CDS 2 2022 - HISTORY MARATHON

1. Consider the following statements:

1. In Hind Swaraj, Mahatma Gandhi formulates a conception of a good life for
the individual as well as society.
2. Hind Swaraj was the outcome of the experience of Gandhi’s prolonged
struggle against Colonial Raj in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Hind Swaraj is the name of a book written by Gandhi in 1909
while he was abroad. It is written in a dialogic form between the Reader and
the Editor.
The book was written in Gujarati was translated into English as Gujarati version
was banned by the Britishers.
He critiqued modern civilization and extensively discussed Indian Swaraj and
the methods to achieve it.
He was dejected by the treatment in South Africa and his exposure to western
civilization during his study days, and his growing interest in freeing India from
British colonialism led him to write Hind Swaraj.

2. Who among the following archaeologists was the first to identify similarities
between a pre-Harappan culture and the mature Harappan culture?
A. Amalananda Gosh
B. Rakhaldas Banerjee
C. Dayaram sahni
D. Sir John Marshall
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Amalananda Ghosh was an Indian archaeologist, the author
and editor of numerous works on India's ancient civilizations, and the organizer
and director of archaeological expeditions during the mid-1900s.

3. Which one of the following is the common element between the

Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora and the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram?
 A. Both are examples of Nagara architecture.
B. Both are carved out from solid rocks.
C. Both are Gupta period temples.
D. Both were built under the patronage of Pallava Kings.
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Kailasanatha temple is one of the largest Indian megalith
temples located in the Ellora, Maharashtra.
It is said to be constructed by Rashtrakutas king Krishna I.
Shore Temple at Mamallapuram is a structural temple, built with blocks of
granite.
It was built during the reign of Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty.
The Gupta period was from 3rd century to mid-6th century.

(Kailasanatha temple)
 (Shore Temple)
4. Which of the following is/are not depicted in the Rajput paintings?
1) The stories of Krishna
2) Ragas and Raginis
3) The deeds of Hamza
4) The deeds of Babur
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 1, 2 and 3
B. 2, 3 and 4
C. 3 and 4 only
D. 4 only
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Hamzanama narrates the legendary exploits of Amir
Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, though most of the stories are
extremely fanciful.
Most of the characters of the Hamzanama are fictitious. In the West the work
is best known for the enormous, illustrated manuscript commissioned by the
Mughal Emperor Akbar in about 1562.
 Babur was considered a foreigner by the Rajput’s and thus was despised. No
Rajput depiction was commissioned to talk about the deeds of Babur.

5. Which one among the following was not an attribute of Samudragupta

described in Prayag Prashasti?
A. Sharp and polished intellect
B. Accomplished sculptor
C. Fine musical performances
D. Poetical talent of a genius
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: According to Allahabad Prasasti's or Prayag Prashasti
exaggerated picture, 'Samudragupta was man of many-sided genius.
Samudragupta was a man of exceptional abilities and unusual varied gifts -
warrior, statesman, general, poet and musician, philanthropist, he was all in
one. As a patron of arts and literature, he epitomized the spirit of his age.

6. Kamandaka’s Nitisara is a contribution to:

A. Logic and Philosophy
B. Mathematics
C. Political morality
D. Grammar
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Nitisara of Kamandaka, also known as the Kamandakiya-
Nitisara, was composed during the period of Gupta Dynasty. It was based on
Kautilya’s Arthashtra.
It is a collection of rules and specific ideas about political morality.

7. The Lilavati of Bhaskara is a standard text on:

A. Mathematics
B. Surgery
C. Poetics
D. Linguistics
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Lilavati is Indian mathematician Bhaskara II's treatise on
mathematics, written in 1150. It is the first volume of his main work, the
Siddhanta Shiromani, alongside the Bijaganita, the Grahaganita and the
Goladhyaya.

8. The followers of Gorakhnath were called:

 A. Jogis
B. Nath - Panthis
C. Tantriks
D. Sanyasis
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The followers of Gorakhnath are known as Yogi/Jogi, as Nath
Yogis, Gorakhnathis, Kanphatas.
He is believed to be the founder of Kanphata yogis, that stresses the physical
and spiritual disciplines of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is a technique or philosophy
that uses mastery of the body as the means to spiritual perfection.

9. What were the 12 states of the Sikh confederacy called?

A. Misl
B. Gurmata
C. Sardari
D. Rakni
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Misl is a Sikh institution that has been prominent in Sikh
history, since the eighteenth century. It refers to the sovereign states of the
Sikh Confederacy. Beginning as warrior bands, the emergent misls and their
sardars (chieftains) gradually established their authority over quite extensive
areas.

10. Which one among the following statements about the coins of the Gupta
rulers is correct?
The obverse and reverse, both, had only the king's portrait and date
The obverse and reverse, both, had only an image of a deity and date
 The obverse generally had king's portrait and reverse had an image of a deity
or a motif
The obverse generally had king's portrait and reverse always had a date
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The obverse generally had king's portrait and reverse had an
image of a deity or a motif.

11. The Agrahara in early India was:

A. the name of a village or land granted to Brahmins
B. the garland of flowers of Agar
C. the grant of land to officers and soldiers
D. land or village settled by Vaishya farmers
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: An Agraharam or Agrahara was a grant of land and royal income
from it, typically by a king or a noble family in India, for religious purposes,
particularly to Brahmins to maintain temples in that land or a pilgrimage site
and to sustain their families. Agraharams were also known as
Chaturvedimangalams in ancient times.

12. Which of the following statements about the Vijayanagara empire is/are true?
1) The kings claimed to rule on behalf of the God Virupaksha.
2) Rulers used the title 'Hindu Suratrana' to indicate their close links with Gods.
3) All royal orders were signed in Kannada, Sanskrit and Tamil.
4) Royal portrait sculpture was now displayed in temples.
 Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 4 Only
B. 1 & 2
C. 1, 2 & 3
D. 1, 2 & 4
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Vijayanagara Empire was established by Harihara I and his
brother Bukka Raya I of Sangama Dynasty in 1336.
Suratrana means protector of gods. In 1352, Bukka Raya assumed the title of
Hinduraya Suratrana.
The administrative and court languages of the Empire were Kannada and
Telugu. All royal orders were signed “Shri Virupaksha”, usually in the Kannada
script.
Royal portrait sculpture displayed in temples as the king’s visit to the temple
was considered a special occasion.

13. Iqta in medieval India meant _______.

A. land assigned to religious personnel for spiritual purposes
B. land revenue from different territorial unites assigned to army officers
C. charity for educational and cultural activities
D. the rights of the Zamindar
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Iqta, in medieval India meant land granted to army officials for
limited periods in lieu of a regular wage. The holders of these Iqtas were the
trustful agents of the Sultan. The officer entitling the iqta collected kharaj fom
the owner and paid a part of it to the emperor and keep the rest as salary. Firoz
Shah made the Iqta system hereditary which was earlier based on salary.

14. Which one of the following books was not illustrated with paintings in Akbar's
court?
A) Hamzanama
B) Razmnama
C) Baburnama
D) Tarikh-i- AIfi
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The Baburnama is the memoirs of Zahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad
Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire and a great-great-great-grandson of
Timur. It is written in the Chagatai language, known to Babur as "Turki", the
 spoken language of the Andijan-Timurids. The Book belongs to Babur and his
times and Akbar had hardly to do with it.

15. Which kingdom did the temple of Hazara Rama belong to?
A) Avadh
B) Travancore
C) Vijayanagara
D) Ahom
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Hazara Rama temple is one of the most elegant temples in
Hampi. Its construction was started in the year 1513 A.D., under the orders of
KrishnadevaRaya and was completed before the end of his reign. The temple
is dedicated to Lord Rama, a Hindu deity. It was once the private temple of the
kings and the royal family of Vijayanagara.

16. Consider the following statements about votive inscriptions in the second
century BC:
1. They record gifts made to religious institutions
2. They tell us about the idea of transference of the meritorious results of the
action of one person to another person
Which of the statements given above is / are correct
A. 1 Only
B. 2 Only
C. Both
D. None
ANSWER: C
 EXPLANATION: Votive inscriptions denote an object as a votive offering to a
deity. Votive inscriptions (2nd century) is giving offerings to deity/forces to gain
favor.

17. Consider the following statements:

1. Abhinavagupta wrote a comprehensive treatise called the Tantraloka
which systematically presents the teachings of the Kula and Trika systems.
2. The Samaraichchakaha by Haribhadra Suri written in Gujarat around the
eighth century is technically not a tantric work but is saturated with tantric
ideas and practices.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Abhinavagupta was a scholar who practiced the philosophy of
Kashmir Shaivism. He was a philosopher.
Tantraloka which means “Light on Tantra” was written by him. presents the
teachings of the Kula and Trika systems.
Haribhadra Suri was a Svetambara mendicant Jain. He wrote
Samaraichchakaha.
Samaraichchakaha narrates the effects of karma in a story about the enmity of
its characters which endures over several reincarnations.

18. Consider the following statements:

 1) The inscriptions on the pillar at Rummindei give vivid details of Ashoka’s
Dhamma
2) The Nigalisagar inscription records the fact of Ashoka having visited the
Kongagamana stupa
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: In Nepal, the Lumbini Pillar Edict is known as the Rummindei
Pillar Inscription. The Lumbini Pillar Edict recorded that Ashoka travelled to the
birthplace of Buddha sometime after the twentieth year of his reign and made
offerings personally. Nigali Sagar is an archaeological site in Nepal containing
the remains of a pillar of Ashoka. The site is in Nigalihawa, about 20 kilometres
northwest of Lumbini and 7 kilometers northeast of Taulihawa

19. Consider the following statements:

1) The province of Assam was created in the year 1911
2) Eleven districts comprising Assam were separated from the Lieutenant
Governorship of Bengal and established as an independent administration
under a Chief Commissioner in the year 1874
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 Only
B. 2 Only
C. Both
D. None
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Both the statements are true.

20. Which of the following statements is/are true?

1. Faxian's Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan was the earliest first-hand Chinese account
of Buddhist sites and practices in India.
2. Faxian was only 25 years old at the time of writing the text.
3. Faxian's main aim of coming to India was to obtain and take back texts
containing monastic rules.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
A. 1,2 & 3
B. Only 2
 C. 1 & 3
D. Only 3
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Faxian was a Chinese Buddhist Monk.
He visited many Buddhist sites in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to
acquire Buddhist texts.
Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan described his journey through Central Asia to India and
back to China by the maritime route via South-East Asia
In 414, he wrote a book on his travels, filled with accounts of early Buddhism,
and the geography and history of numerous countries. He is said to be 77 years
old when he wrote these records.

21. Statement I: The Pahi-kashta peasants were non-resident cultivators

cultivating lands on a contractual basis.
Statement II: The Pahi-kashta peasants worked under the temptation of
favorable terms of revenue or the compulsion of economic distress.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the
correct explanation of Statement I
C. Statement l is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement l is false, but Statement II is true
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Sources of the seventeenth century refer to two kinds of
peasants - Khud-kashta and Pahi-kashta.
Pahi-kastha - These peasants were basically outsiders but cultivated the rented
land in a village either by staying in the same village (residential pahi-kasht) or
by staying in the neighbouring villages (non-residential pahi-kasht).
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.
The second Statement is the correct explanation of the first statement.

22. Statement I: The Zamindars were an exploitative class in Mughal India.

Statement II: The Zamindars often received the support of the peasantry in
many agrarian uprisings in North India in the seventeenth century.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
 B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the correct
explanation of Statement I
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: During the Mughal Empire, zamindars belonged to the nobility
and formed the ruling class. Emperor Akbar granted them mansabs and their
ancestral domains were treated as jagirs.
In some respects of zamindars and the peasants were natural allies in any
struggle against the Mughal government.
The Zamindars often received the support of the peasantry in many agrarian
uprisings in North India in the seventeenth century.

23. Statement I: King Ashoka abolished capital punishment and disbanded his
army.
Statement II: After Kalinga War, Ashoka was remorseful and become a
Buddhist.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the correct
explanation of Statement I
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Edict 13 on the Edicts of Ashoka Rock Inscriptions reflect the
great remorse the king felt after observing the destruction of Kalinga: The
lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable
and peaceful emperor, and he became a patron of Buddhism.
He ended the military expansion of the empire. The Kalinga war became his
first and last war. He made some significant changes in the state policy of
Magadh.
24. Which of the following Gods are also known as Lokapalas or the Guardians of
the Universe?
A. Yama, Indra, Varuna and Kubera
B. Indra, Varuna, Skanda and Kubera
C. Indra, Varuna, Yama and Brahma
D. Yama, Shiva, Kubera and Indra
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: In Hinduism, lokapāla refers to the Guardians of the Directions
associated with the eight, nine and ten cardinal directions.
In Buddhism, lokapāla refers to the Four Heavenly Kings, and to other protector
spirits, whereas the Guardians of the Directions are referred to as the 'dikpāla.
Guardians of four directions
1. Kubera (North)
2. Yama (South)
3. Indra (East)
4. Varuṇa (West)

25. Which among the following Acts were repealed by Article 395 of the
Constitution of India?
1.The Government of India Act, 1935
2.The Indian Independence Act, 1947
3.The abolition of Privy Council jurisdiction Act, 1949
4.The government of India Act, 1919
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A. 1 and 2 only
 B. 1 and 3 only
C. 1, 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Article 395. Repeals The Indian Independence Act, 1947, and
the Government of India Act, 1935, together with all enactments amending or
supplementing the latter Act, but not including the Abolition of Privy Council
Jurisdiction Act, 1949.

26.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The elections were not held on basis of Universal Adult
franchise. Mountbatten plan had nothing to do with Elections but with plan of
Partition.
27.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION:
• Sumit Sarkar - The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, 1903-1908
• Shahid Amin - Event, Metaphor, Memory - Chauri Chaura, 1922-1992
• Ranajit Guha - A Rule of Property for Bengal
• Bipan Chandra - The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India

28. What form of Shiva is most prominent in the Brihadeeshwara Temple built
by the Chola dynasty?
A. Harihara
B. Bhairava
C. Rudra
D. Tripurantaka
 ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The most prominent form of Shiva in Brihadeshvara Temple
built by Chola dynasty is Tripuntaka. Tripurantaka is a manifestation of the
Hindu god Shiva. In this aspect, Shiva is depicted with four arms wielding a bow
and arrow. Shiva as Tripurantaka is accredited with destroying three mythical
cities of the Asuras. It is believed that the Rudraksha came from lord Shiva’s
eyes, when he destroyed Tripura.

29. Which of the following statements about the philosopher Shankara is/are
true?
1.Shankara espoused a form of Vedanta called Advaita.
2.He elaborated on the philosophy of Gaudapada.
3.Shankara tried to demonstrate that the Upanishads and Brahmasutras
contain a unified, systematic philosophy.
4.Shankara founded the Amanaya Mathas.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1, 2 and 3
C. 3 and 4
D. 4 only
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Shankaracharya is a commonly used title of heads of
monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives
from Adi Shankara, an 8th-century AD reformer of Hinduism.
 Shankaracharya explained the basic ideas of Upanishads. He established the
importance of monastic life as sanctioned in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra.
He is credited with unifying and establishing the main currents of thought in
Hinduism It is with his teacher Govinda, that Shankara studied Gaudapadiya
Karika, as Govinda was himself taught by Gaudapada.
The most popular of beliefs about Sankara is that he established four or five
monastic centres called Amanaya-mathas in the different parts of the country.
Many historians believe that mathas were established several centuries later
and attributed to Shankara to give them prestige.

30. Which of the following statements about the Deccan Riots 1875 is/are true?
1. The Deccan Riots resulted in protection for peasants through the Deccan
Agriculturalists Relief Act of 1879
2. The riots did not spread to the whole of Maharashtra because of prompt
suppression by the British
3. The British were unable to contain the riots and they spread throughout
Maharashtra.
4. The cotton boom in the Deccan that had been caused by the artificial
demand generated by the American caused the impoverishment of the
peasants.
A. Only 1
B. 1 and 3
C. 2 and 4
D. 1, 2 and 4
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The Deccan Riots of 1875 targeted conditions of debt peonage
(kamiuti) to moneylenders. The rioters' specific purpose was to obtain and
destroy the bonds, decrees, and other documents in the possession of the
moneylenders.
During the Civil war in the USA in 1861, the demand for cotton from India
increased. Farmers generally took loans from moneylenders. Once the war in
America ended, demand for cotton from India declined and peasants found
themselves without money as moneylenders refused to pay any more loans.
The uprising began at Supa village in the district of Poona.
The Deccan Riots Commission was set up which presented a report to the
British Parliament in 1878. In 1879, the Agriculturists Relief Act was passed
which ensured that the farmers could not be arrested and imprisoned if they
were unable to pay their debts.
31. The term Upari refers to which one of the following?
A. A category of proprietary tenure under the Mughal rule
B. A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule
C. A soldier in the Maratha army
D. A village headman in the Mughal period.
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Upari refers to a category of tenancy tenure held under the
Maratha Regime.The Government used to assign land to various cultivators for
cultivation and getting maximum revenue. The land allotted to original settlers
of villages came to be known as Mirasi land whereas the land assigned to the
migrant settlers was known as the Upari land.

32. The water frame’ of Richard Arkwright was a device for

A. producing a new type of painting
B. irrigating fields for rice cultivation
C. producing strong threads of yarn
D. the faster movement of steamships
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Sir Richard Arkwright was an English inventor and a leading
entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution.
The water frame is a spinning frame that is powered by a waterwheel.
The water frame was able to spin 128 threads at a time, which was an easier
and faster method than ever before. It was developed by Richard Arkwright,
who patented the technology in 1769.
33. The ‘four great needs’ of the people as identified by the Guomindang were
A. clothing, food, housing, and transportation
B. education, food, housing, and health care
C. food, housing, education, and employment
D. employment, housing, education, and health care
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Kuomintang/ Guomindang is a Chinese political party that
ruled China 1927-48 and then moved to Taiwan. The name translates as
"China's National People's Party"
KMT had a left wing and a right wing, the left being more radical in its pro-
Soviet policies. The right wing under Chiang Kai-shek prevailed, and continued
radical policies against private merchants and industrialists, even as they
denounced communism
Dr Sun Yat-sen of KMT divided livelihood into four areas: food, clothing,
housing, and transportation; and planned out how an ideal (Chinese)
government can take care of these for its people.

34. The epic, Silappadikaram refers to the

A. story of Rama
B. Jaina elements in the storyline
C. culture of Sri Lankan Buddhists
D. cult of Shakti worship
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: As a literary work, Silappadikaram is held in high regard by the
Tamil people.
 It is written by poet-prince from Ilango Adigal.
The epic revolves around Kannagi, who having lost her husband to a
miscarriage of justice at the court of the Pandyan Dynasty, wreaks her revenge
on his kingdom.

35. Rakshasa type of marriage is

A. marriage by purchase
B. marriage by capture
C. marriage by giving dowry
D. marriage by seduction
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Rakshasa marriage is the marriage of a maiden involving her
forcible abduction from her home after her kinsmen have been slain or
wounded. The groom will force battles with the bride’s family, overcome them
and carry the bride away to convince her to marry him. This is condemned in
the Manusmriti as a base and sinful act.

36. Consider the following statements about Harappan cities:

1. Roads were not always straight and did not always cross one another at
right angles.
2. A striking feature is a uniformity in the average size of the bricks for houses
and for city walls.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Indus or Harappan culture arose in the north-western part
of the Indian subcontinent.
It is called Harappan civilization because this was discovered first in 1921 at the
modern site of Harappa, situated in the province of West Punjab in Pakistan.
On Banawali site, the roads were neither always straight, nor are they cut at
right-angles. It lacked systematic drainage system.
The brick size was uniform and in the specific ration in nearly every Harappan
city.
37.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Sangam landscape is the name given to a poetic device that
was characteristic of love poetry in classical Tamil Sangam literature. The core
of the device was the categorisation of poems into different tiṇais.
Each tiṇai was closely associated with a particular landscape, and imagery
associated with that landscape—its flowers, trees, wildlife, people, climate,
and geography—was woven into the poem in such a way as to convey a mood
In Tolkappiyam, there is a reference to the five-fold division of lands - Kurinji
(hilly tracks), Mullai (pastoral), Marudam (agriculture).
38.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Before the introduction of the bill, British subjects in 1873 had been
exempted from trial by Indian magistrates. For cases that involved death or
transportation, they could only be tried by a higher court. This scenario changed
with the introduction of the Ilbert Bill in 1883. The contents of the bill stated that
from now on, British and Europeans subjects would be tried in session courts by
Indian judges, who were senior enough in the civil service to preside over such
proceedings. It was this provision that would be a source of great anger among the
European community.
39.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: All the statements are true. Although the word "Swaraj" means self-
rule, Gandhi gave it the content of an integral revolution that encompasses all
spheres of life: "At the individual level Swaraj is vitally connected with the capacity
for dispassionate self-assessment, ceaseless self-purification and growing self-
reliance."
40.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Gandhiji was influenced by the 18th century Pranami sect (Believers
of Lord Krishna) that advocated the unity of faiths
He was also deeply influenced by the theosophists. Theosophy teaches that the
purpose of human life is spiritual emancipation and claims that the human soul
undergoes reincarnation upon bodily death according to a process of karma.
Gandhi was very much influenced by authors such as Leo Tolstoy.
41.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement that began in
Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytizing activities of Christians, Hindu
reform movements (Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj) and Muslims (Aligarh movement
and Ahmadiyya).
The first Statement is not true as SGPC initially was a socio religious movement
against the corrupt mahants of Powerful Gurudwaras, it was in later times that
Political flip was given through the Akali Movement. The Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee (“Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee”) is an
organization in India responsible for the management of gurdwaras, Sikh places of
worship in three states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and union
territory of Chandigarh.
42.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Gandhiji delivered his first speech at Banaras Hindu University in
February 1916. He mainly highlighted issues such as poverty, Rich and poor Divide,
Farmers etc. But not about plight of Untouchable it was after the 2 years tour of
India which influenced Gandhi to understand the true plight of Untouchables
(Harijans as he would call them). Ahmedabad mill strikes was in 1918.
43.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Rowlatt Act - 1919
Salt March/Dandi March - 1930
Chauri Chaura Incident - 1922
2nd RTC - 1931

44.
 ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The Salt March was widely covered by the American and European
press.
The New York Times and other media outlets began following the walk’s progress,
quoting Gandhi as he denounced the salt tax as “monstrous” and chided the British
for “being ashamed to arrest me.” Hence statement 2 is correct and 1 is Not correct.

45.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: 1932 itself British PM Ramsay Macdonald had given Communal
Award i.e., Separate Electorates to Depresses and Untouchables.
The Indian National Congress emerged in power in eight of the provinces - the three
exceptions being Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh.
The All-India Muslim League failed to form the government in any province.
46.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The third statement is not rue as Arya Samaj had the same popular
base as there existed for Brahmo Samaj. It was founded in 1875 at Bombay by
Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Introduced the Shuddhi movement or mass
purification and later in 1882 the Arya Samaj formed a ‘Cow Protection Association’.
Had a very strong support base amongst the trading castes. In 1893 Arya Samaj split
into two sections in Punjab, the moderate section led by Lala Hans Raj and Lala
Lajpat Rai and set up a chain of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic colleges.

47.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: During the mid-19th century Industrial Revolution, the average life
span of workers in Manchester was 17 years.
48.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia
on July 3, 1775, appointed George Washington as Commander in Chief of the
Continental Army and authorized the raising of the army through conscription. On
July 4, 1776, the Congress issued the Declaration of Independence.
49.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: A leader of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, he was also a vice-
chairman of the powerful Petrograd Soviet. On 7 November, his government was
overthrown by the Lenin-led Bolsheviks in the October Revolution.

50. Statement I: The passing of the Coercive Acts made reconciliation between Britain
and her American colonies virtually impossible.
Statement II: The British Parliament, having issued the Stamp Act in 1765, repealed
it later.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the correct
explanation of Statement I
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true
 ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The Coercive Acts was passed by the British government to penalise
the Boston people who were involved in the Tea Party incident. The Coercive Acts
made reconciliation impossible as the acts included were as follows:
The Boston Port Act which mandated for the closure of the Boston Port until the loss
due to Tea Party is paid.
The Massachusetts Government Act which mandated prohibition of the meeting of
the Massachusetts government.
The Administration of Justice Act, which provided for the immunity from criminal
prosecution to the British officials in Massachusetts.
The Quartering Act, which provided for the quartering of houses of the colonists.
The Quebec Act, which provided for the freedom of worship to the Canadian
Catholics.
The Stamp Act was passed in 1765 and was repealed in 1766.

51. Statement I: The Poona Pact provided for 151 reserved seats for the scheduled
castes to be elected by a joint, not separate, electorate.
Statement II: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar withdrew from active politics for almost a decade
when the Communal Award was revoked.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the correct
explanation of Statement I
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true
 ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Poona Pact refers to the agreement signed in 1932 to provide
the depressed classes with the reservation of the electoral seats in the British India
Parliament.
On 24 September 1932, the Poona Pact was sealed between Mahatma Gandhi and
Dr. B R Ambedkar in the Yerawada Central Jail, Pune. Gandhiji was undertaking a fast
against the British government’s decision to grant separate electorates for the
‘Depressed classes.
According to the provision of the Poona Pact Total of 151 Seats would be reserved
for the ‘Depressed classes’ in the Provincial Councils. Hence, statement 1 is true.
The members of the depressed classes who were eligible to vote would form an
electoral college. This College would elect four candidates among the depressed
classes based on a single vote.
This principle of ‘Joint electorate and reserved seats’ was also to be followed in the
Central Assembly.
The then British Prime Minister Ramsay Mac Donald granted the ‘Communal Award’
to minority communities including the ‘Depressed classes.
Gandhi protested this award (also known as the MacDonald Award) by undertaking
a fast unto death whilst in jail in Poona.
The separate electorate for Dalits was a topic on which Gandhi and Ambedkar could
not agree upon.
It was signed by Madan Mohan Malviya on the behalf of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R.
Ambedkar at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune.
He did not retire from active politics. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1954.
He died in 1957. Hence, statement 2 is false.

52. Which one of the following statements about the All-India Depressed Classes
Association is not correct?
A. The All-India Depressed Classes Association was formed in Nagpur with M. C.
Rajah as its first elected President.
B. The All-India Depressed Classes Association was not attended by Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar in 1926.
C. Ambedkar resigned from the All-India Depressed Classes Association and
formed his own All India Depressed Classes Congress in 1930.
D. The All-India Depressed Classes Association favored Ambedkar’s demand for
separate electorate for the depressed classes.
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: In 1932the All India Depressed Classes Association was formed in
Nagpur with M. C. Rajah as its first elected President.
 The All-India Depressed Classes Association did not favour Ambedkar’s demand for
separate electorate for the depressed classes.

53. Which one of the following statements about the Justice Party is NOT correct?
A. It clamored for the same kind of separate communal representation for the
non-Brahmins as had been granted to the Muslims by the Morley-Minto
Reforms.
B. It was patronized mainly by richer landowning and urban middle class non-
Brahmins.
C. It succeeded in getting the provision for 28 reserved seats for the Non-
Brahmins in the Montagu Chelmsford Reforms.
D. It supported the call given by the Congress to boycott elections in 1920.
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The Justice Party was formed in 1916 as a non-Brahmins party in the
Madras Presidency.
They sought representation of non-Brahmins in the Government.
They were against the launch of Non-cooperation Movement and opposed Congress
for being dominated by the Brahmins.

54.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The system was devised by Capt. Alexander Read and Thomas (later
Sir Thomas) Munro at the end of the 18th century and introduced by the latter when
he was governor (1820–27) of Madras (now Chennai). The principle was the direct
collection of the land revenue from each individual cultivator by government agents.
55. Statement I: The Communists left the All-India Trade Union Congress in 1931.
Statement II: By 1928, the Communists were no longer working with the
mainstream national movement.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the
correct explanation of Statement I
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Important congress leaders
got impressed with the leftism. Leaders of the Communist Party of India started
working in collaboration with the leaders of congress. Hence, statement 1 is
correct.
But in 1928, the leaders of the Communist Party of India declared Congress
leaders as Capitalist and got separated from them. After that, the communists
were no longer working with the mainstream national movement. Hence,
statement 2 is correct.
In 1931, the communists also left all India Trade Union Congress.

56. Statement I: The Early Aryans who were essentially pastoral did not develop
any political structure, which could measure up a state in ancient or modern
terms.
 Statement II: Kingship was same as tribal chiefship, the term Rajan being used
for tribal chief who was primarily a military leader and ruled over his people
and not over specific area.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I
B. Both the statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the
correct explanation of Statement I
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is
the correct explanation of Statement I

57.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The revolt took place in 1861 Assam, known as 'Phulaguri
dhawa', in which a British official was killed, and several police officers were
injured, was triggered by a ban imposed on opium cultivation and a proposed
taxation on betel leaf and nut.

58.
 ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Sayyid Brothers became highly influential in the Mughal
Court after Aurangzeb's death and became king makers during the anarchy
following the death of emperor Aurangzeb in 1707.They created and
dethroned Mughal Emperors at their will during the 1710s. Bahadur Shah I died
in 1712, and his successor Jahandar Shah was assassinated on the orders of the
Sayyid Brothers.

59. Which of the following statements about the heterodox sect between sixth
and fourth century BC are correct?
1) The Jain ideas were already being circulated in the seventh century BC by
Parshva.
2) Although Buddhism, and to a lesser extent Jainism, took account of the
changes in material life and reacted against orthodoxy, neither of these
sought to abolish the caste system.
3) The first female disciple of Mahavira is said to have been a captures slave
woman.
4) Buddha held that nuns could attain spiritual liberation just like a monk and
granted them an equal status in the mendicant order.
A. 1, 2, 3 and 4
B. 1, 2 and 3 only
C. 1, 2 and 4 only
D. 3 and 4 only
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Parshva also known as Parsvanatha was 23rd Tirthankara. His
biography is uncertain and by some historians he may have lived in 8th or 7th
century.
Buddha introduced the idea of placing the morality and equality as the
principal value not the caste system and so did the Jainism but neither of them
tried to abolish the caste system.
Monks and nuns both had equal rights. Both could attain Nirvana.
60.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The National Convention (French: Convention nationale) was a
parliament of the French Revolution, following the two-year National
Constituent Assembly and the one-year Legislative Assembly. Created after the
great insurrection of 10 August 1792, it was the first French government
organized as a republic, abandoning the monarchy altogether.

61.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: “The Social Contract” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, is a 1762 book
in which Rousseau theorized about the best way to establish a political
community in the face of the problems of commercial society, which he had
already identified in his Discourse on Inequality (1755).
62.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new
manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, in the period from
between 1760 to 1820 and 1840. All the statements given were responsible for
industrial revolution in 18th Century England.
63.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Qutab Minar - 1193 AD, The Tughlaqabad Fort – 1321 AD, Bada
Gumbad AD - 1490, Fatehpur Sikri – 1571 AD
64.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Irfan Habib is an Indian historian of ancient and medieval India,
he has authored several books, including Agrarian System of Mughal India,
1556–1707.
65.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: In ancient days soils were classified based on the fertility.
Fertile soils were called Urvara and sterile soils which were not suitable for
agriculture are called Usara. Devamatrika was land watered by rain,
Nadimatrika was land watered by a river and Maru was Desert Land.

66.

ANSWER: D
 EXPLANATION: The Indian Social Reformer was founded in Madras in 1890 by
K N Natarajan, an associate of that great campaigning journalist and founder
of The Hindu, G. Subramaniam Iyer.

67.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The 12th century Sanskrit scholar who was first responsible for
the compilation of nibandhas and puranic texts is Lakshmidhara. The
compilation of nibandhas is called Kalpataru and has themes from various
Hindu aspects such as the puranas, dharma literature and Vedas in one volume.

68.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Silapatigaram by Ilango Adigal, is the earliest Jain Tamil semi
legendary epic. The epic is a tragic love story of an ordinary couple, Kannaki
and her husband Kovalan in the town of Puhar next the river Cauvery.
69.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Iron was not known to the Harappan people. Since the
civilization existed during the Bronze Age, it had made many metallurgical
advances in copper and bronze but not in Iron.

70.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Harsha of Thanesar belonged to the Pushyabhti Dynasty. He
was also called as the last great Hindu king. Harsha Charita was written by his
court poet Bana Bhatta which had mentions of various present sent to Harsha,
one such ruler was Bhaskara who belonged to Varman Dynasty of Assam and
was a contemporary of Harsha.
71.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Atmiya Sabha was started in 1815 in Kolkata and Brahmo Samaj
was founded in 1828 by Ram Mohan Roy. Prarthana Samaj was founded by
Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 and Arya Samaj was founded by Dayanand
Saraswati in 1875.

72.

A. A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3

B. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
C. A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1
D. A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Self Explanatory.
73.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Option B is not correct. Indeed, it was the quiet opposite to
what is given.
74.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Verses ascribed to poet-saint Kabir have been compiled in all 3
traditions mentioned below.
Kabir bijak (preserved by Kabirpnath which means path or sect of Kabir in
Varanasi)
Kabir Granthawali (which is associated with Dadupanth in Rajasthan)
Adi Granth Sahib (His compositions are also found in Adi Granth Sahib in
Punjab).
All the manuscripts have been compiled long after death of Kabir.
75.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: All the statements are true. The Sufi movement is believed to
have begun in Persian countries. The first epoch of Sufism is said to begun in
7th A.D.
Sufism entered in India in 12th century with Muslim invaders. Sufi saints
believed that love and devotion are only means of reaching God. They give
great importance to Prophet Muhammed along with their ‘murshids’ or ‘pir’
(guru). They do not believe in caste system and preached in Arabic, Persian and
Urdu etc.
76.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Mandala No. 10.85 is a marriage hymn, evoking the marriage
of Surya, daughter of Surya (the Sun), another form of Ushas, the prototypical
bride. Mandala No. 10.121 (the Hiranyagarbha sukta) is another hymn dealing
with creation, containing elements of monotheism.
Rig Veda was said to be composed between 1500-1200 B.C, also known as ‘first
testament of mankind’.
It is a collection of 10,600 verses and 1,028 hymns.
It consists of 10 books also known as mandals; each mandala consists of Suktas.
77.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Non-Brahmin lower caste movement took place in Madras and
Maharashtra
Karnataka was not affected by the NCM.
There was labour unrest in Assam, Bengal and Madras
Statement 4 is incorrect as after the Chauri-Chaura incident the movement was
completely stopped.
78.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Both the statements are true.
79.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: According to al-Biruni, the Sufi theories of the soul were like
those in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. Like the Yoga Sutra, Sufi works also stated that
‘the bodies are the snares of the souls for the purpose of acquiring
recompense’. Al-Biruni also identifies the Sufi doctrine of divine love as self-
annihilation with parallel passages from the Bhagavad Gita. There was also
much exchange of ideas between the Sufis and Indian yogis. In fact, the hatha-
yoga treatise Amrita Kunda was translated into Arabic and Persian, So C is right.
Hujwiri was known as Datta Ganj Baksh. Hujwiri comments that before he
settled in Lahore some sufis believed in theories that he calls Brahmanical.
According to Hujwiri they wrongly believed that ‘annihilation (fand’) signifies
loss of essence and destruction of the personality, and that subsistence (baqa)
indicates the subsistence of God in man.
80.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Francisco Pelsaert was a Dutch merchant during his visit to the
Mughal court in the seventeenth century, noted “In the palaces of these lords
dwells all the wealth there is, wealth which glitters indeed, but is borrowed,
wrung from the sweat of the poor.”

81.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Ginans are devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili
Muslims. Literally meaning gnosis, ginans are the sacred literature of the Nizari
Ismailis of South Asia, spanning topics of divine love, cosmology, rituals,
eschatology, ethical behavior and meditation.
82.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Nalayira Divya Prabandham is a collection of 4,000 Tamil
verses composed by the 12 Alvars. It was compiled in its present form by
Nathamuni during the 9th – 10th centuries

83.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Phoenix is a South African town about 25 kilometres northwest
of Durban Central, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was established as a town
by the apartheid government in 1976, but it has a long history of Indian
occupation. It is associated with the Phoenix Settlement, built by Mahatma
Gandhi.
84.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: In Kannada language dibba means a mound. Since this structure
was hidden underneath a mound, it came to be called as Mahanavami dibba.
It was on this elevated platform; the king used to sit and watch festivities
during the ten-day long Dasara festival.
85.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Abul Fazl placed Mughal kingship as the highest station in the
hierarchy of objects receiving light emanating from God (farr-i izadi). Abul Fazl
was inspired by a famous Iranian Sufi, Shahabuddin Suhrawardy who first
developed this idea. According to this idea, there was a hierarchy in which the
Divine Light was transmitted to the king who then became the source of
spiritual guidance for his subjects.
86.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The Mahavamsa (5th century CE) is the meticulously kept
historical chronicle of Sri Lanka written in the style of an epic poem written in
the Pali language. It deals in detail about the Life and achievements of Ashoka.
Rest are holy and sacred books of Buddhism.

87.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: They were repositories of relics of Buddha and other monks.
The Buddhist stupa serves as a marker for a sacred space, a symbolic
representation of the Buddha’s burial mound.
They were constructed not just in Rural but also popular trading routes, many
times at locations which were tough to be accessed easily.
88.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: James Prinsep was an English scholar, orientalist, and
antiquary. He was the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of
Bengal and is best remembered for deciphering the Kharosthi and Brahmi
scripts of ancient India.
89.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: All the statements are correct expect for last. Most of the
grants were made in well settled areas. Brahmadeya (Sanskrit for "given to
Brahmana") was tax free land gift either in form of single plot or whole villages
donated to Brahmanas in the early medieval India. Brahmadeya was devised
by the Brahmanical texts as the surest mean to achieve merit and destroy sin.
90.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Manimekhalai or Manimekalai, is a Tamil epic composed by
Seethalai Sataṉar probably around the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a
sequel to the "love story" in the earliest Tamil epic Silapatigaram, with some
characters from it and their next generation.

91.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Statement 1- The name to Elephanta cave was given by the
Portuguese explorers.
statement 2 - It has many caves and one large cave also known as Grand Cave
or Cave 1.
Statement 3- It is well known for craving of Hindu lord ‘Shiva’ with various
sculpture of Hindu god ‘Shiva’ like Trimurti, Natraj etc.
Statement 4- The creators of cave are associated with Pashupata sect.
92.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: In 1875, the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College was
founded by Sir Syed, he was quite willing to take on the religious clergy, which
opposed scientific education, and was even called a kafir for his pains. He was
ridiculed and excluded from the society but he forged ahead.

93.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Kot Diji forms a part of the Harappan Civilization. It is nearest
to Mohenjo-Daro.
It is an ancient flood channel located on the bank of the Indus River.
Consists of a stone rubble wall.
Surrounds a citadel.
Dated 3500 B.C - Early Harappan Period.
Mohenjo-Daro lies on the bank of the Indus River in the Larkana district of
Sindh Province of Pakistan.
Mohenjo-Daro was discovered by Mr. R D Banerji in 1922 and it was designated
as UNESCO's World heritage site in 1980.
Mohenjo-Daro does mean 'Mound of the dead'. The modern name for the site
has been interpreted as "Mound of the Dead Men" in Sindh interpreted as
"Mound of the Dead Men" in Sindhi.
94.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: The Jataka tales were written in the Pali language. The stories
mostly deal with Buddha from previous births. Gandatindu Jataka was written
in Pali Language. One of the stories describes how a wicked king went into
disguise to know what his subjects taught of him.

95.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: In the Tamil region, large landowners were known as vellalar,
ordinary ploughmen were known as uzhavar, and landless labourers, including
slaves, were known as kadaisiyar and adimia.
96.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Manusmriti declares seven means of acquiring wealth for men,
while six means for acquiring wealth for women.
For men - Inheritance, Finding, Conquest, Purchase, Investment, Work, and
acceptance of gifts from good people.
For women - Streedhana (at the time of marriage)/Bridal Processions, Token of
Affection (Whatever she got from her brother, mother, or father),
subsequently a gift acquired after marriage from her husband, yet again, as a
token of affection.

97.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Based on the Buddhist Text Majjhima Nikaya which has been
written in Pali, the story is about a dialogue that took place between
Avantiputta and Kachchana.
While Avantiputta was the king, Kachchana was the disciple of Buddha.
 The text reveals the kind of attitude that King had towards the Varna system.
Samyutta Nikaya is the third volume of Sutta Pitaka and deals with subjects like
'What is a Buddha' and 'What is a Tathagata'
Anguttara Nikaya deals with the philosophical teachings of Buddha.
Ambattha Nikaya talks about denouncing the caste system, as well as the
pretensions of Brahmins.

98.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: India and Rome traded in luxury goods and not articles of daily
use.
Romans imported Spices from South India.
Precious stones, including gems and pearl stones, were imported by Rome
from Central and South India.
Iron goods and Cutlery formed the part of India's export to the Roman Empire.
Romans were extremely fond of Indian Pepper, called Yavanpriyai.
Spikenard was fragrant and was used by the wealthy in Rome. It was imported
from India.
According to Moti Chandra, Romans were fond of the tortoiseshells from the
Indian Ocean, however, the most significant ones were from Suvamadvipa.
Nutmeg didn't form a part of exports from India to Rome.
99.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: All the statements are true. The GOI act 1858 was passed Post
Revolt 1857.
100.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Indian Councils Act of 1861 transformed the viceroy's
Executive Council into a miniature cabinet run on the portfolio system, and
each of the five ordinary members was placed in charge of a distinct
department of Calcutta's government—home, revenue, military, finance, and
law.
101.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: All the statements are true. Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the
Objectives Resolution in the Constituent Assembly on 13th December 1946.
The Assembly extensively debated the Resolution between 16th and 19th.

102.

ANSWER: B
 EXPLANATION: Niccolo Manucci, a versatile traveler from Venice, Italy, settled
in India till his last in Chennai, 1720.
Over the time of his stay in India, he worked for the Portuguese, British, and
also worked as free agent many times.
Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese traveller who wrote details on the life and
trade in South India.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a french-jeweller who travelled to India six-time
and compared India to the empires in Ottoman and Iran.
Francois Bernier was a Frenchman, a political philosopher, a historian, and a
doctor who came to the Mughal Empire in search of opportunities.
He worked with Dara Shikoh and later with Danishmand Khan, an Armenian
noble.

103.

ANSWER: D
 EXPLANATION: The amara-nayaka system was a political innovation of the
Vijayanagara Empire as they played a very important role in the empire. They
were the military commanders of Vijayanagara. Their duties were to collect
taxes and other dues from peasants, trades and others.

104.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Tarikh-i-Akbari is a well-known chronicle written on Akbar and
an important source of the Mughal Administration during the rule.
Also known as Muzzaffar Nama, the work was compiled by Muhammad Arif
Qandhari with the help of Muzaffar Khan.
After completion, he was conferred a Khilat.
He worked under Bairam Khan and Muzzafar Khan.
Later in his life, he was made the diwan of Punjab.

105.

ANSWER: B
 EXPLANATION: Aristocrat Muqarrab Khan was the great favourite of Jahangir.
According to Irfan Habib, despite being a physician, who generally were not
regarded as a part of the Mughal Aristocracy, Muqarrab Khan was respected
with high regard during the rule of Jahangir.
It was because of his likeliness for Muqarrab Khan, that Jahangir gave him the
title Shaikh Hasan Hassu.
He attained a high mansab of 5,000 Zats and 5,000 Swadr.
He was also appointed as the governor of three provinces during Jahangir's
reign.

106.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Nawab Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk (AD 1722-1739) founded
Awadh as an autonomous state.
He was appointed as governor by Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah.
He was made the king of Awadh to negotiate with Nadir Shah.
Safdar Jung/ Abdul Mansur (AD 1739-1754) took part in the Battle of Manpur
against Ahmed Shah Abdali.
Shuja-ud-doula (AD 1754-1775) was the son of Safdar Jung and an ally of
Ahmed Shah Abdali.
107.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Houses in Varanasi in the 17th century were constructed with
Stone and brick.
Jean Baptiste Tavernier came to Varanasi in 1655.
He wrote extensively about the art and culture of Varanasi.
He also wrote about the river Ganga and pointed out the concern of the
pollution in the river.
He was a French Gem merchant who bought the Hope diamond.
He has given detailed account in his book 'Travels of India.'

108.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The initial attempt to train the Civil Servants locally was done
by Lord Wellesley. Within the campus of the Fort William, he founded Fort
Williams College on 10 July 1800.
109.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: It was Amiya Kumar Bagchi who used Buchanan-Hamilton's
data to support the thesis of deindustrialization in the 19th century.
He examined the evidence from the Handloom industry as well as the other
traditional industries in the Gangetic plain region of Bihar.
His evidence suggests that a major decline was registered in the industrial
employment share during the first half of the 19th century.
His evidence suggests a decline of 21 percent in deindustrialization.
Tirthankar Roy, a well-known economist also suggests that the number of
people employed in the industries was more in the 1800s as compared to the
1900s.
Irfan Habib suggests that there might have been an increase in insurance rates
during the 18th century.
 While Sabyasachi Bhattacharya is a known historian of Modern India, he hasn't
suggested any research papers on deindustrialization in the 19th century India.

110.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: In 1843, a Scottish Horticulturalist Robert Fortune travelled to
China to study the tea plantations there.
He returned to India in 1849.
He smuggled around 13,000 plants and 10,000 seeds in glass bottles through
Calcutta and Hong Kong.
It was after this, that the Britishers were able to dig their feet deep into the Tea
Industry in Eastern India.
111.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Azad Hind Radio was established in Berlin, Germany in
1942 by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as a tool of propaganda against the British
government.
It first began broadcasting on January 7, 1942.
It was originally headquartered in Germany, but later shifted to Singapore, and
then to Myanmar.
112.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: INC, IML & the Unionist Party formally accepted the Cabinet
Mission Plan on 6th June 1946. Congress, which initially accepted the proposals
which rejected Pakistan, later rejected the Plan claiming the disproportionate
representation that was given to the Muslim League.
Further, J.L Nehru in a public speech raised objections that may be drawn
against the proposed groupings from the North-western Frontier Province, and
Assam.
Later, when Jinnah got to know about the plan of Nehru to use majority in
Constituent Assembly to change the scheme in future, he rejected it on behalf
of the grouping.

113.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The All-India Kisan Sabha held its eighth session in Bezwada,
now called Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
The session was held between 14-15th March 1944.
 Swami Sahajanand Saraswathi was elected as the president of this session.
The first All India Kisan Sabha - a peasant-based organization - was held in 1936.
It was also formed by Sahajanand Saraswathi at the Lucknow Session of the
Indian National Congress.

114.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Eka Movement or Unity Movement is a peasant movement
which took place in Hardoi, Bahraich and Sitapur during the end of 1921 by
Madari Pasi, an offshoot of Non-Cooperation Movement. The initial thrust was
given by the leaders of Congress and Khilafat movement.

115.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Hindu Mahasabha was founded in 1914 by Madan Mohan
Malviya.
It worked with Arya Samaj and other Hindu organizations.
 It was directly link with Rastriya Swam Sevak Sangh (RSS) found in 1925 at
Nagpur by K.B.Hedgewar.
The first All India Hindu Mahasabha Conference was organized at Hardiwar
Kumbh Mela in 1915.
The Sabha became more aggressive after 1929 and started propagating Hindu
Rashtra which was different from Gandhiji’s Ram Rajya.

116. Henry T. Colebrooke was a Professor of Sanskrit in which one of the following
institutions?
A. Fort William College
B. Serampore Mission
C. Kashi Vidyapith
D. Asiatic Society
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Henry T. Colebrooke was appointed professor at Fort William
College in 1805. The college was started by Lord Wellesley in the year 1800. It
was started with the intention of training new civil servants in local languages.

117. The Deccan Agriculturalists Relief Act of 1879 was enacted with which one of
the following objectives.
A. Restore lands to the dispossessed peasants
B. Ensure financial assistance to peasants during social and religious
occasions
C. Restrict the sale of land for indebtedness to outsiders
D. Give legal aid to insolvent peasants
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Deccan Riots Commission was set up which presented a
report to the British Parliament in 1878.In 1879, the Agriculturists Relief Act
was passed which ensured that the farmers could not be arrested and
imprisoned if they were unable to pay their debts. It was an Act for the relief
of Indebted Agriculturists in certain parts of the Deccan.

118. The Damin-i-Koh was created by the British Government to settle which one
of the following communities?
A. Santhals
B. Mundas
C. Oraons
D. Saoras
 ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Santhals were invited to Bengal around the 1780s by powerful
Zamindars to take care of agriculture.
The British were facing stiff opposition from Paharias who would not cut
forests and plough fields which generate revenue in areas around the
Rahmahal hills.
The Santhals were flexible and were hired by the British. Around 1830s large
areas of land was given to the Santhals around the foothills of Raj Mahal hills
to be cleared and cultivated. The Paharias were pushed into the barren hills.
The area given to Santhals around Raj Mahal Hills was called Damin-i-Koh. They
soon expanded the cultivated area and population multiple folds.
Santhals soon realized they were being oppressed and in 1855 Santhal
rebellion started and Santhal Paraganas (5500 km2 exclusive area)) was
created to satisfy them.

119. The Limitation Law, which passed by the British in 1859, addressed which one
of the following issues?
A. Loan bonds would not have any legal validity
B. Loan bonds signed between money lender and Ryots would have validity
only for three years
C. Loan bonds could not be executed by money lenders
D. Loan bonds would have validity for ten years
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The ryots came to see the moneylender as devious and
deceitful. They complained of moneylenders manipulating laws and forging
accounts. In 1859 the British passed a Limitation Law that stated that the loan
bonds signed between moneylenders and ryots would have validity for only
three years. This law was meant to check the accumulation of interest over
time. The moneylender, however, turned the law around, forcing the ryot to
sign a new bond every three years.

120. Who among the following was known during the days of the Revolt of 1857
as 'Danka Shah'?
A. Shah Mal
B. Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah
C. Nana Sahib
D. Tantia Tope
ANSWER: B
 EXPLANATION: Ahmadullah Shah Madrasi alias Danka Shah (1789-1858), a
descendant of the Qutub Shahi family of the Deccan, was in Faizabad when the
sepoys mutinied in Meerut. He threw himself into the movement then and
there. This was why he also came to be known as Ahmadullah Shah Faizabadi.

121. The Summary Settlement of 1856 was based on which one of the following
assumptions.
A. The Talukdars were the rightful owners of the land
B. The Talukdars were interlopers with no permanent stakes in the land.
C. The Talukdars could evict the peasants from the lands
D. The Talukdars would take a portion of the revenue which flowed to the
State
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The annexation of Awadh started by dethroning Nawab Wajid
Ali Shah in the year 1856 on the count of misgovernance. The British wished
for Awadh to be a part of British territory assuming it had fertile soils.
They realized Talukdars were landholders in the region and were powerful. To
reduce the landholding, they assumed talukdars as interlopers and not original
owners of the land and that the peasants were oppressed.
Upon assuming full revenue control, the British realized the lands were grossly
overestimated and talukdars were not oppressors but were necessary for the
system.
This incident was one of the reasons for Awadh being a strong centre for the
Revolt of 1857.
122. Who amongst the following organized the All India Scheduled Castes
Federation?
A. Jyotiba Phule
B. Periyar
C. B.R. Ambedkar
D. M.K. Karunanidhi
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Scheduled Caste Federation was founded by Dr. Ambedkar in
1942 to fight for the rights of the Dalit community. SCF was the successor
organization of the Independent Labour Party led by Ambedkar. SCF later
evolved into the Republican Party of India.

123. Who designed the Bombay Secretariat in the 1870s?

A. H. St. Clair Wilkins
B. Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney
C. Purushottamdas Thakurdas
D. Nusserwanji Tata
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Bombay Secretariat was designed and constructed by St Clair
Wilkins in the Venetian Gothic style. It has arcaded verandahs with huge gable
over the west facade. It was a monument to the civic pride of Bombay's British
rulers.
Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney and Nusserwanji Tata were Parsi
industrialists.
124. Who was the founder of Mahakali Pathshala in Calcutta?
A. Maharani Tapaswini
B. Sister Nivedita
C. Madame Blavatsky
D. Sarojini Naidu
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Mahakali Pathshala in Calcutta was founded by Maharani
Tapaswini in the year 1893. She was one of the first people to concentrate on
girls, women education. She has fought along with Rani Laxmi Bhai in the revolt
of 1857.

125. Which European ruler had observed 'Bear in mind that the commerce of India
is the commerce of the world .... he who can exclusively command it is the
dictator of Europe.
A. Queen Victoria
B. Peter the Great of Russia
C. Napoleon Bonaparte
D. Gustav II Adolf
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: India was one of the main centres of world trade and industry.
Peter the Great of Russia was led to exclaim: “Bear in mind that the commerce
of India is the commerce of the world and ... he who can exclusively command
it is the dictator of Europe.”
126. Which European traveler had observed, "A Hindu woman can go anywhere
alone, even in the most crowded places, and she need never fear the
impertinent looks and jokes of idle loungers"?
A. Francois Bernier
B. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
C. Thomas Roe
D. Abbe J.A. Dubois
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: A European traveller, Abbe J.A. Dubois, commented, at the
beginning of the 19th century: "A Hindu woman can go anywhere alone, even
in the most crowded places, and she need never fear the impertinent looks and
jokes of idle loungers.... A house inhabited solely by women is a sanctuary
which the most shameless libertine would not dream of violating.' The women
of the time possessed title individuality of their own. This does not mean that
there were no exceptions to this rule.

127. Which Indian social theorist had argued that the idea of a homogenized
Hinduism was constructed through the 'cultural arrogance of post-
enlightenment Europe’?
A. Ashis Nandy
B. Partha Chatterjee
C. T. K. Oommen
D. Rajni Kothari
 ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Ashis Nandy differentiated Nationalism from Patriotism. He
worked extensively on the relationship between Indians and Britishers.
He theorized that Indian Nationalism was a result of various theories,
happenings all around the world and particularly Europe.
He argued that the theory that homogenized Hinduism was constructed
through the cultural arrogance of post-enlightenment Europe.

128. Which one of the following is not a change brought about by the Indian
Independence Act of 1947?
A. The Government of India Act, 1919 was amended to provide an interim
Constitution.
B. India ceased to be a dependency.
C. The Crown was the source of authority till new Constitution was framed.
D. The Governor-General was the constitutional head of Indian Dominion.
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The complete legislative authority would be given to the
Constituent Assemblies of the new countries.
The Act decided to grant independence to India and Pakistan with effect from
15th August 1947.
The new boundaries of the dominions would be demarcated by the Boundary
Commission.
British suzerainty over the princely states was to end. These states could decide
to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent. Over 560 states decided
to merge with India.
 The British emperor would cease to use the title ‘Emperor of India’.
Until the new dominions’ constitutions would become effective, the heads of
state would be the respective Governor-Generals who would continue to
assent laws passed by the Constituent Assemblies in the name of the king.
This Act received the royal assent on 18th July 1947 and entered into force.
Pakistan became independent on 14th August and India on 15th August 1947.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was appointed Pakistan’s Governor-General and Lord
Mountbatten became India’s.

129. Which one of the following developments took place because of the Kansas-
Nebraska Act of 1854?
A. The Missouri Compromise was repealed, and people of Kansas and
Nebraska were allowed to determine whether they should own slaves or
not.
B. The Act did not permit the territories the right to vote over the question
of slavery.
C. The voice of the majority regarding the issue of slavery was muzzled.
D. The Federal Government had the sole authority to decide on slavery.
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Kansas-Nebraska Act of May 30, 1854, was passed by the US
Congress.
It permitted individuals in the domains of Kansas and Nebraska to choose for
themselves whether to permit subjugation or slavery inside their fringes.
The Act served to cancel the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which denied
subjugation north of scope 36°30'.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act infuriated numerous in the North who considered the
Missouri Compromise to be a long-standing authoritative understanding.
While in the pro-slavery South it was unequivocally bolstered.
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, pro-slavery and anti-slavery
supporters surged in to settle Kansas to influence the result of the principal
decision held there after the law became effective.
Pro-slavery pioneers conveyed the decision however were accused of
misrepresentation by anti-slavery settlers, and the outcomes were not
acknowledged by them.

130. Which of the following statements about Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, as a

drafting member of the Constitution of India, are correct?
1. He favored the role of the Supreme Court in taking important decisions
related to the interpretation of the Constitution of India.
2. He felt that the Supreme Court had to draw the line between liberty and
social control.
3. He believed in the dominance of the executive over the judiciary.
4. He favored a dictatorial form of governance.
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1, 2 and 3
C. 3 and 4
D. 1, 2 and 4
ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: On 23 November 1949, Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, while
making of the constitution said about the role of supreme court - “While there
can be no two opinions on the need for the maintenance of judicial
independence, ...it is also necessary to keep in view one important principle.
The doctrine of independence is not to be raised to the level of a dogma to
enable the judiciary to function as a kind of super-legislature or super
executive. The judiciary is there to interpret the Constitution or adjudicate
upon the rights...”
The Indian Constitution depends on a fragile standard of the restricted
detachment of power and checks and balances. This implies every organ of the
administration has an unmistakable region of working. Along these lines, the
Parliament is preeminent in making laws and altering or amending the
Constitution, the executive or official is incomparable in actualizing them while
the legal executive is preeminent in settling questions and choosing whether
the laws that have been made are as per the arrangements of the Constitution.
Despite such obvious division of intensity, the contention between the
Parliament and judiciary, and executive and judiciary has remained an
intermittent subject in Indian governmental issues.
131. In 1921, during which one of the following tours, Gandhiji shaved his head
and began wearing loincloth to identity with the poor?
A. Ahmadabad
B. Champaran
C. Chauri Chaura
D. South India
ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: On 22nd September 1921, Gandhi made a momentous
decision to change his attire. From the elaborate Gujarati attire, he decided on
a simple dhoti and shawl. This epoch-making decision was taken by Gandhiji in
Madurai after he decided that he must work for and with the with the poor
people of India and how can he identify with them if he wears different
clothes from them.
132. Shimla was founded as a hill station to use as strategic place for billeting
troops, guarding frontier, and launching campaign during
A. Anglo-Maratha War
B. Anglo-Burmese War
C. Anglo-Gurkha War
D. Anglo-Afghan War
ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: History of Shimla goes back to the period of Anglo –Gurkha war
in the year 1808-09. The British connection with the area developed only after
this battle between the Sikh rulers of these hills and the Gurkhas from Nepal.
133. Which politician in British India had opposed to a Pakistan that would mean
"Muslim Raj here and Hindu Raj elsewhere"?
A. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
B. Sikandar Hayat Khan
C. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
D. Rafi Ahmed Kidwai
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: “Pakistan would mean a massacre,” the Premier of Punjab Sir
Sikandar Hayat Khan predicted to the distinguished civilian Penderel Moon as
early as in October 1938 (Divide and Quit, page 20). That was well before the
Muslim League adopted the Pakistan resolution on March 23, 1940, in Lahore,
radically altering Sir Sikandar's draft just 24 hours before it was passed. He
repudiated it because it dropped the organic link between the two parts of
India, which he had provided. He told the Punjab Legislative Assembly, on
March 11, 1941, “We do not ask for freedom that there may be Muslim Raj
here and Hindu Raj elsewhere. If that is what Pakistan means I will have nothing
to do with it.”
134.
 ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Self Explanatory.

135.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: The Cornwallis Code is a body of legislation enacted in 1793 by
the East India Company to improve the governance of its territories in India.
 In British India, the Vernacular Press Act in 1878 was enacted to curtail the
freedom of the Indian press and prevent the expression of criticism toward
British policies.
During Lord Ripon's time, the first Factories Act was adopted in 1881.
Following this act, a Factory Commission was appointed in 1885.
Indian Councils Act of 1909, also called Morley-Minto Reforms, series of
reform measures enacted in 1909 by the British Parliament, the main
component of which directly introduced the elective principle to membership
in the imperial and local legislative councils in India.

136.

ANSWER: D
EXPLANATION: Rajani Palme Dutt was a known comrade belonging to the
Communist Party of India, and the nephew of Romesh Chandra Dutt.
R. Palme Dutt and Ben Bradley wrote the famous Dutt-Bradley thesis in 1936.
The theory proposed collaborative efforts by National Congress to build a
collective voice against the imperialist powers.
It helped the various parties in India to come together to fight against the
British Government and their policies.
 Nehru, who was elected as the President of the National Congress in 1936
session held in Lucknow, called for securing a collective affiliation of the
peasant and trade union organizations, which was one of the proposed points
in the Dutt-Bradley thesis.

137.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Mundari Khuntkatti was among the Mundas of Chotanagpur
region, a customary institution providing ownership of land among the families
belonging to the same clan or "killi".
They made the land cultivable by clearing the forest.
The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908 reduced the role of Mundari
Khuntkattidars as a mere tenant of land, and not the owner of the village or
the land.

138.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Indian Agriculture Services & Indian Agricultural Research
Institute was a result of the decision taken by Lord Curzon in 1905. It was
further supported by Lord Minto in 1906.
139.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Kabikankan Mukundaram Chakrabarti was a 16th-century
Bengali poet who is best known for writing the epic poem Chandimangal, which
is considered one of the most prominent works of Mangalkavya, one of the
most important sub-genres of medieval Bengali literature.

140.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov was a Soviet statesman during the
Cold War. He served as Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union from 1965, and as unofficial Chief Ideologue of the Party until his death
in 1982.
141.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: James Burnham wrote the book 'The Managerial Revolution'
where he argued that Capitalism was long dead.
• According to him, the then system was being replaced by what he called
the 'managerialism' - a new economic system.
• The book was written in 1941.
• He argued that Capitalism would be replaced by the rule of
administrators, both in business and in government.
142.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Nayanars and Alvars led religious movements in south India
during the seventh to ninth centuries. The Nayanars were devotees of Shiva
while the Alvars were the devotees of Vishnu. They came from all castes
including those considered 'untouchable like the Pulaiyar and the Panars.

143.
 ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: According to Tamil Literature
Maruta Makkal - Ploughmen living in villages and inhabiting fertile tracts
Kuravan Makkal - Hill people who told people their fortunes
Mullai Makkal - Pastoralist, Shepherds.
Neytal Makkal - Fishing people living in coastal villages called pattinam.
Palai Makkal - People of the dry plains.

144.

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION: Nasiruddin Obaidullah Ahrar (1404-1490 AD) more popularly
known as Khwaja Ahrar was a member of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi
Sufi spiritual order of Central Asia. He was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan to a
religious and devout Muslim family. Babur was his follower.
145.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The Second Option is not true. Indeed, it was the quite opposite
i.e. The Act made the Governor-General the chief executive authority. There
had to be the Executive Council of the Viceroy of eight members, out of which
three were to be Indians. The governor-general could restore cuts in grants,
certify bills rejected by the central legislature and issue ordinances.

146.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Rama Manohar Lohia was a strong advocate of the devolution
of politico-administrative power. He coined the phrase 'Four-Pillar State',
where he supported the Panchayati Raj. He graduated from Calcutta University
in 1929. He completed his doctoral studies from Germany in 1933, post which
he wrote a Ph.D. thesis on 'Salt taxation in India'. The focus of the study was
on Gandhi's socio-economic theory.
147.

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: The Dipavamsa is the oldest historical record of Sri Lanka. The
chronicle is believed to be compiled from Atthakatha and other sources around
the 3rd to 4th century CE. Together with the Mahavamsa, it is the source of
many accounts of ancient history of Sri Lanka and India.

148.
 ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION: Arikamedu is a Southern Archaeological site in Puducherry.
There have been found Indo-Pacific beads, megalithic stones made of black and
red ceramics. In Tamil, these beads are called Pandukal. They were traded
through the port, which today is known as the Coromandel coast.

149.

ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: Narayana Bhatta Goswami, a disciple of Shri Krishna Dasa
Brahmachari, is the author of the 16th century Sanskrit text, Vajra Bhakti. The
book focuses on the Braj region in Northern India. He was attached to the Vraja
Bhumi. He wandered through the forests and uncovered several deities that
were not being worshipped and started their worshipping.

150. Statement I: The Greek travelers were most impressed by the fertility of
India's soil and the energy and ability of her cultivators.
Statement II: Ancient India knew the use of manure.
A. Both the statements are individually true, and Statement II is the correct
explanation of Statement I.
B. Both statements are individually true, but Statement II is not the correct
explanation of Statement I.
C. Statement I is true, but Statement II is false
D. Statement I is false, but Statement II is true.
ANSWER: B
EXPLANATION: The Greeks found it astonishing that Indians could cultivate two
crops in a year.
The Ancient Indian Villagers used wooden ploughs that were drawn by oxen,
which has been verified by the excavation from various Harappan Phases.
It was because the villagers in Ancient India knew how to make proper use of
manure to increase cultivation. Both statements are individually true, but
Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I.