History and Culture: previous-year questions
270 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 76 of them came in the last five papers.
How often UPSC asks this
Questions per year, counted from the official papers.
Subtopics
Architecture and sculpture
32 questions
British expansion, administration and economic impact
16 questions
Buddhism, Jainism and other sects
28 questions
Gandhian era to Independence; constitutional development
91 questions
Mauryas to Guptas: Sangam age and early medieval kingdoms
66 questions
Medieval India: Sultanate, Vijayanagara, Mughals, Marathas; Bhakti and Sufi
78 questions
Painting, performing arts, crafts, literature, philosophy and festivals
63 questions
Prehistory, Harappan and Vedic India
12 questions
Reform movements, 1857, tribal and peasant revolts, early nationalism (to 1919)
80 questions
Attempt the questions
Newest papers first. Tap an option; the answer and the reason appear instantly.
Consider the following pairs :
- 1. Garba : Gujarat
- 2. Mohiniattam : Odisha
- 3. Yakshagana : Karnataka
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (c) & explanation
Pairs 1 and 3 are correct (c). Garba is Gujarat's circle dance performed during Navratri, and it was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2023. Yakshagana is the coastal Karnataka dance-drama with painted faces and tall headgear. Pair 2 is wrong: Mohiniattam, the graceful solo dance of the enchantress Mohini, belongs to Kerala. Odisha's classical dance is Odissi.
India has eight dance forms recognised as classical by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Notice how matching dances to states is easier when linked to their temples, festivals and myths.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas, while the others are called Viharas. What is the difference between the two?
Answer (b) & explanation
Option (b) is correct. A chaitya is a prayer hall, usually apsidal, with a small stupa at the far end for worship, as at Karle, Bhaja and Ajanta Caves 9, 10, 19 and 26. A vihara is a monastery, a central hall surrounded by small cells where monks lived. (a) is the reverse. (c) is wrong: the stupa is inside the chaitya, and the vihara is a separate residential cave. (d) is wrong: there is a clear functional difference.
Notice the examples: Karle's chaitya (Maharashtra, 1st century CE) is the largest; Ajanta has 5 chaityas and about 24 viharas; Nalanda's viharas grew into a great monastic university. Early chaityas imitated wooden architecture, with ribbed roofs. Trap: (a) swaps the two terms.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following describes best the concept of Nirvana in Buddhism?
Answer (a) & explanation
The extinction of the flame of desire is correct (a). Nirvana literally means 'blowing out': the flame of desire (tanha), along with greed, hatred and delusion, is put out, ending suffering and the cycle of rebirth. (b) is wrong: Buddhism does not teach the annihilation of a self; it denies a permanent self (anatta) in the first place. (c) describes a feeling, not the core concept, though nirvana is peaceful. (d) is wrong: the Buddha described it clearly enough as the end of craving.
Notice the framework: the Four Noble Truths say suffering has a cause, desire, and an end, nirvana, reached by the Eightfold Path. Mahaparinirvana is the Buddha's final passing at Kushinagar. Trap: (b) confuses nirvana with nihilism.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because
Answer (c) & explanation
There was no Indian member is correct (c). The Simon Commission, appointed in November 1927 to review the 1919 Act, had seven British MPs under Sir John Simon, including Clement Attlee, and no Indian member. Indians saw this as an insult to their right to decide their own constitution and greeted it with 'Simon, Go Back' protests when it arrived in February 1928. (a) is wrong: Indians wanted reforms reviewed, just with Indian voices. (b) and (d) are wrong: its report came in 1930, after the protests, and did not suggest partition.
Notice the consequences: Lala Lajpat Rai died after a police lathi charge in Lahore (1928), and Indians answered with the Nehru Report (1928). The commission's report fed into the 1935 Act, which abolished provincial dyarchy. Trap: (b) is a real recommendation but not the cause of protest.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?
- 1. They possessed great palaces and temples.
- 2. They worshipped both male and female deities.
- 3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.
Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.
Answer (b) & explanation
Statement 2 only is correct (b). Harappans worshipped both female and male deities: many terracotta Mother Goddess figurines and the 'Pashupati' or proto-Shiva seal showing a horned figure among animals (2). Statement 1 is wrong: no grand palaces or temples have been found; the Great Bath and granaries are the main public buildings. Statement 3 is wrong: horse-drawn chariots belong to the later Vedic Aryans; the horse is barely attested in Harappan sites, and the Sinauli chariots (UP) are later and not Harappan. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the other features: fire altars at Kalibangan and Lothal, worship of trees (pipal) and animals (the bull, the unicorn). The Harappan script remains undeciphered. Trap: horses are a classic marker separating Harappan from Vedic culture.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following statements is/are applicable to Jain doctrine?
- 1. The surest way of annihilating Karma is to practice penance.
- 2. Every object, even the smallest particle has a soul.
- 3. Karma is the bane of the soul and must be ended.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Answer (d) & explanation
All three are correct (d). In Jainism, karma is fine matter that sticks to the soul (jiva) and binds it to rebirth, so it is the bane of the soul and must be ended (3). Severe penance, fasting and self-discipline burn away karma, and Jains see this as the surest path (1). Every object, even stones, water, earth and the smallest particles, has a soul, which is why ahimsa is so strict (2). So options (a), (b) and (c) leave out real doctrines.
Notice the path: the three jewels (right faith, knowledge and conduct) and five vows, ahimsa, satya, asteya, aparigraha and brahmacharya, the last added by Mahavira. Liberation (kaivalya) frees the soul. Jains split into Digambara and Svetambara. Trap: statement 2 seems extreme but is core Jain belief.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following Bhakti Saints :
- 1. Dadu Dayal
- 2. Guru Nanak
- 3. Tyagaraja
Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?
Answer (b) & explanation
Guru Nanak only is correct (b). Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. Guru Nanak (1469–1539) was preaching then, and his verses in the Babarvani describe the suffering caused by Babur's invasion (2). Item 1 is wrong: Dadu Dayal was born in 1544, in the Sur–Mughal period, and preached in Akbar's time. Item 3 is wrong: Tyagaraja (1767–1847), the great Carnatic composer, lived three centuries later. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the other saints of that time: Kabir (d. around 1518) and Chaitanya (1486–1534) overlapped with the late Lodis; Vallabhacharya and Mirabai were active too. Dadu founded the Dadu Panth in Rajasthan. Trap: placing saints on a timeline is the whole test.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following historical places :
- 1. Ajanta Caves
- 2. Lepakshi Temple
- 3. Sanchi Stupa
Which of the above places is/are also known for mural paintings?
Answer (b) & explanation
Ajanta and Lepakshi are correct (b). Ajanta (Maharashtra, about 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE) has India's finest ancient murals, painting Jataka stories, such as the Padmapani Bodhisattva (1). The Lepakshi Veerabhadra temple (Andhra Pradesh, Vijayanagara period, 16th century) has large ceiling murals of epic scenes, and a hanging pillar (2). Item 3 is wrong: Sanchi is famous for stone carvings on its gateways (toranas), not paintings. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the others: Bagh caves (MP), Sittanavasal (Tamil Nadu, Jain), Badami and the Brihadeeswara temple's Chola murals. The Hoysala temples and Lepakshi are on UNESCO's lists, with Lepakshi on the Tentative List. Trap: Sanchi is Buddhist art like Ajanta, but in stone.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the history of philosophical thought in India, consider the following statements regarding Sankhya school :
- 1. Sankhya does not accept the theory of rebirth or transmigration of soul.
- 2. Sankhya holds that it is the self-knowledge that leads to liberation and not any exterior influence or agent.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statement 2 only is correct (b). Sankhya, traced to the sage Kapila, is dualist: it sees reality as purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (matter, with its three gunas). It holds that liberation comes from right knowledge, discriminating the self from matter, not from God or any outside agent (2); classical Sankhya is even atheistic. Statement 1 is wrong: Sankhya accepts rebirth and the transmigration of the subtle body until liberation. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the six orthodox schools: Sankhya pairs with Yoga (Patanjali), Nyaya (logic) with Vaisheshika (atomism), and Mimamsa with Vedanta. Heterodox schools include Charvaka, Buddhism and Jainism. Trap: atheism does not mean denying rebirth.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements :
- 1. The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.
- 2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
- 3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statement 3 only is correct (c). Ellora (Maharashtra) has 34 caves of three faiths side by side: Buddhist, Hindu (including the Kailasa temple) and Jain (3). Statement 1 is wrong: the Badami caves (6th century CE, Chalukyas) are much later; the Barabar caves of Bihar (3rd century BCE) are the oldest. Statement 2 is wrong: the Barabar caves were given to the Ajivikas by Ashoka, and the nearby Nagarjuni caves by his grandson Dasharatha, not by Chandragupta Maurya. So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the highlights: the Lomas Rishi cave's arched doorway imitates wooden architecture, and the Kailasa temple at Ellora was carved under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I. Ellora and Ajanta became World Heritage Sites in 1983. Trap: the right caves are given to the wrong Mauryan king.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the context of cultural history of India, a pose in dance and dramatics called ‘Tribhanga’ has been a favourite of Indian artists from ancient times till today. Which one of the following statements best describes this pose?
Answer (a) & explanation
Option (a) is correct. Tribhanga means 'three bends': the body bends at the knee, the waist and the neck, alternately in opposite directions, giving a graceful S-shaped curve. It is a signature pose of Odissi dance and is common in sculpture, such as images of Krishna playing the flute. (b) describes aharya and abhinaya in classical theatre. (c) describes dance in general. (d) describes the shringara (erotic) rasa, not a specific pose.
Notice the related poses: Abhanga (slight bend), Samabhanga (straight, balanced) and Atibhanga (exaggerated bend) are described in the Shilpa Shastras. Odissi's other basic stance is the square chowk. The Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni is the oldest text on these arts. Trap: three bends, not three expressions.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from robbery.
- 2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person.
- 3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (b). Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) visited India in Harsha's time (about 630–645 CE). He records trials by ordeal, by fire, water, poison and weighing, to decide guilt or innocence (2), and duties at ferries and barrier stations paid by traders (3). Statement 1 is wrong: he was himself robbed more than once on his travels, so roads were not immune from robbery. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice his other records: he studied at Nalanda, attended Harsha's assemblies at Kannauj and Prayag, and wrote the 'Si-Yu-Ki' (Records of the Western World). Earlier, Fa-Hien visited under Chandragupta II, and later I-Tsing. Trap: 'completely immune' is an absolute claim his own story disproves.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Annie Besant was
- 1. responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
- 2. the founder of the Theosophical Society
- 3. once the President of the Indian National Congress
Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (c). Annie Besant started the Home Rule League in September 1916 at Madras, alongside Tilak's league at Poona earlier that year (1). She was President of the Indian National Congress at the Calcutta session of 1917, the first woman to hold the post (3). Statement 2 is wrong: the Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott; Besant joined in 1889 and later led it from Adyar, Madras. So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice her other work: the Central Hindu College at Varanasi (1898), which grew into Banaras Hindu University, and the newspapers New India and Commonweal. Trap: leading a society is not founding it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were
Answer (c) & explanation
Elected by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies is correct (c). Under the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946), the provincial members of the Constituent Assembly were indirectly elected by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies through proportional representation by single transferable vote. Seats were roughly one per million population, divided among Muslims, Sikhs and General. (a) is wrong: there was no direct election. (b) is wrong: parties did not nominate members. (d) is wrong: the government did not select experts. Members from the princely states were nominated by the rulers.
Notice the numbers: the Assembly had 389 members (292 provinces, 93 princely states, 4 chief commissioners' provinces), reduced to 299 after Partition. It first met on 9 December 1946. Trap: 'directly elected' sounds democratic but was not the method.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the
Answer (c) & explanation
Option (c) is correct. The Ilbert Bill (1883), named after law member C.P. Ilbert and proposed under Viceroy Lord Ripon, would have allowed Indian judges and magistrates to try Europeans in criminal cases in the districts. Europeans in India protested so fiercely, the 'white mutiny', that it was diluted: Europeans could demand a jury with half European members. (a) is wrong: arms restrictions came under Lytton's Arms Act (1878). (b) is wrong: press curbs came under Lytton's Vernacular Press Act (1878). (d) is wrong: cotton duties were a separate issue.
Notice the impact: Indians saw how organised protest worked, which helped inspire the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885. Ripon also repealed the Vernacular Press Act (1882) and promoted local self-government. Trap: Lytton's and Ripon's measures are swapped.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for
Answer (a) & explanation
Reducing the landlord's share from half to one-third is correct (a). In the Tebhaga movement (1946–47) in Bengal, led by the Bengal Provincial Kisan Sabha (linked to the Communist Party), sharecroppers (bargadars) demanded that the jotedar's share of the crop be cut from half to one-third; 'tebhaga' means 'three shares'. The movement drew on the Floud Commission's recommendation (1940). (b), (c) and (d) are wrong: ownership of land, abolition of zamindari and writing off debts were not the core demand.
Notice the legacy: the demand was partly met by the Bargadars Act (1950), and later by Operation Barga (1978) in West Bengal, which registered sharecroppers. Other peasant risings of the 1940s include Telangana (1946–51) and Warli (1945). Trap: tebhaga is about the share, not ownership.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Quit India Movement was launched in response to
Answer (b) & explanation
Cripps Proposals is correct (b). The Cripps Mission (March–April 1942) offered India dominion status after the war, a constituent assembly, and the right of provinces to stay out, but nothing substantial at once. Gandhi called it a 'post-dated cheque'. Its failure convinced Congress that Britain would not part with power, and the Quit India resolution followed on 8 August 1942. (a) is wrong: the Cabinet Mission came in 1946. (c) is wrong: the Simon Commission reported in 1930. (d) is wrong: the Wavell Plan and Simla Conference came in 1945.
Notice the context: Japan's advance to Burma made Britain seek Indian support, and Stafford Cripps was a Labour minister sympathetic to India. Trap: order the events: Cripps 1942, Quit India 1942, Wavell 1945, Cabinet Mission 1946.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Brahmo Samaj?
- 1. It opposed idolatry.
- 2. It denied the need for a priestly class for interpreting the religious texts.
- 3. It popularized the doctrine that the Vedas are infallible.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (b). Raja Rammohan Roy's Brahmo Samaj (founded as Brahmo Sabha in 1828) preached one formless God, opposed idolatry (1), and rejected the need for priests to interpret scriptures (2). Statement 3 is wrong: under Debendranath Tagore, the Brahmo Samaj formally rejected the infallibility of the Vedas. 'Back to the Vedas' and their infallibility was the Arya Samaj line of Dayanand Saraswati (1875). So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the splits: Keshab Chandra Sen formed the Brahmo Samaj of India (1866), and the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj broke away in 1878 after Keshab married his minor daughter to the Cooch Behar prince. Rammohan also fought for the abolition of sati (1829). Trap: two reform societies are mixed up.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
How do you distinguish between Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dances?
- 1. Dancers occasionally speaking dialogues is found in Kuchipudi dance but not in Bharatanatyam.
- 2. Dancing on the brass plate by keeping the feet on its edges is a feature of Bharatanatyam but Kuchipudi dance does not have such a form of movements.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statement 1 only is correct (a). Kuchipudi, from Andhra Pradesh, grew from dance-drama (yakshagana-style), so dancers occasionally speak or sing dialogue, which is not found in Bharatanatyam (1). Statement 2 is reversed: the Tarangam, dancing on the rim of a brass plate with a water pot on the head, is a Kuchipudi feature, not Bharatanatyam. So (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the other features: Kuchipudi was once performed by Brahmin men of Kuchipudi village, and Siddhendra Yogi shaped it; Bharatanatyam, from Tamil Nadu, was codified by the Thanjavur Quartet and revived by Rukmini Devi Arundale. India recognises eight classical dances (Sangeet Natak Akademi), and the Ministry of Culture counts Chhau too. Trap: the brass plate feature is swapped.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following was/were common to both Buddhism and Jainism?
- 1. Avoidance of extremities of penance and enjoyment
- 2. Indifference to the authority of the Vedas
- 3. Denial of efficacy of rituals
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (b). Both Buddhism and Jainism rejected the authority of the Vedas (2) and denied the efficacy of rituals and animal sacrifices (3), stressing ethics and personal effort instead. Statement 1 is wrong: the Middle Path, avoiding both extreme penance and indulgence, is Buddhist only; Jainism praised severe austerity, even fasting unto death (sallekhana). So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the other contrasts: Jainism believes in a soul in all things, while Buddhism teaches anatta (no permanent self). Both used local languages, Pali and Prakrit, and both arose in the 6th century BCE Magadha region with Kshatriya founders. Trap: shared anti-ritualism hides different views on austerity.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.