UPSC 2012 History Previous Year Questions

Question 1

The distribution of powers between the Centre and the States in the Indian Constitution is based on the scheme provided in the

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Morley-Minto Reforms, 1909 | Montagu-Chelmsford Act, 1919 | Government of India Act, 1935 | Indian Independence Act, 1947. The federal distribution of legislative powers in India, including Union, State and Concurrent lists, is based substantially on the Government of India Act, 1935.

Question 2

With reference to the guilds (Shreni) of ancient India that played a very important role in the country's economy, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Every guild was registered with the central authority of the State and the king was the chief administrative authority on them. 2. The wages, rules of work, standards and prices were fixed by the guild. 3. The guild had judicial powers over its own members. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 1 and 2 only | 3 only | 2 and 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Ancient guilds regulated wages, work rules, standards and prices, and had authority to settle disputes among members. They were not all centrally registered under the king as chief administrative authority.

Question 3

Consider the following: 1. Assessment of land revenue on the basis of nature of the soil and the quality of crops 2. Use of mobile cannons in warfare 3. Cultivation of tobacco and red chillies Which of the above was/were introduced into India by the English?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. 1 only | 1 and 2 | 2 and 3 | None. Land revenue assessment by soil/crop quality predates the English, mobile cannons came earlier through medieval warfare, and tobacco/chillies were introduced by the Portuguese/Columbian exchange rather than the English. Hence none was introduced by the English.

Question 4

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:

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 1 only | 1 and 2 only | 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Brahmo Samaj opposed idolatry and rejected priestly mediation as necessary for understanding religion. It did not popularize the infallibility of the Vedas; that is more associated with Arya Samaj.

Question 5

The religion of early Vedic Aryans was primarily of

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Bhakti | image worship and Yajnas | worship of nature and Yajnas | worship of nature and Bhakti. Early Vedic religion centred on nature deities such as Indra, Agni and Varuna, with sacrificial rituals or yajnas. Image worship and later devotional Bhakti were not primary features of the early Vedic phase.

Question 6

Lord Buddha's image is sometimes shown with the hand gesture called 'Bhumisparsha Mudra'. It symbolizes

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Buddha's calling of the Earth to watch over Mara and to prevent Mara from disturbing his meditation | Buddha's calling of the Earth to witness his purity and chastity despite the temptations of Mara | Buddha's reminder to his followers that they all arise from the Earth and finally dissolve into the Earth, and thus this life is transitory | Both the statements (a) and (b) are correct in this context. Bhumisparsha Mudra represents Buddha touching the earth to call it as witness

Question 7

The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress (1929) is very important in history, because 1. the Congress passed a resolution demanding complete independence. 2. the rift between the extremists and moderates was resolved in that Session. 3. a resolution was passed rejecting the two-nation theory in that Session. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1 only | 2 and 3 | 1 and 3 | None of the above. The 1929 Lahore Session adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj or complete independence. The moderate-extremist split had been addressed earlier, and rejection of two-nation theory was not the key resolution there.

Question 8

The Rowlatt Act aimed at

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. compulsory economic support to war efforts | imprisonment without trial and summary procedures for trial | suppression of the Khilafat Movement | imposition of restrictions on freedom of the press. The Rowlatt Act allowed detention without trial and special summary trial procedures, continuing wartime repressive powers into peacetime. It was opposed as a severe attack on civil liberties.

Question 9

With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices? 1. Meditation and control of breath. 2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place. 3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. 1 and 2 only | 2 and 3 only | 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Sufi practices included meditation, breath control, ascetic discipline and sama/qawwali-style recitation or music to induce spiritual ecstasy. Therefore all three practices fit.

Question 10

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?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1 only | 2 only | Both 1 and 2 | Neither 1. nor 2. Kuchipudi includes dramatic elements and sometimes spoken dialogues. Dancing on the rim of a brass plate is a well-known Kuchipudi feature, not Bharatanatyam, so statement 2 is reversed.

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