Q21easy
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
Answer: (b)
Q22easyCommon Misconception
With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements :
1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism.
2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism.
3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered the Mahayana Buddhism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
Trap: Common Misconception
Statement 1 is the trap. Sthaviravadins (Theravadins/Elders) belong to Hinayana/Theravada Buddhism, NOT Mahayana. They were the orthodox group at the Second Buddhist Council. Students who are not clear about the Buddhist schism may confuse the two traditions.
Q23moderateOutdated Info
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.
Answer: (a)
Trap: Outdated Info
Option (c) about railways is a strong trap because students associate British India with railways. However, railways came in the SECOND half of the 19th century (first railway 1853, major expansion post-1860s), not the FIRST half. Option (d) is reverse - heavy duties were imposed on INDIAN manufactures, not British imports.
Q24hardSimilar Sounding
Consider the following events in the history of India :
1. Rise of Pratiharas under King Bhoja
2. Establishment of Pallava power under Mahendravarman – I
3. Establishment of Chola power by Parantaka – I
4. Pala dynasty founded by Gopala
What is the correct chronological order of the above events, starting from the earliest time ?
(a) 2 – 1 – 4 – 3
(b) 3 – 1 – 4 – 2
(c) 2 – 4 – 1 – 3
(d) 3 – 4 – 1 – 2
Answer: (c)
Trap: Similar Sounding
Option (a) is a close distractor. Students may confuse the relative chronology of Pratiharas and Palas. Pallava Mahendravarman-I (c. 600 CE) comes first, then Pala Gopala (c. 750 CE), then Pratihara Bhoja (c. 836 CE), then Chola Parantaka-I (c. 907 CE). Mixing up Bhoja and Gopala's timing is the likely error.
Q25easy
Which of the following phrases defines the nature of the 'Hundi' generally referred to in the sources of the post-Harsha period ?
(a) An advisory issued by the king to his subordinates
(b) A diary to be maintained for daily accounts
(c) A bill of exchange
(d) An order from the feudal lord to his subordinates
Answer: (c)
Q26easyPartial Truth
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
Answer: (a)
Trap: Partial Truth
Statement 3 is the trap. Although written in Bengali and popular during the Bengal partition/Swadeshi movement, Deuskar used 'desh' to refer to India as a whole, NOT just Bengal. Deuskar was actually from Jharkhand (Deoghar) and wrote about India's economic exploitation. Students may assume 'Bengali book = about Bengal'.
Q27moderatePartial Truth
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
Answer: (b)
Trap: Partial Truth
Statement 3 is the trap. Gandhi DID suggest an enquiry into police excesses, but Irwin REFUSED to accept it. This was a major criticism of the Pact. Students who know Gandhi raised this issue may incorrectly assume it was accepted in the Pact. The Pact included: Congress participation in RTC, withdrawal of ordinances, release of non-violent prisoners.
Q28hardCommon Misconception
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
Answer: (a)
Trap: Common Misconception
Options (b) Jyotiba Phule and (d) Ambedkar are strong traps because both are far more famous for anti-caste work. Most students would pick Phule or Ambedkar. However, Gopal Baba Walangkar (c.1840-1900), a retired army Mahar, was a PIONEER of the anti-untouchability movement BEFORE Ambedkar, and published Vital Vidhvansak.
Q29moderateSimilar Sounding
With reference to the history of India, the terms "kulyavapa" and "dronavapa" denote
(a) measurement of land
(b) coins of different monetary value
(c) classification of urban land
(d) religious rituals
Answer: (a)
Trap: Similar Sounding
Option (b) 'coins' is a distractor because terms ending in '-vapa' might sound like currency denominations. Option (c) is partially related to land but specifies 'urban land' which is wrong. Kulyavapa and Dronavapa were units of land measurement (based on the amount of seed that could be sown) from the Gupta period inscriptions.
Q30easy
Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription ?
"Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely."
(a) Ashoka
(b) Samudragupta
(c) Harshavardhana
(d) Krishnadeva Raya
Answer: (a)
Q32easyPartial Truth
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
Answer: (b)
Trap: Partial Truth
Statement 1 about women's education is a trap. While Rakhmabai was educated and the case indirectly touched on women's autonomy, the case specifically revolved around restitution of conjugal rights (her husband demanded she live with him) and age of consent (she was married as a child). Education rights were not the central issue.
Q33moderateCommon Misconception
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
Answer: (b)
Trap: Common Misconception
Option (a) is the strongest trap. Students associate indigo with the Indigo Revolt of 1859-60 (peasant resistance) and may assume that was the reason for decline. But peasant resistance was in 1859-60, while the question asks about decline by the beginning of the 20th century. The actual cause was synthetic indigo invented in Germany (1897), making natural indigo unprofitable.
Q34moderatePartial Truth
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
Answer: (d)
Trap: Partial Truth
Option (b) is a trap because Fort William College did promote oriental studies (Indian languages and customs were taught). But the PRIMARY purpose was training young British civil servants for administration in India, not reviving oriental learning per se. Option (c) is partially true - William Carey did teach there, but that was not the PURPOSE of establishing it.
Q35easy
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
Answer: (d)
Q36easyCommon Misconception
With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements :
1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga.
2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana.
3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta – II.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
Trap: Common Misconception
Statement 1: Panini lived around 4th century BCE, well before Pushyamitra Shunga (2nd century BCE). Statement 2: Amarasimha was one of the Navratnas of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya), NOT Harshavardhana. Students confuse which scholars belonged to which court. Only Kalidasa with Chandragupta-II (Statement 3) is correct.
Q82hardSimilar Sounding
With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were well known as
(a) ports handling foreign trade
(b) capitals of powerful kingdoms
(c) places of exquisite stone art and architecture
(d) important Buddhist pilgrimage centres
Answer: (a)
Trap: Similar Sounding
Option (d) about Buddhist centres is a trap because Ghantasala was also a Buddhist site (stupa remains). But the question asks what they were 'well known as' - primarily, these were all port towns. Ghantasala (Andhra), Kadura, and Chaul (Maharashtra) were all important ports during the Gupta period handling maritime trade.
Q97easy
With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs :
Famous Place — Present State
1. Bhilsa — Madhya Pradesh
2. Dwarasamudra — Maharashtra
3. Girinagar — Gujarat
4. Sthanesvara — Uttar Pradesh
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 4 only
Answer: (a)