UPSC CSE Prelims
Modern History Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Solved Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for Modern History in UPSC CSE Prelims in English & Hindi Medium.
Chapter Breakdown: Scroll →
With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the ‘Sedition Committee’
- In Rowlatt Satyagraha Gandhiji tried to use the Home Rule League
- Demonstrations against the Simon Commission coincided with the Rowlatt Satyagraha
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The Rowlatt Act (1919) was based on recommendations of the Sedition Committee headed by Justice Sidney Rowlatt, which investigated revolutionary activities and recommended preventive detention powers.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Gandhi attempted to utilize the organizational networks of the Home Rule Leagues (led by Annie Besant and Tilak) to mobilize support for the Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919), though it wasn't the primary mobilization tool.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Demonstrations against the Simon Commission occurred in 1928, while Rowlatt Satyagraha took place in 1919 – nearly 9 years apart, not coinciding.
With reference to the cabinet mission, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- It recommended a federal government.
- It enlarged the powers of the Indian courts.
- It provided for more Indians in the ICS
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The Cabinet Mission (1946) recommended a federal structure with a weak centre controlling only defence, foreign affairs, and communications, while provinces would have autonomy in other matters.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: The Mission did not propose any changes regarding the powers of Indian courts; it focused solely on constitutional framework for transfer of power.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: The Mission made no recommendations about the Indian Civil Services (ICS) or increasing Indian representation in it.
The Government of India Act of 1919 clearly defined -
Detailed Explanation:
The Government of India Act of 1919 (also called Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms) clearly defined the jurisdiction of central and provincial governments by dividing subjects into Central List and Provincial List, thereby relaxing central control over provinces.
The Act introduced Dyarchy at the provincial level, dividing provincial subjects into Transferred subjects (administered by Governor with ministers responsible to Legislative Council) and Reserved subjects (administered by Governor with Executive Council).
🧐 Not Sure What to Study Next?
Get a personalised study plan based on your goals, time and revision needs.
What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858)?
- To disclaim any intention to annex the Indian States
- To place the Indian administration under the British Crown
- To regulate East India Company’s trade with India
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The Proclamation of 1858 explicitly disclaimed any intention to annex Indian princely states, assuring rulers their territories would be respected and preserved.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: The proclamation transferred Indian administration from the East India Company to the British Crown, establishing direct governance through a Viceroy.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Regulating the East India Company's trade was not an object of the proclamation; by 1858, the Company had already lost its trade monopoly and the proclamation focused on administrative transfer, not commercial regulation.
The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until -
Detailed Explanation:
The Partition of Bengal (1905) by Lord Curzon was annulled in 1911 when King George V announced its reversal at the Delhi Durbar.
The decision was taken due to intense anti-partition agitation and the Swadeshi Movement, which made the partition administratively and politically untenable for the British.
The 1929 Session of Indian National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because the -
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Option 2 – Correct: The 1929 Lahore Session (presided by Jawaharlal Nehru) adopted Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) as the Congress goal, replacing the earlier demand for Dominion Status. January 26, 1930 was declared as Independence Day.
❌ Option 1 – Incorrect: Self-Government (Swaraj) was declared much earlier at the 1906 Calcutta Session.
❌ Option 3 – Incorrect: The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920, not 1929.
❌ Option 4 – Incorrect: Congress decided to boycott the First Round Table Conference (1930); participation in the Second Round Table Conference came only after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931).
The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a
Detailed Explanation:
The Ghadr Party was a revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco, California, formed in 1913.
Founded by Lala Har Dayal and Sohan Singh Bhakna, it aimed to overthrow British colonial rule through armed revolution, drawing support mainly from Indian immigrants (Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims) in North America.
✅ Option 1 – Correct: Accurately identifies the Ghadr as a revolutionary association headquartered in San Francisco.
❌ Option 2 – Incorrect: Singapore was not the headquarters; it was San Francisco.
❌ Option 3 – Incorrect: Berlin was associated with other revolutionary groups like the Berlin Committee, not Ghadr.
❌ Option 4 – Incorrect: Ghadr was not a communist movement, and Tashkent was not its headquarters.
The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to -
Detailed Explanation:
The Radcliffe Commission was established in July 1947 under the chairmanship of Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer, to delimit the boundaries between India and Pakistan during the partition.
The commission had four members each from the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, and was tasked with dividing the provinces of Punjab and Bengal based on religious demographics, completing its work in just five weeks before independence on August 15, 1947.
The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because:
Detailed Explanation:
The Simon Commission (1927) was appointed to review the working of the Government of India Act, 1919.
The commission consisted of seven British Members of Parliament with no Indian members, leading to widespread protests with the slogan "Simon Go Back" as Indians viewed this all-white composition as an insult to their self-respect and demand for self-determination.
The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the:
Detailed Explanation:
The Ilbert Bill (1883) was introduced by Lord Ripon's government to remove the judicial disqualification that prevented Indian magistrates and sessions judges from trying European British subjects in criminal cases.
The bill aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in the judiciary, but faced massive opposition from the European community in India, leading to its withdrawal in a diluted form.
With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were:
Detailed Explanation:
Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were elected by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies using the single transferable vote system of proportional representation.
The Assembly was indirectly elected, not directly elected by the people, and members were not nominated by political parties or selected by the Government for expertise.
Annie Besant was:
- Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
- The founder of the Theosophical Society
- Once the President of the Indian National Congress
Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Annie Besant founded the Home Rule League in September 1916 in Madras, demanding self-government for India within the British Empire, alongside Tilak's Home Rule League (April 1916).
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott. Annie Besant became its President in 1907 but was not the founder.
✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Annie Besant was elected President of the Indian National Congress at the Calcutta Session in 1917, becoming the first woman to hold this position.
Quit India Movement was launched in response to:
Detailed Explanation:
The Quit India Movement was launched on 8 August 1942 in direct response to the failure of the Cripps Proposals (March 1942).
The Cripps Mission, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, offered dominion status after World War II and the right to frame a constitution, but rejected immediate independence and allowed provinces to opt out – both Congress and Muslim League rejected these inadequate proposals.
The Simon Commission (1928), Wavell Plan (1945), and Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) occurred in different time periods, making them irrelevant to the 1942 movement.
The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for:
Detailed Explanation:
The Tebhaga movement (1946-47) was a peasant agitation in Bengal led by the Kisan Sabha.
The core demand was to reduce the landlord's share from one-half (50%) to one-third (33%) of the crop, allowing sharecroppers (bargadars) to retain two-thirds instead of half.
The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress (1929) is very important in history, because
- the Congress passed a resolution demanding complete independence
- the rift between the extremists and moderates was resolved in that session
- a resolution was passed rejecting the two-nation theory in that session
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The Lahore Session (1929), presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, passed the historic Purna Swaraj resolution declaring complete independence as the goal, and 26th January 1930 was fixed as Independence Day.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: The rift between Extremists and Moderates was resolved at the Lucknow Session (1916), not at Lahore (1929). The split had occurred at Surat (1907).
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: The two-nation theory was not discussed at the 1929 Lahore Session; it was formally articulated in the Muslim League's Lahore Resolution (1940).