Previous Year Modern History Prelims Questions PDF with Solutions [2013-2022]

UPSC Prelims 2024 is scheduled for 26th May 2024. Aspirants can take a look at the previous year questions for Modern History topic and get an ide about the expected questions this year.

UPSC Prelims 2023 was held on 26th May 2023. Modern History is an important segment from where many questions are expected in General Studies Paper-I. In 2023, four questions about modern Indian history were asked, compared to eight in 2021. Therefore, the number of Modern Indian History questions keep changing and the trend varies. However, given that its syllabus remains least affected by current affairs, candidates are advised to go through the old Modern History Questions asked over the year for IAS Prelims.

This article will provide you with 2013-2023 Modern History Questions that were asked in IAS Prelims Paper-I. Candidates can also download the questions and their answers PDF given in this article for the IAS Exam preparation.

Candidates can check their

UPSC results from the official website of the Union Public Service Commission.

Get previous years’ subject-wise questions of UPSC Prelims from the links provided below:

Table of Content:

• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2022 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2021 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2020 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2019 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2018 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2017 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2016 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2015 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2014 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History 2013 Questions
• UPSC Prelims Modern History Solutions 2013-2020

Year-Wise IAS Prelims Modern Indian History Questions

Modern Indian History Prelims Questions of UPSC 2022 are provided below for your UPSC 2024 preparation.

1. In the Government of India Act 1919, the functions of Provincial Government were divided into “Reserved” and “Transferred” subjects. Which of the following were treated as “Reserved” subjects?

1. Administration of Justice
2. Local Self-Government
3. Land Revenue
4. Police

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2, 3 and 4

(c) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 2 and 4

2. Consider the following freedom fighters:

1. Barindra Kumar Ghosh
2. Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
3. Rash Behari Bose

Who of the above was/were actively associated with the Ghadar Party?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 3 only

3. With reference to the proposals of Cripps Mission, consider the following statements:

1. The Constituent Assembly would have members nominated by the Provincial Assemblies as well as the Princely States.
2. Any Province, which is not prepared to accept the new Constitution would have the right to sign a separate agreement with Britain regarding its future status.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

4. With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

1. The Dutch established their factories/warehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by Gajapati rulers.
2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate.
3. The English East India. Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Candidates can download the UPSC Prelims 2022 Question Papers for GS I and GS II from the linked page.

Candidates can download the UPSC Prelims 2022 Answer Keys for GS I and GS II from the linked page.

Modern History Prelims Questions of UPSC 2021 are provided below for your UPSC 2022 preparation.

1. In the first quarter of the seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located?

(1) Broach

(2) Chicacole

(3) Trichinopoly

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3

2. With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) Pingali Venkayya designed the tricolour Indian National Flag here.

(b) Pattabhi Sitaramaiah led the Quit India Movement of Andhra region from here.

(c) Rabindranath Tagore translated the National Anthem from Bengali to English here.

(d) Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott set up headquarters of Theosophical Society first here. 

3. Consider the following statements:

(1) St. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order. 

(2) St. Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there. 

(3) The feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year. 

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

4. Consider the following statements:

(1) The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all women above the age of 21. 

(2) The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in the legislature. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

5. With reference to 8th August 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) The Quit India Resolution was adopted by the AICC.

(b) The Viceroy’s Executive Council was expanded to include more Indians.

(c) The Congress ministries resigned in seven provinces. 

(d) Cripps proposed an Indian Union with full Dominion status once the Second World War was over. 

6. Who among the following is associated with ‘Songs from Prison’, a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English?

(a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(b) Jawaharlal Nehru

(c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

(d) Sarojini Naidu

7. Who among the following was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School?

(a) Annie Besant

(b) Debandranath Tagore

(c) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

(d) Sarojini Naidu

8. In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as

(a) leaders of Swadeshi and Boycott Movement 

(b) members of the Interim Government in 1946

(c) members of the Drafting Committee in the Constituent Assembly

(d) officers of the Indian National Army

The Civil Services Prelims Modern History Questions are provided year-wise below:

1. In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around

(1) Women’s right to gain education

(2) Age of consent

(3) Restitution of conjugal rights

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

2. Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of

(a) peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters

(b) its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions

(c) national leaders’ opposition to the cultivation of indigo

(d) Government control over the planters

3. Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because

(a) he was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so

(b) he wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India

(c) he wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment

(d) he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India

4. With reference to the history of India, “Ulgulan” or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events?

(a) The Revolt of 1857

(b) The Mappila Rebellion of 1921

(c) The Indigo Revolt of 1859 – 60

(d) Birsa Munda’s Revolt of 1899-1900

5. Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of the Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?

(a) Indian handicrafts were ruined.

(b) Machines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers.

(c) Railway lines were laid in many parts of the country.

(d) Heavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufacturers.

6. With reference to the book “Desher Katha” written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statements :

(1) It warned against the Colonial State’s hypnotic conquest of the mind.

(2) It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.

(3) The use of ‘desh’ by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

7. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact included which of the following?

(1) Invitation to Congress to participate in the Round Table Conference

(2) Withdrawal of Ordinances promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement

(3) Acceptance of Gandhiji’s suggestion for enquiry into police excesses

(4) Release of only those prisoners who were not charged with violence

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 2, 3 and 4 only

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the Modern History questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2020:

1. With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.

(b) The major aim of land reforms was to provide agricultural land to all the landless.

(c) It resulted in the cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.

(d) Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.

2. Consider the following statements about ‘the Charter Act of 1813’:

(1) It ended the trade monopoly of the East India Company in India except for trade in tea and trade with China.

(2) It asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over the Indian territories held by the Company.

(3) The revenues of India were now controlled by the British Parliament.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

3. With reference to the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements:

(1) It contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.

(2) The National Council of Education was established as a part of the Swadeshi Movement.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

4. Consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

5. With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements:

(1) Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of ‘indentured labour’

(2) In Lord Chelmsford’s ‘War Conference’, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.

(3) Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

6. With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the Modern History questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2019:

1. Regarding Wood’s Dispatch, which of the following statements are true?

(1) Grants-in-Aid system was introduced

(2) Establishment of universities was recommended

(3) English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

2. With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs:

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 3 only

3. Which among the following events happened earliest?

(a) Swami Dayanand established AryaSamaj.

(b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.

(c) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandmath.

(d) Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to succeed in the Indian Civil Services Examination.

4. In 1920, which of the following changed its name to “Swarajya Sabha”?

(a) All India Home Rule League

(b) Hindu Mahasabha

(c) South Indian Liberal Federation

(d) The Servants of India Society

5. Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India?

(1) Charter Act of 1813

(2) General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823

(3) Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy

Select the correct answer using the code given below

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

6. Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the

(a) increase in the export of Indian handicrafts

(b) growth in the number of Indian owned factories

(c) commercialization of Indian agriculture

(d) rapid increase in the urban population

7. After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what was/were the measure/measures taken by the colonial government?

(1) The territories called `Santhal Parganas’ were created.

(2) It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

8. He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was

(a) Aurobindo Ghosh

(b) Bipin Chandra Pal

(c) Lala Lajpat Rai

(d) Motilal Nehru

9. Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?

(a) To maintain a large standing army at others expense

(b) To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger

(c) To secure a fixed income for the Company

(d) To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States

10. Who among the following were the founders of the “Hind Mazdoor Sabha” established in 1948 ?

(a) B. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George

(b) Jayaprakash Narayan, Deen Day al Upadhyay and M.N. Roy

(c) C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu

(d) Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta

11. Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?

(a) Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement

(b) Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement

(c) Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement

(d) Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops

12. The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

(a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds, and opium

(b) Sugar, salt, zinc, and lead

(c) Copper, silver, gold, spices, and tea

(d) Cotton, silk, saltpeter, and opium

Note – The questions and its answers are taken from Series A.

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the Modern History questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2018:

1. Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of the Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British rule?

(1) Lord Cornwallis

(2) Alexander Read

(3) Thomas Munro

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

2. Consider the following pairs:

(1) Radhakanta Deb — First President of the British Indian Association

(2) Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty —Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha

(3) Surendranath Banerjee — Founder of the Indian Association

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

3. The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to?

(a) Define the jurisdiction of the Central and Provincial Governments.

(b) Define the powers of the Secretary of State for India.

(c) Impose censorship on national press.

(d) Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.

4. With reference to Indian freedom struggle, consider the following events:

(1) Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy

(2) Quit India Movement launched

(3) Second Round Table Conference

What is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?

(a) 1-2-3

(b) 2-1-3

(c) 3-2-1

(d) 3-1-2

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the Modern History questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2017:

1. The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War

(a) India should be granted complete independence

(b) India should be partitioned into two before granting independence

(c) India should be made a republic with the condition that she will join the Commonwealth

(d) India should be given Dominion status

2. What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?

(a) Introduction of communalism into Indian politics by Lord Minto

(b) Extremists’ lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government

(c) Foundation of Muslim League

(d) Aurobindo Ghosh’s inability to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress

3. Consider the following:

(1) Calcutta Unitarian Committee

(2) Tabernacle of New Dispensation

(3) Indian Reform Association

Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

4. The Montague-Chelmsford Proposals were related to

(a) social reforms

(b) educational reforms

(c) reforms in police administration

(d) constitutional reforms

5. Satya Shodhak Samaj organized

(a) a movement for upliftment of tribals in Bihar

(b) a temple-entry movement in Gujarat

(c) an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra

(d) a peasant movement in Punjab

6. The `Swadeshi’ and ‘Boycott’ were adopted as methods of struggle for the first time during the

(a) agitation against the Partition of Bengal

(b) Home Rule Movement

(c) Non-Cooperation Movement

(d) visit of the Simon Commission to India

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the Modern History questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2016:

1. Consider the following statements

(1) The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.

(2) The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

2. Who of the following organized a march on the Tanjore coast to break the Salt Law in April 1930?

(a) V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

(b) C. Rajagopalachari

(c) K. Kamaraj

(d) Annie Besant

3. The Government of India Act of 1919 clearly defined

(a) the separation of power between the judiciary and the legislature

(b) the jurisdiction of the central and provincial governments

(c) the powers of the Secretary of State for India and the Viceroy

(d) None of the above

4. With reference to Congress Socialist Party, consider the following statements:

(1) It advocated the boycott of British goods and evasion of taxes

(2) It wanted to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.

(3) It advocated a separate electorate for minorities and oppressed classes.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) None

5. Who of the following was/were economic critic/ critics of colonialism in India?

(1) Dadabhai Naoroji

(2) G. Subramania Iyer

(3) R. C. Dutt

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

6. With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/ are correct?

(1) The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the ‘Sedition Committee’.

(2) In Rowlatt Satyagraha, Gandhiji tried to utilize the Home Rule League.

(3) Demonstrations against the arrival of the Simon Commission coincided with Rowlatt Satyagraha.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

7. Which one of the following movements has contributed to a split in the Indian National Congress resulting in the emergence of ‘moderates’ and ‘extremists’?

(a) Swadeshi Movement

(b) Quit India Movement

(c) Non-Cooperation Movement

(d) Civil Disobedience Movement

8. With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential elements of the feudal system?

(1) A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority

(2) The emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of the land

(3) Creation of the lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the Modern History questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2015:

1. The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until

(a) the First World War when Indian troops were needed by the British and the partition was ended.

(b) King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the Royal Darbar in Delhi in 1911

(c) Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobedience Movement

(d) the Partition of India, in 1947 when East Bengal became East Pakistan

2. The 1929 Session of the Indian National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because the

(a) attainment of Self-Government was declared as the objective of the Congress

(b) attainment of Poorna Swaraj Was adopted as the goal of the Congress

(c) Non-Cooperation Movement was launched

(d) decision to participate in the Round Table Conference in London was taken

3. The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a

(a) revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco.

(b) nationalist organization operating from Singapore

(c) militant organization with headquarters at Berlin

(d) communist movement for India’s freedom with headquarters at Tashkent

4. What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858)?

(1) To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States

(2) To place the Indian administration under the British Crown

(3) To regulate East India Company’s trade with India

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

5. The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to

(1)Solve the problems of minorities in India

(2) Give effect to Independence Bill

(3) Delimit boundaries between India and Pakistan

(4) Enquire into riots in East Bengal

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the modern history questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2014:

1. With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were

(a) directly elected by the people of those Provinces

(b) nominated by the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League

(c) elected by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies

(d) selected by the Government for their expertise in constitutional matters

2. The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for

(a) the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third

(b) the grant of ownership of land to peasants as they were the actual cultivators of the land

(c) the uprooting of Zamindari system and the end of serfdom

(d) writing off all peasant debts

3. The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because

(a) Indians never wanted the review of the working of the Act of 1919

(b) Simon Commission recommended the abolition of Dyarchy (Diarchy) in the

Provinces

(c) there was no Indian member in the Simon Commission

(d) the Simon Commission suggested the partition of the country

4. Quit India Movement was launched in response to

(a) Cabinet Mission Plan

(b) Cripps Proposals

(c) Simon Commission Report

(d) Wavell Plan

5. Annie Besant was

(1) responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement

(2) the founder of the Theosophical Society

(3) once the President of the Indian National Congress

Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

6. The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the

(a) imposition restrictions the Indians of certain to carry arms by Indians

(b) imposition of restrictions on newspapers and magazines published in Indian languages

(c) removal of disqualifications imposed on the Indian magistrates with regard to the trial of the Europeans

(d) removal of a duty on imported cotton cloth

Candidates can get the notes on the relevant articles from where the modern history questions were asked in IAS Prelims 2013:

The answers to UPSC Modern History Questions asked in Prelims (Series A) from the year 2013 to 2022 are given in the tables below:

Get all the previous years’ UPSC Question Papers in the linked article.

UPSC Preparation Links: