Practice questions
Q1Which description most accurately links the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association with the revolutionary politics of the late 1920s?
A It emerged from the Theosophical Society and campaigned for dominion status through legislative obstruction
B It was created in 1905 to support Curzon's partition of Bengal and oppose swadeshi boycott
C It was a wing of the early Congress Moderates that specialised in drafting petitions on civil service examinations
D It was founded in 1928 at Ferozeshah Kotla by revolutionaries who linked anti-colonial struggle with a revolution of workers and peasants
Explanation NCERT names Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Sukhdev and others as revolutionary nationalists who wanted to fight colonial rule and rich exploiting classes through a revolution of workers and peasants. For this purpose, they founded the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in 1928 at Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi. The Ministry of Culture also notes the transition from HRA to HSRA and its revolutionary methods, making the worker-peasant and socialist orientation the key discriminator.
Q2A question asks why yajna acquired special importance in Later Vedic religious life. Which answer is the most historically precise?
A Because the Upanishads eliminated the authority of all Brahmanas before the Later Vedic age began.
B Because elaborate sacrifices helped express royal power, priestly authority and claims over prosperity.
C Because Buddhism made animal sacrifice compulsory for all householders.
D Because image worship in permanent stone temples replaced all sacrificial rites.
Explanation Later Vedic religion is marked by a growth of complex sacrifices such as rajasuya, vajapeya and asvamedha. These rituals were not merely devotional acts; they also displayed political authority, redistributed gifts and strengthened the ritual position of priests. That is why the ritual emphasis must be connected to social and political change.
Q3A teacher wants to distinguish Gupta coinage as evidence of political ideology rather than merely economic activity. Which example best serves that purpose?
A Kushan gold coins identifying Kanishka as a Gupta feudatory
B Indo-Greek bilingual coins proving Gupta control over Bactria
C Samudragupta's Ashvamedha-type coins projecting imperial sovereignty after the horse-sacrifice
D Punch-marked coins showing anonymous symbols of mahajanapada exchange
Explanation Gupta coins are valuable not only for monetary history but also for royal messaging. Samudragupta's Ashvamedha type advertises a major Vedic imperial ritual and visually turns political conquest into legitimate kingship. Earlier punch-marked or Indo-Greek/Kushan examples may be important numismatically, but they are not Gupta ideological evidence.
Q4In the earliest forms of Buddhism, what was the status of the question whether God existed?
A It was the only question considered necessary for liberation
B It made caste identity the source of nibbana
C It was irrelevant to the path of righteous living
D It required every monk to perform Vedic rituals
Explanation The Buddha taught dhamma as the path of righteous living and focused on ending suffering through moderation, ethical conduct and individual effort. In early Buddhism, speculation about whether God existed was not treated as essential to that path.
Q5The Mehrauli iron pillar inscription is best used to discuss which Gupta-related issue?
A The authorship of the Prayaga Prashasti by Harisena
B The official conversion of the Gupta court from Sanskrit to Pali
C The Lichchhavi marriage alliance of Chandragupta I
D The identification of king Chandra with Chandragupta II and the level of Gupta metallurgy
Explanation The Mehrauli pillar is not just a stray monument. Its inscription praises a ruler named Chandra, often identified with Chandragupta II, and mentions conquests in regions such as Vanga and across the Sindhu. At the same time, the pillar is a classic example used for the technical sophistication of Gupta-period iron work.
More questions
6Which statement correctly describes the February Revolution in Russia in 1917?
AIt overthrew the Tsarist monarchy and led to a Provisional Government
BIt brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power
CIt ended the American colonial struggle
DIt restored the Bourbon monarchy in France
7In the study of medieval Bhakti traditions, which pairing is correctly matched?
ASaguna bhakti - Sufi mystical music; Nirguna bhakti - worship of Shiva as Nataraja
BSaguna bhakti - rejection of all devotional singing; Nirguna bhakti - temple ritual led only by Brahmanas
CSaguna bhakti - worship of a deity with attributes; Nirguna bhakti - worship of an abstract, formless God
DSaguna bhakti - only Buddhist worship; Nirguna bhakti - only Jain monastic practice
8Consider the following statements about Skandagupta:
1. He is generally treated as one of the last powerful Gupta monarchs.
2. He is associated with checking Huna pressure from the north-west.
3. The repair of the Sudarshana lake is connected with his reign.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A1 and 2 only
B1, 2 and 3
C2 and 3 only
D1 only
9Which option correctly identifies a key feature of Akbar's zabt or dahsala revenue arrangement?
AIt fixed the state's demand through measured cultivation and an average of produce and prices over a period of years.
BIt transferred all revenue rights permanently to local chiefs in return for hereditary military service.
CIt was introduced by Aurangzeb to replace Akbar's system of land measurement.
DIt abolished measurement of land and relied only on voluntary tribute from zamindars.
10A source-based question asks students not to confuse foreign travellers of different periods. Which pairing is correct for Gupta India?
AMegasthenes - Skandagupta
BFa-Hien - Chandragupta II
CAl-Biruni - Samudragupta
DHiuen Tsang - Chandragupta I
11In explaining the outbreak of the First World War, which factor is best described as the immediate trigger rather than a long-term cause?
AEconomic resentment created by the Treaty of Versailles
BIntensifying naval and military rivalry among European powers
CFormation of the United Nations in San Francisco
DAssassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914
12In the Mauryan imperial arrangement, which set contains the capital and the four provincial centres mentioned in Ashokan inscriptions?
ARajagaha, Taxila, Girnar, Sopara and Kalsi
BPataliputra, Mathura, Vidisha, Sanchi and Kausambi
CPataliputra, Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri
DPataliputra, Varanasi, Shravasti, Vaishali and Rajgir
13In the historical background of the rise of Buddhism and Jainism, which development in the mid-first millennium BCE most directly encouraged new religious questioning in the Ganga valley?
AComplete disappearance of all sacrificial practices
BEnd of all trade and craft activity in northern India
CA ban on philosophical debates by rulers
DGrowth of new kingdoms, cities and changing social-economic life
14Which statement best captures the distinctive context and spread of the Quit India Movement of 1942?
AIt was a petition campaign after the Ilbert Bill controversy, restricted to lawyers and municipal leaders
BIt was primarily a revolutionary conspiracy by HRA to fund arms through railway action
CIt was a limited council-entry campaign after the Surat split, mainly intended to restore Moderate dominance in Congress
DIt followed the failure of wartime constitutional concessions, began with Gandhi's August 1942 call, and continued through protests, strikes, parallel governments and underground activity after leaders were arrested
15Which of the following best captures the administrative change associated with the rise of the Peshwas under Shahu?
AAll Maratha revenue terminology was replaced by Portuguese commercial law.
BThe office of Chhatrapati disappeared immediately and Satara ceased to have symbolic value.
CThe Ashta Pradhan became a directly elected village assembly in every Maratha district.
DEffective central authority increasingly passed to a line of Peshwa ministers based around Pune.
