UPSC Prelims 2019 History and Culture questions: topic-wise weightage
UPSC Prelims 2019 asked 15 history questions in GS Paper I, spread over 7 topics. See the history weightage for 2019 below, then attempt each question with the official answer and an explanation.
History and Culture 2019: questions by topic
- Buddhism, Jainism and other sects1
- Mauryas to Guptas: Sangam age and early medieval kingdoms2
- Medieval India: Sultanate, Vijayanagara, Mughals, Marathas; Bhakti and Sufi3
- Reform movements, 1857, tribal and peasant revolts, early nationalism (to 1919)2
- Gandhian era to Independence; constitutional development3
- Architecture and sculpture2
- Painting, performing arts, crafts, literature, philosophy and festivals2
Counted from the 15 questions on this page, tagged by topic in the Battle IAS PYQ bank.
Seeing 15 History and Culture questions spread over 7 topics can feel overwhelming. That's exactly why the Battle IAS PYQ Book maps every question topic by topic, so you know what to study first. Download free sample
Buddhism, Jainism and other sects 1
Consider the following :
- 1. Deification of the Buddha
- 2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas
- 3. Image worship and rituals
Which of the above is/are the feature/features of Mahayana Buddhism?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three are features of Mahayana Buddhism (d). Mahayana, the "great vehicle", grew around the start of the Common Era under the Kushanas. It treated the Buddha as a divine, eternal being who could be worshipped (1). It made the bodhisattva the ideal: one who delays his own nirvana to help others reach it (2). It brought in images, worship, rituals and devotion (3). This gave rise to Buddha images in Gandhara and Mathura art. Early Buddhism, later called Hinayana or Theravada, saw the Buddha as a teacher and showed him by symbols such as the footprint and the bodhi tree.
Notice the Fourth Buddhist Council under Kanishka in Kashmir, linked to Mahayana's rise. Its texts used Sanskrit, not Pali.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Mauryas to Guptas: Sangam age and early medieval kingdoms 2
Which one of the following is not a Harappan site?
Answer (c) & explanation
Sohgaura is not a Harappan site (c). Sohgaura, in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is known for a Mauryan-period copper plate in Brahmi script. It records the setting up of storehouses for famine relief, one of the earliest such records. Chanhudaro (a) in Sindh was a bead-making centre and the only Harappan city without a citadel. Kot Diji (b), also in Sindh, shows a pre-Harappan phase with fortifications. Desalpur (d) in Kachchh, Gujarat, is a fortified Harappan site.
Notice the newest Harappan sites: Rakhigarhi (Haryana), one of the largest, where ancient DNA was studied, and Dholavira, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021. Lothal's National Maritime Heritage Complex is being built.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Option (a) is correct. Vishti was forced, unpaid labour that the king, or the holder of a land grant, could demand from villagers. It was treated as a tax paid in labour instead of money or crops, and therefore as a source of income for the state. Option (b) is wrong because Gupta-period inscriptions from central India and the Valabhi grants in Kathiawar mention vishti. Option (c) is wrong because there is no record of weekly wages; by definition it was unpaid. Option (d) is wrong because no source says the eldest son was sent.
Notice the related trend of land grants (agrahara) to Brahmins and temples, which often passed on the right to vishti. Historians link this to the rise of Indian feudalism, an idea argued by R.S. Sharma.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Medieval India: Sultanate, Vijayanagara, Mughals, Marathas; Bhakti and Sufi 3
With reference to Mughal India, what is/are the difference / differences between Jagirdar and Zamindar?
- 1. Jagirdars were holders of land assignments in lieu of judicial and police duties, whereas Zamindars were holders of revenue rights without obligation to perform any duty other than revenue collection.
- 2. Land assignments to Jagirdars were hereditary and revenue rights of Zamindars were not hereditary.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong because a jagir was an assignment of the revenue of an area, given to a mansabdar in place of a cash salary. In return he kept troops and served the emperor, mainly with military duties, not judicial and police duties. A zamindar did more than collect revenue: he kept law and order in his area and supplied troops when called. Statement 2 is wrong because it reverses the truth. Jagirs were transferable every few years and not hereditary, so that nobles did not build local power. Zamindari rights were hereditary and could even be sold.
Notice the link: the jagirdari crisis, a shortage of good jagirs under Aurangzeb, is often cited as a cause of Mughal decline.
Statement 2 swaps the two. The zamindar's right was the hereditary one.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. In the revenue administration of Delhi Sultanate, the in-charge of revenue collection was known as ‘Amil’.
- 2. The Iqta system of Sultans of Delhi was an ancient indigenous institution.
- 3. The office of ‘Mir Bakshi’ came into existence during the reign of Khalji Sultans of Delhi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 1 is correct (a). Statement 1 is right because, in the Delhi Sultanate, the amil was the official who collected revenue at the local level. Statement 2 is wrong because the iqta system was not indigenous. It came from West Asian Islamic practice, and Iltutmish set it up in India by giving iqtas to his officers, the muqtis, in place of salaries. Statement 3 is wrong because the Mir Bakhshi, head of the military pay and record office, was a Mughal post. The Sultanate's military office was the Diwan-i-Arz, set up by Balban.
Notice the Sultanate's key reforms: Alauddin Khalji's market control and land measurement, and Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency and Diwan-i-Kohi for farming.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.
- 2. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong because Nimbarka, the Vaishnava philosopher of Dvaitadvaita (dualistic non-dualism) and Radha-Krishna worship, lived around the 12th–13th century. Akbar ruled from 1556 to 1605, centuries later. Statement 2 is wrong because Kabir lived in the 15th century, while Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (1564–1624), the Naqshbandi Sufi who opposed Akbar's liberal policies, came about a century later. He could not have influenced Kabir. Kabir drew on the Nirguna Bhakti tradition, Ramananda, and the Nath and Sufi ideas around him.
Notice the timeline of Bhakti saints: Ramanuja (11th–12th century), Ramananda (14th–15th), Kabir and Guru Nanak (15th–16th), and Tulsidas (16th, under Akbar).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Reform movements, 1857, tribal and peasant revolts, early nationalism (to 1919) 2
Consider the following statements about ‘the Charter Act of 1813’:
- 1. It ended the trade monopoly of the East India Company in India except for trade in tea and trade with China.
- 2. It asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over the Indian territories held by the Company.
- 3. The revenues of India were now controlled by the British Parliament.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (a). The Charter Act of 1813 ended the Company's trade monopoly in India, opening it to all British merchants. It kept the Company's monopoly only over tea and trade with China (1). It also stated, for the first time, the sovereignty of the British Crown over the Company's Indian territories (2). Statement 3 is wrong because the Company still controlled Indian revenues, though under the oversight of the Board of Control. Other features: ₹1 lakh a year for education and permission for Christian missionaries to work in India.
Notice what came next: the Charter Act of 1833 ended the remaining monopolies and made the Governor-General of Bengal the Governor-General of India, starting with William Bentinck.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :
- 1. It contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.
- 2. The National Council of Education was established as a part of Swadeshi Movement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). The Swadeshi Movement began in 1905 against Curzon's partition of Bengal. Statement 1 is right because the boycott of British goods revived handloom weaving, crafts and Indian enterprise. Examples include P.C. Ray's Bengal Chemicals, swadeshi textile mills, soap and match factories, and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai's Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company. Statement 2 is right because the National Council of Education was set up in 1906 to give education under national control. It started the Bengal National College, with Aurobindo Ghosh as principal, and its technical wing grew into Jadavpur University.
Notice the culture side: Rabindranath Tagore wrote Amar Sonar Bangla in 1905, now Bangladesh's national anthem. The partition was annulled in 1911.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Gandhian era to Independence; constitutional development 3
Consider the following pairs :
| Movement/Organization | Leader
| 1. All India Anti-Untouchability League | Mahatma Gandhi
| 2. All India Kisan Sabha | Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
| 3. Self-Respect Movement | E. V. Ramaswami Naicker
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three pairs are correct (d). Gandhi founded the All India Anti-Untouchability League in September 1932, after the Poona Pact. It was soon renamed the Harijan Sevak Sangh, with G.D. Birla as president. The All India Kisan Sabha was formed at Lucknow in April 1936, with Swami Sahajanand Saraswati as president and N.G. Ranga as general secretary. E.V. Ramasamy Naicker, known as Periyar, started the Self-Respect Movement in 1925, against caste and Brahmin dominance. He later founded the Dravidar Kazhagam (1944).
Notice Periyar's earlier role in the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25) in Travancore, for temple road entry, where he was called "Vaikom Veerar". Its centenary was marked in 2024.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements :
- 1. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of ‘indentured labour’.
- 2. In Lord Chelmsford’s ‘War Conference’, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.
- 3. Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (b). Statement 1 is right because Gandhi's campaign against indentured labour, begun in South Africa and carried on in India, helped end indentured emigration in 1917. Statement 2 is wrong because, at Lord Chelmsford's War Conference in Delhi (April 1918), Gandhi supported the resolution to recruit Indians. He then toured Kheda trying to raise soldiers, and was called a "recruiting sergeant". Statement 3 is right because, during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, the government declared the Congress Working Committee illegal and arrested its leaders.
Notice the follow-up: the Gandhi–Irwin Pact (March 1931) ended the first phase, and Gandhi went to the Second Round Table Conference. Indenture was formally abolished in 1920.
Gandhi was called the "recruiting sergeant" in 1918. Statement 2 says the opposite.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs :
| Person | Position held
| 1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru | President, All India Liberal Federation
| 2. K. C. Neogy | Member, The Constituent Assembly
| 3. P. C. Joshi | General Secretary, Communist Party of India
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three pairs are correct (d). Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was a leading Liberal, a Moderate who left the Congress, and he presided over the All India Liberal Federation (1923 and 1927). He also drafted much of the Nehru Report (1928). K.C. Neogy was a member of the Constituent Assembly, later a Union minister, and chaired the First Finance Commission (1951). P.C. Joshi was the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (1935–47).
Notice the Liberals' roots: the National Liberal Federation, formed in 1918 by Moderates such as Surendranath Banerjea who backed the Montagu–Chelmsford reforms. Sapru also defended INA officers at the Red Fort trials (1945).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Architecture and sculpture 2
In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashoka’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?
Answer (a) & explanation
Kanganahalli has the labelled portrait (a). At Kanganahalli, near Sannati on the Bhima river in Kalaburagi district, Karnataka, a stupa relief from about the 1st–3rd century CE shows a king with his queens, labelled "Ranyo Ashoka". It is the only known portrait of Ashoka with an inscription naming him. Sanchi (b) has Ashokan stupa and pillar remains but no labelled portrait. Shahbazgarhi (c), in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has his Major Rock Edicts in Kharosthi script. Sohgaura (d) has a Mauryan copper plate.
Notice that his name "Ashoka" appears only in a few edicts, such as Maski and Gujarra; most call him Devanampiya Piyadasi. James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi in 1837.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of
Answer (d) & explanation
Kalyana mandapas mark the Vijayanagara style (d). Vijayanagara temples added the kalyana mandapa, an ornate pillared hall used for the yearly celestial wedding of the god and goddess. They also built tall rayagopurams (royal gateways) and pillars carved with rearing horses and yalis. Fine examples are the Vitthala temple at Hampi, with its musical pillars and stone chariot, and the Varadaraja temple at Kanchipuram. The Chalukyas (a) built at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal. The Chandelas (b) built Khajuraho, in the Nagara style. The Rashtrakutas (c) built the rock-cut Kailasa temple at Ellora.
Notice that Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1986). Its Virupaksha temple is still in worship.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Painting, performing arts, crafts, literature, philosophy and festivals 2
With reference to Mian Tansen, which one of the following statements is not correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Option (a) is not correct, so it is the answer. Born Ramtanu Pandey near Gwalior, he received the title "Tansen" from Raja Vikramajit of Gwalior. Akbar brought him to court in 1562, from Raja Ramchandra of Rewa, and gave him the title "Mian". He became one of the navaratnas (nine jewels) of Akbar's court. Option (b) is correct because he composed dhrupads on Hindu gods. Option (c) is correct because he also sang praises of his patrons. Option (d) is correct because he is credited with ragas such as Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi and Darbari Kanada.
Notice his teachers: Swami Haridas of Vrindavan and Muhammad Ghaus. The Tansen Samaroh is held every year at his tomb in Gwalior.
This asks for the statement that is not correct. Akbar gave him "Mian", not "Tansen".
One trap spotted is one mark saved. The PYQ Book lines up every trap UPSC has set, so you walk in prepared. Try the free sample
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?
Answer (c) & explanation
Jahangir made the shift (c). Akbar's studio, led by Mir Sayyid Ali, Abd al-Samad and Daswanth, illustrated long manuscripts such as the Hamzanama, Akbarnama and Razmnama. Jahangir, a keen naturalist, preferred albums (muraqqa) of single paintings: portraits, court scenes, birds and animals. His artists included Ustad Mansur, who painted the Siberian crane and the zebra, and Abul Hasan, called Nadir-uz-Zaman. Jahangir boasted he could tell which artist painted each face. Humayun (a) brought the Persian masters back from exile. Shah Jahan (d) favoured formal court scenes and focused on architecture.
Notice the Mughal school's later influence on Rajput and Pahari painting, such as Kangra and Kishangarh's Bani Thani.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
All years by topic
Every question from 2011 to 2026, grouped by syllabus topic, with year-wise trends.