History & Culture — UPSC Prelims practice questions

Question 1

Match List I with List II and select the correct answer.
List I (Finding/Invention/Calculation) — List II (Ancient Indian Scholar)
A. Time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun — 1. Aryabhatta
B. Calculation of the value of pi — 2. Bhaskaracharya
C. Invention of the digit zero — 3. Budhyana
D. The game of snakes and ladders — 4. Gyandev (A) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3 (B) A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4 (C) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4 (D) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3

Accepted Answer

(B) A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4 — Correct. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time for the Earth to orbit the Sun (A-2), Baudhayana (Budhyana) worked on the value of pi (B-3), Aryabhatta is associated with the concept of zero (C-1), and Sant Gyaneshwar (Gyandev) is credited with the game of snakes and ladders (D-4).

Question 2

Among the following, who are the Agaria community? (A) Traditional toddy tappers of Andhra Pradesh (B) Traditional fishing community of Maharashtra (C) Traditional silk-weaving community of Karnataka (D) Traditional salt pan workers of Gujarat

Accepted Answer

(D) Traditional salt pan workers of Gujarat — Correct. The Agaria community is traditionally associated with salt pan work in Gujarat. They have been historically linked to the salt-producing regions of the Rann of Kutch.

Question 3

Consider the following pairs:
Leader — Presidential Session of INC
1. W.C. Bonnerjee — First Session (1885, Bombay)
2. Dadabhai Naoroji — Calcutta Session (1906)
3. Annie Besant — Calcutta Session (1917)
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 2 and 3 — Correct. W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the first session in Bombay (1885), Dadabhai Naoroji presided over the historic Calcutta session (1906) where Swaraj was declared the Congress goal, and Annie Besant presided over the Calcutta session of 1917, becoming the first woman Congress President.

Question 4

Consider the following statements about the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919):
1. They introduced the system of diarchy at the provincial level.
2. They introduced direct elections for the first time in India.
3. They created a bicameral legislature at the centre.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 only (B) 1 and 3 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(B) 1 and 3 only — Correct. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms introduced diarchy at the provincial level (dividing subjects into reserved and transferred) and created a bicameral legislature at the centre. Direct elections had already been introduced by the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909.

Question 5

'Sedition has become my religion' was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of (A) the Champaran Satyagraha (B) publicly violating Salt Law at Dandi (C) attending the Second Round Table Conference in London (D) the launch of the Quit India Movement

Accepted Answer

(B) publicly violating Salt Law at Dandi — Correct. The statement is associated with Gandhi's open defiance of British authority during the Salt Satyagraha, especially after breaking the Salt Law at Dandi in 1930.

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