UGC NET Paper 2 History Mock Test - 8 - UGC NET MCQ

The correct answer is option [1] i.e Lord Irwin

Points to remember:

• On April 3, 1926 Lord Irwin was appointed 30th Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
• During his tenure in 1927, British government appointed a commission under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon
• The Commission was appointed to study the reforms of 1919 and suggest further measures for Constitutional reforms. The Commission had no Indian member in it. The Indians boycotted this all-White commission.
• The Simon Commission was a group of 7 MPs from Britain who were sent to India in 1928 to study constitutional reforms and make recommendations to the government.
• The Commission was originally named the Indian Statutory Commission. When the Commission landed in February 1928, there were mass protests, hartals, and black flag demonstrations all over the country. And thus came the slogan ‘Simon Go Back.’

The correct answer is Allaudin Khilji.

Key Points

• Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of South Asia for 320 years.
• Allaudin Khilji was a Turko-Afghan emperor of the Khilji dynasty under the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent.
• He strongly opposed the interference of the Ulemas in the affairs of the State.
• The Delhi Sultans were not the head of the religion but only the head of the state.

Thus, we can say that Allaudin Khilji did not allow the Ulemas to interfere in matters of the state.

Additional Information

• Ulema is a body of Muslim scholars who are recognized as having specialist knowledge of Islamic sacred law and theology.

Answer(c) Abbas Taiybjee

• Gandhiji under the authority of the Congress launched the civil disobedience movement known as the Salt Satyagraha.
• Gandhi's arrest had created a great sensation in India and abroad. Representations were sent from all parts of the world to the British Prime Minister asking the Government to release Gandhi and make peace with India.
• C Rajagopalachari led a similar march on the southeast coast from Trichy to Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu.

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Hindusthan Dainik was published in 1887.
• Hindustan or Hindusthan Dainik is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper.
• Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was the editor of Uttar Pradesh daily newspaper "Hindusthan".
• Madan Mohan Malviya launched it in 1936.
• Hindusthan Dainik which is published by Hindusthan Media Ventures Limited is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper.
• Earlier it was part of HT Media Ltd group, which spun off its Hindi business into a separate company named Hindusthan Media Ventures Limited in December 2009.

Additional Information​​​​​​​​​​

• Madan Mohan Malviya was an Indian scholar, educational reformer, and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement.
• He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha
• He was addressed as Pandit, a title of respect, and also as Mahamana(Great Soul).
• Malaviya strove to promote modern education among Indians and co-founded the Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi in 1916
• It is the largest residential university in Asia and one of the largest in the world
• Madan Mohan Malviya founded a highly influential English newspaper, The Leader, in 1919, published in Allahabad.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

Treaty of Purandar:

• The treaty of Purandar was signed between the Rajput ruler Jai Singh I, who was commander of the Mughal Empire, and Maratha Chhatrapati Shivaje Maharaj.
• Seeing the increasing power of Sivaji, Aurangzeb posted Raja Jai Singh of Amber against him.
• Jai Singh was a great commander and he was honoured several times in the regime of Shahjahan for his brilliant successes.
• After the treaty of Purandar was signed the fort of Purandar was surrendered to the Mughals emperor.
• Terms of the Treaty:

1. Out of his thirty-five forts, Shivaji handed over twenty-three forts to the Mughals which had an annual income of 40 lakh Huns.
2. On the condition of being faithful to the Mughal empire, Shivaji was allowed to maintain his influence over the remaining twelve forts.
3. Shivaji would send his eight-year-old son Shambhaji in the Mughal court in his place where he would be given a mansab of 500 and a post of pride on th recommendations of Raja Jai Singh.
4. Shivaji would present himself in the royal army at the time of need and on the royal command. Shivaji’s proposal of having his control over the province of Konkan and Balaghat – Bijapur’s province –was also accepted which fetched an income of 4 lakh Huns and 5 lakh Huns respectively. He also promised to pay 40 lakh Huns to the Mughal emperor in 13 instalments provided he was assured that these provinces would remain under his control in spite of their impending victory by the Mughals.

• Jahandar Shah was the ninth Mughal Emperor.
• He was the son of Bahadur Shah and the grandson of Alamgir.
• Jahandar Shah ruled for only eleven months before being deposed.

​Muhammad Shah:

• Muammad Shah, was the twelfth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1719 until 1748.
• At the age of 17, he gained the kingdom with the support of the Sayyid brothers.
• Muhammad Shah was a huge supporter of the arts, particularly musical, artistic, and administrative advancements.
• Sada Rangila was his pen name, and he was known as "Muhammad Shah Rangila," as well as "Bahadur Shah Rangila," after his grandfather Bahadur Shah I.
• Muhammad Shah's reign was distinguished by the Mughal Empire's swift and permanent fall, notwithstanding his patronage of the arts.
• The Mughal Empire was already in decline, but Nader Shah of Persia's invasion and subsequent devastation of Delhi, the Mughal capital, hastened the process.

Correct answer is - Both 1 and 2.

Annie Besant
Indian Home Rule movement/Founders

• Home Rule League, either of two short-lived organizations of the same name in India established in April and September 1916, respectively, by Indian nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak and British social reformer and Indian independence leader Annie Besant.

The aim of the home rule movement

• was the attainment of home rule or a dominion status for India under the British Empire along the lines of countries like Canada and Australia.
• This movement was carried out through the two home rule leagues.

Indian home rule movement began-

• In India in the background of World War I.
• The Government of India Act (1909) failed to satisfy the demands of the national leaders.
• However, the split in the congress and the absence of leaders like Tilak, who was imprisoned in Mandalay meant that nationalistic response was tepid.

Tilak found the first home rule league

• at the Bombay provincial congress at Belgaum in April 1916.
• then after this Annie Besant founded second league at Adyar Madras in September 1916.

The following statement is not true about the nationalist historical writings in the pre-independence India:

'Nationalist historiography before independence dealt with the ancient, medieval and modern, all the three periods of Indian history'.

Important Points

• Nationalist historiography flourished mainly in dealing with the ancient and medieval periods.
• It hardly existed for the modern period and came into being mainly after 1947, no school of nationalist historians of modern India having existed before 1947.
• This was in part because, in the era of nationalism, to be a nationalist was also to be anti-imperialist, which meant confrontation with the ruling, colonial authorities.
• And that was not possible for academics because of colonial control over the educational system.
• It became safe to be anti-imperialist only after 1947.
• Consequently, a history of the national movement or of colonial economy did not exist.
• This is, of course, not a complete explanation of the absence of nationalist historiography before 1947.
• After all, Indian economists did develop a sharp and brilliant critique of the colonial economy of India and its impact on the people.
• Above all, nationalist historical writing contributed to the self-confidence, self-assertion and a certain national pride which enabled Indian people to struggle against colonialism especially in the face of denigration of India’s past and the consequent inferiority complex promoted by colonial writers.
• Nilkanth Shastri and other historians also helped overcome the regional bias – the bias of treating India as coterminous with the Indo-Gangetic plane.

• In this respect, as in many others, nationalist historical writing in India became a major unifying factor so far as the literate Indians were concerned.

Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that the following statement is not true about the nationalist historical writings in the pre-independence India:

'Nationalist historiography before independence dealt with the ancient, medieval and modern, all the three periods of Indian history'.

The correct answer is 1, 2, and 3.

Key Points

• The following are the reasons for the emergence of the left-wing within the congress in the late British Era-
  • There was a group of young leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Bose who were influenced by the outside world and with the ideological developments there. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
  • Socialist ideas acquired roots in the Indian soil and socialism became the accepted creed of Indian youth. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
  • Impact of the Russian Revolution, wherein Lenin overthrew the despotic Czarist regime and declared the formation of the first socialist state. Hence, Statement 3 is correct.
  • Several socialist and communist groups came into existence all over the country.
  • Various publications work such as S.A. Dange’s Gandhi and Lenin, Muzaffar Ahmed’s Navayug, Ghulam Hussain’s Inquilab, and M. Singaravelu’s Labour-Kisan Gazette.
  • Most importantly was the ideological difference between the radical group and the rest of congress. The rightist believed in the method of prayers and petition with no direct attack on the British. The Left-Wing on the other hand believed indirect attack and wanted independence at the earliest.
  • There was definitely a positive impact due to the Left-Wing rise within congress on the programs and policies of congress. Some of the positives were-
  • The emergence of the All India Trade Union Congress and Workers and Peasants Party.
  • Equal importance to social and economic freedom on the lines of political freedom.
  • Due to the leftist influence, the leaders within congress were able to take critical stands on various occasions such as Karachi Resolution, Economic Policy resolution at Faizpur Session, 1936 political manifesto of Congress, and National Planning Committee in 1938.

The correct answer is 1527.

Key Points

• In 1527, Babur defeated Rana Sanga at Khanuwa.
  • ​The battle was fought on 16 March 1527.
  • The Battle of Khanwa was a decisive battle that helps the establishment of Mughal rule in India.
  • Babur assumed the title of Ghazi after the victory of this battle.
  • Khanwa is located 60km west of Agra.
• Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire.
  • He was the first Emperor of the Mughal dynasty who ruled between 1526 to 1530.
  • He defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526.
  • He defeated Mahmud Lodi in the battle of Ghaghra in 1529. Babur died in 1530 in Agra.
  • He was first buried in Agra, later his mortal remains were moved to Kabul and reburied in Bagh-e Babur in Kabul.
  • Autobiography of Babur: Baburnama.

Non-Violence is not to be compromised within Jainism. It was Jainism who advocated ‘Gnana Marga’, where securing highest knowledge. Kaivalya is salvation. However, liberation from desires was taught in Buddhism, where Buddha advocated ‘Karma Marga’. Buddha remained silent and agnostic about the existence of God. He made no categorical statement regarding God. Mahavira declared that God exists but is not responsible for evolution of Universe. Universe according to him evolved on its own.

Pitt’s India Act of 1784 was significant for two reasons: first, the company’s territories in India were for the first time called the ‘British possessions in India’, and second, the British government was given the supreme control over Company’s affairs and its administration in India. It was the Regulating Act of 1773, which designated the Governor of Bengal as the ‘Governor-General of Bengal’. The first such Governor-General was Lord Warren Hastings. It also provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774), comprising one chief justice and three other judges.

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 b.

Key Points

• Amir Khusrau was a Sufi musician, poet, and philosopher from the Indian subcontinent, better known as Ab'ul Hasan Yamn ud-Dn Khusrau (1253-1325). In cultural history, he was a legendary person.
• He was a spiritual pupil of Delhi's Nizamuddin Auliya and a mystic. He mostly wrote poetry in Persian, although he also wrote in Hindavi.
• He is credited with creating the hliq Brr, a poem vocabulary including Arabic, Persian, and Hindavi words. Khusrau is frequently referred to as "India's Parrot" (Tuti-e-Hind). He also wrote the book Khazain-ul-Futuh.

Additional Information

• The Fatwa-i-Jahandari is a book written by Zia-ud-din Barani which contains the political ideals to be persued by a Muslim ruler in order to earn a religious merit and gratitude of his subjects.
• Abdul Malik Isami was an Indian historian and court poet who lived in the 14th century. Under the patronage of Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, the founder of the Bahmani Sultanate, he wrote in Persian. Futuh-us-Salatin (c. 1350), a lyrical narrative of the Muslim conquest of India, is his most famous work.
• Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi (nisba of Sirhind) was an Indian historian who produced the Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi, a Persian language chronicle of the Delhi Sultanate, in the 15th century.

• a) Complex Causation: Historical events are rarely caused by a single factor. Underlying social, economic, political, and cultural forces often contribute in a complex interplay. Historians must consider this complexity when analyzing causes.
• (b) Imagination and Reconstruction: The historical record is often incomplete, with gaps and silences. Historians use their imagination to bridge these gaps by drawing on relevant evidence from various sources and considering the context of the events. This allows them to create a plausible reconstruction of the past.

Additional Information

• (c) Imagination Constrained by Evidence: While imagination plays a role, it is not unfettered. Historians must base their interpretations on evidence from sources like documents, artifacts, archaeology, and even oral traditions when available. Fabricated narratives violate the core principles of historical inquiry.
• (d) Multiple Interpretations: There can be multiple valid interpretations of historical events due to the complexity of causes and the limitations of the historical record. A single narrative may not capture the full picture.

The correct answer is Option 3.Key PointsMadad-i-Massh:

• Land grants from the state provided a source of income for many classes of people, including officials, artists, scholars, and theologians, among others.
• As a form of charity, the Mughal administration issued grants known as Madad-i-Mash to pious or otherwise deserving recipients.
• The nobles extended revenue-free grants (Madad-i-Mash) to support saints, religious institutions, religious places, and Mashaikhs, among other things, in the spirit of composite culture and harmony. Hence, Option 3 is correct.
• Scholars and religious divines, in particular, were given small plots of land to live on.
• Such grants were known as 'madad-i-maash' in Mughal parlance and 'sasan' in Rajasthan.
• These scholars and religious divines were dependent on the state, and in turn, they assisted the state in promoting social harmony and integration.

Additional Information

Kumaragupta I issued a gold coin depicting a rhinoceros.

Key Points

• Die-struck gold coins, with material legends in Sanskrit, known as dinaras, were issued by the Guptas.

• These coins have mostly been found in north India.

• The reigning king is depicted in the obverse in various poses, usually martial.

• However, there are also instances of the kings being depicted in non-martial poses.

  • For example, the obverse in the coins of Samuddragupta and Kumaragupta I show them playing the vina.

• Religious symbols are depicted in the reverse of Gupta coins indicating the religious affiliations of the Gupta kings.

• Gupta gold coins underwent a decline in metallic purity during the later part of Skandagupta's reign.

• The Guptas also issued silver coins, however, copper coins issued by them are rarely found.

• The Rhinoceros-slayer type coins were introduced by Kumaragupta I.

• These were identified for the first time by A.S. Altekar in 1947.

• This type is both unique and artistic. coins of this type depict the king riding a horse and attacking a rhinoceros.

​Thus, we can conclude that Kumaragupta I is the correct answer.

Additional Information

• ​Kumaragupta I:

  • ​He was one of the last great emperors of the Gupta dynasty.

  • He is known as having laid the foundation of Nalanda University.

  • In the later part of his reign, he had to face repeated incursions by the Hunas.

The correct code is I, II, IV only. Key Points

• A front-rank historian of post-independence India, Ram Sharan Sharma is a great scholar who effectively applied the Marxist method of analysis to historical research. His books are:
• Sudras in Ancient India:
  • ​Sharma’s Sudras in Ancient India (1958) is a work in which his sympathy for the lower orders of society found early expression.
  • Depending mainly on literary sources, it is a thoroughly scholarly work which examines the relationship of the lower social orders with the means of production and with higher orders from the Vedic age to the end of the Gupta period.
  • The new order required large labour power which was procured by force of arms and perpetuated by law and custom, religion and ideology—all interwoven into a social structure called the Varna system.
• Urban Decay in India
  • ​R.S. Sharma’s Urban Decay in India (1987) reinforces his arguments regarding the origin and growth of feudalism in India.
  • He furnishes an impressive array of archaeological evidence to demonstrate the decline of urban centres in early medieval India.
  • The post-Mauryan period was remarkable for the growth of towns, handicrafts and trade.
  • The towns reached the peak of prosperity during the period from c. 200 BC to AD 300.
  • But after the third century AD urban centers began to decline, a process which continued throughout the Gupta period.
• Indian Feudalism:
  • ​Indian Feudalism (1966), was one of R.S. Sharma’s books which immediately caught the attention of the academic world and generated debate.
  • For Sharma, the political essence of feudalism lay in the organization of the whole administrative structure on the basis of land tenure, and its economic content in the institution of serfdom in which peasants are attached to the soil held by landed intermediaries placed between the king and the actual tillers.
  • Sharma discerns such a development in India in the land grants made to temples, Brahmanas and officials, and links it with the decay of towns, trade and commerce and the reduced use of money.

  • The process developed unevenly over the country from the Gupta times till about the twelfth century.

Hence we conclude that the correct code is I, II, IV only. Additional Information

• An Introduction to the Study of Indian History:
  • ​This book was written by D. D Koshambi, not R.S Sharma. So it is not a true option.

Key Points

Political History

• It deals with kings and their nobles during the earliest times. they were considered the architects of the society and their actions received prior treatment at the hands of historians.
• Secondly, the main source of our information for the past history is the court records and the accounts left by courtiers who wanted to flatter their patrons.

Additional Information

Social History

• It primarily devotes to the social life of the people 'viz' religion, national economy, morals, manners, foods, dresses art and culture. In this history, the political, dynastic and constitutional aspects of history are degraded to the background. In addition to these some historians made an attempt to deal with the general patrons of social development.

Diplomatic history

• It can be considered a branch of political history but developed as an independent discipline. In the view of close connections and relations between various members of the international communities, the huge body of principles of international laws has grown, which govern the foreign relations of various sovereign states.

Legal History

• It is another independent branch of history that has grown in recent times. The historians of legal history devoted themselves to the study of legal development and tried to show how the law adjusted itself according to the changing social conditions.

The correct answer is 1-C, 2-A, 3-D, 4-B.

Key-Points

• Censorship of Press Act, 1799 was implemented under the tenure of Lord Wellesley. Lord Wellesley enacted this, anticipating the French invasion of India. It imposed almost wartime press restrictions including pre-censorship.
• Licensing regulation, 1823 was implemented under the tenure of John Adams. The acting governor-general, John Adams, who had reactionary views, enacted these regulations. According to these regulations, starting or using a press without a license was a penal offense.
• Press Act of 1835 was implemented under the tenure of Lord Metcalfe. The Press Act (1835) required a printer/publisher to give a precise account of the premises of a publication and cease functioning if required by a similar declaration.
• Vernacular Act, 1878 was implemented under the tenure of Lord Lytton. Under this law, the district magistrate was empowered to call upon the printer and publisher of any vernacular newspaper to enter into a bond with the Government undertaking not to cause disaffection against the government or antipathy between persons of different religions, caste, race through published material; the printer and publisher could also be required to deposit security which could be seized if the offenses reoccurred.

• Prathana Samaj- Atmaram Pandurang
• Young India - Mohandas Karamchand
• Lokhitvadi- Gopal Hari Deshmukh
• Satyashodhak Samaj- Jyotiba Phule
• Rehnumai Mazdayasan Sabha - Naoroji Furdonji

In south India some people were buried along with their tools, weapons, pottery and other belongings under big and heavy stones. These graves are known as megalithsThe practice of erecting megaliths began about 3000 years ago, and was prevalent throughout the Deccan, south India, in the north-east and Kashmir.These Megalith burials have yielded the first iron objects from south India. Besides these the use of Black and Red ware pottery was also a distinctive feature of the Megalithic people.

The Taxila Copper Plate inscription mentions about the dedication of a relic of the Buddha Shakyamuni to a Buddhist monastery by the Shaka ruler Patika Kusulaka. Mathura lion capital also mentions Patika Kusulaka.

Parvati Devi was daughter of Lala Lajpat Rai who is know for actively taking part in the Satyagraha Committee. Radha Devi Agrawal was the wife of Lala Lajpat Rai. He had two sons, Amrit Rai Agrawal and Pyarelal Agrawal, and a daughter, Parvati Agrawal.

The central point in Ashoka’s Dhamma are all the given options. The Ashoka’s dhamma was not only the philosophical teaching of Buddha, but it also contained the idea of humanism, the universal brotherhood and Ahimsa. Ashoka’s pillar edicts gives the concept of his Dhamma. He had also appointed Dhamma Mahamatra to check out law and order in his kingdom.

Akbar initially followed Sher Shah’s revenue systems, particularly the Zabt System. Raja Todar Mal was made the Revenue Minister of Akbar and was known as ‘Diwan-i-Ashraf’. Todar Mal introduced ‘Bandobast’, a revenue assessment system that classified land into four categories, i.e., Polaj (best tract), Parauti (second best), Checher (third grade) and Banjar (least fertile). On the basis of the average produce for the last 10 years, the category of land was decided and accordingly tax was levied.

Kol Mutiny took place in 1831. It happened in the areas of Ranchi, Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Palamau and the western part of Maharashtra. The reason was the large scale transfer of land to outsiders from Kol headmen.

These were some of the most important officials during the Mauryan dynasty. Pradesikas were the modern district magistrates and in-charge of district. They were to make tours once in every 5 years to inspect the entire administration of the areas under control. Rajukas were the later day Patwaris. They were responsible for surveying and assessing the land. In rural areas they were the judicial officers. Yukta were the subordinate revenue officer of the district level. He was responsible for the secretarial work of accounting. Vachabhumika were the officer-in-charge of the rest houses, groves and wells etc.

The Government of India Act of 1935 extended the principal of communal representation by providing separate electorates for depressed classes (scheduled castes), women and labour (workers). Indian Councils Act, 1909 also introduced the system of separate electorates for Muslims.

Battle of Ramnagar took place in the year 1848 (British leader- Sir Hugh Gough, Sikh ruler- Sher Singh Attariwalla), Battle of Chillianwala was fought in the year 1849 (January) and the battle of Gujarat was fought on 21st February 1849.