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History & Culture — UPSC Prelims MCQs

1,920+ practice questions across 23 chapters, including 638+ previous year questions— each with option-by-option explanations.

Chapters in History & Culture

Sample History & Culture questions

A preview of the kind of MCQs you'll practise — with the correct answer and explanation.

Q1History & CultureMughal India

Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) fought the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat in:

  • A1739
  • B1757
  • C1761Correct
  • D1764

Explanation

Correct. The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on 14 January 1761 between the Marathas led by Sadashivrao Bhau and Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani). The devastating Maratha defeat halted their northward expansion and reshaped the political landscape of 18th-century India.

Why the other options are incorrect
Option A

1739 was the year of Nadir Shah's invasion of India, not the Third Battle of Panipat.

Option B

In 1757, Ahmad Shah Abdali sacked Delhi, but the decisive battle against the Marathas at Panipat occurred later.

Option D

1764 was the year of the Battle of Buxar, fought between the British East India Company and the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II.

Q2History & CultureUNESCO, Heritage and Cultural Institutions

Consider the following pairs: World Heritage Site — Year of inscription 1. Rani-ki-Vav — 2014 2. Great Living Chola Temples — 1987 3. Jantar Mantar, Jaipur — 2010 Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  • A1 only
  • B1 and 3 only
  • C2 and 3 only
  • D1, 2 and 3Correct

Explanation

Correct. Rani-ki-Vav at Patan was inscribed in 2014 (pair 1). The Great Living Chola Temples started with the Brihadisvara Temple inscribed in 1987, with the Gangaikondacholapuram and Airavatesvara temples added later (pair 2). Jantar Mantar in Jaipur was inscribed in 2010 (pair 3).

Why the other options are incorrect
Option A

Pairs 2 and 3 are also correctly matched.

Option B

Pair 2 is also correct. The Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur was inscribed in 1987, with extensions added later.

Option C

Pair 1 is also correct. Rani-ki-Vav at Patan was inscribed in 2014.

Q3History & CultureAdvent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 1999

The term 'imperial preference' was applied to the:

  • ASpecial privileges on British imports in IndiaCorrect
  • BRacial discrimination by the Britishers
  • CSubordination of Indian interest to that of the British
  • DPreference given to British political agents over Indian Princes

Explanation

Correct. Imperial preference referred to the system of preferential tariffs and duties that gave British manufactured goods favourable treatment in colonial markets, including India, at the expense of local industries.

Why the other options are incorrect
Option B

While racial discrimination existed under British rule, the specific term 'imperial preference' refers to trade and tariff policy, not racial attitudes.

Option C

The subordination of Indian interests was a broader consequence of colonial rule, but 'imperial preference' specifically denotes the preferential trade tariff system.

Option D

The term does not relate to the political hierarchy between British agents and Indian princes; it is an economic concept relating to trade tariffs.

Q4History & CultureIndus and Prehistory

Consider the following pairs: Harappan Site — Excavator 1. Mohenjo-daro — R.D. Banerji 2. Lothal — S.R. Rao 3. Dholavira — B.B. Lal 4. Kalibangan — A. Ghosh Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  • A1 and 2 only
  • B1, 2 and 4 onlyCorrect
  • C2 and 3 only
  • D1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

Correct. R.D. Banerji discovered Mohenjo-daro in 1922, S.R. Rao excavated Lothal from 1955, and A. Ghosh discovered Kalibangan. However, Dholavira was excavated by R.S. Bisht, not B.B. Lal. B.B. Lal is known for excavating Hastinapura and Kalibangan.

Why the other options are incorrect
Option A

This excludes pair 4, which is also correct. A. Ghosh first identified and B.B. Lal and B.K. Thapar later excavated Kalibangan, but A. Ghosh is credited with its discovery.

Option C

While pair 2 is correct, pair 3 is incorrect. Dholavira was excavated by R.S. Bisht from 1990, not by B.B. Lal.

Option D

Pair 3 is incorrect. Dholavira was excavated by R.S. Bisht of the Archaeological Survey of India, not by B.B. Lal.

Q5History & CultureVisual Arts, Architecture and PaintingPYQ 1995

Bronze icons of Nataraja cast during the Chola period invariably show the deity with:

  • AEight hands
  • BSix hands
  • CFour handsCorrect
  • DTwo hands

Explanation

Correct. The canonical Chola Nataraja bronze depicts Shiva with four hands: one holding a damaru (drum), one a flame, one in abhaya (protection) mudra, and one pointing to his raised foot symbolising liberation.

Why the other options are incorrect
Option A

Eight-armed forms of Shiva appear in certain iconographic traditions but are not the standard for Chola-period Nataraja bronzes.

Option B

Six-handed Nataraja forms are uncommon and not the canonical Chola representation.

Option D

Two-handed depictions of Nataraja are not the established iconographic form for Chola bronzes.

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