UPSC History Previous Year Questions

How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of balance of power? (Answer in 250 words)

How far was the Industrial Revolution in England responsible for the decline of handicrafts and cottage industries in India? (Answer in 250 words)

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?
1. Nayaputta
2. Shakyamuni
3. Tathagata
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. A1 only
2. B2 and 3 only
3. C1, 2 and 3
4. DNone of the above are epithets of Gautama Buddha

Consider the following information:
1. Chandraketugarh — Odisha — Trading Port town
2. Inamgaon — Maharashtra — Chalcolithic site
3. Mangadu — Kerala — Megalithic site
4. Salihundam — Andhra Pradesh — Rock-cut cave shrines
In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

1. A1 and 2
2. B2 and 3
3. C3 and 4
4. D1 and 4

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

1. AKrishnadevaraya
2. BNarasimha Saluva
3. CMuhammad Shah III
4. DYusuf Adil Shah

With reference to revenue collection by Cornwallis, consider the following statements:
1. Under the Ryotwari Settlement of revenue collection, the peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests or natural calamities.
2. Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay his revenues to the state, on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A1 only
2. B2 only
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2

Consider the following statements:
1. There are no parables in Upanishads.
2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A1 only
2. B2 only
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2

Who was the Provisional President of the Constituent Assembly before Dr. Rajendra Prasad?

1. AC. Rajagopalachari
2. BDr. B.R. Ambedkar
3. CT.T. Krishnamachari
4. DDr. Sachchidananda Sinha

With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements:
1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.
2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A1 only
2. B2 only
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2

Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa?

1. AKavyalankara
2. BNatyashastra
3. CMadhyama-vyayoga
4. DMahabhashya

Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on:

1. APrajnaparamita Sutra
2. BVisuddhimagga
3. CSarvastivada Vinaya
4. DLalitavistara

Consider the following pairs:
1. Bharatiya Jana Sangh — Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
2. Socialist Party — C. Rajagopalachari
3. Congress for Democracy — Jagjivan Ram
4. Swatantra Party — Acharya Narendra Dev
How many of the above are correctly matched?

1. AOnly one
2. BOnly two
3. COnly three
4. DAll four