Modern History – UPSC Prelims PYQs

Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 ?

1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
2. The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
3. The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
4. The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.

Select the answer using the code given below :

Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856 :

1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.
2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.
3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Consider the following assertion : The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.

1. Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.
2. Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.
3. Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.

Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion ?

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The artificially fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission (1926) was adopted by the British Government for which one of the following reasons ?

Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct ?

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?

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?

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?

"Sedition has become my religion" was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of

Who provided legal defence to the people arrested in the aftermath of Chauri Chaura incident?

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?

Who among the following was the founder of the ‘Self-Respect Movement’?

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 ?

Consider the following pairs :

1. 2. 3. 4.

How many of the above are correctly matched ?

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

Consider the following statements : Statement–I : 7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day. Statement–II : It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day.

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

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 :

Consider the following freedom fighters :

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

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

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

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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 ?

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.

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

Consider the following statements :

1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

One common agreement between Gandhism and Marxism is

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 ?

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

With reference to the 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 ?

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 :

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

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

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Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of

Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because

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

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

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

Which of the statements given above are correct?

With reference to Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :

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

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs :

1. All India Anti-Untouchability League : Mahatma Gandhi
2. All India Kisan Sabha : Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
3. Self-Respect Movement : E. V. Ramaswami Naicker

Movement/ Organization

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

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?

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

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?

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

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 :

In the Federation established by The Government of India Act of 1935, residuary powers were given to the

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.

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

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

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