Skip to content
GK24
Prime

Indian History Previous Year Questions (PYQ) with Answers – Page 2

हिंदी में पढ़ें

Indian History questions asked in previous year papers of SSC, Banking, Railway and other exams, with the exam and year, answers and explanations.

1104 previous-year questions

All Indian History questionsIndian History NotesPYQs by exam
Q21.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATEasy

Consider the following statements regarding the Industrial Revolution in Britain : I. There was availability of banks which could loan money to set up industries. II. There was a good transport network. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.I only
  2. B.II only
  3. C.Both I and II
  4. D.Neither I nor II
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both I and II

Easy credit from banks and a good transport network were both among the reasons Britain became the first country to industrialise.

Q23.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATEasy

Consider the following statements in respect of the Rowlatt Act of 1919 : I. Gandhiji launched a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919. II. The Act had been hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative Council despite the opposition of Indian members. III. The Act gave the Government enormous powers to repress political activities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.I only
  2. B.III only
  3. C.I and II only
  4. D.I, II and III
Show answer
Correct answer: D. I, II and III

All three statements describe the Rowlatt Act and the protest against it correctly. The Act, based on the Sedition Committee chaired by Justice Sidney Rowlatt, was rushed through the Imperial Legislative Council in March 1919 although every elected Indian member opposed it; Jinnah resigned in protest.

Q25.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATMedium

Arrange the following in chronological order from the earliest to recent : I. British East India Company formed II. Magellan circumnavigated the globe III. Dutch East India Company formed IV. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut/ Kozhikode Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A.IV, I, II, III
  2. B.IV, II, I, III
  3. C.II, IV, III, I
  4. D.II, IV, I, III
Show answer
Correct answer: B. IV, II, I, III

Vasco da Gama came first in 1498, Magellan's voyage followed in 1519–1522, and the English and Dutch companies were set up in 1600 and 1602.

Q26.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKEasy

Which of the following factors was/were responsible for the rise of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanapada during the 6th century BCE?

1. Region of productive agriculture

2. Accessibility to iron-mines

3. Availability of elephants in the region

Select the answer using the codes given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.1 and 2 only
  3. C.2 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

Fertile land, nearby iron ore and a supply of forest elephants together made Magadha the strongest of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.

Q28.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKHard

Which of the pairs of Ashokan inscription and location is/are correctly matched ?

1. Jaugada : Karnataka

2. Bahapur : New Delhi

3. Rajula-Mandagiri : Andhra Pradesh

Select the answer using the codes given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.1,2 and 3
  3. C.3 only
  4. D.2 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 2 and 3 only

Jaugada is in Odisha, not Karnataka, so only pairs 2 and 3 are right. Jaugada, in Ganjam district of Odisha, is one of the two places, with Dhauli, that carry Ashoka's Separate Kalinga Edicts.

Q29.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Consider the following statements about the Gupta administrative system : 1. The Gupta kings assumed imperial titles such as Maharajadhiraja, Parama-bhattaraka and Parameshvara. 2. The Gupta kings also connected themselves with the Gods through epithets such as Parama-daivata and Parama-bhagavata. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Gupta inscriptions show the kings using grand imperial titles and also religious epithets that linked them with the gods.

Q30.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKEasy

During the period 100 BCE - 200 CE, valuable evidence of India's maritime trade links has been identified from which of the following sites on the Coromandel Coast ?

  1. A.Arikamedu
  2. B.Tamralipti
  3. C.Bharukachcha
  4. D.Muchiri
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Arikamedu

Arikamedu, near Puducherry on the Coromandel Coast, has yielded clear evidence of trade with the Roman world between about the first century BCE and the second century CE.

Q31.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Which one of the following is a Neolithic site ?

  1. A.Bhimbetka
  2. B.Utnur
  3. C.Adamgarh
  4. D.Birbhanpur
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Utnur

Utnur in present-day Andhra Pradesh is a Neolithic site of the southern Deccan, known for its ash mounds. These ash mounds formed where Neolithic cattle-keepers burnt the dung collected inside large cattle pens, and they belong to the same culture as Kupgal, Kodekal and Piklihal.

Q32.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

The Chalcolithic Ahar Culture has been identified in which of the following river systems ?

  1. A.Sarayu and Ganga river systems
  2. B.Krishna and Tungabhadra river systems
  3. C.Banas and Berach river systems
  4. D.Brahmaputra and Meghna river systems
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Banas and Berach river systems

The Ahar culture, also called the Banas culture, is a Chalcolithic (copper and stone age) culture of south-east Rajasthan, spread along the Banas river and its tributary the Berach, roughly between 3000 and 1500 BCE.

Q36.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKHard

With reference to the Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman, consider the following statements:

1. The script of this inscription is Kharosthi and the language is Prakrit.

2. The inscription records the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana Lake.

3. It is an undated inscription.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.1 and 2 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

The Junagadh rock inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I records how he restored the Sudarshana lake after a storm burst its dam.

Q37.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

With reference to the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :

1. The Swadeshi Movement had its genesis in the Anti-Partition movement, which was started to oppose the British decision to partition Bengal.

2. Aurobindo Ghosh was in favour of extending the movement to the rest of India and carrying it beyond the programme of just Swadeshi and Boycott to a full-fledged political mass struggle.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

The Swadeshi Movement grew out of the protest against the partition of Bengal, and the Extremists, Aurobindo Ghosh among them, wanted to turn it into a nationwide mass struggle.

Q39.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKEasy

Swami Vivekananda's speech in the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 opened with which of the following words?

  1. A.Sisters and brothers of America
  2. B.Dear citizens of the world
  3. C.Brothers and sisters of the world
  4. D.Esteemed brothers and sisters
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Sisters and brothers of America

Vivekananda began his famous address at Chicago on 11 September 1893 with the words "Sisters and Brothers of America", and the audience rose in a long ovation.

Q40.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IEasy

Which one of the following statements with regard to the Moidams, built by the Tai-Ahom kingdom and inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is/are correct ? 1. They acted as army fortresses. 2. They were recreation centres of the Royals and Nobles. 3. They were burial grounds of the Royals and Nobles. 4. They were battle drill centres of the Royals and Nobles. Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.1 and 3
  3. C.3 only
  4. D.2 and 4
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 3 only

The Moidams are the mound-burials of the Ahom royal family and nobles at Charaideo in Assam. The Tai-Ahoms, who ruled the Brahmaputra valley for about six centuries from the 13th century, buried their kings, queens and nobles in vaulted chambers covered by large earthen mounds.