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Post-Mauryan India: Shungas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Kushanas, Satavahanas – GK Quiz with Answers – Level 2

Level 2 questions on Pushyamitra Shunga, Menander, Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription, Kanishka's Fourth Buddhist Council, Gautamiputra Satakarni and the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art, with explanations.

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Questions, answer key and solutions.

Questions
50
Duration
30 min
Marks
50

Negative marking

Attempts
100
Access
Free
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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 30-minute clock, a question palette and full screen, and your score, the key and the solutions arrive when you submit.

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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.
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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. 30 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

Post-Mauryan India GK Practice Quiz Level 2: Shungas to Satavahanas

This Level 2 quiz tests Ancient Indian History of the post-Mauryan centuries: the Shungas and Kanvas, the Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Pahlavas, the Kushanas and the Satavahanas, along with Gandhara and Mathura art. Aptitude360 gives an explanation with every answer, so each statement-based or matching question also teaches the fact behind it.

Topics covered in this post-Mauryan history set

  • Shungas and Kanvas: Pushyamitra's overthrow of Brihadratha, Vasudeva's killing of Devabhuti
  • Indo-Greeks: Bactrian Greek rulers, Menander, the Heliodorus pillar at Besnagar, the first coins bearing rulers' names and images
  • Shakas: Central Asian origin, Rudradaman's Sanskrit inscription at Junagadh and the Sudarshana lake
  • Kushanas: Yuezhi origin, Kanishka, the Fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir, Purushapura and Mathura, the title Devaputra
  • Satavahanas: Simuka, kings named after their mothers, Gautamiputra Satakarni's victory over Nahapana, the Nasik inscription, land grants
  • Art and religion: Gandhara and Mathura schools, the shift to showing the Buddha in human form, growth of Mahayana

Key concepts to revise for post-Mauryan dynasties

  • The order in which foreign groups entered from the north-west: Indo-Greeks, then Shakas, then Pahlavas, then Kushanas
  • Inscriptions and who issued them, such as the Nasik cave inscription of Gautami Balashri
  • The earliest inscriptional land grants, made by the Satavahanas to Brahmanas and Buddhist monks
  • The Hellenistic features of Gandhara Buddha images compared with the local style of Mathura

How to prepare Shakas, Kushanas and Satavahanas

  • Build a table with each dynasty, its founder, key ruler, capital and best-known inscription, then test yourself on matching.
  • Link each monument to a place: Besnagar for Heliodorus, Junagadh for Rudradaman, Nasik for the Satavahanas, Mathura for the headless Kanishka statue.
  • Revise the 'NOT associated' traps by noting which personalities belong to Kanishka's court and which do not.

Who this Level 2 GK quiz suits

It suits general awareness aspirants who have covered the basics of the period and now want to practise statement, matching and sequence questions.

FAQs about Post-Mauryan India: Shungas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Kushanas, Satavahanas – GK Quiz with Answers – Level 2

Who founded the Shunga dynasty?
Pushyamitra Shunga founded it after killing Brihadratha, the last Mauryan ruler. The Shungas were later replaced by the Kanvas.
Who was Kanishka?
Kanishka was the most famous Kushana king and a patron of Buddhism. The Fourth Buddhist Council was held in Kashmir during his reign, and Purushapura was a major centre of his rule.
What is the difference between Gandhara and Mathura art?
Gandhara sculpture shows Greek or Hellenistic influence in the Buddha's features and drapery. The Mathura school developed in a more indigenous style, typically using red sandstone.
Which Satavahana king defeated Nahapana?
Gautamiputra Satakarni defeated the Shaka ruler Nahapana. His achievements are recorded in the Nasik inscription issued by his mother Gautami Balashri.

Test structure

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

SectionQuestionsTime
Post-Mauryan India: Shungas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Kushanas, Satavahanas GK Level 25030 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.

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