Indian History HCS Paper
Indian History HCS Paper
HCS (Executive Branch) & Other Allied Services Preliminary Exam 2011
Solved paper of Indian History held on 25th March 2012
SERIES-C
1. The tribal leader who was regarded as an incarnation of God and Father of the world (Dharti Aba)
was:
a) Kanhu Santha
b) Rupa Naik
c) Birsa Munda
d) None of the above
2. Which of the following was leader of Waliullahi (Wahabi) movement ?
a) Syed Ahmed of Rae Bareily
b) Waliulla
c) Muhammad Abdul Wahab
d) None of the above
3. In which of the following battles with the Sikhs did the Partisans of the holy was suffer a terrible
defeat in which Syed Ahmad lost his life ?
a) The battle of Amritsar
b) The battle of Charsadda
c) The battle of Balkot
d) None of the above
4. The most fearless and bold woman leader of the Peasant movement, who sacrificed her life to
protect peasants rights was :
a) Ambika Chakraborthy
b) Snehlata Wadekar
c) Veera Gunamma
d) None of the above
5. Which of the following statements about “Lokahitwadi” is not correct?
a) He attributed the social decline and decay of India to the neglect of the Sciences and learning
b) He attacked traditional religious beliefs and customs
c) He attributed to the poverty of India to the Laziness and decline in the morals of the Indians
d) Not any specific list
6. Which of the following theistic philosophy did MG Ranade approve of ?
a) Mysticism
b) Vedanism
c) Bhakticult
d) None of the above
7. Which of the following tasks was closest to the heart of Syed Ahmad Khan ?
a) Religious reinterpretation
b) Social reform
c) Promotion of modern education
d) None of the above
8. Two greatest Pioneers in the cause of widow’s education were :
a) D.K. Karve and Pandita Ramabai
b) M.G. Ranade and R.G. Bahndrarkar
c) Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar and Keshav Chandra Sen
d) None of the above
9. After the Surat Split in 1907, the second in the Congress took place in 1918 on the issue of :
a) Lucknow Pact
b) Montagu declaration
c) Election of Mrs. Annie Besant as President of the INC (1917)
d) None of the above
10. Which of the following revolutionary and terrorist organizations had a large number of young
women revolutionaries?
a) Yugantar
b) Anushilan Samiti
c) Bharat Mata Society
d) None of the above
11. Under whose leadership was the Chittagong Armoury Raid organised ?
a) Jatin Das
b) Surya Sen
c) Ganesh Ghosh
d) None of the above
12. Proficiency in which of the following games was rewarded and recognised by state of Vijayanagar?
a) Chess
b) Wrestling
c) Gymnastics
d) None of the above
13. The first Mughal emperor to organise some sorts of Distress relief during famines was?
a) Akbar
b) Jahangir
c) Shahjahan
d) None of the above
14. The only son of Ashoka found mentioned in his inscriptions is :
a) Tivara
b) Mahendra
c) Kunala
d) None of the above
15. During the Mauryan times the royal Houses were mostly built of:
a) Baked bricks
b) Wood
c) Mud & Tile
d) None of the above
16. The status of which of the following could be said to have somewhat improved during the
Mauryan Period ?
a) Kshatriyas
b) Vaishyas
c) Shudras
d) None of the above
17. The largest single source of income to the chola state was:
a) Land tax
b) Toll on trade
c) Taxes on professions, mines and forests
d) None of the above
18. The theory of economic drain of India during British imperialism was pronounced by:
a) J.L. Nehru
b) Dadabhai Naoroji
c) R.C. Dutt
d) None of the above
19. The Vijaynagar King, Krishnadev Raya’s work ‘Amuktamalyada’ was in :
a) Telgu
b) Sanskrit
c) Tamil
d) None of the above
20. The victories of Karikala are well portrayed in :
a) Palamoli
b) Aruvanad
c) Pattinappaalai
d) None of the above
21. Todarmal was associated with :
a) Music
b) Literature
c) Land Revenue Reforms
d) None of the above
22. Two of the Great Mughals wrote their own memories. They were :
a) Babar and Humayun
b) Jahangir and Shahjahan
c) Babar and Jahangir
d) None of the above
23. To which king belongs to the Lion Capital of Sarnath ?
a) Chandragupta
b) Ashoka
c) Kanishka
d) None of the above
24. The Zamindari in Mughal India was not :
a) Hereditary
b) A saleable right
c) Morgageable
d) None of the above
25. The term Khalisa in Mughal Administration signified the :
a) Land owned by emperor himself
b) Religion land grants
c) Entire imperial establishment
d) None of the above
26. Tulsidas the author of ‘Ramcharitmanas’ was a contemporary of which of the following rulers?
a) Shahjahan
b) Akbar
c) Shershah Suri
d) None of the above
27. The text of the document called ‘Mazhar’ by which Akbar assumed the role of Supreme arbiter
in the matter of religion found on :
a) Arif Quandahari’s ‘Tarikh-i-Alfi’
b) Abul Fazal’s Akbarnama
c) Nazamuddin’s ‘Tabaqat-i-Akbari’
d) None of the above
28. Tolkappiyam is associated with the:
a) First Sangam Period
b) Second Sangam Period
c) Third Sangam Period
d) None of the above
29. The Vijayanagar king who employed skilled archers of the Turkish clan and raised the fighting
capacity of hid bowmen was :
a) Bukka I
b) Devaraya I
c) Ramaraya
d) None of the above
30. The uprising of 1857 was described as first Indian war of Independence by:
a) V. D. Savarkar
b) B. G. Tilak
c) R. C. Mazumdar
d) None of the above
31. Which independent nawab of Bengal was defeated and killed by forces of East India company?
a) Siraj – ud -daula
b) Shuja – ud -daula
c) Shah Alam II
d) None of the above
32. Who introduced the system of permanent settlement also called permanent settlement in
Bengal for effective agricultural methods and productivity?
a) Lord Wellesley
b) Lord Cornwallis
c) Warren Hastings
d) None of the above
33. Which of the following newspaper was launched by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in 1909?
a) Free India
b) Leader
c) Independent
d) None of the above
34. Who of the following advised British East India company to seek from the Mughal Emperor
Shah Alam, a ‘sanad’ for the Diwani of Bengal?
a) Maharaja Raj Ballabh
b) Raja Daulat Ram
c) Manik Chand
d) None of the above
35. The first India ruler who joined the subsidary alliance was:
a) Nawab of Awadh
b) King of Trivancore
c) Nizam of Hyderabad
d) None of the above
36. The first Indian ruler to organize Haj Pilgrimage at the expense of the state was:
a) Alauddin Khilji
b) Aurangzeb
c) Akbar
d) None of the above
37. Which of the following territories was not affected by revolt of 1857?
a) Jhansi
b) Chittor
c) Lucknow
d) None of the above
38. The head of the committee formed by the Government to enquiry into Jallianwala bagh
Massacre was:
a) John Simon
b) General Dyer
c) Hunter
d) None of the above
39. Whom did Mahatama Gandhi called “The Patriot of the Patriots”?
a) Bhagat Singh
b) Subhash Chandra Bose
c) Sardar Patel
d) None of the above
40. The term “Dosi Hatt” was used in early medieval india for :
a) Animal Market
b) Slave Bazar
c) Kappas (Cotton) Market
d) None of the above
41. Which contemporary Mughal historian of the age of Akbar had prepared a list of Charges calling
him an enemy of Islam?
a) Abbas Khan Sarwani
b) Badauni
c) Nizamuddin Ahmad
d) None of the above
42. To whom did Sher Shah appoint to provide bed and food to Hindu travellers staying at ‘Sarais’
(rest houses)?
a) Muslims
b) Low cast hindus
c) Brahmans
d) None of the above
43. When did Aurangzeb arrive in Deccan finally to quell revolt of Maratha?
a) 1681
b) 1689
c) 1700
d) None of the above
44. Which Maratha Saint is most importantly known for social reform, national regeneration and
the rise of Maratha power?
a) Samartha Ramdas
b) Tukaram
c) Vaman Pandit
d) None of the above
45. On what condition Wellesly agreed to help Peshwas Bajirao II?
a) An underhand transaction of Rs. 15 lakh
b) His consent to the the subsidary alliance
c) His agreeing to the abolition of the office of the Peshwa after his death
d) None of the above
46. With whom did Raja Ranjit Singh conclude the treaty of Lahore in 1806 which gave him freedom
to expand north of Sutlej ?
a) Holkar of Indore
b) Scindia of Gwalior
c) East India Company
d) None of the above
47. What was the grieviest cause of discontent among soldiers before the revolt of 1857?
a) Non observation of caste distinctions
b) Question of promotion and pay
c) Absence of power and equitable procedure for discipline & control
d) None of the above
48. Who was the mastermind of bomb attack on Lord Hardinge at Chandni Chowk, Delhi in 1912?
a) Sachindranath Sanyal
b) Rasbehari Bose
c) Bhai Parmanand
d) None of the above
49. When did Gandhiji go to fast unto death for the first time?
a) At the time of riots in Delhi
b) At the time of riots in Calcutta
c) At the time of Jallianwala Bagh tragedy
d) None of the above
50. Sir Thomas Roe was sent as the British Ambassador to the Court of :
a) Aurangzeb
b) Jahangir
c) Shahjahan
d) None of the above
51. In which of the following respects the various Harappan sites a marked uniformity?
a) Agricultural Practices
b) Crafts
c) Town Planning
d) None of the above
52. The entry port for trade between the Indus trading centers and Mesopotamia was:
a) Elam
b) Oman
c) Bahrain
d) None of the above
53. The most common crime in Rigveda was:
a) Murder
b) Kidnapping
c) Cattle-lifting
d) None of the above
54. The ‘Jana’ during vedic period refers to:
a) District
b) Tribe
c) Villages
d) None of the above
55. What was the normal form of Government in Vedic Period ?
a) Monarchy
b) Oligarchy
c) Republic
d) None of the above
56. Who of the following was the earliest known greek follower of Bhagavatism?
a) Megasthenes
b) Antialkidas
c) Heliodorus
d) None of the above
57. The earliest exposition of Saiva System was established by:
a) Basava
b) Lakula
c) Sankaracharya
d) None of the above
58. Under the aegis of which of the following kings was the third Buddhist council held?
a) Ashoka
b) Kanishka
c) Menander (Milinda)
d) None of the above
59. Which of the following was first great royal patron of Buddhism?
a) Ajatashatru
b) Udayayan
c) Ashoka
d) None of the above
60. Jainism has derived its metaphysical thoughts from:
a) Buddhism
b) Arivakas
c) Samkhya Philosophy
d) None of the above
61. Jainsim was propagated in South India by:
a) Bhadrabahu
b) Gautama
c) Sudharaman
d) None of the above
62. The Asokan inscriptions and their Brahmi Script were first deciphered by:
a) Alexander Cunningham
b) Max Mullar
c) James Princep
d) None of the above
63. The key-note of Ashoka’s Policy of Dhamma was:
a) Toleration and General Behaviour
b) Charity
c) Moderation
d) None of the above
64. In the Mauryan Period tax evasion was punished with:
a) Death
b) Confiscation of goods
c) Imprisonment
d) None of the above
65. The famous Queen’s Edict (Minor Pillar Edict-IV) inscribed on a pillar at Allahabad was
issued by Ashoka’s queen:
a) Vedisa Mahadevi
b) Asandhamitra
c) Karuvaki
d) None of the above
66. Kautilya’s Arthashastra’s chapter on Kantak-Shodhana is mostly devoted to:
a) Regulation of profits, wages and prices
b) Regulation against adulteration of goods
c) Strict control of artisans and traders by the state
d) None of the above
67. An early ancient Indian city, which was a nodal point for trade routes from east to west
and from North to South, was:
a) Mathura
b) Vidisha
c) Ujjain
d) None of the above
68. In the Mauryan Government women could be employed as:
a) Royal Bodyguards
b) Superintendents of weaving establishments
c) Intelligence agents & spices
d) All the above
69. Which one of the following rulling dynasties of South India was the biggest rival of the Cholas?
a) The Pandyas
b) The Chalukyas of Kalyani
c) The Gangas of Orissa
d) None of the above
70. Who of the following Chola kings assumed the title of the Mummadi Chola?
a) Vijayalaya
b) Rajaraya
c) Rajendra I
d) None of the above
71. In the Chola kingdom, a very large village administered as a single unit was called:
a) Nadu
b) Kurram
c) Kottram
d) All the above
72. The first sultan of Delhi to issue regular currency and declare Delhi as the capital of his empire was:
a) Aram Shah
b) Iltumish
c) Nasiruddin Mahmud
d) None of the above
73. From the death of Iltumish till the accession of Balban the actual power was wielded by:
a) The army
b) The nobility
c) The theologians
d) None of the above
74. In a formal sense, which of the following correctly describes the nature of the state during
sultanate period in India?
a) Theocracy
b) Democracy
c) Autocracy
d) None of the above
75. During Sultanate period, the nobility of the sultanate was largely composed of:
a) Arabs
b) Afghans
c) Turks
d) None of the above
76. Who were called barids?
a) The spy reporters
b) The king’s bodyguards
c) The officers in-charge of accounts and receipts
d) None of the above
77. The South India ruler whose kingdom could not be annexed to sultanate of Delhi by the Tughlaq?
a) Yadavas of Devagiri
b) Kakatiyas of Warangal
c) Hoysalas of Dwarasumudra
d) None of the above
78. Krishnadeva Raya belonged to the :
a) Sangama dynasty
b) Saluva dynasty
c) Tuluva dynasty
d) None of the above
79. Which of the following crops in Vijayanagar empire was widely exported?
a) Black Pepper
b) Tea
c) Tobacco
d) None of the above
80. With the construction of which of the following buildings of Mandu is the name of
Mahmud Khilji not associated?
a) Hindola Mahal
b) Jahaz Mahal
c) Jama Maszid
d) None of the above
81. Which of the following introduced Perso-Arabic melodies (ragas) into Indian Music?
a) Firdausi
b) Sadi
c) Amir Khusrau
d) None of the above
82. The sultan of Delhi who did not contribute to the development of composite Hindustani music was :
a) Kaiqubad
b) Alauddin Khilji
c) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
d) None of the above
83. Which one of the following territories was not under the possession of the Afghans at the time of
Akbar’s accession?
a) Malwa
b) Bengal
c) Mewat
d) None of the above
84. Which one of the following province in north-west proved to be most valuable of acquisition of Akbar?
a) Kabul
b) Kashmir
c) Kandhar
d) None of the above
85. The English governor in India who was expelled by Aurangzeb was :
a) Aungier
b) Sir Jhon Child
c) Sir John Gayer
d) None of the above
86. Who called the English in Bengal ‘a company of base , quarrelling people and foul dealers’?
a) Aurangzeb
b) Shayista Khan, Mughal Governor of Bengal
c) Mir Jumla
d) None of the above
87. The chief gain to shivaji from his two raids on surat in 1664 and 1670 was:
a) Immense increase in his prestige
b) Demoralisation of the Mughal Forces
c) A loot of booty
d) None of the above
88. The most important achievement of Madhav Rao was that :
a) He stored Shah Alam II, the exiled Mughal emperor, to the Delhi throne
b) He subdued the Bhonsles of Nagpur
c) He improved the moral tone of the Marathon administration
d) None of the above
89. The Maratha Chief who did not join the alliance against the English at first and took the field
only when it was too late?
a) Holkar
b) Bhonsle
c) Gaekwar
d) None of the above
90. The Maratha navy in the Eighteenth century was developed by:
a) The Sindhias
b) The Gaikwars
c) The Angrias
d) None of the above
91. The backbone of the armies of the misls was the:
a) Infantary
b) Cavalary
c) Artillery
d) None of the above
92. In fourth Anglo Mysore war (1799), Tipu was defeated and killed, who of the following did not
get share in tipu’s territories?
a) The English
b) The Marathas
c) The Nizam
d) None of the above
93. Who of the following Nawab/Governors of Bengal concluded a treaty with the Maratha and agreed to pay them an annual tribute as Chauth and ceded to them the revenues of a part of Orissa?
a) Marshid Qulikhan
b) Shuja-ud-din
c) Alivardi Khan
d) None of the above
94. Ahmad shah abdali or durrani was one of the nadir shah’s ablest generals. He invaded india
several times between 1748-1767. During which one of his campaigns was he defeated and
put to flight ?
a) First
b) Third
c) Fifth
d) None of the above
95. What was the prime mistake committed by siraj ud daula in his campaign against the English
in june 1756?
a) He failed to assess the real strength of the English in Bengal.
b) He was ignorant of the treachery of men in his court.
c) He let the English escape with their ships to Fulta.
d) He failed to win the support of his cousin Shakut Jang
96. After Bengal, the English secured the rights of duty free trade in the dominions of :
a) Raya of Benaras
b) Nawab of Awadh
c) The Nizam of Hyderabad
d) None of the above
97. In 1775, who reffered to the nawab of Bengal as “a Phantom, a man of straw” ?
a) Warren Hastings
b) A member of the court of Directors
c) A judge of the supreme court of Calcutta
d) None of the above
98. The ryotwari settlement was primarily introduced by British Government in ?
a) Bengal & Bihar
b) United Provinces
c) Madras & Bombay
d) None of the above
99. The trade which was virtually monopolised by the European merchants in india, was :
a) Import trade
b) Textile export
c) Export trade in Agriculture produce
d) None of the above
100. India’s growing poverty under the British rule is confirmed by :
a) Increasing frequency and Intensity of Famines
b) Increasing indebtedness of the Peasantry
c) Transfer of land from cultivating to non cultivating classes
d) None of the above
