History MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Q1. Which one of the following statements about a monument at Sarnath is correct?

  • A. The Chaukhandi Stupa is the only stupa at Sarnath built entirely by Ashoka.
  • B. The Dharmarajika Stupa is the tallest surviving structure at the site.
  • C. The Dhamek Stupa marks the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon.
  • D. The Mulagandhakuti Vihara is the earliest stupa raised over the Buddha's bodily relics.

Q2. The dharmachakra (wheel of law) carved on the abacus of the Lion Capital of Ashoka found at Sarnath has how many spokes?

  • A. 8
  • B. 24
  • C. 12
  • D. 32

Q3. Sarnath is counted among the four principal pilgrimage sites of Buddhism. Consider the following statements: 1. Sarnath is associated with the Buddha's first sermon, while Bodh Gaya is associated with his enlightenment. 2. Lumbini marks the Buddha's birth, while Kushinagar marks the site of his enlightenment. 3. The first sermon at Sarnath is remembered as the first 'turning of the wheel of dharma', delivered at the Deer Park at Isipatana. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Sarnath is associated with the Buddha's first sermon, while Bodh Gaya is associated with his enlightenment.
  2. Lumbini marks the Buddha's birth, while Kushinagar marks the site of his enlightenment.
  3. The first sermon at Sarnath is remembered as the first 'turning of the wheel of dharma', delivered at the Deer Park at Isipatana.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. In his first sermon at Sarnath, the Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths and set out the Middle Path consisting of how many components (the 'fold' of the path)?

  • A. Four
  • B. Twelve
  • C. Eight
  • D. Ten

Q5. Consider the following statements about Sarnath in relation to the principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites: 1. Sarnath is associated with the Buddha's first sermon, whereas Bodh Gaya is associated with his enlightenment. 2. After Sarnath's inscription, three of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites are on the World Heritage List. 3. Kushinagar, associated with the Buddha's parinirvana, was inscribed on the World Heritage List together with Sarnath in 2026. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Sarnath is associated with the Buddha's first sermon, whereas Bodh Gaya is associated with his enlightenment.
  2. After Sarnath's inscription, three of the four principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites are on the World Heritage List.
  3. Kushinagar, associated with the Buddha's parinirvana, was inscribed on the World Heritage List together with Sarnath in 2026.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. In which one of the following did Vande Mataram FIRST appear in print?

  • A. In the novel Anandamath, in 1882
  • B. In the periodical Bangadarshan, in 1875
  • C. In the newspaper Amrita Bazar Patrika, in 1885
  • D. In a pamphlet circulated at the 1896 Calcutta session of the Congress

Q7. Lothal, the venue announced for the EAS Maritime Heritage Festival, is chiefly renowned as the site of which one of the following?

  • A. The Great Bath, a large public water tank
  • B. The world's oldest known artificial dockyard
  • C. The earliest evidence of a ploughed agricultural field
  • D. The largest Harappan settlement by area

Q8. The colonial-era law frequently cited for entrenching landholding among Punjab's dominant agricultural castes while excluding Dalit communities from land ownership was:

  • A. The Punjab Tenancy Act, 1887
  • B. The Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887
  • C. The Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900
  • D. The Punjab Alienation of Land (Amendment) Act, 1938

Q9. As per the 1931 Census, approximately how many followers in Punjab registered under the newly recognised 'Ad Dharm' religion?

  • A. About 42,000
  • B. About 1.2 lakh
  • C. About 8.4 lakh
  • D. About 4.2 lakh

Q10. With reference to the Ad-Dharm movement and Ravidassia identity in Punjab, consider the following: 1. The Ad-Dharm movement was founded in 1926 under the leadership of Mangu Ram Mugowalia. 2. Ad-Dharm was first recorded as a separate religion in the Census of 1921. 3. Mangu Ram Mugowalia had earlier been associated with the Ghadar movement. 4. The Ravidassia identity draws on the teachings of Guru Ravidas, a 15th-century saint of the Chamar community. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Ad-Dharm movement was founded in 1926 under the leadership of Mangu Ram Mugowalia.
  2. Ad-Dharm was first recorded as a separate religion in the Census of 1921.
  3. Mangu Ram Mugowalia had earlier been associated with the Ghadar movement.
  4. The Ravidassia identity draws on the teachings of Guru Ravidas, a 15th-century saint of the Chamar community.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. Under the indenture system, approximately how many Indian labourers migrated to Mauritius to work on its sugar plantations?

  • A. About 50,000
  • B. About 150,000
  • C. Over half a million
  • D. Over five million

Q12. The mass statelessness of Indian-origin (Malaiyaha) plantation Tamils in Ceylon originated principally with which one of the following enactments passed in the first years after independence?

  • A. Ceylon Citizenship Act, 1948
  • B. Indian and Pakistani Residents (Citizenship) Act, 1949
  • C. Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Amendment Act, 1949
  • D. Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Act, 2003

Q13. The 1925 report on the condition of Indian labourers in Ceylon (which found that about 40% lacked a living wage) was submitted by the Agent of the Government of India in Ceylon, S. Ranganathan, who belonged to which one of the following services?

  • A. Indian Political Service
  • B. Indian Foreign Service
  • C. Indian Civil Service (I.C.S.)
  • D. Ceylon Civil Service

Q14. In the colonial period, the office of the 'Agent of the Government of India in Ceylon' was primarily meant to:

  • A. assess and collect plantation revenue on behalf of the Ceylon government
  • B. represent the Government of India and oversee the welfare of Indian emigrant (indentured) labour in Ceylon
  • C. license kanganies and regulate estate recruitment on behalf of the Ceylon government
  • D. promote Indian export trade to Ceylon as a commercial commissioner

Q15. Which one of the following was the leading plantation crop that first spearheaded Ceylon's colonial economy before being devastated by a fungal leaf disease in the 1870s?

  • A. Coffee
  • B. Tea
  • C. Rubber
  • D. Coconut

Q16. The minimum wages of Indian (estate) labour recruited to Ceylon's plantations were first brought under statutory regulation by which one of the following enactments?

  • A. Estate Labour (Indian) Ordinance, No. 13 of 1889
  • B. Minimum Wages (Indian Labour) Ordinance, No. 27 of 1927
  • C. Allowances to Plantation Workers Act, No. 72 of 1981
  • D. National Minimum Wage of Workers Act, No. 3 of 2016

Q17. Which one of the following was the first company to undertake commercial tea production in India, taking over the experimental tea holdings in Assam in 1839?

  • A. Assam Company
  • B. East India Company
  • C. Jorehaut Tea Company
  • D. Darjeeling Tea Company

Q18. The expression 'Vande Mataram' is most accurately translated as which one of the following?

  • A. I bow to thee, O Mother
  • B. Long live the Motherland
  • C. Victory to Mother India
  • D. Hail, O sacred land

Q19. In which year was the poem Vande Mataram first published, in the Bengali literary journal Bangadarshan?

  • A. 1875
  • B. 1882
  • C. 1896
  • D. 1905

Q20. Irom Sharmila, the 'Iron Lady of Manipur', continued her hunger strike demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for approximately how many years?

  • A. 6 years
  • B. 11 years
  • C. 16 years
  • D. 21 years

Q21. With reference to the historical 'Cadaver Synod', consider the following statements: 1. It was a posthumous trial in which the exhumed corpse of Pope Formosus was put in the dock. 2. The trial was convened by Pope Stephen VI (VII), a political adversary of Formosus. 3. Formosus was acquitted and his papal acts were solemnly upheld by the synod. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It was a posthumous trial in which the exhumed corpse of Pope Formosus was put in the dock.
  2. The trial was convened by Pope Stephen VI (VII), a political adversary of Formosus.
  3. Formosus was acquitted and his papal acts were solemnly upheld by the synod.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q22. National Handloom Day, observed on 7th August, was designated to commemorate which one of the following events?

  • A. The launch of the Swadeshi Movement at Calcutta Town Hall in 1905 against the partition of Bengal
  • B. The formation of the All India Handloom Board in 1945
  • C. The enactment of the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act in 1985
  • D. The conclusion of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement in 1974

Q23. The Moderate nationalists' long-standing demand was that the Indian Civil Service examination be held simultaneously in how many locations?

  • A. One (in India only)
  • B. Two (in India and in England)
  • C. Three
  • D. Four

Q24. The early nationalist (Moderate) demand that the Indian Civil Service examination be held simultaneously in India was conceded and first implemented through which of the following?

  • A. The Government of India Act, 1919, with the ICS examination held in India from 1922
  • B. The Lee Commission report of 1924
  • C. The Islington Commission report of 1912
  • D. The Aitchison Commission of 1886–87

Q25. With reference to the Government of India Act, 1919, consider the following: 1. It introduced dyarchy at the provincial level. 2. It contained an enabling provision (Section 96C) for a statutory Public Service Commission. 3. It provided for the ICS examination to be held in India (from 1922) in addition to London. 4. It abolished the office of the Secretary of State for India. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified as provisions/consequences of the Act?

  1. It introduced dyarchy at the provincial level.
  2. It contained an enabling provision (Section 96C) for a statutory Public Service Commission.
  3. It provided for the ICS examination to be held in India (from 1922) in addition to London.
  4. It abolished the office of the Secretary of State for India.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q26. The enabling provision under which a statutory Public Service Commission could be established in India was contained in which section of the Government of India Act, 1919?

  • A. Section 96C
  • B. Section 84A
  • C. Section 52A
  • D. Section 45A

Q27. Consider the following statements comparing the 1926 railway officers' recruitment scheme with the general Lee Commission recommendations for the superior civil services: 1. The general Lee Commission formula fixed direct Indian recruitment at 40%, whereas the 1926 railway scheme targeted 75% Indianisation of vacancies. 2. The 1926 railway scheme covered the Transportation/Commercial, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering departments. 3. Unlike the general civil-service recommendations, the 1926 railway scheme required no approval from the Secretary of State. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The general Lee Commission formula fixed direct Indian recruitment at 40%, whereas the 1926 railway scheme targeted 75% Indianisation of vacancies.
  2. The 1926 railway scheme covered the Transportation/Commercial, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering departments.
  3. Unlike the general civil-service recommendations, the 1926 railway scheme required no approval from the Secretary of State.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q28. The Government of India's 1926 scheme for recruitment and training of superior railway officers, framed 'in pursuance of the Lee Commission Recommendations', set which of the following as the target proportion for Indianisation of vacancies 'as soon as practicable'?

  • A. 40 per cent
  • B. 50 per cent
  • C. 75 per cent
  • D. 100 per cent

Q29. With regard to the Public Service Commission constituted on 1 October 1926, which one of the following statements is correct?

  • A. It was the first Public Service Commission actually established in India, with Sir Ross Barker (of the Home Civil Service) as its first Chairman
  • B. It conducted recruitment exclusively for the provincial services and never for all-India services
  • C. It was empowered solely by the Government of India Act, 1935
  • D. It functioned entirely free of any control by the Secretary of State from its very inception

Q30. The Public Service Commission set up in 1926 is described as a 'statutory' commission. In this context, 'statutory' most precisely means that it was:

  • A. Established under a provision of an Act of the legislature (Section 96C of the Government of India Act, 1919)
  • B. Created by an executive resolution of the Governor-General in Council
  • C. Established directly by a written Constitution of India
  • D. Set up as an advisory panel by the Secretary of State without any legal backing