WBCS MAIN 2016 P-3 HISTORY MCQ
WBCS MAIN 2016 P-3 HISTORY One Liner Questions
TOPIC 1: ANCIENT INDIA
(Questions 1-50)
1. Which Mughal rulers were half Rajput (born of a Rajput mother)? – Jahangir and Shahjahan
2. Who was the first Englishman to visit Jahangir’s court? – Hawkins
3. Who gave Bombay to Charles II of England as a dowry gift? – Portuguese
4. Where did the so-called Black Hole Tragedy take place? – Calcutta
5. When was the ‘Double Government’ (Court of Directors and Board of Control) created? – 1784
6. According to Abdur Razzag, policemen of Vijayanagar were paid from taxes on which source? – Wine shops
7. Which revenue system is also known as the ‘bandobast’ system? – Zabti
8. During whose reign was tobacco introduced in India? – Jahangir
9. Which Mughal emperor prohibited Sati unless voluntarily desired by the widow? – Akbar
10. Which type of Jagir could not be transferred? – Watan Jagir
11. During whose reign did the Siyahi qalam painting technique become fashionable? – Jahangir
12. At whose court was the Buddhist author Haribhadra present? – Dharmapala
13. Which pair is NOT matched correctly? – Zia-ud-din Barani—Kitab-ul-Rahala
14. Who observed that Muhammad Ghori’s success was “the consummation of a process which extended over the whole of 12th Century”? – A.B.M. Habibullah
15. During whose reign did the Chahalgani (Chalisa) come into existence? – Iltutmish
16. Tanka, shashgani and jital coins were made of which metals? – Silver, Silver, Copper
17. Nicolo de Conti visited Vijayanagar during whose reign? – Deva Raya II
18. Who founded the Chalukyas of Badami? – Pulkesin I
19. Which kingdom was referred to as ‘Ruhmi’ by Arab merchant Sulaiman? – Rashtrakuta
20. At which port have a Roman settlement and factory been discovered? – Arikamedu
21. During whose reign did seaborne trade between India and Rome receive great impetus? – Augustus
22. During post-Maurya times, elaborate Vedic sacrifices were performed by rulers of which region? – Both North India and Deccan
23. Which school of art flourished in the Krishna-Godavari valley during 2nd century BCE-3rd century CE? – Amravati School
24. Navaniyakam of the Gupta period was a book on which subject? – Medicine
25. Which dynasty first transferred all sources of revenue to Brahmans? – Vakatakas
26. The Mandsor pillar inscription (early 6th century CE) belongs to which ruler? – Yasodharman
27. Who considered Harappan crafts “technically the peer of the rest” among Bronze Age products? – Gordon Childe
28. Who composed the most significant commentary on the Rigveda in the Vijayanagar realm? – Sayana
29. Which statement about the Rigveda is NOT correct? – The Rigveda is a monolithic text
30. Who was the chief of the Bharata tribe in the Battle of Ten Kings? – Sudas
31. Which areas were viewed as impure by later Vedic authors? – All of the above (Anga, Magadha, Vanga)
32. Which Rigvedic river is known as Ravi and also as Iravati? – Parushni
33. Where does the earliest reference to the four-fold division of society occur? – The Purusha-sukta of the Rig Veda Samhita
34. Which were the most prominent monarchical mahajanapadas during Buddha’s age? – All listed in (B) and (C) (Kosal, Vatsa, Avanti, Magadha)
35. Which Magadhan ruler attacked the gana-rajyas with new weapons like rathamushala? – Ajatasatru
36. Who was the ruler of Taxila when Alexander’s army crossed the Indus in 326 BC? – Ambhi
37. Who called India the 20th and most prosperous satrapy of the Persian empire? – Herodotus
38. On the basis of Kodumanal evidence, when did urbanization begin in Tamil Nadu? – 500-400 BCE
39. Whose name is associated with the first known international treaty in Indian history? – Chandragupta Maurya
40. Which historians rejected the idea of a marriage alliance between Chandragupta and Seleucus? – B.N. Mukherjee and Romila Thapar
41. Which pair is NOT correctly matched? – Claudius Aelianus—Naturalis Historica
42. Which major rock edicts of Ashoka are in Prakrit language and Kharosthi script? – Both Manshera and Shahbazgarhi
43. Which was NOT a regional headquarters in the Maurya empire? – Tambaparin
44. To whom was the Lomasa Rishi cave donated by Ashoka? – Ajivika monks
45. The history of ancient Indian trade rightly begins from which period? – Harappan
46. Which are well-known ancient geographical epithets of India? – Both Saptadvipa and Bharatvarsha
47. The earliest use of ‘Hindustan’ appears in which inscription of Shahpur I? – Naqsh-i-Rustom
48. Which period did Romila Thapar designate as ‘Threshold Times’? – CE 600-CE 1300
49. Which was the largest Bronze Age civilization? – The Harappan civilization
50. Which archaeologist contested the identification of the Harappan structure as a ‘Granary’? – J.M. Kenoyer
TOPIC 2: MEDIEVAL INDIA
(Questions 51-52)
51. Which statement about Tipu Sultan is NOT correct? – He never sought a sanad from the Ottoman Khalifa to legitimise his rule
52. Who presided over the historic Lucknow session of INC in 1916? – Ambika Charan Mozumdar
TOPIC 3: MODERN INDIA (FREEDOM STRUGGLE & INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS)
(Questions 53-91)
53. On which formula did Gandhi propose talks with Jinnah in April 1944? – Rajaji formula
54. Whom did Gandhi describe in 1940 as “my son” but a “spoilt child of the family”? – Subhas Chandra Bose
55. Which statements are correct about the Civil Disobedience Movement? – All of the above (absence of Hindu-Muslim unity, business support, women’s participation, decline from September 1930)
56. Who moved the 1918 Congress resolution for equal voting rights for women? – Annie Besant
57. Which movement was started by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in Bihar? – Kisan Sabha Movement
58. Which period of trade union movement witnessed the first influence of communist ideology? – 1924-1934
59. Who did NOT attend the first session of the Indian National Congress? – Surendranath Banerjee
60. Who observed: “The Congress is in reality a civil war without arms”? – Lord Dufferin
61. When did the British pass a law making it an offence to preach nationalism? – 1898
62. Who was INC President when the Shimla Conference was convened in 1945? – Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
63. Which organization, according to Sumit Sarkar, “left little distinctive or permanent on the plane of religion and philosophy”? – Young Bengal
64. Which statements correctly describe the Aligarh movement? – (ii), (iii) and (v) (Pro-British, Anti-Congress, Anti-Hindu)
65. When was FICCI formed? – 1927
66. Who initiated the new imperial policy of “Paramountcy”? – Lord Hastings
67. Which resolution proclaimed Indian Muslims as a nation? – Lahore Resolution of 1940
68. Who introduced the Ryotwari system in Madras? – Thomas Munro
69. Which movement became a movement for restoration of Sikh sovereignty? – Kuka Movement
70. Who said the 1935 Act was framed “to hold India to the empire”? – Winston Churchill
71. At which event did Nehru note “such unified sentiments” among divergent sections? – INA Trial
72. Where did Jonathan Duncan found the Sanskrit College in 1792? – Varanasi
73. Which organizations/persons did NOT approve of the Quit India Movement? – All of the above (Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, B.R. Ambedkar)
74. Who said: “I know my country as my mother. I adore her. I worship her”? – Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
75. Who proposed the “Breakdown Plan” in 1946? – Viceroy Lord Wavell
76. Which movement emerged in South India under E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker? – Self-respect Movement
77. In which movement did Sucheta Kripalani and Aruna Asaf Ali coordinate despite police repression? – Quit India Movement
78. The “Downward Filtration Theory” related to which colonial policy? – Education
79. The second split in Congress (1918) occurred on which issue? – Montague declaration
80. Which pair is NOT correctly matched? – Sumit Sarkar — India’s struggle for Independence
81. Who acted as INC President for six consecutive years? – Abul Kalam Azad
82. When and where was the All India Kisan Sabha formed? – 1936-Lucknow
83. During which period did Gandhi remain aloof from politics for constructive programmes? – 1922-1924
84. The Vaikam Satyagraha was launched for what purpose? – To open temples for entry of lower castes
85. Which movements were ‘temple entry’ movements? – All of the above (Vaikkam, Guruvayur, Munshiganj)
86. Who criticized the British empire as “rotten to the core”? – Sister Nivedita
87. Who headed the three-member Cabinet Mission of 1946? – Lord Pethick-Lawrence
88. Which classes did NOT participate in the Revolt of 1857? – (i), (iii), (iv) and (v) (Money lenders, modern intelligentsia, old zamindars, urban absentee landlords)
89. Who described Quit India movement as “the most serious rebellion since 1857”? – Winston Churchill
90. The labour movement in India primarily owes its origin to – The general awakening following the First World War
91. When was the Tebhaga Movement launched in Bengal? – 1946
92. Which statements about Fort William College are correct? – All of the above (closed 1802, East India College 1805, moved to Haileybury 1809)
93. Who was the President of the First National Planning Committee (1938)? – Jawaharlal Nehru
94. When and where was ‘Bande Mataram’ first sung by Rabindranath Tagore? – At Calcutta Session of INC in 1896
95. Which women’s organisation came into existence in 1927? – All India Women’s Conference
96. During which movement did the Chittagong armoury raid take place? – Civil Disobedience Movement
97. Which was the most widespread peasant movement in colonial India? – Telangana Movement
98. Which statements are true about the Vernacular Press Act, 1878? – (ii) and (iv) (Gagging Act, repealed 1882)
99. The principle of ruling conquered people by their own laws to “legitimize… in an Indian idiom” was – Orientalism
WBCS MAIN 2016 P-3 HISTORY MCQ
TOPIC 1: ANCIENT INDIA
(Questions 1-37)
1. Who was the founder of the Chalukyas of Badami?
A) Vikramaditya I
B) Pulkesin I
C) Kirtivarman I
D) Vijayaditya
Answer: B) Pulkesin I
2. Which of the following kingdoms was referred to as ‘Ruhmi’ by the Arab merchant Sulaiman?
A) Rashtrakuta
B) Chola
C) Pala
D) Pratihara
Answer: A) Rashtrakuta
3. At which of the following Ports have a sizable Roman settlement and a Roman factory been discovered?
A) Tamralipti
B) Muziris or Mushri
C) Arikamedu
D) Kaveripattanam
Answer: C) Arikamedu
4. Seaborne trade between India and Rome received great impetus during the reign of Roman Emperor
A) Augustus
B) Cladius
C) Trajan
D) Nero
Answer: A) Augustus
5. During the post-Maurya times, elaborate Vedic sacrificial rituals like the Vajapeya, Rajasuya and Asawamedha were regularly performed by the rulers of
A) North India
B) the Deccan
C) both North India and Deccan
D) Chola dynasty
Answer: C) both North India and Deccan
6. Which school of Art flourished in the region between the lower valleys of Krishna and Godavari during 2nd Century BCE-3rd Century CE?
A) Gandhara School
B) Mathura School
C) Nagarjuna School
D) Amravati School
Answer: D) Amravati School
7. Navaniyakam of the Gupta period was a book on
A) Medicine
B) Metallurgy
C) Mathematics
D) Astronomy
Answer: A) Medicine
8. Who among the following dynasties were the first to transfer all sources of revenue to the Brahmans?
A) Vakatakas
B) Guptas
C) Pallavas
D) Chalukyas
Answer: A) Vakatakas
9. Mandsor pillar inscription of the early 6th Century CE belongs to
A) Anantavarman
B) Mihirkula
C) Yasodharman
D) Toramana
Answer: C) Yasodharman
10. Who considered the Harappan crafts “technically the peer of the rest” among products of the Bronze Age?
A) Gordon Childe
B) Shereen Ratnagar
C) R.S. Bisht
D) Asco Parpola
Answer: A) Gordon Childe
11. By whom was the most significant commentary on the Rigveda composed in the medieval period in the Vijayanagar realm?
A) Chakrapanidatta
B) Sayana
C) Kannada
D) Sagarnandin
Answer: B) Sayana
12. Which of the following statements is not correct?
A) The Rigveda consists of 1028 hymns (Suktas).
B) The Rigveda is divided into ten books (mandalas) of unequal sizes.
C) The Rigveda is a monolithic text.
D) The Rigveda is not a monolithic text and consists of several literary layers.
Answer: C) The Rigveda is a monolithic text.
13. Name the chief of the Rigvedic Bharata tribe who fought against a confederacy of ten tribes (in the battle of 10 kings)
A) Sudas
B) Divodasa
C) Atri
D) Gritsamada
Answer: A) Sudas
14. Which of the following areas were viewed by the later vedic authors as impure and far away from the heartland of the Vedic culture?
A) Anga (Eastern Bihar)
B) Magadha (Southern Bihar)
C) Vanga (in the Ganga delta)
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
15. Which Rigvedic river is known as Ravi and also as Iravati?
A) Vitasta
B) Asikni
C) Parushni
D) Sutudri
Answer: C) Parushni
16. The earliest reference to the division of society into four strata occurs in which of the following texts?
A) The Purusha-sukta of the Rig Veda Samhita
B) Yajur Veda Samhita
C) Kathopanishada
D) Manu smriti
Answer: A) The Purusha-sukta of the Rig Veda Samhita
17. Which of the following were the most prominent monarchical mahajanapadas, during the age of the Buddha?
A) Vajjis or Vrijis
B) Kosal and Vatsa
C) Avanti and Magadha
D) All listed in (B) and (C)
Answer: D) All listed in (B) and (C)
18. Which Magadhan ruler launched final military assault on the Gana rajays of Kasi-Kosal with the help of new weapons like rathamushala and mahasilakantaka?
A) Bimbisara
B) Ajatasatru
C) Prasenjit
D) Sisunaga
Answer: B) Ajatasatru
19. Who was the ruler of Taxila when Alexander’s army crossed the Indus in 326 BC?
A) Porus (Puru)
B) Ambhi
C) Abhisara
D) None of the above
Answer: B) Ambhi
20. Who tells us that India (i.e. Indus Valley) was the 20th and most prosperous satrapy (province) of the Persian empire?
A) Herodotus
B) Megasthenes
C) Fa Hien
D) Yijing
Answer: A) Herodotus
21. On the basis of evidences emerging from the site of Kodumanal the beginning of urbanization in Tamil Nadu goes back to
A) 800 BCE
B) 500-400 BCE
C) 300 BCE-200 CE
D) CE 200
Answer: B) 500-400 BCE
22. Name of which Indian ruler is inseparably associated with the first known International treaty made in Indian history?
A) Mahapadma Nanda
B) Chandragupta Maurya
C) Bindusara
D) Asoka
Answer: B) Chandragupta Maurya
23. Name the historians who have rejected the idea of a marriage alliance between Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus
A) Vincent Smith
B) H.C. Roychoudhury
C) H.P. Shastri
D) B.N. Mukherjee and Romila Thapar
Answer: D) B.N. Mukherjee and Romila Thapar
24. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
A) Diodorus Sicilus—Bibliotheca Historica
B) Strabo—Geography
C) Arrian—Indica
D) Claudius Aelianus—Naturalis Historica
Answer: D) Claudius Aelianus—Naturalis Historica
25. Which of the following major rock edicts of Asoka are in Prakrit language and Kharosthi script?
A) Manshera
B) Shahbazgarhi
C) Both (A) and (B)
D) Dhaili
Answer: C) Both (A) and (B)
26. Which of the following was not a regional headquarters in the Maurya empire?
A) Ujjaiyini
B) Taxila
C) Tosali
D) Tambaparin
Answer: D) Tambaparin
27. To whom was the Lomasa Rishi cave in the Barabar hills (near Gaya) donated by Asoka?
A) Ajivika monks
B) Jain monks
C) Brahmins
D) Shri Lankan Buddhist monks
Answer: A) Ajivika monks
28. The history of ancient Indian trade rightly begins from the __ period.
A) Harappan
B) Later Vedic
C) Maurya
D) Kushana
Answer: A) Harappan
29. Which of the following is/are the well-known ancient geographical epithets of India?
A) Saptadvipa
B) Bharatvarsha
C) Jambudvipa
D) Both (A) and (B)
Answer: D) Both (A) and (B)
30. The earliest use of the term ‘Hindustan’ appears in which inscription of Sasanid ruler Shahpur I?
A) Naqsh-i-Rustom
B) Persepolis
C) Behistun
D) Hamadan
Answer: A) Naqsh-i-Rustom
31. Which period of Indian history has been designated by Romila Thapar as ‘Threshold Times’?
A) BCE 200-300 CE
B) CE 300-CE 600
C) CE 300-CE 800
D) CE 600-CE 1300
Answer: D) CE 600-CE 1300
32. Which civilization was undoubtedly the largest in extent among the Bronze age civilizations?
A) The Harappan civilization
B) Egyptian civilization
C) Mesopotamian civilization
D) Roman civilization
Answer: A) The Harappan civilization
33. Which archaeologist has recently contested the identification of impressive brick-built structure at Harappa as a ‘Granary’?
A) R.E.M. Wheeler
B) Bridget Allchin
C) Raymond Allchin
D) J.M. Kenoyer
Answer: D) J.M. Kenoyer
34. Haribhadra, the famous Buddhist author was at the court of
A) Gopala
B) Mahipala
C) Devapala
D) Dharmapala
Answer: D) Dharmapala
35. Nicolo de Conti, an Italian visitor, came to Vijaynagar during the reign of
A) Harihara I
B) Bukka I
C) Deva Raya II
D) Deva Raya I
Answer: C) Deva Raya II
36. According to Abdur Razzag, the policemen of Vijayanagar were paid out of taxes collected from
A) Wine shops
B) Brothels (prostitutes)
C) Land revenue
D) Taxes on goods
Answer: A) Wine shops
37. Which of the following pairs is not matched correctly?
A) Firuz Tughluq—Futuhat-i-Firuz-Shahi
B) Zia-ud-din Barani—Kitab-ul-Rahala
C) Zia-ud-din Barani—Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi
D) Minhaj-us-Siraj—Tabaqat-i-Nasiri
Answer: B) Zia-ud-din Barani—Kitab-ul-Rahala
TOPIC 2: MEDIEVAL INDIA
(Questions 38-50)
38. “The success of Muizzudin Muhammad Ghori in India was the consummation of a process which extended over the whole of 12th Century”. By whom this observation has been made?
A) A.B.M. Habibullah
B) Satish Chandra
C) Irfan Habib
D) A.K. Nizami
Answer: A) A.B.M. Habibullah
39. During the reign of which Sultan of Delhi did the Chahalgani or Chalisa come into existence?
A) Balban
B) Raziya
C) Iltutmish
D) Ala-ud-din Khilji
Answer: C) Iltutmish
40. Three types of the coins of the Delhi Sultanate tanka, shashgani and jital—were made respectively of
A) Silver, Silver, Copper
B) Gold, Silver, Copper
C) Silver, Bronze, Copper
D) Gold, Bronze, Copper
Answer: A) Silver, Silver, Copper
41. Who among the following Mughal rulers were half Rajput (born of a Rajput mother)?
A) Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb
B) Akbar and Jahangir
C) Jahangir and Shahjahan
D) Jahangir and Humayan
Answer: C) Jahangir and Shahjahan
42. Who was the first Englishman to visit Jahangir’s court?
A) William Edwards
B) Red Dragon
C) Thomas Roe
D) Hawkins
Answer: D) Hawkins
43. Who gave Bombay to Charles II of England as a dowry gift?
A) Spanish
B) Portuguese
C) Dutch
D) Danes
Answer: B) Portuguese
44. Which revenue system among the following is also known as the ‘bandobast’ system?
A) Zabti
B) Dahsala
C) Nasaq
D) Kankut
Answer: A) Zabti
45. During the reign of which Mughal was tobacco introduced in India?
A) Akbar
B) Aurangzeb
C) Jahangir
D) Shahjahan
Answer: C) Jahangir
46. Which Mughal is credited with prohibiting Sati unless the widow herself, of her own free will, persistently desired it?
A) Babur
B) Akbar
C) Humayan
D) Jahangir
Answer: B) Akbar
47. The only type of Jagir which could not be transferred was the
A) Khidmati jagir
B) Watan Jagir
C) Milkiyat Jagir
D) Tan Jagir
Answer: B) Watan Jagir
48. A new technique of painting, known as Siyahi qalam, became fashionable during the reign of
A) Akbar
B) Aurangzeb
C) Jahangir
D) Shahjahan
Answer: C) Jahangir
49. Which of the following statements about Tipu Sultan is not correct?
A) His reign represented a discontinuity in 18th Century Indian politics, as his kingship was rooted firmly in a strong regional tradition.
B) In a symbolic gesture to proclaim his independence, he issued coins without any reference to the Mughal emperor.
C) Instead of emperor Shah Alam’s name he inserted his own name in the Khutba (Friday prayers at the Mosque’s).
D) He never sought a sanad from the Ottoman Khalifa to legitimise his rule.
Answer: D) He never sought a sanad from the Ottoman Khalifa to legitimise his rule.
50. Who initiated the new imperial policy of “Paramountcy”?
A) Lord Wellesley
B) Lord Cornwallis
C) Lord Hastings
D) Warren Hastings
Answer: C) Lord Hastings
TOPIC 3: MODERN INDIA (BRITISH ADMINISTRATION & ECONOMIC IMPACT)
(Questions 51-56)
51. Where did the so called Black Hole Tragedy take place?
A) Calcutta
B) Dacca
C) Monghyr
D) Murshidabad
Answer: A) Calcutta
52. When was the ‘Double Government’ consisting of the Court of Directors and the Board of Control, created at the Home Government level?
A) 1853
B) 1833
C) 1813
D) 1784
Answer: D) 1784
53. Who introduced the Ryotwari system in Madras?
A) Macartney
B) Elphinstone
C) Thomas Munro
D) John Lawrence
Answer: C) Thomas Munro
54. Where did Jonathan Duncan found the Sanskrit College in 1792?
A) Allahabad
B) Varanasi
C) Calcutta
D) Madras
Answer: B) Varanasi
55. Which statements about Fort William College are correct?
A) Fort William College was closed in 1802.
B) In 1805 the East India College was established at Hertford near London.
C) The East India College was moved to Haileybury in 1809.
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
56. The “Downward Filtration Theory” related to which colonial policy?
A) Education
B) Industry
C) Maritime trade
D) De-industrialization
Answer: A) Education
TOPIC 4: MODERN INDIA (SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORM & EARLY RESISTANCE)
(Questions 57-62)
57. Which movement, though started as a religious reform movement, became a movement for the restoration of Sikh sovereignty by the annexation of Punjab by the British?
A) Kittur Rising
B) Bundela Revolt
C) Kuka Movement
D) Satavandi Revolt
Answer: C) Kuka Movement
58. Which of the following organizations, according to Sumit Sarkar, “left little distinctive or permanent on the plane of religion and philosophy” in 19th Century India?
A) Brahmo Samaj
B) Ramakrishna Mission
C) Aligarh Movement
D) Young Bengal
Answer: D) Young Bengal
59. Which of the following are correct to describe the character of the Aligarh movement?
(i) Anti-British
(ii) Pro-British
(iii) Anti-Congress
(iv) Pro-Congress
(v) Anti-Hindu
A) (i), (ii) and (iii)
B) (ii), (iii) and (iv)
C) (ii), (iii) and (v)
D) (i), (iii) and (v)
Answer: C) (ii), (iii) and (v)
60. Which movement emerged in South India under the leadership of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker “Periyar”?
A) Self-respect Movement
B) Justice Party Movement
C) Mahar Movement
D) Sanskrit Movement
Answer: A) Self-respect Movement
61. The Vaikam Satyagraha was launched in Kerala to
A) remove untouchability.
B) ban the Devdasi Institutions for temple service.
C) force the temple authorities to appoint non-Brahmins as priests.
D) open the temples for the entry of the lower castes (avarnas).
Answer: D) open the temples for the entry of the lower castes (avarnas).
62. Which of the following movements were ‘temple entry’ movement organized in early 20th century?
A) Vaikkam Satyagraha 1924-25
B) Guruvayur Satyagraha (1931-33) in Malabar
C) Munshiganj Kali temple Satyagraha in Bengal (1929)
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
TOPIC 5: MODERN INDIA (FREEDOM STRUGGLE & INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS)
(Questions 63-91)
63. The historic Lucknow session (1916) of the I.N.C. was presided over by
A) Ambika Charan Mozumdar
B) R.N. Mudhokar
C) Madan Mohan Malaviya
D) Rasbehari Bose
Answer: A) Ambika Charan Mozumdar
64. Who did NOT attend the first session of the Indian National Congress?
A) Womesh Chandra Banerjee
B) K.T. Telang
C) Surendranath Banerjee
D) Badaruddin Tyabji
Answer: C) Surendranath Banerjee
65. Who observed: “The Congress (INC) is in reality a civil war without arms”?
A) Lord Dufferin
B) Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
C) M. Ali Jinnah
D) Lord Curzon
Answer: A) Lord Dufferin
66. When did the British pass a law making it an offence to preach nationalism?
A) 1890
B) 1895
C) 1898
D) 1904
Answer: C) 1898
67. Who moved a resolution at the Congress session in 1918 demanding equal eligibility for voting rights for both men and women?
A) Sarala Debi Choudhurani
B) Sarojini Naidu
C) Annie Besant
D) Basanti Devi
Answer: C) Annie Besant
68. Which of the following statements is/are correct about the Civil Disobedience Movement?
(i) There was a discernible absence of Hindu-Muslim unity.
(ii) The movement received a massive business support.
(iii) There was large scale women’s participation.
(iv) From September, 1930 onwards the movement began to decline.
A) (i) and (ii)
B) (ii) and (iv)
C) (ii) and (iii)
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
69. On the basis of which formula/plan Gandhiji, in April 1944 proposed talks with Jinnah which Jinnah refused to accept?
A) August offer
B) Wavell plan
C) Rajaji formula
D) 3rd June Plan
Answer: C) Rajaji formula
70. In 1940 January, in his letter to C.F. Andrews, who was described by Gandhiji as “my son”—but a “spoilt child of the family”?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Minoo Masani
C) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
D) Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: D) Subhas Chandra Bose
71. Which of the following movements was started by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in Bihar?
A) Zamindari Movement
B) Socialist Movement
C) Kisan Sabha Movement
D) Labour Movement
Answer: C) Kisan Sabha Movement
72. Which one of the following periods of trade union movement in India witnessed growing influence of communist ideology on trade unionism for the first time?
A) 1918-1924
B) 1924-1934
C) 1934-1939
D) 1939-1945
Answer: B) 1924-1934
73. Who was the President of the Indian National Congress when Shimla Conference was convened by Lord Wavell in June-July, 1945?
A) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
B) Sardar Patel
C) Jawaharlal Nehru
D) A.K. Fazlul Haq
Answer: A) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
74. In which year the Indian capitalist class organized itself under the banner of FICCI?
A) 1922
B) 1927
C) 1930
D) 1932
Answer: B) 1927
75. Which of the following resolutions of the Muslim League finally and formally proclaimed the Muslims of India as a Nation?
A) Karachi Resolution
B) Lahore Resolution of 1940
C) Deliverance Day Resolution
D) Rahmat Ali Resolution
Answer: B) Lahore Resolution of 1940
76. Who said about the Govt. of India Act, 1935: “After all we framed the constitution …… of 1935 because we thought it the best way …… to hold India to the empire”?
A) British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald
B) Winston Churchill
C) Viceroy Lord Linlithgow
D) Sir Stafford Cripps
Answer: B) Winston Churchill
77. At the time of which of the following events/movements Jawaharlal Nehru admitted that: “Never before in history had such unified sentiments been manifested by various divergent sections of the population”?
A) Quit India Movement
B) Imphal campaign of the INA
C) INA Trial
D) RIN mutiny
Answer: C) INA Trial
78. Which of the following organizations/persons did not approve of the Quit India Movement?
A) Muslim League
B) Hindu Mahasabha
C) B.R. Ambedkar
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
79. Who raised patriotism to the pedestal of mother worship and said: “I know my country as my mother. I adore her. I worship her”?
A) Swami Vivekananda
B) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
C) Aurobindo Ghosh
D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: B) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
80. The “Breakdown Plan” in 1946 for transfer of power in India had been proposed by
A) Winston Churchill
B) Viceroy Lord Wavell
C) Lord Mountbatten
D) Clement Attlee
Answer: B) Viceroy Lord Wavell
81. In which of the following movements prominent women leaders like Sucheta Kripalani and Aruna Asaf Ali took the responsibility of coordinating the movement in the face of unprecedented police repression?
A) Civil Disobedience Movement
B) Quit India Movement
C) Both (A) and (B)
D) RIN Mutiny
Answer: B) Quit India Movement
82. After the Surat split in 1907 the second split in the Congress took place in 1918 on the issue of
A) Lucknow Pact
B) Election of Mrs. Annie Besant as President of the INC (1917)
C) Both (A) and (B)
D) Montague declaration
Answer: D) Montague declaration
83. Which of the following is not correctly matched?
Author & Book
A) Bipan Chandra — Communalism in Modern India
B) Bipan Chandra — Nationalism and Colonialism in Modern India
C) Sumit Sarkar — India’s struggle for Independence
D) Sumit Sarkar — Modern India, 1885-1947
Answer: C) Sumit Sarkar — India’s struggle for Independence
84. Who acted as President of the Indian National Congress for Six consecutive years?
A) Jawahar Lal Nehru
B) Abul Kalam Azad
C) Motilal Nehru
D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Answer: B) Abul Kalam Azad
85. When and where was the All India Kisan Sabha formed?
A) 1930-Bombay
B) 1936-Lucknow
C) 1938-Calcutta
D) 1942-Lucknow
Answer: B) 1936-Lucknow
86. During which period Gandhiji remained aloof from direct politics and concentrated his energies on constructive programmes?
A) 1919-1922
B) 1922-1924
C) 1924-1927
D) 1928-1932
Answer: B) 1922-1924
87. Name the European who worked ardently for the Indian national movement and criticized the British rule by saying: “The British empire is rotten to the core, corrupt in every direction, and tyrannical and mean”:
A) Sister Nivedita
B) A.O. Hume
C) William Wedderburn
D) Mrs. Annie Besant
Answer: A) Sister Nivedita
88. The three-member Cabinet Mission that visited India between March and June 1946, was headed by:
A) Sir Stafford Cripps
B) Mr. A. V. Alexander
C) Lord Pethick-Lawrence
D) Clement Attlee
Answer: C) Lord Pethick-Lawrence
89. Which of the following classes did not participate in the Revolt of 1857?
(i) Money lenders
(ii) Merchants
(iii) Modern intelligentsia
(iv) Old Zamindars
(v) Urban based absentee landlords
A) (i), (ii), (iv) and (v)
B) (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v)
C) (i), (iii), (iv) and (v)
D) (i), (ii), (iii) and (v)
Answer: C) (i), (iii), (iv) and (v)
90. Who described the Quit India movement (1942) as “by far the most serious rebellion since 1857”?
A) Viceroy Lord Linlithgow
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) Chiang Kai Shek
D) Winston Churchill
Answer: D) Winston Churchill
91. The labour movement in India primarily owes its origin to
A) draft recommendations of the Washington International Labour Conference.
B) economic depression.
C) the general awakening following the First World War.
D) the efforts of the Indian National Congress.
Answer: C) the general awakening following the First World War
92. In which year Tebhaga Movement was launched in Bengal?
A) 1942
B) 1946
C) 1947
D) 1952
Answer: B) 1946
93. The First National Planning Committee was constituted by the Congress in 1938 under the Presidency of
A) Ambalal Sarabhai
B) Jawahar Lal Nehru
C) Subhas Chandra Bose
D) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Answer: B) Jawahar Lal Nehru
94. When and where the song ‘Bande Mataram’ was first sung (by Rabindranath Tagore)?
A) At Calcutta Session of the I.N. Congress in 1896.
B) At Calcutta Town Hall on August 07, 1905.
C) At Santiniketan Ashrama in 1901.
D) On July 19, 1905 at Calcutta when partition of Bengal was formally announced.
Answer: A) At Calcutta Session of the I.N. Congress in 1896.
95. Which of the following women’s organisation came into existence in 1927?
A) Women’s Indian Association
B) National Council of women in India
C) Bharatstree Mahamandal
D) All India Women’s Conference
Answer: D) All India Women’s Conference
96. During the course of which movement did the incident of Chittagong armoury raid take place?
A) Non-co-operation movement
B) Bardoli Satyagraha
C) Civil Disobedience Movement
D) Quit India Movement
Answer: C) Civil Disobedience Movement
97. Which of the following was perhaps the most widespread, most intense and most organized peasant movement in the history of colonial India?
A) Tebhaga Movement
B) Telangana Movement
C) Indigo Movement
D) Deccan Riots
Answer: B) Telangana Movement
98. Which of the following statements is/are true about the Vernacular Press Act, 1878?
(i) It was passed by Lord Mayo.
(ii) It come to be known as the “Gagging Act”.
(iii) It liberated the Indian Press from restrictions.
(iv) It was repealed in 1882 by the Ripon Govt.
A) (ii) and (iv)
B) (i) and (ii)
C) (i) and (iii)
D) (iii) and (iv)
Answer: A) (ii) and (iv)
99. The conquered people were to be ruled by their own laws and British rule had to “legitimize itself in an Indian idiom”. This was the fundamental principle of
A) Evangelicalism
B) Orientalism
C) Utilitarianism
D) Mercantilism
Answer: B) Orientalism
TOPIC-WISE SUMMARY
| Topic | Question Numbers |
|---|---|
| Topic 1: Ancient India | 1-37 |
| Topic 2: Medieval India | 38-50 |
| Topic 3: Modern India (British Administration & Economic Impact) | 51-56 |
| Topic 4: Modern India (Socio-Religious Reform & Early Resistance) | 57-62 |
| Topic 5: Modern India (Freedom Struggle & Indian National Congress) | 63-99 |