BPSC Prelims Past Year Paper- 2022 Free Online Test 2026

Roman trading partners: The Kushans

• Gandhāra was an ancient region in the Peshawar basin in the northwest of the ancient Indian subcontinent, corresponding to present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. 
• Gandhara attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century CE under the Kushan Empire.  
• The Kushans moved into Gandhāra from Central Asia after the fall of the Parthian dynasty in about 75 CE. The Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sasanian Persia, the Aksumite Empire, and the Han dynasty of China and was at the center of trade relations between the Roman Empire and China.

The Kushans

• The Kushan dynasty was administered from two capitals - Purushapura (Peshawar), and Mathura in northern India.
• In the 1st century CE, Kujula Kadphises (Kadphises - 1) founded the Kushan dynasty.
• The Kushans are considered to be one of the five branches of the Yuezhi tribe who lived in the Chinese frontier of Central Asia.
• Kanishka is considered the greatest ruler of the Kushan dynasty. He was the son of Bhima Kadphises.

• For Muslims, the concepts Dar al-Islam (Abode of Islam) and Dar al-Harb (Abode of War) serve most generally to differentiate Muslim spaces from non-Muslim spaces. Dar al-Islam designates a territory where Muslims are free to practice their religion, though this often implies the implementation of Islamic law, whereas Dar al-Harb represents those lands ruled by non-believers.
• Since the latter are not subject to Islamic governance, it was deemed incumbent upon Muslim rulers – specifically the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphs who often continued the expansion begun by the Prophet Mohammad – to extend the Dar al-Islam vis-à-vis jihad.
• It is important to note that the objective of this jihad was not to forcibly convert non-believers to Islam, but to extend the jurisdiction of Islamic government, i.e. Dar al-Islam (Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, entry: Dar al-Harb).

Alauddin Khalji was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty.

• Alauddin was a nephew and son-in-law of the Jalaluddin Khalji, founder of the Khalji dynasty.
• He ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1296–1316.
• He adopted the title "Sikander-i-Sani."
• He adopted a policy of Blood and Iron of Balban in tackling the Mongols.
• Introduced Chehra and Dagh system.
• Alauddin Khalji built the Siri Fort, The Hauz-i-Khas, Alai Darwaza.
• It was a strong perception of Alauddin Khalji that the Sultan was the representative of God on earth, and he held a high position among people as regards wisdom and rationalism. His order was like the command of God and his will was law.
• Alauddin Khalji never sought recognition from the Khalifa for his kingship nor did he consider it necessary to include the name of Khalifa in State affairs.
• But BPSC in it's updated answer key given the answer as Option E.

Balban (c. 1266 – 1286 CE)

• Balban’s experience as a regent made him understand the problems of the Delhi Sultanate. He knew that the real threat to the monarchy was from the nobles called “The Forty”. He, therefore, was sure that by enhancing the power and authority of the monarchy, he could solve the problem. 
• According to Balban, the Sultan was God’s shadow on earth, Zil-e-Ilahi and the recipient of divine grace, Nibyabat-e- Khudai.
• Balban enhanced the power of the monarchy. He introduced rigorous court discipline and new customs like prostration (sajida) and kissing the Sultan’s feet (paibos) to prove his superiority over the nobles. He introduced the Persian festival of Nauroz to impress the nobles and people with his wealth and power.
• He stood forth as the champion of Turkish nobility. He excluded non-Turks from administration and Indian Muslims were not given important positions in the government. To monitor the activities of the nobles he appointed spies and developed an efficient spy system.
• Balban was determined to break the power of ‘The Forty’. He spared only the loyal nobles and eliminated all others by fair or foul means. Malik Baqbaq, the governor of Bedaun, was publicly flogged for his cruelty towards his servants. Haybat Khan, the governor of Oudh was punished for killing a man who was drunk. The governor of Bhatinda, Sher Khan was poisoned.
• He established a separate military department, Diwan-e-arz and reorganised the army. He deployed the army in different parts of his country to suppress the rebellious elements. Balban paid more attention to restore law and order instead of expanding his kingdom. Balban took stern action against the Mewatis and prevented such robberies. Robbers were mercilessly pursued and sentenced to death, as a result of which the roads became safe for travel.
• In c. 1279 CE, Tughril Khan, the governor of Bengal revolted against Balban. Balban sent his forces to Bengal and Tughril Khan was beheaded. Balban appointed his son Bughra Khan as the governor of Bengal.
• In the northwest, the Mongols reappeared and Balban sent his son Prince Mahmud against them. But the prince was killed in the battle and it was a moral blow to Balban. Balban died in c. 1287 CE. He was one of the main architects of the Delhi Sultanate. However, he could not fully safeguard India from the Mongol invasion.

• Aurangzeb was the first Mughal emperor conflicted with British in 1689.​
• The first conflict of a Mughal emperor with the British can be traced back to the Child’s War.
• The Child's War was a war which lasted from 1686 to 1690 between the English East India Company and the Mughal Empire of India.
• -William Hedges was sent to Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal, in 1682 by the English East India Company to obtain a firm: an imperial order that would grant routine trading rights to England in the Mughal empire.
• Sir Josiah Child, the governor of the company in London, then interfered with the task of Hedges, causing the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb to break off the negotiations. The Child began a war with the Mughals after that.

The social reforms introduced by William Bentinck 

• Lord William Bentinck is known as India's liberal Governor-General.
• He is credited with major social and educational reforms in India, including the abolition of Sati, the suppression of female infanticide and Thuggee, the abolition of lawlessness, and the abolition of human sacrifices.
• Lord William Bentinck served as Governor General of India between 1828 to 1835.
• His tenure is known for social reforms such as the Abolition of Sati in 1829, the Suppression of Thugi, the Suppression of Infanticide, etc.  Hence, statements 1 and 4 are correct. 
• English was introduced as a medium of higher education on the advice of his council member, Thomas Babington Macaulay.
• A pact with Maharaja Ranjit Singh was made. Charter act 1833 was passed by which East India Company ceased to be a trading company.
• Some corrective measures in civil services were taken.
• This seven years period was an epoch for administrative reforms in India.
  • It started a process by which the Indian population, which is furious of sudden changes, was made to obey the British rulers and administration slowly. Partially this period can be said to of “benevolent administrators”.
  • There is an inscription on his statue at Calcutta which was penned by Lord Macaulay. 

Provision of the Charter Act of 1833

• Britain proclaimed the emancipation of slavery in the year 1833 bypassing The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. 
• Later, in 1843 slavery was declared illegal throughout India by enacting the Indian slavery act of 1843. The Governor-general at this time was Lord Ellenborough.
• Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Religious Disability Act in 1850

• Lord Dalhousie passed the Religious Disability Act in 1850 which enabled the Hindu convert to inherit his ancestral property. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

• Napier was a British military officer that served in the Peninsular War against Napoleon Bonaparte, later he led the Bombay Army in the conquest of the Sindh.
• In the 16th and 17th centuries Sindh was ruled by the Mughals (1591–1700) and then by several independent Sindhian dynasties, the last of which lost the region to the British in 1843. At that time most of Sindh was annexed to the Bombay Presidency.
• Whole of Sind was annexed to British Empire in 1843.
• The territory was annexed by the Bombay Presidency of British India in 1843, following a British Indian conquest led by then Major-General Charles Napier in order to quell the insurrection of Sindhi rulers who had remained hostile to the British Empire following the First Anglo-Afghan War.

The correct answer 1872.

• Census was done for the first time in 1872 under the British Viceroy Lord Mayo.
• After that, it was done every 10 years. Yet, the first complete census of India was conducted in 1881.
• Since 1949, it is dispensed by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

• On December 17, 1927, revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajgur shot and killed Police Assistant Superintendent John Saunders.
• Their compatriots Sukhdev Thapar and Chandrashekhar Azad helped them in this act.
• However, their initial target was not Saunders, but police superintendent James Scott, who directed his men to lathi the demonstrators leading to the death of nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai.
• Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were later hanged to death.
• Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case and were ordered to be hanged on 24 March 1931.
• The timetable was pushed ahead by 11 hours and the three were hanged at 7:30 p.m. in Lahore prison on 23 March 1931.

Individual satyagraha (1940-41):

• Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Individual Satyagraha to affirm the right to free speech. 
• Mahatma Gandhi had chosen Acharya Vinoba Bhave as the first Satyagrahi to start Individual Satyagraha and Jawaharlal Nehru as the second and Brahma Datt as the third.

Acharya Vinoba Bhave:

• Vinobha Bhave was the first Individual Satyagrahi.
• Bhoodan Movement was started in 1951 by Acharya Vinoba Bhave at Pochampally village (Telangana), India.

Nehru:

• He was the First Prime Minister of India
• ​Nehru was elected as the president of the Lahore session of INC on 29 December 1929 and introduced a successful resolution calling for Swaraj. 
• He was Second Individual Satyagrahi.

Brahma Datt:

• He was the third Individual Satyagrahi.
• He was one of the inmates of Gandhi's Ashram.

C. Rajagopalachari:

• He was popularly known as Rajaji.
• He was independent India's first Indian Governor-General. 
• He received Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award in the year 1954.
• He was the founder of the Swatantra Party.

• Ms. Usha Mehta, Vitthaldas Javeri, and Chandrakant Babu Javeri started a Secret Radio Station in Mumbai and through it spread the inspiration and message of the 1942 revolution all over India.
• The secret radio was also assisted by veteran socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
• Congress Radio functioned for a few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942.​
• However, in November of that year, the police found out their location and arrested everyone including Mehta. They were betrayed by an insider.
• She was released in 1946 by the interim government in Bombay under the orders of the home minister Morarji Desai.

• Jeevak was the name of the famous doctor in the court of King Bimbisara who was the personal physician of Lord Buddha.
• He lived in Rajgraha, present-day Rajgir in the 5th century BCE.
• Jeevak was also sometimes described as the "Medicine King".

Bihar and Turkish Invasion

• Mohammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khilji was one of the Military Generals of Qutb-ud-din Aibak who invaded some parts of eastern India at the end of the 12th Century and at the beginning of the 13th century. 
• During his invasion, many of the Viharas and universities were sacked and thousands of Buddhist monks were massacred.
  • He also named Malik Ghazi Ikhtiyar 'l-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji or Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji or Bakhtiyar Khilji,
  • He sacked the universities of Nalanda, Vikramashila, and Odantapuri.
  • He established a town called Bakhtiyarpur.
  • He was assassinated by Ali Mardan and his mausoleum is in Bihar Sharif.

Key Points

• Satyendra Prasanna Sinha also known as Satyendra Prasad Sinha was the first Governor of Bihar and Orissa.
• He was the first Indian Advocate-General of Bengal also the first Indian to become a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council and the first Indian to become a member of the British ministry.
• Shri Jairamdas Daulatram was appointed as the first Governor of Bihar after India's Independence.
• Before the Independence of India, James Sifton was the first Governor of Bihar appointed on 01 April 1936.

Santhal Rebellion

• Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu were brothers and the leaders of the Santhal rebellion, which started in 1855, in present-day Jharkhand and Bengal (Purulia and Bankura) in eastern India against both the British colonial authority and the corrupt 'zamindari' system.
• The Santhal Revolt took place in 1855-56. Santhals are a tribal group concentrated in the state of Jharkhand. This was the first peasant revolt that occurred in India. The revolt can be attributed to the introduction of the Permanent Land Settlement of 1793.
• The aforesaid settlement pattern by the British snatched lands that the Santhals had been cultivating for centuries from them. The zamindars, moneylenders, Europeans and the British government officials raised the land tax and exploited farmers. They were so oppressed that they resolved to rebel against the landlords and the government.
• The Santhals engaged in guerrilla warfare. This was a new occurrence for Bihar. The Santhals formed their own armies composed of peasants marching against their op­pressors. The Santhal army dismantled the rail­way and postal communications. Surely, the Santhal revolt was very effective for a while but it could not succeed against the absolute power of the government and was suppressed. 

Chuar Revolt of Bihar 

• Initial Phase (1798-1799): The early dissatisfaction that sparked the Chuar Rebellion first arose towards the end of the 18th century, around 1798-1799.
• This was a reaction caused by the oppressive land revenue policies of the British and their interference with the traditional rights of the forestry dwelling communities like the Chuars.
• Major Outbreak (1831-1833): The revolt took a major shape during these years, particularly in the Jungle Mahals region of Bengal and parts of Bihar.
• The factors involved in this rebellion were more elaborate, including draconian forest laws, widespread poverty, famine, and increasing taxation policies of British rule.
• The Rebellion: The rebellion involved the local tribal community known as the Chuars, who resented the new tax policies and harsh measures brought about by the British rule.
• The Chuars used guerrilla warfare techniques, attacked police stations, government buildings, and looted treasury buildings.
• End of the Uprising: Although initially taken back by the ferocity of the rebellion, the British eventually suppressed the uprising with force.
• However, the rebellion had a notable impact, drawing attention to the plight of tribal people under colonial rule and to the changing dynamics of control over forests and their produce, which later influenced some modifications in the British approach towards forest-dwelling communities.

Bihar:

• On 1 April 1912 both Bihar and Orissa were separated from Bengal as Bihar and Orissa Province.
• On 1 April 1936 Bihar and Orissa became separate provinces.
• Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
• The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries and were governed by the then Indian Civil Service of the Bengal Presidency, the largest administrative subdivision in British India.
• Bihar played an active role in the successive phases of Indian nationalism.
• Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi, the nationalist leader who advocated nonviolent resistance, first launched the satyagraha (“devotion to truth”) movement against the tyranny of the European indigo planters in the Champaran region of northern Bihar.
• Rajendra Prasad, who played a leading part in the freedom movement and was elected the first president of independent India, was born in the Siwan district (then a part of the Saran district), northwest of Patna.

Buddhist Council:-

First Buddhist Council- 483 B.C

• The First Buddhist council convened at the Sattapanni caves in Rajgriha
• It was held under the patronage of King Ajatashatru
• The First Buddhist Council was presided by Monk Mahakasyapa
• The Agenda of the First Buddhist council was to preserve the teachings (Sutta) of the Buddha and the monastic discipline and guidelines for monks(Vinaya).
• It was held just after the death of the Buddha.
• Suttas and Vinaya Pitaka were recited by the monk's Ananda and Upali respectively

The second Buddhist Council: 

• It was convened at Vaisali around 383 B.C.
• It was held during the reign of Kalashoka.

The third Buddhist Council:

• It was held at Pataliputra under the patronage of Asoka. 
• Moggaliputta Tissa presided over it.
• The final version of the Tripitakas was completed in this council.

The fourth Buddhist Council: 

• It was convened in Kashmir by Kanishka under the chairmanship of Vasumitra.
• Asvagosha participated in this council.
• The new school of Buddhism called Mahayana Buddhism came into existence during this council.
• The Buddhism preached by the Buddha and propagated by Asoka was known as Hinayana.

• Also known as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, he was born in 380 CE and died in 415 CE.
• Chandragupta II dethrones his brother Ramagupta, and becomes the new king.
• He was the son of Samudragupta and grandson of Chandragupta I.
• He is also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
• He was deeply interested in art and culture.
• The Gupta Empire reached its zenith during the rule of Chandragupta II.
• The Chinese pilgrim Faxian, visited India during his reign.

Vardhana dynasty 

• Pushyabhuti is considered to be the founder of the Vardhana dynasty.
• Prabhakar Vardhana was the first notable king of the Vardhana Dynasty.

The Correct Answer is North Atlantic Ocean

Key Points

• The  Sargasso Sea is located in the middle of the North Atlantic ocean. Hence option 2 is Correct.
• It is the only sea on Earth that has no coastline.
• The currents are the North Atlantic current, the Gulf stream, the North Atlantic Equatorial current, and the Canary current.
• The Sargasso Sea is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.
• The Sargasso Sea is named for the Sargassum seaweed that creates its unique ecosystem. This Sea has been called a golden floating rainforest.

The correct answer is McMahon Line.
Key Points

• McMahon line is between India and China.
• Sir Henry McMahon negotiated the boundary agreement at Shimla Accord in the year 1913-14.
• India shares 2nd longest border with China.
• On the northern front, China claims Aksai Chin in Ladakh UT.
• Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim shares a border with China.
• Land borders of India

Rainfall in Rajasthan

• The typical orientation of the Aravalli Range is the root cause of scant rain in Rajasthan.
  Rajasthan receives scanty rainfall due to two main reasons:
  • The Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian monsoon loses its moisture by the time it reaches the northwestern part of India where Rajasthan is located.
  • And the Arabian sea branch of the monsoon flows parallel to the Aravalli Mountains and reaches the northern part of India but does not shed moisture over Rajasthan.
• The winds do not come across any barrier to cause the necessary uplift to cool the winds

• Project Tiger is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 1973 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change to provide central assistance for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves. 
• The Project Tiger is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) which is a statutory body of the Ministry, to perform supervisory or coordination roles.
• The tiger reserves are constituted on a core/buffer strategy. The core areas have the legal status of a national park or a sanctuary, whereas the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple-use area. 
• The Project Tiger aims to foster an exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of tiger reserves, with an inclusive people-oriented agenda in the buffer zone.​
• The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has announced the Biodiversity Day 2022 theme: “Building a shared future for all life”.

The correct answer is Saffron.

Key Points

• Karewas are formations that are embedded in moraines.
• These are glacial clay deposits that are found famously in the valley of Kashmir and Bhadarwah Valley of Jammu, better known as Jhelum Valley.
• Thus, we can say that Karewas are neither grasslands nor tribes nor local winds
• The Kashmir Himalayas are also famous for Karewa formations, which are useful for the cultivation of Zafran, a local variety of saffron.

The correct answer is Kerala.

Key Points

• Thorium is produced from ilmenite and monazite deposits found along the coast of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Uranium and Thorium are the major nuclear minerals.
• However, rich deposits of uranium are found in the states of Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
• Thorium is used to make ceramics, welding rods, camera and telescope lenses, fire brick, heat resistant paint and metals used in the aerospace industry, as well as in nuclear reactions.
• Thorium has the potential to be used as a fuel for generating nuclear energy.
• Thorium is radioactive and can be stored in bones.
  • Because of these facts it has the ability to cause bone cancer many years after the exposure has taken place.
  • Breathing in massive amounts of thorium may be lethal. People will often die of metal poisoning when massive exposure take place.

The correct answer is Nepanagar.

Key Points

• Nepanagar is famous for the Newsprint industry.
• Nepanagar is an industrial township in Burhanpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
• Nepa Mills Limited which was earlier known as The National News Print Ltd.
• It was originally floated by a private entrepreneur in 1947 and the management was taken over by the Madhya Pradesh Government in 1949 and became a Central Government Company in 1959.
• It is the first indigenous newsprint manufacturing unit in the country.
• The word "NEPA" is coined by the National Environment Protection Authority.

The correct answer is Raniganj.

Key Points

• Raniganj Coalfield along the Western bank of river Damodar was the first coal mine in India mined.
• Raniganj coalfield, West Bengal is the largest coalfield in India, belonging to the Gondwana Super Group 1 
• Mining in this region dates back to the British period.
• Initially, coal mining was confined to open cast mines only, but gradually it was extended to the underground also.
• Coal fire in Raniganj coalfield is either because of fire infection from adjacent fire-affected coal seams or anthropogenic activities or spontaneous combustion of coal.

The correct answer is Bhil.

Key Points

• Bhil is the largest tribal group in India as per the 2011 Census. They constitute approximately 38% of the total scheduled tribal population of India. Bhil tribes are found in the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, as well as in Tripura. 
• Gond is the second-largest tribe, with a population of 4,357,918 constituting 35.6%.
• The next four populous tribes are Kol, Korku, Sahariya, and Baiga.
• These six tribes constitute 92.2% of the total ST population of the State. 

Bihar:

• Bihar, the ancient land of Buddha, has witnessed the golden period of Indian history.
• It is the same land where the seeds of the first republic were sown and which cultivated the first crop of democracy.
• Bihar, a state in the eastern part of the country is the 12th largest in terms of geographical area and 3rd largest by population.
• The State has a geographical area of 94,163 sq km which is 2.86% of the total geographical area of the country.
• Such fertile is the soil that has given birth to numerous intellectuals who spread the light of knowledge and wisdom not only in the country but in the whole world.
• The state has its capital at Patna, which is situated on the bank of the holy river Ganga.
• The state as it is today has been shaped