Skip to content

Palas, Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas – GK Quiz with Answers – Level 1

Basic questions on samantas, the hiranya-garbha ritual, the tripartite struggle for Kanauj, Chola taxes and the Uttaramerur inscriptions, each with an explanation.

Start Test

Choose Normal practice or a Simulated test.

Questions, answer key and solutions.

Questions
50
Duration
25 min
Marks
50

Negative marking

Attempts
100
Access
Free

Normal practice, or a Simulated test

Both use the same questions. Normal practice is untimed and needs no account: choose an option and the answer and solution appear at once. The Simulated test is the real computer-based format, with one 25-minute clock, a question palette and full screen, and your score, the key and the solutions arrive when you submit.

How the two modes differ
No account needed

Normal

Untimed

Every question on one page, loading as you scroll. Choose an option and see straight away whether it was right.

  • No timer. Nothing to start and nothing to submit. Stop whenever you like.
  • Answered as you choose. Tap an option and it is marked at once, with the correct answer shown.
  • Solutions in place. The explanation, and the video where one has been added, sit under the question.
  • Open to guests. Normal practice needs no sign-in.
Real exam conditions

Simulated

Timed CBT

The computer-based test format: one clock, a question palette, and a score the moment you submit.

  • A clock that does not pause. 25 minutes from the moment you begin, and the paper is submitted for you when it reaches zero.
  • Question palette. Answered, not answered and marked for review, section by section, as the real interface has it.
  • Full screen, proctored. The test takes over the screen; leaving it three times submits the paper.
  • Answers hidden until you submit. The key, the explanations and your score all arrive together at the end.

About this test

Palas, Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas GK Practice Quiz: Level 1 Basics

This Level 1 quiz builds basic recall of the early medieval kingdoms of north and south India: the Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas. It covers samantas and royal titles, the hiranya-garbha ritual, the struggle for Kanauj, and Chola villages and taxes. Aptitude360 gives an explanation for every question.

Topics covered in this early medieval kingdoms set

  • Samantas: their duties to the king and the titles they later adopted
  • Royal titles such as maharaja-adhiraja and tribhuvana-chakravartin
  • Rise of the Rashtrakutas under Dantidurga and the hiranya-garbha ritual
  • Kingdoms founded by Brahmana families: Kadamba Mayurasharman and Gurjara-Pratihara Harichandra
  • Nagabhata's prashasti at Gwalior, land grants on copper plates and Kalhana's Rajatarangini
  • Chola rise under Vijayalaya, Rajaraja I and Rajendra I, taxes such as vetti and kadamai, and the Uttaramerur inscriptions

Key concepts to revise for Palas, Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas

  • Tripartite struggle: Gurjara-Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Palas fighting over Kanauj in the Ganga valley
  • Hiranya-garbha means golden womb; it was believed to make the performer reborn as a Kshatriya
  • Vijayalaya of the Uraiyur Chola family took the Kaveri delta from the Muttaraiyar and built Thanjavur
  • Chola units: ur, nadu and the sabha of Brahmana landholders

Revision tips for this medieval history topic

  • Make a table of each dynasty with its founder, region and key ruler
  • Learn Chola Tamil terms in pairs with their meanings, since they are easy to confuse
  • Link each source to its place: Nagabhata's prashasti to Gwalior, the Rajatarangini to Kashmir

Who should take this Level 1 quiz

General Awareness learners starting medieval Indian history who want to fix the basic names, terms and places before attempting the harder levels of this series.

FAQs about Palas, Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas – GK Quiz with Answers – Level 1

What was the tripartite struggle for Kanauj?
It was a long contest between the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Rashtrakutas and the Palas for control of Kanauj in the Ganga valley. Historians call it tripartite because three parties were involved.
Who were the samantas in early medieval India?
Samantas were big landlords and warrior chiefs whom kings treated as subordinates. They brought gifts, attended court and supplied military support, and some later declared themselves independent.
Who founded the Chola dynasty of Thanjavur?
Vijayalaya, from the old Chola chiefly family of Uraiyur, captured the Kaveri delta from the Muttaraiyar in the mid-ninth century. He built the town of Thanjavur and a temple to the goddess Nishumbhasudini.
What is the meaning of hiranya-garbha?
Hiranya-garbha literally means golden womb. The Rashtrakuta chief Dantidurga performed this ritual with the help of Brahmanas, as it was believed to lead to rebirth as a Kshatriya.

Test structure

How the paper is split, and how long each part runs. A section you have finished cannot be returned to.

SectionQuestionsTime
Palas, Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas GK Level 15025 min

Marking & rules

Total marks
50 across 50 questions.
Negative marking
A wrong answer costs marks. Leaving a question unanswered costs nothing.
Attempts
100 in total. An attempt is spent the moment you begin one.

What you get when you submit

The analysis is ready the moment you submit the paper.

Score and accuracy

Marks, percentage, right, wrong and skipped, and the time you took.

Section by section

The same figures for each section, so a weak one cannot hide in an average.

The full answer key

Every question with your answer, the right one, the working, and the video where there is one.

Where you stand

Your score against the spread of everyone else who has sat this test.

Recommended courses for CAT & OMET

All CAT & OMET courses
Chat with an academic counsellor on WhatsApp