Which of the following statements are correct?
A. Al-Biruni wrote 'Kitab-ul-Hind' in Arabic.
B. It is a voluminous text divided in 80 chapters.
C. 'Kitab-ul-Hind' is the Arabic translation of 'Ramayana'.
D. Al-Biruni's expertise in several languages allowed him to translate texts.
E. The language in which Al-Biruni excelled was Greek.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, B, D only
A. Al-Biruni wrote ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’ in Arabic. Correct. Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is simple and lucid.
B. It is a voluminous text divided in 80 chapters. Correct. It is a voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, and weights and measures.
C. ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’ is the Arabic translation of ‘Ramayana’. Incorrect. The Kitab-ul-Hind is Al-Biruni’s own account of India, chapter by chapter on the subjects above, not a translation of an epic. The Sanskrit works he did translate into Arabic include Patanjali’s work on grammar.
D. Al-Biruni’s expertise in several languages allowed him to translate texts. Correct. His expertise in several languages allowed him to compare languages and translate texts: he translated Sanskrit works into Arabic and, for his Brahmana friends, the works of Euclid into Sanskrit.
E. The language in which Al-Biruni excelled was Greek. Incorrect. Al-Biruni knew Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit, but he did not know Greek; he read Plato and other Greek philosophers in Arabic translations.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 From Khwarizm to the Punjab … Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in presentday 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.… 1.2 The Kitab-ul- Hind … Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is simple and lucid. It is a voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws and metrology.…”
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