UPSC 2020 History Previous Year Questions

Question 1

With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were well known as

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. ports handling foreign trade | capitals of powerful kingdoms | places of exquisite stone art and architecture | important Buddhist pilgrimage centres. Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were known as ports/centres handling foreign trade during the Gupta-era commercial network.

Question 2

With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs: 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?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 1 and 2 only | 1 and 3 only | 2 and 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Parivrajaka means wandering renunciant, and Upasaka is a lay Buddhist follower. Shramana means ascetic/renunciant, not a high-status priest.

Question 3

With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? 1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units 2. Create meaningful short stories and songs 3. Disease diagnosis 4. Text-to-Speech Conversion 5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 1, 2, 3 and 5 only | 1, 3 and 4 only | 2, 4 and 5 only | 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. AI can optimize industrial energy use, assist disease diagnosis and perform text-to-speech conversion. Wireless transmission of electrical energy is not an AI task, and meaningful creative writing/song generation was not accepted in this UPSC framing.

Question 4

With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements: 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?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 1 and 2 only | 2 and 3 only | 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Kalidasa is traditionally associated with Chandragupta II. Panini and Amarasimha are not correctly matched with Pushyamitra Shunga and Harshavardhana respectively.

Question 5

With reference to the history of India, "Ulgulan" or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. The Revolt of 1857 | The Mappila Rebellion of 1921 | The Indigo Revolt of 1859 - 60 | Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899 - 1900. Ulgulan or the Great Tumult refers to Birsa Munda's tribal revolt of 1899-1900.

Question 6

With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term paramitas?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. The earliest Dharmashastra texts written in aphoristic (sutra) style | Philosophical schools that did not accept the authority of Vedas | Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path | early Powerful merchant guilds of medieval South India. Paramitas are perfections or virtues whose cultivation leads a Bodhisattva along the path to Buddhahood.

Question 7

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."

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Ashoka | Samudragupta | Harshavardhana | Krishnadeva Raya. The quoted edict is Ashoka's message of religious tolerance, warning against praising one's sect by disparaging others.

Question 8

The Vital-Vidhvansak, the first monthly journal to have the untouchable people as its target audience was published by

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Gopal Baba Walangkar | Jyotiba Phule | Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi | Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Vital-Vidhvansak was published by Gopal Baba Walangkar and targeted untouchable communities.

Question 9

With reference to the book Desher Katha written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statements: 1. It warned against the Colonial State's 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?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1 and 2 only | 2 and 3 only | 1 and 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Desher Katha criticized colonial mental domination and inspired Swadeshi cultural mobilization such as street plays and songs. Deuskar's use of desh was broader nationalist, not only Bengal-specific.

Question 10

Consider the following events in the history of 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 founded by Gopala What is the correct chronological order of the above events, starting from the earliest time?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 2 - 1 - 4 - 3 | 3 - 1 - 4 - 2 | 2 - 4 - 1 - 3 | 3 - 4 - 1 - 2. Mahendravarman I's Pallava power came earliest, followed by Gopala founding the Pala dynasty, Bhoja's Pratihara rise, and Parantaka I's Chola expansion.

UPSC 2020 History PYQs with Answers