MCS 2019, MCS 2023, & MPS 2013 PYQs
Ancient History
1. Sallekhana, also known as Santhara, is a religious practice associated with:
(A) Buddhism
(B) Jainism
(C) Zoroastrianism
(D) Sikhism
2. Which among the following places is famous for its painting “Bodhisattva Padmapani”?
(A) Ajanta
(B) Ellora
(C) Bagh
(D) Bhimbetka
3. UNESCO World Heritage Site monuments in Mahabalipuram were built by which dynasty?
(A) Pallavas
(B) Cholas
(C) Pandyas
(D) Chalukyas
4. Amaravati School of Art relates to which religion?
(A) Buddhism
(B) Jainism
(C) Hinduism
(D) Both Buddhism and Jainism
5. There are only eight forms of classical dances recognised at the national level. Which one of the following is not a classical dance form?
(A) Kuchipudi
(B) Odissi
(C) Garba
(D) Sattriya
6. Buddha’s preaching was concerned most with:
(A) Devotion
(B) Ritualism
(C) Purity of thought and conduct
(D) Belief in the same God
7. The Mauryan Empire ended in 187 BCE during the reign of which king?
(A) Brihadratha
(B) Bindusara
(C) Dasharatha
(D) Devavarman
8. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien visited India during the reign of which king?
(A) Samudragupta
(B) Srigupta
(C) Chandragupta I
(D) Chandragupta II
9. Consider the following statements regarding the Palaeolithic Age:
i) People were food gatherers, ate wild fruits and vegetables, and lived by hunting.
ii) Fire was discovered by rubbing two stones.
iii) Domestication of animals such as the wild ancestor of the dog started.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(A) (i) only
(B) (i) and (ii) only
(C) (i), (ii) and (iii)
(D) None of the above
10. Which of the following Vedas in Indian literature is considered the root of Indian classical music and dance?
(A) Rig Veda
(B) Yajurveda
(C) Samaveda
(D) Atharvaveda
Medieval History
11. Consider the following statements regarding the Battles of Panipat:
i) Mughal rule began with the First Battle of Panipat.
ii) Marathas were defeated in the Third Battle of Panipat.
iii) French power ended with the Third Battle of Panipat.
Select the correct statements:
(A) (i) only
(B) (ii) only
(C) (i) and (iii)
(D) (i) and (ii)
12. Who founded “Din-i-Ilahi”?
(A) Guru Nanak Dev
(B) Akbar
(C) Kabir
(D) Shahjahan
13. Which Mughal Emperor prohibited the use of tobacco?
(A) Jahangir
(B) Aurangzeb
(C) Muhammad Shah
(D) Babur
14. Mongols under Chengiz Khan invaded India during the reign of:
(A) Balban
(B) Feroz Shah Tughlaq
(C) Iltutmish
(D) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
15. “Travels in the Mughal Empire” was written by:
(A) Ibn Battuta
(B) Francois Bernier
(C) Al-Biruni
(D) Thomas Roe
Modern History
16. Which of the following were demands/objectives of the Non-Cooperation Movement?
i) Solving the Khilafat problem
ii) Resentment against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre
iii) Attainment of Dominion Status
Select the correct statements:
(A) (i) only
(B) (i) and (ii)
(C) (i) and (iii)
(D) (i), (ii) and (iii)
17. Consider the following statements:
i) It introduced diarchy (dual system of governance) in India.
ii) It relaxed central control over the provinces by demarcating central and provincial subjects.
iii) It introduced bicameralism and direct elections in the country.
Identify the Act/Reforms:
(A) Government of India Act, 1935
(B) Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
(C) Morley-Minto Reforms
(D) Indian Councils Act, 1892
18. Which of the following incidents influenced India’s struggle for independence?
i) Unification of Germany and Italy
ii) Home Rule Movement in Ireland
iii) Russian Revolution
Select the correct code:
(A) (i)
(B) (i), (ii) and (iii)
(C) (ii) and (iii)
(D) (i) and (iii)
19. Who wrote “Gift to Monotheists”, translated the Vedas and Upanishads into Bengali, and set up Atmiya Sabha in Kolkata in 1815?
(A) Rabindranath Tagore
(B) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(C) Keshab Chandra Sen
(D) Govind Ranade
20. Who abolished Sati?
(A) Lord William Bentinck
(B) Lord Amherst
(C) Lord William Hastings
(D) Lord Wellesley
21. Young India was a journal published by:
(A) Bhagat Singh
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Subhas Chandra Bose
(D) Jawaharlal Nehru
22. Which of the following sessions of the Indian National Congress were presided over by Mahatma Gandhi?
i) 1934 Bombay Session
ii) 1928 Calcutta Session
iii) 1924 Belgaum Session
iv) 1936 Lucknow Session
Select the correct code:
(A) (i) and (ii)
(B) (ii) only
(C) (iii) only
(D) (i), (ii) and (iv)
23. Identify the correct sequence of the following events:
i) Bank Nationalization
ii) First General Election
iii) Liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule
iv) Introduction of the First Five-Year Plan
(A) ii-iii-iv-i
(B) ii-iv-iii-i
(C) iv-ii-iii-i
(D) iv-i-iii-ii
24. Identify the correct chronological sequence of State Reorganisation:
(A) Nagaland – Meghalaya – Mizoram – Sikkim
(B) Nagaland – Meghalaya – Sikkim – Mizoram
(C) Meghalaya – Mizoram – Nagaland – Sikkim
(D) Nagaland – Mizoram – Sikkim – Meghalaya
25. What was “Komagata Maru”?
(A) A political party based in Taiwan
(B) A peasant communist leader of China
(C) A naval ship on a voyage to Canada
(D) None of the above
26. Consider the following statements about Rabindranath Tagore:
i) He composed a number of patriotic songs during the Swadeshi Movement.
ii) He returned his knighthood to condemn the brutal killing at Jallianwala Bagh.
iii) He refused to accept the Nobel Prize conferred by the British.
(A) (i) only
(B) (iii) only
(C) (i) and (ii) only
(D) (i), (ii) and (iii)
27. Who among the following Indian rulers was the first to change war technology from matchlocks to flintlocks?
(A) Siraj-ud-daula
(B) Hyder Ali
(C) Ranjit Singh
(D) Tipu Sultan
28. Which one of the following did not happen in the year 1946?
(A) Announcement of the Cabinet Mission to India
(B) ‘Direct Action’ call given by the Muslim League
(C) Formation of the Interim Government
(D) Lord Mountbatten’s appointment as Viceroy of India
29. Neel Darpan is a play based on the Indigo Rebellion of Bengal of 1860–61. Who authored it?
(A) Dinabandhu Mitra
(B) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
(C) Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh jointly
(D) Michael Madhusudan Dutt
30. Identify the correct sequence of the following events:
i) Foundation of the Indian Muslim League
ii) Surat Split
iii) Partition of Bengal
iv) Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi
v) Minto-Morley Reforms
(A) (i) – (ii) – (iii) – (iv) – (v)
(B) (ii) – (iii) – (iv) – (i) – (v)
(C) (iii) – (i) – (ii) – (v) – (iv)
(D) (iv) – (iii) – (ii) – (i) – (v)
31. Who among the following Governor-Generals formed the Triple Alliance against Tipu Sultan?
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Wellesley
(D) Lord William Bentinck
32. Operation Polo was associated with the annexation of which princely state into the Indian Union?
(A) Junagadh
(B) Travancore
(C) Kashmir
(D) Hyderabad
33. Which one of the following is not a keyword of Gandhian government?
(A) Self-sufficiency
(B) Decentralized production
(C) Equitable distribution
(D) Centralized production
34. Which of the following statements about Jyotirao Phule’s Satyashodhak Samaj Movement in Maharashtra is/are true?
i) The Satyashodhak Samaj was set up in 1873.
ii) Phule argued that Brahmins were the progeny of ‘alien’ Aryans.
iii) Phule’s focus on the Kunbi peasantry led to a privileging of Maratha identity.
(A) (i) and (ii) only
(B) (ii) only
(C) (i) and (iii) only
(D) (i), (ii) and (iii)
35. With reference to Indian history, consider the following pairs:
i) Raja Ram Mohan Roy — Arya Samaj
ii) Swami Dayanand Saraswati — Deoband Movement
iii) Annie Besant — The Theosophical Movement
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
(A) None of the pairs
(B) Only one pair
(C) Only two pairs
(D) All three pairs
36. Consider the following statements:
i) The Battle of Plassey was fought between Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, and the East India Company forces headed by Robert Clive.
ii) The Battle of Plassey took place on 23 June 1750.
iii) Mir Jafar, the Commander-in-Chief of the Nawab’s army, betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah during the battle.
iv) The Battle of Plassey marked the beginning of British rule in India.
Which of the following statements are correct?
(A) (i) and (ii) only
(B) (i), (ii) and (iii) only
(C) (i), (iii) and (iv) only
(D) All of the above
37. Match the following Viceroys of India with events:
A. Lord Willingdon — iii. Poona Pact (1932)
B. Lord Chelmsford — iv. Rowlatt Act (1919)
C. Lord Minto II — ii. Swadeshi Movement (1905–1910)
D. Lord Ripon — i. Vernacular Press Act
Choose the correct code pairing (A-B-C-D):
(A) iii-iv-ii-i
(B) i-iv-iii-ii
38. “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it.” These words were uttered by:
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Lala Lajpat Rai
(C) Bipin Chandra Pal
(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
39. Consider the following statements regarding the Lucknow Pact of 1916:
i) It was an agreement between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah at a joint session of both parties held in Lucknow.
ii) It stated that a legislature would not work if more than three-fourths of the members of any religion were against such a resolution.
iii) It was seen as a beacon of hope for Hindu-Muslim unity.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
(A) (i) only
(B) (i) and (ii) only
(C) (ii) and (iii) only
(D) All the above
40. Consider the following statements regarding the Dandi March:
i) It was a Non-Cooperation Movement initiated by Mahatma Gandhi.
ii) Consequent upon breaking the Salt Law, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the British.
Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?
(A) (i) only
(B) (ii) only
(C) (i) and (ii)
(D) None of the above
41. Consider the following statements about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose:
i) He was never a member of the Indian National Congress.
ii) He was the one to select ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as the preferred national anthem.
iii) He was called “The Prince among Patriots”.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) (i) only
(B) (i) and (ii) only
(C) (ii) and (iii) only
(D) (i), (ii) and (iii)
42. Treaty of Versailles is associated with:
(A) The Korean War (1950–1953)
(B) World War II (1939–1945)
(C) The Mexican-American War (1846–1848)
(D) World War I (1914–1918)