TS SET Paper 2 Mock Test - 8 (History) - TS TET MCQ

The correct answer is Mithathal (Hissar).

Key Points

• A battle axe type Gold Coin which pertains to the age of Samudra Gupta has been found at Mitathal (Hissar).
• Battle Axe Type Coin
  • It is from C. 4th Century CE (Gupta Dynasty).
• Obverse side of the coin-
  • The king standing to left, wearing a close-fitted cap, tailed coat and trousers.
  • There is a sword hanging on his left side.
  • The king holds a Battle Axe (Parashu) in left hand, right hand resting on waist.
  • Brahmi legend below the left hand of the king "samudra" and partly visible circular legend.
• Reverse side of the coin-
  • Goddess lakshmi enthroned facing, throne has no back, feets of goddess are resting on lotus.
  • She is holding diadem in her right hand. and cornucopia in left, tamgha to left.
  • Complete brahmi legends "kritantaparashuh" which means battle

Important Points

• Samudragupta was the fourth king of the Gupta dynasty and the successor to Chandragupta-I.
  • He is known as the greatest king of the Gupta dynasty.
  • He is known as a valiant warrior and patron of the arts.
  • He conquered the Kushans and other small kingdoms and greatly expanded the Gupta empire.
  • He had been termed as the Nepolean of India by V. A. Smith.
  • He also performed Ashvamedha sacrifices.
  • Samudragupta court poet and minister Harisena composed the Allahabad pillar Inscription or Prayag Prasasti.

Saptanga theory of state was given by Kautilya in Arthashastra.  According to it, the seven limbs of a state are King, Amatya (Bureaucrats) , Janapada (territory), Durga (Fort), Kosa (Treasure), Danda (coercive authority) and Mitra (ally).

The correct code is i, iii and v.Key Points

• In the first half of the Gupta period, the king or the state claimed theoretical ownership of the land, though in practice the peasants had ownership rights.
• The peasants were the actual cultivators and had a strong attachment to the land.
• The state claimed ownership, in theory, to maintain control over the land and collect revenue.
• However, in practice, the peasants had ownership rights and were allowed to transfer, mortgage, or sell their land. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The Poona Copper Plate of Prabhavatigupta is a copper plate grant from the Gupta period.
• It does not provide evidence for land surveys during the Gupta period.
• However, it does provide information about the administration of land revenue during the Gupta period. So statement 2 is incorrect.
• An officer called Pustapala was in charge of land revenue collection at the district level.
• Pustapala was a revenue officer who collected land revenue on behalf of the state.
• He was responsible for maintaining records of land revenue, and his role was crucial in the administration of the land revenue. Thus statement 3 is correct.
• The Gupta inscriptions from Bengal and Bihar authorise the grantees to make a further gift of their lands to others. Therefore statement 4 is incorrect.
• The Gupta inscriptions from Bengal and Bihar do not authorise the grantees to make a further gift of their lands to others.
• The Gupta land grants in central India and western India give not only fiscal rights but also rights of judicial administration to the recipients.

• Statement 5 is true and is supported by historical evidence.

So we can conclude that the correct code is i, iii and v.

The country today practically produces no tin; this was scarce even in ancient times. We do not find many bronze objects in prehistoric times, as Bronze is made by mixing Copper with Tin. Hence, although the Harappa people used bronze tools, their number compared to those found in other places is very small and their tools carry a smaller percentage of tin. Therefore, the major portion of India had no proper Bronze age, that is, an age in which tools and implements were mostly made of bronze.

The correct answer is option 2.

Key Points

Confusion Points

• Asaf Jah is different from Qutub shahis.
• Both ruled over the same regions of Hyderabad.
• Qutub Shahis were part of the Bahamani Sultanate whereas the Asaf Jahis are Nizam of Hyderabad at the time of the Mughals.

After the death of Nizam-Ul-Mulk, a conflict was started between Nasir Jang (Second son of Nizam) and Muzaffar Jang (Grandson of Nizam) for taking the possession of the throne of Hyderabad. Meanwhile, another conflict was started between Anwar-Ud-Din and Chanda Sahib for taking possession of the throne of Carnatic. It was the immediate reason for the Second Carnatic War.

The correct answer is Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

Important Points

• Tantrism expanded from the 6th century CE, and is reflected in the Tantric texts, temples, and practices of this time.
• Tantrism included both women and Shudras in the ranks.
• Tantrism placed great emphasis on the use of magical rituals.
• Their purpose was to satisfy the materialistic desires of the devotees and to cure day-to-day ailments and injuries.
• Tantrism found its way into Jainism, Buddhism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
• From the seventh century onwards, it held sway throughout the Middle Ages.
• The rise of Tantrism was due to the large scale admission of the aboriginal people in Brahmanical society.
• In Tibet, Buddhist tantra is called Vajrayana.
• In Tantrism, the importance of the guru is overemphasized.
• Later this tendency is also found in the Bhakti movements of the medieval period.
• Following the instructions of the Guru, a person who practices Tantra experiences mystical experiences.

• In this process their activities like yoga, mantra etc. are included.

Thus we can say that Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

Many of the generalizations appeared in Early History of India by Vincent Arthur Smith prepared the first systematic history of ancient India in 1904. A.L. Basham’s Wonder That Was India is a sympathetic survey of the various facets of ancient Indian culture and civilization free from the prejudices that plagued the writings of V.A. Smith. A stronger element of Hindu revivalism appears in the writings of R.C. Majumdar, who was a prolific writer and general editor of the multi-volume publication History and Culture of the Indian People. In D.D. Kosambi’s book An Introduction to the Study of Indian History blazed a new trail in Indian History his treatment follows the materialistic interpretation of history, which is derived from the writings of history.

Akbar, the Mughal emperor (1556-1605), played a significant role in the history of Jizya, a tax levied on non-Muslims in Islamic empires.

1. Abolition: In 1564, Akbar abolished the Jizya tax, marking a progressive move for its time. This decision aimed to promote:

Religious tolerance: By ending a potentially discriminatory practice, he fostered better relations with Hindu and other non-Muslim subjects.
Administrative efficiency: Replacing Jizya with a land revenue system simplified tax collection and potentially increased revenue.
2. Motives: The reasons behind Akbar's decision are debated:

Personal beliefs: He was known for his open-mindedness and interest in different religions, influencing his policy choices.
Political pragmatism: Unifying a diverse empire may have motivated him to remove potential religious tensions.
3. Impact: Abolishing Jizya:

Improved internal unity: Reduced resentment among non-Muslims, strengthening the empire's social fabric.
Enhanced Akbar's legacy: Contributed to his image as a just and tolerant ruler.
4. Limitations:

Temporary measure: Jizya was reimposed by later Mughal emperors.
Complexities remain: Issues of religious equality and taxation continued to evolve.
5. Historical Significance: Akbar's decision remains a crucial moment in understanding Jizya and religious policies in Islamic empires.

Alberuni’s book Tahkik-i-Hind (Reality of Hindustan or Enquiry into India) is a mirror of the eleventh century India. It gives a good graphic description of India as he saw it. Minhaj Siraj has written a political history called Tabaqat-i-Nasiri. It is a history of Muslim Kings, their military chiefs and officials. Ziauddin Barani is well-known for his works of history, namely Tarikh-i-Firozshahi and Fatwa-i-Jahandari. Amir Khusrau’s full name was Abul Hassan Yaminuddin Khurau. He wrote Miftah-ul-Futuh which enumerates the military campaigns and victories of Sultan Jalaluddin Khalji, which he achieved in the first year after his accession.

Historians of the medieval period followed a definite style of historiography. It was either eulogy or exaggeration that gave away the falsehood in recorded details. Some Historians were known for their orthodox and religious outlook.

Important Points

Fakhr-i-Mudabbir

• Of the given following list Fakhr-i-Mudabbir is the only one that is not correctly paired.
• His famous works are- the Shajara-yi ansab (The tree of genealogies) and the Adab al-harb wa-l-shaja'a (The etiquette of war and valour).
• He was a Historian in the court of Ghaznavids, Ghurids, and other Delhi Sultans.

Additional Information

Minhaj us Siraj-

• He authored Tabaqat I Nasiri- the first fifty years of Muslim rule in Bengal is documented in this book of history.
• He was born in Juzjan of Ghur.
• He wrote on the Ghurid dynasty.
• He was a historian of the Mameluks' court.

Zia ud din Barani-

• He was a historian and political thinker
• He served in the court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah
• He authored Tarikh I Firuzshahi which covers the history from Balban to Firuz Shah.

Ibn Batuta-

• He was a Moroccan traveler who took accounts during his travel to India
• He was welcomed in the court of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, given gifts and the service of a Qadi.
• He authored the book Kitab Ul Rehla which gave some perspective on the contemporary socio-economic status of the society.

The correct answer is (A), (B) & (C).

Key Points

Administration during Kakatiyas:

• During the Kakatiya Dynasty agriculture was the main profession. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • They witnessed excellent economic progress because they paid a keen interest in the agricultural expansion.
  • They brought large tracts of uncultivable lands under cultivation by building tanks and digging wells
• The Kakatiya rulers especially Prataparudra attempted to increase the extent of cultivable land by cutting down forests and brought many virgin soils under the plough. Hence, statement 2 is correct
• The Land revenue was collected either in cash or in kind. Hence, statement 3 is correct
  • The state collected one-fourth to one-half of the produce as revenue.
• The Kakatiy also paid very keen interest and attention to improve the agricultural potentialities of the country by constructing tanks, wells, irrigation facilities, and canals, establishing agrahara villages, and bringing wastelands under cultivation. Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.

Both Jain and Buddhist monks went from place to place throughout the year for teaching the people.

• Only in the rainy season, they stay in one place.
• Earlier, their followers built a temporary shelter for them, later permanent shelters were constructed which were known as ‘viharas’ i.e. monasteries.
• These ‘viharas’ were made of wood and then of brick.

Thus, we can say that both statements A) and B) are true and B) is not the reason for A).

Confusion Points

• Jains and Buddhists move from one place to another for spreading their religion, not to live in caves or gardens.
• They usually took shelter there to spend time and seasonal differences.
• Thus, statement B is not explaining statement A.

Additional Information

• Jainism and Buddhism share many features, terminology, and ethical principles, but emphasize them differently.[
• Jainism discourages monks and nuns from staying in a single place for a long time, except for 4 months in the rainy season (chaturmas).
• Thus most of the time the Jain monks and nuns keep wandering, staying in a place for just a few days.
• Some Theravada Buddhist monks also observe Vassa rules, but often they stay in one monastery, but they also used to wander and preach in the past.

[The Gold Content of Gupta Era coins was maximum in comparison to previous major dynasties]

Although the Gupta rulers issued the largest number of gold coins, their gold content, particularly after Skandagupta was very low. This justifies the deteriorating economy in later gupta era. 

Bharatnatyam, one of the classical dance form, is called ‘fire dance’ as the movements of bharatnatyam resemble the movements of a dancing flame. It portrays the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in human body. It was originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu.

The correct answer is "Statement (I) is false but statement (II) is true".

Key Points Statement (I): Each social class and group felt the effects of colonialism equally.

• This statement is false.
• Colonialism had a significant impact on India's society, economy, politics, and culture.
• However, the effects were not felt equally by all social classes and groups.
• The British colonial rule created a hierarchical society with privileged access to education, wealth, and power.
• The upper classes and privileged groups, such as the landlords and the educated elites, had more opportunities to benefit from the colonial system, while the peasants, workers, and lower castes were marginalized and exploited.
• Therefore, the impact of colonialism was different for each social class and group.

Statement (II): The notion of freedom was not always the same for each class and group.

• This statement is true.
• The idea of freedom was not uniform across all social classes and groups in India.
• The educated elites and upper classes, who had access to Western education and exposure to Enlightenment ideas, saw freedom in terms of individual liberty and political rights.
• They demanded representative institutions, the rule of law, and constitutional rights.
• On the other hand, for the lower classes and marginalized groups, freedom meant liberation from exploitation, poverty, and social oppression.
• They demanded economic and social justice, land reform, and an end to the caste system.
• Therefore, the notion of freedom was not the same for all classes and groups.

The Pallava kings constructed a number of stone temples in the seventh and eighth centuries for housing Gods. The most famous of them are:

1) Seven Ratha Temple: It was founded at Mahabalipuram by Narasimhavarman in seventh century. He also founded the port city of Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram.

2) Kailashnath Temple: It was founded at Kanchipuram by Rajasimha in eight century. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Trading was the primary objective of the British East India Company. Gradually they started realizing the benefit of building an empire in India. And eventually, they came into power by winning different battles.

The correct answer is Abhinav Gupt.

Key Points

• Vedanta
  • The Vedanta or Uttara Mimamsa is the school that concentrates on the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads (mystic or spiritual contemplations within the Vedas), rather than the Brahmanas (instructions for ritual and sacrifice).
  • The school separated into six sub-schools, each interpreting the texts in its own way and producing its own series of sub-commentaries:
  • Advaita (Adi Shankara)
    • It states that both the individual self (Atman) and Brahman are the same, and knowing this difference causes liberation.
  • Visishtadvaita (Ramanuja)
    • It believes that all diversity is subsumed to a unified whole.
  • Dvaita (Madhvacharya)
    • It considers Brahman and Atman as two different entities and Bhakti as the route to eternal salvation.
  • Dvaitadvaita (Nimbarka)
    • It states that the Brahman is the highest reality, the controller of all.
  • Shuddhadvaita (Vallabhacharya)
    • It states that both God and the individual self are the same, and not different.
  • Achintya Bheda Abheda (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu)
    • It emphasizes that the individual self (Jīvatman) is both different and not different from Brahman.

Additional Information

• Orthodox Schools of Indian Philosophy
  • Orthodox (astika) schools, originally called Sanatana dharma, are collectively referred to as Hinduism in modern times.
  • The ancient Vedas are their source and scriptural authority.
  • Hinduism consists of six systems of philosophy & theology.
    • Samkhya (Kapila): Samkhya is the oldest of the orthodox philosophical systems, and it postulates that everything, in reality, stems from Purusha (self, soul, or mind) and Prakriti (matter, creative agency, energy).
    • Yoga (Patanjali): Yoga literally means the union of two principal entities.
      • Yogic techniques control body, mind & sense organs, thus considered as a means of achieving freedom or mukti.
    • Nyaya (Gautama Muni): Nyaya Philosophy states that nothing is acceptable unless it is in accordance with reason and experience (scientific approach).
      • Nyaya is considered a technique of logical thinking.
    • Vaisheshika (Kanada): The basis of the school's philosophy is that all objects in the physical universe are reducible to a finite number of atoms and Brahman is regarded as the fundamental force that causes consciousness in these atoms.
    • Purva Mimamsa (Jaimini): This philosophy encompasses the Nyaya-Vaisheshika systems and emphasizes the concept of valid knowledge.
      • According to Purva Mimamsa, Vedas are eternal and possess all knowledge.
• Abhinav Gupt:
  • Abhinavagupta was a philosopher, mystic, and aesthetician from Kashmir.
  • He was also considered an influential musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logician a polymathic personality who exercised strong influences on Indian culture.
  • One of his very important contributions was in the field of philosophy of aesthetics with his famous Abhinavabharati commentary of Naṭyasastra of Bharata Muni.

Explanation:

• Mahendravarman I was a Pallava ruler who ruled the Southern portion of present day Andhra region and Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India in the early 7th century from 600-630CE
• Gopala (ruled c. 750s–770s AD) was the founder of the Pala Dynasty of Bengal region.
• Mihira Bhoja (836-885 AD) or Bhoja I was a ruler of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of India.
• Parantaka Chola I (c. 907–955 AD) ruled the Chola kingdom in Tamil Nadu southern India for forty-eight years.

Lahore summit took place in 1998 not 1997. Islamabad summit was held between Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto not with Nawaz Sharif.

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

Local Leader during Revolt of 1857

• Shah Mal lived in a large village in pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh. Hence, pair 1 is correct.
  • Shah Mal mobilised the headmen and cultivators of chaurasee des, moving at night from village to village, urging people to rebel against the British.
  • As in many other places, the revolt against the British turned into a general rebellion against all signs of oppression and injustice.
  • Shah Mal’s men attacked government buildings, destroyed the bridge over the river, and dug up metalled roads – partly to prevent government forces from coming into the area, and partly because bridges and roads were seen as symbols of British rule.
  • Locally acknowledged as the Raja, Shah Mal took over the bungalow of an English officer, and turned it into a “hall of justice”, settling disputes and dispensing judgments.
  • He also set up an amazingly effective network of intelligence. For a period the people of the area felt that firangi raj was over, and their raj had come.
  • Shah Mal was killed in battle in July 1857
• Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was one of the many maulvis who played an important part in the revolt of 1857.
  • During the freedom struggle, Maulavi made Faizabad the centre and launched revolts in all of the Awadh region. Hence, pair 3 is incorrect.
  • He was seen moving from village to village preaching jehad (religious war) against the British and urging people to rebel. He moved in a palanquin, with drumbeaters in front and followers at the rear. He was therefore popularly called Danka Shah – the maulvi with the drum (danka).
  • British officials panicked as thousands began following the maulvi and many Muslims began seeing him as an inspired prophet.
  • When he reached Lucknow in 1856, he was stopped by the police from preaching in the city. Subsequently, in 1857, he was jailed in Faizabad.
  • When released, he was elected by the mutinous 22nd Native Infantry as their leader.
  • He fought in the famous Battle of Chinhat in which the British forces under Henry Lawrence were defeated. He came to be known for his courage and power.
• Gonoo, a tribal cultivator of Singhbhum in Chotanagpur, became a rebel leader of the Kol tribals of the region. Hence, pair 2 is incorrect.
  • He mobilized the natives in an anti-colonial struggle and although he declared himself to be a follower of Raja of Porahat with whom the Kols had traditional ties, the latter had no authority over the tribal leader and might have been compelled to support Gonoo in his plan of action.
  • Gonoo was an ordinary cultivator in Singhbhum but the events of 1857 made him a rebel leader.

The correct answer is Both I and II

Key Points:

• Tipu Sultan was the ruler of the Mysore Kingdom and he is known as the Tiger of Mysore.
• He reigned from 1782 to 1799.
• Tipu Sultan expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin.
• The French commander-in-chief, Napoleon Bonaparte, sought an alliance with Tipu Sultan.

Additional Information:

• Hyder Ali fought the first Anglo-Mysore War in 1767-69 at the age of 17 and then Second Angle Mysore in 1780-84.
• Hyder Ali died during the Second Anglo-Mysore War and then Tipu Sultan led Mysore.
• He reformed the tax system and imposed tax directly on the peasant and collected through salaried agents in cash.
• Tipu Sultan deployed rockets against the advances of British forces and their allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Siege of Seringapatam and the Battle of Pollilur.

Both are incorrect statements because besides  Prakrit, Ashokan edicts are written in Greek and Aramaic languages also. All the edicts of Ashoka engraved in the Kharoshthi and Brahmi scripts are in the Prakrit language.

The Deccani school developed independent of the Mughal style in the beginning but later, as the Mughal artists started migrating to down south, the schools of Deccan showed the influence of Mughal style. The Deccani painting initially absorbed influences of the northern tradition of the pre-Mughal painting of Malwa, and of the southern tradition of the Vijayanagar school of painting. Influence of the Mughal painters who migrated to the Deccan during the period of Aurangzeb was responsible for the development of various other centres of paintings in Deccan, such as Hyderabad.

The pillar is considered remarkable because of its metallurgical skills.

Key Points

• Mehrauli Iron Pillar:
  • The Iron Pillar is located in the Qutub Complex in the area of Mehrauli of Delhi.
  • It is said to have been constructed around 1500 years ago.
  • It is considered remarkable because of the metallurgical skill required to forge such a long piece of iron, the clarity of its inscriptions after so many centuries, and the fact that it has remained comparatively rust-free, even after so many centuries.
  • An inscription on the pillar mentions a king named Chandra, who is most often associated with Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire.

  • It is cited as one of the most remarkable example of the skill of Indian crafts persons.

Thus, metallurgical skills is the correct answer.
Additional Information

• Other Important Features:
  • The pillar with its solid, slightly tapering shaft stands 7.16 m tall. It is surmounted by an inverted lotus emblem, over which there are three fluted discs (amalakas) supporting a square pedestal.
  • The pillar must have been crowned by a Vaishnava emblem, perhaps a Garuda.

  • It is not certain where the pillar originally stood. Most historians believe it is not in situ.

The correct matching is A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1.Key Points

• R Palme Dutt
  • ​Rajani Palme Dutt was a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1920 and was editor of Labour Monthly, which was prefaced by Dutt's 'Notes of the Month'.From 1923, he edited Workers' Weekly.
  • He was a staunch supporter of Leninism and Stalinism and saw the British state as having fascist tendencies, evidenced by the British Empire.
  • His classic book "India Today" pioneered the Marxist approach to Indian history.
• Ranajit Guha
  • ​Ranajit Guha was the most influential figure in postcolonial and subaltern studies and is also the founding editor of Subaltern Studies.
  • Guha’s works have deeply influenced not only the writing of sub-continental history but also historical investigations elsewhere, as well as cultural studies, literary theories, and social analyses across the world.
  • Some books of him A Rule of Property for Bengal: An Essay on the Idea of the Permanent Settlement (1963), Subaltern Studies (edited volumes 1 to 10), and Elementary Aspects of Insurgency in Colonial India (1983).
• ​W W Hunter
  • ​Sir William Wilson Hunter was a Scottish historian, statistician, compiler and member of the Indian Civil Service.
  • He is most known for The Imperial Gazetteer of India on which he started working in 1869, and which was eventually published in nine volumes in 1881.
• B D Basu
  • ​Major Baman Das Basu was an Indian army physician, botanist, nationalist historian, and writer.
  • He resigned from the Indian Medical Service after serving in Chitral and Sudan due to the conflict with his nationalism and joined his brother Sris Chandra Basu in editing and publishing books on Hinduism.

  • He authored the book The Dietetic Treatment of Diabetes, in 1909. In the book, he stated that "diabetic patients who are vegetarians live longer than those who are meat eaters".

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.

Lavani is a popular folk form of Maharashtra. The dance format associated with Lavani is known as Tamasha. Bhavageet (literally ’emotion poetry’) is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. This genre is quite popular in many parts of India, notably in Karnataka. Pandavani is a folk singing style of musical narration of tales from ancient epic, Mahabharata, with musical accompaniment and Bhima as the hero. This form of folk theatre is popular in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and in the neighbouring tribal areas of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Naatupura Paatu is Tamil folk music. It consists of Gramathisai (village folk music) and Gana (city folk music). It is also sung in Rajasthan.