UPSC Prelims Previous Year Questions 2022 History - History for UPSC CSE

Ans: (b)

• Dhauli is an important early historic urban centre of Orissa. The archaeological remains found at Dhauli traced back its antiquity to c.3rd century B.C, particularly to the time of Ashoka. Dhauli is of great historical importance as one of the famous Rock Edicts of emperor Ashoka is located here. Hence, Pair 1 is correctly matched.
• In 2013, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) geared up for protecting the Ashoka rock edict site near Erragudi on Gooty-Pathikonda road in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Hence, Pair 2 is correctly matched.
  • The inscriptions were one of the important treasures of Mouryan king Ashoka (269-231 BCE) falling under major and minor rock inscriptions. 
• Jaugada is an ancient fort that served as a Mauryan fortified capital of the Kalinga province. Jaugada is located near the cities of Berhampur and Purushottampur in Ganjam district of Odisha.
  • Jaugada is the second place in Odisha where there is a major Ashokan rock edict, also known as Kalinga edict. Hence, Pair 3 is not correctly matched. 
• The Ashoka edict in Kalsi scripted the humane approach after the war when Ashoka imbibed Buddhism. Kalsi lies in the buffer zone between Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. Hence, Pair 4 is not correctly matched.

Therefore, option (b) is correct.

Ans: (b)

• The corpus of poems known as Sangam literature was produced over six centuries, from around 300 BC to 300 AD, by Tamils from very diverse social backgrounds.
  • These works provide insight into early Tamil culture and into trade relations (hence, not devoid of material culture) between South India and the Mediterranean, West Asia and Southeast Asia.
• Sangam writings are possibly unique in early Indian literature, which is almost entirely religious. The poems are concerned with two main topics: those of the first five collections are on love (akam), and those of the next two are on heroism (puram), including the praise of kings and their deeds.
  • Many of the poems, especially on heroism (hence, dealing with warrior ethics), display great freshness and vigour and are singularly free from the literary conceits of much of the other early and medieval literatures of India. Being bardic literature in praise of heroes and patrons, its concern with various aspects of society and economy was incidental.
• Sangam literature reflects a belief in sacred or magical forces called ananku that were supposed to inhabit various objects.
  • "Sangam" literature is not the product of a particular social or religious group nor was it sponsored as a court literature by a ruling elite.
• Composed at various points of time over a long span of about 600 years and authored by people of various levels- princes, chieftains, peasants, merchants, potters, smiths, carpenters and brahmanas, Jains and Buddhists, the poems deal with disparate social groups.

Hence, option (b) is correct.

Ans: (a)

• Nizamuddin Panipati translated Yoga Vasistha at the request of Jahangir in 1597. This translation was considered as a part of the encyclopedic collection edifying literature initiated by Akbar.

Hence, option (a) is correct.

Ans: (a)

• Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century, was deeply influenced by the Alvars. According to him the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu.
  • Vishnu in His grace helps the devotee to attain the bliss of union with Him.
• He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when united with the Supreme God remained distinct.
  • Ramanuja's doctrine greatly inspired the new strand of bhakti which developed in north India subsequently.

Hence, option (a) is correct.

Ans: (a)

• Somnath temple stands at the shore of the Arabian ocean on the western corner of the Indian subcontinent in Gujarat State.
• Shree Somnath is first among the twelve Aadi Jyotirlingas of India. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• It was mentioned by the Arab traveller Al-Biruni in his travelogue, influenced by which Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked the Somnath temple in 1024 with his five thousand soldiers and looted its property and completely destroyed the temple. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The research based on ancient Indian classical texts show that first Somnath Jyotirling Pran-Pratistha was done on the auspicious third day of the brighter half of Shravan month during the tenth Treta yug of Vaivswat Manvantar.
• The modern temple was reconstructed with the resolve of Sardar Patel who visited the ruins of Somnath temple on November 13 1947. Then President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, did the Pran-Pratistha at the existing temple on 11 May 1951. 

Hence, statement 3 is NOT correct.

Ans: (b)

• The Nettipakarana is a mythological Buddhist scripture, sometimes included in the Khuddaka Nikaya of Theravada Buddhism's Pali Canon.
• Parishishtaparvan is a 12th-century Sanskrit mahakavya by Hemachandra which details the histories of the earliest Jain teachers.
• Avadanasataka is an anthology in Sanskrit of one hundred Buddhist legends, approximately dating to the same time.
• Trishashthilkshana Mahapurana is a major Jain text composed largely by Acharya Jinasena during the rule of Rashtrakuta.

Hence, option (b) is correct.

Ans: (c)
Aryadeva was a Mahayana Buddhist monk, a disciple of Nagarjuna and a Madhyamaka philosopher. Dignaga was an Indian Buddhist scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic. Sri Ranganathamuni, popularly known as Sriman Nathamuni (823 CE-951 CE), was a Vaishnava theologian who collected and compiled the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Hence, only pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched. The first pair is not correctly matched.

Ans: (d)

• In India the earliest reference to slavery as a result of judicial punishment is found in the Buddhist Jataka stories. In the kulavaka jataka, we are told that a village superintendent was made a slave as a result of judicial punishment. Kautilya also mentions such slaves (dandapranita). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• According to Kautilya, if a master begets a child by a female slave, both the child and the mother become free. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son. 

Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Ans: (b)

• The Chandela or Chandel was an Indian Rajput clan of Central India. They were popularly termed as Chandelas or Jejakabhukti dynasty in Indian history.
  • As per legends, contained in Mahoba Khanda, Chandela family was descended from the union of Moon (in Hindi called Chandra) and Hemavati.
  • As per A954 CE Khajuraho inscriptions, first king of Chandela dynasty i.e. Nannuka was descendant of sage Chandratreya who was son of famous Vedic sage Atri. Hence, Pair 1 is correctly matched.

• Jayashakti belonged to the Chandela dynasty and not the Paramara dynasty. Hence, Pair 2 is not correctly matched.
• Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty, either of two dynasties of medieval Hindu India. The line of Harichandra ruled in Mandor, Marwar (Jodhpur, Rajasthan), during the 6th to 9th centuries CE, generally with feudatory status. The line of Nagabhata ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj during the 8th to 11th centuries. Other Gurjara lines existed, but they did not take the surname Pratihara.
  • In the complicated and badly documented wars of the early 9th century- involving Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas, and Palas-Nagabhata II played an important part.
  • Nagabhata II became the most powerful ruler of northern India and established his new capital at Kannauj. Nagabhata II was succeeded by his son Ramabhadra in about 833. Hence, Pair 3 is correctly matched.
• Mihir Bhoja belonged to the Paramara dynasty. Hence, Pair 4 is not correctly matched.

Therefore, option (b) is correct.

Ans: (b)

• The Fanam and Chuckram coins were the regular unit of currency in medieval Travancore and were extensively used for trading.

Hence, option (b) is correct.

Ans: (b)

• Between 1240-66, the Mongols for the first time embarked upon the policy of annexation of India and the golden phase of mutual 'non-aggression pact with Delhi ended. In 1241, the Mongols under Tair Bahadur invaded Lahore and completely destroyed the city. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• In 1299, Mongols invaded India, headed by Outlugh Khan (Outlugh Khwaja), the son of the Mongol ruler, Dawa Khan. This was an attempt by the Mongols to ravage Delhi for the first time. Hearing of their approach, Alauddin quickly gathered an army, and took a position outside Siri. The Mongols entrenched themselves at Killi, six miles north of Delhi. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The last significant Mongol invasion was under the leadership of Tarmashirin during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Tughluq. Ghiyasudclin Tughlaq marched against Tarmashirin, and pushed him back across the Indus and Indus which remained the frontier with the Mongols.

Hence statement 3 is not correct.

Ans: (d)

• The Sayyids claimed descent from the Prophet through his daughter Fatima. They commanded special respect in Muslim society. Evert Timur protected the lives of Sayyids during his in-vasion of India although his policy was one of general slaughter. A Sayyid accused of misappropriating state revenue was discharged by Sikandar Lodi and was allowed to keep to himself his dishonest gains. The Sayyids put on a pointed cap (Kulah) and they were known as Kulah-Daran.

Hence, option (d) is correct.

Ans: (c)

• As per Government of India Act, 1919 the Subjects were divided into two lists: "reserved" which included subjects such as law and order, finance, land revenue, irrigation, etc., and "transferred" subjects such as education, health, local government, industry, agriculture, excise, etc.

Hence, option (c) is correct.

Ans: (d)

• Barindra Kumar Ghosh (Barindra Ghose) was a founding member of Jugantar, a Bengali revolutionary movement. He is not associated with Ghadar Party.
• Jogesh Chandra became a member of the Anushilan Samiti. He was one of the founder members of Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) (in 1924). He is not associated with Ghadar Party.
• Rash Behari Bose was an Indian revolutionary leader against the British Raj. He was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar Mutiny.

Hence, option (d) is correct.

Ans: (b)

• As per Cripps Mission, a Constituent Assembly would be formed to frame a new constitution for the country. This Assembly would have members elected by the provincial assemblies and also nominated by the princes. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• Also, the mission proposed that any province unwilling to join the Indian dominion could form a separate union and have a separate constitution. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Ans: (b)

• In orissa The Ganga dynasty was succeeded by another glorious dynasty known as the Suryavamsi Gajapatis. The last ruler Kakharua Deva was killed by Govinda Vidyadhara in 1541, who founded the Bhoi dynasty. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Alfonso de Albuquerque had 23 warships and about 1000 soldiers. In January 1510 he attacked Goa. At that time the power of Goa was in the hands of the ruler of Bijapur, who was busy in suppressing the rebellion in his own state. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• In 1611 AD, the British established their first factory in South India at Machilipatnam, but soon the main center of activities shifted to Madras. Francis Day leased Madras in 1639 from Chandragiri, the representative of the Vijayanagara Empire. He built a fortified kothi there, which was named 'Fort St George'. 

Hence statement 3 is correct.