Mock Test Paper - 1 (History Optional Paper- II): Questions | History Optional for UPSC PDF Download

Time Allowed: Three Hours
Maximum Marks: 250

Instructions:

1. There are EIGHT questions divided into two Sections (A and B), printed in English.
2. Candidates must attempt FIVE questions in all.
3. Question Nos. 1 and 5 are compulsory. Out of the remaining, THREE questions are to be attempted, choosing at least ONE from each Section.
4. Marks for each question/part are indicated against it.
5. Answers must be written in the authorized medium, as specified in the Admission Certificate, and clearly stated on the Question-cum-Answer (QCA) Booklet cover.
6. Adhere to the word limit wherever specified.
7. Attempts will be counted in sequential order. Partially attempted questions will be considered unless struck off. Blank pages/portions must be clearly struck off.

Section-A

1. Critically examine the following statements in about 150–170 words each: (10 × 5 = 50 Marks)
(a) The Permanent Settlement fundamentally altered agrarian relations in Bengal.
(b) (PYQ) After the battle of Plassey, the mercenary became the Kingmaker.
(c) The Indian National Congress initially focused on elite demands rather than mass mobilization.
(d) The Non-Cooperation Movement marked a shift from constitutional to mass-based politics.
(e) (PYQ) The strength of the Pakistan programme was its vagueness. It meant everything to everyone.

2. 
(a) Analyze the socio-economic impact of British railway expansion in colonial India. (20 Marks)
(b) (PYQ 2024) Why was the Great Revolt of 1857 confined only to North India? How did it change the character of British rule in the subcontinent? (10 + 10 = 20 Marks)
(c) Discuss the role of newspapers in shaping nationalist consciousness in 19th-century India. (10 Marks)

3. 
(a) Examine the role of the Swadeshi Movement in fostering economic nationalism in India. (20 Marks)
(b) Discuss the impact of the Government of India Act, 1919, on Indian political aspirations. (15 Marks)
(c) Analyze the reasons for the failure of the Cripps Mission in 1942. (15 Marks)

4. 
(a) Evaluate the contributions of Subhas Chandra Bose to India’s freedom struggle. (20 Marks)
(b) Discuss the role of women in the Indian independence movement. (15 Marks)
(c) Examine the impact of Partition on India’s social fabric. (15 Marks)

Section-B

5. Critically examine the following statements in about 150–170 words each: (10 × 5 = 50 Marks)
(a) The French Revolution was a product of economic distress and intellectual ferment.
(b) (PYQ) The American Civil War was a result of disparity of needs of industrial north and agrarian south.
(c) The Industrial Revolution transformed social structures in Britain.
(d) The Bolshevik Revolution fundamentally altered Russia’s political and economic systems.
(e) Decolonization in Africa was shaped by both internal resistance and global pressures.

6. 
(a) Analyze the causes and consequences of the French Revolution. (20 Marks)
(b) Discuss the role of nationalism in the unification of Italy. (15 Marks)
(c) Examine the impact of the Great Depression on global economies. (15 Marks)

7. 
(a) Evaluate the factors leading to the rise of Nazism in Germany. (20 Marks)
(b) Discuss the significance of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cold War era. (15 Marks)
(c) Examine the role of the United Nations in maintaining global peace post-World War II. (15 Marks)

8. 
(a) Analyze the impact of the Cold War on Third World countries. (20 Marks)
(b) Discuss the causes and consequences of the Chinese Communist Revolution. (15 Marks)
(c) Examine the role of Nelson Mandela in ending apartheid in South Africa. (15 Marks)