UPSC Prelims 2016 GS Paper I · Q39 of 100 History easy

Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?

  1. (a) Georg Bühler
  2. (b) James Prinsep ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) Max Müller
  4. (d) William Jones

Why the answer is (b)

• James Prinsep, an officer of the Calcutta Mint and secretary of the Asiatic Society, deciphered the Brahmi script in 1837 and read Ashoka's edicts, identifying 'Devanampiya Piyadasi' with Ashoka — option (b).

• William Jones (d) founded the Asiatic Society (1784); Max Müller (c) edited the Rigveda; Georg Bühler (a) later worked on Indian palaeography.

• Hence option (b).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Georg Bühler
Bühler worked on palaeography later, after Prinsep.
(c) Max Müller
Max Müller was a Vedic scholar, not the decipherer.
(d) William Jones
Jones founded the Asiatic Society but did not decipher Brahmi.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2016, held on 7 August 2016. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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