UPSC History Prelims PYQs Practice: Ancient, Medieval & Modern

From the declines of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India?

1. The Guptas of Magadha
2. The Paramaras of Malwa
3. The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar
4. The Maukharis of Kanauj
5. The Yadavas of Devagiri
6. The Maitrakas of Valabhi

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were well known as

Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?

Consider the following information:

In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

With reference to the history of India, the terms “kulyavapa” and “dronavapa” denote

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?

According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, which of the following are correct?

1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment.
2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free.
3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

Consider the following statements:

1. There are no parables in Upanishads.
2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Consider the following pairs:

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

Which one of the following is not a Harappan site?

With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as

The irrigation device called 'Araghatta' was

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?

1. Nayaputta
2. Shakyamuni
3. Tathagata

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese?

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

1. The Dutch established their factories/werehouses 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?

With reference to medieval India, which one of the following is the correct sequence in ascending order in terms of size?

Consider the following statements:

1. It was during the reign of Iltutmish that Chengiz Khan reached the Indus in pursuit of the fugitive Khawarezm prince.
2. It was during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq that Taimur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus.
3. It was during the reign of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara Empire that Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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?

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 Vijaynagara Empire.
3. Rohilkhand Kingdom was formed out of the territories occupied by Ahmad Shah Durrani.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

In medieval India, the term “Fanam” referred to:

Which of the following phrases defines the nature of the ‘Hundi’ generally referred to in the sources of the post-Harsha period?

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

1. The first Mongol invasion of India happened during the reign of Jalal-ud-din Khalji.
2. During the reign of Ala-ud-din Khalji, one Mongol assault marched up to Delhi and besieged the city.
3. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq temporarily lost portions of north-west of his kingdom to Mongols.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to Indian history, who of the following were known as “KulahDaran”?

Who among the following rulers of Vijayanagara Empire constructed a large dam across Tungabhadra River and a canal-cum-aqueduct several kilometres long from the river to the capital city?

Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal?

According to Portuguese writer Nuniz, the women in Vijayanagara Empire were expert in which of the following areas?

1. Wrestling
2. Astrology
3. Accounting
4. Soothsaying

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Consider the following dynasties:

1. Hoysala
2. Gahadavala
3. Kakatiya
4. Yadava

How many of the above dynasties established their kingdoms in early eighth century AD?

Who among the following rulers in ancient India had assumed the titles 'Mattavilasa', 'Vichitrachitta' and 'Gunabharata'?

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

With reference to the book “Desher Katha” written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during 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?

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?

Which one of the following groups of plants were domesticated in the ‘New World’ and introduced into the ‘Old World’?

Consider the following statements in respect of the Non-Cooperation Movement:

1. The Congress declared the attainment of 'Swaraj' by all legitimate and peaceful means to be its objective.
2. 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?

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

In the federation established by the Government of India Act of 1935, residuary power was given to the

Consider the following pairs :

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?

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

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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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Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?

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

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?

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

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:

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

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

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?

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 :

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