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

The statement "knowledge is not found or discovered but rather is made by humans" is closely aligned with the constructivist school of thought in educational philosophy.

Key Points

• Constructivism suggests that knowledge is actively constructed by individuals based on their experiences, interactions, and reflections.
• Constructivism emphasizes the role of the learner as an active participant in the learning process, shaping and constructing their own knowledge rather than passively receiving it.
• Some principles of constructivism include:-

1. Active Learning
2. Prior Knowledge
3. Social Interaction
4. Real-World Contexts
5. Scaffolding

​ Additional Information

• Post-modernism: Post-modernism is a diverse and sometimes controversial movement, and its ideas are interpreted and applied in various ways across different disciplines and contexts.
• Humanism: Humanism is characterized by a focus on human experience, reason, and ethics.
• There are different strands of humanism, including religious, secular, and educational humanism.
• Idealism: Idealism is a philosophical school of thought that emphasizes the primacy of ideas, consciousness, and mind in the constitution of reality.

Thus the option B is correct.

Dadabhai Naoroji, also called as Grand Old Man of India, was a businessman who had excellent analysis on colonial economy related to economic drain in Poverty and Un British Rule in India, so it is correct. Apart from Dadabhai Naoroji, G.V. Joshi, G. Subramaniya lyer, G.K. Gokhale were other workers and journalists who analysed several other aspects of economy and studied economic issues and colonial economic policies, so this is also correct. Romesh Chandra Dutt who was a retired ICS officer published “Economic History of India’ in 20th century in order to examine details about complete economic record of colonial rule since 1757.

Megasthenes has mentioned an Officer Astynomoi who was related with 'Town Officials'.

Key Points

• Megasthenes was an ambassador who was sent to the court of Chandragupta Maurya by the Greek ruler, Seleucus Nicator.
• He wrote a book entitled ‘Indica’ which gives information about the Mauryan period.
• In his book, Megasthenes mentioned about the administration of the capital city, towns and rural areas.
• The capital city and towns was administered by officials called 'Astynomois'.
• The rural areas were administered by officals called 'Agronomois'.
• The 'Astynomois' were 30 in number and were divided into 6 committees of 5 members each.
• These committees were in charge of:
  • ​industrial arts
  • entertainment and surveillance of foreigners
  • maintaining records of births and deaths
  • trade and commerce
  • supervising the public sale of goods

  • collection of taxes on merchandise sold in the market

Hence, we can conclude that an officer Astynomoi was related with 'Town Officials'.

Sheikh Jamalluddin, a Persian scholar, who is also known as second Khusrau of Delhi and wrote 'Siyar-ul-Arifin', was patronised by Sikandar Lodi.

Key Points

• Sheikh Jamalluddin was a 16th-century poet and Sufi of the Suhrawardiyya sect.
• He was a Persian scholar and is also known as second Khusrau of Delhi.
• He was a poet at the court of Sultan Sikandar Lodi who patronised him.
• The Sultan who himself was a poet (he wrote poetry under the pen-name Gulrukh) patronized learning and literary acquisitions and used to show his poetry to Sheikh Jamalluddin for corrections and improvement.
• Sheikh Jamalluddin wrote Siyar-ul-Arifin in Persian which is an account of the Chishti and Suhrawardi Sufis of the period.

• He also authored other works called Masnawi, Mihr wa Mähi Shaikh and a Diwan of verses.

Hence, we can conclude that Sheikh Jamalluddin, a Persian scholar, who is also known as second Khusrau of Delhi and wrote 'Siyar-ul-Arifin', was patronised by Sikandar Lodi.

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.

Lee Commission was appointed in the year 1923 during the time of Lord Reading. It had an equal number of British and Indian Members. As per its report published in 1924, it recommended for setting up of a Public Service Commission. First Public service Commission was appointed in the year 1926. The chairman of the first Public Service Commission was Sir Ross Barker.

The main characteristic of a federal constitution is the distribution of powers between the union and the states. The Indian constitution provides for a new kind of federalism to meet India’s peculiar needs. In the matter of distribution of powers, the framers followed the pattern of the Government of India Act, 1935.

The republican state of Sakya was situated near the border of Nepal. Mahatma Buddha belonged to the family of the Sakyas. The republican state of the Sakyas had a federal constitution. Its capital was Kapilavastu.

Uddyotana Suri is the author of Jain literature Kuvalayamala.

Key Points

• In 779 AD, the scholarly monk Uddyotana Suri composed a long novel named Kuvalayamala.
• This Jain literature was written in kavya style and in a mixed form of prose and verse.
• It was named after name of its central character the Princess Kuvalayamala.
• Much like Bana, who recounts the story of the love affair between Prince Candraplda and the Apsaras Kadambari, Uddyotana presents to his readers the quest of Prince Kuvalayacandra for Princess Kuvalayamala.
• Uddyotana Suri skillfully integrates this story into the adventure of religious initiation undergone by the characters struggling against their own passions who attain deliverance in the end.

• The author was able to present a mirror of the complexity of the world with all its sufferings and all of its joys and to convey to his audience the fundamental value of Jainism.

Therefore, we can conclude that Uddyotana Suri is the author of Jain literature Kuvalayamala.

Additional Information

The correct answer is 1 and 2 only.

Key Points

Sufi movement -

• Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• It had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the eleventh century.
• Sufism stressed the elements of love and devotion as an effective means of the realization of God. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Love of God meant love of humanity and so the Sufis believed service to humanity was tantamount to service to God.
• In Sufism, self-discipline was considered an essential condition to gain knowledge of God by a sense of perception.
• While orthodox Muslims emphasize external conduct, the Sufis lay stress on inner purity.
• While the orthodox belief in the blind observance of rituals, the Sufis consider love and devotion as the only means of attaining salvation.
• These liberal and unorthodox features of Sufism had a profound influence on medieval Bhakti saints.
• In the later period, Akbar, the Mughal emperor, appreciated Sufi doctrines which shaped his religious outlook and religious policies.

Important Points

Famous Sufi saints -

• The first Sufi saint Shaikh Ismail of Lahore started preaching his ideas.
• The most famous of the Sufi saints of India was Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer which became the centre of his activities. He had a number of disciples who are called Sufis of the Chishti order.
• Another well-known Sufi saint was Bahauddin Zakariya who came under the influence of another famous mystic Shihabuddin Suhrawardi. His branch of Sufi saints was known as the Sufis of the Suhrawardi Order.
• Yet another famous Sufi saint was Nizamuddin Auliya who belonged to the Chishti order. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
• These Sufi saints are revered even today by not only Muslims but by a large number of Hindus.

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.

L. von Ranke has been credited to have said that the historian's task is "simply to show how it really was".

Important Points

• The relationship between the historian and his facts is sacred and inextricable.
• It involves reciprocity.
• The historian without his facts is rootless and futile and the facts without their historian are dead and meaningless.
• In ancient times the question was not given serious thought and the relation between a historian and his facts was taken for granted.
• In the 19" century, facts got primary over the historian and interpretation.
• The 19th-century historians as the whole agreed with L. von Ranke, who remarked that the task of the historian was 'simply to show how it really was', history had nothing to do with the opinion and interpretation of the historian.
• Three generations of German, British and French historians enthusiastically followed the words of Ranke.
• The positivists' claim for history as a science, supported this cult of Facts.

• 'First, ascertain the all-important facts, then draw your conclusions from them' argued the positivists.

Thus, we can conclude that L. von Ranke has been credited to have said that the historian's task is "simply to show how it really was".

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.

Every Veda consists of four parts which are:

1. Samhita,

2. Brahmana,

3. Aranyaka

4. Upanishad.

The word Veda has been derived from the word ‘vid’, which means to know/knowledge.

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 Prarthana Samaj:

• Founded in 1867.
• Founded by Dr. Atmaram Pandurang, Mahadev Govind Ranade & Ramakrishna Bhandarkar.
• It is one of the prominent social reform & social work movements in India.
• The leaders of the Prathana Samaj were influenced by the Brahmo Samaj.
• It is believed that true love for God lies in the service of people with any differentiation.
• The Prarthana Samaj adhered to the tradition of Bhakti that believed in spiritual equality of all castes.
• In Bombay, the Paramhans Mandali was founded in 1840 to work for the abolition of caste
• It had faith in a single, almighty God i.e: Monotheism.
• It didn't reject the Vedas but emphasized Bhakti towards God.
• Subodh Patrika was regulated to propagate the ideas & views of the Prarthana Samaj in society.

Additional Information

Features:

• They emphasized Widow remarriage & Women education. (Hence, statement 3rd is incorrect)
• They were against the caste system and the practice of untouchability.
• They showed discontent towards the caste system.
• They fought for the increase in the marriage age of both males & females.
• They opened night schools & reading rooms.​

The entry of women as Bhikshuni into the sangha was allowed by the Buddha at Vaishali on the request of his disciple Anand. The first woman who was admitted to sangha was Mahaprajapati Gautami.

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.

Various school of art developed in India and received patronage from art-loving kings, especially Kushanas. Gandhara style of Buddhist art developed from a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian and Indian artistic influences. Grey sandstone was used; the images were more expressive as body details were finely carved. They were further beautified with wavy hair. Mathura Art was indigenously developed and later cross-fertilized with Gandhara art. Mostly centred in and around Mathura, it used red sandstone with mud, stucco, etc. The Andhra sculpture is generally known as Amravati schools. All the railings of the Amravati stupa are made out of marble, while the dome itself is covered with slabs of the same material. Unfortunately, the entire stupa is in ruins.

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.

Goswami Tulsidasji was one of the greatest saints of medieval India. He, through the Ramcharitmanas, immortalized his devotion to Lord Ram. He gave such an epic to people, which is perhaps the most popular epic of all times. It has even laid down the ideals for them to guide them through their lives. He spent all his life in promoting and preaching Ram-bhakti. Gitawali, Kavitawali and Vinay Patrika are composed by Tulsidas.

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.

Among the given statements about Annales historians, the statements A, C & D are true.

Important Points

• The Annales School of historiography, widely considered as one of the most important developments in the twentieth-century history-writing, formally emerged with the foundation of the journal Annales d’histoire economique et sociale (Annales of Economic and Social History) in 1929 by Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre.
• In terms of thematic range and methodological innovations, this School remained foremost in France and influenced history-writing in many other countries for decades and had followers all over the world including India.
• Annales historians insist that they do not represent a school.

• History of economic structures, of long-term developments, of mentalities, micro-history and cultural history have all benefited by significant contribution from the historians of this School.

Thus, we can conclude that among the given statements about Annales historians, the statements A, C & D are true.

The doctrine of lapse was an annexation policy purportedly devised by Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor-General for the East India Company in India between 1848 and 1856. According to the doctrine, any princely state or territory under the direct influence (paramountcy) of the British East India Company, as a vassal state under the British subsidiary system, would automatically be annexed if the ruler was either "manifestly incompetent or died without a male heir". We note here that Dalhousie practically applied this doctrine on dependent states only.

Dalhousie applied the doctrine of lapse vigorously for annexing Indian princely states, but the policy was not solely of his invention. The Court of Directors of the East India Company had articulated this early in 1834. As per this policy, the Company annexed Mandvi in 1839, Kobala and Jalaun in 1840 and Surat in 1842. 

The correct answer is 1 only.

Key Points

• The ryots of the Deccan region of western India suffered heavy taxation under the Ryotwari system.
• Here again, the peasants found themselves trapped in a vicious network with the moneylender as the exploiter and the main beneficiary.
• These moneylenders were mostly outsiders- Marwaris and Gujaratis. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• In 1874, the growing tension between the moneylenders and the peasants resulted in a social boycott movement organized by the ryots
  against the "outsider" moneylenders.
• The ryots refused to buy from their shops. No peasant would cultivate their fields. The barbers, washermen, and shoemakers would not serve them.
• This social boycott spread rapidly to the villages of Poona, Ahmednagar, Solapur, and Satara. Soon the social boycott was transformed into agrarian riots with systematic attacks on the moneylenders' houses and shops.
• The debt bonds and deeds were seized and publicly burnt.
• The Government succeeded in repressing the movement.
• As a conciliatory measure, the Deccan Agriculturists Relief Act was passed in 1879.
• This time also, the modern nationalist intelligentsia of Maharashtra supported the peasants' cause. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

The correct answer is All of these.

Key Points

• The passage talks about the Aryan expansion in the 6th and 7th centuries BC.

• According to the Aitareya Brahmana, the Aryans spread from Punjab towards the East and South during this period.

• The cradle of Aryan civilization extended from Uttara Kurus and Uttara Madras beyond the Himalayas or Kashmir to that of the Prachyas of Magadha in the East.

• In the South, a stream of Aryan adventures crossed the Vindhyas and went as far as the Narmada valley.

• The Ganga-Yamuna plains became the pivot of the Aryan civilization.

The kingdoms of Agra, Kosala, Videha, and Magadha were the prominent Aryan kingdoms during this period. Therefore the correct answer is All of these.

It all began as military mutiny but the uprising quickly assumed the character of popular rebellion. Though other options are also true to an extent. To a degree masses were involved in the rebellion especially in the region of Delhi, Oudh, Bihar and Bengal. However masses of West and South India were untouched by revolt and had little to no participation in the revolt.

Further revolt was led by old political order which wanted to regain its feudal privileges lost to annexationist policies of East India Company. Lastly, though Mughal emperor the nominal leader of the revolt symbolised pan India unity but various leaders were largely fighting for their own rule.

A Sahukar was someone who acted as both a moneylender and a trader. They were invariably attacked during the rebellion. Rentier is a term used to designate people who live on rental income from property. Jotedars were the rich peasants and ryots and not zamindars. They sometimes delayed payments to the Zamindars in order to troble them. The jotedars were most powerful in North Bengal. In some places they were called haotadars, elsewhere they were also known as gantidars or mandals. Their rise inevitably weakened zamindari authority.

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.

Lord Curzon sent Younghusband mission (A military expedition) to Tibet to resist the Russsian infiltration to Tibet and solve the boundary dispute over the border between Tibet and Sikkim. Younghusband’s expedition to Tibet was started in December 1903 and lasted till September 1904.