There were 19 Questions from History in 2020, out of which
- 9 questions were from Ancient India,
- No questions from Medieval India,
- 10 questions were asked from Modern India
- No questions were asked from Art & Culture.
Overall, the level of the questions was Moderate to Tough.
Previous Year UPSC History Questions (PYQs) With Explanation 2020
1. With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs: [Modern India]
1. Aurang : In charge of treasury of the State
2. Banian : Indian agent of the East India Company
3. Mirasidar : Designated revenue payer to the State
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: b
Explanation:
Aurang- A collecting centre for textiles. The company organised several such collection centres where weavers were assembled and ordered to produce cloth according to specifications.
Banian- Banian was the name given to an Indian agent of the East India Company, who was in charge of information gathering, of securing capital for investment and of marketing. He received a commission for the same.
Banian is not the same as Bania, a term indicating a particular caste generally engaged in a range of trade and money related functions.
Mirasidar- Co-parcenary title holder and designated revenue payer. The term was familiar in southern India. This landowner had the power to command retainers who tilled his land and received their subsistence from him.
Hence, option b is correct.
2. With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements: [Ancient India]
1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism.
2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism.
3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered Mahayana Buddhism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: b
Explanation:
100 years after death of Buddha, at the Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali, there was schism of the Buddhist order which broke into two sections-
- The orthodox Sthaviravadins (Theravadin in Pali) or the “Believer in the Teaching of the Elders” and
- The Mahasanghikas or Members of “The Great Community”.
200 years after the death of Buddha, Mahasanghikas were further divided into two sects-
- Gokulika (Kukkulika) and
- Ekavyavaharika (Lokottaravadina)
According to the Mahasanghikas, the Bodhisattvas are supramundane, and do not pass through the four embryonic stages of ordinary beings. They enter their mothers’ wombs in the form of white elephants and come out of the wombs on the right side. They never experience feelings of lust (kama), malevolence (vyapada) or injury (vihimsa). For the benefit of all classes of sentient beings, they are born of their own free will in any form of existence they choose. These conceptions led to the deification of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Hence, option b is correct.
3. Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century? [Modern India]
(a) Indian handicrafts were ruined.
(b) Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.
(c) Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country
(d) Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufactures
Answer: a
Explanation:
The Charter Act, 1813 abolished East India Company’s monopoly of Indian trade.
With this event, a new phase in Britain’s economic relations with India began. Agricultural India was to be made an economic colony of industrial England.
The Government of India now followed a policy of free trade or unrestricted entry of British goods. Indian handicrafts were exposed to the fierce and unequal competition of the machine-made products of Britain and faced extinction.
Hence, option a is correct.
4. Consider the following events in the history of India: [Ancient India]
1. Rise of Pratiharas under King Bhoja
2 Establishment of Pallava power under Mahendravarman-I
3. Establishment of Chola power by Parantaka-I
4. Pala dynasty was founded by Gopala
What is the correct chronological order of the above events, starting from the earliest time?
(a) 2-1-4-3
(b) 3-1-4-2
(c) 2-4-1-3
(d) 3-4-1-2
Answer: c
Explanation:
Bhoja
The best known Gurjara-Pratihara king was Bhoja, grandson of Nagabhata II. He ascended the throne in or before 836 CE, and had a long reign of over 46 years. His earliest inscription—the Barah copper plate of this date was issued from the skandhavara (royal camp of victory) at Mahodaya. Mahodaya may have been another name for Kanauj.
Mahendravarman I (590–630)
Mahendravarman I (590–630), renowned as a great patron of the arts, and apparently a poet and musician in his own right. His reign saw the beginning of a conflict between the Pallavas and Western Chalukyas.
Parantaka I
Parantaka I (907–953), won several victories with the help of his allies such as the Western Gangas, the Kodumbalur chiefs, and the ruler of Kerala. He succeeded in conquering Madurai, after which he took the title of Madurantaka (destroyer of Madura) and Maduraikonda (capturer ofMadurai).
Gopala
Gopala(750-770), founder of the Pala dynasty, was elected by the people, rescuing them from matsya-nyaya (chaos).
5. With reference to the book “Desher Katha” written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statement: [Modern India]
1. It warned against the Colonial States’ hypnotic conquest of the mind.
2. It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
3. The use of ‘desh’ by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: a
Explanation:
In Maharashtra, Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar popularised the ideas of Naoroji and Ranade and promoted swadeshi in a popular idiom.
His text, titled Desher Katha (Story of the Nation/ Country), warned against the colonial state’s ‘hypnotic conquest of the mind’.
By the time Desher Katha was banned by the colonial state in 1910, it had sold over 15,000 copies, inspired swadeshi street plays and folk songs, and had become a mandatory text for an entire generation of swadeshi activists.
6. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact included which of the following? [Modern India]
1. Invitation to Congress to participate in the Round Table Conference
2. Withdrawal of Ordinances promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement
3. Acceptance of Gandhiji’s suggestion for enquiry into police excesses.
4. Release of only those prisoners who were not charged with violence
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 1, 2, and 4 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 2, 3, and 4 only
Answer: b
Explanation:
The Pact was signed by Gandhiji on behalf of the Congress and by Lord Irwin on behalf of the Government on 5th march 1931.
The terms of agreement included:
- The immediate release of of all political prisoners not convicted for violence
- The remission of all fines not yet collected
- The return of confiscated lands not yet sold to third parties
- Lenient treatment for those government employees who had resigned.
- The government also conceded the right to make salt for consumption to villages along the coast
- As also the right to peaceful and non-aggressive picketing
The Congress demand for a public inquiry into police excess was not accepted.
The Congress, on its part agreed to discontinue the Civil Disobedience Movement.
It was also understood that the Congress would participate in the next Round Table Conference.
7. The Vital-Vidhvansak, the first monthly journal to have the untouchable people as its target audience was published by [Modern India]
(a) Gopal Baba Walangkar
(b) Jyotiba Phule
(c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
(d) Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Answer: a
Explanation:
Gopal Baba Walangkar
- Gopal Krishna (alias Gopal Baba) was born at Ravdal (near Mahad, in the present Raigad district).
- He came under the dynamic influence of Jotiba Phooley.
- Gopal Baba was a pioneer of the movement for the emancipation of the “Untouchables”, in the nineteenth century.
- He founded the Anarya Dosh-Parihar Samaj in 1886; and in 1888, he published his monthly Vital-Vidhvansak (Destroyer of Brahmanical or Ceremonical Pollution) which was the first-ever journal of the “Untouchables”.
- Subsequently, in 1889, he published his book entitled Vital Vidvansan (Annihilation of Ceremonical Pollution)
8. With reference to the history of India, the terms ”kulyavapa” and “dronavapa” denote [Ancient India]
(a) measurement of land
(b) coins of different monetary value
(c) classification of urban land
(d) religious rituals
Answer: a
Explanation:
Texts and inscriptions mention various land measure terms. The angula (probably ¾ inch) was the smallest measure. The hasta (cubit) was the standardised distance between the tip of the elbow and the middle finger (18 inches). Larger units of measure included the dhanu/danda and nala.
The land measures used in eastern India included the adhavapa (3/8–1/2 acre), dronavapa (1½–2 acres), and kulyavapa (12–16 acres).
9. Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription?” “Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely”. [Ancient India]
(a) Ashoka
(b) Samudragupta
(c) Harshavardhana
(d) Krishnadeva Raya
Answer: a
Explanation:
According to the 12th major rock edict – The beloved of gods, the King Piyadassi honour all sects and both ascetics and laymen, with gifts and various forms of recognition.
“On each occasion, one should honour another man’s sect, for by doing so one increase the influence of one’s own sect and benefits that of the other man; while by doing otherwise one diminishes the influence of one’s own sect and harm the other man’s. Again, whosoever honours his own sect or disparages that of another man, wholly out of devotion to his own, with a view to showing it in a favourable light, harms his own sect even more seriously. Therefore, concord is to be commended, so that men may hear one another’s principle and obey them.
Hence, option a is correct.
10. With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term ‘paramitas’? [Ancient India]
(a) The earliest Dharmashastra texts written in aphoristic (sutra) style
(b) Philosophical schools that did not accept the authority of Vedas
(c) Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path
(d) Powerful merchant guilds of early medieval South India
Answer: c
Explanation:
The idea of the Bodhisattva assumed greater importance in Mahayana.
Paramitas, or great spiritual perfections, are the cardinal virtues developed by Bodhisattvas These were originally listed as six and later expanded to ten. They consisted of generosity (dana), good conduct (shila), patient forbearance (kshanti), mental strength (virya), meditation (dhyana), wisdom (prajna), skilfulness in means (upaya-kaushalya), determination (pranidhana), power (bala), and knowledge (jnana).
Hence, option c is correct.
11. In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around [Modern India]
1. Women’s right to gain education
2. age of consent
3. restitution of conjugal rights
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: b
Explanation:
Dadaji Bhikaji filed a case against his wife Rukmabai in the Bombay High Court in 1884 for restitution of conjugal rights. In this case Justice Pinhey declined to pass a decree of restitution of conjugal rights in favour of the husband. Rukhmabai refused to be bound to the marriage contracted when she was eleven years old.
Rukmabai went on to become India’s first qualified physician and was the major cause behind the enactment of Age of Consent Act in 1891.
Rukmabai was married off at the age of 11 to Dadaji Bhikaji who was aged 19. She, however, continued to stay at the house of her widowed mother, who later got married to a doctor Sakharam Arjun Raut. She was supported by her stepfather when she refused to stay with Bhikaji and his family at his house. She completed her matriculation staying with her mother. This led to the Dadaji Bhikaji vs Rukhmabai case, 1885. While Bhikaji asked for “restitution of conjugal rights”.
Hence, option b is correct.
12. Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of [Modern India]
(a) peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters
(b) its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
(c) national leaders’ opposition to the cultivation of indigo
(d) Government control over the planters
Answer: b
Explanation:
In Champaran under the tinkathia system the European planters had agreements with the Indian peasants. Indigo was cultivated on 3/20th land under this system .
In the early twentieth century, there was decreased demand for Indigo globally because of invention of German synthetic dye in late 19th century .
Synthetic dyes forced indigo out of the market. Inorder to release cultivators from the obligation of cultivating indigo planters enhanced rents, which was resisted by peasants. Exaction of planters continued. On the invitation of Rajkumar Shukla, Gandhi reached Champaran to investigate the problem.
Hence, option b is correct.
13. Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because [Modern India]
(a) he was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so
(b) he wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India
(c) he wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment
(d) he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purposes in India
Answer: d
Explanation:
In 1800, Lord Wellesley established the College of Fort William at Calcutta for the education of young recruits to the Civil Service. The directors of the Company disapproved of his action and in 1806 replaced it by their own East Indian College at Haileybury in England.
Hence, option d is correct.
14. With reference to the history of India, “Ulgulan” or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events? [Modern India]
(a) The Revolt of 1857
(b) The Mappila Rebellion of 1921
(c) The Indigo Revolt of 1859 – 60
(d) Birsa Munda’s Revolt of 1899-1900
Answer: d
Explanation:
Ulgulan
The rebellion (ulgulan) of the Munda tribesmen was led by Birsa Munda during 1899-1900.
Birsa munda was born in a poor share-cropper household in 1874, had a vision of God in 1895. He declared himself to be a divine messenger, possessing miraculous healing powers.
On Christmas Eve, 1899, Birsa proclaimed a rebellion to establish Munda rule in the land and encouraged ‘the killing of thikadars and jagirdars and Rajas and Hakims(rulers) and Christians.’Satyug would be established in place of the present-day Kalyug.
To bring about liberation, Birsa gathered a force of 6000 Mundas armed with swords, spears, battle-axes, and bows and arrows. He was, however, captured in the beginning of February 1900 and he died in jail in June. The rebellion had failed.
15. With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements: [Ancient India]
1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga.
2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana.
3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta-II.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: c
Explanation:
Panini, Sanskrit grammarian, author of Ashtadhyayi lived in 5th century or 4th century B.C. Sunghas dethroned Mauryans and established themselves in 187 B.C (2nd century B.C)
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
Amarasimha, the author of Amarkosha (Sanskrit dictionary) belonged to the Gupta Age.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
Kalidasa was in the court of the Gupta King Chandra Gupta II.
Hence, statement 3 is correct.
16. With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs: [Ancient India]
1. Parivrajaka : Renunciant and Wanderer
2. Shramana : Priest with a high status
3. Upasaka : Lay follower of Buddhism
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: b
Explanation:
The renunciants were referred to by various terms including
- paribbajaka (Sanskrit—parivrajaka, ‘wanderer’),
- samana (Sanskrit—shramana, ‘one who strives’, i.e., to realise the truth), and
- bhikkhu (Sanskrit—bhikshu, ‘one who lives by begging alms’).
These were people who had left their homes and lived as wanderers, dependent on food and alms offered by sympathetic or generous householders.
Lay followers of the Buddha included male followers (upasakas) and female followers (upasikas). An upasaka/upasika was a person who had declared that he/she had taken refuge in the Buddha, dhamma, and sangha, but who had not taken monastic vows.
Hence, option b is correct.
17. With reference to the period of the Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura, and Chaul were well-known as [Ancient India]
(a) ports handling foreign trade
(b) capitals of powerful kingdoms
(c) places of exquisite stone art and architecture
(d) important Buddhist pilgrimage centres
Answer: a
Explanation:
The Gupta period was an era of brisk trade, both internal as well as external.
- The ports on the western coast were- Kalyan, Chaul, Broach and Cambay.
- The ports on the eastern coast were- Tamralipti (modern Tamluk) in Bengal and Kadura and Ghantasala in Andhra.
Hence, option a is correct.
18. With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs: [Ancient India]
Famous Place Present State
1. Bhilsa : Madhya Pradesh
2. Dwarasamudra : Maharashtra
3. Girinagar : Gujarat
4. Sthanesvara : Uttar Pradesh
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 4 only
Answer: a
Explanation:
| Famous Place | Present State |
| Bhilsa | Madhya Pradesh |
| Dwarasamudra | Karnataka |
| Girinagar | Gujarat |
| Sthanesvara | Haryana |
Vidisha is the another name of Bhilsa which is located is Madhya Pradesh.
Dwarasamundra, the capital of Hoysalas is located in Karnataka.
Girinagar or Girnar or Junagarh, reputed for the Junagarh Inscripion of Rudradaman is located in Gujarat.
Sthanesvara- the capital of Pushyabhuti is located in Haryana.
Hence, option a is correct.
19. Which of the following phrases defines the nature of “Hundi” generally referred to in the sources of the post-Harsha period? [Modern India]
(a) An advisory issued by the king to his subordinate
(b) A Dairy to be maintained for daily accounts
(c) A bill of exchange
(d) An order from the feudal lord to his subordinates
Answer: c
Explanation:
Sarafs (local Money lenders) issued Hundis or Letters of authority or Bills of Exchange, in modern terminology.
It enabled a person to transmit large sums of money from one place to another without any risk.
He would deposit the amount, sometimes running into lakhs, with a saraf who would issue a hundi or letter of authority in the name of his agent which would enable the depositor to get his money within a specipied time at a place of his choice after paying some charges .
The English factors freely used this medium for sending money from one place to another.
Hence, option c is correct