Modern Indian History: UPSC Prelims previous year questions

With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements:

1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.
2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs :

How many of the above are correctly matched?

Consider the following information:

In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

Consider the following statements:

1. There are no parables in Upanishads.
2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal?

With reference to revenue collection by Cornwallis, consider the following statements:

1. Under the Ryotwari Settlement of revenue collection, the peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests or natural calamities.
2. Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay his revenues to the state, on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese?

By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?

Consider the following statements :

Statement-I: 7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day.

Statement-II: It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as

Consider the following dynasties:

1. Hoysala
2. Gahadavala
3. Kakatiya
4. Yadava

How many of the above dynasties established their kingdoms in early eighth century AD?

With reference to the Indian History, Alexander Rea, A. H. Longhurst, Robert Sewell, James Burgess and Walter Elliot were associated with

In the Government of India Act 1919, the functions of Provincial Government were divided into "Reserved" and "Transferred" subjects. Which of the following were treated as "Reserved" subjects?

1. Administration of Justice
2. Local Self-Government
3. Land Revenue
4. Police

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

1. The Dutch established their factories/werehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by Gajapati rulers.
2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate.
3. The English East India Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following freedom fighters:

1. Barindra Kumar Ghosh
2. Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
3. Rash Behari Bose Who of the above was/were actively associated with the Ghadar Party?

With reference to the proposals of Cripps Mission, consider the following statements:

1. The Constituent Assembly would have members nominated by the Provincial Assemblies as well as the Princely States.
2. Any Province, which is not prepared to accept the new Constitution, would have the right to sign a separate agreement with Britain regarding its future status.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

In medieval India, the term "Fanam" referred to:

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

1. The first Mongol invasion of India happened during the reign of Jalal-ud-din Khalji.
2. During the reign of Ala-ud-din Khalji, one Mongol assault marched up to Delhi and besieged the city.
3. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq temporarily lost portions of north-west of his kingdom to Mongols.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, which of the following are correct?

1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment.
2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free.
3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

With reference to Indian history, who of the following were known as "KulahDaran"?

Consider the following pairs:

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age
3. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in legislature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to medieval India, which one of the following is the correct sequence in ascending order in terms of size?

In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as

With reference to Indian history, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The Nizamat of Arcot emerged out of Hyderabad State.
2. The Mysore Kingdom emerged out of Vijaynagara Empire.
3. Rohilkhand Kingdom was formed out of the territories occupied by Ahmad Shah Durrani.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?

In the first quarter of the seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located?

1. Broach
2. Chicacole
3. Trichinopoly

Select the correct answer using the codes given below

Who among the following is associated with 'Songs from Prison', a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English?

Who among the following was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School?

Consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

With reference to 8th August 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?

With reference to the book "Desher Katha" written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during freedom struggle, consider the following statements

1. It warned against the Colonial State's hypnotic conquest of the mind.
2. It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
3. The use of 'desh' by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact included which of the following?

1. Invitation to Congress to participate in the Round Table Conference
2. Withdrawal of Ordinances promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement
3. Acceptance of Gandhiji's suggestion for enquiry into police excesses
4. Release of only those prisoners who were not charged with violence

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of Select the correct answer using the code given below:

In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of (1884) revolved around?

1. women's right to gain education
2. age of consent
3. restitution of conjugal rights

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?

With reference to the history of India, the terms "kulyavapa" and "dronavapa" denote

With reference to the history of India, Ulgulan or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events?

Which of the following phrases defines the nature of the 'Hundi' generally referred to in the sources of the post-Harsha period?

With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs: Famous Place - Present State

1. Bhilsa - Madhya Pradesh
2. Dwarasamudra - Maharashtra
3. Girinagar - Gujarat
4. Sthanesvara - Uttar Pradesh

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

The Vital-Vidhvansak, the first monthly journal to have the untouchable people as its target audience was published by

Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because

With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements:

1. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of 'indentured labour'.
2. In Lord Chelmsford's 'War Conference', Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.
3. Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Which one of the following groups of plants were domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World'?

With reference to Mian Tansen, which one of the following statements is not correct?

With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following statements about 'the Charter Act of 1813':

1. It ended the trade monopoly of the East India Company in India except for trade in tea and trade with China.
2. It asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over the Indian territories held by the Company.
3. The revenues of India were now controlled by the British Parliament.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

With reference to Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements:

1. It contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.
2. The National Council of Education was established as a part of Swadeshi Movement.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?

Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India?

1. Charter Act of 1813
2. General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823
3. Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy

Select the correct answer using the code given below

After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what was/were the measure/measures taken by the colonial government?

1. The territories called `Santhal Paraganas' were created.
2. It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

In the federation established by the Government of India Act of 1935, residuary power was given to the

With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs :

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?

Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?

Who among the following were the founders of the "Hind Mazdoor Sabha" established in 1948?

In 1920, which of the following changed its name to "Swarajya Sabha"?

Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the -

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were -

Which among the following events happened earliest?

Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true ?

1. Grants-in-Aid system was introduced.
2. Establishment of universities was recommended.
3. English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India?

Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom?

With reference to the Indian freedom struggle, consider the following events:

1. Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy
2. Quit India Movement launched
3. Second Round Table Conference

What is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?

In the context of Indian history, the principle of "Dyarchy (diarchy)" refers to -

The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 provided for -

The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to?

Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British rule?

1. Lord Cornwallis
2. Alexander Read
3. Thomas Munro

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Consider the following statements:

1. The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions.
2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs:

1. Radhakanta Deb: First President of the British Indian Association
2. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty: Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha
3. Surendranath Banerjee: Founder of the Indian Association

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War -

Satya Shodhak Samaj organized -

Banjaras during the medieval period of Indian history were generally -

Consider the following:

1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee
2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation
3. Indian Reforms Association Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?

The 'Swadeshi' and 'Boycott' adopted as methods of struggle for the first time during the -

What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?

In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term 'Araghatta' refers to -

The Montagu-Chelmsford Proposals were related to -

Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India?

1. Dadabhai Naoroji
2. Subramania Iyer
3. R.C. Dutt

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

With reference to the cabinet mission, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It recommended a federal government.
2. It enlarged the powers of the Indian courts.
3. It provided for more Indians in the ICS

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The Government of India Act of 1919 clearly defined -

Who of the following organized a march on the Tanjore coast to break the Salt Law in April 1930?

Consider the following pairs:

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following statements :

1. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
2. The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Who of the following founded a new city on the south bank of a tributary to river Krishna and undertook to rule his new kingdom as the agent of a deity to whom all the land south of the river Krishna was supposed to belong?

With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential elementary elements of the feudal system?

1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority
2. The emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of the land
3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Which one of the following movements have contributed to a split in the Indian National Congress resulting in the emergence of 'moderates' and 'extremists'?

Consider the following: The arrival of Babur into India led to the:

1. introduction of gunpowder in the subcontinent
2. introduction of the arch and dome in the region's architecture
3. establishment of Timurid dynasty in the region

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

With reference to Congress Socialist Party, consider the following statements:

1. It advocated the boycott of British goods and evasion of taxes.
2. It wanted to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.
3. It advocated separate electorate for minorities and oppressed classes.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the 'Sedition Committee'
2. In Rowlatt Satyagraha Gandhiji tried to use the Home Rule League
3. Demonstrations against the Simon Commission coincided with the Rowlatt Satyagraha

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858)?

1. To disclaim any intention to annex the Indian States
2. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown
3. To regulate East India Company's trade with India

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to -

The 1929 Session of Indian National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because the -

In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for

The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a

The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until -

The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because:

The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the:

Annie Besant was:

1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
2. The founder of the Theosophical Society
3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress

Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from the robbery.
2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person.
3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Quit India Movement was launched in response to:

The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for:

With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were: