Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Medieval India: Through the Eyes of Travellers

Question:

Read the passage and answer the question:

Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan. Khwarizm was an important centre of learning, and Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time. He was well-versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, and Sanskrit. Although he did not know Greek, he was familiar with the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers, having read them in Arabic translations. In 1017, when Sultan Mahmud invaded Khwarizm, he took several scholars and poets back to his capital, Ghazni; Al-Biruni was one of them.

For whom did Al-Biruni translate the works of 'Euclid' into 'Sanskrit'?

Options:

Kings

Brahmana friends

People in Ghazni

Shudra friends

Correct Answer:

Brahmana friends

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 2 - Brahmana friends

Al-Biruni’s expertise in several languages allowed him to compare languages and translate texts. He translated several Sanskrit works, including Patanjali’s work on grammar, into Arabic. For his Brahmana friends, he translated the works of Euclid (a Greek mathematician) into Sanskrit.