History questions from UPSC 2026

Question 1 · Modern Indian History

Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 ? 1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi. 2. The Congress Left...

Question 2 · Modern Indian History

The artificially fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission (1926) was adopted by the British Government for which one of the following reasons ?

Question 3 · Ancient Indian History

Consider the following statements : I. Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins, e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, and kakanika. II. The literary evidence from Pali texts is co...

Question 4 · Ancient Indian History

Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns : I. There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels. II. Weight...

Question 5 · Art & Culture

The Hallisalasya painting in the Bagh Caves represents :

Question 6 · Modern Indian History

Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856 : 1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain t...

Question 7 · Modern Indian History

Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct ?

Question 8 · Ancient Indian History

Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched ? 1. Vitasta : Chenab 2. Asikni : Jhelum 3. Parushni : Ravi 4. Yavyavati : Beas Select the answer...

Question 9 · Art & Culture

Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, the famous classical singer from Karnataka, represented the :

Question 10 · Art & Culture

Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara ? 1. Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami 2. Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole 3. Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh 4. Virupaksha Temple, Pattada...

Question 11 · Ancient Indian History

In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni ('mistress of the field') originate ?

Question 12 · Modern Indian History

Consider the following assertion : The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919. Which of the following statements su...

Question 13 · Art & Culture

Which of the following statements on the Amaravati Stupa and its relief sculpture is/are correct ? 1. It was located in the lower Krishna valley. 2. In India, it was next only to the Sanchi...

Question 14 · Ancient Indian History

Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched ? 1. Senguttuvan : Chera 2. Udiyanjeral : Chola 3. Nedunjeliyan : Pandya S...

Question 15 · Ancient Indian History

Consider the following assertion : In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted...

Question 16 · Ancient Indian History

Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India : 1. The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates fr...

Question 17 · Ancient Indian History

Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period : I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punja...

Question 18 · Art & Culture

Which one of the following statements with regard to the Moidams, built by the Tai-Ahom kingdom and inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is/are correct ? 1. They acted as army fortr...

Question 19 · Ancient Indian History

Among the four main forms of existence of life recognized in Jainism, which one of the following is not included ?

Question 20 · Art & Culture

What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography ?

Question 21 · Art & Culture

Which one of the following Carnatic music ragas is similar to Raga Bilawal in Hindustani music ?