UPSC Civil Services (IAS) Prelims asked 65 Modern History questions between 2016–2025. Reading them together shows which topics keep returning and how examiners frame them.
UPSC 2025
Consider the following statements about Raja Ram Mohan Roy:
I. He possessed great love and respect for the traditional philosophical systems of the East.
II. He desired his countrymen to accept the rational and scientific approach and the principle of human dignity and social equality of all men and women.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) I only
- (b) II only
- (c) Both I and II
- (d) Neither I nor II
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Both I and II
Both statements are correct. Raja Ram Mohan Roy respected the Vedanta and other Eastern philosophical systems. He also urged Indians to adopt a rational, scientific outlook and to accept human dignity and the social equality of men and women, campaigning against sati and for women's rights.
Consider the following subjects with regard to Non-Cooperation Programme:
I. Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth
II. Observance of strict non-violence
III. Retention of titles and honours without using them in public
IV. Establishment of Panchayats for settling disputes
How many of the above were parts of Non-Cooperation Programme?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All the four
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Only three
Three were part of the Non-Cooperation programme: boycott of law courts and foreign cloth, strict non-violence, and setting up panchayats to settle disputes. Titles and honours were to be surrendered, not retained, so item III was not part of it.
Consider the following statements in respect of the Non-Cooperation Movement:
I. The Congress declared the attainment of 'Swaraj' by all legitimate and peaceful means to be its objective.
II. It was to be implemented in stages with civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes for the next stage only if 'Swaraj' did not come within a year and the Government resorted to repression.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) I only
- (b) II only
- (c) Both I and II
- (d) Neither I nor II
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Both I and II
Both statements are correct. At the Nagpur session (1920), the Congress adopted the attainment of Swaraj by all legitimate and peaceful means as its goal. The programme was to proceed in stages, with civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes to follow if Swaraj did not come within a year and the government resorted to repression.
"Sedition has become my religion" was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of
- (a) the Champaran Satyagraha
- (b) publicly violating Salt Law at Dandi
- (c) attending the Second Round Table Conference in London
- (d) the launch of the Quit India Movement
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) publicly violating Salt Law at Dandi
Gandhiji said 'Sedition has become my religion' during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, when he publicly broke the salt law at Dandi.
Who provided legal defence to the people arrested in the aftermath of Chauri Chaura incident?
- (a) C. R. Das
- (b) Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant
- (c) Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Khwaja Hasan Nizami
- (d) M. A. Jinnah
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant
Madan Mohan Malaviya, assisted by Krishna Kant Malaviya, defended those accused after the Chauri Chaura incident (1922). Many death sentences were commuted as a result.
Subsequent to which one of the following events, Gandhiji, who consistently opposed untouchability and appealed for its eradication from all spheres, decided to include the upliftment of 'Harijans' in his political and social programme?
- (a) The Poona Pact
- (b) The Gandhi-Irwin Agreement (Delhi Pact)
- (c) Arrest of Congress leadership at the time of the Quit India Movement
- (d) Promulgation of the Government of India Act, 1935
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) The Poona Pact
After the Poona Pact (1932), Gandhiji made the uplift of Harijans a central part of his programme. He founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh and the weekly 'Harijan', and toured the country against untouchability.
Who among the following was the founder of the 'Self-Respect Movement'?
- (a) 'Periyar' E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
- (b) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
- (c) Bhaskarrao Jadhav
- (d) Dinkarrao Javalkar
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 'Periyar' E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
E. V. Ramasamy 'Periyar' founded the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 in Tamil Nadu. It opposed caste hierarchy and Brahminical dominance and promoted rationalism and women's rights.
UPSC 2024
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?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
UPSC dropped this question in the final answer key, so no option is marked correct.
For context: the Ryotwari Settlement was introduced by Thomas Munro and Alexander Read, not Cornwallis, and it gave no automatic remission for bad harvests. Under Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement (1793), a zamindar who failed to pay on time had his estate auctioned under the 'sunset law'.
Who was the Provisional President of the Constituent Assembly before Dr. Rajendra Prasad took over?
- (a) C. Rajagopalachari
- (b) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
- (c) T.T. Krishnamachari
- (d) Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha
Dr Sachchidananda Sinha, the oldest member, was the provisional (temporary) President at the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 9 December 1946. Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected permanent President on 11 December 1946.
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?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is correct: the Government of India Act, 1935 provided for an All-India Federation of British Indian provinces and princely states, though it never came into being.
Statement 2 is incorrect: defence and foreign affairs were 'reserved subjects' under the Governor-General's control, not under the federal legislature.
Consider the following pairs:
Party - Its Leader
1. Bharatiya Jana Sangh - Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
2. Socialist Party - C. Rajagopalachari
3. Congress for Democracy - Jagjivan Ram
4. Swatantra Party - Acharya Narendra Dev
How many of the above are correctly matched?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Only two
Pair 1 is correct: Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951).
Pair 2 is incorrect: the Socialist Party was led by Acharya Narendra Dev and Jayaprakash Narayan, not C. Rajagopalachari.
Pair 3 is correct: Jagjivan Ram formed the Congress for Democracy (1977).
Pair 4 is incorrect: the Swatantra Party was founded by C. Rajagopalachari, not Acharya Narendra Dev.
UPSC 2023
By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?
- (a) The Regulating Act
- (b) The Pitt's India Act
- (c) The Charter Act of 1793
- (d) The Charter Act of 1833
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) The Charter Act of 1833
The Charter Act of 1833 designated the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India. Lord William Bentinck was the first to hold the title. The Regulating Act of 1773 had created the post of Governor-General of Bengal.
UPSC 2022
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:
- (a) 1, 2 and 3
- (b) 2, 3 and 4
- (c) 1, 3 and 4
- (d) 1, 2 and 4
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4
Under dyarchy (Government of India Act, 1919), "reserved" subjects stayed with the Governor and his executive council; they included administration of justice, police, land revenue, irrigation and finance.
Local self-government was a "transferred" subject, run by ministers responsible to the legislature.
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?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2 only
- (c) 1 and 3
- (d) 3 only
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) 3 only
Rash Behari Bose worked with the Ghadar Party on the planned uprising of February 1915 and later founded the Indian Independence League in Japan.
Barindra Kumar Ghosh led the Anushilan/Jugantar group in Bengal (Alipore bomb case), and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee was a founder of the Hindustan Republican Association; neither was a Ghadar Party activist.
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?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is incorrect: under the Cripps proposals (1942), the Constituent Assembly's British-Indian members would be elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation; only the princely states would nominate their members.
Statement 2 is correct: any province unwilling to accept the new constitution could stay out and make a separate agreement with Britain about its future status.
With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:
1. The Dutch established their factories/warehouses 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?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Statement 1 is incorrect: the Dutch reached the east coast in the early 17th century, long after Gajapati rule ended (c. 1541); Masulipatnam came from the Golconda Sultanate and Pulicat from the Vijayanagara (Chandragiri) rulers.
Statement 2 is correct: Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510.
Statement 3 is correct: in 1639 Francis Day obtained the Madras site from Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, a local chief (nayaka) of the Vijayanagara (Aravidu) king.
UPSC 2021
In the first quarter of 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 code given below.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
In the first quarter of the 17th century the English had factories in Gujarat, at Surat (1613) and Broach, Ahmedabad and Agra.
Chicacole and Trichinopoly were not English factory sites then.
This explanation is being checked by a subject expert.
With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?
- (a) Pingali Venkayya designed the tricolour Indian National Flag here.
- (b) Pattabhi Sitaramaiah led the Quit India Movement of Andhra region from here.
- (c) Rabindranath Tagore translated the National Anthem from Bengali to English here.
- (d) Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott set up headquarters of Theosophical Society first here.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Rabindranath Tagore translated the National Anthem from Bengali to English here.
In 1919 Rabindranath Tagore translated "Jana Gana Mana" into English as "The Morning Song of India" at the Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle.
The Theosophical Society's Indian headquarters was set up at Adyar, Chennai.
Consider the following statements:
1. St. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order.
2. St. Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there.
3. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Statement 1 is correct: Francis Xavier was one of the seven founding members of the Society of Jesus (1534).
Statement 2 is incorrect: he died on Shangchuan Island off China in 1552; his remains lie in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa.
Statement 3 is correct: his feast is celebrated in Goa every year on 3 December.
Consider the following statements:
1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age of 21.
2. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is incorrect: the 1919 reforms did not grant women's franchise; they left it to the provincial legislatures to decide.
Statement 2 is correct: the Government of India Act, 1935 reserved seats for women in the legislatures.
With reference to 8th August, 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?
- (a) The Quit India Resolution was adopted by the AICC.
- (b) The Viceroy's Executive Council was expanded to include more Indians.
- (c) The Congress ministries resigned in seven provinces.
- (d) Cripps proposed an Indian Union with full Dominion Status once the Second World War was over.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) The Quit India Resolution was adopted by the AICC.
On 8 August 1942 the AICC, meeting at Gowalia Tank in Bombay, passed the Quit India Resolution; Gandhi gave the "Do or Die" call.
The Congress ministries had resigned in 1939, and the Cripps offer came in March 1942.
Who among the following is associated with 'Songs from Prison', a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English?
- (a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- (b) Jawaharlal Nehru
- (c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- (d) Sarojini Naidu
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
"Songs from Prison" is Gandhi's translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics (from the Upanishads and saint-poets), made in Yerawada jail in 1930 and later edited by John S. Hoyland.
Who among the following was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School?
- (a) Annie Besant
- (b) Debendranath Tagore
- (c) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
- (d) Sarojini Naidu
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was secretary of the Hindu Female School founded by J.E.D. Bethune in Calcutta in 1849, later renamed Bethune School.
In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as
- (a) leaders of Swadeshi and Boycott Movement
- (b) members of the Interim Government in 1946
- (c) members of the Drafting Committee in the Constituent Assembly
- (d) officers of the Indian National Army
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) officers of the Indian National Army
Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were INA officers tried together at the Red Fort in 1945–46; the trials sparked nationwide protests.
UPSC 2020
With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs:
1. Aurang - In-charge of treasury of the State
2. Banian - Indian agent of the East India Company
3. Mirasidar - Designated revenue payer to the State
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Pair 1 is wrong: an aurang was a workshop or warehouse where goods (especially textiles) were produced or collected, not the treasury.
Pair 2 is correct: banians were Indian agents and brokers of the East India Company officials.
Pair 3 is correct: under the ryotwari system in Madras, mirasidars were the designated revenue payers to the State.
Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
- (a) Indian handicrafts were ruined.
- (b) Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.
- (c) Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country.
- (d) Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufactures.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) Indian handicrafts were ruined.
In the first half of the 19th century cheap machine-made British goods flooded India under one-way free trade, ruining Indian handicrafts (deindustrialisation).
Railways came only from 1853, machine textile mills from the 1850s, and British goods paid low duties.
With reference to the book "Desher Katha" written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the 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?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: Deuskar's Desher Katha (1904) exposed the economic drain and warned against the colonial State's "hypnotic conquest of the mind"; it inspired swadeshi plays and songs and was banned in 1910.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Deuskar used "desh" for India as a whole, not just Bengal.
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:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1, 2 and 4 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 2, 3 and 4 only
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 4 only
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931) invited the Congress to the Second Round Table Conference, withdrew the Civil Disobedience ordinances and released political prisoners not charged with violence.
Gandhi's demand for an enquiry into police excesses was not accepted, so statement 3 is wrong.
The Vital-Vidhvansak, the first monthly journal to have the untouchable people as its target audience was published by
- (a) Gopal Baba Walangkar
- (b) Jyotiba Phule
- (c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- (d) Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) Gopal Baba Walangkar
Gopal Baba Walangkar, an early Dalit activist from Maharashtra, published Vital-Vidhvansak (Destroyer of Ritual Pollution) in 1888, the first periodical aimed at untouchables.
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:
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
In 1884 Dadaji Bhikaji sued Rakhmabai for restitution of conjugal rights; she refused to live with the husband she had been married to as a child.
The case fuelled the debate that led to the Age of Consent Act, 1891.
Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of
- (a) peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters
- (b) its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
- (c) national leaders' opposition to the cultivation of indigo
- (d) Government control over the planters
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
Indian indigo became unprofitable after German chemists developed cheap synthetic indigo dye (commercially from 1897), which collapsed world demand for natural indigo.
Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because
- (a) he was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so
- (b) he wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India
- (c) he wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment
- (d) he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India
Wellesley founded Fort William College in 1800 to train young British civil servants of the Company in Indian languages, laws and customs for administration.
With reference to the history of India, "Ulgulan" or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events?
- (a) The Revolt of 1857
- (b) The Mappila Rebellion of 1921
- (c) The Indigo Revolt of 1859-60
- (d) Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899-1900
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899-1900
Ulgulan ("the great tumult") was Birsa Munda's movement of 1899–1900 in Chota Nagpur against landlords, moneylenders and colonial rule.
UPSC 2019
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?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statement 1 is correct: the Charter Act of 1813 ended the Company's trade monopoly in India, keeping only the tea trade and the China trade.
Statement 2 is correct: it asserted the Crown's sovereignty over the Company's Indian territories.
Statement 3 is incorrect: the revenues of India remained with the Company; Parliament did not take control of them under this Act.
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?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Both are correct: the Swadeshi Movement (1905) revived indigenous crafts and industries (textile mills, match and soap factories, banks), and the National Council of Education was set up in 1906 to promote national education.
Consider the following pairs:
Movement/Organization - Leader
1. All India Anti-Untouchability League - Mahatma Gandhi
2. All India Kisan Sabha - Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
3. Self-Respect Movement - E. V. Ramaswami Naicker
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three pairs are correct: Gandhi founded the All India Anti-Untouchability League (1932, later Harijan Sevak Sangh); Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was the first president of the All India Kisan Sabha (1936); and E. V. Ramaswami Naicker (Periyar) led the Self-Respect Movement.
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?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
Statement 1 is correct: Gandhi campaigned against indentured labour, which was abolished in 1917.
Statement 2 is incorrect: at Lord Chelmsford's War Conference (Delhi, 1918) Gandhi supported the resolution on recruiting Indians for the war.
Statement 3 is correct: during the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) the Congress was declared illegal.
With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs:
Person - Position held
1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru - President, All India Liberal Federation
2. K. C. Neogy - Member, The Constituent Assembly
3. P. C. Joshi - General Secretary, Communist Party of India
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three are correct: Tej Bahadur Sapru was a president of the All India Liberal Federation; K. C. Neogy was a member of the Constituent Assembly; and P. C. Joshi was the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (1935–47).
UPSC 2018
He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was
- (a) Aurobindo Ghosh
- (b) Bipin Chandra Pal
- (c) Lala Lajpat Rai
- (d) Motilal Nehru
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna, lived in the USA during 1914–1919 (where he founded the Indian Home Rule League of America), and was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1926.
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:
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: Wood's Despatch (1854) introduced grants-in-aid and recommended universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.
Statement 3 is incorrect: it recommended English for higher education but the vernacular languages at the school level.
In the Federation established by The Government of India Act of 1935, residuary powers were given to the
- (a) Federal Legislature
- (b) Governor General
- (c) Provincial Legislature
- (d) Provincial Governors
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Governor General
The Government of India Act, 1935 divided powers into Federal, Provincial and Concurrent Lists and vested the residuary powers in the Governor-General.
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:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Both are correct: after the Santhal rebellion (1855–56) the British created the Santhal Parganas district as a separate non-regulation area, and later laws (consolidated in the Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act) barred transfer of Santhal land to non-Santhals.
Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the
- (a) increase in the export of Indian handicrafts
- (b) growth in the number of Indian owned factories
- (c) commercialization of Indian agriculture
- (d) rapid increase in the urban population
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) commercialization of Indian agriculture
Under British rule in the 19th century, Indian agriculture was commercialised: farmers grew cash crops such as indigo, cotton, jute and opium for markets and export.
Handicraft exports fell, Indian-owned factories were few, and urbanisation was slow.
The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were
- (a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
- (b) Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
- (c) Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
- (d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
In the mid-18th century the Company's main exports from Bengal were cotton textiles, raw silk, saltpetre and opium.
Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?
- (a) Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement
- (b) Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement
- (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement
- (d) Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement
The Champaran Satyagraha (1917), against the tinkathia system forced on indigo farmers, linked peasant grievances to the national movement under Gandhi's leadership.
Who among the following were the founders of the "Hind Mazdoor Sabha" established in 1948?
- (a) B. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George
- (b) Jayaprakash Narayan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and M.N. Roy
- (c) C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu
- (d) Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta
The Hind Mazdoor Sabha was founded in 1948 by socialists including Ashok Mehta, T. S. Ramanujam, G. G. Mehta, Basawon Singh and R. S. Ruikar.
Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?
- (a) To maintain a large standing army at other's expense
- (b) To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger
- (c) To secure a fixed income for the Company
- (d) To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) To secure a fixed income for the Company
The Subsidiary Alliance made Indian rulers pay for a British force stationed in their territory, kept out French (Napoleonic) influence and established British paramountcy.
Securing a fixed income for the Company was not its stated purpose, so the official key takes (c).
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:
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three contributed: the Charter Act of 1813 set aside ₹1 lakh a year for education, the General Committee of Public Instruction (1823) managed those funds, and the Orientalist–Anglicist debate ended with Macaulay's Minute and the English Education Act of 1835.
In 1920, which of the following changed its name to "Swarajya Sabha"?
- (a) All India Home Rule League
- (b) Hindu Mahasabha
- (c) South Indian Liberal Federation
- (d) The Servants of India Society
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) All India Home Rule League
In 1920 the All India Home Rule League, with Gandhi as its president, renamed itself the Swarajya Sabha.
Which among the following events happened earliest?
- (a) Swami Dayanand established Arya Samaj.
- (b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.
- (c) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandmath.
- (d) Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to succeed in the Indian Civil Services Examination.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.
Neeldarpan was written in 1858–59 (published 1860), Satyendranath Tagore entered the ICS in 1863/64, the Arya Samaj was founded in 1875, and Anandmath was published in 1882.
Neeldarpan came earliest.
With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs:
Institution - Founder
1. Sanskrit College at Benaras - William Jones
2. Calcutta Madarsa - Warren Hastings
3. Fort William College - Arthur Wellesley
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2 only
- (c) 1 and 3
- (d) 3 only
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only pair 2 is correct: Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781.
The Sanskrit College at Benares was founded by Jonathan Duncan (1791), and Fort William College by Richard Wellesley (1800), not Arthur Wellesley.
Consider the following events:
1. The first democratically elected communist party government formed in a State in India.
2. India's then largest bank, 'Imperial Bank of India', was renamed 'State Bank of India'.
3. Air India was nationalised and became the national carrier.
4. Goa became a part of independent India.
Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?
- (a) 4-1-2-3
- (b) 3-2-1-4
- (c) 4-2-1-3
- (d) 3-1-2-4
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 3-2-1-4
Air India was nationalised in 1953, the Imperial Bank became the State Bank of India in 1955, the first elected communist government (E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Kerala) came in 1957, and Goa joined India in 1961.
The order is 3-2-1-4.
UPSC 2017
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:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only
The Ryotwari system was introduced by Alexander Read in Baramahal (1792) and extended by Thomas Munro in Madras.
Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal.
The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 provided for
- (a) the participation of workers in the management of industries.
- (b) arbitrary powers to the management to quell industrial disputes.
- (c) an intervention by the British Court in the event of a trade dispute.
- (d) a system of tribunals and a ban on strikes.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) a system of tribunals and a ban on strikes.
The Trade Disputes Act, 1929 set up courts of inquiry and boards of conciliation (tribunals) and banned strikes in public utility services without notice and strikes meant to coerce the government.
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?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is incorrect: the Factories Act, 1881 regulated child labour and working hours; it did not fix wages or allow trade unions.
Statement 2 is correct: N. M. Lokhande founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association (1890) and pioneered India's labour movement.
The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to
- (a) Define the jurisdiction of the Central and Provincial Governments.
- (b) Define the powers of the Secretary of State for India.
- (c) Impose censorship on national press.
- (d) Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.
The Butler Committee (1927) examined and recommended on the relationship between the Paramount Power (Government of India) and the Indian princely States.
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?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
Radhakanta Deb was the first president of the British Indian Association (1851) and Surendranath Banerjee founded the Indian Association (1876).
Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty founded the Madras Native Association; the Madras Mahajana Sabha (1884) was founded by M. Viraraghavachariar and others.
In the context of Indian history, the principle of 'Dyarchy (diarchy)' refers to
- (a) Division of the central legislature into two houses.
- (b) Introduction of double government i.e., Central and State governments.
- (c) Having two sets of rulers; one in London and another in Delhi.
- (d) Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Dyarchy under the Government of India Act, 1919 divided provincial subjects into 'transferred' subjects (under ministers responsible to the legislature) and 'reserved' subjects (under the Governor and his executive council).
With reference to 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?
- (a) 1-2-3
- (b) 2-1-3
- (c) 3-2-1
- (d) 3-1-2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) 3-2-1
The Second Round Table Conference was in 1931, the Quit India Movement began in August 1942, and the Royal Indian Navy mutiny was in February 1946.
The order is 3-2-1.
UPSC 2016
The 'Swadeshi' and 'Boycott' were adopted as methods of struggle for the first time during the
- (a) agitation against the Partition of Bengal
- (b) Home Rule Movement
- (c) Non-Cooperation Movement
- (d) visit of the Simon Commission to India
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (a) agitation against the Partition of Bengal
Swadeshi and boycott were first adopted as methods of struggle in the agitation against the Partition of Bengal (1905).
Satya Shodhak Samaj organized
- (a) a movement for upliftment of tribals in Bihar
- (b) a temple-entry movement in Gujarat
- (c) an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra
- (d) a peasant movement in Punjab
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (c) an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra
Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 in Maharashtra to fight caste discrimination and Brahmanical dominance.
The Montague-Chelmsford Proposals were related to
- (a) social reforms
- (b) educational reforms
- (c) reforms in police administration
- (d) constitutional reforms
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) constitutional reforms
The Montagu-Chelmsford Report (1918) proposed constitutional reforms, which became the Government of India Act, 1919 and introduced dyarchy in the provinces.
Consider the following:
1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee
2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation
3. Indian Reform Association
Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?
- (a) 1 and 3 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Keshab Chandra Sen founded the Indian Reform Association (1870) and the Church of the New Dispensation (Nava Vidhan), whose meeting place was the Tabernacle of New Dispensation.
The Calcutta Unitarian Committee (1821) was formed by Rammohan Roy, Dwarkanath Tagore and William Adam.
What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?
- (a) Introduction of communalism into Indian politics by Lord Minto
- (b) Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government
- (c) Foundation of Muslim League
- (d) Aurobindo Ghosh's inability to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government
The Surat split (1907) came from the Extremists' distrust of the Moderates' methods of petition and negotiation with the British, along with the dispute over the presidency.
The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War
- (a) India should be granted complete independence
- (b) India should be partitioned into two before granting independence
- (c) India should be made a republic with the condition that she will join the Commonwealth
- (d) India should be given Dominion status
Show answer and explanation
Answer: (d) India should be given Dominion status
The Cripps Mission (1942) offered India Dominion status after the war, with a constituent assembly and the right of provinces to stay out.
