UNESCO representative list of India intangible cultural heritage of humanity

The Aalst Carnival in Belgium, the Peking Opera, Spanish Flamenco, the Wayuu normative system in Colombia, the traditional skills of carpet weaving in Kashan in Iran, and falconry, presented by 11 countries, are among the 46 elements inscribed today on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee, chaired by Jacob Ole Miaron from Kenya and meeting in Nairobi until 19 November 2010, examined and inscribed 46 of the 47 nominations presented.

India - Chhau dance - Chhau dance is a tradition from eastern India that enacts episodes from epics including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, local folklore and abstract themes. Its three distinct styles hail from the regions of Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj, the first two using masks. Chhau dance is intimately connected to regional festivals, notably the spring festival Chaitra Parva. Its origin is traceable to indigenous forms of dance and martial practices. Its vocabulary of movement includes mock combat techniques, stylized gaits of birds and animals and movements modelled on the chores of village housewives. Chhau is taught to male dancers from families of traditional artists or from local communities. The dance is performed at night in an open space to traditional and folk melodies, played on the reed pipes mohuri and shehnai. The reverberating drumbeats of a variety of drums dominate the accompanying music ensemble. Chhau is an integral part of the culture of these communities. It binds together people from different social strata and ethnic background with diverse social practices, beliefs, professions and languages. However, increasing industrialization, economic pressures and new media are leading to a decrease in collective participation with communities becoming disconnected from their roots.

India - Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan - Songs and dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional way of life. Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the khanjari percussion instrument and the poongi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes. The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. Kalbelia songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories, while special traditional dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours. The songs also demonstrate the poetic acumen of the Kalbelia, who are reputed to compose lyrics spontaneously and improvise songs during performances. Transmitted from generation to generation, the songs and dances form part of an oral tradition for which no texts or training manuals exist. Song and dance are a matter of pride for the Kalbelia community, and a marker of their identity at a time when their traditional travelling lifestyle and role in rural society are diminishing. They demonstrate their community’s attempt to revitalize its cultural heritage and adapt it to changing socioeconomic conditions.

India - Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala - Mudiyettu is a ritual dance drama from Kerala based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. It is a community ritual in which the entire village participates. After the summer crops have been harvested, the villagers reach the temple in the early morning on an appointed day. Mudiyettu performers purify themselves through fasting and prayer, then draw a huge image of goddess Kali, called as kalam, on the temple floor with coloured powders, wherein the spirit of the goddess is invoked. This prepares the ground for the lively enactment to follow, in which the divine sage Narada importunes Shiva to contain the demon Darika, who is immune to defeat by mortals. Shiva instead commands that Darika will die at the hand of the goddess Kali. Mudiyettu is performed annually in ‘Bhagavati Kavus’, the temples of the goddess, in different villages along the rivers Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar and Moovattupuzha. Mutual cooperation and collective participation of each caste in the ritual instils and strengthens common identity and mutual bonding in the community. Responsibility for its transmission lies with the elders and senior performers, who engage the younger generation as apprentices during the course of the performance. Mudiyettu serves as an important cultural site for transmission of traditional values, ethics, moral codes and aesthetic norms of the community to the next generation, thereby ensuring its continuity and relevance in present times.

OBJECTIVE INDIAN HISTORY QUESTIONS

1. ‘Charak’ was the famous court Physician of—
(A) Harsha
(B) Chandragupta Maurya
(C) Ashoka
(D) Kanishka
Ans : (D)

2. Who was the greatest Bhakti poet of Maharashtra ?
(A) Ramdas
(B) Tukaram
(C) Namdeva
(D) Eknath
Ans : (C)

3. The foreign traveller who visited India during the Mughal period and who left us an expert’s description of the Peacock Throne was—
(A) Geronimo Verroneo
(B) ‘Omrah’ Danishmand Khan
(C) Travernier
(D) Francisco Palsaert
Ans : (C)

4. Who founded the Home Rule League in Calcutta in 1916 A.D. ?
(A) Bipin Chandra Pal
(B) Arvind Ghosh
(C) Lokmanya Tilak
(D) Mrs. Annie Besant
Ans : (D)

5. The dead body of Babur by his own choice lies buried in—
(A) Agra
(B) Farghana
(C) Samarqand
(D) Kabul
Ans : (D)


6. The Government of India Act, 1919 is known as—
(A) Morley—Minto Reforms
(B) Montagu—Chelmsford Reforms
(C) Regulating Act
(D) Pitts India Act
Ans : (B)

7. Who is called the ‘Father of the Indian National Congress’ ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) A.O. Hume
(C) Lokmanya Tilak
(D) Surendranath Banerjee
Ans : (B)

8. ‘Ashtangika Marg’ the path for the elimination of human misery, was propounded by—
(A) Mahavira
(B) Gautam Buddha
(C) Adi Shankaracharya
(D) Kabir
Ans : (B)

9. The number system ‘Zero’ was invented by—
(A) Ramanujam
(B) Aryabhatta
(C) Patanjali
(D) An unknown person
Ans : (B)

10. Mahatma Gandhi owed his inspiration for civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes to—
(A) Thoreau
(B) Leo Tolstoy
(C) John Ruskin
(D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Ans : (B)

11. Satyashodhak Samaj was formed by—
(A) Raja Rammohan Roy
(B) Shri Narayana Guru
(C) Jotirao Govindrao Phule
(D) Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ans : (C)

12. Partition of Bengal was done by—
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Curzon
(C) Lord Warren Hastings
(D) Lord Ripon
Ans : (B)

13. National song ‘Vande Mataram’ was composed by—
(A) Rabindra Nath Tagore
(B) Ram Prasad Bismil
(C) Sarojini Naidu
(D) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Ans : (D)

14. Ghoomar is a dance form from—
(A) Jammu and Kashmir
(B) Punjab
(C) Himachal Pradesh
(D) Rajasthan
Ans : (D)

15. The words ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed below the base plate of the emblem of India are taken from—
(A) Ramayana
(B) Mundak Upanishad
(C) Rigveda
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)

16. Who among the following established the Central Hindu College at Benaras, in 1898 which later formed the nucleus of the Benaras Hindu University ?
(A) Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya
(B) Lord Dufferin
(C) Annie Besant
(D) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ans : (A)

17. Which one of the following is not correctly matched ?
(A) Pandit Krishan Maharaj : Tabla
(B) Pandit Birju Maharaj : Sarod
(C) Ustad Bismillah Khan : Shehnai
(D) Ustad Vilayat Khan : Sitar
Ans : (B)

18. Under whose patronage was the Khandariya Mahadeo Temple at Khajuraho built ?
(A) Solankis
(B) Rashtrakutas
(C) Tomaras
(D) Chandellas
Ans : (D)

19. Who among the following Mughal rulers granted the English Company Diwani over Bengal, Bihar and Orissa by Treaty of Allahabad ?
(A) Ahmad Shah
(B) Alamgir II
(C) Shah Alam II
(D) Akbar Shah II
Ans : (C)

20. During the Indian freedom struggle, what accusation was made against Master Amir Chand, Awadh Bihari, Bal Mukund and Basant Kumar Biswas ?
(A) Assassination of the Commissioner of Poona
(B) Throwing a bomb on ‘Viceroy’s procession in Delhi
(C) Attempt to shoot the Governor of Punjab
(D) Looting an armoury in Bengal
Ans : (B)

OBJECTIVE INDIAN HISTORY QUESTIONS

1. Which among the following is referred to as the Montague Chelmsford Reforms ?
(A) Indian Council, 1909
(B) Government of India Act, 1919
(C) Rowlatt Act
(D) Government of India Act, 1935
Ans : (B)

2. Who was the Governor General when the Revolt of 1857 started ?
(A) Lord Canning
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Dalhousie
(D) Lord Ellenborough
Ans : (A)

3. Under whose governor-generalship Punjab was annexed by British rulers ?
(A) Lord Bentinck
(B) Lord Dalhousie
(C) Lord Cornwallis
(D) Lord Canning
Ans : (B)

4. In which dance form did Birju Maharaj achieve his eminence ?
(A) Bharatnatyam
(B) Kuchipudi
(C) Kathak
(D) Odissi
Ans : (C)

5. Which of the following domesticated animals were absent in the terracottas of Indus civilization ?
(A) Buffalo
(B) Sheep
(C) Cow
(D) Pig
Ans : (C)


6. Which among the following is the sacred book of the Buddhists ?
(A) Upanishad
(B) Vedas
(C) Tripitaka
(D) Jatakas
Ans : (C)

7. The greatest development in the Kushana period was in the field of—
(A) Religion
(B) Art
(C) Literature
(D) Architecture
Ans : (B)

8. Mughal presence in the Red Fort ceased with the fall of—
(A) Aurangzeb
(B) Muhammad Shah
(C) Shah Alam
(D) Bahadur Shah ‘Zafar’
Ans : (D)

9. Who was the first known Gupta ruler ?
(A) Srigupta
(B) Chandragupta I
(C) Ghatotkacha
(D) Kumaragupta
Ans : (A)

10. Who from the following leaders was not assassinated ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Liaqat Ali Khan
(C) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
(D) Lord Louis Mountbatten
Ans : (C)

11. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Gol Gumbaz : Hyderabad
(B) Tomb of Itmad-ud-daula : Agra
(C) Tomb of Shershah : Sasaram
(D) Tomb of Rani Rupmati : Ahmedabad
Ans : (A)

12. Which one of the following places did Gautam Buddha attain Parinirvana ?
(A) Gaya
(B) Kushinagar
(C) Rajgir
(D) Shravasti
Ans : (B)

13. Who among the following was the contemporary of the famous poet Amir Khusro ?
(A) Iltutmish
(B) Ala-ud-din Khalji
(C) Ibrahim Lodi
(D) Akbar
Ans : (B)

14. Who among the following Delhi Sultans made Agra the capital of his Empire ?
(A) Iltutmish
(B) Balban
(C) Feroz Shah Tughlaq
(D) Sikander Lodi
Ans : (D)

15. In Indian history, Lord Macaulay is known for his contribution to which one of the following areas ?
(A) Army
(B) Land revenue
(C) Railways
(D) Education
Ans : (D)

16. At which one of the following congress sessions did Dadabhai Naoroji announce that the Swaraj was the goal of India’s political efforts ?
(A) Karachi Session
(B) Lahore Session
(C) Lucknow Session
(D) Calcutta Session
Ans : (D)

17. Who among the following was not associated with the Indigo Rebellion ?
(A) Harishchandra Mukherjee
(B) Digambar Biswas
(C) Dinabandhu Mitra
(D) Keshab Chandra sen
Ans : (D)

18. Who was the President of the Indian National Congress at the time of partition of India ?
(A) Rajendra Prasad
(B) Jawaharlal Nehru
(C) J. B. Kriplani
(D) Vallabhbhai Patel
Ans : (C)

19. Firing in Jallianwala Bag was ordered by—
(A) Lord Simson
(B) Rowlatt
(C) O’Dwyer
(D) Curzon–Wyllie
Ans : (C)

20. The capital of the Mughal Empire was shifted from Agra to Delhi by—
(A) Jahangir
(B) Aurangzeb
(C) Humayun
(D) Shahjahan
Ans : (D)

OBJECTIVE INDIAN HISTORY QUESTIONS

1. In 1757, Siraj-ud-daula was defeated by—
(A) Canning
(B) Hastings
(C) Clive
(D) Conrwallis
Ans : (C)

2. When Akbar was young his guardian was—
(A) Hemu
(B) Faizi
(C) Abul Fazal
(D) Bairam Khan
Ans : (D)

3. The foundation of Lingraj temple was laid by—
(A) Yayati Keshari
(B) Lalitendu Keshari
(C) Narasimha Dev
(D) Pratap Rudra Dev
Ans : (A)

4. Subhash Chandra Bose set up the provisional Government of Free India in—
(A) Burma
(B) Singapore
(C) Thailand
(D) Indonesia
Ans : (B)

5. The World’s first drainage system was built by the people of—
(A) Egyptian Civilization
(B) Indus Valley Civilization
(C) Chinese Civilisation
(D) Mesopotamiam Civilization
Ans : (B)


6. Which of the following was the capital of the Chola Kings ?
(A) Vanchi
(B) Tanjore
(C) Madurai
(D) Trichirapally
Ans : (B)

7. The most significant Act which declared that the sovereignty of the British Empire in India was in the hands of the British Crown was—
(A) The Company’s Charter Act of 1833
(B) The Company’s Charter Act of 1853
(C) The Indian Council Act of 1861
(D) The Indian Council Act of 1892
Ans : (A)

8. The Indian National Congress was formed during the Governor Generalship of—
(A) Lord Ripon
(B) Lord William Bentinck
(C) Lord Dufferin
(D) Lord Curzon
Ans : (C)

9. To take care of the conquered lands, Mohammad Ghori left behind his trusted General—
(A) Nasiruddin
(B) Iltutmish
(C) Qutubuddin Aibak
(D) Malik Kafur
Ans : (C)

10. The famous city of Bhopal was founded by the Rajput ruler—
(A) Prithviraj Chauhan
(B) Dharmapala
(C) Raja Bhola
(D) Jaichand
Ans : (C)

11. Who among the following was the wife of emperor Ashoka who influenced him ?
(A) Chandalika
(B) Charulata
(C) Gautami
(D) Karuwaki
Ans : (D)

12. Chand Bibi, the famous Muslim ruler, belonged to which of the following kingdoms ?
(A) Bijapur
(B) Golconda
(C) Ahmednagar
(D) Berar
Ans : (C)

13. The famous Kailasa temple cut out of the solid rock at Ellora was built under the patronage of the—
(A) Cholas
(B) Kadambas
(C) Pallavas
(D) Rashtrakutas
Ans : (D)

14. The temple which is called the “Khajuraho of Assam” is—
(A) Kamakhya
(B) Tirupati Balaji
(C) Madankamdeva
(D) Umananda
Ans : (C)

15. The first battle of Panipat was fought between—
(A) Humayun and Shershah
(B) Rana Sanga and Babur
(C) Akbar and Hemu
(D) Ibrahim Lodhi and Babur
Ans : (D)

16. Ras Leela, Yaosang, Lai Haraoba are the festivals of—
(A) Assamese people
(B) Karbi people
(C) Manipuri people
(D) Bodo people
Ans : (C)

17. The pioneer of Indian Renaissance was—
(A) Swami Vivekananda
(B) Swami Dayananda Saraswati
(C) Dadabhai Nauroji
(D) Raja Rammohan Roy
Ans : (D)

18. The famous ‘Satriya dance’ of Assam got national recognition in the year—
(A) 1999
(B) 2000
(C) 2001
(D) 1998
Ans : (C)

19. Which of the following is the most important statement which shows the real greatness of Akbar as a ruler ?
(A) He tried to encourage inter-religious marriages
(B) He set up a revenue system based on average crop estimates
(C) He established Din-i-illahi incorporating the principles of many religions
(D) He tried to unite India into a single nation
Ans : (D)

20. Which of the following has been the field of activity of Pt. Bhimsen Joshi ?
(A) Literature
(B) Classical music (Vocal)
(C) Education
(D) Journalism
Ans : (B)

OBJECTIVE INDIAN HISTORY QUESTIONS

1. Which among the following is a martial dance ?
(A) Kathakali
(B) Bamboo dance of Meghalaya
(C) Chhau of Mayurbhanj
(D) Bhangra of Punjab
Ans : (C)

2. Where did the dance form ‘Mohini Attam’ develop ?
(A) Manipur
(B) Kerala
(C) Karnataka
(D) Tamil Nadu
Ans : (B)


3. Kabir was a pupil of which personality ?
(A) Vallabhacharya
(B) Ramanand
(C) Chaitanya
(D) Madhvacharya
Ans : (B)

4. India and Pakistan were partitioned under which of the following plans of the British colonial government ?
(A) Mountbatten Plan
(B) Cripps Plan
(C) Chelmsford Plan
(D) Wavell Plan
Ans : (A)

5. With which of the following religions are monastries, temples and stupas associated ?
(A) Buddhism
(B) Jainism
(C) Hinduism
(D) Christianity
Ans : (A)


6. Which of the following works of historical significance was composed by Kautilya ?
(A) Arthasastra
(B) Darshanshastra
(C) Samajsastra
(D) None of these
Ans : (A)

7. Which of the following musical instruments is a wind instrument ?
(A) Sitar
(B) Shehnai
(C) Santoor
(D) Veena
Ans : (B)

8. Which of the following is a fundamental tenet of Buddhism ?
(A) Right conduct
(B) Idol worship
(C) Belief in one God
(D) Right knowledge
Ans : (A)

9. Two principal monuments of Ala-ud-din Khilji’s reign the Jamaat Khana Masjid and Alai–Darwaja were constructed at—
(A) Hyderabad
(B) Mysore
(C) Delhi
(D) Agra
Ans : (C)

10. Which of the following materials was mainly used in the manufacture of Harappan seals ?
(A) Teeracotta
(B) Bronze
(C) Copper
(D) Iron
Ans : (A)

11. Which type of ancient script did the Harappans use ?
(A) Pictographic
(B) Linear
(C) Hieroglyphic
(D) Symbolic
Ans : (A)

12. In which state is the ‘Modhera’ sun Temple located ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Andhra Pradesh
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Madhya Pradesh
Ans : (D)

13. At which of the following places, the Buddhist council was not held ?
(A) Vaishali
(B) Pataliputra
(C) Rajagriha
(D) Kannauj
Ans : (D)

14. Who among the following has composed the song ‘Ay Mere Watan Ke Logon’ ?
(A) Jai Dev
(B) Anil Biswas
(C) C. Ramchandra
(D) Madan Mohan
Ans : (C)

15. Who was the founder of sultanate of Gujarat ?
(A) Ahmad Shah
(B) Muhammad Shah
(C) Dilawar Khan
(D) Zafar Khan
Ans : (D)

16. The ‘Ajivikas’ were a—
(A) Sect contemporary to the Mahavira
(B) Breakaway branch of the Buddhists
(C) Sect founded by Charvaka
(D) Sect founded by Shankaracharya
Ans : (A)

17. The Indian Universities were first founded during the time of—
(A) Macaulay
(B) Warren Hastings
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord William Bentinck
Ans : (C)

18. The most important sufi shrine in India is located at—
(A) Pandua
(B) Bidar
(C) Ajmer
(D) Shahjahanabad
Ans : (C)

19. Which of the following is associated with Sufi Saints ?
(A) Tripitaka
(B) Dakhma
(C) Khanqah
(D) Synagogue
Ans : (C)

20. Which of the following treaties brought an end to the independent existence of Peshwa Baji Rao II ?
(A) The Treaty of Purandhar
(B) Convention of Wadgaon
(C) Treaty of Bassein
(D) Treaty of Salbai
Ans : (C)

OBJECTIVE INDIAN HISTORY QUESTIONS

1. Which Indian statesman used these, magic words, “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge……” ?
(A) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
(B) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(C) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
(D) Jawaharlal Nehru
Ans : (D)

2. The organic relationship between the ancient culture of the Indus Valley and Hinduism of today is proved by the worship of—
(A) Pashupati, Indra and the Mother Goddess
(B) Stone, trees and animals
(C) Vishnu and Lakshmi
(D) Siva and Sakti
Ans : (B)

3. The Muslim League advocated a separate Muslim State—
(A) At its birth in 1906
(B) During the Khilafat Movement
(C) In 1930, when it opposed the Civil Disobedience Movement
(D) At the Lahore Session of 1940
Ans : (D)

4. Ranthambhor was—
(A) A Mughal Palace
(B) A Rajput fort
(C) Capital of the Khaljis
(D) A Buddhist pilgrimage centre
Ans : (B)

5. Satyagraha finds expression in—
(A) Sudden Outbursts of Violence
(B) Armed Conflicts
(C) Non-Cooperation
(D) Communal riots
Ans : (C)


6. ‘Quwwat-ul-Islam’ Mosque was built by—
(A) Qutub-ud-din Aibak
(B) Alauddin Khilji
(C) Iltutmish
(D) Mohammad Adilshah
Ans : (A)

7. The Pallavas ruled from—
(A) Kanchipuram
(B) Madurai
(C) Tanjore
(D) Tiruchendur
Ans : (A)

8. Krishnadevaraya maintained friendly relations with the—
(A) French
(B) British
(C) Portuguese
(D) Dutch
Ans : (C)

9. The guerilla warfare was pioneered by—
(A) Aurangzeb
(B) Akbar
(C) Shivaji
(D) Balaji Rao
Ans : (C)

10. Panini was a famous scholar of—
(A) Language and grammar
(B) Ayurveda
(C) Astronomy
(D) Biology
Ans : (A)

11. The Gandhara school of sculpture was a blend of—
(A) Indian and Greek styles
(B) Indian and Persian styles
(C) Purely Indian in origin
(D) Indian and South East Asian style
Ans : (A)

12. Which one of the following languages is used in Tripura ?
(A) Hindi
(B) Mizo
(C) Khasi
(D) Bengali
Ans : (D)

13. Who composed the State Anthem of Assam ?
(A) Lakshminath Bezbaruah
(B) Gopinath Bordoloi
(C) Bhupen Hazarika
(D) Shankar Dev
Ans : (A)

14. What was the original name of the ‘Shaheed Minar’ in Kolkata ?
(A) Victoria Memorial
(B) Ochtorloney Memorial
(C) Hastings Square
(D) Chouranghee
Ans : (B)

15. The East India Company was formed in—
(A) 1600
(B) 1601
(C) 1623
(D) 1595
Ans : (A)

16. Which of the following sites/monuments in India is not on the UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritager ?
(A) Tirupathi-Tirumala Temples
(B) Agra Fort
(C) Humayun’s Tomb at Delhi
(D) Keoladeo National Park
Ans : (A)

17. The city of Dhillika (Delhi) was founded by—
(A) Chauhans
(B) Tomaras
(C) Pawaras
(D) Pratiharas
Ans : (B)

18. Prince Elara conquered Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 2nd Century BC. To which Dynasty of the Dravidian rulers did he belong ?
(A) Chera
(B) Chola
(C) Pandya
(D) Pallava
Ans : (B)

19. Which among the following is a folk dance of India ?
(A) Manipuri
(B) Garba
(C) Kathakali
(D) Mohiniattam
Ans : (B)

20. Indian Classical Dance has been popularised abroad by—
(A) Malaika Arora
(B) Gopi Krishna
(C) Uday Shankar
(D) Yamini Krishnamurthy
Ans : (C)

OBJECTIVE INDIAN HISTORY QUESTIONS

1. The oldest form of composition of the Hindustani Vocal Music is—
(A) Ghazal
(B) Dhrupad
(C) Thumri
(D) Khayal
Ans : (D)

2. Frontier Gandhi was the nickname of—
(A) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
(B) Vinoba Bhave
(C) None of these
(D) Mahatma Gandhi
Ans : (A)

3. Who founded the Indian National Congress ?
(A) A. O. Hume
(B) Sardar Patel
(C) Subhash Chandra Bose
(D) W.C. Bannerjee
Ans : (A)

4. The Revolt of 1857 was—
(A) A British conspiracy
(B) A revolt by rulers and landlords
(C) The first war of independence
(D) A sepoy mutiny
Ans : (D)

5. Which one of the following Indian languages does not have a Dravidian Origin ?
(A) Kannada
(B) Marathi
(C) Malayalam
(D) Telugu
Ans : (B)


6. Which of the following is a popular festival of Assam ?
(A) Durgapuja
(B) Bihu
(C) Onam
(D) Baisakhi
Ans : (B)

7. Who among the following was the exponent of Visistadvaita philosophy ?
(A) Vallabhacharya
(B) Sankaracharya
(C) Ramanujacharya
(D) Madhvacharya
Ans : (C)

8. Which of the following powers did not fight for the Tungabhadra Doab ?
(A) Pallavas and Chalukyas
(B) Cholas and later Chalukyas of Kalyana
(C) Golconda and Ahmadnagar Sultanates
(D) Vijaynagar and Bahmani Kingdoms
Ans : (C)

9. Where was the first university in modern India founded ?
(A) Bombay
(B) Calcutta
(C) Lahore
(D) Madras
Ans : (B)

10. Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the invasions of north-west India after the fall of the Mauryas ?
(A) Bactrian Greeks—Parthians—Kushans—Hunas
(B) Bactrian Greeks—Kushans—Parthians—Hunas
(C) Parthians—Bactrian Greeks—Hunas—Kushans
(D) Parthians—Hunas—Bactrian Greeks—Kushans
Ans : (A)

11. Which of the following events made the English East India Company the legitimate masters of the Bengal Subah ?
(A) Battle of Buxar, 1764
(B) Battle of Plassey, 1757
(C) Farrukh Siyar’s Farman, 1717
(D) Ibrahim Khan’s Farman, 1690
Ans : (C)

12. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Janjira Fort : Maharashtra
(B) Asirgarh Fort : Madhya Pradesh
(C) Daulatabad Fort : Rajasthan
(D) Gingee Fort : Tamil Nadu
Ans : (C)

13. Our National song has been taken from :
(A) The essay ‘Bharat Vidhata’ written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya
(B) The magazine ‘Tatva Bodhini’ edited by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
(C) The novel ‘Durgesh Nandini’ written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
(D) The novel ‘Anand Math’ written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Ans : (D)

14. Who designed the National Flag of independent India ?
(A) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
(B) Rabindranath Tagore
(C) Mahatma Gandhi
(D) Pingley Venkayya
Ans : (D)

15. Who is believed to have composed the treatise ‘Nratya Shastra’ ?
(A) Brihannala
(B) Menaka
(C) Bharata
(D) Rambha
Ans : (C)

16. Who is considered as the greatest of all the Vijayanagar rulers ?
(A) Krishnadeva Raya
(B) Vira Narasimha
(C) Sadasiva Raya
(D) Rama Raya
Ans : (A)

17. Which was the only Indus site with an artificial brick dockyard ?
(A) Lothal
(B) Kalibangan
(C) Harappa
(D) Mohenjo-Daro
Ans : (A)

18. Nalanda University was a great centre of learning, especially in—
(A) Buddhism
(B) Jainism
(C) Vaishnavism
(D) Tantra
Ans : (A)

19. ‘Lakh Baksh’ was a title given to the ruler—
(A) Iltutmish
(B) Balban
(C) Raziya
(D) Qutub-ud-din Aibak
Ans : (D)

20. The Rathas of Mahabalipuram was built during the reign of the—
(A) Palas
(B) Cholas
(C) Rashtrakutas
(D) Pallavas
Ans : (D)

Indian History Questions for APPSC Exams

Indian History

1. The officer responsible for the safe custody of land records during the Gupta period was known as—

(A) Dhruvadhikarana

(B) Karanika

(C) Samaharta

(D) Shaulkika

Ans : (B)

2. The Prakrit text Gaudavaho describes the deeds of—

(A) Bhaskaravarman

(B) Isanavarman

(C) Sasanka

(D) Yasovarman

Ans : (D)

3. Which of the following refers to ‘Pushyabhuti’ as the founder of the Vardhana dynasty ?

(A) Kadambari

(B) Harshacharita

(C) Banskhera Inscription of Harsha

(D) Yuan-Chwang

Ans : (B)

4. The first Gupta ruler to assume the title of the ‘Maharajadhiraja’ was—

(A) Srigupta

(B) Chandragupta I

(C) Samudragupta

(D) Ghatotkacha

Ans : (B)

5. Which one of the following statements about Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien’s travel in India is not correct ?

(A) He came to India during the reign of Chandragupta II

(B) His object was to visit the holy places of Buddhism

(C) He came by the sea route

(D) He visited whole India and went back to his country by the land route

Ans : (C)

6. Which was the first work to recognise the payment of officers by grants of land ?

(A) Kautilya’s Arthasastra

(B) Indica of Megasthenese

(C) Manusmriti

(D) Harsacharita of Bana

Ans : (C)

7. Below are given the pairs of names of the Dharmashastra-writers and their patrons. Indicate the incorrect match—

(A) Ballalasena – Dharmapala

(B) Hemadri – Yadava Mahadeva

(C) Laxmidhara – Govindachandra Gahadawala

(D) Mitra Misra – Virasinha Bundela

Ans : (A)

8. Who among the following was celebrated with the title of ‘Gangai-Konda’ ?

(A) Rajaraja I

(B) Rajendra I

(C) Mahendravarman I

(D) Kulottunga I

Ans : (B)

9. Which Chola emperor received a letter on golden leaves from the Burmese king Kyanzittha ?

(A) Rajaraja I

(B) Rajendra I

(C) Kulottunga I

(D) Rajadhiraja I

Ans : (C)

10. Who among the following boldly stood for the sacrificial vedic tradition and opposed the theory of Sanyasa ?

(A) Kumarila

(B) Ramanuja

(C) Gaudapada

(D) Yamunacharya

Ans : (A)

11. In the case of a man dying without a son, whom Yajnavalkya places first in order of succession ?

(A) Wife

(B) Daughters

(C) Parents

(D) Brothers

Ans : (A)

12. Consider the following statements and select the correct answer from the code given

below—

Assertion (A) : The Gahadawalas had friendly relations with the Cholas.

Reason (R) : A fragmentary Gahadawala inscription has been found incised below an inscription of Kulottunga I.

Codes :

(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

(B) Both (A) and (R) are ture, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)

(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false

(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true

Ans : (A)

13. Who among the following Europeans was first to come to India to establish trade relations with their country ?

(A) Dutch

(B) British

(C) Portuguese

(D) French

Ans : (C)

14. Which of the following gives the administrative divisions of the chola kingdom in the correct descending order ?

(A) Mandalam, Valanadu, Kurram

(B) Mandalam, Nadu, Kottam

(C) Kurram, Nadu, Kottam

(D) Nadu, Kurram, Taniyur

Ans : (C)

15. Which one of the following was the primary village assembly in the chola village administration ?

(A) Nadu

(B) Sabha

(C) Ur

(D) Mahasabha

Ans : (C)

16. Which one of the following states was a milch-cow for the British ?

(A) Hydrabad

(B) Punjab

(C) Mysore

(D) Avadh

Ans : (D)

17. Match the authors with their books—

(a) Subramanya Bharti

(b) Bhai Vir Singh

(c) Rabindra Nath Tagore

(d) Michael Madhusudan Dutt

1. Gitanjali

2. Meghnad Badh Kavya

3. Rana Surat Singh

4. Kuyil Pattu

Select the correct answer from the code given below—

Codes :

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(A) 2 3 1 4

(B) 4 2 1 3

(C) 4 3 1 2

(D) 4 3 2 1

Ans : (C)

18. “The emergence of British power in India is from the battle of Buxar.” Who made this statement ?

(A) Sir Stephen

(B) Ramsay Muir

(C) Dr. K. K. Datta

(D) Dr. R. C. Majumdar

Ans : (B)

19. In 1757 Siraj-ud-Daulah attacked British factory at—

(A) Dhaka

(B) Calcutta

(C) Kasimbazar

(D) Murshidabad

Ans : (B)

20. Which Governor of Madras presidency made treaty of Mangalore with Tipu ?

(A) Eyercoote

(B) Stephenson

(C) Wellesely

(D) Lord Macartany

Ans : (D)

21. What was the bone of contention between Nizam Ali, the ruler of Hyderabad and the English ?

(A) Masulipatanam

(B) Karnataka

(C) The Sarkar of Guntur

(D) The Northern Sarkars

Ans : (C)

22. The statement “we have crippled our enemy without making our friends too formidable.” is associated with—

(A) Fourth Anglo-Mysore war

(B) Third Anglo-Mysore war

(C) Second Anglo-Mysore war

(D) First Anglo-Mysore war

Ans : (B)

23. Who among the following Mughal emperors, granted permission to trade free of tax in the territories of Bengal, Hyderabad and Gujarat to the British ?

(A) Muhammad Shah

(B) Aurangzeb

(C) Bahadur Shah

(D) Farrukh Siyar

Ans : (D)

24. Where did the British East India Company open its first factory in India ?

(A) Masulipatanam

(B) Surat

(C) Bharuch

(D) Mumbai

Ans : (B)

25. The Whitley commission was concerned with—

(A) Labour

(B) Education

(C) Public Health

(D) Reorganisation of civil services

Ans : (A)

26. Match the following treaties with the years of their conclusion—

(a) Treaty of Srirangapatnam

(b) Treaty of Sangoli

(c) Treaty of Manglore

(d) Treaty of Rajghat

1. 1792 2. 1806

3. 1816 4. 1784

Find the correct answer from code given below—

Codes :

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(A) 3 2 1 4

(B) 2 3 1 4

(C) 4 3 1 2

(D) 1 3 4 2

Ans : (D)

27. Whom did Sir Charles Napier replace as British Resident of Sindh ?

(A) Alexander Burnier

(B) James Outram

(C) Sir John Karne

(D) Sir Eyre Coote

Ans : (B)

28. When was the East India Company brought under the parliamentary control ?

(A) 1773

(B) 1784

(C) 1793

(D) None of the above

Ans : (A)

29. Which one of the following Acts created ‘Board of control’ ?

(A) Regulating Act, 1773

(B) Pitt’s India Act, 1784

(C) Act of 1813

(D) Act of 1833

Ans : (B)

30. Which one of the following historians has written about the nature of the movement of 1857 that “It was neither first nor national nor a war of independence.” ?

(A) T. R. Holmes

(B) R. C. Majumdar

(C) S. B. Chaudhuri

(D) G. B. Mallison

Ans : (B)

31. Which one of the following pairs

is not correctly matched ?

(A) Jhansi —Laxmi Bai

(B) Gwalior —Tatya Tope

(C) Kanpur —Nana Saheb

(D) Allahabad —Kunwar Singh

Ans : (D)

32. The official historian of the movement of 1857 was—

(A) S. N. Sen

(B) R. C. Majumdar

(C) Tarachand

(D) V. D. Savarkar

Ans : (A)

33. Match the following associations with their presidents—

(a) British Indian Association, 1851

(b) Deccan Association, 1852

(c) Bombay Association, 1852

(d) British Indian Madras Association, 1850

1. Raja Radhakant Dev

2. Gopal Hari Deshmukh

3. C. Y. Mudaliar

4. Jamshedji Jijabhai

Select the correct answer from the code given below—

Codes :

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(A) 2 1 4 3

(B) 1 2 4 3

(C) 1 2 3 4

(D) 1 2 4 3

Ans : (D)

34. Who had chaired the Indian Education commission in 1882 ?

(A) Macaulay

(B) Sadler

(C) W. W. Hunter

(D) None of the above

Ans : (C)

35. Who was the founder of Seva Sadan in Bombay ?

(A) Baharamji Malabari

(B) Shiva Narrain Agnihotri

(C) R. G. Bhandarkar

(D) B. K. Jayakar

Ans : (A)

36. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using codes given below—

List-I

(a) Laxmi Bai

(b) Tatya Tope

(c) Nana Saheb

(d) Bahadur Shah

List-II

1. Deported to Rangoon

2. Fled to Nepal

3. Captured and executed

4. Killed in battle

Codes :

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(A) 4 3 2 1

(B) 2 4 3 1

(C) 1 2 3 4

(D) 4 2 3 1

Ans : (A)

37. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched ?

1. Brahmo Samaj – Swami Brahmanand

2. Dev Samaj – Swami Satyanand Agnihotri

3. Arya Samaj – Swami Dayanand

4. Ram Krishna Mission – Swami Ramkrishna Paramhansa

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below—

Codes :

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 2 and 3

(C) 3 and 4

(D) 1 and 4

Ans : (B)

38. Which one of the following journals had conducted a bitter campaign against the abolition of the practice of Sati ?

(A) Sambad Kaumadi

(B) Bangadoot

(C) Samachar Darpan

(D) Samachar Chandrika

Ans : (A)

39. In which of the following places ‘Jatiya Sarkar’ a parallel government was formed during the Quit India Movement ?

(A) Satara

(B) Tamaluk

(C) Ballia

(D) None of the above

Ans : (B)

40. Which one of the following was elected as president of Indian National Congress after the resignation of Subhas Chandra Bose ?

(A) Dr. Rajendra Prasad

(B) Pattabhi Sitaramayya

(C) Sarojini Naidu

(D) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Ans : (A)

41. The party which observed ‘Black day’ on 3 July, 1947 against partition of India was—

(A) Indian National Congress

(B) Forward Bloc

(C) Hindu Mahasabha

(D) Communist Party of India

Ans : (C)

42. Who was the author of ‘Pather Dabi’ a novel which glorified the path of violent revolution and which was banned by the British Government ?

(A) Premchand

(B) Sharatchandra Chatterji

(C) Bankimchandra Chatterji

(D) Ajai Ghosh

Ans : (B)

43. The newspaper ‘Man in India’ was edited by—

(A) Surjit Chadra Sinha

(B) Ashok Kumar Sarkar

(C) Ram Gopal Maheshwari

(D) Shiv Prasad Gupta

Ans : (A)

44. Who edited “Sahid Bhagat Singh : Dastavejo Ke Aine Mein” ?

(A) Irfan Habib

(B) Malavinder Jit Singh

(C) Chaman Lal

(D) Amalesh Tripathi

Ans : (C)

45. Which of the following writers was not associated with ‘economic nationalism’ ?

(A) R. C. Dutt

(B) G. V. Joshi

(C) Dadabhai Naoroji

(D) Annie Besant

Ans : (D)

46. Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R)—

Assertion (A) : Dadabhai Naoroji founded East India Association in London.

Reason (R) : He wanted to influence the British Public Opinion.

In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct ?

(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)

(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false

(D) (R) is true, but (A) is false

Ans : (A)

47. Which one of the following was not a member of the Hunter committee set up to enquire into the Jallianwala bagh massacre ?

(A) Lord Hunter

(B) General Dyer

(C) W. F. Rice

(D) Sir Thomas Smith

Ans : (B)

48. Which one of the following was not a slave of Mohammad Ghori ?

(A) Ikhtiyaruddin Bhakhtiyar Khalji

(B) Tajuddin Yaldauz

(C) Qutbuddin Aibak

(D) Shamsuddin Iltutmish

Ans : (D)

49. Who among the following writers has described the seven fold division of the Hindu society ?

(A) Ibn Khordadbah

(B) Abu zaid-Alhasan

(C) Al-Beruni

(D) Utbi

Ans : (A)

50. The foreign invader who plundered somnath temple was—

(A) Mohammad Ghori

(B) Masud III

(C) Muhammad Bin-Qasim

(D) Mahmud Ghaznavi

Ans : (D)

51. The first hand account of conquest of India by Mohammad Ghori and the history of newly established Turkish kingdom is found in which of the following texts ?

(A) Faqra-i-Muddabir

(B) Qamil-ut-Tawarikha

(C) Tabaqat-i-Nasiri

(D) Kitab-ul-Yamini

Ans : (C)

52. Select from the following options, the Arab invader who defeated Dahira, the king of Sindh in 712 A.D.—

(A) Budail

(B) Muhammad-bin-Qasim

(C) Sultan Mahmud

(D) Ubaidullah

Ans : (B)

53. Which one of the following is not correctly matched ?

(A) Diwan-i-Mushtakharaj – Alauddin Khalji

(B) Diwan-i-Amirkohi – Mohammad Tughlaq

(C) Diwan-i-Khairat – Firoz Shah Tughlaq

(D) Diwan-i-Riyasat – Balban

Ans : (D)

54. Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R)—

Assertion (A) : Alauddin built the siri fort.

Reason (R) : He wished to safeguard Delhi from Mongol invasions.

In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct ?

(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)

(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false

(D) (R) is true, but (A) is false

Ans : (A)