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History — Questions with Solutions

28 solved History questions from General Awareness, as asked in SSC CGL and other SSC exams. Read the answer and explanation below, then practise the full set in the practice section.

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Q1. Which of the following Harappan sites is known for a unique water harnessing system and storm-water drainage?

निम्नलिखित में से कौन सा हड़प्पा स्थल एक अद्वितीय जल संचयन प्रणाली और तूफान-जल निकासी के लिए जाना जाता है?

  1. A. Lothal
  2. B. Dholavira
  3. C. Kalibangan
  4. D. Banawali

Solution

Dholavira is renowned for its sophisticated water management system, including large reservoirs and storm-water drainage.

Q2. The Battle of Wandiwash (1760) was fought between:

वांडीवाश का युद्ध (1760) किसके बीच लड़ा गया था?

  1. A. British and French
  2. B. British and Marathas
  3. C. French and Dutch
  4. D. British and Tipu Sultan

Solution

The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War fought between the French and the British.

Q3. The Pitt's India Act of 1784 was significant because it:

1784 का पिट्स इंडिया एक्ट महत्वपूर्ण था क्योंकि इसने:

  1. A. Established the Supreme Court in Calcutta.
  2. B. Distinguished between the commercial and political functions of the Company.
  3. C. Ended the Company's monopoly over tea trade.
  4. D. Introduced the Portfolio system.

Solution

Pitt's India Act of 1784 clearly distinguished the commercial and political functions of the British East India Company.

Q4. Who is the author of the famous book "Hind Swaraj"?

प्रसिद्ध पुस्तक "हिंद स्वराज" के लेखक कौन हैं?

  1. A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
  2. B. Mahatma Gandhi
  3. C. Jawaharlal Nehru
  4. D. Sardar Patel

Solution

"Hind Swaraj" or Indian Home Rule is a book written by Mahatma Gandhi in 1909.

Q5. Who among the following devised the system of 'Subsidiary Alliance'?

निम्नलिखित में से किसने 'सहायक संधि' (Subsidiary Alliance) की प्रणाली तैयार की थी?

  1. A. Lord Wellesley
  2. B. Lord Canning
  3. C. Lord William Bentinck
  4. D. Lord Dalhousie

Solution

Lord Wellesley introduced the Subsidiary Alliance system in India in 1798.

Q6. Under which of the following Acts was the power to rule India, transferred from the English East India Company to the British Crown?

निम्नलिखित में से किस अधिनियम के तहत भारत पर शासन करने की शक्ति, इंग्लिश ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी से ब्रिटिश क्राउन को हस्तांतरित कर दी गई थी?

  1. A. Charter Act of 1833
  2. B. Regulating Act 1773
  3. C. Pitt's India Act 1784
  4. D. Government of India Act 1858

Solution

The Government of India Act 1858 ended company rule and transferred control of India directly to the British Crown.

Q7. Which of the following places is related to Gandhi's Satyagraha of the year 1917?

निम्नलिखित में से कौन सा स्थान वर्ष 1917 के गांधी जी के सत्याग्रह से संबंधित है?

  1. A. Kheda
  2. B. Ahmedabad
  3. C. Champaran
  4. D. Bardoli

Solution

Mahatma Gandhi's first Satyagraha in India was the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 for indigo farmers.

Q8. After the death of Humayun, the 13 year-old Akbar was coronated in 1556 at Kalanaur in ____

हुमायूँ की मृत्यु के बाद, 13 वर्षीय अकबर का राज्याभिषेक 1556 में कलानौर, ____ में हुआ था।

  1. A. Rajasthan
  2. B. Gujarat
  3. C. Bengal
  4. D. Punjab

Solution

Kalanaur, where Akbar was crowned in 1556 by Bairam Khan, is located in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Q9. Which Governor-General of British India helped Raja Ram Mohan Roy legally abolish the sati practice?

ब्रिटिश भारत के किस गवर्नर-जनरल ने राजा राम मोहन राय को सती प्रथा को कानूनी रूप से समाप्त करने में मदद की?

  1. A. Lord Ripon
  2. B. Lord Curzon
  3. C. Lord Cornwallis
  4. D. Lord William Bentinck

Solution

Lord William Bentinck, with the support of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, formally banned the practice of Sati in 1829.

Q10. Mahabalipuram emerged as an important centre of temple architecture under which of the following kingdoms of south India?

महाबलीपुरम दक्षिण भारत के निम्नलिखित में से किस साम्राज्य के तहत मंदिर वास्तुकला के एक महत्वपूर्ण केंद्र के रूप में उभरा?

  1. A. Pallava
  2. B. Chola
  3. C. Chera
  4. D. Chalukya

Solution

Mahabalipuram was a flourishing port and a major center of architecture under the Pallava dynasty (especially Narasimhavarman I).

Q11. The Regulating Act of 1773 mainly reformed the East India Company's administration in which two key domains?

1773 के रेगुलेटिंग एक्ट ने मुख्य रूप से ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी के प्रशासन में किन दो प्रमुख क्षेत्रों में सुधार किया?

  1. A. Judicial processes and revenue systems
  2. B. Military tactics and commercial policies
  3. C. Home-country governance and Indian territorial authority
  4. D. Ties with princely states and international diplomacy

Solution

The Regulating Act of 1773 primarily restructured the East India Company's governance back in Britain and its territorial administration over India (creating the Governor-General post).

Q12. Assertion (A): Humayun's Tomb marked the first significant Mughal garden tomb and served as a direct model for the Taj Mahal's architecture. Reason (R): It pioneered the charbagh garden design and double-domed structure typical of subsequent Mughal tombs.

कथन (A): हुमायूँ का मकबरा पहले महत्वपूर्ण मुगल उद्यान मकबरे को चिह्नित करता है और ताजमहल की वास्तुकला के लिए एक प्रत्यक्ष मॉडल के रूप में कार्य करता है। कारण (R): इसने चारबाग उद्यान डिजाइन और दोहरे गुंबद वाली संरचना का बीड़ा उठाया जो बाद के मुगल मकबरों की विशेषता है।

  1. A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A
  2. B. Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
  3. C. A is true, but R is false
  4. D. A is false, but R is true

Solution

Both statements are factually correct and the introduction of these specific features (charbagh, double dome) is the reason it served as a model.

Q13. Which ancient Indian ruler's governance was characterized by a strongly centralized administrative framework?

किस प्राचीन भारतीय शासक के शासन की विशेषता एक दृढ़ता से केंद्रीकृत प्रशासनिक ढांचा था?

  1. A. Harshavardhana
  2. B. Samudragupta
  3. C. Chandragupta Maurya
  4. D. Pulakeshin II

Solution

The Mauryan Empire, founded by Chandragupta Maurya, is renowned for its highly centralized administrative structure.

Q14. Mahendravarman I was the ruler of which of the following dynasties?

  1. A. Pandya
  2. B. Chola
  3. C. Chalukya
  4. D. Pallava

Solution

Mahendravarman I was a prominent ruler of the Pallava dynasty in South India.

Q15. What was Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier's most important contribution to chemistry in 1789?

1789 में रसायन विज्ञान में एंटोनी-लॉरेंट लावोईसियर का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण योगदान क्या था?

  1. A. Law of Conservation of Mass
  2. B. Law of Multiple Proportions
  3. C. Law of Definite Proportions
  4. D. Law of Conservation of Energy

Solution

Antoine Lavoisier's most important contribution to chemistry in 1789 was the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Q16. Who among the following is primarily connected to the World's Parliament of Religions convened in Chicago, 1893?

1893 में शिकागो में आयोजित विश्व धर्म संसद से मुख्य रूप से कौन जुड़ा है?

  1. A. Dayanand Saraswati
  2. B. Swami Vivekananda
  3. C. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
  4. D. Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Solution

Swami Vivekananda represented India and Hinduism at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, where his famous speech brought global recognition to Indian philosophies.

Q17. Who was the Viceroy of India when Mahatma Gandhi started Dandi March on 12 March 1930?

12 मार्च 1930 को जब महात्मा गांधी ने दांडी मार्च शुरू किया था, तब भारत का वायसराय कौन था?

  1. A. Lord Chelmsford
  2. B. Lord Minto II
  3. C. Lord Irwin
  4. D. Lord Willingdon

Solution

Lord Irwin was the Viceroy of India from 1926 to 1931, which covers the period of the Civil Disobedience Movement and the historic Dandi March in 1930.

Q18. The ______ were tributary chiefs of the Gupta dynasty. They established an independent kingdom in western India. Dhruvasena II was the most important ruler of this kingdom.

______ गुप्त वंश के सामंत प्रमुख थे। उन्होंने पश्चिमी भारत में एक स्वतंत्र राज्य की स्थापना की। ध्रुवसेन द्वितीय इस राज्य का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण शासक था।

  1. A. Maitrakas
  2. B. Maukharis
  3. C. Pushyabhutis
  4. D. Gurjara Pratiharas

Solution

The Maitraka dynasty ruled Gujarat in western India from c. 475 to c. 776 CE. They began as tributary chiefs under the Guptas before establishing independence.

Q19. In which of the following battles did Muhammad of Ghor defeat Jayachandra of Gahadavala dynasty in 1194 AD?

1194 ई. में निम्नलिखित में से किस युद्ध में मुहम्मद गौरी ने गहरवार वंश के जयचंद को हराया था?

  1. A. First battle of Tarain
  2. B. Battle of Chandawar
  3. C. Battle of Anhilwara
  4. D. Second battle of Tarain

Solution

The Battle of Chandawar (1194 AD) was fought between Muhammad of Ghor and Jayachandra of the Gahadavala dynasty, where Jayachandra was defeated and killed.

Q20. Who founded the Prarthana Samaj in Mumbai in 1867?

  1. A. Atmaram Pandurang
  2. B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
  3. C. Shri Ram Bajpai
  4. D. Ram Mohan Roy

Solution

Prarthana Samaj was founded by Dr. Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 in Bombay to promote religious and social reform.

Q21. Who among the following formed the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha in 1929?

  1. A. Kunwar Singh
  2. B. JM Sengupta
  3. C. Jayprakash Narayan
  4. D. Swami Sahajanand Saraswati

Solution

The Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha was formed by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in 1929 to mobilize peasants against zamindari attacks.

Q22. Details about Sudarshana lake is given in a rock inscription at Girnar (Junagarh), which was composed to record the achievements of the Shaka ruler ____

  1. A. Rudrasimha III
  2. B. Rudradaman I
  3. C. Chashtana
  4. D. Maues

Solution

The Junagadh rock inscription mentions the repair work of the Sudarshana lake undertaken by the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I.

Q23. Silappathikaram (the Jewelled Anklet), the earliest epic poem in Tamil was written in the 5th-6th Century CE by:

तमिल की सबसे पुरानी महाकाव्य कविता सिलप्पाधिकारम (द ज्वेल्ड एंकलेट) 5वीं-6वीं शताब्दी ईस्वी में किसके द्वारा लिखी गई थी?

  1. A. Tolkappiyar
  2. B. Ilango Adigal
  3. C. Sittalai Sattanar
  4. D. Tirumalisai Alwar

Solution

The great Tamil epic Silappathikaram was composed by Jain monk and poet Ilango Adigal.

Q24. Who was the revenue minister during the reign of Akbar?

अकबर के शासनकाल के दौरान राजस्व मंत्री कौन था?

  1. A. Todar Mal
  2. B. Abdul Rahim
  3. C. Mulla Do-Piyaza
  4. D. Tansen

Solution

Raja Todar Mal was the Finance/Revenue Minister (Mushrif-i-Diwan) of the Mughal empire during Akbar's reign.

Q25. Under the leadership of which of the following revolutionaries was Chittagong Armoury Raid conducted?

  1. A. Rash Behari Bose
  2. B. Badal Gupta
  3. C. Hemu Kalani
  4. D. Surya Sen

Solution

The Chittagong Armoury Raid was a daring attack on police armouries in Bengal in 1930, led by the prominent revolutionary Surya Sen.

Q26. Which of the following inscriptions of Rudradaman happened to be the first royal inscription of early India composed in chaste Sanskrit?

  1. A. Prayag
  2. B. Girnar
  3. C. Chirand
  4. D. Mehrauli

Solution

The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman (also known as the Girnar inscription) is widely recognized as the earliest major inscription written entirely in standard, chaste Sanskrit.

Q27. The first southern campaign of Alauddin Khilji in 1307-08 AD was led to which of the following regions?

  1. A. Devagiri
  2. B. Warangal
  3. C. Dwar Samudra
  4. D. Madura

Solution

Alauddin Khilji sent his general Malik Kafur to the south, and the first major successful southern campaign in 1307-08 was against the Yadava kingdom of Devagiri.

Q28. When was a Madrasa opened in Kolkata to promote the study of Arabic, Persian and Islamic law?

  1. A. 1772 C.E.
  2. B. 1783 C.E.
  3. C. 1781 C.E.
  4. D. 1774 C.E.

Solution

The Calcutta Madrasa (now Aliah University) was established by Warren Hastings in 1781 to promote the study of Islamic law and related subjects.