71st BPSC Prelims 2025
Modern History Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Explore 17 solved 71st BPSC Prelims 2025 Modern History questions with detailed step-by-step bilingual solutions, option analysis, and answer keys.
Consider the following events of Modern Indian History -
- Death sentence to Raja Nand Kumar
- Treaty of Salbai
- Battle of Wandiwash
- Death of Tipu Sultan
Which of the following is the correct chronological order of the above events?
Detailed Explanation:
Battle of Wandiwash occurred in 1760 – decisive British victory over French in the Third Carnatic War.
Raja Nand Kumar was sentenced to death in 1775 – controversial trial under Warren Hastings administration.
Treaty of Salbai was signed in 1782 – ended the First Anglo-Maratha War.
Tipu Sultan died in 1799 – killed during the fall of Seringapatam in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.
Correct chronological order: 3–1–2–4
Which of the following statements about Subhas Chandra Bose are correct?
- He was elected President of the Indian National Congress at Tripuri session of 1938 A.D.
- He escaped from home internment in January 1941 A.D.
- On October 21 1943 A.D. he constituted the Provincial Government of India in Singapore.
Detailed Explanation:
❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Subhas Chandra Bose was elected Congress President at the Haripura session in 1938, not at Tripuri. At the Tripuri session in March 1939, he was re-elected but resigned soon after due to conflict with the Gandhi-led old guard.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Bose escaped from house arrest in Calcutta on January 17, 1941, travelling via Afghanistan to Germany and later to Singapore.
✅ Statement 3 – Correct: On October 21, 1943, Bose proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) in Singapore, which was recognized by Axis powers and controlled the Andaman and Nicobar Islands briefly.
Which one of the following is not correctly matched?
Person Associated with
| (A) Dayananda Saraswati | Satyarth Prakash |
| (B) James Augustus Hicky | Calcutta Chronicle |
| (C) Ramaswamy Naicker | Justice Party |
| (D) Jyotirao Phule | Satyashodhak Samaj |
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Option A – Correct: Dayananda Saraswati wrote Satyarth Prakash (1875), the foundational text of the Arya Samaj.
❌ Option B – Incorrect: James Augustus Hicky founded the Bengal Gazette (1780), India's first newspaper, not the Calcutta Chronicle.
✅ Option C – Correct: Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar) became the leader of the Justice Party (1944) and later renamed it the Dravidar Kazhagam.
✅ Option D – Correct: Jyotirao Phule established the Satyashodhak Samaj (1873) to combat caste-based discrimination and promote education for lower castes and women.
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Who became Chief Minister of Bihar in March 1939?
Detailed Explanation:
Shri Krishna Singh (also known as Sri Babu) became the Chief Minister of Bihar in March 1939 under the Government of India Act, 1935.
He later served as the first Chief Minister of independent Bihar (1947–1961), the longest-serving Chief Minister in Bihar's history. Anugraha Narain Singh was his Deputy Chief Minister, while Rajendra Prasad became India's first President, not a Chief Minister.
Who was the prominent leader of Kisan Sabha movement in Bihar?
Detailed Explanation:
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati founded the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (BPKS) in 1929 and became the founding president of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) in 1936.
Raj Kumar Shukla was associated with the Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Acharya Narendra Dev contributed to the national peasant movement but not specifically as Bihar's Kisan Sabha leader, and Baba Ram Chandra led the peasant movement in Awadh (Uttar Pradesh).
Champaran Agrarian Committee was appointed in agreement between:
Detailed Explanation:
Champaran Agrarian Committee (1917) was appointed through an agreement between the Indian Government and Mahatma Gandhi after his successful Satyagraha against the exploitative Tinkathia system.
Gandhi was made a member of the committee, marking official recognition of his role in the movement. Raj Kumar Shukla invited Gandhi to Champaran, while Rajendra Prasad and Anugraha Narayan Singh assisted but were not party to the government agreement.
Which Congress leader visited Bihar in 1918 in order to strengthen the activities of Home Rule League?
Detailed Explanation:
Annie Besant visited Bihar in 1918 to strengthen the Home Rule League activities, expanding the movement beyond her southern India base (started 1916).
B.G. Tilak led the Home Rule League in Maharashtra, not Bihar; Mahatma Gandhi was in Champaran in 1917 for agrarian issues, not the Home Rule League in 1918; M.A. Ansari was not associated with this specific visit.
Which Act provided for the partition of India into two new dominions - India and Pakistan?
Detailed Explanation:
Indian Independence Act, 1947 was passed by the British Parliament on 18 July 1947 and came into effect on 15 August 1947.
It legally ended British rule and partitioned British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan, each with its own Governor-General and Constituent Assembly.
The Government of India Act, 1919 introduced dyarchy in provinces, while the Government of India Act, 1935 provided for provincial autonomy and an All-India Federation – neither provided for partition.
Who raised the cry "Divide and Quit"?
Detailed Explanation:
M.A. Jinnah, leader of the All-India Muslim League, raised the slogan "Divide and Quit" in 1942 as a counter to Gandhi's "Quit India" movement.
The slogan demanded that British must first partition India to create Pakistan before leaving, reflecting the Muslim League's insistence on a separate nation for Muslims before independence.
"We shall either free India or die in the attempt ..." who said it?
Detailed Explanation:
Mahatma Gandhi spoke these words on 8 August 1942 at the launch of the Quit India Movement in Bombay.
The phrase "Do or Die" encapsulated his call for decisive action to achieve complete independence from British rule through non-violent mass struggle.
Who assumed the command of the Indian National Army and gave famous battle cry, 'Chalo Delhi'?
Detailed Explanation:
Subhash Chandra Bose assumed command of the Indian National Army (INA) in 1943 in Singapore after Rash Behari Bose handed over leadership to him.
He gave the famous battle cry "Chalo Delhi" (March to Delhi) to rally INA soldiers to march towards India and overthrow British rule; Mohan Singh had initially formed the INA in 1942, and Shah Nawaz Khan served as a senior officer under Bose.
Which Commission accentuated the discontent in all the political groups and parties for not associating any Indian member in it?
Detailed Explanation:
Simon Commission (1928) was an all-British seven-member body with no Indian representation, sent to review constitutional reforms.
Its exclusion of Indians sparked nationwide boycotts and the famous "Simon Go Back" protests, uniting Congress, Muslim League and other parties in opposition.
Cripps Mission (1942) consulted Indian leaders; Welby Commission (1895) examined military expenditure; Cabinet Mission (1946) included Indian participation in discussions.
'The Young India', a Nationalist paper, was started by
Detailed Explanation:
Mahatma Gandhi started the English weekly 'Young India' in 1919 from Ahmedabad.
The paper became a powerful platform for promoting non-violence, Satyagraha, and nationalist ideas during the freedom struggle, with Gandhi serving as its editor until 1932.
Name the Principal of M.A.O. College, Aligarh, who encouraged Muslim Communalism in the last decades of the 19th Century?
Detailed Explanation:
Theodore Beck served as Principal of M.A.O. College, Aligarh from 1883 onwards and actively promoted Muslim separatism in the late 19th century.
He discouraged Muslims from joining the Indian National Congress and advocated maintaining a separate political identity loyal to the British, strengthening the Aligarh school's communal politics.
Who got an opportunity to become Professor of Indian Philosophy in the University of California in 1911?
Detailed Explanation:
Har Dayal was offered the position of Professor of Indian Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley in 1911.
He resigned from this academic position in 1913 to focus on revolutionary activities, co-founding the Ghadar Party in San Francisco to mobilize overseas Indians against British colonial rule.
At which Viceroy was a bomb thrown on the occasion of his state entry into Delhi?
Detailed Explanation:
Lord Hardinge was the target of a bomb attack on 23 December 1912 during his ceremonial state entry into Delhi on an elephant.
The attack was carried out by revolutionaries including Rash Behari Bose as a protest against the transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi and British rule; Hardinge was wounded but survived.
Which Indian leader for the first time used the 'safety-valve theory to attack the Moderates in the Congress?
Detailed Explanation:
Lala Lajpat Rai was the first Indian leader to use the Safety-Valve Theory to criticize the Moderates in the Indian National Congress.
The theory, proposed by W.C. Bonnerjee and A.O. Hume, suggested that the Congress was created by the British to act as a safety valve to release anti-British sentiments peacefully and prevent another 1857-like uprising.
Lala Lajpat Rai used this theory in his criticism to argue that the Moderates were serving British interests rather than genuinely fighting for Indian independence.
71st BPSC Prelims 2025 - Modern History Chapter-wise Distribution
Important Personalities
3 Qs (17.6%)Constitutional and Administrative Developments
2 Qs (11.8%)Mass National Movements
2 Qs (11.8%)Indian National Congress and Early Nationalists
2 Qs (11.8%)Revolutionary Nationalism
2 Qs (11.8%)Socio-Religious Reform Movements
2 Qs (11.8%)Towards Independence and Partition
1 Qs (5.9%)Gandhian Era
1 Qs (5.9%)Tribal, Peasant and Civil Uprisings
1 Qs (5.9%)Advent of Europeans in India
1 Qs (5.9%)71st BPSC Prelims 2025 - Modern History Questions FAQs
Q1 How many Modern History questions were asked in 71st BPSC Prelims 2025?
Q2 What is the chapter-wise question distribution for Modern History in 71st BPSC Prelims 2025?
- Important Personalities: 3 questions (17.6%)
- Constitutional and Administrative Developments: 2 questions (11.8%)
- Mass National Movements: 2 questions (11.8%)
- Indian National Congress and Early Nationalists: 2 questions (11.8%)
- Revolutionary Nationalism: 2 questions (11.8%)
- Socio-Religious Reform Movements: 2 questions (11.8%)
- Towards Independence and Partition: 1 questions (5.9%)
- Gandhian Era: 1 questions (5.9%)
- Tribal, Peasant and Civil Uprisings: 1 questions (5.9%)
- Advent of Europeans in India: 1 questions (5.9%)