Question: Who was the first royal convert to Buddhism?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer No, it is not Ashoka. Legend has it Ajatashatru disguised himself as a soldier of an enemy nation (Vaishali) to find their means of defence against his empire Magadha. He was wounded by a soldier of his own army because of his disguise and taken care of by a courtesan in Vaishali (Amrapali) with whom he fell in love. He managed to find Vaishali's means of defence and escaped to his own country to lead a campaign against Vaishali, which he won. However, Amrapali would have nothing to do with him after that, and converted to Buddhism, and he followed her in converting too. This was before the Mauryan empire was even founded. Ashoka, the third Mauryan emperor, is the most famous royal convert to Buddhism though, and it is because of him (Ashoka) that Buddhism spread to Ceylon, Burma, Afghanistan and China (and thence to Japan and Korea).
Question: During the reign of which emperor is the poet Kalidasa accepted to have lived?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer Chandragupta Vikramaditya was a Gupta emperor. Kalidasa was one of the Navaratnas ('nine gems') of his court. The literary works 'Shakuntala', 'Meghadoota' etc. were by Kalidasa.
Question: During the 1857 mutiny who was the queen of Jhansi's trusted general?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer The 1857 Mutiny (Sepoy Mutiny or First Indian War of Independence) which started in Meerut in present day Uttar Pradesh was the first concerted attempt to throw the British out of India. It failed because of poor coordination and because it did not involve large parts of S. India. Jhansi Rani Lakshmibhai was one of the bravest fighters in the mutiny. The mutiny was the starting point of the struggle which culminated in India's independence in 1947.
Question: The daughter of what general of Alexander's army married Chandragupta Maurya?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer Chandragupta Maurya was the first emperor of the Maurya dynasty. Alexander invaded the Punjab in 324 BC. He died shortly after in Mesopotamia. After Alexander's death Seleukos took control of the eastern part of his empire and tried invading India again but was repelled by Chandragupta. He ceded parts of his empire (including Gandhara- present day Afghanistan) to the Mauryan empire. The marriage between the Maurya emperor and the general's daughter (Helen?) was a political move, to ensure an alliance with the Greeks.
Question: What king was the first to use rockets in warfare?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer Tipu Sultan ruled in Mysore, in present day Karnataka. He used rockets in warfare against the British. The rockets were not perfected, and killed as many of his own soldiers as of British soldiers. So he abandoned the idea of using them. This was in the 1790's- a little after the French Revolution, waaaay before rockets were used in war by Europeans.
Question: What ruler is referred to as the 'Mad Monarch'?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer Mohammad bin Tughlaq belonged to the Tughlaq dynasty. He is best known for mad schemes like moving the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (not such a bad idea, except that he tried to move the whole population of Delhi to the newly built city) and trying to introduce new currency (again not such a bad idea- only he tried confiscating all the old currency first!).
Question: What theory of ancient Indian history has recently been disproved?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer The theory that Aryans invaded India around 1500 B.C. and displaced the previous Dravidian civilisation has been laid to rest. There never was any real proof in support of the theory - it was a theory based almost entirely on conjecture. Recent satellite, archaeological and genetic evidence (gene tests have shown that all Indians of all social classes all over India are basically the same race) has finally disproved it- and good riddance. (Refer to Subhash Kak's 'Is the Aryan-Dravidian Binary Valid?', Navaratna Rajaram's 'The Aryan Invasion of India: the Myth and the Truth' and David Frawley's 'The Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India').
Question: What age in Indian History is referred to as the 'Golden Age'?
Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer The Gupta age around 1500 years ago was truly a golden age as far as achievements in literature, architecture etc. were concerned. The poet Kalidasa lived in this age, and the iron pillar which still stands in the open today as it has for hundreds of years without rusting was built then. It is said that people could leave their houses wide open for months while they went elsewhere and come back to find their possessions in tact.
