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GATE 2016 CE (CE2) – Question 7

General Aptitude · Verbal Aptitude: Grammar and Vocabulary · 2 marks · Multiple choice

Today, we consider Ashoka as a great ruler because of the copious evidence he left behind in the form of stone carved edicts. Historians tend to correlate greatness of a king at his time with the availability of evidence today. Which of the following can be logically inferred from the above sentences?

  1. Emperors who do not leave significant sculpted evidence are completely forgotten.
  2. Ashoka produced stone carved edicts to ensure that later historians will respect him.
  3. Statues of kings are a reminder of their greatness.
  4. A king’s greatness, as we know him today, is interpreted by historians.

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Correct answer: (D) A king’s greatness, as we know him today, is interpreted by historians.

Explanation

The passage links present assessments of greatness to surviving evidence and historians’ interpretations of it. It therefore supports **a king’s greatness as known today is interpreted by historians, D**. It does not establish why Ashoka created the edicts or that rulers without sculptures are completely forgotten.