MH SET Paper 2 Mock Test - 10 (History) - MAHA TET MCQ

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.

The Correct Answer is Option 4 i.e All of the above.

• Fatehpur Sikri:
  • The town was founded in 1569 by the great Mughal emperor Akbar.
  • Fatehpur Sikri was a town planned as an administrative unit consisting of public buildings as well as private residences in close proximity.
  • The city of Fatehpur Sikri was founded as a token of gratitude to Sheikh Salim Chisti who had foretold that Akbar would have three sons who would survive after the sad demise of many children in infancy.
  • It is a city predominantly made up of red sand-stone.
  • It is an amalgamation of the Persian, Hindu and Islamic architecture.
  • It is a unique blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture.

Labour unrest and Trade Unions:

• Strikes were organized on the issue of rising prices and racial insults in foreign-owned companies. Eg.
  • In September 1905, more than 250 Bengali clerks of the Burn Company, Howrah walked out in protest against a derogatory work regulation.
  • In July 1906, a strike of workers was organized in the East Indian Railway which resulted in the formation of a Railwaymen’s Union.
  • Between 1906 and 1908, strikes in the jute mills were very frequent.
  • Subramania Siva and Chidambaram Pillai led strikes in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli in a foreign-owned cotton mill. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • In Rawalpindi (Punjab), the arsenal and railway workers went on strike led by Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • However, in 1908, the labor unrest subsided under strict action.
• An attempt was also made to give political expression to the economic grievances of the working class by organizing these strikes.
• The question is asking about incorrect statements. Accordingly, D is correct.

The correct answer is 1 and 2 only.

Key Points

• The style of temple architecture that became popular in northern India is known as nagara.
• The most characteristic feature of a class of temple architecture in India is its spire or shikhara which forms the termination of the upper portion of the body.
• Shikhara refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture
• There are many subdivisions of nagara temples depending on the shape of the shikhara. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The most common name for the simple shikhara which is square at the base and whose walls curve or slope inward to a point on top is called the 'Latina or the Rekha-Prasada type of shikhara.
• Phamsana is an architectural form in the nagara order.
• Phamsana buildings tend to be broader and shorter than Latina ones. Phamsana roofs do not curve inward, instead, they slope upwards on a straight incline. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Valabhi is also a form of architecture under Nagara.
  • These are rectangular buildings with a roof that rises into a vaulted chamber.
  • The edge of this vaulted chamber is rounded, like the bamboo or wooden wagons that would have been drawn by bullocks in ancient times.
  • They are usually called ‘wagon vaulted buildings’.
• Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Image of Indian Temple Architecture:

A common feature of all Bhakti Saints was that all of them wrote their verses were written in the same language as of the devotees as all devout saints came out of lower classes. Therefore, they used their own language to spread their teachings to the general public.

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

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.

The correct answer is It cannot be said that the Vedic society shifted to East.

Key Points

• The Vedic age is divided into two parts: The early Vedic age and the later Vedic age.
• The period from 1500 BC to 1000 BC is considered the Early Vedic age.
• The period from 1000 BC to 600 BC is considered the Later Vedic period.
• During the later Vedic period, the Aryans' settlement covered the whole of north India.
• The archaeological evidence suggests that Iron was discovered by the later Vedic society and they used it for various purposes.
• These all pieces of evidence of agriculture equipment show the transition of later Vedic society from a pastoral society to an agrarian society.
• The Vedic society used iron technology most for the wars, they made the arrow to fight the wars.
• The institution of gotra appeared during this period.
• As against tribal endogamy, people practiced gotra exogamy marrying outside the gotra.
• Gotra signified descent from a common ancestor and marriages could not take place between couples belonging to the same gotra.

Important Points

• Satapatha Brahmana mentioned the expansion of Vedic people towards the east.
• So, it can be said that Vedic society shifted to the east.

Additional Information

• It is also believed that the discovery of iron depicts a great impact of technological change in the life of people in later Vedic society.
• The iron axe helps in clearing the forests and it increases the practice of permanent cultivation at that time.

The correct matching of the 'Historian' with their respective 'School of History' is: (a) - i, (b) - ii, (c) - iii, (d) - iv

Key Points

• Tara Chand:
  • ​Tara Chand was an Indian archaeologist and nationalist historian specialising in the ancient history and culture of India.
  • Tara Chand held the view that India has been a nation-in-the-making since the 19th century.
• Dipesh Chakrabarty:
  • ​Dipesh Chakrabarty is an Indian historian, who has made contributions to postcolonial theory and subaltern studies.
  • He argues that from the very beginning, the Subaltern Studies was different and ‘raised questions about history writing that made a radical departure from English Marxist historiographical tradition inescapable’.
• Rajani Palm Dutt:
  • ​Rajani Palme Dutt, generally known as R. P. Dutt, was a leading journalist and theoretician in the Communist Party of Great Britain.
  • His classic book India Today heralded the Marxist approach in Indian historiography.
• Mountstuart Elphinstone:
  • ​Mountstuart Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman and colonial historian, associated with the government of British India.
  • His work History of Hindu and Muhammedan India (1841) became a standard text in Indian universities (founded from 1857 onwards) and was reprinted up to the early years of the next century.

  • Elphinstone followed this up with History of British Power in the East, a book that traced fairly systematically the expansion and consolidation of British rule till Hastings’ administration.

Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that the correct matching of the 'Historian' with their respective 'School of History' is:

The Ryotwari Settlement concerns with annual agreements which was made among cultivators for sake of Pattas. Further it is noticed that Government was Landlord and peasants were Land Owners which possess patta by paying annual cash rents, making statements 1 and 2 correct. Statement 3 is also correct as and revenue was assessed as per fertility of land where average assessment in cash would be Re. 1/acre.

The correct answer is 1,2,3 and 4.

Important Points

• During the Chalcolithic period, both metal and stone were used to make tools in daily life.
• The Chalcolithic cultures followed the Harappan culture of the Bronze Age.
• It spanned from about 2500 BCE to 700 BCE.
• Most of the people were rural and lived in hills and near rivers.
• The people of the Chalcolithic age depended on hunting, fishing and agriculture.
• Migration and dispersal of population groups are often cited as reasons for the origin of the different cultures of the Chalcolithic.
• Since this was the beginning of the first metal age in India, during this period copper and its alloy bronze, which melts at a lower temperature, were used in the manufacture of various objects.

• Rajasthan, Malwa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and northern Deccan were the main areas of this period.

Thus 1,2,3 and 4 are correct.

The Regulating Act was passed in the year 1773 (It was formally known as the East India Company Act). It was the first landmark of the constitutional development in India.

The correct answer is Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao 1, Balaji Bajirao, Nanasaheb.

Key Points

• Peshwas
  • They were the appointed and later Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire.
  • They were head of the Ashta Pradhan ( council of ministers).
  • First Peshwas: Moropant Trimbak Pingle
  • Last Peshwas: Baji Rao II

Additional Information

• Balaji Vishwanath
  • He was the sixth appointed Peshwas.
  • He assisted the Syed Brothers in deposing Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1719.
• Baji Rao I
  • He was acknowledged as the most influential of the nine Peshwas.
  • Marathas under Bajirao I raided the outskirts of Delhi in the Battle of Delhi in 1737.
• Balaji Bajirao
  • He was known as Nanasaheb Peshwa.
  • Under his leadership, the Maratha Empire reached its peak and the Third Battle Panipat was fought during his reign against Ahmad Shah Abdali.
• Nana Saheb
  • He was a leader during the 1857 Revolt who led the rebellion in Kanpur.
  • He was the last Peshwas.

Both the Bhaumakaras and Somavamsis of Odisha were known for their significant contributions to temple architecture in eastern India. This is particularly evident from the Somavamsis' construction of the Lingaraja Temple and other architectural marvels in the region.
Key Points

• The dynasties known for their contributions to temple architecture in eastern India are:

• Bhaumakaras and Somavamsis
  Both of these dynasties made significant contributions to the development of temple architecture in the region, particularly in what is now the state of Odisha, India.

• Bhaumakaras:
  The Bhaumakara dynasty, which ruled in parts of Odisha during the 8th to 10th centuries, is noted for its contribution to the early development of temple architecture in the region.

• The dynasty is credited with the construction of several important temples that showcase an evolution in architectural style and ornamentation. This period was crucial in the development of the distinctive Odisha (Kalinga) architectural style that is characterized by its ornate decoration and the Rekha Deula, Pidha Deula, and Khakhara Deula styles of temples.

• Somavamsis:
  Following the Bhaumakaras, the Somavamsi dynasty further enriched the architectural heritage of eastern India, especially in Odisha, from the 10th to the early 12th century.

• The Somavamsis are known for their patronage of temple architecture, under whom significant temples were built or embellished. This period saw the construction of some of the most iconic temples in Odisha, including the Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar, which is a masterpiece of Hindu temple architecture of the era.

• Their reign marked a golden age of temple construction and contributed to the architectural legacy that defines the region today.

• While the Palas, Senas, and Varmans did contribute to the cultural and political landscapes of eastern India, in the context of temple architecture, the Bhaumakaras and Somavamsis were particularly influential.

• The Palas and Senas are more closely associated with Bengal and Bihar, and their contributions include various forms of art, literature, and religious institutions.

• The Varmans, associated with Kamarupa (Assam), also contributed to the cultural fabric of their region, but when it comes to temple architecture specifically in eastern India, the Bhaumakaras and Somavamsis stand out for their monumental contributions.

The government of India Act was passed on 2nd August 1858. Indigo revolt took place in the year 1859. In 1860, the Indigo commission was appointed. Indian Council Act was passed in 1861 and received Royal Assent on 1st August. The famine of North-Western provinces Agra, Oudh, Punjab took place in 1861.

Among the given statements on Historiography, the statements A & D are correct.

Important Points

• Historiography is the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline.
• Briefly, it is the history of history.
• When you study historiography, you are not studying the past directly.
• Instead, you are studying the changing interpretations of past events through historians' eyes.
• For example, instead of studying the First Crusade, you'd study the ways individual historians have interpreted the First Crusade.
• Historiography is committing the past to writing.

• It is the study of historical writings and of written histories.

Hence, we can conclude that among the given statements on Historiography, the following statements are correct:

Among the given options, A.R. Desai is a 'leftist' historian.

Key Points

• The two books which heralded the beginning of Marxist historiography in India were India Today by R. Palme Dutt and Social Background of Indian Nationalism by A.R. Desai.
• A.R. Desai’s book, Social Background of Indian Nationalism, has been a very popular book and several editions and reprints of this book have been published since its first publication on 1948.
• It has also been translated into many Indian languages.
• It is another thoroughgoing account of the colonial period and the rise of nationalism from a Marxist perspective.
• Akshay Ramanlal Desai was an Indian sociologist, Marxist and a social activist and was a 'leftist' historian.

• He makes an attempt to understand a political and economic history of Indian society.

Hence, we can conclude that among the given options, A.R. Desai is a 'leftist' historian.

The term ‘Rashtra’ first appeared during the later vedic period. The wars were fought for territories and no longer for cows. The society which was predominantly pastoral in the early Vedic times had become agricultural.

Lingayatism is a distinct religious tradition in India. It is centred on Hindu God Shiva as the universal God in the iconographic form of Ishtalinga. The adherents of the faith are known as Lingayats. Lingayatism was founded by the 12th century philosopher and statesman Basava, and spread by his followers who were called Sharanas.

Alwars were Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti (devotion) to the Hindu Supreme god Vishnu or his avatar Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. They are venerated, especially in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu or Krishna as the Supreme Being. Andal was a woman Alwar who was devoted to Vishnu. Her compositions were widely sung.

The Nayanars were a group of 63 saints (also saint poets) in the 6th to 8th century who were devoted to the Hindu God Shiva in Tamil Nadu. They, along with the Alvars, influenced the Bhakti movement in Tamil. A Nayanar devoted to Shiva adopted a path of extreme asceticism.

Advaita philosophy of Shankara taught that it was only by knowledge that one could worship God. It is a Vedantic doctrine that identifies the individual self (atman) with the ground of reality (brahman).

The pair of 'Lectures on Modern History - Marc Bloch' is not correctly matched.

Key Points

• Ancient Indian Historical Tradition:
  • ​Ancient Indian historical tradition by F E Pargiter is a result obtained from an examination of Puranic and epic tradition as well as the Rigveda and Vedic literature.
  • It includes the study of Puranas and epics for geographical information about ancient India.
• Hinduism and its Sense of History:
  • It has been long taken for granted in the study of Hinduism over the past two centuries that the Hindus lacked a sense of history.
  • This book by Arvind Sharma marshalled evidence to render this assumption, which has had far-reaching consequences, implausible.
• Debates with Historians:
  • This book was written by Peter Geyl.
  • He was a Dutch historian and well known for his studies in early modern Dutch history and in historiography.
• Lectures on Modern History:
  • This book was written by John Dalberg-Acton.

  • It is a survey of modern history from the rise of the modern nation state to the American Revolution.

Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that the pair of 'Lectures on Modern History - Marc Bloch' is not correctly matched.

Megasthenes was a Greek literary who came to India during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. His book 'Indica' is a book that depicts the social and political life of the Mauryan period.

Aitchison Commission was a Public Service Commission which was set up in the year 1886. As per the committee recommendation Maximum age of entry in civil service was fixed at 23. Statutory Civil Service should be abolished. Simultaneous examination in England and India should be stopped. Two-tier classification of Civil Service (Covenanted and Uncovenanted) would be replaced by three-tier classification (Imperial, provincial, and subordinate).

The correct code is (i) (ii), (iii) and (iv).Key Points

• Throughout his edicts, Emperor Asoka is commonly referred to as 'Devanampiya' and 'Piyadasi.'
• However, there are a few exceptions where these titles are not used.
• These exceptions are found in the edicts located in Maski, Gujarra, Nittur, and Udegolam.
• In these specific edicts, Emperor Asoka does not refer to himself as 'Devanampiya' and 'Piyadasi.'
• The reasons behind this variation are not explicitly mentioned in historical records.
• It is possible that Asoka chose to use different titles or variations of his name in these locations for local or contextual reasons.

• Overall, the titles 'Devanampiya' and 'Piyadasi' are the most commonly used by Emperor Asoka in his edicts, but the exceptions in Maski, Gujarra, Nittur, and Udegolam demonstrate some variation in the way he referred to himself in those specific locations.

Hence we conclude that the correct code is (i) (ii), (iii) and (iv).

The correct answer is Tamilakam.Key Points

• The passage mentions that Aśoka, after succeeding to the throne of Pātaliputra, rounded off the empire he inherited from his grandfather by annexing Kalinga.
• This implies that Kalinga was part of the Asokan empire.
• However, the passage does not mention Tamilakam as being part of the empire.
• Tamilakam refers to the region of ancient Tamil Nadu in South India, which had its own distinct cultural and political identity during Aśoka's time.

• While Aśoka expanded his empire by annexing various territories, including Kalinga, there is no mention in the passage or any indication that Tamilakam was part of his empire.

​Therefore, based on the information provided in the passage, the correct answer is Tamilakam, as it did not form part of the Asokan empire.

The correct answer is Chanderi.

Key Points

• The history of Chanderi sarees can be traced to the advent of Alauddin Khilji in the year 1305 AD.
• About 20,000 weavers from Lakkhnoti in Bengal migrated to Chanderi as followers of Maulana Majibuddin Uluf.
• The locally grown cotton yarn was developed and it was strengthened using the extract of a locally available root.
• With the development of Japanese Silk in 1930, the pure cotton saree gave way to its silk variety.

Additional Information

• Chikankari stems from the white-on-white embroidery of Shiraz that came to India as part of a culture of Persian nobles at the Mughal court.
• Kobra and Champa in the Chattisgarh state of India are known for producing high-quality Kosa silk.
• Zardozi is a form of embroidery that originated in Persia whose name translates into gold embroidery.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

Dehliwal:

• Delhi first became the capital of a kingdom under the Tomara Rajputs, who were defeated in the middle of the twelfth century by the Chauhans (also referred to as Chahamanas) of Ajmer.
• It was under the Tomaras and Chauhans that Delhi became an important commercial center.
• Many rich Jaina merchants lived in the city and constructed several temples.
• Coins minted here, called dehliwal, had a wide circulation. Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.

Tawarikh:

• Tawarikh is history written by poets and courtiers.
• Although inscriptions, coins and architecture provide a lot of information, especially valuable are “histories”, tarikh (singular) / tawarikh (plural), written in Persian, the language of administration under the Delhi Sultans. Hence pair 1 is correctly matched.
• The authors of tawarikh were learned men: secretaries, administrators, poets and courtiers, who both recounted events and advised rulers on governance, emphasizing the importance of the just rule.

Bandagan:

• The consolidation of a kingdom as vast as the Delhi Sultanate needed reliable governors and administrators.
• Rather than appointing aristocrats and landed chieftains as governors, the early Delhi Sultans, especially Iltutmish, favoured their special slaves purchased for military service, called Bandagan in Persian. Hence pair 3 is correctly matched.
• They were carefully trained to man some of the most important political offices in the kingdom.
• Since they were totally dependent upon their master, the Sultan could trust and rely upon them.

The correct answer is (c), (b), (a), (d)

Key Points

• The signs of the decline of the Mughal Empire had started to appear after the death of Aurangzeb yet the Mughal authority was all-powerful from Kashmir up to the far south.
• The later Mughal emperors from Bahadur Shah, to Muhammad Shah, tried to maintain the Mughal authority. The later Mughals adopted a policy of reconciliation compromise and tolerance towards their subjects. They maintained relations with the religious divines of the time and also patronized most of them by granting revenue-free land grants and other concessions.

Additional Information

• Bahadur Shah (also known as Shah Alam-I ) was the seventh Mughal emperor of India, ruled from 1707 until his death in 1712. By the time Bahadur Shah Zafar ascended the throne, the area under the Mughal rule was drastically reduced, as were the emperor’s powers, symbolic and otherwise. He was ultimately known only as the ‘King of Delhi’.
• Jahandar Shah (1712–1713) reign was barely one year. He always took part in non-Muslim religious festivals. On the occasion of the ‘Dussehra’ festival he used to see the burning of the effigy of Rawan, and the festival of ‘Basant’ was regularly celebrated at his court. He also used to compose Hindi poems.
• Farrukhsiyar (1713 to 1719) owed his elevation to the throne to two Sayyid brothers, who were the real power in the state. During his first regnal year, he abolished Jizya. He granted a Farman to the English East India Company granting them duty-free trading rights for Bengal.
• Muḥammad Shah (1719 to 1748) was the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. He ruled for about 30 years. He was a great patron of art and culture. The art of music developed, and new trends in music were innovated at his court like ‘Khayal’ and ‘Tappa’.

The Satavahanas Kings retained some of the administrative units which were used during Ashokan times. The kingdom was divided into subdivisions called aharas or rashtras, meaning districts.

Calcutta was the capital of India from the year 1773 to 1911. In the year 1911 Delhi became the capital of India. Calcutta was the center point of revolutionary activities at that time and it was located far away from central India. That is why the British transferred the capital from Calcutta to Delhi.