UPSC CSE PRELIMS (GS)
2026 - SET A
ANALYSIS
HISTORY
Total Questions: 10
Q1. Which one of the following Carnatic music ragas is similar to Raga Bilawal in Hindustani music?
- Nat Bhairavi
- Kamavardhini
- Hanumatodi
- Dheera Shankarabharanam
Q2. The artificially fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission (1926) was adopted by the British Government for which one of the following reasons?
- Aiding the flow of remittances from India and maintaining India’s creditworthiness
- Providing support to Indian importers
- Encouraging export of cotton produce from India
- Preventing depreciation of the Rupee in terms of gold
Q3. Consider the following statements:
- Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins, e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, and kakanika.
- The literary evidence from Pali texts is corroborated by archaeological evidence of punch-marked coins from many sites, most of them made of silver.
The above statements have been associated with which of the following?
- Emergence of urban life
- Transition to money economy
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Q4. Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara?
- Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami
- Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole
- Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh
- Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2
- 2 and 3
- 3 only
- 3 and 4
Q5. Among the four main forms of existence of life recognized in Jainism, which one of the following is not included?
- Deva (gods)
- Yaksha (demi-gods)
- Manushya (humans)
- Tiryancha (animals and plants)
Q6. The Hallisalasya painting in the Bagh Caves represents:
- A joyous folk dance
- Buddha in a meditative pose
- The depiction of Shiva and Parvati on Kailasha
- Samudramanthan (Churning of the Ocean)
Q7. Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India:
- The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595–596).
- In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India.
- The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Q8. Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns:
- There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels.
- Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered.
- There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements?
- Statement 1 suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home.
- Statement 2 suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed.
- Statement 3 suggests the emergence of a common property system.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Q9. Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct?
- The Eka Movement was throughout supported and organized by the Congress while Bardoli Satyagraha was initially independent of Congress influence and was only in the last stages supported by the Congress.
- The Eka Movement was provided leadership by the taluqdars of Awadh, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was a movement of the landless labourers.
- The Bardoli Satyagraha was a campaign against the enhancement of land revenue, while the Eka Movement was protest against excessive extraction of rents.
- The Eka Movement was located in the Varanasi and Mirzapur districts of the present-day U.P., while the Bardoli Satyagraha took place in Saurashtra.
Q10. Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period:
- Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface.
- Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells.
Which of the following information support/supports the above statements?
- There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water.
- Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/kulisha (axe) and datra/sreni (sickle).
- There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- 1 and 3 only
- 3 only
Q11. Consider the following assertion:
In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.
Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion?
- The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
- The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
- The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- 1 and 2
- 3 only
Q12. What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography?
- The meditation of the Buddha
- The Buddha’s First Sermon
- The Buddha’s Mahaparinibbana
- The Buddha’s Mahabhinishkramana
Q13. Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched?
- Vitasta — Chenab
- Asikni — Jhelum
- Parushni — Ravi
- Yavyavati — Beas
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2
- 3 and 4
- 3 only
- 4 only
Q14. Which of the following statements on the Amaravati Stupa and its relief sculpture is/are correct?
- It was located in the lower Krishna valley.
- In India, it was next only to the Sanchi Stupa in size.
- The Amaravati school of sculpture made a lasting impact on the later South Indian sculpture, and its products were carried to Sri Lanka and South-east Asia.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Q15. Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched?
- Senguttuvan — Chera
- Udiyanjeral — Chola
- Nedunjeliyan — Pandya
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2
- 2 only
- 1 and 3
- 3 only
Q16. Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939?
- Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
- The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
- The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1, 2 and 3
- 1, 2 and 4
- 1, 3 and 4
- 2 and 4 only
Q17. Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856:
- The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.
- A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.
- The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- 2 only
Q18. Consider the following assertion:
The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.
Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?
- Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.
- Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.
- Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Q19. Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, the famous classical singer from Karnataka, represented the:
- Agra Gharana
- Gwalior Gharana
- Patiala Gharana
- Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana
Q20. In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni (‘mistress of the field’) originate?
- Rigveda
- Atharvaveda
- Ashtadhyayi
- Arthashastra
Q37. Which one of the following statements with regard to the Moidams, built by the Tai-Ahom kingdom and inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is/are correct?
- They acted as army fortresses.
- They were recreation centres of the Royals and Nobles.
- They were burial grounds of the Royals and Nobles.
- They were battle drill centres of the Royals and Nobles.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 1 and 3
- 3 only
- 2 and 4