such as armourers, shipbuilders, etc.

24. Guilds were an intermediate step between:

(a) A family and a society
(b) A society and a community
(c) A tribe and a caste
(d) A tribe and a society

25. The expansion of village settlements during the Mauryan period was accompanied by the growth of trade. Which of the following was not one of the reasons which helped in this process?