UGC NET Paper 2 History Mock Test - 9 - UGC NET MCQ

The correct answer is (2) and (3) only.

Key Points

• Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia to Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) in the fifteenth century, was greatly impressed by the unique features of Vijayanaga's fortification.
• He mentioned seven lines of forts. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• These encircled not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests.
• The outermost wall linked the hills surrounding the city.
• The massive masonry construction was slightly tapered.
• No mortar or cementing agent was employed anywhere in the construction. Therefore, statement 2 is correct.
• The stone blocks were wedge shaped, which held them in place, and the inner portion of the walls was of earth packed with rubble. Thus, statement 3 is correct.
• Square or rectangular bastions projected outwards. Therefore, statement 4 is not correct.
• What was most significant about this fortification is that it enclosed agricultural tracts. Hence, statement 5 is not correct.

• Abdur Razzaq noted that “ between the first, second and the third walls there are cultivated fields, gardens and houses”.

Hence, we can conclude that among the given statements only 2 and 3 are correct.

The correct answer is option

• Jahandar Shah (1712-1713 AD):
  • He gave the title of 'Mirza Raja' to Jai Singh of Malwa and 'Maharaja' to Ajit Singh of Marwar.
  • Encouraged Ijara System(the revenue farming/contract farming and abolished Jazia).
  • First Mughal ruler who killed by Sayyid Brothers in captivity.
  • Sayyid Brothers: Abdullah Khan and Hussain Ali.
• Muhammad Shah(1719-1748 AD):
  • His name was Roshan Akhtar.
  • Also called Rangila.
  • Maratha under Baji Rao for the first in Mughal history raided in Delhi.
  • Nadir Shah of Persia invaded with the help of Sadat Khan who defeated Mughal army at the Battle of Karnal.

All of the above is the influence of 'Positivism' on Historiography.

Key Points

• By tracing the connection between facts, between events, Comtean positivism proved itself to be a valuable corrective to the Rankean approach to history.
• The Rankeans were so concerned with unique events and exact detail, that at times their work seemed completely shapeless. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
• To the Rankean and the Comtean positivists, each fact of history is a separate entity capable of being ascertained by a separate act of cognition.
• Thus there was to be an infinity of minute facts, each such fact was thought to be independent not only of the rest but of the knower himself so all subjective elements in the historian’s point of view had to be eliminated.
• The historian must pass no judgement on the facts; he must only say what they were. So, Statement 2 is correct.
• The Comtean positivist assertion that human society is amenable to scientific study is of outstanding importance.
• From positivism sprang modern sociology which seeks general laws in at least specific spheres of human activity.
• After Comte and Buckle, the effort to seek general laws in historical development was continued by Marx, Spengler and Toynbee.

• Formulations of such a general nature might be made regarding imperialist conquests, movements of populations, the rise of dictatorships and so on. Thus Statement 3 is also correct.

Therefore, we can conclude that all of the above is the influence of 'Positivism' on Historiography.

Bahishkrit Bharat newspaper was founded by B. R. Ambedkar.

• This newspaper was published in 1927.
• It was the Marathi language newspaper.
• Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian lawyer, economist, politician, and social reformer who influenced the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against the Intouchables (Dalits) of social injustice.
• He was India's first elected law and justice minister.

Additional Information​

• In 1923, B.R Ambedkar set up the 'Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha' (Outcastes Welfare Association), which was devoted to spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden, improving the economic status and raising matters concerning their problems in the proper forums to focus attention on them and finding solutions to the same.
  • The problems of the downtrodden were centuries old and difficult to overcome.
  • Their entry into temples was forbidden.
  • They could not draw water from public wells and ponds.
  • Their admission in schools was prohibited.
• In 1927, he led the Mahad March at the Chowdar Tank at Colaba, near Bombay, to give the untouchables the right to draw water from the public tank where he burnt copies of the 'Manusmriti' publicly.
• This marked the beginning of the anticaste and anti-priest movement.
• The temple entry movement launched by Dr. Ambedkar in 1930 at Kalaram temple, Nasik is another landmark in the struggle for human rights and social justice.

The correct answer is Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II.

• Ram Niwas Garden was built by the Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II of Rajasthan.

Key Points

• Ram Niwas Garden is a garden situated in Jaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
• It was built by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh of Jaipur in 1868.
• Built basically as a famine relief project, the landscaped garden was designed by Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob.
• Spread across an area of over 30 acres, the garden was initially built on 76 acres of land.
• The addition of modern and increased facilities for visitors resulted in reducing down the garden area to a little over 30 acres.

Important Points

• Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II
  • This is the description Prinsep gave when he visited the Maharaja of ‘Jeypore’.
  • Sawai Ram Singh II, who ruled Jaipur from 1835 to 1880, was born in 1833.
  • He was hardly two years old when he was made the Maharaja of Jaipur.
  • He is popularly known as India’s first ‘Photographer Prince’, who had both a passion and skill in the art of photography.
  • He was born at a time when immense changes were taking place in the country, with regard to not only the freedom movement but also socially and culturally.
  • Indian society was going through massive changes in its social, political, and cultural milieu.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Captain Agnew.

Key Points

• Captain Agnew( 1818 - 1825AD)
  • His capital was Raipur.
  • He reorganized the administrative structure in Chhattisgarh.
  • He shifted the capital from Ratanpur to Raipur in 1818 AD.
  • He delimited the Praganas from 27 to 8 but later on increased it to 9.
• 9 Parganas where -
  • Ratanpur
  • Raipur was the largest of all.
  • Dhamtari.
  • Durg
  • Dhandha
  • Navagarh
  • Kharod
  • Rajhara was the smallest.
  • Balod

Important Points

• The post of Patel was abolished, following officials were appointed to improve the system-
  • Barar Pandey
  • Potdar
  • Ameen
• They made Provisions to pay the land revenue in 3 installments.
• Ameen was appointed in every Paragana and Pandya was appointed for 20-30 villages.

Gupta Polity

• Parnadatta was appointed the Provincial governor of Saurashtra by Skandagupta. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• The official law book of the Guptas is the Yajnavalkya smriti. Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.

Gupta Era (310-320 CE)

• It was started by Gupta ruler Chandragupta I.
• After the fall of the Guptas, the Maitrakas of Vallabhi used this era with a new name Vallabhi Samvata. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Samudragupta (Reign 335-380 CE)

• He was son of Chandragupta-I and Kumaradevi (Lichchavi princess).
• He is called ‘Napolean of India’ by V.A. Smith (Irish Indologist and Art Historian).
• His campaigns are mentioned in the Eran inscription (Madhya Pradesh).
• He gave himself the title of ‘Lichchavi-dauhitra’ as he was son of the daughter of Lichchavis. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

General Service Enlistment Act was passed by Lord Canning's government in 1856 to prevent any kind of resistance from the sepoys against their deployment abroad.

Important Points

• The Indian soldiers nurtured grievances against the British as they were forced to go to the military expeditions to Burma and Afghanistan, which violated their religious scruples.
• Besides, crossing the seas was prohibited by the religion as the one who crossed the forbidden seas was bound to lose his caste.
• In order to prevent any kind of resistance from the sepoys against their deployment abroad, Lord Canning's government passed the General Service Enlistment Act in 1856.

• By this act, all future recruiters to the Bengal Army were required to give an undertaking that they would serve anywhere, their services would be required.

Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that General Service Enlistment Act was passed by Lord Canning's government in 1856 to prevent any kind of resistance from the sepoys against their deployment abroad.

The correct answer is Number of ploughs.

Key Points

• Number of ploughs systems of levying land revenue in Deccan was prevalent during the reign of Akbar.
• A major extension of the Zabt system occurred in the later years of Shahjahan's reign when it was established in the Deccan by Murshid Quill Khan.
• Zabt system was applied in northern India and in Malwa and parts of Gujarat.
• It was framed during the Mughal period and was prevalent in Akbar's period.
• It was a new land measurement system.
• The ploughed/sown area is measured by bamboos which are attached to iron rings.
• It is also called Todar Mal's Bandobast.
• The land was divided into 4 categories in this system
  • Poolaj
  • Parauti
  • Chachar
  • Banjar
• Another land revenue system developed by Akbar was - Ghallabakshi and Kankut in which the produce was divided between the state and the peasants in a fixed proportion.
• When the crops were ruined due to natural calamity, peasants could choose between Ghallabakshi or Zabti system.​

The correct answer is Narasimhavarman II.

Key Points

• Pallava king Narsimhavarman II built Shore temple at Mamallapuram and Kailasanathar at Kanchipuram.
• Pallava Dynasty:
  • Kalabhras ruled for 250 years after Sangam Age in Tamil country.
  • The Pallava dynasty is situated in Tondaimandalam and the capital at Kanchipuram.The
  • Source of Pallava was disputed while many consider them to be natives.
  • They Issued earlier inscriptions in Sanskrit & Prakrit & patronized Brahmanism.
  • Samundragupta was defeated by Vishnugopa in his Southern expedition.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.

• Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was a freedom fighter, social reformer, and was the driving force behind the renaissance of Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and theatre in post-independence India.
• Kamaladevi was part of Gandhi’s salt satyagraha and was arrested for trying to sell contraband salt in the Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • She was imprisoned for almost one year.
• She was a feminist of her age and even spoke against Gandhi’s stance of not including women in the Dandi March.

Important Points

Maulana Hasrat Mohani proposed that Swaraj should be defined as complete independence free from all foreign control in 1921 when he was presiding the session of all Indian Muslim League in Lucknow.

After the Battle of Wandiwash, which ended on 22 January 1760, the English learnt some of the valuable lessons about the country and its its countrymen.

A) There was the absence of nationalism in the country as they could advance their political schemes by taking advantage of the mutual quarrels of the Indian rulers.

B) The western trained infantry, European or Indian, armed with modern weapons and backed by artillery could defeat the old style Indian armies with ease in pitched battles.

C) It was proved that the Indian soldier trained and armed in European manner made as good soldier as the European.

D) They could now create a powerful army consisting of Indian soldiers, called sepoys and officered by Englishmen.

With this army and its chief instrument and the vast resources of Indian trade and territories under its command, the English East India Company embarked on an era of wars and territorial expansion.

Jonathan Duncan started a Sanskrit College at Varanasi in 1791, where he was a resident, for the study of Hindu law and philosophy. Warren Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasah in 1781, for the study and teaching of Muslim law and related subjects. Both these institutions were designed to provide a regular supply of qualified Indians to help the administration of law in the courts of the Company. John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune founded the first women’s college Bethune College in Asia in 1879. It was founded as a school in 1849. It is located in Kolkata.

1) The Chalcolithic people were generally not acquainted with the burnt bricks, which were seldom used as in Gilund around 1500 B.C. Occasionally their houses were made of mud bricks but mostly they were constructed with wattle and daub and seem to have been thatched houses.

2) They used microliths and other stone tools supplemented by some use of copper tools. It seems that most of them knew the art of copper smelting. Almost all chalcolithic communities used wheel turned black-and-red pots.

The correct answer is Four.

Important Points

• Nur Jahan formed a group of her family members known as ‘JUNTA’.
• This group included four members, Nur Jahan, her father Mirza Gayas Beigh, her brother Asaf Khan and prince Khurram. Hence, option 3 is the correct answer.
• The Junta managed Jahangir, and all the powers and administration were controlled by this group.
• The junta theory is contested by Nurul Hasan, who argues that Nur Jahan‘s family members had attained exalted administrative posts due to their loyalty and dedication to service at the Mughal court much before Nur Jahan‘s marriage to Jahangir.

Additional Information

• All the powers were vested in the hands of Nurjahan and her Junta, and Nur Jahan could sign Royal Farmans (Orders).
• For many years, she effectively wielded imperial power and was recognized as the real force behind the Mughal throne.
• She even gave audiences at her palace and the ministers consulted with her on most matters.
• Some coins were also issued in her name.
• Nur Jahan was responsible to some extent for the moral degeneration of Jahangir.
• She is known as one of the most powerful women who ruled India with an iron fist.

The correct match is: (A) - (3), (B) - (1), (C) - (4), (D) - (2)

Key Points

• "The First Indian War of Independence 1857-59"
  • This book is a collection of articles by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels for the New York Daily Tribune, on the 1857-59 national liberation revolt in India.
  • They analyzed the causes and consequences of the revolt, as well as its significance to world history.
  • They also criticized the British colonial rule and expressed their solidarity with the Indian people
• "The Causes of the Indian Revolt"
  • This book is a booklet written by Sayed Ahmed Khan in Urdu in 1859 and later translated into English.
  • It examines the causes of the 1857 revolt, focusing on aggressive British expansion and British ignorance of local customs as the main causes.
  • It also argues that Muslims and Hindus held equal responsibility for the British government’s policies, which were the primary cause of the uprising.
  • Khan wrote this book to correct the misconception that the revolt was merely a religious war or a conspiracy by Muslims
• "The Sepoy Mutiny and Rebellion of 1857"
  • This book is a historical study of the 1857 revolt by R.C. Majumdar, a historian and former vice-chancellor of Dacca University.
  • It analyzes the causes, events and consequences of the revolt, which was a widespread but unsuccessful rebellion against British rule in India.
  • Majumdar argues that the revolt was mainly a sepoy mutiny, not a war of independence and that it did not have any national character or significance. He also criticizes some of the Indian leaders of the revolt for their lack of vision and strategy
• "Civil Rebellion in Indian Mutinies"
  • This book is a book written by Sashi Bhusan Chaudhuri, a historian, and scholar of Indian history.
  • It explores the civil rebellion that accompanied the sepoy mutiny of 1857-1859, which was a widespread rebellion against British rule in India.
  • It examines the causes, nature, and extent of the civil rebellion in different regions of India, and its impact on the course and outcome of the revolt.

  • It also evaluates the role and contribution of various social groups and classes in the civil rebellion

​Hence, the correct matching is:

The correct answer is Ahmad Shah Bahadur.

• Nasir Jung was the second Nizam of Hyderabad and he was the son of Nizam-ul-Mulk and Saeed-un-Nisa Begum.
• The governor of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah I (titled Nizam-ul-Mulk by the Mughal emperor), declared independence in 1724. He was the first Nizam of Hyderabad.
• Seven Nizams ruled Hyderabad, and it prospered in the areas of town-planning, economics, and culture.
• The third Nizam, Sikandar Jah, even started an entire twin city for the British and French garrisons, named after him as Secunderabad.

The correct answer is 1 and 2 only.

Key Points Indian Council of Historical Research-

• The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) was established under the promulgation of the Societies Registration Act in 1972. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• It is an autonomous organization.
• It draws funds from the University Grants Commission (UGC). Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• It was created with the express purpose to promote and preserve the history of India.
• It was a platform for historians to come together and discuss new ideas or their current work.
• The ICHR is a very active body that conducts seminars, conferences, etc which would promote historical knowledge.
• They also provide Junior and Senior fellowships and financial assistance to scholars and historians for their research. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
• They publish journals like the Indian Historical Review in English and the ‘Itihas’ in Hindi.
• They also maintain a library and documentation center for the reading and circulation of books.
• They have two regional centers in Bangalore (South) and Guwahati (North-East).

The major objective of ICHR-

• The ICHR should give a platform for historians to write an objective and scientific history.
• It should give a platform to create an unbiased and rational interpretation of history.
• It will promote the studies in areas that have been neglected so far.
• It would ensure the promotion of research with special emphasis on areas like the Borders, North-East regions, women, etc.
• It would also ensure that there is no regional disparity and that a balanced distribution of research.
• It would also need to provide funds, elicit support, and garner recognition for historical research from all concerned areas.
• It would also ensure that all the information collected by them is also disseminated amongst students who would benefit from the guidance.

• After the 1857 revolt, the British government of India Act 1858 had constituted a Commission on restructuring the Army.
• Recommendations by the Peel commission as follows:

1. Mix Regiment formation based on caste, religion, etc.
2. Indian soldiers at maximum to the Subedar level.
3. Indian soldiers from newspapers and journals.
4. Formulate general service Establishment Act act to make Indians follow the order of serving anywhere.
5. Indians were excluded from artillery and Arsenal.
6. European soldiers to Indian soldier’s ratio increased from 1 : 2 to 5 : 2.

The correct answer is Guru Angad Dev Ji.

• Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552) was the second of the ten Sikh Gurus.
• He was born in a Hindu family, with the birth name Lehna, in the village of Harike (now Sarae Naga, near Muktsar) in the northwest Indian subcontinent.
• Bhai Lehna grew up in a Khatri family (Kshatriya, traditionally warriors), his father was a small-scale trader, he worked as a pujari (priest) and religious teacher centered around goddess Durga.
• He met Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and became a Sikh. He served and worked with Guru Nanak for many years.
• Guru Nanak gave Bhai Lehna the name Angad, chose Angad as the second Sikh Guru instead of his sons.
• He is remembered in Sikhism for adopting and formalizing the Gurmukhi alphabet from pre-existing Indo-European scripts such as the Tankre of the Himalayan region.
• He began the process of collecting the hymns of Nanak, contributed 62 or 63 hymns of his own. Instead of his son, he chose a Vaishnava Hindu Amar Das as his successor and the third Guru of Sikhism.

• Statement 1 is correct. The Butler Committee (1927) was set up to examine the nature of the relationship between the princely states and government.
• Statement 2 is incorrect.
• The committee gave the following recommendations—
  • Paramountcy must remain supreme and must fulfil its obligations, adopting and defining itself according to the shifting necessities of time and progressive development of states.
  • States should not be handed over to an Indian Government in British India, responsible to an Indian legislature, without the consent of states. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

The correct answer is 1 only.

Key Points

• The ryots of the Deccan region of western India suffered heavy taxation under the Ryotwari system.
• Here again, the peasants found themselves trapped in a vicious network with the moneylender as the exploiter and the main beneficiary.
• These moneylenders were mostly outsiders- Marwaris and Gujaratis. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• In 1874, the growing tension between the moneylenders and the peasants resulted in a social boycott movement organized by the ryots
  against the "outsider" moneylenders.
• The ryots refused to buy from their shops. No peasant would cultivate their fields. The barbers, washermen, and shoemakers would not serve them.
• This social boycott spread rapidly to the villages of Poona, Ahmednagar, Solapur, and Satara. Soon the social boycott was transformed into agrarian riots with systematic attacks on the moneylenders' houses and shops.
• The debt bonds and deeds were seized and publicly burnt.
• The Government succeeded in repressing the movement.
• As a conciliatory measure, the Deccan Agriculturists Relief Act was passed in 1879.
• This time also, the modern nationalist intelligentsia of Maharashtra supported the peasants' cause. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

J.B. Kripalani was the President of ‘Indian National Congress’ at the time of independence.

By his Vyavahara-Samata, Asoka wanted to regard all his subjects equal in Law. And, by his Danda-Samata he wanted ‘equality of punishment’ irrespective of caste and creed.

Ellora  is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is situated in Maharashtra , India.

All Ellora monuments were built by Hindu dynasties, such as the Rashtrakuta dynasty, who built some of the Hindu and Buddhist group of caves, and Yadav dynasty who built some of the Jain group of caves. These caves belong to 6th to 10th century A.D. The site presents monuments and artwork of Buddhism ,Hinduism and Jainism.  

Out of 34 caves carved out of Charanandari Caves, 12 are Buddhist caves, 17 are Hindu caves and 5 are Jain caves.

Cave 16 of Ellora features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, i.e., the Kailasha temple , a chariot shaped monument dedicated to Shiva.

Chitrasutra of the Vishnudharmottara Purana was an oral tradition, which was recorded on paper around the fifth century A.D.

It is the oldest known treatise on painting in the world. According to the ancient Indian tradition in which knowledge is considered sacred, this text is meant to be approached with reverence. The best example of the Pre-Buddha paintings is the Jogimara cave, which is situated at Amarnath near the origin of the Narmada in Sarguja in Chhattisgarh. The paintings were created before the Ajanta and Bagh Caves; they belong to the Pre-Buddha paintings.

A variety of cultural festivals are organized at various places in Madhya Pradesh, in which, Nimad festival is celebrated in Maheshwar of Madhya Pradesh.

The Cripps mission came to India in March 1942. The mission was headed by a Sir Stafford Cripps. The mission was sent to negotiate an agreement with the nationalist Congress leaders. The mission asked India to keep loyalty to the British war effort and promised of elections and full self-government or Dominion status after the cessation of the World War II.

The Indian Universities Act was passed in the year 1904 during the time of Lord Curzon. It was established by the recommendation of Releigh Commission.