UGC NET Paper 2 History Mock Test - 4 - UGC NET MCQ

In Mauryan period, an irrigation tax was known as Udak Bhag.

Key Points

• Land tax (bhaga) was the main item of revenue during the Mauryan period.
• According to the texts, it was levied at the rate of one-sixth of the produce.
• Sharecropping was another way by which the State collected agricultural resources.
• The sharecroppers were in the first place provided with seeds, oxen, etc., and received arable land for cultivation.
• In this kind of situation the peasants probably gave half of the produce to the State.
• Bali, the traditionally known levy from the Vedic times, continued under the Mauryas.
• During the Mauryan period when the importance of irrigation was fully realised, the peasants had to pay more tax on irrigated land which was known as udaka-bhaga.
• It refers to water rate, and was generally levied at one-fifth to one-third of the produce.

• The above taxes were further supplemented by a large number of customary dues that the peasants had to pay.

Therefore, we can conclude that in Mauryan period, an irrigation tax was known as Udak Bhag.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

• Raja Jai Singh was a distinguished statesman, lawmaker, and reformer.
  • He ruled from 1699-1743.
  • But most of all, he appreciated science very much.
• He founded the city of Jaipur in the territory taken from the Jats and made it a great seat of art and science.
  • Jaipur was built upon strictly scientific principles and according to a regular plan.
  • Its broad streets are intersected at right angles.
  • Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
• He was a great astronomer.
  • He erected observatories at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi, and Mathura.
  • None of the observatories was in Deccan because Rajputs didn't rule the Deccan region.
  • Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
• These observatories were erected with accurate and advanced instruments, some of them his own inventions, These were remarkably accurate.
  • He also drew up a set of tables to enable people to make astronomical observations.
  • He had Euclid's 'Elements of Geometry' translated into Sanskrit, and Napier's work on the construction and use of logarithms.
• He was also a social reformer.
  • He tried to enforce a law to reduce the expenditure which a Rajput had to incur on a daughter's wedding and which often lead to infanticide.
• Initially, Jai Singh served as a Mughal vassal.
  • He was given the title of Sawai by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb in the year 1699, who had summoned him to Delhi, impressed by his wit.
    • Hence, Statement 3 is correct.​

Poetry in India

The Vedas

• The term Vedas has been derived from the Sanskrit word Vid which means ‘to know’.
• They are a compilation of hymns and prayers, offered to various Gods by sages and poets. They are not just a series of sacred texts but are essentially archetypal poetry of high literary value.
• They are also known as Samhitas.
• Hence, statement 1 is correct.

Classical Sanskrit Literature

• Classical Sanskrit literature includes epic poetry, drama, lyric poetry, romance, popular tales, didactic fables, grammar, medicine, law, astronomy, mathematics, etc.
• It is mostly secular in character.
• An important example of poetry in Classical Sanskrit in Malatibhava, written by Bhavabhuti (c. 700 CE). It is a love story written in poetry form.
• Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Sangam Literature

• The Sangam period roughly spans from 300 BCE - to 300 CE.
• The most interesting feature of Sangam literature is that it is mostly secular in nature, and not religious. Its themes revolve around the love, praise, and bravery of kings.
• The Sangam literature has mainly two schools of poems:
• Aham (love poems)
• Puram (public and heroic poems)
• In Sangam literature, Tenais are types of themes or genres of poetry.
• A single Thinai contained the entire political landscape - time, place, background, season, flora, and fauna.
• Ettutogai is a collection of eight anthologies of poems, Pathupattu is a collection of ten long poems.
• Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Telugu Literature

• Telugu is also a Davidian language.
• The literature began in the 10th-11th centuries CE.
• The literature is mainly poetry in secular and religious themes.
• Sataka (century of verses) is a very popular form of literature.
• The literature attained new heights under the Vijayanagar empire (14-17th century CE), of which Telugu was the court language.
• Pattu song literature developed in Malayalam literature, not Telugu literature.
• Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.

Malayalam Literature

• The Malayalam language is a member of the Dravidian language family.
• Popular song literature flourished called pattu. It consisted of erotic poetry written in a mixture of Malayalam and Sanskrit.
• Campus are compositions written in alternating passages of verses and prose.
• Earlier Malayalam texts were entirely indigenous. However, with time Sanskrit and Tamil contributed to its development.
• Manipravalam developed as a dialect that is a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam.

The correct answer is 3 only.​
Key Points

The Cripps Mission was sent to India because-

• The main proposals of the mission were as follows.
• After the end of the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution solely by Indians. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• Members of this assembly would be partly elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation and partly nominated by the princes. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The British government would accept the new constitution subject to two conditions: (i) any province not willing to join the Union could have a separate constitution and form a separate Union, and (ii) the new constitution-making body and the British government would negotiate a treaty to effect the transfer of power and to safeguard racial and religious minorities. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Additional Information

Cripps mission

• The main proposals of the mission were as follows.
  • An Indian Union with a dominion status would be set up; it would be free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth and free to participate in the United Nations and other international bodies.
  • After the end of the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution. Members of this assembly would be partly elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation and partly nominated by the princes.
  • The British government would accept the new constitution subject to two conditions: (i) any province not willing to join the Union could have a separate constitution and form a separate Union, and (ii) the new constitution-making body and the British government would negotiate a treaty to effect the transfer of power and to safeguard racial and religious minorities.
  • In the meantime, the defense of India would remain in British hands and the governor-general’s powers would remain intact.
• It was opposed by: Muslim League, INC, Hindu Mahasabha, Liberals, Depressed class, Sikh.

Key Points
In 1854, the first cotton mill was set up in Bombay and It grew as an important port for the export of raw cotton from India to England and China.

• This cotton crop became a huge demand and farmers started investing in it.
• Cotton turned the market upside down.
• A huge number of labours started working in mills.
• In Bombay, about 84 mills were established by Parsi and Gujarati businessmen by 1900.
• The construction and development of mills in cities started and the first mill in Ahmedabad was started in 1861.
• The growth of cotton mills demanded manpower.
• Poor peasants, artisans, and agricultural labourers started working in the mills.
• The textile industry of India faced problems such as difficulty competing with the cheap textiles imported from Britain.
• In most countries, the government-supported industrialization by applying and imposing heavy duties on imports which eliminated competition and protected infant industries.
• The first major spurt in the development of cotton factory production in India was during the First World War when textile imports from Britain were declined and Indian factories were called upon to produce cloth for military supplies.

Confusion Points

• The first Indian cotton cloth mill was established in 1818 at Fort Gloster near Kolkata, but this mill was a failure. The second mill which was established in 1854 in Mumbai is called the true foundation of modern cotton industry in India. This question was from HTET TGT Social Science 2014 - 2015 Official Paper and according to the official answer key the answer provided is Bombay (1854)

The correct answer is Option 1, i.e It was a land-reform movement in West Bengal.

• Operation Barga was one of the most prominent land reform movements to emerge from the stables of the Left government, with the core ethos of the movement being the introduction of a paradigm shift to the tenancy norms in rural West Bengal and abetting in the pecuniary emancipation of the bargadars (cultivators).
• The project was extremely successful and achieved an increase in the fraction of registered sharecroppers from 23% to 65% (1978 – 1990), which in turn synchronized perfectly with the proverbial renaissance in agricultural practices witnessed by that period to enhance the state’s agricultural productivity immensely.
• These changes translated ultimately into improved human development indices for the population sample under consideration, with West Bengal bearing witness to a very minimal number of peasant starvation or suicide instances, quite unlike the other states of India.
• Operation Green Hunt was the name used by the Indian media to describe the "all-out offensive" by the government of India's paramilitary forces and the state's forces against the Naxalites.
  • ​The operation is believed to have begun in November 2009 along with five states in the "Red Corridor."

Humayun (1530-1540):

• His main rival was Sher Shah Suri, a ruler of Awadh.
• He fought 2 battles with Sher Shah Suri namely:
  • Battle of Chausa,1539 and
  • Battle of Bilgram,1540: Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun. Humayun lost the kingdom. The battle was also called the Battle of Kanauj. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• After living in exile for 15 years, Humayun saw an opportunity to rule near Afghanistan by defeating the Sur dynasty in 1555. He set up the Mughal throne again. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Humayun was a learned person and a student of Mathematics, Astronomy, and Astrology. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• He loved painting and wrote poetry in the Persian language.
• Accordingly, option 4 is correct.

The correct answer is option 2.Key PointsThe attack of the Mongols:

• The first Mongol invasion of India took place in the reign of Sultan Shams-ud-din lltutmish in 1220-21, under the leadership of Chengez Khan. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Mongols attacks on the Delhi Sultanate increased during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and in the early years of Muhammad Tughluq’s rule-forced the two rulers to mobilise a large standing army in Delhi which posed a huge administrative challenge.

During Khalij Dynasty:

• In 1299, against advice, Delhi sultan Alauddin Khilji attacked the Mongols.
• The advance guard of the Indian army was led by Zafar Khan himself. He defeated the Mongols and pursued them as they withdrew.
• The Mongols took a long time to rally from this setback. Then they attacked at the worst time possible for Alauddin Khilji – when he was busy laying siege to Chittor.
• The Mongols plundered Punjab and burnt everything along the way.
• Alauddin Khilji sent a strong army led by two of his toughest generals: Ghazi Malik and the famous Malik Kafur to engage the invaders. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• They surprised the Mongols on their way back to Central Asia with their plunder.
• Kubak and other Mongol generals were captured and brought back to Siri, along with other prisoners.

During Tughlaq Dynasty:

• The next major Mongol invasion took place after the Khiljis had been replaced by the Tughlaq dynasty in the Sultanate.
• In 1327 the Chagatai Mongols under Tarmashirin, who had sent envoys to Delhi to negotiate peace the previous year, sacked the frontier towns of Lamghan and Multan and besieged Delhi. The Tughlaq ruler paid a large ransom to spare his Sultanate from further ravages.
• Muhammad bin Tughluq asked the Ilkhan Abu Sa'id to form an alliance against Tarmashirin, who had invaded Khorasan, but an attack didn't materialize. Tarmashirin was a Buddhist who later converted to Islam.
• Religious tensions in the Chagatai Khanate were a divisive factor among the Mongols. No more large-scale invasions or even raids took place in India; by this time the Mongol attempt to conquer India had finally ended in failure.
• The raising of taxes and famine in the Ganga-Yamuna belt led to widespread rebellion during Muhammad Tughluq. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Additional Information Administrative challenges during Alauddin Khalij and Muhammad Tughlaq:

Statement 1 is not correct as Dhrupad originates during Vedas period which gains popularity in 16th century which praises Lord Krishna. The earliest source mentioning musical genre is Ain-i-Akbari of Abu Fazl . Statement 2 is correct as Dhrupad is Indian classical music having origin to recite vedic hymns and mantras used for worshipping using sound. Statement 3 is correct as Dhrupad begins with free-time alap that carries two sections: Alap and Bandish where in Alap, the singer uses syllables from Sanskrit Mantras while Bandish is a poem with Pakhawaj. As only two statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Chenchu belonged from the Nallamala Hills in Andhra Pradesh. They revolted against the British Forest Laws under the leadership of K. Hanumanthu. Thodoe were from Kuki, Manipur. It was led by Rani Gindinilu and her cousin Zodanang against the presence of British in the agency areas. Naikdas were from Panchamahal hills in Gujarat. They revolted against the British policy of expansionism and interference. Kachanga were from Kacher district in Assam. They revolted under the British land revenue policy under the leadership of Sambu Dan.

The Government of India Act 1858, marked the beginning of new chapter in the constitutional history of India. The Act known as the Act for the Good Government of India, provided for liquidation of East India Company, and transferred the powers of government, territories and revenues to the British Crown. The act provided the Crown will govern India directly through a Secretary of State for India, who was to exercise the powers which were being enjoyed by the Court of Directors and Board of control. The office of secretary of state was vested with complete authority and control over Indian administration, thus he was now the political head of the India. He was also a member of the British cabinet and was responsible ultimately to the British Parliament. Lord Stanley was made first Secretary of state for India.

Chuars were the first to revolt against British land revenue policy in 1769 A.D. Khonds revolted in 1846-48 A.D. Lord Hardinge I, the Governor General introduced Forest Laws in 1840 A.D, prohibiting Podu Cultivation (Shifting Cultivation), imposed taxes on forest products and banned the customs of human sacrifice practiced by Khonds of Orissa and Gonds of Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh.

Permanent Settlement was introduced in Bengal and Bihar in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis.

1) The man who planned the system was John Shore, who succeeded Cornwallis as Governor-General.

2) The zamindars were not only to act as agents of the government in collecting land revenue from the ryots but also to become the owners of the entire land in their zamindaris.

3) Their right of ownership was transferable but hereditary.

All the given statements A, B and C related to saint Kabir are correct.

Key Points

• Kabir, who probably lived in the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries, was one of the most influential saints.
• He was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas or weavers settled in or near the city of Benares (Varanasi).
• We have little reliable information about his life.
• We get to know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads said to have been composed by him and sung by wandering bhajan singers.
• Some of these were later collected and preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vani and Bijak.
• Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement, rejection of the major religious traditions.
• His teachings openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam, the pre-eminence of the priestly classes and the caste system.
• The language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people.
• He also sometimes used cryptic language, which is difficult to follow.
• Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion.

• Kabir drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims.

Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that all the given statements A, B and C related to saint Kabir are correct.

The correct answer is option 3, i.e, 3 and 4.

• The rise of Marathas:
  • Decline of the Mughal Empire was the rise of the Marathas under the Peshwa.
  • They consolidated their position in Western India and then started entertaining plans for a Hindu-Pad Padshahi.
  • The Marathas became the strongest power in Northern India in the mid 18th century.
  • They played the role of king-makers at the Delhi court.
  • They acted as the defenders of the country against foreign invaders like Ahmad Shah Abdali.
  • The inability to the Mughal Emperors to accomodate the Marathas and to adjust their claims within the framework of the Mughal Empire.
  • The consequent breakdown of the attempt to create a composite ruling class in India.
• Ahmad Shah Abdali:
  • Abdali repeatedly invaded and plundered northern India right down to Delhi and Mathura between 1748 and 1767.
  • In 1761, Abdali defeated the Maratha in the third Battle of Panipat.
  • After defeating Mughal and Maratha, Abdali didnot found a new Afghan kingdom in India.

In 1667 AD Francois Caron establish First French Factory in India.Key Points

• In 1667 AD, François Caron, a Dutch-born merchant who was working for the French East India Company, established the first French factory in India.
• The factory was located in Surat, a major port city in Gujarat.
• This was the beginning of French colonial expansion in India, which would eventually lead to the establishment of French India.
• The factory in Surat was a success, and it helped to pave the way for the establishment of other French factories in India.
• In 1669, another French factory was established in Masulipatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh.
• In 1673, the French East India Company established a trading post in Pondicherry, which would eventually become the capital of French India.
• The French East India Company was one of the three major European trading companies that competed for control of trade in India during the 17th and 18th centuries.
• The other two companies were the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company.
• The French company was never as successful as the British company, but it did manage to establish a number of colonies in India, including Pondicherry, Chandannagar, and Mahé.
• The French colonies in India were eventually annexed by the British during the 19th century.

• However, the French legacy can still be seen in India today, in the form of French-style architecture, French cuisine, and the French language.

Therefore the correct answer is 1667 AD.

The Company had become the Diwan, but it still saw itself primarily as a trader.

• It wanted a large revenue income but was unwilling to set up any regular system of assessment and collection.
• The effort was to increase the revenue as much as it could and buy fine cotton and silk cloth as cheaply as possible.
• Within five years the value of goods bought by the Company in Bengal doubled.
• Before 1865, the Company had purchased goods in India by importing gold and silver from Britain.
• Now the revenue collected in Bengal could finance the purchase of goods for export.

Important PointsSoon it was clear that the Bengal economy was facing a deep crisis.

• Artisans were deserting villages since they were being forced to sell their goods to the Company at low prices.
• Peasants were unable to pay the dues that were being demanded from them.
• Artisanal production was in decline, and agricultural cultivation showed signs of collapse.
• Then in 1770 a terrible famine killed ten million people in Bengal. About one-third of the population was wiped out.

Thus, it is clear that due to a terrible famine, ten million people in Bengal were wiped out.

All the given statements are correct.

Key Points

• The East India Company (EIC) did lose its monopoly of trade with the Charter Act of 1813.
• This allowed other British companies to trade with India, breaking the EIC's monopoly and opening up the Indian market to competition. Hence statement (A) is correct.
• The use of Indian ships for trade was banned by the British government.
• The Navigation Acts, which were first introduced in the 17th century, required all goods transported between Britain and its colonies to be carried on British ships.
• This policy was designed to protect the British shipping industry and prevent foreign competition. Hence statement (B) is correct.
• The British government did make it obligatory to purchase only British-made paper for use in India.
• This policy was part of a wider effort to promote British industry and protect British jobs. However, it also had a negative impact on Indian industries, which were unable to compete with cheaper British goods. Hence statement (C) is correct.
• The policies such as the ban on Indian ships for trade and the promotion of British-made goods did contribute to the decline of Indian industries.
• These policies gave an unfair advantage to British businesses and made it difficult for Indian industries to compete.
• Additionally, British policies such as the imposition of high tariffs on Indian goods further damaged Indian industries. Hence statement (D) is correct.

The correct answer is A - 3, B - 1, C - 5, D - 2, E - 4

Key Points

• Maitrakas
  • The Maitraka dynasty ruled western India (now Gujarat) from approximately 475 to approximately 776 CE from their capital Vallabhi.
  • There were a total of 19 kings ruled in this dynasty but the majors are,
    • Bhatarka
    • Dharasena I
    • Dronasimha
    • Dhruvasena I
    • Guhasena
    • Dharasena II
    • Siladitya I
    • Dhruvasena II
    • Dharasena Iv
• The Kalachuris
  • ​The Kalachuris, also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between the 6th and 7th centuries.
    • Krishnaraja
    • Shankaragana
    • Buddharaja
• The Vardhanas
  • ​Vardhana Dynasty also called Pushyabhuti Dynasty,
  • They ruled in northern India during the 6th and 7th centuries.
    • Pushyabhuti
    • Nāravardhana
    • Rājyavardhana I
    • Adityavardhana
    • Prabhakaravardhana
    • Rajyavardhana
    • Harshavardhana
• The Chalukyas
  • ​The Chalukya dynasty was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and 12th centuries.
    • Jayasimha
    • Vishnuvardhana II
    • Vishnuvardhana III
    • Vijayaditya II
    • Gunaga Vijayaditya III
    • Vijayaditya VI
• The Shailodbhava
  • ​The Shailodbhava (IAST: Śailodbhava) dynasty ruled parts of eastern India during the 6th-8th centuries.
    • Shailodbhava
    • Raṇabhīta
    • Mahārāja Mahāsāmanta Mādhavarāja I
    • Mahārāja Yaśhobhīta
    • Madhyamarāja I

    • Madhyamarāja II

Some major deities of the Vedic tradition include Indra, Surya, Agni, Ushas, Vayu, Varuna, Vishnu, Mitra, Aditi, Yama, Soma, Sarasvati, Prithvi, and Rudra. Among all Indra is the most important god.

The fiscal system was established on a firm basis.

1) Warriors and priests, i.e., the Kshatriyas and the Brahmanas, were exempted from the payment of taxes, and the burden fell on the peasants who were mainly vaishyas or grihapatis.

2) Bali, a voluntary payment made by the tribesmen to their chiefs in Vedic times, became a compulsory payment to be made by the peasants in the age of Buddha, and officers called balisadhakas were appointed to collect it.

3) Artisans and traders also had to pay taxes. The tolls were collected by officers known as shulkika or shulkadhaksha.

Dyarchy in Provinces was introduced by the Government of India Act of 1919. It was abolished by the Government of India Act of 1935 and dyarchy at the center was introduced.

Vishakhadatta had written two plays, namely Mudrarakshasa and Devichandraguptam. In Mudrakarakshasa, he described how Chandragupta Maurya ascended to the throne.

Kalidas has written the best works in poetry, drama as well as in prose. His kavya, such as Meghaduta, Raghuvamsa, and Kumarasambhava, and dramas, such as Abhijnashakuntalam, are the best literary works of this time and are considered the best even today.

Panchatantra, written by Vishnu Sharma, is one of the most famous works of this period. It was translated into Persian and Arabic in the 8th century A .D., and has been translated into almost all European languages.

Maharshi Akshapada Gautam is the author of 'Nyaya darshan'. It is considered as the origin of systematic development of the theory of logic and analysis. The principal text of this philosophy is 'Nyaya sutra of Gautam'.

Pallavas were great patrons of learning. Their capital, Kanchi, was an ancient centre of learning. The Ghatika at Kanchi was popular and attracted students from all parts of India and abroad.

The Nayanars and Alwars composed religious hymns in Tamil. The Devaram composed by Nayanars and the Nalayradivyaprabandam composed by Alwars represent the religious literature of the Pallava period.

6 May 1996-01 June 1996,

19 March 1998 -13 October 1999 and

13 October 1999 – 22 May 2004.

First statement is incorrect because the Tebhaga movement was an independence campaign initiated in Bengal by the Kisan Sabha in 1946-47. Second statement is again incorrect because the demand of the movement was to reduce the share given to landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third.

With the help of the strong leadership of Albuquerque, the Portuguese started trading as well as piracy. Gradually Malabar coastal region became the main trading point of the Portuguese.