Question

Which technological advancement originated during the Gupta period or "Golden Age" of India?

the geometric grid system used for city planning
the foundation of Sanskrit, the world’s oldest language
the development of binary numbers, the basis for computer code
the cultivation of crops and farming in the Indus River Valley

Answer 1

None of the four options is correct.

Why:
- Geometric grid city planning — characteristic of the much earlier Indus Valley (Harappan) civilization, not Gupta.
- Sanskrit’s foundations — Vedic and Classical Sanskrit predate the Guptas by many centuries.
- Binary numbers — not a Gupta innovation (early binary-like ideas appear earlier in India, and modern binary as used in computing is a later development).
- Crop cultivation in the Indus Valley — Neolithic/Harappan-era activity, long before the Gupta age.

What did originate or flourish during the Gupta “Golden Age”:
- Major advances in mathematics and astronomy (notably Aryabhata and later mathematicians): the place‑value decimal system and the use of zero, important work in algebra and trigonometry.
- Advances in metallurgy (e.g., the Iron Pillar of Delhi), medicine, literature, and the arts.