UGC NET Paper 2 History Mock Test - 8 - UGC NET MCQ

The correct answer is option [1] i.e Lord Irwin

Points to remember:

• On April 3, 1926 Lord Irwin was appointed 30th Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
• During his tenure in 1927, British government appointed a commission under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon
• The Commission was appointed to study the reforms of 1919 and suggest further measures for Constitutional reforms. The Commission had no Indian member in it. The Indians boycotted this all-White commission.
• The Simon Commission was a group of 7 MPs from Britain who were sent to India in 1928 to study constitutional reforms and make recommendations to the government.
• The Commission was originally named the Indian Statutory Commission. When the Commission landed in February 1928, there were mass protests, hartals, and black flag demonstrations all over the country. And thus came the slogan ‘Simon Go Back.’

The correct answer is Allaudin Khilji.

Key Points

• Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of South Asia for 320 years.
• Allaudin Khilji was a Turko-Afghan emperor of the Khilji dynasty under the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent.
• He strongly opposed the interference of the Ulemas in the affairs of the State.
• The Delhi Sultans were not the head of the religion but only the head of the state.

Thus, we can say that Allaudin Khilji did not allow the Ulemas to interfere in matters of the state.

Additional Information

• Ulema is a body of Muslim scholars who are recognized as having specialist knowledge of Islamic sacred law and theology.

Answer(c) Abbas Taiybjee

• Gandhiji under the authority of the Congress launched the civil disobedience movement known as the Salt Satyagraha.
• Gandhi's arrest had created a great sensation in India and abroad. Representations were sent from all parts of the world to the British Prime Minister asking the Government to release Gandhi and make peace with India.
• C Rajagopalachari led a similar march on the southeast coast from Trichy to Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Hindusthan Dainik was published in 1887.
• Hindustan or Hindusthan Dainik is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper.
• Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was the editor of Uttar Pradesh daily newspaper "Hindusthan".
• Madan Mohan Malviya launched it in 1936.
• Hindusthan Dainik which is published by Hindusthan Media Ventures Limited is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper.
• Earlier it was part of HT Media Ltd group, which spun off its Hindi business into a separate company named Hindusthan Media Ventures Limited in December 2009.

Additional Information​​​​​​​​​​

• Madan Mohan Malviya was an Indian scholar, educational reformer, and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement.
• He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha
• He was addressed as Pandit, a title of respect, and also as Mahamana(Great Soul).
• Malaviya strove to promote modern education among Indians and co-founded the Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi in 1916
• It is the largest residential university in Asia and one of the largest in the world
• Madan Mohan Malviya founded a highly influential English newspaper, The Leader, in 1919, published in Allahabad.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

Treaty of Purandar:

• The treaty of Purandar was signed between the Rajput ruler Jai Singh I, who was commander of the Mughal Empire, and Maratha Chhatrapati Shivaje Maharaj.
• Seeing the increasing power of Sivaji, Aurangzeb posted Raja Jai Singh of Amber against him.
• Jai Singh was a great commander and he was honoured several times in the regime of Shahjahan for his brilliant successes.
• After the treaty of Purandar was signed the fort of Purandar was surrendered to the Mughals emperor.
• Terms of the Treaty:

1. Out of his thirty-five forts, Shivaji handed over twenty-three forts to the Mughals which had an annual income of 40 lakh Huns.
2. On the condition of being faithful to the Mughal empire, Shivaji was allowed to maintain his influence over the remaining twelve forts.
3. Shivaji would send his eight-year-old son Shambhaji in the Mughal court in his place where he would be given a mansab of 500 and a post of pride on th recommendations of Raja Jai Singh.
4. Shivaji would present himself in the royal army at the time of need and on the royal command. Shivaji’s proposal of having his control over the province of Konkan and Balaghat – Bijapur’s province –was also accepted which fetched an income of 4 lakh Huns and 5 lakh Huns respectively. He also promised to pay 40 lakh Huns to the Mughal emperor in 13 instalments provided he was assured that these provinces would remain under his control in spite of their impending victory by the Mughals.

• Jahandar Shah was the ninth Mughal Emperor.
• He was the son of Bahadur Shah and the grandson of Alamgir.
• Jahandar Shah ruled for only eleven months before being deposed.

​Muhammad Shah:

• Muammad Shah, was the twelfth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1719 until 1748.
• At the age of 17, he gained the kingdom with the support of the Sayyid brothers.
• Muhammad Shah was a huge supporter of the arts, particularly musical, artistic, and administrative advancements.
• Sada Rangila was his pen name, and he was known as "Muhammad Shah Rangila," as well as "Bahadur Shah Rangila," after his grandfather Bahadur Shah I.
• Muhammad Shah's reign was distinguished by the Mughal Empire's swift and permanent fall, notwithstanding his patronage of the arts.
• The Mughal Empire was already in decline, but Nader Shah of Persia's invasion and subsequent devastation of Delhi, the Mughal capital, hastened the process.

Correct answer is - Both 1 and 2.

Annie Besant
Indian Home Rule movement/Founders

• Home Rule League, either of two short-lived organizations of the same name in India established in April and September 1916, respectively, by Indian nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak and British social reformer and Indian independence leader Annie Besant.

The aim of the home rule movement

• was the attainment of home rule or a dominion status for India under the British Empire along the lines of countries like Canada and Australia.
• This movement was carried out through the two home rule leagues.

Indian home rule movement began-

• In India in the background of World War I.
• The Government of India Act (1909) failed to satisfy the demands of the national leaders.
• However, the split in the congress and the absence of leaders like Tilak, who was imprisoned in Mandalay meant that nationalistic response was tepid.

Tilak found the first home rule league

• at the Bombay provincial congress at Belgaum in April 1916.
• then after this Annie Besant founded second league at Adyar Madras in September 1916.

The following statement is not true about the nationalist historical writings in the pre-independence India:

'Nationalist historiography before independence dealt with the ancient, medieval and modern, all the three periods of Indian history'.

Important Points

• Nationalist historiography flourished mainly in dealing with the ancient and medieval periods.
• It hardly existed for the modern period and came into being mainly after 1947, no school of nationalist historians of modern India having existed before 1947.
• This was in part because, in the era of nationalism, to be a nationalist was also to be anti-imperialist, which meant confrontation with the ruling, colonial authorities.
• And that was not possible for academics because of colonial control over the educational system.
• It became safe to be anti-imperialist only after 1947.
• Consequently, a history of the national movement or of colonial economy did not exist.
• This is, of course, not a complete explanation of the absence of nationalist historiography before 1947.
• After all, Indian economists did develop a sharp and brilliant critique of the colonial economy of India and its impact on the people.
• Above all, nationalist historical writing contributed to the self-confidence, self-assertion and a certain national pride which enabled Indian people to struggle against colonialism especially in the face of denigration of India’s past and the consequent inferiority complex promoted by colonial writers.
• Nilkanth Shastri and other historians also helped overcome the regional bias – the bias of treating India as coterminous with the Indo-Gangetic plane.

• In this respect, as in many others, nationalist historical writing in India became a major unifying factor so far as the literate Indians were concerned.

Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that the following statement is not true about the nationalist historical writings in the pre-independence India:

'Nationalist historiography before independence dealt with the ancient, medieval and modern, all the three periods of Indian history'.

The correct answer is 1, 2, and 3.

Key Points

• The following are the reasons for the emergence of the left-wing within the congress in the late British Era-
  • There was a group of young leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Bose who were influenced by the outside world and with the ideological developments there. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
  • Socialist ideas acquired roots in the Indian soil and socialism became the accepted creed of Indian youth. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
  • Impact of the Russian Revolution, wherein Lenin overthrew the despotic Czarist regime and declared the formation of the first socialist state. Hence, Statement 3 is correct.
  • Several socialist and communist groups came into existence all over the country.
  • Various publications work such as S.A. Dange’s Gandhi and Lenin, Muzaffar Ahmed’s Navayug, Ghulam Hussain’s Inquilab, and M. Singaravelu’s Labour-Kisan Gazette.
  • Most importantly was the ideological difference between the radical group and the rest of congress. The rightist believed in the method of prayers and petition with no direct attack on the British. The Left-Wing on the other hand believed indirect attack and wanted independence at the earliest.
  • There was definitely a positive impact due to the Left-Wing rise within congress on the programs and policies of congress. Some of the positives were-
  • The emergence of the All India Trade Union Congress and Workers and Peasants Party.
  • Equal importance to social and economic freedom on the lines of political freedom.
  • Due to the leftist influence, the leaders within congress were able to take critical stands on various occasions such as Karachi Resolution, Economic Policy resolution at Faizpur Session, 1936 political manifesto of Congress, and National Planning Committee in 1938.

The correct answer is 1527.

Key Points

• In 1527, Babur defeated Rana Sanga at Khanuwa.
  • ​The battle was fought on 16 March 1527.
  • The Battle of Khanwa was a decisive battle that helps the establishment of Mughal rule in India.
  • Babur assumed the title of Ghazi after the victory of this battle.
  • Khanwa is located 60km west of Agra.
• Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire.
  • He was the first Emperor of the Mughal dynasty who ruled between 1526 to 1530.
  • He defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526.
  • He defeated Mahmud Lodi in the battle of Ghaghra in 1529. Babur died in 1530 in Agra.
  • He was first buried in Agra, later his mortal remains were moved to Kabul and reburied in Bagh-e Babur in Kabul.
  • Autobiography of Babur: Baburnama.

Change from informal to formal empires was driven by the idea of global and political rivalries

Key Points

• The change from an informal to a formal empire was driven by global and political rivalries, according to J. Gallagher and R. Robinson's proposal.
• The major European nations in the nineteenth century had the drive to acquire political control of tropical regions.
• The motives behind the empires' rise include greed for territory, lust for power, accidental circumstances, or economic reasons.
• According to J.A. Hobson, the empires rose to protect European investments abroad, and competition for colonies led to conflicts and wars between powers.
• The imperialists believed that they were protecting the home investment, but the common motive cited was the need for markets for goods and openings for emigration

• Owning colonies could bring large economic gains that would strengthen the role of the profit motive and capitalist interests behind imperialism.

Therefore the correct answer is global and political rivalries.

The First Session of Indian National Congress was held in Bombay and not in Calcutta. And Second Session of INC was held under Dadabhai Naroji and also the Lucknow Pact was concluded in 1916.

Non-Violence is not to be compromised within Jainism. It was Jainism who advocated ‘Gnana Marga’, where securing highest knowledge. Kaivalya is salvation. However, liberation from desires was taught in Buddhism, where Buddha advocated ‘Karma Marga’. Buddha remained silent and agnostic about the existence of God. He made no categorical statement regarding God. Mahavira declared that God exists but is not responsible for evolution of Universe. Universe according to him evolved on its own.

Pitt’s India Act of 1784 was significant for two reasons: first, the company’s territories in India were for the first time called the ‘British possessions in India’, and second, the British government was given the supreme control over Company’s affairs and its administration in India. It was the Regulating Act of 1773, which designated the Governor of Bengal as the ‘Governor-General of Bengal’. The first such Governor-General was Lord Warren Hastings. It also provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774), comprising one chief justice and three other judges.

The correct answer is Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir.

Key Points

Calligraphy

• Akbar’s favourite calligraphy style was the nastily, a fluid style with long horizontal strokes.
• Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir was one of the finest calligraphers at Akbar’s court who was honoured with the title ‘Zarrin Kalam’ (Golden pen).
• Hence the correct answer is option 1.
• Abdul Fazl was the Grand vizier of the Mughal emperor Akbar and author of the Akbarnama.

Muhammad Tughlaq separated the posts of Wali and Amir.

Important Points

• Muhammad Tughlaq was the ruler of Delhi Sultanate from 1325 to 1351 AD.
• Before the rule of Muhammad Tughlaq, Iqtas (the provinces) of Delhi Sultanate were initially under the dominion of the nobles.
• Muqtis or Walis or Amir was the name given to the governors of the provinces and were responsible for maintaining law and order and collecting the land revenue.
• The provinces were further divided into Shiqs, which was under the control of the Shiqdar.
• The Shiqs were further divided into Pargana, comprising a number of villages and was headed by the Amil.
• The village remained the basic unit of administration and its headman was called Chaudhri or Muqaddam.
• However during the reign of Muhammad Tughlaq, the posts of Wali and Amir was separated.
• Amir was the name given to the governors of the provinces.

• Wali or Muqtis were responsible for maintaining law and order and collection of taxes in their iqtas.

Thus, we can conclude that the posts of Wali and Amir were separated by Muhammad Tughlaq.

In 1600, the East India Company acquired a charter from the ruler of England, Queen Elizabeth I, granting it the sole right to trade with the East.

• This meant that no other trading group in England could compete with the East India Company.
• With this charter the Company could venture across the oceans, looking for new lands from which it could buy goods at a cheap price, and carry them back to Europe to sell at higher prices.
• The Company did not have to fear competition from other English trading companies.
• The royal charter, however, could not prevent other European powers from entering the Eastern markets.
• By the time the first English ships sailed down the west coast of Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope, and crossed the Indian Ocean, the Portuguese had already established their presence in the western coast of India and had their base in Goa.
• In fact, it was Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, who had discovered this sea route to India in 1498.
• By the early seventeenth century, the Dutch too were exploring the possibilities of trade in the Indian Ocean. Soon the French traders arrived on the scene.

Thus, we can say that only statement B is correct.

The correct answer is 2 only.

• After the launch of the Civil Disobedience Movement by Gandhi, the British government initiated talks with Indian leaders.
• Three round table conferences were held between 1930 to 1932.

Important Points

• The First Round Table Conference:
  • The Conference was inaugurated by King George V on November 12, 1930, in London.
  • It was chaired by the British Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • From India, 58 political leaders and 16 members representing the princely states participated in the conference.
  • Leaders from India who participated in the conference:
    • Hindu Mahasabha: B.S Monjee and M.R.Jayakar.
    • Sikhs: Sardar Ujjal Singh.
    • Muslim League: Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Mohammed Shafi, Aga Khan.
    • Depressed classes: Dr BR Ambedkar, Rettamalai Srinivasan.
  • Indian National Congress didn't participate in the First Round table conference.
  • The Viceroy of India was Irwin at that time.
  • Aim:
    • To create division between Indians through the "Divide and Rule" policy.
    • To discuss the constitutional reforms mentioned in the report of the Simon Commission.
    • To pacify the increase of nationalism in India under the leadership of Gandhi and the Indian National Congress.
• Second Round Table Conference (1931):
  • It was held in London.
  • Gandhi & the Indian National Congress participated in it.
  • Participants:
    • The British PM James Ramsay Macdonald.
    • Indian National Congress: Mahatma Gandhi, Rangaswami Iyengar, Madan Mohan Malaviya.
    • Hindus: M R Jayakar.
    • Liberals: Tej Bahadur Sapru.
      • ​Hence, statement 3 is correct.
    • Depressed classes: Dr B R Ambedkar.
    • Muslims: Md. Ali Jinnah, Muhammad Iqbal etc.
    • Women: Sarojini Naidu etc.
  • The composition of Indian Federation held.
  • The structure of Federal Judiciary recommended.
  • Distribution of financial resources.
  • Ramsay McDonald announced the formation of NWFP & Sindh.
    • Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
  • The British granted a communal award for representing minorities in India by providing separate electorates for minority communities.
  • Gandhi & Ambedkar had different opinions on the issue of separate electorates for the untouchables.
  • Gandhi was against treating untouchables separate from the Hindu community.
  • This issue resulted in the Poona Pact of 1932.

Additional Information

• Third Round Table Conference (1932):
  • Participants:
    • The INC & the Labour Party didn't attend it.
    • Only 46 delegated attended like Tej bahadur Sapru, BR Ambedkar.
    • BR Ambedkar was the only person who attended all three conferences.

• a) Complex Causation: Historical events are rarely caused by a single factor. Underlying social, economic, political, and cultural forces often contribute in a complex interplay. Historians must consider this complexity when analyzing causes.
• (b) Imagination and Reconstruction: The historical record is often incomplete, with gaps and silences. Historians use their imagination to bridge these gaps by drawing on relevant evidence from various sources and considering the context of the events. This allows them to create a plausible reconstruction of the past.

Additional Information

• (c) Imagination Constrained by Evidence: While imagination plays a role, it is not unfettered. Historians must base their interpretations on evidence from sources like documents, artifacts, archaeology, and even oral traditions when available. Fabricated narratives violate the core principles of historical inquiry.
• (d) Multiple Interpretations: There can be multiple valid interpretations of historical events due to the complexity of causes and the limitations of the historical record. A single narrative may not capture the full picture.

Kumaragupta I issued a gold coin depicting a rhinoceros.

Key Points

• Die-struck gold coins, with material legends in Sanskrit, known as dinaras, were issued by the Guptas.

• These coins have mostly been found in north India.

• The reigning king is depicted in the obverse in various poses, usually martial.

• However, there are also instances of the kings being depicted in non-martial poses.

  • For example, the obverse in the coins of Samuddragupta and Kumaragupta I show them playing the vina.

• Religious symbols are depicted in the reverse of Gupta coins indicating the religious affiliations of the Gupta kings.

• Gupta gold coins underwent a decline in metallic purity during the later part of Skandagupta's reign.

• The Guptas also issued silver coins, however, copper coins issued by them are rarely found.

• The Rhinoceros-slayer type coins were introduced by Kumaragupta I.

• These were identified for the first time by A.S. Altekar in 1947.

• This type is both unique and artistic. coins of this type depict the king riding a horse and attacking a rhinoceros.

​Thus, we can conclude that Kumaragupta I is the correct answer.

Additional Information

• ​Kumaragupta I:

  • ​He was one of the last great emperors of the Gupta dynasty.

  • He is known as having laid the foundation of Nalanda University.

  • In the later part of his reign, he had to face repeated incursions by the Hunas.

Key Points

Political History

• It deals with kings and their nobles during the earliest times. they were considered the architects of the society and their actions received prior treatment at the hands of historians.
• Secondly, the main source of our information for the past history is the court records and the accounts left by courtiers who wanted to flatter their patrons.

Additional Information

Social History

• It primarily devotes to the social life of the people 'viz' religion, national economy, morals, manners, foods, dresses art and culture. In this history, the political, dynastic and constitutional aspects of history are degraded to the background. In addition to these some historians made an attempt to deal with the general patrons of social development.

Diplomatic history

• It can be considered a branch of political history but developed as an independent discipline. In the view of close connections and relations between various members of the international communities, the huge body of principles of international laws has grown, which govern the foreign relations of various sovereign states.

Legal History

• It is another independent branch of history that has grown in recent times. The historians of legal history devoted themselves to the study of legal development and tried to show how the law adjusted itself according to the changing social conditions.

• Prathana Samaj- Atmaram Pandurang
• Young India - Mohandas Karamchand
• Lokhitvadi- Gopal Hari Deshmukh
• Satyashodhak Samaj- Jyotiba Phule
• Rehnumai Mazdayasan Sabha - Naoroji Furdonji

In south India some people were buried along with their tools, weapons, pottery and other belongings under big and heavy stones. These graves are known as megalithsThe practice of erecting megaliths began about 3000 years ago, and was prevalent throughout the Deccan, south India, in the north-east and Kashmir.These Megalith burials have yielded the first iron objects from south India. Besides these the use of Black and Red ware pottery was also a distinctive feature of the Megalithic people.

Parvati Devi was daughter of Lala Lajpat Rai who is know for actively taking part in the Satyagraha Committee. Radha Devi Agrawal was the wife of Lala Lajpat Rai. He had two sons, Amrit Rai Agrawal and Pyarelal Agrawal, and a daughter, Parvati Agrawal.

The central point in Ashoka’s Dhamma are all the given options. The Ashoka’s dhamma was not only the philosophical teaching of Buddha, but it also contained the idea of humanism, the universal brotherhood and Ahimsa. Ashoka’s pillar edicts gives the concept of his Dhamma. He had also appointed Dhamma Mahamatra to check out law and order in his kingdom.

Akbar initially followed Sher Shah’s revenue systems, particularly the Zabt System. Raja Todar Mal was made the Revenue Minister of Akbar and was known as ‘Diwan-i-Ashraf’. Todar Mal introduced ‘Bandobast’, a revenue assessment system that classified land into four categories, i.e., Polaj (best tract), Parauti (second best), Checher (third grade) and Banjar (least fertile). On the basis of the average produce for the last 10 years, the category of land was decided and accordingly tax was levied.

Kol Mutiny took place in 1831. It happened in the areas of Ranchi, Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Palamau and the western part of Maharashtra. The reason was the large scale transfer of land to outsiders from Kol headmen.

These were some of the most important officials during the Mauryan dynasty. Pradesikas were the modern district magistrates and in-charge of district. They were to make tours once in every 5 years to inspect the entire administration of the areas under control. Rajukas were the later day Patwaris. They were responsible for surveying and assessing the land. In rural areas they were the judicial officers. Yukta were the subordinate revenue officer of the district level. He was responsible for the secretarial work of accounting. Vachabhumika were the officer-in-charge of the rest houses, groves and wells etc.

The Government of India Act of 1935 extended the principal of communal representation by providing separate electorates for depressed classes (scheduled castes), women and labour (workers). Indian Councils Act, 1909 also introduced the system of separate electorates for Muslims.

Battle of Ramnagar took place in the year 1848 (British leader- Sir Hugh Gough, Sikh ruler- Sher Singh Attariwalla), Battle of Chillianwala was fought in the year 1849 (January) and the battle of Gujarat was fought on 21st February 1849.