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.
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.
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.
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".
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Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
With reference to cultural history of India, consider the following statements :
- 1. Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna.
- 2. Tyagaraja created several new ragas.
- 3. Annamacharya and Tyagaraja are contemporaries.
- 4. Annamacharya kirtanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 2 and 4 are correct (b). Tyagaraja (1767–1847), one of the Carnatic trinity with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, wrote mostly in Telugu and sang mainly to Rama, not Krishna, so statement 1 is wrong. He brought new ragas into use (2). Annamacharya (15th century), the Tirupati poet, wrote thousands of sankirtanas in praise of Lord Venkateshwara (4). Statement 3 is wrong because about three centuries separate them.
The Tyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru is held every year. Notice the related figures: Purandara Dasa (16th century) is called the father of Carnatic music, and Annamacharya is known as the "Pada-kavita Pitamaha."
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Option (c) does not apply. Under Lord Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance (from 1798), an Indian ruler had to keep a British force in his state and pay for it, often by giving up territory. This let the Company keep a large army at others' expense (a). He could not employ other Europeans, which shut out the French under Napoleon (b). He had to accept a British Resident and give up his foreign relations, which built British paramountcy (d). A fixed income for the Company was not its stated aim, so (c) is the answer.
Hyderabad (1798) was the first state to sign. Mysore, Awadh and the Peshwa (Treaty of Bassein, 1802) followed. Notice the later tool of expansion, Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what was/were the measure/measures taken by the colonial government ?
- 1. The territories called ‘Santhal Paraganas’ were created.
- 2. It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Both measures followed the revolt (c). The Santhal Hul of 1855–56, led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu (with Chand, Bhairav, Phulo and Jhano), rose against dikus: moneylenders, zamindars and police who grabbed tribal land. After crushing it, the British carved out a separate Santhal Parganas district (1855) under non-regulation rule, with simpler administration through village headmen (1). Later tenancy laws, finally the Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act, 1949, made it illegal to transfer Santhal land to non-Santhals (2). So neither "1 only" nor "2 only" is complete.
Notice the pattern: tribal revolts led to protective land laws, like the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act (1908) after Birsa Munda. 30 June is still marked as Hul Diwas in Jharkhand.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India ?
- 1. Charter Act of 1813
- 2. General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823
- 3. Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (d) & explanation
All three led to English education (d). The Charter Act of 1813 first made the Company set aside ₹1 lakh a year for education and for promoting knowledge among Indians (1). The General Committee of Public Instruction, set up in 1823, was formed to manage this money (2). Its members split into Orientalists, who wanted Sanskrit and Persian learning, and Anglicists, who wanted Western learning in English (3). The dispute ended with Macaulay's Minute (1835) and Bentinck's resolution making English the medium of higher education. So no option that leaves out a step is complete.
Notice what came next: Wood's Despatch (1854), the "Magna Carta" of Indian education, and the first universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1857.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the
Answer (c) & explanation
Commercialisation of agriculture was the key result (c). The British demanded land revenue in cash, and world markets wanted raw materials. So peasants shifted to cash crops such as cotton, jute, indigo, opium, sugarcane and tea. This tied them to market prices, traders and moneylenders, and food crops lost ground, worsening famines. Option (a) is wrong: cheap British machine-made goods ruined Indian handicraft exports (deindustrialisation). Option (b) is wrong: Indian-owned factories were few until late in the century. Option (d) is wrong: old craft towns such as Dhaka and Murshidabad declined, and the urban share of population barely grew.
Notice the link to the Drain of Wealth theory of Dadabhai Naoroji and R.C. Dutt, a favourite Mains theme.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which among the following events happened earliest ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Nil Darpan came first (b). Dinabandhu Mitra wrote the Bengali play Nil Darpan in 1860, exposing the cruelty of indigo planters during the Indigo Revolt (1859–60). Rev. James Long published its English translation and was jailed for it. Satyendranath Tagore (d) became the first Indian to pass the ICS in 1863. Swami Dayanand Saraswati (a) founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay in 1875, with the call "Back to the Vedas". Bankim Chandra (c) published Anandamath in 1882, and its song Vande Mataram became the anthem of the freedom struggle. So the order is 1860, 1863, 1875, 1882.
Notice the anniversary: India marked 150 years of Vande Mataram in 2025, since Bankim composed it in 1875.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In 1920, which of the following changed its name to “Swarajya Sabha” ?
Answer (a) & explanation
The All India Home Rule League became the Swarajya Sabha (a). Annie Besant founded the All India Home Rule League in September 1916, a few months after Tilak's league in Belgaum. In 1920 the league elected Gandhi as president, and he renamed it the Swarajya Sabha and merged it into the Congress for Non-Cooperation. Moderates such as Jinnah left in protest. The Hindu Mahasabha (b) kept its name. The South Indian Liberal Federation (c), or Justice Party, later became the Dravidar Kazhagam (1944). Gokhale's Servants of India Society (d) of 1905 never changed its name.
Do not confuse it with the Swaraj Party of C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru (1923), which contested council elections.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Craft | Heritage of
| 1. Puthukkuli shawls | Tamil Nadu
| 2. Sujni embroidery | Maharashtra
| 3. Uppada Jamdani saris | Karnataka
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only pair 1 is correct (a). Puthukkuli shawls, with red and black embroidery on white cloth, are made by Toda women of the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, and carry a GI tag. Pair 2 is wrong because Sujni is quilted embroidery from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, where women stitch old saris into quilts showing scenes of daily life. Pair 3 is wrong because Uppada Jamdani saris are woven in Uppada, near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, and are famous for being light and fine.
UPSC likes to test crafts with GI tags. Notice other examples: Kani shawl (Kashmir), Kasuti embroidery (Karnataka), Chikankari (Lucknow), and Phulkari (Punjab). The Todas are also a PVTG, known for their barrel-shaped huts.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs :
| Institution | Founder
| 1. Sanskrit College at Benaras | William Jones
| 2. Calcutta Madarsa | Warren Hastings
| 3. Fort William College | Arthur Wellesley
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only pair 2 is correct (b). Pair 1 is wrong because the Sanskrit College at Benares was founded in 1791 by Jonathan Duncan, the British Resident. William Jones founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784). Pair 2 is right because Warren Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781 to study Islamic law and Persian. Pair 3 is wrong because Fort William College (1800) was founded by Governor-General Richard Wellesley to train British officials in Indian languages. Arthur Wellesley, his brother, later became the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon.
These institutions reflect the early Orientalist approach of the Company. Notice how Fort William College helped modern prose in Hindustani and Bengali, through scholars such as John Gilchrist.
Arthur Wellesley was Richard's brother, the later Duke of Wellington. The surname alone does not make pair 3 right.
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Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.