Indian History Mock Test 1

📖 Explanation: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, along with Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha. It aimed to provide a platform for Indians to voice their political demands.

📖 Explanation: The Indus Valley script remains undeciphered till date, and its meaning is still debated among scholars. The civilization had a well-planned urban layout, including a sophisticated drainage system and baked-brick houses.

📖 Explanation: Surendranath Banerjee was the first Indian to qualify for the ICS exam in 1869, but he was later dismissed. He played a significant role in India’s nationalist movement and founded the Indian Association in 1876.

📖 Explanation: Din-i-Ilahi (Religion of God) was a syncretic religious movement introduced by Emperor Akbar in 1582. It aimed at blending the best elements of various religions but failed to gain mass acceptance.

📖 Explanation: The Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company led by Robert Clive. The betrayal by Mir Jafar led to British victory, paving the way for British political control in India.

📖 Explanation: The Simon Commission (1927) was sent by the British government to suggest constitutional reforms, but it did not include any Indian members. This led to protests under the slogan “Simon Go Back” and violent clashes, including Lala Lajpat Rai’s fatal injuries.

📖 Explanation: The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922) was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in response to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919) and the repressive Rowlatt Act. It urged Indians to boycott British goods, institutions, and services.

📖 Explanation: The Nasik inscription, issued by Gautami Balashri, the mother of Gautamiputra Satakarni, praises his military victories over the Sakas, Yavanas, and Pahlavas. He was a prominent ruler of the Satavahana dynasty.

📖 Explanation: The practice of Sati, where a widow was forced to self-immolate on her husband’s pyre, was abolished by Lord William Bentinck in 1829, following efforts by Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

📖 Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the Kesari (Marathi) and Mahratta (English) newspapers to promote nationalist ideas. Kesari played a crucial role in mobilizing public opinion against British rule.

📖 Explanation: The Chola dynasty, particularly Rajendra Chola I, is credited with organizing a powerful navy. The Cholas used their naval power to expand their influence across Southeast Asia, including present-day Malaysia and Indonesia.

📖 Explanation: The First Battle of Panipat (1526) marked the beginning of the Mughal rule in India. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi with the help of superior military tactics, including the use of artillery.

📖 Explanation: The Gandhara school of art, which flourished during the Kushana period, was heavily influenced by Greek and Roman artistic styles. This style is best known for its depictions of the Buddha in Greco-Roman attire.

📖 Explanation: Razia Sultana (1236-1240) was the first and only woman ruler of Delhi. She was the daughter of Iltutmish and defied gender norms to rule the Delhi Sultanate. However, she faced opposition from the nobles and was eventually overthrown.

📖 Explanation: Samudragupta, the great Gupta ruler, is called the ‘Napoleon of India’ due to his military conquests, as recorded in the Prayag Prashasti (Allahabad Pillar Inscription).

📖 Explanation: Lord Dalhousie introduced the Doctrine of Lapse, which stated that if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, his kingdom would be annexed by the British. This policy led to the annexation of Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur, and Awadh.

📖 Explanation: Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 to reform Hindu society by opposing social evils like Sati, caste discrimination, and polygamy while promoting rational and monotheistic beliefs.

📖 Explanation: The Battle of Buxar (1764) was fought between the British East India Company and a combined force of Mir Qasim (Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daula (Oudh), and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. The British victory cemented their control over Bengal.

📖 Explanation: Nana Saheb led the Revolt of 1857 in Kanpur. He was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II and opposed the British refusal to grant him a pension after his father’s death.

📖 Explanation: Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was Gandhi’s first mass movement in India. It was against the forced cultivation of indigo by British landlords, which left Indian farmers in extreme poverty.

📖 Explanation: The Chola Dynasty is considered one of the oldest ruling dynasties in Indian history, with origins dating back to the 3rd century BCE. It continued to rule parts of South India until the 13th century CE.

📖 Explanation: Arthashastra was written by Chanakya (Kautilya or Vishnugupta), the chief advisor of Chandragupta Maurya. It is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy.

📖 Explanation: The Iron Pillar of Delhi, known for its rust-resistant composition, was erected during the reign of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE.

📖 Explanation: The Mansabdari system was introduced by Akbar to organize the Mughal administrative and military structure. Officers were ranked as per their Mansabs (ranks), determining their position and salary.

📖 Explanation: The Treaty of Alinagar was signed between the British and Siraj-ud-Daulah in 1757, before the Battle of Plassey. It temporarily restored British privileges in Bengal.

📖 Explanation: The Pallava Dynasty, which ruled between the 3rd and 9th centuries CE, had Kanchipuram as its capital. It was a major center of art, culture, and religion in South India.

📖 Explanation: Begum Hazrat Mahal, the wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, led the Revolt of 1857 in Lucknow against British rule after her husband was exiled.

📖 Explanation: Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875, advocating for a return to Vedic principles, rejection of idol worship, and social reforms like women’s education.

📖 Explanation: The Poona Pact (1932) was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, agreeing on reserved seats for Dalits (Depressed Classes) in legislatures while avoiding separate electorates.

📖 Explanation: Lord Louis Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor-General of independent India. He oversaw India’s Partition and Independence in 1947.

📖 Explanation: The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) was fought between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali’s Afghan forces. It resulted in a decisive Maratha defeat, weakening their influence in northern India.

📖 Explanation: The Nanda Dynasty ruled before the Maurya Empire and was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of Chanakya (Kautilya).

📖 Explanation: Ashoka fought the Kalinga War (261 BCE), which resulted in massive bloodshed. Deeply moved, he embraced Buddhism and non-violence, spreading its teachings across Asia.

📖 Explanation: Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, wrote his autobiography Baburnama in Turkish, detailing his life, military campaigns, and experiences.

📖 Explanation: Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, founded the city of Amritsar in 1577, which later became the spiritual and cultural center of Sikhism.

📖 Explanation: Mahatma Gandhi led the Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) on March 12, 1930, covering 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, to protest against the British salt tax.

📖 Explanation: Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal (1793), which fixed land revenue permanently and created the Zamindari system, leading to landlordism in India.

📖 Explanation: Subhas Chandra Bose reorganized and led the Indian National Army (INA) during World War II, with the aim of liberating India from British rule.

📖 Explanation: Lord Ripon passed the Factory Act of 1881, which was the first labor law in India, regulating working conditions in factories, particularly for women and children.

📖 Explanation: The Treaty of Versailles (1919) ended World War I, imposing harsh penalties on Germany, leading to its economic crisis and indirectly contributing to World War II.

📖 Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian elected to the British House of Commons in 1892 as a member of the Liberal Party. He was a strong advocate for Indian self-rule and formulated the Drain Theory.

📖 Explanation: C. Rajagopalachari became the first Indian Governor-General of Independent India in 1948, after Lord Mountbatten. He was also one of the prominent leaders in the freedom struggle.

📖 Explanation: Dharampala, the ruler of the Pala Dynasty, established Vikramshila University in the 8th century CE in modern-day Bihar to promote Buddhist learning.

📖 Explanation: Lord Wellesley introduced the Subsidiary Alliance system, under which Indian rulers were forced to accept British military protection and maintain British troops at their own expense.

📖 Explanation: Ram Prasad Bismil, along with Ashfaqulla Khan and others, planned the Kakori Conspiracy (1925), in which revolutionaries looted a train carrying British treasury money to fund India’s independence movement.

📖 Explanation: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919) occurred under Lord Chelmsford’s tenure. General Dyer ordered open fire on peaceful protesters in Amritsar, killing hundreds.

📖 Explanation: Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) in 1942 to fight the British with Japanese support during World War II.

📖 Explanation: Fort St. George, built in 1644 in Madras (Chennai), was the first fort constructed by the British in India, serving as a trading post and later a military stronghold.

📖 Explanation: Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, tribal leaders, led the Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) against the oppressive revenue policies of the British and zamindars in the Jharkhand-Bihar region.

📖 Explanation: The Simon Commission was sent to India in 1927 to review the Government of India Act, 1919, but was boycotted because it had no Indian members, leading to widespread protests.

📖 Explanation: Chandragupta Maurya, with the guidance of Chanakya (Kautilya), founded the Maurya Empire in 321 BCE after defeating the Nanda Dynasty.

📖 Explanation: Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was Gandhi’s first major movement in India, organized to protest against the forced cultivation of indigo by British landlords in Bihar.

📖 Explanation: Annie Besant became the first woman president of the Indian National Congress in 1917. She was an Irish activist who played a significant role in India’s Home Rule Movement.

📖 Explanation: The Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed the British government to arrest and imprison Indians without trial, leading to widespread protests, including the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

📖 Explanation: Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India on January 26, 1950. He played a key role in the framing of the Indian Constitution.

📖 Explanation: The Revolt of 1857 began in Meerut on May 10, 1857, when Indian soldiers rebelled against the British due to the introduction of Enfield rifles with greased cartridges.

📖 Explanation: Rani Lakshmibai, the Queen of Jhansi, fought bravely against the British during the Revolt of 1857 and became a symbol of Indian resistance.

📖 Explanation: Lord William Bentinck introduced English education in India in 1835 based on the recommendations of Macaulay’s Minute.

📖 Explanation: The Treaty of Lahore (1846) was signed after the First Anglo-Sikh War, making Maharaja Dalip Singh a British puppet ruler under a British Resident.

📖 Explanation: The Simon Commission (1927) was boycotted by Indians because it did not include any Indian members, leading to the famous “Simon Go Back” protests.

📖 Explanation: Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal Emperor of India. After the Revolt of 1857, he was captured by the British and exiled to Rangoon (Burma).

📖 Explanation: Lord Curzon ordered the Partition of Bengal in 1905, citing administrative reasons. However, it was seen as an attempt to divide Hindus and Muslims, leading to widespread protests.

📖 Explanation: Razia Sultana (1236-1240) was the first and only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. She defied gender norms but faced opposition from the nobles and was eventually killed.

📖 Explanation: Lord Dalhousie introduced the Doctrine of Lapse, under which any princely state without a direct male heir would be annexed by the British.

📖 Explanation: The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, demanding an immediate end to British rule in India.

📖 Explanation: The Poona Pact (1932) was an agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar that provided reserved seats for Dalits but rejected separate electorates.

📖 Explanation: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is known as the Father of the Indian Constitution as he played a key role as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.

📖 Explanation: Lord Mountbatten was the last British Viceroy and the first Governor-General of Independent India (1947-1948). He was later succeeded by C. Rajagopalachari.

📖 Explanation: Subhas Chandra Bose reorganized the Indian National Army (INA) in 1942 to fight against British rule with the slogan “Give me blood, and I will give you freedom!”

📖 Explanation: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, when General Dyer ordered open fire on peaceful protesters in Amritsar, killing hundreds.

📖 Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai was called ‘Punjab Kesari’ (Lion of Punjab) for his fearless fight against British rule. He played a key role in the Swadeshi Movement and Non-Cooperation Movement.

📖 Explanation: Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his poetry collection Gitanjali, making him the first Indian Nobel laureate.

📖 Explanation: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) in Gujarat against unjust British tax hikes, earning him the title ‘Sardar’ (Leader).

📖 Explanation: Manusmriti is considered the earliest known legal text in India, outlining laws, duties, and social norms for various castes and classes.

📖 Explanation: Chandragupta Maurya sent Meghasthenes, a Greek ambassador, to the Mauryan court. Later, Indian rulers like Harsha and Kanishka established relations with China.

📖 Explanation: Thomas Munro introduced the Ryotwari system in 1820 in South India, where farmers (ryots) directly paid land revenue to the British government.

📖 Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru wrote The Discovery of India during his imprisonment in Ahmednagar Fort (1942-1946), detailing India’s history, culture, and philosophy.

📖 Explanation: The First Battle of Tarain (1191) was fought between Prithviraj Chauhan and Muhammad Ghori. Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Ghori but was later defeated in 1192 in the Second Battle of Tarain.

📖 Explanation: Lala Hardayal founded the Ghadar Party in 1913 in San Francisco, USA, to mobilize overseas Indians against British rule in India.

📖 Explanation: Narasimha Deva I, a ruler of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, built the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha (13th century CE), dedicated to Surya (Sun God).

📖 Explanation: Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India 17 times between 1000-1027 CE. His most famous invasion was the destruction of the Somnath Temple in 1025 CE.

📖 Explanation: Qutb-ud-din Aibak was the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty (Mamluk Dynasty) and established the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 CE after the death of Muhammad Ghori.

📖 Explanation: Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of British India (1773-1785) under the Regulating Act of 1773. He introduced several administrative reforms.

📖 Explanation: Vallabhbhai Patel was given the title ‘Sardar’ after leading the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) against the unjust land revenue hikes by the British.

📖 Explanation: The Lion Capital at Sarnath, which is now India’s national emblem, was built by Emperor Ashoka to mark his conversion to Buddhism after the Kalinga War.

📖 Explanation: Harihara and Bukka, two brothers from the Sangama dynasty, founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336 CE to resist Muslim invasions in South India.

📖 Explanation: Lord Curzon carried out the Partition of Bengal (1905) under the pretext of better administration, but it was seen as an attempt to divide Hindus and Muslims.

📖 Explanation: Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler to unify most of the Indian subcontinent under the Maurya Empire with the help of Chanakya.

📖 Explanation: The August Offer (1940) was an attempt by the British to gain Indian support during World War II, promising dominion status after the war.

📖 Explanation: Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1925 to promote Hindu nationalism and cultural unity.

📖 Explanation: C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, and Dr. C.V. Raman were the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954, India’s highest civilian honor.

📖 Explanation: Indira Gandhi became the first Indian woman to receive the Bharat Ratna in 1971 for her contributions as India’s Prime Minister.

📖 Explanation: The Nizam of Hyderabad (1798) was the first Indian ruler to accept Lord Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance, making Hyderabad a British-controlled princely state.

📖 Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai wrote Unhappy India as a critique of British rule, particularly opposing the Simon Commission and racial discrimination.

📖 Explanation: The Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) started from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on March 12, 1930, led by Mahatma Gandhi to protest against the British salt tax.

📖 Explanation: Akbar established Fatehpur Sikri as his capital in 1571, but it was later abandoned due to water scarcity.

📖 Explanation: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan founded the Aligarh Movement in the late 19th century to promote modern education among Muslims and established the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

📖 Explanation: Nana Saheb led the Revolt of 1857 in Kanpur. He was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II and opposed British rule after his pension was denied.

📖 Explanation: Sir William Jones founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784 to promote the study of Indian history, literature, and culture.

📖 Explanation: Lord Lytton introduced the Vernacular Press Act in 1878 to restrict Indian-language newspapers from criticizing British rule, suppressing freedom of the press.