Ten sets of 15 Indian History questions each for UPSC Prelims and other competitive exams. Sets 1 and 2 are quick mixed revision; sets 3 to 10 go period by period, from the Harappan civilisation to Independence, with an explanation for every answer.
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All questions with answers and explanations
Prefer to read rather than take the test? Every question from the 10 sets is listed below with the correct answer and a short explanation, 150 questions in all. Open a set to see its questions. It works well for a quick revision the night before, or for checking a question you got wrong in the test above.
Quick Revision I
The Battle of Buxar was fought in?
- (a) 1764
- (b) 1757
- (c) 1773
- (d) 1784
Answer: (a) 1764. British defeated Mughal forces and allies.
Tipu Sultan was defeated in which war?
- (a) Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
- (b) Third Anglo-Mysore War
- (c) Second Anglo-Mysore War
- (d) First Anglo-Mysore War
Answer: (a) Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. He died in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.
Who was called the Lion of Punjab?
- (a) Ranjit Singh
- (b) Tipu Sultan
- (c) Shivaji
- (d) Bahadur Shah
Answer: (a) Ranjit Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh led Sikh Empire.
Maratha Empire founded by?
- (a) Shivaji
- (b) Baji Rao
- (c) Balaji Vishwanath
- (d) Tukojirao
Answer: (a) Shivaji. Shivaji established Maratha rule.
Who wrote Anandamath?
- (a) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
- (b) Rabindranath Tagore
- (c) Nehru
- (d) Tilak
Answer: (a) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. It inspired nationalist movement.
Ashoka embraced Buddhism after?
- (a) Kalinga war
- (b) Kalinga trade
- (c) Maurya conquest
- (d) Gupta period
Answer: (a) Kalinga war. Kalinga war's bloodshed led to conversion.
Chola dynasty known for?
- (a) Naval power
- (b) Architecture
- (c) Agriculture
- (d) Trade only
Answer: (a) Naval power. Strong maritime empire.
Rashtrakuta dynasty prominent in?
- (a) Deccan
- (b) North India
- (c) Punjab
- (d) Bengal
Answer: (a) Deccan. Ruled Deccan region.
Harsha ruled in?
- (a) 7th century CE
- (b) 6th century
- (c) 8th century
- (d) 5th century
Answer: (a) 7th century CE. Harsha ruled North India in 7th century.
Who founded Sikhism?
- (a) Guru Nanak
- (b) Guru Gobind Singh
- (c) Guru Arjan
- (d) Guru Tegh Bahadur
Answer: (a) Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak Dev Ji founded Sikhism.
East India Company established in?
- (a) 1600
- (b) 1650
- (c) 1700
- (d) 1750
Answer: (a) 1600. Founded by Queen Elizabeth I charter.
Permanent Settlement first applied in?
- (a) Bengal
- (b) Madras
- (c) Bombay
- (d) Punjab
Answer: (a) Bengal. Implemented by Cornwallis.
Dandi March took place in?
- (a) 1930
- (b) 1920
- (c) 1942
- (d) 1919
Answer: (a) 1930. Salt Satyagraha by Gandhi.
Third Battle of Panipat year?
- (a) 1761
- (b) 1757
- (c) 1775
- (d) 1784
Answer: (a) 1761. Marathas fought Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Battle of Plassey year?
- (a) 1757
- (b) 1764
- (c) 1773
- (d) 1784
Answer: (a) 1757. Company defeated Siraj-ud-Daula.
Quick Revision II
Who built the Red Fort?
- (a) Shah Jahan
- (b) Akbar
- (c) Aurangzeb
- (d) Humayun
Answer: (a) Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan built Red Fort in Delhi.
Din-i-Ilahi introduced by?
- (a) Akbar
- (b) Aurangzeb
- (c) Jahangir
- (d) Babur
Answer: (a) Akbar. Akbar created this syncretic religion.
Nalanda University destroyed by?
- (a) Bakhtiyar Khilji
- (b) Aurangzeb
- (c) Humayun
- (d) Tipu Sultan
Answer: (a) Bakhtiyar Khilji. Destroyed in 12th century invasion.
Arthashastra written by?
- (a) Kautilya
- (b) Kalidasa
- (c) Megasthenes
- (d) Bana
Answer: (a) Kautilya. Chanakya authored Arthashastra.
Rigveda language?
- (a) Sanskrit
- (b) Pali
- (c) Prakrit
- (d) Tamil
Answer: (a) Sanskrit. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit.
Gupta dynasty known as?
- (a) Golden Age
- (b) Iron Age
- (c) Medieval Empire
- (d) Slave Dynasty
Answer: (a) Golden Age. Major cultural progress.
Ajanta caves belong to?
- (a) Gupta period
- (b) Maurya
- (c) Mughal
- (d) Chola
Answer: (a) Gupta period. Famous Buddhist cave paintings.
Sangam literature belongs to?
- (a) Tamil Nadu
- (b) Punjab
- (c) Bihar
- (d) Odisha
Answer: (a) Tamil Nadu. Ancient Tamil literature.
Kanishka ruler of?
- (a) Kushan Empire
- (b) Gupta
- (c) Maurya
- (d) Mughal
Answer: (a) Kushan Empire. Promoted Mahayana Buddhism.
First battle of Panipat year?
- (a) 1526
- (b) 1556
- (c) 1761
- (d) 1576
Answer: (a) 1526. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi.
Who started Non-Cooperation Movement?
- (a) Gandhi
- (b) Tilak
- (c) Nehru
- (d) Subhas Bose
Answer: (a) Gandhi. Launched in 1920.
Quit India Movement year?
- (a) 1942
- (b) 1930
- (c) 1920
- (d) 1919
Answer: (a) 1942. Do or Die call.
Sepoy Mutiny year?
- (a) 1857
- (b) 1847
- (c) 1860
- (d) 1850
Answer: (a) 1857. First war of independence.
Swadeshi movement against?
- (a) Partition of Bengal
- (b) Rowlatt Act
- (c) Simon Commission
- (d) Khilafat
Answer: (a) Partition of Bengal. Started 1905.
First Nobel Prize Indian?
- (a) Rabindranath Tagore
- (b) C.V Raman
- (c) Amartya Sen
- (d) Hargobind Khorana
Answer: (a) Rabindranath Tagore. Literature 1913.
Harappan and Vedic Age
Which Harappan site has evidence of a dockyard?
- (a) Kalibangan
- (b) Lothal
- (c) Banawali
- (d) Rakhigarhi
Answer: (b) Lothal. Lothal in Gujarat had a brick dockyard connected to the Sabarmati, showing maritime trade.
Ploughed field furrows from the Harappan period were found at:
- (a) Kalibangan
- (b) Mohenjo-daro
- (c) Chanhudaro
- (d) Dholavira
Answer: (a) Kalibangan. Kalibangan in Rajasthan shows a ploughed field with criss-cross furrows from the early Harappan phase.
The bronze 'Dancing Girl' figurine was found at:
- (a) Harappa
- (b) Lothal
- (c) Mohenjo-daro
- (d) Kot Diji
Answer: (c) Mohenjo-daro. The bronze Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-daro shows the lost-wax casting technique.
Which Harappan site is known for an elaborate water conservation system and a large signboard?
- (a) Surkotada
- (b) Dholavira
- (c) Ropar
- (d) Alamgirpur
Answer: (b) Dholavira. Dholavira in the Rann of Kutch had reservoirs and a large inscription often called a signboard.
Who first excavated Harappa in 1921?
- (a) R.D. Banerji
- (b) John Marshall
- (c) Daya Ram Sahni
- (d) Mortimer Wheeler
Answer: (c) Daya Ram Sahni. Daya Ram Sahni excavated Harappa in 1921; R.D. Banerji excavated Mohenjo-daro in 1922.
The Harappan script is generally described as:
- (a) Deciphered and alphabetic
- (b) Undeciphered and pictographic
- (c) Written in Brahmi
- (d) Written in Kharosthi
Answer: (b) Undeciphered and pictographic. The Indus script is still undeciphered and is pictographic, probably written from right to left.
Which river is mentioned most often in the Rigveda?
- (a) Ganga
- (b) Yamuna
- (c) Sindhu
- (d) Saraswati
Answer: (c) Sindhu. The Sindhu (Indus) is the most mentioned river; the Saraswati is called the best of rivers (Naditama).
The Gayatri Mantra is found in which Veda?
- (a) Rigveda
- (b) Samaveda
- (c) Yajurveda
- (d) Atharvaveda
Answer: (a) Rigveda. The Gayatri Mantra, addressed to Savitri, is in the third mandala of the Rigveda.
Which Veda contains charms and spells for curing diseases?
- (a) Samaveda
- (b) Yajurveda
- (c) Rigveda
- (d) Atharvaveda
Answer: (d) Atharvaveda. The Atharvaveda contains charms, spells and popular beliefs, including remedies for illness.
The 'Battle of Ten Kings' described in the Rigveda was fought on the banks of which river?
- (a) Ganga
- (b) Parushni (Ravi)
- (c) Yamuna
- (d) Sarayu
Answer: (b) Parushni (Ravi). King Sudas of the Bharatas defeated a confederacy of ten kings on the banks of the Parushni (Ravi).
In the Rig Vedic period, the term 'gavishti' referred to:
- (a) A sacrifice
- (b) A tax
- (c) A search for cows, meaning war
- (d) A cattle market
Answer: (c) A search for cows, meaning war. Gavishti literally means search for cows; cattle were the main wealth, so it came to mean war.
In the Rig Vedic period, the chief of a tribe (jana) was called:
- (a) Samrat
- (b) Rajan
- (c) Chakravarti
- (d) Sultan
Answer: (b) Rajan. The tribal chief was the rajan. His power was checked by tribal assemblies such as the sabha and samiti.
The concept of the four varnas first appears in which part of the Rigveda?
- (a) Purusha Sukta of the tenth mandala
- (b) First mandala
- (c) Third mandala
- (d) Seventh mandala
Answer: (a) Purusha Sukta of the tenth mandala. The Purusha Sukta in the tenth mandala, a later addition, describes the origin of the four varnas.
Which metal was most used in the later Vedic period and called 'Shyama Ayas'?
- (a) Copper
- (b) Bronze
- (c) Iron
- (d) Gold
Answer: (c) Iron. Iron (shyama or krishna ayas) came into wider use in the later Vedic period and helped clear forests in the Ganga valley.
The Upanishads are mainly concerned with:
- (a) Rituals and sacrifices
- (b) Philosophy of the soul and Brahman
- (c) Grammar
- (d) Law and punishment
Answer: (b) Philosophy of the soul and Brahman. The Upanishads (Vedanta) discuss atman, Brahman, karma and moksha rather than ritual.
Buddhism, Jainism and the Mahajanapadas
How many Mahajanapadas are listed in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya?
- (a) 12
- (b) 14
- (c) 16
- (d) 18
Answer: (c) 16. The Anguttara Nikaya lists sixteen Mahajanapadas, including Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti.
What was the capital of the Magadha kingdom before Pataliputra?
- (a) Vaishali
- (b) Rajagriha (Rajgir)
- (c) Champa
- (d) Shravasti
Answer: (b) Rajagriha (Rajgir). Rajagriha was the early capital of Magadha; Udayin later founded Pataliputra.
Which Mahajanapada was a republic (gana-sangha) ruled by the Lichchhavis?
- (a) Vajji
- (b) Kosala
- (c) Avanti
- (d) Gandhara
Answer: (a) Vajji. Vajji, with its capital at Vaishali, was a confederacy in which the Lichchhavis were prominent.
The Buddha delivered his first sermon at:
- (a) Bodh Gaya
- (b) Kushinagar
- (c) Lumbini
- (d) Sarnath
Answer: (d) Sarnath. The first sermon at Sarnath (Deer Park) is called Dharmachakra Pravartana, turning the wheel of law.
Where did the Buddha attain mahaparinirvana?
- (a) Kushinagar
- (b) Sarnath
- (c) Vaishali
- (d) Rajgir
Answer: (a) Kushinagar. The Buddha died at Kushinagar in present-day Uttar Pradesh.
The Tripitakas are written in which language?
- (a) Sanskrit
- (b) Prakrit
- (c) Pali
- (d) Tamil
Answer: (c) Pali. The Buddhist canon (Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma Pitakas) was written in Pali.
Which Buddhist council led to the split into Mahayana and Hinayana?
- (a) First
- (b) Second
- (c) Third
- (d) Fourth
Answer: (d) Fourth. The Fourth Council in Kashmir under Kanishka is associated with the division into Mahayana and Hinayana.
The Third Buddhist Council was held under which ruler?
- (a) Ajatashatru
- (b) Kalashoka
- (c) Ashoka
- (d) Kanishka
Answer: (c) Ashoka. Ashoka convened the Third Council at Pataliputra, presided over by Moggaliputta Tissa.
Which of the following is NOT one of the 'triratna' of Jainism?
- (a) Right faith
- (b) Right knowledge
- (c) Right conduct
- (d) Right speech
Answer: (d) Right speech. The three jewels of Jainism are right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. Right speech is part of the Buddhist Eightfold Path.
The first Tirthankara of Jainism was:
- (a) Parshvanatha
- (b) Rishabhanatha
- (c) Mahavira
- (d) Neminatha
Answer: (b) Rishabhanatha. Rishabhanatha (Adinatha) is the first Tirthankara; Parshvanatha is the 23rd and Mahavira the 24th.
Which vow did Mahavira add to the four vows of Parshvanatha?
- (a) Ahimsa
- (b) Satya
- (c) Brahmacharya
- (d) Asteya
Answer: (c) Brahmacharya. Mahavira added brahmacharya (celibacy) to the four vows of non-violence, truth, non-stealing and non-possession.
The split of Jainism into Digambaras and Shvetambaras is linked to a famine in Magadha during the reign of:
- (a) Chandragupta Maurya
- (b) Bimbisara
- (c) Ashoka
- (d) Kharavela
Answer: (a) Chandragupta Maurya. During a famine under Chandragupta Maurya, Bhadrabahu led monks south; differences with those who stayed led to the split.
Jain texts were compiled at the council held at Vallabhi in which language?
- (a) Pali
- (b) Ardhamagadhi Prakrit
- (c) Sanskrit
- (d) Tamil
Answer: (b) Ardhamagadhi Prakrit. The Jain canon (Agamas) is in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit and was finally compiled at Vallabhi in the 5th or 6th century CE.
Which Haryanka ruler was a contemporary of both the Buddha and Mahavira and conquered Anga?
- (a) Udayin
- (b) Ajatashatru
- (c) Bimbisara
- (d) Mahapadma Nanda
Answer: (c) Bimbisara. Bimbisara annexed Anga and strengthened Magadha through marriage alliances; Ajatashatru later fought Kosala and Vajji.
Who among the following is described as 'ekarat' (sole sovereign) and the destroyer of all Kshatriyas?
- (a) Bimbisara
- (b) Mahapadma Nanda
- (c) Chandragupta Maurya
- (d) Shishunaga
Answer: (b) Mahapadma Nanda. The Puranas describe Mahapadma Nanda as ekarat and sarva-kshatrantaka for his conquests.
Mauryas, Post-Mauryas and Guptas
Which Greek ambassador lived at the court of Bindusara?
- (a) Megasthenes
- (b) Deimachus
- (c) Dionysius
- (d) Heliodorus
Answer: (b) Deimachus. Deimachus was sent by Antiochus I to Bindusara's court; Megasthenes had served under Chandragupta.
Ashoka's Rummindei pillar inscription records that he:
- (a) Built a stupa at Sanchi
- (b) Reduced the land tax at Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace
- (c) Fought the Kalinga war
- (d) Appointed Dhamma Mahamattas
Answer: (b) Reduced the land tax at Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace. At Lumbini (Rummindei), Ashoka exempted the village from bali and reduced its bhaga (share of produce) to one-eighth.
The Heliodorus pillar at Besnagar records the devotion of a Greek ambassador to:
- (a) Shiva
- (b) The Buddha
- (c) Vasudeva (Vishnu)
- (d) Indra
Answer: (c) Vasudeva (Vishnu). Heliodorus, envoy of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas, set up a Garuda pillar to Vasudeva around 110 BCE.
Which dynasty issued the largest number of gold coins in ancient India?
- (a) Kushanas
- (b) Guptas
- (c) Mauryas
- (d) Satavahanas
Answer: (b) Guptas. The Guptas issued the largest number of gold coins (dinaras); the Kushanas issued the purest gold coins.
The Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta was composed by:
- (a) Kalidasa
- (b) Harisena
- (c) Ravikirti
- (d) Banabhatta
Answer: (b) Harisena. Harisena, Samudragupta's court poet, composed the Prayag Prashasti on the Allahabad pillar.
Which Chinese pilgrim visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II?
- (a) Hiuen Tsang
- (b) I-tsing
- (c) Fa-Hien
- (d) Sung Yun
Answer: (c) Fa-Hien. Fa-Hien visited between about 399 and 414 CE; Hiuen Tsang came during Harsha's reign.
The Gupta-era Mehrauli Iron Pillar originally commemorated a king called:
- (a) Skandagupta
- (b) Chandra
- (c) Kumaragupta
- (d) Harsha
Answer: (b) Chandra. The inscription on the Iron Pillar names a king Chandra, usually identified with Chandragupta II.
Who among the following repulsed the Huna invasion in the Gupta period?
- (a) Kumaragupta I
- (b) Skandagupta
- (c) Samudragupta
- (d) Budhagupta
Answer: (b) Skandagupta. Skandagupta defeated the Hunas, as recorded in the Bhitari pillar inscription.
Aryabhata's work 'Aryabhatiya' belongs to which period?
- (a) Mauryan
- (b) Kushana
- (c) Gupta
- (d) Pala
Answer: (c) Gupta. Aryabhata wrote the Aryabhatiya in 499 CE during the Gupta age; he proposed that the Earth rotates on its axis.
Which Satavahana king is called 'Ekabrahmana' and defeated the Shakas?
- (a) Simuka
- (b) Gautamiputra Satakarni
- (c) Hala
- (d) Yajna Sri Satakarni
Answer: (b) Gautamiputra Satakarni. The Nasik inscription calls Gautamiputra Satakarni ekabrahmana and credits him with destroying Shakas, Yavanas and Pahlavas.
Gatha Saptashati, a collection of Prakrit verses, is attributed to which Satavahana ruler?
- (a) Hala
- (b) Simuka
- (c) Pulumavi
- (d) Satakarni I
Answer: (a) Hala. King Hala is credited with compiling the Gatha Saptashati in Maharashtri Prakrit.
The Kushana capital in India was at:
- (a) Taxila
- (b) Purushapura (Peshawar)
- (c) Mathura
- (d) Ujjain
Answer: (b) Purushapura (Peshawar). Kanishka's main capital was Purushapura (Peshawar), with Mathura as a second important centre.
Charaka, the author of Charaka Samhita, was the court physician of:
- (a) Chandragupta II
- (b) Ashoka
- (c) Kanishka
- (d) Harsha
Answer: (c) Kanishka. Charaka is traditionally linked with Kanishka's court; Sushruta is known for surgery.
The Gupta land grants to Brahmanas are called:
- (a) Agrahara grants
- (b) Iqta
- (c) Jagir
- (d) Inam
Answer: (a) Agrahara grants. Agrahara grants gave land, often tax-free, to Brahmanas; they increased greatly in the Gupta period.
Which Gupta ruler performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice and issued Ashvamedha-type gold coins?
- (a) Chandragupta I
- (b) Samudragupta
- (c) Ramagupta
- (d) Skandagupta
Answer: (b) Samudragupta. Samudragupta performed the Ashvamedha and issued coins showing the sacrificial horse.
Early Medieval India and the South
Harsha's court poet Banabhatta wrote:
- (a) Harshacharita and Kadambari
- (b) Mudrarakshasa
- (c) Rajatarangini
- (d) Gita Govinda
Answer: (a) Harshacharita and Kadambari. Banabhatta wrote Harshacharita, a biography of Harsha, and the prose romance Kadambari.
Which Chalukya king defeated Harsha on the banks of the Narmada?
- (a) Pulakeshin I
- (b) Pulakeshin II
- (c) Vikramaditya II
- (d) Kirtivarman
Answer: (b) Pulakeshin II. Pulakeshin II stopped Harsha's southward advance, as recorded in the Aihole inscription by Ravikirti.
The Pallava capital was:
- (a) Madurai
- (b) Kanchipuram
- (c) Thanjavur
- (d) Badami
Answer: (b) Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram was the Pallava capital; the Pallavas built the Shore Temple and rathas at Mahabalipuram.
The 'Ratha' monolithic temples at Mamallapuram were built under which Pallava ruler?
- (a) Mahendravarman I
- (b) Narasimhavarman I
- (c) Nandivarman II
- (d) Simhavishnu
Answer: (b) Narasimhavarman I. Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) built the Pancha Rathas; the town is named Mamallapuram after him.
The 'Tripartite Struggle' was fought for control of:
- (a) Delhi
- (b) Kannauj
- (c) Ujjain
- (d) Pataliputra
Answer: (b) Kannauj. The Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas fought for Kannauj in the 8th to 10th centuries.
The Kailasa temple at Ellora was built by:
- (a) Krishna I (Rashtrakuta)
- (b) Rajaraja Chola
- (c) Pulakeshin II
- (d) Dharmapala
Answer: (a) Krishna I (Rashtrakuta). Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta dynasty had the Kailasa temple carved out of a single rock in the 8th century.
The Uttaramerur inscriptions give details of local self-government under which dynasty?
- (a) Pallava
- (b) Chola
- (c) Pandya
- (d) Chera
Answer: (b) Chola. Uttaramerur inscriptions of Parantaka I describe the election of village committees by lot (kudavolai).
Which Chola ruler took the title 'Gangaikonda' after an expedition to the Ganga?
- (a) Rajaraja I
- (b) Rajendra I
- (c) Kulottunga I
- (d) Parantaka I
Answer: (b) Rajendra I. Rajendra I marched to the Ganga, took the title Gangaikondachola and founded Gangaikondacholapuram.
The Chola naval expedition to Srivijaya (South-East Asia) was led by:
- (a) Rajaraja I
- (b) Rajendra I
- (c) Rajadhiraja
- (d) Aditya I
Answer: (b) Rajendra I. Rajendra I's navy attacked Srivijaya around 1025 CE to protect Chola trade routes.
Kalhana's Rajatarangini is a history of:
- (a) Bengal
- (b) Kashmir
- (c) Gujarat
- (d) Assam
Answer: (b) Kashmir. Rajatarangini (12th century) is a verse chronicle of the kings of Kashmir.
Which Pala ruler founded the Vikramashila university?
- (a) Gopala
- (b) Dharmapala
- (c) Devapala
- (d) Mahipala
Answer: (b) Dharmapala. Dharmapala founded Vikramashila in present-day Bhagalpur district, Bihar.
In the Chola administration, 'ur' and 'sabha' were:
- (a) Military units
- (b) Village assemblies
- (c) Taxes
- (d) Temple priests
Answer: (b) Village assemblies. The ur was the assembly of ordinary villages; the sabha (mahasabha) was the assembly of Brahmana villages.
Which Sangam work is a Tamil grammar text?
- (a) Tolkappiyam
- (b) Silappadikaram
- (c) Manimekalai
- (d) Tirukkural
Answer: (a) Tolkappiyam. Tolkappiyam by Tolkappiyar is the earliest surviving Tamil grammar.
Who was the author of Silappadikaram?
- (a) Tiruvalluvar
- (b) Ilango Adigal
- (c) Sattanar
- (d) Kamban
Answer: (b) Ilango Adigal. Ilango Adigal wrote Silappadikaram, the story of Kannagi and Kovalan; Sattanar wrote Manimekalai.
Al-Biruni came to India with which ruler?
- (a) Muhammad Ghori
- (b) Mahmud of Ghazni
- (c) Timur
- (d) Babur
Answer: (b) Mahmud of Ghazni. Al-Biruni accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni and wrote Kitab-ul-Hind, a detailed study of Indian society and science.
Delhi Sultanate and Regional Kingdoms
Who completed the construction of the Qutub Minar?
- (a) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
- (b) Iltutmish
- (c) Balban
- (d) Alauddin Khilji
Answer: (b) Iltutmish. Aibak began the Qutub Minar; Iltutmish completed it, and Firoz Shah Tughlaq later repaired it.
Iltutmish introduced which silver coin?
- (a) Jital
- (b) Tanka
- (c) Dam
- (d) Rupiya
Answer: (b) Tanka. Iltutmish introduced the silver tanka and the copper jital, the basic coins of the Sultanate.
The 'Chahalgani' (group of forty nobles) was formed by:
- (a) Aibak
- (b) Iltutmish
- (c) Balban
- (d) Razia
Answer: (b) Iltutmish. Iltutmish created the Turkan-i-Chahalgani; Balban later broke its power.
Which Sultan introduced 'sijda' and 'paibos' at court?
- (a) Iltutmish
- (b) Balban
- (c) Alauddin Khilji
- (d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Answer: (b) Balban. Balban introduced sijda (prostration) and paibos (kissing the feet) to raise the dignity of the Sultan.
Who introduced token currency of copper and brass in the Delhi Sultanate?
- (a) Alauddin Khilji
- (b) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- (c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
- (d) Sikandar Lodi
Answer: (b) Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Muhammad bin Tughlaq issued token coins; widespread forgery made the experiment fail.
Which Sultan imposed jizya on Brahmanas as well, and built canals and new towns such as Hisar?
- (a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
- (b) Alauddin Khilji
- (c) Balban
- (d) Ibrahim Lodi
Answer: (a) Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Firoz Shah Tughlaq built canals and towns such as Hisar and Firozabad, and extended jizya to Brahmanas.
Timur invaded India during the reign of:
- (a) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- (b) Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughlaq
- (c) Bahlul Lodi
- (d) Khizr Khan
Answer: (b) Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughlaq. Timur sacked Delhi in 1398 during the reign of Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah Tughlaq.
Who founded the city of Agra?
- (a) Bahlul Lodi
- (b) Sikandar Lodi
- (c) Ibrahim Lodi
- (d) Akbar
Answer: (b) Sikandar Lodi. Sikandar Lodi founded Agra in 1504 and made it his capital.
Amir Khusrau, called 'Tuti-i-Hind', was a disciple of:
- (a) Moinuddin Chishti
- (b) Nizamuddin Auliya
- (c) Bakhtiyar Kaki
- (d) Baba Farid
Answer: (b) Nizamuddin Auliya. Amir Khusrau was a disciple of the Chishti saint Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi.
The Vijayanagara empire was founded in 1336 on the banks of which river?
- (a) Krishna
- (b) Tungabhadra
- (c) Kaveri
- (d) Godavari
Answer: (b) Tungabhadra. Harihara and Bukka founded Vijayanagara with its capital Hampi on the Tungabhadra.
'Amuktamalyada', a Telugu work on statecraft, was written by:
- (a) Krishnadevaraya
- (b) Harihara II
- (c) Achyuta Raya
- (d) Rama Raya
Answer: (a) Krishnadevaraya. Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada; his court had the Ashtadiggajas, eight great poets.
The Bahmani minister who built a famous madrasa at Bidar was:
- (a) Mahmud Gawan
- (b) Malik Ambar
- (c) Yusuf Adil Shah
- (d) Nizam-ul-Mulk
Answer: (a) Mahmud Gawan. Mahmud Gawan, prime minister of the Bahmani kingdom, built the madrasa at Bidar.
The Battle of Talikota (1565) was fought between Vijayanagara and:
- (a) The Mughals
- (b) The Deccan Sultanates
- (c) The Portuguese
- (d) The Marathas
Answer: (b) The Deccan Sultanates. An alliance of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda and Bidar defeated Vijayanagara under Rama Raya at Talikota.
Which Sufi order was most popular in India and stressed music (sama)?
- (a) Suhrawardi
- (b) Chishti
- (c) Naqshbandi
- (d) Qadiri
Answer: (b) Chishti. The Chishti order, founded in India by Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer, used sama (devotional music).
Who among the following Bhakti saints was a disciple of Ramananda?
- (a) Chaitanya
- (b) Kabir
- (c) Namdev
- (d) Tukaram
Answer: (b) Kabir. Kabir is traditionally regarded as a disciple of Ramananda, who preached devotion to Rama.
Mughals and Marathas
Babur's memoirs, Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama), were written in:
- (a) Persian
- (b) Arabic
- (c) Turki (Chaghatai)
- (d) Urdu
Answer: (c) Turki (Chaghatai). Babur wrote his memoirs in Chaghatai Turkish; they were later translated into Persian under Akbar.
Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah at the Battle of Kannauj (Bilgram) in:
- (a) 1539
- (b) 1540
- (c) 1545
- (d) 1555
Answer: (b) 1540. Sher Shah defeated Humayun at Chausa (1539) and finally at Kannauj (1540), forcing him into exile.
Who was Akbar's regent in his early years?
- (a) Bairam Khan
- (b) Todar Mal
- (c) Abul Fazl
- (d) Man Singh
Answer: (a) Bairam Khan. Bairam Khan acted as regent and won the Second Battle of Panipat (1556) against Hemu.
Raja Todar Mal is best known for:
- (a) Military conquests in Bengal
- (b) The Zabti (Dahsala) land revenue system
- (c) Building Fatehpur Sikri
- (d) Translating the Mahabharata
Answer: (b) The Zabti (Dahsala) land revenue system. Todar Mal, Akbar's finance minister, organised the Zabti system, with the Dahsala based on ten years' average produce.
The Ibadat Khana for religious debates was built at:
- (a) Agra
- (b) Lahore
- (c) Fatehpur Sikri
- (d) Delhi
Answer: (c) Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar built the Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri in 1575 for discussions among scholars of different faiths.
Which Mughal emperor hung a 'Chain of Justice' for petitioners?
- (a) Akbar
- (b) Jahangir
- (c) Shah Jahan
- (d) Aurangzeb
Answer: (b) Jahangir. Jahangir set up the Zanjir-i-Adl, a chain with bells that complainants could pull to seek justice.
Sir Thomas Roe visited the court of:
- (a) Akbar
- (b) Jahangir
- (c) Shah Jahan
- (d) Aurangzeb
Answer: (b) Jahangir. Thomas Roe, ambassador of James I, came to Jahangir's court in 1615 to secure trading rights for the English.
The Peacock Throne was commissioned by:
- (a) Akbar
- (b) Jahangir
- (c) Shah Jahan
- (d) Bahadur Shah I
Answer: (c) Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan commissioned the Peacock Throne; Nadir Shah carried it away in 1739.
Which Sikh Guru was executed on Aurangzeb's orders in 1675?
- (a) Guru Arjan Dev
- (b) Guru Hargobind
- (c) Guru Tegh Bahadur
- (d) Guru Gobind Singh
Answer: (c) Guru Tegh Bahadur. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi in 1675; Guru Arjan Dev had been executed under Jahangir in 1606.
Shivaji's coronation as Chhatrapati took place in 1674 at:
- (a) Raigad
- (b) Pune
- (c) Satara
- (d) Purandar
Answer: (a) Raigad. Shivaji was crowned at Raigad in 1674 and took the title Chhatrapati.
The Treaty of Purandar (1665) was signed between Shivaji and:
- (a) Shaista Khan
- (b) Jai Singh
- (c) Afzal Khan
- (d) Aurangzeb directly
Answer: (b) Jai Singh. Raja Jai Singh of Amber forced Shivaji to sign the Treaty of Purandar, giving up 23 forts.
In Shivaji's administration, 'Sardeshmukhi' was:
- (a) A land tax of one-third
- (b) An additional levy of one-tenth claimed as hereditary right
- (c) A tax on trade
- (d) A military rank
Answer: (b) An additional levy of one-tenth claimed as hereditary right. Sardeshmukhi was an extra 10 percent levy; chauth was 25 percent of revenue collected from neighbouring areas.
The Ashtapradhan was:
- (a) Shivaji's council of eight ministers
- (b) A Mughal revenue unit
- (c) A Maratha fort
- (d) A Sikh assembly
Answer: (a) Shivaji's council of eight ministers. The Ashtapradhan, headed by the Peshwa, was Shivaji's council of eight ministers.
Who was the first Peshwa to make the office hereditary in practice?
- (a) Balaji Vishwanath
- (b) Baji Rao I
- (c) Balaji Baji Rao
- (d) Madhav Rao I
Answer: (a) Balaji Vishwanath. Balaji Vishwanath became Peshwa in 1713 under Shahu, and the post stayed in his family.
Nadir Shah invaded India in 1739 during the reign of:
- (a) Farrukhsiyar
- (b) Muhammad Shah
- (c) Ahmad Shah
- (d) Alamgir II
Answer: (b) Muhammad Shah. Nadir Shah defeated Muhammad Shah at Karnal and sacked Delhi, taking the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor.
British Expansion, 1857 and Social Reform
The Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the East India Company:
- (a) The diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
- (b) Control of Punjab
- (c) Rights to trade in Madras
- (d) Sovereignty over Awadh
Answer: (a) The diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. After Buxar, Shah Alam II granted the Company the diwani (revenue rights) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Dual government in Bengal was introduced by:
- (a) Warren Hastings
- (b) Robert Clive
- (c) Cornwallis
- (d) Wellesley
Answer: (b) Robert Clive. Clive's dual system left administration to the Nawab while the Company controlled revenue; Warren Hastings ended it in 1772.
Which Act created the post of Governor-General of Bengal?
- (a) Pitt's India Act, 1784
- (b) Regulating Act, 1773
- (c) Charter Act, 1813
- (d) Charter Act, 1833
Answer: (b) Regulating Act, 1773. The Regulating Act, 1773 made Warren Hastings Governor-General of Bengal and set up a Supreme Court at Calcutta.
Which Charter Act ended the Company's trade monopoly in India (except in tea and trade with China)?
- (a) 1793
- (b) 1813
- (c) 1833
- (d) 1853
Answer: (b) 1813. The Charter Act of 1813 ended the monopoly except for tea and China trade, and set aside money for education.
Who among the following was the first Governor-General of India?
- (a) Warren Hastings
- (b) Lord William Bentinck
- (c) Lord Canning
- (d) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (b) Lord William Bentinck. The Charter Act of 1833 made William Bentinck the first Governor-General of India; Canning was the first Viceroy in 1858.
Sati was declared illegal in 1829 by:
- (a) Lord Cornwallis
- (b) Lord William Bentinck
- (c) Lord Dalhousie
- (d) Lord Ripon
Answer: (b) Lord William Bentinck. Bentinck's Regulation XVII of 1829 banned sati, supported by Raja Ram Mohan Roy's campaign.
Which state was annexed in 1856 on the ground of misgovernment, not the Doctrine of Lapse?
- (a) Satara
- (b) Jhansi
- (c) Awadh
- (d) Nagpur
Answer: (c) Awadh. Awadh was annexed by Dalhousie in 1856 on the ground of misgovernment; Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur fell under the Doctrine of Lapse.
The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 was passed largely due to the efforts of:
- (a) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- (b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
- (c) Dayanand Saraswati
- (d) Jyotiba Phule
Answer: (b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar campaigned for widow remarriage, leading to the 1856 Act.
Who led the Revolt of 1857 in Lucknow?
- (a) Nana Sahib
- (b) Begum Hazrat Mahal
- (c) Kunwar Singh
- (d) Khan Bahadur Khan
Answer: (b) Begum Hazrat Mahal. Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt in Lucknow; Nana Sahib led at Kanpur and Kunwar Singh in Bihar.
Mangal Pandey's revolt in March 1857 took place at:
- (a) Meerut
- (b) Barrackpore
- (c) Delhi
- (d) Kanpur
Answer: (b) Barrackpore. Mangal Pandey attacked officers at Barrackpore in March 1857; the full-scale revolt began at Meerut on 10 May 1857.
Which Act transferred power from the East India Company to the British Crown?
- (a) Indian Councils Act, 1861
- (b) Government of India Act, 1858
- (c) Charter Act, 1853
- (d) Queen's Proclamation Act, 1876
Answer: (b) Government of India Act, 1858. The Government of India Act, 1858 ended Company rule and created the post of Secretary of State for India.
Satyashodhak Samaj was founded by:
- (a) Jyotiba Phule
- (b) B.R. Ambedkar
- (c) Narayana Guru
- (d) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
Answer: (a) Jyotiba Phule. Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 to fight caste discrimination.
Arya Samaj was founded in 1875 by:
- (a) Swami Vivekananda
- (b) Dayanand Saraswati
- (c) Keshab Chandra Sen
- (d) Debendranath Tagore
Answer: (b) Dayanand Saraswati. Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay; his slogan was 'Go back to the Vedas'.
Wood's Despatch of 1854 is called the 'Magna Carta' of:
- (a) Indian civil services
- (b) English education in India
- (c) Indian railways
- (d) Local self-government
Answer: (b) English education in India. Charles Wood's Despatch planned education from primary level to universities, leading to universities in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1857.
Local self-government in India is associated with the resolution of 1882 by:
- (a) Lord Lytton
- (b) Lord Ripon
- (c) Lord Curzon
- (d) Lord Mayo
Answer: (b) Lord Ripon. Lord Ripon's 1882 resolution on local self-government earned him the title father of local self-government in India.
National Movement, 1885-1947
Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885?
- (a) Dadabhai Naoroji
- (b) W.C. Bonnerjee
- (c) Surendranath Banerjee
- (d) A.O. Hume
Answer: (b) W.C. Bonnerjee. W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the first session at Bombay, attended by 72 delegates.
The 'drain of wealth' theory was put forward by:
- (a) R.C. Dutt
- (b) Dadabhai Naoroji
- (c) M.G. Ranade
- (d) G.K. Gokhale
Answer: (b) Dadabhai Naoroji. Dadabhai Naoroji explained the drain in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India; R.C. Dutt also wrote on it.
The Congress split into Moderates and Extremists at which session?
- (a) Calcutta, 1906
- (b) Surat, 1907
- (c) Lucknow, 1916
- (d) Lahore, 1929
Answer: (b) Surat, 1907. The Surat session of 1907 saw the split; the two groups reunited at Lucknow in 1916.
The Muslim League was founded in 1906 at:
- (a) Aligarh
- (b) Dhaka
- (c) Lucknow
- (d) Lahore
Answer: (b) Dhaka. The All-India Muslim League was founded at Dhaka in December 1906.
Separate electorates for Muslims were introduced by:
- (a) Indian Councils Act, 1892
- (b) Morley-Minto Reforms, 1909
- (c) Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919
- (d) Government of India Act, 1935
Answer: (b) Morley-Minto Reforms, 1909. The Indian Councils Act, 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms) introduced separate electorates for Muslims.
Gandhi's first satyagraha in India was at:
- (a) Kheda
- (b) Ahmedabad
- (c) Champaran
- (d) Bardoli
Answer: (c) Champaran. Champaran (1917) in Bihar was against the tinkathia system forced on indigo cultivators.
The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn after which incident?
- (a) Jallianwala Bagh
- (b) Chauri Chaura
- (c) Kakori
- (d) Moplah rebellion
Answer: (b) Chauri Chaura. Gandhi withdrew the movement after the violence at Chauri Chaura in February 1922.
The Swaraj Party was formed in 1923 by:
- (a) Gandhi and Nehru
- (b) C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru
- (c) Tilak and Annie Besant
- (d) Bose and Nehru
Answer: (b) C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party to contest council elections and oppose the government from within.
At which Congress session was 'Purna Swaraj' adopted as the goal?
- (a) Calcutta, 1928
- (b) Lahore, 1929
- (c) Karachi, 1931
- (d) Haripura, 1938
Answer: (b) Lahore, 1929. The Lahore session of 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, adopted Purna Swaraj; 26 January 1930 was celebrated as Independence Day.
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) led to Gandhi attending:
- (a) The First Round Table Conference
- (b) The Second Round Table Conference
- (c) The Third Round Table Conference
- (d) The Simla Conference
Answer: (b) The Second Round Table Conference. Under the pact Civil Disobedience was suspended, and Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London as the Congress's sole representative.
The Poona Pact of 1932 was signed between Gandhi and:
- (a) Jinnah
- (b) B.R. Ambedkar
- (c) Lord Irwin
- (d) Ramsay MacDonald
Answer: (b) B.R. Ambedkar. The Poona Pact replaced separate electorates for depressed classes (Communal Award) with reserved seats in joint electorates.
Which Act provided for provincial autonomy and a federal structure?
- (a) Government of India Act, 1919
- (b) Government of India Act, 1935
- (c) Indian Independence Act, 1947
- (d) Indian Councils Act, 1909
Answer: (b) Government of India Act, 1935. The Government of India Act, 1935 introduced provincial autonomy and proposed an All-India Federation, which never came into being.
The Cripps Mission came to India in:
- (a) 1940
- (b) 1942
- (c) 1945
- (d) 1946
Answer: (b) 1942. The Cripps Mission (March 1942) offered dominion status after the war; Gandhi called it a post-dated cheque.
The Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) was first organised by:
- (a) Subhas Chandra Bose
- (b) Mohan Singh
- (c) Rash Behari Bose
- (d) Shah Nawaz Khan
Answer: (b) Mohan Singh. Captain Mohan Singh first organised the INA in 1942; Subhas Chandra Bose revived and led it from 1943.
Who was the last Governor-General of independent India?
- (a) Lord Mountbatten
- (b) C. Rajagopalachari
- (c) Rajendra Prasad
- (d) Lord Wavell
Answer: (b) C. Rajagopalachari. C. Rajagopalachari succeeded Mountbatten in 1948 and was the only Indian Governor-General, until 26 January 1950.
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