Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Ancient History)
2 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times (Ancient History). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–2 of 2 questions
UPSC 2021Ancient History · Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times
Q1. With reference to the history of ancient India, Bhavabhuti, Hastimalla and Kshemeshvara were famous:
Explanation
Ancient and medieval Indian playwrights and dramatists, like Bhasa, Kalidasa, and Bhavabhuti, created masterpieces that blended poetry, philosophy, and performance. Bhavabhti was an 8th-century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. He is known as "Poet of Karun Rasa" for his work named as Uttararamacharita. His written plays include Mahavircharitra and Malatimadhava. Hastimalla was a Kannada poet and playwright during Hoysalas’ reign. He wrote 8 plays including ’VikrantKaurava’ and ’Subhadra Harana’ Kshemeshvara was an 11th-century Sanskrit poet from Kashmir in India. One of the important works attributed to him is the Dasavatar Charita.
UPSC 2021Ancient History · Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times
Q2. With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: The distinction between Mitakshara and Dayabhaga is not based on caste i.e. upper or lower castes but on regional variations of Hindu law. Mitakshara was prevalent in most parts of India, whereas Dayabhaga was primarily followed in Bengal and parts of Assam.
Statement 2 is correct: Both were Hindu law books and governed property rights and inheritance. The Mitakshara was written by Vijnanesvara, a scholar in the Kalyani Chalukya court in the late 11th century. The Dayabhaga was authored by Jimutavahana, a 12th-century scholar from Bengal. In the Mitakshara system, sons acquire a right to ancestral property by birth, meaning they have a share in the joint family property during the father’s lifetime. In the Dayabhaga system, sons do not have a right to the property until the father’s death.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The Mitakshara system historically favored male descendants, with females becoming coparceners only after the Hindu Succession Act, 2005. In contrast, the Dayabhaga system provides relatively better property rights to women, allowing both male and female heirs to inherit property. However it is wrong to say that Mitakshara deals with matters of property rights of only males as the wife is allowed to have share when husband and son partition the property.
Exam tip:
For S1, "upper vs. lower" caste framing is too simplistic and rigid for real-life legal systems. Hence more likely false. For S3, Legal systems evolve gradually; it’s unlikely one completely excludes females while the other includes them fully. Statement makes sharp and total claim hence more likely false.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2021
(b) Playwrights
2
2021
(b) 2 only
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times?
This page covers 2 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times (Ancient History), asked from 1995 to 2024. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times?
Questions on Art, Literature and Culture During Ancient Times (Ancient History) are available for 11 years, from 1995 to 2024. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
