History Questions for UPSC & SSC Exams

History might seem like a mundane or boring subject to study. But having a detailed knowledge of Ancient, Medieval and Modern History is imperative for acing many government exams like UPSC, SSC, amongst others. While it might seem hard to remember the exact year when a certain historical event took place, familiarising yourself with key facts about history will assist you in answering different questions in competitive exams. This blog aims to bring you a comprehensive list of history questions and answers that you must prepare for UPSC and SSC exams. 

Also Read: List of Popular History Books

List of History Questions

The best way to study history for UPSC or any such competitive exam is by taking help from online study material, NCERT books as well as Youtube videos that aim to facilitate learning in an engaging manner. Further, make colourful flashcards for important historical events and use them to revise what you are studying. Here is a list of important history questions that will help you in examining your knowledge of Indian history!

Q1. Vijayangar’s Empire Harihara Raya-I who ruled the entity for the period 1336-1356 belonged to which dynasty?

A. Sangama Dynasty	B. Saluva Dynasty
C. Tuluva Dynasty	D. Aravidu Dynasty

Q2. The term ‘Uparikara’ was used during the Gupta Empire for what context?

A. An extra tax levied on all subjects.	B. Periodic supplies of fruits, firewood, flowers etc.
C. It was a voluntary offering by people to the king.	D. King’s customary share of the production normally amounting to 1/6th of the production.

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Q3. For the period of 1491-1503, Tuluva Narasa ruled the Vijayanagara Empire. Which dynasty did he belong to

A. Sangama Dynasty	B. Saluva Dynasty
C. Tuluva Dynasty	D. Aravidu Dynasty

Q4. Chola Empire was divided into? 

A. Mandalams, Nadu, Kurram & Valanadu	B. Mandalams, Nadu, Malkhand & Avanti
C. Mandalams, Bhoomi, Avanti &Valanad	D. Mandalams, Nadu, Kurram & Malkhand

Q5. Bimbisara founded which of the following dynasties?

A. Nanda	B. Haryanka
C. Maurya	D. Shunga

Q6.  What is the Study of the inscription is known as? 

A. Archaeology	B. Numismatic
C. Epigraphy	D. Palaeography

Q7. Who wrote the book Panchatantra?

A. Kalidas	B. Vishnu Sharma
C. Chanakya	D. Nagarjun

Q8. Which was the most depicted animal during Indus Valley Civilization?

A. Elephant	B. Lion
C. Bull	D. Dog

Q9. Ghazni was a small principality in which country?

A. Mongolia	B. Turkey
C. Persia	D. Afghanistan

Q10. Who wrote the book Kitab-ul-Hind?

A. Abu Said	B. Abul Fazl
C. Firdausi	D. AI-Beruni

Exploring history questions? take a look at our detailed blog on How to Prepare for UPSC!

Q11. Who was the protagonist leader of ‘Muslim Faqirs’ 

A. Majnun Shah	B. Dadu Mian
C. Tipu	D. Chirag Ali Shah

Q12. Which of the following is considered as a treatise on the science of governance?

A. Mahabharata	B. Ramayana
C. Kautilya’s Arthshastra	D. Chandrawati Ramayana

Q13. For Buddhists, who PALA ruler founded the noted  Vikramashila University?

A. Mahipala	B. Devapala
C. Gopala	D. Dharmapala

Q14. Who founded the city of Dhillika (Delhi)?

A. Chauhans	B. Tomars
C. Pawars	D. Pariharas

Q15. Under which of the following dynasties, the Saivaite Nayanmars and Vashnavaite Alwars preached the Bhakti cult?

A. Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas	B. Pallavas, Kaktyas and Cholas
C. Pallavas, Pandyas and Cheras	D. Rashtrakutas, Pandyas and Cholas

Quick Read: Class 12 History

Q16. Who called Muazzam as Shahi-i- Bekhabar?

A. Kafi Khan	B. Zulfikar khan
C. Kam Baksh	D. Nur Jahan

Q17. Among the following Mughal Emperor who was the first-ever pensioner of the  East India Company?

A. Ahmed Shah	B. Akbar II
C. Bahadur Shah	D. Muhammed Shah

Q18. For what prime reason the famous Mughal leader Babur originally invaded northern India?

A. To create a Shiite Muslim state.	B. Because he was unable to achieve his ambitious goals in central Asia.
C. To control the trade routes into Southeast Asia.	D. To defeat his longstanding enemy, the sultan of Delhi.

Q19. For Indian People, what is considered as the Magna Carta for them?

A.The Government of India Act, 1858	B. The Ilbert Bill
C. Indian Councils Act of 1892	D. Queen Victoria’s Proclamation

Q20. Annie Besant started which newspaper? 

A. The Hindu	B. Indian Express
C. The Times of India	D. New India

Check Out: History of Indian Art

Answers

Are you ready to examine which questions you got right? The answer key to the aforementioned history questions is given below: 

Q1.  Sangama Dynasty (A)
Q2.  An extra tax levied on all subjects(A)
Q3.  Tuluva Dynasty (C)  
Q4.  Mandalams, Nadu, Kurram & Valanadu (A)
Q5.  Haryanka (B)
Q6.  Epigraphy (C)
Q7.  Vishnu Sharma (B)
Q8.  Bull (C) 
Q9.  Afghanistan (D)
Q10. Abul Fazl (A)
Q11. Majnun Shah(B)
Q12. Kautilya’s Arthshastra (C)
Q13. Dharmapala (D)
Q14. Tomars (B)
Q15. Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas (A)
Q16. Kafi Khan (A)
Q17. Akbar II (B)
Q18. Because he was unable to achieve his ambitious goals in central Asia. (B)
Q19. Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (D)
Q20. New India (D)

Additional History Questions

Here are 10 additional history questions for you, let’s see how many of these you know already:

1.Who was credited with the first brief excavation of Harappa in the 1870’s?

1. Daya Ram Sahni
2. Alexander Cunningham
3. Rakhal Das Banerjee
4. John Marshall

2. What was the religion of the early Vedic Aryans?

1. Worship of nature and Yagnas
2. Worship of idols and nature
3. Worship of idols and Yagnas
4. Worship of king and Yagnas

3. The doctrine of which religion states that all constituents and actions are governed by universal natural laws?

1. Jainism
2. Buddhism
3. Christianity
4. Hinduism

4. Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms introduced by the colonial government formed the basis of which act in India?

1. Government of India Act 1919
2. The Indian Independence Act, 1947
3. The Indian Councils Act, 1909
4. The Government of India Act, 1935

5. Under which Viceroy was the Rowlatt Act passed in India?

1. Lord Irwin
2. Lord Wavel
3. Lord Chelmsford
4. Lord Reading

6. Which Mughal Emperor introduced the policy of Sulh-i-kul?

1. Humayun
2. Akbar
3. Shahjahan
4. Babar

7. Who were the first traders to step on the Indian soil during the Mughal Period?

1. Danish
2. English
3. Dutch
4. Portuguese

8. Who was given the title of the first Satyagrahi for starting a personal Satyagraha?

1. Acharya Vinoba Bhave
2. Dr. Rajendra Pradesh
3. Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel
4. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

9. The Azad Hind Fauj was formed in 1943 under the leadership of which Indian Military officer?

1. Mohan Singh
2. Prem Sahgal
3. Mohammad Zaman Kiani
4. Rash Behari Bose

10. Who among the following noted leaders didn’t associate with extremist leadership of Indian National Congress?

1. Lokmanya Tilak
2.  Aurobindo Ghosh
3. Lala Lajpat Rai
4. A. O. Hume

Best Books for History

Books	Authors	Buy-Here Links
Indian Art and Culture	Nitin Singhania	Click Here to Buy
History Of Modern India	Bipan Chandra	Click Here to Buy
India’s Ancient Past	RS Sharma	Click Here to Buy
The Wonder That Was India	A.L. Basham	Click Here to Buy
From Plassey to Partition	Sekhar Bandhyopadhyay	Click Here to Buy
India After Gandhi	Ramchandra Guha	Click Here to Buy

Hence, we hope that you aced the history questions listed above! Interested in studying a degree in History? Sign up for an e-meeting with our Leverage Edu experts and we will help you select the right course and university along with guiding you throughout the admission process to ensure that you get successfully shortlisted