Prelims 1998 · archive
EasyWhich of the following pairs are correctly matched?
- 1.Lothal: Ancient dockyard
- 2.Sarnath: First sermon of Buddha
- 3.Rajgir: Lion capital of Ashoka
- 4.Nalanda: Great seat of Buddhist learning
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1, 2, and 4
Lothal had a dockyard, Sarnath saw the Buddha's first sermon and Nalanda was a great centre of Buddhist learning. The Lion Capital of Ashoka comes from Sarnath, not Rajgir.
- ✓ 1. The Harappan port town of Lothal had a huge dockyard.
- ✓ 2. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath.
- ✗ 3. The Lion Capital was found at Sarnath.
- ✓ 4. Nalanda was a leading Buddhist centre of learning.
Remember · Lion Capital = Sarnath; Lothal = dockyard; Nalanda = Buddhist learning.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 4 “the huge dockyard at Lothal, built entirely of burnt bricks, is another marvel of the Harappan water management and architectural skills”
- NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 3 “The Mauryan pillar capital found at Sarnath popularly known as the Lion Capital is the finest example of Mauryan sculptural”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1998, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1998: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·