UPSC 2024 History Previous Year Questions

Question 1

Consider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO: 1. Shantiniketan 2. Rani-ki-Vav 3. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas 4. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya How many of the above properties were included in 2023?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Only one | Only two | Only three | All four. Shantiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023. Rani-ki-Vav and Mahabodhi Temple were added earlier.

Question 2

Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on:

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Prajnaparamita Sutra | Visuddhimagga | Sarvastivada Vinaya | Lalitavistara. Sanghabhuti is associated with a commentary on the Sarvastivada Vinaya.

Question 3

Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Kavyalankara | Natyashastra | Madhyama-vyayoga | Mahabhashya. Madhyama-vyayoga is a Sanskrit one-act play attributed to Bhasa, the pre-Kalidasa dramatist. It dramatises an episode from the Mahabharata — the reunion of Bhima with his son Ghatotkacha and his wife Hidimba.

Question 4

With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements: 1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States. 2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature. 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. The Government of India Act, 1935 provided for an All-India Federation. Defence and external affairs were reserved subjects under the Governor-General, not under federal legislative control.

Question 5

Who was the Provisional President of the Constituent Assembly before Dr. Rajendra Prasad took over?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. C. Rajagopalachari | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar | T.T. Krishnamachari | Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha. Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha served as the provisional president of the Constituent Assembly before Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

Question 6

Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Chhau dance | Durga puja | Garba dance | Kumbh mela. Garba of Gujarat was the latest among the listed items to be inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Question 7

Consider the following statements: 1. India is a member of the International Grains Council. 2. A country needs to be a member of the International Grains Council for exporting or importing rice and wheat. 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. India is a member of the International Grains Council. Membership is not required merely to export or import rice and wheat.

Question 8

Consider the following statements: 1. There are no parables in Upanishads. 2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 1 only | 2 only | Both 1 and 2 | Neither 1 nor 2. Upanishads do contain parables and dialogues, so statement 1 is incorrect. They were composed earlier than the Puranas, so statement 2 is correct.

Question 9

Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Krishnadevaraya | Narasimha Saluva | Muhammad Shah III | Yusuf Adil Shah. Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara permitted the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal.

Question 10

Consider the following information: 1. Chandraketugarh : Odisha : Trading Port town 2. Inamgaon : Maharashtra : Chalcolithic site 3. Mangadu : Kerala : Megalithic site 4. Salihundam : Andhra Pradesh : Rock-cut cave shrines In which of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 1 and 2 | 2 and 3 | 3 and 4 | 1 and 4. Inamgaon in Maharashtra is a Chalcolithic site, and Mangadu in Kerala is a Megalithic site. Chandraketugarh is in West Bengal, and Salihundam is a Buddhist site rather than rock-cut cave shrines as stated.

UPSC 2024 History PYQs with Answers