BPSC 2015 — History Questions with Answers
All 13 History previous-year questions from BPSC 2015, each with the correct answer and a full explanation. Practise them as a free, timed mock test with instant scoring.
Practice History as a timed test →- Q1.Modern India
With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- a)1 only
- b)1 and 2 only
- c)2 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: The Rowlatt Act (1919) followed the Sedition (Rowlatt) Committee report and Gandhi used the Home Rule League network for the satyagraha; the Simon Commission came in 1928, much later.
- Q2.Modern India
Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India?
- a)1 only
- b)1 and 2 only
- c)2 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji (Drain Theory), G. Subramania Iyer and R.C. Dutt all developed economic critiques exposing the drain of wealth under British colonial rule.
- Q3.Modern India
With reference to Congress Socialist Party, consider the following statements:
- a)1 and 2 only
- b)3 only
- c)1, 2 and 3
- d)None
Explanation: The Congress Socialist Party rejected the dictatorship of the proletariat and opposed separate electorates; the boycott/tax-evasion was a Gandhian programme, so none of the statements correctly describe it.
- Q4.Medieval India
Consider the following pairs (Medieval Indian State : Present Region): 1. Champaka : Central India; 2. Durgara : Jammu; 3. Kuluta : Malabar. Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
- a)1 and 2
- b)2 only
- c)1 and 3
- d)3 only
Explanation: Durgara corresponds to the Jammu region (Dogra); Champaka was Chamba (Himachal, not central India) and Kuluta was the Kullu valley (not Malabar).
- Q5.Ancient India
Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha? 1. Avanti; 2. Gandhara; 3. Kosala; 4. Magadha.
- a)1, 2 and 3
- b)2 and 3 only
- c)1, 3 and 4
- d)3 and 4 only
Explanation: The Buddha spent much of his life in Kosala and Magadha; Avanti and Gandhara were not centres of his activity.
- Q6.Medieval India
Consider the following: The arrival of Babur into India led to the 1. introduction of gunpowder in the subcontinent; 2. introduction of the arch and dome in the region's architecture; 3. establishment of Timurid dynasty in the region.
- a)1 and 2 only
- b)3 only
- c)1 and 3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: While the arch-and-dome and gunpowder existed earlier in limited forms, Babur's arrival is credited with their wider introduction along with establishing the Timurid (Mughal) dynasty, so the official key marks all three.
- Q7.Modern India
Who of the following organized a march on the Tanjore coast to break the Salt Law in April 1930?
- a)V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
- b)C. Rajagopalachari
- c)K. Kamaraj
- d)Annie Besant
Explanation: C. Rajagopalachari led the salt march on the Tanjore (Vedaranyam) coast in Tamil Nadu during the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.
- Q8.Medieval India
Who of the following founded a new city on the south bank of a tributary to river Krishna and undertook to rule his new kingdom as the agent of a deity to whom all the land south of the river Krishna was supposed to belong?
- a)Amoghavarsha I
- b)Ballala II
- c)Harihara I
- d)Prataparudra II
Explanation: Harihara I founded Vijayanagara on the Tungabhadra (a Krishna tributary) and ruled as the agent of the deity Virupaksha, to whom the land south of the Krishna was deemed to belong.
- Q9.Modern India
Consider the following statements: 1. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu. 2. The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.
- a)1 only
- b)2 only
- c)Both 1 and 2
- d)Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation: Badruddin Tyabji was indeed the first Muslim INC President (1887), but the first woman President was Annie Besant (1917), not Sarojini Naidu (the first Indian woman President).
- Q10.Modern India
With reference to the Cabinet Mission, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It recommended a federal government. 2. It enlarged the powers of the Indian courts. 3. It provided for more Indians in the ICS.
- a)1 only
- b)2 and 3
- c)1 and 3
- d)None
Explanation: The Cabinet Mission (1946) proposed a loose federal structure with a weak centre; it did not deal with enlarging court powers or Indianising the ICS.
- Q11.Art & Culture
With reference to the art and archaeological history of India, which one among the following was made earliest?
- a)Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar
- b)Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli
- c)Varaha Image at Udayagiri
- d)Rock-cut monument at Mahabalipuram
Explanation: The rock-cut elephant at Dhauli dates to the Mauryan period (Ashoka, 3rd century BCE), making it the earliest among these.
- Q12.Medieval India
With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of the feudal system? 1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority. 2. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land. 3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord.
- a)1 and 2 only
- b)2 and 3 only
- c)3 only
- d)1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Feudalism is characterised by land-based administrative structures and lord-vassal relationships; it is marked by a weak centre and strong local authority, the opposite of statement 1.
- Q13.Modern India
Which one of the following movements has contributed to a split in the Indian National Congress resulting in the emergence of 'moderates' and 'extremists'?
- a)Swadeshi Movement
- b)Quit India Movement
- c)Non-Cooperation Movement
- d)Civil Disobedience Movement
Explanation: The Swadeshi Movement (during the anti-partition agitation) deepened differences leading to the 1907 Surat split between Moderates and Extremists.
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