Ancient India

Which ancient civilization was one of the earliest large civilizations in the history of man?

• Indus Valley civilization

• Mesopotamian civilization

• Egyptian civilization

• Greek civilization

What river served as the same purpose as the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates for the ancient Mesopotamians?

• Indus River

• Nile River

• Ganges River

• Yangtze River

Which major piece of ancient Indian literature describes the Sarasvati River as 'surpassing in majesty and might of all other rivers'?

• Rigveda

• Mahabharata

• Ramayana

• Bhagavad Gita

What was the main occupation of the people in the Indus Valley civilization?

• Farming

• Hunting

• Fishing

• Trading

Which ancient Indian religion started shifting into a structure that more closely resembles Hinduism around the 5th century BCE?

• Vedic religion

• Buddhism

• Jainism

• Sikhism

Who is believed to have written the Vedic texts and put Hindu mythology into words?

• Aryans

• Harappans

• Buddhists

• Mauryans

Which ancient conqueror attempted to take over the Indus Valley but had to retreat due to internal problems with his army?

• Alexander the Great

• Julius Caesar

• Genghis Khan

• Napoleon Bonaparte

Who sought to unify the political factions into a centralized whole and formed the Maurya Empire in ancient India?

• Chandragupta Maurya

• Ashoka the Great

• Akbar the Great

• Harsha Vardhana

What war had a profound impact on Emperor Ashoka and led him to embrace Buddhism?

• Kalinga War

• Trojan War

• Punic Wars

• Peloponnesian War

What is the all-encompassing way of life in Indian society, often wrongly translated as religion?

• Dharma

• Karma

• Moksha

• Yoga