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INDIAN HISTORY DEMO TEST EXPLANATION EM

1. 4 The English East India Company sent a delegation to the Mughal court along with a surgeon named
William Hamilton to treat Farrukhsiyar. Pleased with his treatment, the emperor issued a firman in
1717 according to which the Company secured customs-free trade privileges in three Mughal provinces,
namely Bengal, Deccan and Gujarat by paying Rs.10,000 per annum to the Mughal Emperor. This
royal firman is called the Magna-Carta of the East India Company. Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath made a
treaty with the Mughal Emperor and ended the Mughal-Maratha conflict. The Peshwa visited the tomb
of Aurangzeb at Khuldabad and paid tributes to him.

2. 3 Muhammad Shah was a skilled Kathak dancer, a dance art which is a synthesis of Indian and Persian
dance forms. In 1739, Nadir Shah who was popularly known as the Napoleon of Iran invaded India.
He overpowered Muhammad Shah in a moderate battle at Karnal. He plundered and took away enormous
wealth worth 70 crores along with the Kohinoor diamond and The Peacock throne. Muhammad Shah
Rangeela was the last Mughal ruler to sit on the Peacock throne.

3. 4 Explanation

In the Swadeshi and Boycott movement of 1905-08 due to the partition of Bengal, the role of peasant
was negligible. So, the Assertion is wrong but the Reason is correct.

4. 2 First Anglo- Mysore War (1766- 1769):

This war was fought between Hyder Ali and the governor of Madras, Lord McCartney in which Hyder
Ali defeated the British forces under the command of General Joseph Smith. The war ended with the
Treaty of Madras.

5. 1 He introduced uniform weights and measures throughout his kingdom. A gold coin named Mohur was
minted by him. He abolished the Jagirdari system and ended feudal exploitation.

6. 3 He was a Sanskrit Professor in Bengal. His efforts resulted in the enactment of the Hindu Widow
Remarriage Act, 1856 by Lord Dalhousie. Ishwar Chandra performed the first legalised widow
remarriage in India. He established 35 institutions for the education of women. The Bethune College
of Calcutta founded by him in 1849 was the first women college in India. The first women graduate of
India, Kadambini Ganguly was a student of Bethune College. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar translated
Abhignanashakuntala of Kalidasa into the Bengali language.

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7. 1 It was founded in New York in 1875 by Colonel Olcott of America and a Russian lady, namely
Madam Blavatsky. The main objective of this organisation was to study the ancient cultures,
civilisations, religions and occultism. In 1879, the headquarters of the Theosophical Society was
shifted from New York to Adayar in Madras. Colonel Olcott continued as its President until his
death in 1907. Mrs. Annie Besant, an Irish lady settled in India, had become the President of
Theosophical Society after the death of Olcott. She was attracted towards Theosophical Society
after reading a book called ‘The Secret Doctrine’ written by Madam Blavatsky.

8. 3 He founded Vedanta College in Calcutta in 1825 to promote the western education. In 1817, a
Dutch missionary David Hare founded Hindu College in Calcutta with the assistance of Raja
Rammohan Roy.

9. 4 Based on the report of the Thomas Robertson Committee, the Railway Board was established in
1905. Railway budget was separated from the general budget in 1925 as per the recommendations
of the William Acworth Committee.

10. 3 Changes in the Administrative Structure:

The British Parliament passed the Government of India Act of 1858 to bring in many changes in the
administration of India. According to this Act:

(i) The rule of the East India Company came to an end and the administrative powers were transferred
from Company to the Crown.

(ii) The designation of the Governor-General was changed to “The Governor-General and Viceroy
of India’. Viceroy would be the direct representative of the Crown in India. Lord Canning became
the first Viceroy of India.

11. 2 Scholars have held different views about the nature of the Sepoys Revolt. G.B. Malleson called the
Revolt of 1857 as a mere mutiny (Mutiny means a rebellion of the soldiers against their superiors
which is confined to the army). He wrote a book on the Revolt of 1857 named, “Indian Mutiny”.
T.R. Holmes described it as a struggle between civilization and barbarism. L.E.R. Rees opined that
it was a fanatic war against Christianity.

12. 3 In 1833, the British Parliament passed Slavery Abolition Act prohibiting slavery throughout the
British Empire. This act was applied to India by the then Governor-General, Lord Ellenborough
and slavery was declared illegal in 1843.

13. 3 Explanation

Muhammad Ali Jinnah said this statement when a young Muslim asked him the question about
nationalism, whether being a muslim he should not participate in the national movement because
India is mostly dominated by Hindu population.

14. 2 Ryotwari System system of land revenue was instituted in the late 18th century by Sir Thomas
Munro, Governor of Madras in 1820.This was practised in the Madras and Bombay areas, as well
as Assam and Coorg provinces.The Mahalwari system was introduced by Holt Mackenzie in 1822
and it was reviewed under Lord William Bentinck in 1833.This system was introduced in North-
West Frontier, Agra, Central Province, Gangetic Valley, Punjab, etc.
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15.4 Recommendations of the Nehru Report:

1. Dominion Status for India.

2. 19 fundamental rights were incorporated in the report which should be given to every citizen
of India.

3. Formation of linguistic provinces.

4. Establishment of responsible governments both at the centre and the provinces.

5. Introduction of bicameral legislature at the centre and at the provinces.

6. Providing safeguards to the minorities through a secular government.

7. Establishing a federal form of government with a strong centre. Residuary powers should be
given to the central government.

8. Reservations should be given to the Muslims in the provincial legislatures in proportion to

their population. These reservations are applicable only in those states where the Muslims are
in minority.

16. 2 Under this system every ‘registered’ holder of land is recognised as a proprietor of land and is held
responsible for direct payment of land revenue to the State. He has the right to sub-let his land
holdings, to transfer, mortgage or sell it. He is not evicted from his holdings by the Government so
long as he pays the State demand of land revenue.

17. 3 The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Confederacy and
the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The Maratha army was led by Sadashivrao Bhau, who
was third-highest authority of the Maratha Confederacy after the Chhatrapati and the Peshwa.
Plundering of Attock city by the Marathas was the immediate reason for the Third Battle of Panipat.

18. 3 The name of Lord William Bentinck is still cherished in India for suppression of the Thugs. Thugs
were the hereditary assassins whose profession was to deceive people and strangle them to death
with their Pugree or handkerchief. They used to travel in Gangs, disguised as merchants or pilgrims.
They were bound together by an oath on the rites of their deity goddess Kali. William Bentinck
suppressed the Thugs, the notorious robbers. Lord Hastings suppressed the notorious plunderers
called Pindaris. The Pindaris were irregular military plunderers and foragers in 17th- through early
19th-century Indian subcontinent who accompanied initially the Mughal army, later the Maratha
army, and finally on their own before being eliminated in the 1817–19 Pindari War. They were
unpaid and their compensation was entirely the loot they plundered during wars and raids. They
were mostly horsemen armed with spears and swords who would create chaos and deliver intelligence
about the enemy positions to benefit the army they accompanied. Lord Hastings suppressed the
notorious plunderers called Pindaris.

19. 1 Mahatma Gandhi was against the separate electorate rights for Harijans in the communal award
because it established that Harijans are separate from Hindus. Gandhiji wanted to give a separate
electorate right to Harijan within the Hindu fold so he observed fast at Poona in 1932.

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20. 3 The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1818):

This war was fought during the reign of Baji Rao-II. Lord Hastings, the Governor-General suppressed
the Marathas and occupied the Maratha kingdom. The Third Anglo-Maratha War is also called the
Pindari War. The Pindaris, a group of cruel dacoits who were part of the Maratha forces, were
crushed in this war.

21. 3 The Doctrine of Lapse was an imperial scheme introduced by Dalhousie in 1848 to expand the
domain of the British in India without wars. According to this, any princely state under the direct or
indirect control of the East India Company where the ruler did not have a legal apan heir would be
annexed by the Company. On the pretext of this doctrine, Dalhousie absorbed many princely states
into the British Empire.

22. 3 The subsidiary state should surrender its foreign policy to the British and should not enter into any
alliance with any other foreign power without the approval of the British. A British Resident would
be stationed at the capital of the Indian state to look after the defence and foreign affairs.

23. 4 Subsidiary Alliance:

The Subsidiary Alliance was an imperial system introduced by Lord Wellesley in 1789 with an aim
to establish British paramountcy over Indian states without wars.
Main features of the Subsidiary Treaty:
1. The British would protect the signatory state that accepted the Subsidiary Alliance, in the
event of an external attack or internal revolt.
2. The British would maintain a subsidiary army to provide protection to the signatory state. The
entire cost of the subsidiary forces should be borne by the Indian state either in the cash or in
the form of territory.
For example, the Nizam Ali Khan of Hyderabad who accepted the Subsidiary Alliance had
ceded the Rayalaseema districts of Andhra Pradesh for the maintenance of the British army.
3. The subsidiary state should surrender its foreign policy to the British and should not enter
into any alliance with any other foreign power without the approval of the British.
4. A British Resident would be stationed at the capital of the Indian state to look after the defence
and foreign affairs.

24. 3 The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces under the
command of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of
Balwant Singh, Raja of Benaras; Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal till 1764; the Nawab of Awadh,
Shuja-ud-Daula; and the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II. The battle was fought at Buxar, a “strong
fortified town” within the territory of Bihar, located on the banks of the Ganges river about 130
kilometres (81 mi) west of Patna; it was a challenging victory for the British East India Company.
The war was brought to an end by the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765. The defeated Indian rulers were
forced to sign this treaty, granting the East India Company diwani rights, which allowed them to
collect revenue from the territories of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa on behalf of the Mughal emperor.

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25. 1 Explanation

Tilak was against the move of the British government to eradicate social malpractices, instead he
wanted society itself to do so that’s why he opposed the enactment of the Age of Consent Bill of
1891.

26. 1 Explanation

The shooting at Jallianwala bagh crowd was for boosting morale of the army and striking terror in
Punjab so that no more agitation takes place.

27. 4 Linguistic reorganisation gave some uniform basis to the drawing of state boundaries. It did not
lead to disintegration of the country as many had feared earlier. On the contrary it strengthened
national unity. Above all, the linguistic states underlined the acceptance of the principle of diversity.

28. 4 The Central Government appointed a States Reorganisation Commission in 1953 to look into the
question of redrawing of the boundaries of states. The Commission in its report accepted that the
boundaries of the state should reflect the boundaries of different languages. On the basis of its
report the States Reorganisation Act was passed in 1956. This led to the creation of 14 states and six
union territories.

29. 3 A few days before Independence, the Maharaja of Manipur, Bodhachandra Singh, signed the
Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on the assurance that the internal autonomy of
Manipur would be maintained. Under the pressure of public opinion, the Maharaja held elections in
Manipur in June 1948 and the state became a constitutional monarchy. Thus Manipur was the first
part of India to hold an election based on universal adult franchise. The Government of India
succeeded in pressurising the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949, without
consulting the popularly elected Legislative Assembly of Manipur.

30. 4 Hyderabad, the largest of the Princely States, was surrounded entirely by Indian territory. Some
parts of the old Hyderabad state are today parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Its
ruler carried the title, ‘Nizam’, and he was one of the world’s richest men. The Nizam wanted an
independent status for Hyderabad. He entered into what was called the Standstill Agreement with
India in November 1947 for a year while negotiations with the Indian government were going on.

31. 4 This decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states. In most of the
princely states, governments were run in a non-democratic manner and the rulers were unwilling to
give democratic rights to their populations. The prospects of democracy for the people in these
states also looked bleak. The government’s approach was guided by three considerations. Firstly,
the people of most of the princely states clearly wanted to become part of the Indian union. Secondly,
the government was prepared to be flexible in giving autonomy to some regions. The idea was to
accommodate plurality and adopt a flexible approach in dealing with the demands of the regions.
Thirdly, in the backdrop of partition which brought into focus the contest over demarcation of
territory, the integration and consolidation of the territorial boundaries of the nation had assumed
supreme importance.

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32. 1 Explanation

The Congress ministries resigned in 1939 due to the announcement of India as participating in the
war without its consent. Muslim League celebrated this day, 22 ND December 1939, as the
Deliverance Day and Ambedkar who was against the Congress policies supported and joined it.

33. 1 The British Indian Provinces were directly under the control of the British government. On the
other hand, several large and small states ruled by princes, called the Princely States, enjoyed some
form of control over their internal affairs as long as they accepted British supremacy. Princely
States covered one-third of the land area of the British Indian Empire and one out of four Indians
lived under princely rule.

34. 4 Even after large-scale migration of Muslims to the newly created Pakistan, the Muslim population
in India accounted for 12 per cent of the total population in 1951. The Muslim population in India
is approximately 14.23% as per census 2011. India’s Muslim population is growing faster than its
Hindu population, according to Indian government census data. The 2011 census data shows that
the Muslim population grew by around 24.6% between 2001 and 2011, compared to around 16.8%
for Hindus over the same period.

35. 4 The British constituted two major commissions in 1927. They were:

(i) Indian States Commission: It was appointed by the British to study centre-state relations. It
was also known as the Butler Commission as Harcourt Butler was its chairman.

(ii) Indian Statutory Commission: It was headed by Sir John Simon, hence it was known as the
Simon Commission. Simon Commission was appointed by the then British Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin (Conservative Party), to evaluate the implementation of the Government of
India Act of 1919 and to suggest necessary changes in the administration. It was appointed in
November 1927 and arrived in India on 9th February, 1928.

The chairman and all six members of the commission were Englishmen. Congress Party criticised
the British for not including even a single Indian in such an important commission which was going
to decide the political future of India. Congress Party at its annual session held at Madras in December
1927 presided over by M.A. Ansari, passed the resolution to boycott the Simon Commission.

36. 2 Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party was formed by Chittaranjan Das (President) and Motilal Nehru
(General Secretary), the senior-most leaders of the Congress Party. The annual session of Congress
presided over by C.R.Das was held at Gaya in December 1922. C.R.Das and Motilal Nehru wanted
Congress Party to contest the elections, whereas Sardar Vallabhai Patel, C. Rajagopalachari and
others wanted to boycott the elections. Finally, the council entry resolution drafted by C.R.Das was
defeated and the Congress Party decided not to contest the elections. In protest of this, Chittaranjan
Das C.R.Das and Motilal Nehru resigned their positions in the Congress Party and announced the
formation of Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party, as an integral part of Congress.

37. 3 The members of the Constituent Assembly were indirectly elected by members of the newly elected
provincial assemblies.
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38. 3 We have a Muslim minority who are so large in numbers that they cannot, even if they want, go
anywhere else. That is a basic fact about which there can be no argument. Whatever the provocation
from Pakistan and whatever the indignities and horrors inflicted on non-Muslims there, we have
got to deal with this minority in a civilised manner. We must give them security and the rights of
citizens in a democratic State. If we fail to do so, we shall have a festering sore which will eventually
poison the whole body politic and probably destroy it.

39. 3 Explanation

The Simon Commission was boycotted by the Congress because it did not have any Indian as its
member, which was against the Congress slogan of self rule. According to Congress, the Simon
Commission definitely negated the claim of the Indian people to determine their own constitution.

40. 1 Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799):

Enraged by his defeat in the Third Anglo- Mysore War, Tipu Sultan was determined to overthrow
the British. He invited Jaman Shah, the ruler of Afghanistan and Napoleon who were the staunch
opponents of the British, to invade India. The then Governor-General, Lord Wellesley sensed a
threat, and initiated the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War with a determination to eliminate Tipu Sultan.
During the war, Tipu Sultan who is popularly known as Sher-e-Mysore fought ferociously and died
on the battlefield. The British occupied Mysore and created a small kingdom of Mysore which was
given to the Wodeyars. The remaining territories were merged into the British Empire.

41. 1 Second Anglo- Mysore War (1780-1784):

It was fought between Hyder Ali and Warren Hastings. Hyder Ali defeated the English forces under
the command of Colonel Bailie and Colonel Braithwaite. In the battle of Port Novo, Hyder Ali was
defeated by Sir Eyre Coote. In 1782, Hyder Ali died of cancer during the war, and his son Tipu
Sultan continued the war. Tipu Sultan defeated Brigadier Matthews. The Second Anglo-Mysore
War ended with the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784.

42. 3 Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. He led the Congress
to a massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections held immediately thereafter in 1984. The elections
of 1989 marked the end of what political scientists have called the ‘Congress system’. Rajiv Gandhi
was assassinated by a Sri Lankan Tamil linked to the LTTE when he was on an election campaign
tour in Tamil Nadu. Elections in 1989 led to the defeat of the Congress party but did not result in a
majority for any other party. Though the Congress was the largest party in the Lok Sabha, it did not
have a clear majority and therefore, it decided to sit in the opposition. The National Front (which
itself was an alliance of Janata Dal and some other regional parties) received support from two
diametrically opposite political groups: the BJP and the Left Front. On this basis, the National Front
formed a coalition government, but the BJP and the Left Front did not join in this government. In
the elections of 1991, Congress emerged as the single largest party. Following Rajiv Gandhi’s
death, the party chose Narsimha Rao as the Prime Minister.

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43. 4 Reservations for the OBC were in existence in southern States since the 1960s, if not earlier. But
this policy was not operative in north Indian States. It was during the tenure of Janata Party
government in 1977-79 that the demand for reservations for backward castes in north India and at
the national level was strongly raised. Karpoori Thakur, the then Chief Minister of Bihar, was a
pioneer in this direction. His government had introduced a new policy of reservations for OBCs in
Bihar. Following this, the central government appointed a Commission in 1978 to look into and
recommend ways to improve the conditions of the backward classes. This was the second time
since Independence that the government had appointed such a commission. Therefore, this
commission was officially known as the Second Backward Classes Commission. Popularly, the
commission is known as the Mandal Commission, after the name of its Chairperson, Bindeshwari
Prasad Mandal. The Mandal Commission was set up to investigate the extent of educational and
social backwardness among various sections of Indian society and recommend ways of identifying
these ‘backward classes’. It was also expected to give its recommendations on the ways in which
this backwardness could be ended. The Commission gave its recommendations in 1980. By then
the Janata government had fallen. The Commission advised that ‘backward classes’ should be
understood to mean ‘backward castes’, since many castes, other than the Scheduled Castes, were
also treated as low in the caste hierarchy. The Commission did a survey and found that these backward
castes had a very low presence in both educational institutions and in employment in public services.
It therefore recommended reserving 27 per cent of seats in educational institutions and government
jobs for these groups. The Mandal Commission also made many other recommendations, like land
reform, to improve the conditions of the OBCS.

44. 4 In August 1990, the National Front government decided to implement one of the recommendations
of the Mandal Commission pertaining to reservations for OBCs in jobs in the central government
and its undertakings. This decision sparked agitations and violent protests in many cities of north
India. The decision was also challenged in the Supreme Court and came to be known as the ‘Indira
Sawhney case’, after the name of one of the petitioners. In November 1992, the Supreme Court
gave a ruling upholding the decision of the government. But now the policy of reservation for
OBCs has the support of all the major political parties of the country.

45. 4 In the Shah Bano case in 1985, a 62-year old divorced Muslim woman, had filed a case for
maintenance from her former husband. The Supreme Court ruled in her favour. The orthodox Muslims
saw the Supreme Court’s order as an interference in Muslim Personal Law. On the demand of some
Muslim leaders, the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act,
1986 that nullified the Supreme Court’s judgement. This action of the government was opposed by
many women’s organisations, many Muslim groups and most of the intellectuals. The BJP criticised
this action of the Congress government as an unnecessary concession and ‘appeasement of the
minority community.

46. 4 Jammu and Kashmir comprises three social and political regions — Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Jammu region is a mix of foothills and plains. It is predominantly inhabited by the Hindus.
Muslims, Sikhs and people of other denominations also reside in this region. The Kashmir region
mainly comprises the Kashmir valley. It is inhabited mostly by Kashmiri Muslims with the remaining
being Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and others. The Ladakh region is mainly mountainous. It has very
little population which is almost equally divided between Buddhists and Muslims.

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47. 3 The decade of 1980s also witnessed major developments in the State of Punjab. The social
composition of the State changed first with Partition and later on after the carving out of Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh. While the rest of the country was reorganised on linguistic lines in the
1950s, Punjab had to wait till 1966 for the creation of a Punjabi speaking State. During the 1970s a
section of Akalis began to demand political autonomy for the region. This was reflected in a resolution
passed at their conference at Anandpur Sahib in 1973. The Anandpur Sahib Resolution of 1973
asserted regional autonomy and wanted to redefine centre-state relationships in the country. The
resolution also spoke of the aspirations of the Sikh qaum (community or nation) and declared its
goal as attaining the bolbala (dominance or hegemony) of the Sikhs. The Resolution was a plea for
strengthening federalism in India.

A section of the religious leaders raised the question of autonomous Sikh identity. Soon, the leadership
of the movement passed from the moderate Akalis to the extremist elements and took the form of
armed insurgency. These militants made their headquarters inside the Sikh holy shrine, the Golden
Temple in Amritsar, and turned it into an armed fortress. In June 1984, the Government of India
carried out ‘Operation Blue Star’, code name for army action in the Golden Temple.

48. 3 After Independence, the Mizo Hills area was made an autonomous district within Assam. Some
Mizos believed that they were never a part of British India and therefore did not belong to the
Indian union. But the movement for secession gained popular support after the Assam government
failed to respond adequately to the great famine of 1959 in Mizo hills. The Mizos’ anger led to the
formation of the Mizo National Front (MNF) under the leadership of Laldenga. In 1966 the MNF
started an armed campaign for independence. In 1986 a peace agreement was signed between Rajiv
Gandhi and Laldenga. As per this accord Mizoram was granted full-fledged statehood with special
powers and the MNF agreed to give up secessionist struggle. Laldenga took over as the Chief
Minister. This accord proved a turning point in the history of Mizoram. Today, Mizoram is one of
the most peaceful places in the region and has taken big strides in literacy and development.

49. 2 In 1979 the All Assam Students’ Union, a students’ group not affiliated to any party, led an anti-
foreigner movement. The movement was against illegal migrations, against domination of Bengalis
and other outsiders, and against faulty voters’ registers that included the names of lakhs of immigrants.
The movement demanded that all outsiders who had entered the State after 1951 should be sent
back. The agitation followed many novel methods and mobilised all sections of Assamese people,
drawing support across the State. It also involved many tragic and violent incidents leading to loss
of property and human lives. The movement also tried to blockade the movement of trains and the
supply of oil from Assam to refineries in Bihar. Eventually after six years of turmoil, the Rajiv
Gandhi-led government entered into negotiations with the AASU leaders, leading to the signing of
an accord in 1985. According to this agreement those foreigners who migrated into Assam during
and after the Bangladesh war and since, were to be identified and deported.

50. 1 At the time of Independence, Sikkim was a ‘protectorate’ of India. It meant that while it was not a
part of India, it was also not a fully sovereign country. Sikkim’s defence and foreign relations were
looked after by India, while the power of internal administration was with the Chogyal, Sikkim’s
monarch.
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51. 2 Although the British empire in India came to an end in 1947, Portugal refused to withdraw from the
territories of Goa, Diu and Daman which were under its colonial rule since the sixteenth century.
During their long rule, the Portuguese suppressed the people of Goa, denied them civil rights, and
carried out forced religious conversions. After India’s Independence, the Indian government tried
very patiently to persuade the Portuguese government to withdraw. There was also a strong popular
movement within Goa for freedom. They were strengthened by socialist satyagrahis from
Maharashtra. Finally, in December 1961, the Government of India sent the army which liberated
these territories after barely two days of action. Goa, Diu and Daman became Union Territory.
Finally, in 1987, Goa became a State of the Indian Union.

52. Consider the following statements

A section of the big industrialists got together in 1944 and drafted a joint proposal for setting up a
planned economy in the country. It was called the Bombay Plan. The Bombay Plan wanted the state
to take major initiatives in industrial and other economic investments.

53. 4 The First Five Year Plan (1951–1956) sought to get the country’s economy out of the cycle of
poverty. K.N. Raj, a young economist involved in drafting the plan, argued that India should ‘hasten
slowly’ for the first two decades as a fast rate of development might endanger democracy. The First
Five Year Plan addressed, mainly, the agrarian sector including investment in dams and irrigation.
Agricultural sector was hit hardest by Partition and needed urgent attention. Huge allocations were
made for large scale projects like the Bhakra Nangal Dam. The Plan identified the pattern of land
distribution in the country as the principal obstacle in the way of agricultural growth. It focused on
land reforms as the key to the country’s development.

54. 2 The Second Five Year Plan stressed on heavy industries. It was drafted by a team of economists and
planners under the leadership of P. C. Mahalanobis. If the first plan had preached patience, the
second wanted to bring about quick structural transformation by making changes simultaneously in
all possible directions. Before this plan was finalised, the Congress party at its session held at Avadi
near the then Madras city, passed an important resolution. It declared that ‘socialist pattern of society’
was its goal. This was reflected in the Second Plan. The government imposed substantial tariffs on
imports in order to protect domestic industries. Such a protected environment helped both public
and private sector industries to grow. As savings and investment were growing in this period, a bulk
of these industries like electricity, railways, steel, machineries and communication could be developed
in the public sector. Indeed, such a push for industrialisation marked a turning point in India’s
development.

55. 4 The Faizabad district court in February 1986 ordered that the Babri Masjid premises be unlocked so
that Hindus could offer prayers at the site which they considered as a temple. A dispute had been
going on for many decades over the mosque known as Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. The Babri Masjid
was a 16th century mosque in Ayodhya and was built by Mir Baqi - Mughal emperor Babur’s
General. Some Hindus believe that it was built after demolishing a temple for Lord Rama in what is
believed to be his birthplace. The dispute took the form of a court case and has continued for many
decades. In the late 1940s the mosque was locked up as the matter was with the court.In December

10
 1992, the organisations supporting the construction of the temple had organised a Karseva, meaning
voluntary service by the devotees, for building the Ram temple. The situation had become tense all
over the country and especially at Ayodhya. The Supreme Court had ordered the State government
to take care that the disputed site will not be endangered. However, thousands of people gathered
from all over the country at Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 and demolished the mosque. The State
government, with the BJP as the ruling party, was dismissed by the Centre. Along with that, other
States where the BJP was in power, were also put under President’s rule. A case against the Chief
Minister of Uttar Pradesh was registered in the Supreme Court for contempt of court since he had
given an undertaking that the disputed structure will be protected.

56. 4 This was one of the first regional movements in Indian politics. Though some sections of this
movement had ambitions of creating a Dravida nation, the movement did not take to arms. It used
democratic means like public debates and the electoral platform to achieve its ends. This strategy
paid off as the movement acquired political power in the State and also became influential at the
national level. The Dravidian movement led to the formation of Dravidar Kazhagam under the
leadership of Tamil social reformer E.V. Ramasamy ‘Periyar’. The organisation strongly opposed
the Brahmins’ dominance and affirmed regional pride against the political, economic and cultural
domination of the North.

57. 4 In all his inscriptions, Ashoka is referred with his titles of ‘devanampiya’ and ‘piyadassi’ except in
the inscriptions found at 4 places in which he is mentioned with his original name of ‘Ashoka
Maharaja’. These places are Maski (Karnataka), Nittoor (Karnataka), Udegolam (Karnataka) and
Gujjara (Madhya Pradesh).

58. 2 Until now, 181 edicts of Ashoka have been found at 47 places in the Indian subcontinent. Ashoka
used three languages and four scripts in his edicts. The languages were Prakrit (at 46 places), Greek
and Aramaic (together at 1 place). The scripts used were Brahmi (at 44 places), Kharoshthi (at 2
places), Greek and Aramaic (together at 1 place).

59. 4 Brahmi script was used in all edicts of Ashoka that were found in India. In 1837, the Brahmi script
was deciphered by James Princep, a British Indologist. Another scholar named Norris deciphered
the Kharosthi script. Brahmi and Greek scripts were written from left to right whereas Kharosthi
and Aramaic scripts were written from right to the left.

60. 3 Ajanta is located in the Sahyadri mountain range in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. It is the
first World Heritage Site in India recognised by UNESCO. It is a place where the unique combination
of architecture, sculpture and painting related to Buddhism is found. 30 Buddhist cave temples
were built at Ajanta which include both chaityas and viharas. Unfortunately, there is no exact
information about the patrons. The available evidence including the Prakrit inscriptions found on
the walls of the caves inform that Ajanta caves were built between 2 century BC. and 8th century
AD. Ajanta caves can be attributed to all those dynasties which ruled this region during this period.
They include Satavahanas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Guptas and Badami Chalukyas.

The stories of Buddha and Bodhisattvas which were taken from the Jatakas (written in Pali language)
were drawn in the form of paintings and carved in the form of sculptures and were embellished on

11
 the walls and ceilings of the cave temples. The important events of the life of Buddha and the
portraits of Bodhisattvas namely Vajrapani and Padmapani were painted beautifully. The sculpture
of Mahaparinirvana of Buddha is the most famous among all the sculptures of Ajanta caves. These
caves went into obscurity after the decline of Buddhism in the 8th century A.D. They were later
discovered by an Englishman named John Smith in 1819.

61. 2 Junagarh Inscription: It is the prashasti of Skandagupta which says that he got Sudarsana Lake
repaired. (Earlier, the Saka king Rudradaman also gave the same information in his Junagarh
inscription).

Bhitari Inscription (Madhya Pradesh): It is another prashasti of Skandagupta which mentions his
wars with the Huns. The Huns were a tribe belonging to Central Asia who raided India several
times and terminated the Gupta Empire. The Huns were led by Toramana and his son Mihirakula.

Eran Inscription of Bhanugupta (Madhya Pradesh): It was recorded in A.D. 510. It mentions the
practice of sati. It is the first inscription to mention sati.

62. 2 According to Max Muller, an Indologist from Germany, the Aryans migrated from Central Asia and
settled in the Sapta Sindhu region. The Boghazkoi inscription in Asia Minor also indirectly mentions
that the Aryans arrived in India from Central Asia. This inscription is dated back to 1400 B.C.,
written in cuneiform script. It mentions a war fought between the Aryan tribes of Hitties and Mittani
and also four Aryan deities, namely Indra, Varuna, Mitra and Nasatya. This theory has greater
acceptance than others.

63. 2 According to R.S.Sharma, the early Vedic society was primarily tribal and egalitarian in its nature.
The Rig Vedic Aryans had a patriarchal joint family system which was headed by kulapa, the patriarch.
The caste system was absent in this period. The society was mostly class divided. The Rig Vedic
society was more or less egalitarian, with no social and gender discrimination. It was liberal which
allowed social mobility (the freedom to move from one class to another), inter-dining and inter-
class marriages such as anuloma (hypergamous) and pratiloma (hypogamous). The marriage of a
male of higher class or caste with the female of a lower class or caste is called anuloma and the
marriage of a male of lower class or caste with the female of a higher class or caste is called
pratiloma. There is no evidence of gender discrimination in the Rig Vedic society. The women were
given complete liberty and freedom. As child marriages were absent, women got an opportunity to
pursue education on par with the men. Rig Veda mentions 20 women scholars such as Gosha,
Lopamudra, Viswavara, Swayamvara, Apala and others. Gosha was a highly educated woman and
a lifelong spinster who was honoured as a ‘rishi’. Social evils like slavery and sati are mentioned in
Rig Veda and the practice of sati was merely symbolic. Polygyny and polyandry are also mentioned
in Rig Veda.

64. 4 The tradition of niyoga (levirate) existed during Rigvedic period, according to which, a childless
widow is married to the brother of the deceased husband.

65. 1 The Bodhisattvas are the previous births of Buddha. Buddhists believe that Buddha was born again
and again to serve humankind. Vajrapani with thunderbolt, Padmapani or Avalokiteshvara with
lotus, Manjusri with a book and sword, Padmasambhava, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, Chakrapani
12
 and Virochana are some important Bodhisattvas. Buddhists also believe that Buddha will be born in
the future to save mankind. Maitreya is worshipped as the future Buddha. It is believed that Vajrapani
punishes the sinners with his thunderbolt. Buddhists worship Manjusri for understanding / knowledge
and Padmapani for compassion. Amitaba is the head of Buddhist heaven, sukhavati.

66. 2 The monasteries/residences of Buddhist monks are called Viharas or Aramas, and the Buddhist
prayer halls or assemblies of discourse are called Chaityas.

67. 4 Jainism is much older than Buddhism. Buddhism adopted a middle path, whereas Jainism has
extreme doctrine. Buddhism crossed the borders of India and disappeared from India whereas Jainism
did not go out of India and survives till date in India.

68. 4 Ajivika was one of the heterodox religions that emerged in the 6th century B.C. against the vedic
religion. It was founded by Gosala Maskariputra, a companion of Mahavira for 6 years. They were
separated due to some philosophical differences. This sect teaches the doctrine of ‘niyati’ (destiny)
and it disappeared after the Mauryas in 2nd century B.C. for unknown reasons. Charvaka was
another heterodox movement that emerged in 6th century B.C. and was founded by Ajita
Kesakambali. It teaches atheism and materialism. Charvakas rejected the fundamental concepts of
the religion such as God, birth- rebirth, salvation and heaven- hell.

69. 4 James Princep, an Indologist, deciphered the Brahmi script in 1837. The earliest caves built in India
belong to Ajivika Sect

70. 4 Kandahar bilingual inscription speaks about the success of Ashoka’s Dhamma. Bhabru inscription
speaks about the faith of Ashoka in Buddhism. Rummindei pillar inscription gives information
about the Mauryan tax system.

71. 3 Nitisara authored by Kamandakam gives information about the Guptan administration. Kaumudi
Mahotsava authored by Vajjika gives information about the coronation of Chandra- gupta-I.
Mrichchakatika authored by Sudraka Charudatta gives information about Charudatta, a brahman
falling in love with a prostitute, Vasantasena

72. 4 The Karla Caves, Karli Caves, Karle Caves or Karla Cells, are a complex of ancient Buddhist
Indian rock-cut caves at Karli near Lonavala, Maharashtra.The Hathigumpha Inscription is a
seventeen line inscription in a Prakrit language incised in Brahmi script in a cavern called
Hathigumpha in Udayagiri hills, near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. Dated between the second
century BCE and the first century CE, it was inscribed by the Jain king Kharavela of the Kalinga
kingdom.

73. 4 Parisista Parvan speaks about a severe famine during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. Kautilya
was often compared and described as ‘Indian Machiavelli’ who belonged to Italy. The earliest rock-
cut caves in India were built at Barabar hills.

74. 4 Gandhara art flourished in North-West India with Pushkalavathi and Taxila as the headquarters. It
began during the Indo-Greek period and reached its zenith under the patronage of Kushanas. Gandhara
art is primarily a composite one which is the result of the beautiful blend of Indian and Greek
traditions of art. Gandhara art derived its theme from Mahayana Buddhism and was confined only
13
 to it. The artists of Gandhara chiselled only the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas but not the
Gods of any other religions. The Gandhara sculptors have given preference only to the physical
beauty of the image and ignored the spiritual element. The statues of Buddha were carved with long
curly hair, thick drapery with long folds, muscular body and excellent physical accuracy, but lacking
the spiritual looks. In Gandhara art, Buddha looks like a Greek warrior rather than an Indian God.

75. 4 Elephant sculpture of Dhauli belongs to the Mauryan period (600 BC to 300 BC). Varaha sculpture
of Udayagiri belongs to the Gupta period (275 AD to 550 AD). Arjuna’s penance sculpture of
Mahabalipuram belongs to the Pallava period (6 th-9 th century AD). Bronze Nataraja sculpture of
Thanjavur belongs to the Chola period (850 AD to 1175 AD).

76. 3 Mathura School of Art

This art form flourished at Mathura as the chief centre in the Ganga-Yamuna doab. The Mathura art
which began under the patronage of Sakas gradually reached its pinnacle during the reign of Kushans.
Though both Gandhara and Mathura styles were developed under the patronage of Kushans, they
were distinct from each other. Gandhara sculpture was influenced by the Greek traditions of art
while the Mathura sculpture was completely indigenous and had no foreign influence. Gandhara
sculpture was completely confined to Mahayana Buddhism. On the other hand, the Mathura sculptors
made images of the deities belonging to all religions. The statues of naked Tirthankaras, Buddha
and Bodhisattvas, Trimurtis and their consorts and semi-Gods were created by the Mathura sculptors.
It indicates that the religious base of Mathura art was much wider compared to Gandhara. Besides,
many secular statues were also crafted by the Mathura artists. A headless statue of Kanishka found
at Mathura is the best example of the excellence of Mathura sculpture. Gandhara sculptors had
given importance to physical accuracy while the Mathura sculptors concentrated more on spiritual
looks. Red sandstone was extensively used in Mathura art.

77. 3 John Smith discovered Ajanta caves in 1819. Fahien was the first foreigner to speak about
untouchability in India.

78. 1 The Udayagiri Caves are twenty rock-cut caves near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh primarily denoted to
Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva from the early years of the 3rd century CE to 5th century CE. They
contain some of the oldest surviving Hindu temples and iconography in India. They are the only site
that can be verifiably associated with a Gupta period monarch from its inscriptions. One of India’s
most important archaeological sites, the Udayagiri hills and its caves are protected monuments
managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.

79. 4 The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of
Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Western Satraps ruler Rudradaman I. It
is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, India. The inscription is dated to shortly after 150
CE. The Junagadh rock contains inscriptions of Ashoka (one of fourteen of the Major Rock Edicts
of Ashoka), Rudradaman I and Skandagupta. It mentions the construction of a water reservoir
named Sudarshana nearby, during the reign of the Mauryan Empire founder Chandragupta Maurya
by Vaishya Pushyagupta. Later, during the reign of Ashoka, it mentions a Yavana king named
Tushaspha building conduits. According to Dilip Chakrabarti, a professor of South Asian archaeology

14
 at the Cambridge University, the inscription is an evidence of historical record keeping tradition in
ancient India because Rudradaman otherwise would not have known the names of people involved
in the project in 4th-century BCE, or who later worked on the water reservoir in following centuries,
before Rudradaman promoted his Sanskrit inscription in 150 CE.

80. 4 The Allahabad pillar is a stambha, containing one of the pillar edicts of Ashoka, erected by Ashoka,
emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who reigned in the 3rd century BCE. While it is one of the few
extant pillars that carry Ashokan edicts, it is particularly notable for containing later inscriptions
attributed to the Gupta emperor Samudragupta (4th century CE). Also engraved on the stone are
inscriptions by the Mughal emperor Jahangir, from the 17th century.

81. 2 Ghatikas, the most popular educational institutions in the south, belonged to Hinduism. Maha
Moksha-parishad, the quinquennial programme of Harshavardhan at Prayag, was a ritual for moksha.

82. 4 Ravikirti was the author of the Aihole inscription which describes the victories of Pulakeshi II. The
Allahabad inscription which describes the victories of Samudragupta was authored by Harisena.

83. 2 Numismatic evidence discovered at Nalanda corroborates that Kumaragupta I was the founder
patron of the Nalanda monastery-university.The name, Nagarjuna University is quite significant in
that the great Buddhist preceptor and Philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna founded a University on the
banks of river Krishna some centuries ago and made it a great centre of learning, attracting a large
number of teachers and students form distant parts of the world.

84. 3 The Aihole Inscription, also known as the Aihole prashasti, is a nineteen line Sanskrit inscription at
Meguti Jain temple in Aihole, Karnataka, India. An eulogy dated 634–635 CE, it was composed by
the Jain poet Ravikirti in honour of his patron king Pulakesin Satyasraya (Pulakeshin II) of the
Badami Chalukya dynasty. The inscription is partly damaged and corrupted – its last two lines were
added at a later date. Harshavardhana is eulogised in Aihole inscription as ‘Sakalottara-padeeshwara.

85. 4 It was written by Harisena who served as the Sandhivigrahaka in the court of Samudragupta. It
gives the details of the kingdoms conquered by Samudragupta. It was written on the Ashokan pillar
found in Allahabad.

86. 2 Hiuen Tsang, a Buddhist pilgrim from China, visited the kingdoms of Harshavardhana,
Narasimhavarman I and Pulakeshi II.

87. 4 Maitreya is considered as the future Buddha. Viharas were the centres of Buddhist education.

88. 2 The Guptas are credited for constructing the earliest Hindu temples that still survive in India. They
built both cave and structural temples of Hindu religion. 20 Hindu cave temples of both Shaivism
and Vaishnavism were built at Udayagiri in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh by the Guptas. They
are the earliest Hindu cave temples in India. They showcase astonishing Hindu sculptures. A five
feet statue of Varaha saving the earth is the most remarkable among all the sculptures of Udayagiri.

89. 4 Under the patronage of the Guptas, a new style known as Sarnath school of art which is primarily
Buddhist was developed. It was centred at Sarnath near Kasi. The noteworthy specimen of Sarnath
art is the sculpture of Buddha in the ‘dharmachakra-pravartana-mudra’. The seven feet tall copper

15
 statue of Buddha found at Sultanganj in Bihar belongs to the Gupta period. Now it is found at the
Birmingham museum in England. Many Buddhist caves were built by the Guptas which served as
both chaityas and viharas. Some of the rock-cut caves at Ajanta and 9 caves at Bagh in Madhya
Pradesh were built by the Guptas.

90. 2 Systematic town planning is the most striking feature of Indus Valley Civilisation.

91. 2 The Harappan buildings were built using burnt bricks. The bricks were so well baked that they
lasted for thousands of years. The bricks were laid in an interlocking pattern which made the walls
very strong. Mohenjodaro is not the only Harappan city where burnt bricks were used.

92. 3 Rice husk was found in Rangapur. Rice grain was found in Lothal.

93. 3 The structural temples built by the Guptas are found at many places in Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain in
Madhya Pradesh served as the second capital of the Guptas and flourished as the cultural and
literary centre. The Guptas introduced shikara or nagara style in Hindu temple architecture which is
still being continued in North India.

94. 4 There are several types of enslavement that are given in Arthashastra. One of the prime methods of
enslavement was to have a person as a slave as a result of judicial punishment for some sort of
criminal demeanour. There were a variety of protection offered to the slaves, especially to the
women slaves. As per the Arthashastra, When a child is begotten on a female slave by her master,
both the child and its mother shall at once be recognised as free. According to the Arthashastra, 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.

95. 1 Discovered in 1968, the site is set apart by its unique characteristics, such as its water management
system, multi-layered defensive mechanisms, extensive use of stone in construction and special
burial structures. It has a complex system for/ collecting and storing rain water/ within several
reservoirs. Planners in the ancient city of Dholavira had conceptualised an amazing system of drains,
dams and tanks to manage water.

96. 3 Mitakshara is the oldest school of Hindu law and is practised in India except in the state of West
Bengal and Assam. Dayabhaga is also important schools of Hindu law/ mainly practised in Assam
& West Bengal./ Both laws deal with upper and lower castes. In the Mitakshara school of inheritance,
property is inherited by the successors (coparceners) only when they were born in the family of the
property holder thus when a son is born, he receives the right in the property. So he can inherit
during the lifetime of a father. In the case of Dayabhaga school of inheritance, property is inherited
by the successors (coparceners) only when the holder of the property is dead. Mitakshara school is
orthodox school. It is biassed against women & gave them very less right to inherit property.
Dayabhaga is also biassed, but it is a liberal school and it gives more rights to women to inherit
property compared to Mitakshara.

97. 1 “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.”- By king
Ashoka

16
98. 3 A hundi was a financial instrument that was commonly used in medieval India as a form of credit or
IOU. It was a type of promissory note or a bill of exchange, which allowed people to transfer funds
from one place to another without the need for physical currency. Merchants and traders would use
hundis to conduct business transactions, and they would often be issued by banks, moneylenders,
or other financial intermediaries. The hundi would typically specify the amount of money being
transferred, the names of the parties involved, and the date of payment.

99. 1 Vishti was considered as a source of income for the state, a sort of tax by the people. Junagarh
inscription mentions Vishti as one form of tax, which indicates that it was extracted from Gujarat
and Malwa region. Anyone could be sent as a labourer for Vishti, not necessarily the eldest son of
the labourer. The forced labourers were not entitled to any weekly wages.

100. 3 The script of Indus Valley Civilisation has been characterised as pictographic. It appears on seals
made up of steatite. More than 4000 seals have been discovered from different Harappan sites
which were mostly square and rectangular, occasionally circular in shape. The seals might have
been used probably for the purpose of trade and commerce. They contain pictographic inscriptions.

101. 1 Historic age began in India with the arrival of Aryans, because it is the first age in India that can be
studied through literature. Many scholars believe that the PGW (Painted Grey Ware) Civilisation of
Indian archaeology is none but the Aryan Civilisation.

102. 1 The sacred books of Jains are called Angas. The religious literature of the Jains at the early stage
was written in Ardhamagadhi.

103. 4 According to John Marshal, the society of Indus Valley Civilisation was predominantly matriarchal.
This view is based on the popularity of the cult of Mother Goddess and discovery of a large number
of terracotta female figurines at different places of the civilisation. Six granaries in two rows, each
measuring 50 feet (length) and 20 feet (breadth) have been found at Harappa. Bronze mirrors, a
bronze replica of a bullock cart and a measuring scale have been discovered. A wooden coffin has
also been found. Potter’s wheel and barrack-like structures (single roomed houses) of the workers
were discovered. A figure of male dancer was found. Seals having the image of Pasupati Mahadeva
and a bull were found at Mohenjodaro.

104. 4 The caste system was not yet developed during this period. (It was later introduced by the Aryans).
It doesn’t mean that there was no socio- economic differentiation. Discrimination and inequalities
did prevail in society. The social stratification was based on wealth. It is evident from the fact that
the higher classes lived in the upper town and commoners in the lower town having no much social
interaction.

105. 4 According to D.D.Kausambi, Indus Valley Civilisation was a theocratic state and was ruled by the
priests. (contemporary Mesopotamia was also ruled by the priests). R.S.Sharma rejected the opinion
of D.D.Kaushambi. According to him, the rulers of Indus Valley Civilisation had given much
importance to trade. Hence, they should be merchants and the state was secular. As per the opinion
of A.L.Bhasham, a strong centralised administration was present in the Indus Valley Civilisation
which is evident from the systematic town planning, uniform weights and measures, standardised
production of bricks and so on. According to Gordon Childe, every city has a municipal kind of
administration which is evident from sophisticated sanitation systems.
17
106. 3 Grid pattern was followed in the city planning. The streets were always straight without curves and
intersected in right angles and divided the city into equal blocks. They look like a chess board when
seen from above. This grid pattern appears in all Indus cities except Banawali in Haryana. Chanhudaro
was the only city without a citadel. While all the Indus cities were divided into upper and lower,
Dholavira was divided into three parts called the upper city, the middle city and the lower city. The
grid pattern appears in all Indus cities except Banawali in Haryana.

107. 4 The main deity of the Indus valley people was Mother Goddess. A large number of terracotta figurines
discovered at the Indus sites have been associated with the worship of Mother Goddess. Another
deity worshipped by the Indus people was Pashupati Mahadeva. A square seal discovered at
Mohenjodaro has the image of Pashupati Mahadeva. He is shown surrounded by elephant, buffalo,
tiger, rhino and two deer appear at his feet. John Marshal called Him Proto-Shiva’, who later was
worshipped as Lord Shiva by the Hindus.

108. 4 The Rig Vedic society was more or less egalitarian with no social and gender discrimination. The
society was liberal which allowed social mobility, inter- dining and inter-class marriages. There is
no evidence of gender discrimination in the Rig Vedic society. The women were given complete
liberty and freedom. As child marriages were absent, women got an opportunity to pursue education
on par with the men. Rig Veda mentions about 20 women scholars such as Gosha, Lopamudra,
Viswavara, Swayamvara, Apala and others. Gosha was a highly learned woman and a lifelong
spinster who was honoured as a ‘rishi’.

109. 4 The tradition of niyoga existed during the Rigvedic Period according to which a childless widow is
married to the brother of the deceased husband. Social evils like slavery and sati are mentioned in
Rig Veda. The practice of sati was merely symbolic. Polygyny and polyandry are also mentioned in
Rig Veda.

110. 3 During the Rig Vedic period, the Aryans were confined only to the Sapta-Sindhu region in India.
The geographical area known to them was limited only up to the Yamuna in the east and Aravali in
the south. Aryans of this period were unaware of the sea. The term ‘samudra’ in Rig Veda is applicable
to the confluence of the rivers.

111. 4 The economy was mainly pastoral during the Rig Vedic period. The pastoral economy was replaced
by a strong agrarian economy during the later Vedic period. The migration of Aryans to fertile
Gangetic plains and efficient use of the iron technology affected this change. Iron was first used in
India by the Aryans in Gangetic plains which was mentioned in the Vedas as ‘shyama aya’ or
‘krishna aya’. Rice was extensively cultivated in the Later Vedic period and was called as ‘vrihi’ in
Vedic literature.

112. 4 The poem Prem Vatika was written by Raskhan. Prem Vatika poem was based on the life of Lord
Krishna. The poetry of Raskhan focuses on Lord Krishna, “Lilas” of Lord Krishna. The original
name of Raskhan was Syed Ibrahim khan.

113. 4 Third battle of Panipat happened on 14th January 1761 between Afghans led by Ahmed Shah Abdali
and the Marathas. Marathas could not find allies among the northern powers because of their earlier

18
 behaviour and political ambitions had antagonised all these powers.Therefore, they had to fight
their enemies all alone, except for the weak support of Imad al mulk. Hence, Statement 1 is not
correct. For the British East India Company, this defeat of Maratha gave an opportunity to consolidate
its power in Bengal and South India. Also, Afghans did not benefit from their victory. They could
not even hold Punjab. So the British were the ultimate beneficiaries of this battle. Hence, Statement
2 is not correct.

114. 3 Alauddin Khilji maintained a regular standing army as the iqta system was abolished and the army
was directly responsible to the Sultan. He introduced two new systems in the army:

1. Dagh: Branding of horses to curb the corruption in the cavalry.

2. Chahara/Huliya: Muster roll of the soldiers.

115. 2 The famous historical book ‘Travels of the Mughal Empire’ was written by Francois Bernier. Akbar
was the Emperor of India when the British East India Company was formed in London.

116. 1 In 1738, Nadir Shah proceeded to invade India. The excuse for the invasion being that the Mughal
emperor Muhammad Shah had insulted the Persian envoy at the royal court of Delhi. He overran
the western frontiers of the Mughal Empire capturing Ghazni, Kabul and Lahore in 1739. When
Nadir Shah crossed Khyber Pass the Governor of Punjab requested the Mughal Empire to reinforce
the defences in Punjab, but the then Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah turned a deaf ear towards
his genuine request

117. 2 Dara Shikoh finally lost the war of succession to Aurangzeb in the battle of Deorai.

118. 2 Aurangzeb was the sixth and widely believed as the last effective ruler of the Mughal Empire. He
believed in employment based on ability rather than religion. During his reign, the number of Hindu
officials in the Mughal administration rose by half, many of them Marathas and Rajputs.

119. 1 The Maratha Saint who exercised a profound influence on the minds of his countrymen and inspired
them with ideals of social reform and national regeneration was

It was Ibrahim Khan’s battalion which faced and repulsed the Afghan onslaught during the battle.
All of the Afghan attacks failed to dislodge the battalion from its defensive positions. Captured in
the Third Battle of Panipat, he is alleged to have been brutally tortured before his death by his
Afghan captors. Due to Ibrahim Khan’s extreme sense of loyalty to his master Sadashivrao Bhau,
he fought to the end till he was captured after all his famed Maratha musketeers laid down their
lives, one by one, or simply vanished during the night of 14 January 1761 when darkness fell on the
battlefield.

120. 2 In 1696, the English built Fort William on the bank of the Hooghly River. Fort William served as
the British headquarters in India for centuries. The area around Fort William eventually grew into
the city of Calcutta.

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121. 3 The following are the reasons behind the defeat of the French in the Carnatic War:

1. The British had more Naval and military strength as compared to that of the French.

2. The British also had control over multiple major posts like Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta.
The French only had one major post under their control and that was Pondicherry.

3. After winning the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the British got access to the royal treasury of
Bengal which stabiliased their economic conditions while on the other hand, the French were
running out of financial resources.

122. 4 Francisco de Almeida was the first governor appointed by the Portuguese to India. He implemented
the “Blue Water Policy”. He wanted to make the navy powerful. Almeida’s vision was to make the
Portuguese the master of the Indian Ocean. He believed that ‘holding India is only possible if they
are powerful at sea otherwise building a Fortress onshore will be of no use’. Portuguese governor
Alfonso de Albuquerque(1509-15) concluded a friendly treaty with Krishnadevaraya by which the
Portuguese were to supply Arabian horses only to Vijayanagar & not to Bijapur. Hero of Arcot was
Robert Clive also known as Clive of India. He was hailed as a hero during the Second Anglo
Carnatic Wars (1749-54) when he captured Arcot from the combined French Force and Nawab of
Arcot forces. The war ended with the Treaty of Pondicherry in 1754 which made Mohammad Ali
Khan Walajah as Nawab of Arcot.

123. 3 The princely state of Hyderabad was annexed by India in September 1948 through a military operation
code named Operation Polo, which was dubbed as “police action”. Operation Vijay (1961) was the
operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa, Daman and Diu and Anjediva
Islands

124. 1 Afzal Khan, the officer of Sultan Adil Adilshah II of Bijapur, was defeated by Shivaji. Shayista
Khan, the officer of Aurangzeb, was assassinated by Shivaji.

125. 3 Land revenue was an important source of income for the state. Shivaji collected 40% of the total
produce. Chauth was collected from the neighbouring areas of the Maratha kingdom to avoid the
Maratha raids. It was 1/4 of the total produce.

126. 4 He united the Vengi kingdom with the Chola Empire and ruled with the title of Kulothunga Chola.
He abolished many taxes and got the title of Sungamtavirta.

127. 4 The Iqta system was introduced by Iltutmish. The Iqta system was abolished by Ala-ud-din Khalji.
Iqta system not was revived by Muhammad bin Tughluq. Iqta was made hereditary by Firoz Shah
Tughlaq.

128. 4 The king and the bureaucrats did not interfere in the administrative matters of the village.

129. 1 It was built in 1010 by Rajaraja Chola-I and is also known as Rajarajeswara Temple. It is recognised
as the tallest Indian temple with 216 feet tall vimana, built in 13 storeys. Nearly 1.3 million
tonnes of granite rock was used, which is very hard to cut, for the construction of this temple. It is
placed in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The inner walls of the temple are embellished
with murals.
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130. 3 Zakat was collected only from rich Muslims. 2.5% of their income was collected as Zakat and used
only to distribute alms to the poor and other religious activities. Shurb was an irrigation tax levied
at a rate of 1/10 of the total produce.

131. 4 The term which Indo-Persian sources of the Mughal period most frequently used to denote a peasant
was raiyat (plural, riaya) or muzarian. Sources of the seventeenth century refer to two kinds of
peasants – khud-kashta and pahi-kashta. The former were residents of the village in which they
held their lands. The latter were non-resident cultivators who belonged to some other village, but
cultivated lands elsewhere on a contractual basis. People became pahi-kashta either out of choice –
for example, when terms of revenue in a distant village were more favourable – or out of compulsion
– for example, forced by economic distress after a famine.

132. 1 Polaj is the land which is annually cultivated for each crop in succession and is never allowed to lie
fallow.

133. 2 Brihadeeswara Temple built by Chola king Rajendra I is located at Gangaikonda Cholapuram

134. 3 Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India for wealth, whereas Muhammad Ghori for territory. Ghori’s
invasions had a more permanent impact over India than Ghazni’s invasion. Both Ghazni and Ghori
invaded India from the city of Ghazni.

135. 3 Basavana (1105-1167) - Virashaivism

Basava was born in the town of Basavana bagewadi in north Karnataka, in a brahmin family. He
served as the prime minister of a Kalachuri king, Bijjala and lived in Kalyan (modern-day
BasavaKalyan) in Bidar district of Karnataka. He died at Kudalasangam, a confluence of the

Krishna and Malaprabha rivers, in Bagalkot district. Basavana from the beginning had radical and
progressive ideas and founded a new Shaiva sect, Virashaivism. Virashaivism was not only a religious
but also a radical social reform movement.

Basavana condemned rituals and opposed brahmanical supremacy. According to him, salvation can
only be attained through devotion to Shiva. The ultimate objective of Basavana was to establish an
equal and casteless society by eliminating untouchability.

* He strongly condemned social evils such as child marriages, sati taboo on widow remarriages.

* He wrote many ‘Vachanas’ in Kannada and criticized superstitions.

* Virashaivaites follow the tradition of always wearing an ishtalinga. Hence, they are also called
Lingayats.

Thyagaraja was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music.
Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the
Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu
and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today, the most popular being “Nagumomu”.

Tallapaka Annamacharya, also popularly known as Annamayya, was a musician, composer, and
a Hindu saint. He is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called samkirtanas. His
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 devotional samkirtanas were in the praise of Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. The musical form of
the kirtana songs that he composed, which are still popular among Carnatic music concert artists,
have strongly influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions.

Eknath was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity
Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement. Eknath is often viewed as a spiritual successor
to the prominent Marathi saints Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.

136. 3 Khanqah-Residence of Sufi saints

Dargah-Tomb of Sufi saint
Urs-Death anniversary of Sufi saint
Sama-Devotional singing and dancing of Sufi saints
Silsilah-Sufi order

137. 4 Francois Bernier

He was a French physician, who served in the Shah Jahan’s army for some time. He reported the
social evils like sati prevalent in India and also the recurring famines. According to him, the rich led
the most luxurious life while the poor were impoverished and there was no middle class in India.
He also reported that the gold from the entire world was draining to India due to trade and sank
here. His travelogue is known as Travel in Mughal India’.

Jean Baptist Tavernier

He was a diamond merchant from France and visited India six times during the rule of Shah Jahan
and Aurangzeb. He gave an account of the peacock throne made of gold and studded in diamonds
by Shah Jahan. He also visited Golconda, the centre of diamond trade in India and gave information
about diamond mining. According to him, the famous Kohinoor diamond was found in Kollur
mines in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. He authored a book titled ‘Six Voyages in Mughal
India’.

Nicolao Manucci

He was a physician from modern-day Venice in Italy. He served in the artillery of prince Dara
Shikoh. After the death of Dara Shikoh, he settled permanently in Lahore as a physician. He wrote
a book, ‘Storia Do Mogor’ in Italian, known as the ‘mirror of the 17th century’.

Sir Thomas Roe was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe’s voyages
ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire,
the Ottoman Empire, and the Holy Roman Empire. He sat in the House of Commons at various
times between 1614 and 1644. Roe was an accomplished scholar and a patron of learning.

138. 4 In Mughal India, Jagirdars under Mansabdari system were assigned land in lieu of assigned duties
towards the empire such as police, judicial, military; Zamindars too apart from revenue collecting
duties had to render military duties and perform Khidmat such as rendering soldiers to fill the ranks
of royal army at times of need and offer gifts at the royal court. Jagirdars were frequently transferred
as promotion and demotion was a regular part of empire as loyalties towards Emperor were largely
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 dependent on the rank of jagir/mansab held by a Noble; on the other hand, Zamindars had hereditary
rights over revenue as their sway over rural society was overarching in all aspects which rested on
paternal and patronage application of rituals.

139. 3 The Banjaras, also known as Lambanis or Vanjaris, were a nomadic community in India during the
medieval period and beyond. They were primarily known for their involvement in trade and
transportation. The Banjaras played a crucial role in the economic activities of medieval India.
They were skilled traders and transporters who travelled long distances, often with their bullock
carts, carrying goods such as grains, salt, textiles, and other commodities. They were adept at
traversing difficult terrains and connecting different regions, facilitating trade between cities and
rural areas. Due to their expertise in logistics and transportation, the Banjaras served as vital links
in the commercial networks of medieval India. They would transport goods from production centres
to marketplaces, contributing to the exchange of goods and the growth of trade across regions.
Their activities were particularly significant in the hinterlands where they facilitated the movement
of goods from remote areas to urban centres. The Banjaras had their own distinct culture, language,
and social structure. They maintained close-knit communities and had their own customs and
traditions. While their primary occupation was trade and transportation, some Banjaras also engaged
in agricultural activities during periods of relative stability. Overall, the Banjaras played a significant
role as traders and transporters during the medieval period in Indian history, contributing to the
economic development and interregional trade networks of the time.

140. 3 Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of
various religions.

141. 3 Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti was one of the most outstanding saints of the Indian subcontinent, and
an international spiritual inspiration who lived during the 6th Century AD. He arrived in Ajmer at
the age of 52 years around 1190 AD during the reign of Prithviraj Chauhan. People were so much
inspired by his divine teachings and simplicity that they began to embrace Islam and became his
disciples.

142. 2 Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was one of the most famous Sufi saints of the Indian subcontinent. He
belonged to the Chishti order and taught love is the way through which one can reach God. He died
in 1325 and his shrine, the Nizamuddin Dargah, is located in Delhi.

143. 4 Ibn Battuta visited the Vijayanagara empire during the reign of Harihara Raya 1. He is from Morocco.
He is the first foreigner to visit the Vijayanagara empire. Nicolò de Conti from Italy visited the
Vijayanagara empire during the reign of Deva Raya 1. Fernao Nuniz from Portugal visited
Vijayanagara empire during the reign of Achyutha Raya. Nikitin was a horse merchant from
Russia who visited the Vijayanagara empire during the reign of Virupaksha Raya 2.

144. 4 Khanqah-Residence of Sufi saints

Dargah-Tomb of Sufi saint
Urs-Death anniversary of Sufi saint
Sama-Devotional singing and dancing of Sufi saints
Silsilah-Sufi order
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145. 2 Ramanujacharya (11th century)

Ramanuja revived the bhakti movement in the medieval period. He was born in Sri Perumbudur in
Tamil Nadu and served as a priest in a Vishnu temple of Srirangam. He founded a new school of
philosophy, Visistadvaita by making some modifications to the Advaita of Adi Shankara. He founded
Sri Vaishnavism, a new sect within Vaishnavism in which Lord Krishna is believed to be the only
incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He preached Prapati Marga (path of self-surrender) for salvation. He
described God, satyam (truthful), shivam (graceful) and sundaram (beautiful). Hence those who
surrender themselves to God would attain salvation.

Vallabhacharya (15-16th century)

Vallabharcharya was born in a brahmin family of Telangana that settled in North India. He Propagated
‘Pushti Marga’ (path of grace) for attaining salvation. He founded a new philosophy called
Suddhadvaita.

Chaitanya (15-16th century)

Chaitanya was a devotee of Puri Jagannatha and promoted Vaishnava bhakti in Bengal. His original
name was Viswambhara Mishra and propounded Raga Marga (path of love) for salvation. He inspired
many Musalmans to reconvert into Hinduism through his preachings.

Adi Shankara

Adi Shankara propagated neither Bhakti Marga (liberation through devotion) nor Karma Marga
(liberation through rituals) but Jnana Marga (path of knowledge) for salvation.

146. 2 Dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad District of Maharashtra
state in India. Ajanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Universally regarded as masterpieces
of Buddhist religious art, the caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among
the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present
emotions through gesture, pose and form. They were covered by jungle until accidentally “discovered”
and brought to Western attention in 1819 by a colonial British officer Captain John Smith on a
tiger-hunting party. Ajanta caves are located in the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats). These are
a series of rock-cut caves on Waghora river near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. There are a total of
29 buddhist caves in Ajanta of which 4 were used as Chaitya or prayer halls while 25 were used as
Viharas or residential caves.

Ellora Caves are a multi-religious rock-cut cave complex with inscriptions dating from the period
6th century CE onwards, located in the Aurangabad District of Maharashtra, India. They are
also called verul caves. There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in
the Charanandri Hills, 34 of which are open to the public. These consist of 17 Hindu (caves 13–
29), 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves. It is located nearly 100 Kms
away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra.

Today, the Ellora Caves, along with the nearby Ajanta Caves, are a major tourist attraction in the
Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

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147. 2 D.K. Karve dedicated his life promoting widow remarriages. He founded Widow Home in Bombay
in 1896 and became a role model to all by marrying a widow. He was the founder of Poona Women
University in 1916 which was the first women university in India. He was awarded Bharata Ratna
by the Government of India.

148. 4 It was started by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) at Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. (The title ‘Sir’ is
used by the recipients of Knighthood which is the highest civilian award of the British). This
movement strongly believed that western education alone would solve all the problems being faced
by the Muslim community and it was necessary for the development of the Muslims. Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan advocated that the interest of the Muslims could be served by being loyal to the
British. He considered that the Muslims would be safe under British rule and wanted Musalmans to
support the British and their rule in India. He authored two books namely ‘Loyal Muhammadans of
India’ and The Causes of 1857 Revolt.

149. 4 He was a Parsi intellectual of Bombay, and served as the Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University.
Behramji established Seva Sadan in Bombay in 1885. The Age of Consent Act of 1891 was passed
by the British with the efforts of Behramji. This act prohibited child marriages and mandated a
minimum age of 18 years for the bridegroom and 12 years for the bride. The minimum age for the
bride was raised to 14 years by the Child Marriages Restraint Act which is also known as Sharda
Act of 1929-30.

150. 3 In 1921, Akali Satyagraha was started against the Sikh clergy known as Mahants. Its main objective
was to liberate Gurudwaras from the authority of Mahants, who were the supporters of the British.
It became part of the Non-Cooperation Movement, when Gandhiji extended full support to it. It
was led by Tara Singh, Kartar Singh and Baba Kharak Singh. Under the pressure exerted by the
movement, the British passed the Gurdwara Act of 1922 which liberated Gurdwaras from the control
of Mahants. Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) was set up to manage
Gurudwaras with Baba Kharak Singh as its first president.

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