MCQ SUBJECT

History

182 UPSC Prelims MCQs tagged "History". Free practice with answer keys, explanations, and timed mock tests on Anantam IAS.

Indian Economy 256 Environment 249 Indian Polity 240 Science & Technology 192 History 184 International Relations 104 Art & Culture 94 Geography 82 Indian Geography 70 Indian Society 57 World Geography 36 CSAT 29 Science & Tech 22 Art and Culture 8 Current Affairs 6 General Studies 4

Quit India Movement was launched in response to:
Quit India Movement was launched in response to:
1. ACabinet Mission Plan
2. BCripps Proposals
3. CSimon Commission Report
4. DWavell Plan
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
* The Quit India Movement was launched in 1942 in response to the failure of the Cripps Proposals.
* The Cripps Mission, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, aimed to secure Indian cooperation in World War II by offering limited self-government after the war. However, the proposals were rejected by both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League as they were deemed inadequate.
* The Wavell Plan was an event of 1945 and the Cabinet Mission Plan was announced in 1946, much later than the Quit India movement while the Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928.
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History UPSC 2013 Easy
Which of the following characterizes/ characterize the people of Indus Civilization? 1. They possessed…
Which of the following characterizes/ characterize the people of Indus Civilization? 1. They possessed great palaces and temples. 2. They worshipped both male and female deities. 3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare. Select the correct statement/ statements using the codes given below.
1. A1 and 2 only
2. B2 only
3. C2 and 3 only
4. DNone of the statements given above is correct
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Statement 1 is incorrect: No temples or religious places have been discovered in Harappan cities.
Statement 2 is correct: Figurines resembling a female deity have been found. They suggest the worship of Mother Goddess. A seal with a male figure sitting in a yogic posture with a trident-like headgear, surrounded by animals, has been found. This has a lot of similarities with Shiva. From this, it is figured that the Harappans might be worshipping Shiva.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Based on the Indus seals, it can be said that a large number of animals, including goats, buffaloes, oxen, elephants, dogs, and camels, were domesticated. But the Harappans seem not to have been familiar with the horse.
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History UPSC 2013 Medium
The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions…
The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from the robbery. 2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person. 3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
1. A1 only
2. B1 and 2 only
3. C2 and 3 only
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Statement 1 is incorrect: Yuan Chwang himself was robbed, and the thugs had decided to sacrifice him, but he was saved by a hurricane.
Statement 2 is correct: The narrative proceeds to describe the four ordeals by which the innocence or guilt of an accused person is determined. These are by water, by fire, by weighing, and by poison.
Statement 3 is correct: Under the Revenue and taxation system, Yuan Chwang notes that Tradesmen go to and fro bartering their merchandise after paying light duties at ferries and barrier stations.
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History UPSC 2013 Medium
Annie Besant was: 1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement 2. The founder…
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.
1. A1 only
2. B1 and 2 only
3. C1 and 3 only
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Statement 1 is correct: Annie Besant started the Home Rule Movement in 1916 in India, around the same time as Bal Gangadhar Tilak started his own Home Rule League. The movement sought self-government for India within the British Empire.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott. Annie Besant later became its prominent leader after it moved to Adyar (Madras), but she was not the founder.
Statement 3 is correct: Annie Besant was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1917 (Calcutta Session).
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History UPSC 2013 Medium
The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the:
The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the:
1. AImposition restrictions the Indians of certain to carry arms by Indians
2. BImposition of restrictions on newspapers and magazines published in Indian languages
3. CRemoval of disqualifications imposed on the Indian magistrates with regard to the trial of the Europeans
4. DRemoval of a duty on imported cotton cloth
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
- The Ilbert Bill (1883) of Lord Ripon sought to empower the Indian district Magistrates and sessions judges to try Europeans in criminal cases.
- Under the existing laws, the Indian members of ICS were not authorized to try Europeans in their courts.
- This move was aimed at eliminating the racial discrimination prevalent in the judiciary system, marking a significant step towards equality in colonial India.
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History UPSC 2013 Easy
The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because:
The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because:
1. AIndians never wanted the review of the working of the Act of 1919
2. BSimon Commission recommended the abolition of Dyarchy in the Provinces
3. CThere was no Indian member in the Simon Commission
4. DThe Simon Commission suggested the partition of the country
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
The Simon Commission, officially known as the Indian Statutory Commission, was appointed in 1927 to review the working of the Government of India Act, 1919. The primary reason for the intense agitation and the slogan "Simon Go Back" was that the commission consisted of seven British Members of Parliament and had no Indian members. This exclusion was seen as a violation of the principle of self-determination and an insult to the self-respect of Indians, as an all-white body was tasked with deciding India's constitutional future.
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History UPSC 2013 Easy
Consider the following statements about Ellora:
Consider the following statements about Ellora:
1. ABoth 1 and 2
2. BNeither 1 nor 2
3. COnly 1
4. DOnly 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Statement 1 is correct: Ellora is famous for combining Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves at a single site. Statement 2 is wrong because the Kailasa temple was not assembled from imported blocks; it was carved top-down as a single monolith out of the living basalt cliff.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the philosophical doctrines of Jainism and Buddhism:
Consider the following statements regarding the philosophical doctrines of Jainism and Buddhism:
1. ABoth Statement-1 and Statement-2 are correct and Statement-2 is the correct explanation for Statement-1.
2. BBoth Statement-1 and Statement-2 are correct and Statement-2 is not the correct explanation for Statement-1.
3. CStatement-1 is correct but Statement-2 is incorrect.
4. DStatement-1 is incorrect but Statement-2 is correct.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Statement-1 is wrong because both Jainism and Buddhism are heterodox (nastika) traditions that reject the authority of the Vedas, so neither accepts the supremacy of the Yajurveda or Samaveda. Statement-2 is correct: Buddhism teaches the Madhyam Marg (Middle Path) and Jainism is built on Anekantavada, the doctrine of many-sidedness. That makes only Statement-2 right.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
The ‘Komagata Maru’ holds an irreplaceable place in the narrative of modern Indian history.…
The 'Komagata Maru' holds an irreplaceable place in the narrative of modern Indian history. This ship is primarily famous because
1. AIt was the vessel from which Veer Savarkar made his legendary escape into the ocean while being deported to India.
2. BIt was the ship aboard which Mahatma Gandhi wrote his foundational philosophical text, 'Hind Swaraj'.
3. CIt carried Indian immigrants who were denied entry at a foreign port under strict immigration rules, resulting in a prolonged standoff and their forced return.
4. DIt was the central warship where the ratings of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) initiated their historic mutiny against British authorities.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
The Komagata Maru carried mostly Sikh, Muslim and Hindu passengers from Punjab to Vancouver in 1914, where Canadian immigration laws barred their entry, leading to a long standoff and their forced return to India. Savarkar's escape was from the SS Morea, Gandhi wrote Hind Swaraj aboard the SS Kildonan Castle, and the 1946 RIN mutiny centred on HMIS Talwar.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the Noakhali riots that occurred during the partition of…
Consider the following statements regarding the Noakhali riots that occurred during the partition of India:
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Noakhali is in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), not Sindh, so statement 1 is wrong. Statement 2 is also wrong: it was Mahatma Gandhi who walked village to village in Noakhali to calm communal tensions, while Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the 'Frontier Gandhi', worked in the North-West Frontier Province.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
“During the Indus Valley Civilisation, artisans practiced a specialized metal-casting method. Figures were first…
"During the Indus Valley Civilisation, artisans practiced a specialized metal-casting method. Figures were first modelled from a specific material, then covered with a coating of clay and dried. The coated figure was heated and the molten inner material drained out through a tiny hole in the clay cover. The hollow mould was filled with molten metal, which took the original shape. Once the metal cooled the clay cover was removed. The famous bronze 'Dancing Girl' from Mohenjodaro was crafted using this method." What is the name of the technique described in the passage above?
1. ATerracotta casting
2. BLost wax technique
3. CSteatite carving
4. DFaience molding
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Modelling a figure in wax, coating it in clay, melting out the wax through a hole and then pouring in molten metal is the lost-wax (cire perdue) technique. The Mohenjodaro bronze Dancing Girl is the classic Harappan example. Terracotta, steatite carving and faience are entirely different material processes.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Easy
Consider the following statements regarding the architectural and sculptural traditions of the Mauryan period:
Consider the following statements regarding the architectural and sculptural traditions of the Mauryan period:
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Statement 1 is wrong because Mauryan stone pillars, though drawing inspiration from Achaemenian art, were monolithic, carved from a single piece of stone rather than assembled in multiple pieces. Statement 2 is also wrong, since the Lomas Rishi Cave in the Barabar Hills is associated with the Ajivika sect, not Jainism.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Hard
Consider the following statements regarding the eminent Gandhian leader and social reformer, Acharya Vinoba…
Consider the following statements regarding the eminent Gandhian leader and social reformer, Acharya Vinoba Bhave:
1. AOnly 1 and 2
2. BOnly 2 and 3
3. COnly 1 and 3
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Vinoba Bhave launched the Bhoodan Movement in 1951 to secure voluntary land donations for the landless, and Gandhi chose him as the first individual Satyagrahi in 1940 against India's forced entry into the Second World War. He was never the President of the Indian National Congress, so statement 2 is wrong and only 1 and 3 are correct.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the Simon Commission:
Consider the following statements regarding the Simon Commission:
1. AOnly 1 and 2
2. BOnly 2 and 3
3. COnly 1 and 3
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Tilak died in 1920, well before the Simon Commission of 1927-28, so he could not have written against it in Kesari, making statement 1 wrong. The commission was boycotted because it was a seven-member all-British body with no Indian representation, and Lala Lajpat Rai was fatally injured in a lathi-charge during an anti-Simon protest, so statements 2 and 3 are correct.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the Revolt of 1857:
Consider the following statements regarding the Revolt of 1857:
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. COnly 1 and 2
4. DOnly 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Gujarat was not untouched by 1857; uprisings occurred at places like Dahod, Anand, Okha and among the Bhils, so statement 1 is wrong. Mangal Pandey, Bahadur Shah Zafar and Rani Lakshmibai are central figures of the revolt, making statement 2 correct. Statement 3 is false because many native rulers, such as the Scindias and the Nizam, actually sided with the British.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the Mahagujarat Movement:
Consider the following statements regarding the Mahagujarat Movement:
1. AOnly 1 and 2
2. BOnly 3
3. COnly 2 and 3
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
The Mahagujarat Movement ran from 1956 and won the separate Gujarati-speaking state on 1 May 1960, so statement 3 is correct. Statement 1 reverses the timeline; the Navnirman agitation came much later (1974), so the Mahagujarat leaders couldn't have acted on its success. The 'Chakli Smarak' sparrow story in statement 2 is not part of the movement's history, which is remembered through the Shaheed Smarak for students killed in police firing.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following statements about Lothal:
Consider the following statements about Lothal:
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Lothal, with its famous dockyard, was a major Harappan trading centre linked to Mesopotamia and other regions, so statement 1 is correct. Double burials, where a male and female were interred together in a single grave, are a noted feature of the site, so statement 2 is correct. Both statements hold.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Which historical battle completed 500 years on 21 April 2026? Between whom was it…
Which historical battle completed 500 years on 21 April 2026? Between whom was it fought?
1. AFirst Battle of Panipat; between Babur and Rana Sanga
2. BFirst Battle of Panipat; between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi
3. CSecond Battle of Panipat; between Akbar and Rana Pratap
4. DSecond Battle of Panipat; between Akbar and Hemu
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
The First Battle of Panipat was fought on 21 April 1526, so its 500th anniversary fell on 21 April 2026. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last Sultan of Delhi, using cannons and the tulughma flanking tactic, which ended the Lodi dynasty and founded the Mughal Empire. Babur's clash with Rana Sanga was at Khanwa in 1527, and the Second Battle of Panipat (Akbar's forces versus Hemu) was in 1556.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Easy
Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follows. Which of the…
Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follows. Which of the following Jataka tales is described in the passage given above?
1. AVessantara Jataka
2. BSibi Jataka
3. CChaddanta Jataka
4. DMahajanaka Jataka
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
The story of a king who shelters a pigeon from a hawk and cuts off his own flesh to match the bird's weight on a scale is the Sibi Jataka, an emblem of supreme charity painted at Ajanta. The Vessantara Jataka is about a prince who gives away all his possessions, the Chaddanta Jataka concerns a six-tusked elephant, and the Mahajanaka Jataka tells of a shipwrecked prince. The flesh-on-the-scale episode points clearly to King Sibi.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the following conceptual statements regarding the Bhakti and Sufi movements in medieval India:
Consider the following conceptual statements regarding the Bhakti and Sufi movements in medieval India:
1. AOnly 1 and 2
2. BOnly 1 and 3
3. COnly 1
4. DOnly 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Saints of both movements preached in local vernaculars rather than only Sanskrit or Arabic to reach the common people, so statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the Chishti and several other Sufi orders embraced music and poetry through sama and qawwali rather than prohibiting them. Both traditions stressed personal devotion and love of God over ritual and pilgrimage, so statement 3 is correct.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Which of the following statements regarding the Girnar rock inscriptions are correct?
Which of the following statements regarding the Girnar rock inscriptions are correct?
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
The Junagadh (Girnar) rock carries inscriptions of three rulers across eras: Ashoka, the Western Satrap Rudradaman I, and the Gupta emperor Skandagupta, so statement 1 is correct. The language isn't Pali, though. Ashoka's edicts are in Prakrit while the Rudradaman and Skandagupta inscriptions are in Sanskrit, so statement 2 is wrong.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Which of the following contributions of Aryabhata is/are true?
Which of the following contributions of Aryabhata is/are true?
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. COnly 3
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Aryabhata held that the Earth rotates on its own axis while the Sun stays fixed, which explains the apparent daily motion of the sky. He gave the scientific cause of solar and lunar eclipses as shadows cast by the Moon and Earth, rejecting the Rahu-Ketu myth. His estimate of the Earth's circumference was remarkably close to the modern value, so all three statements are correct.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Which of the following statements regarding the India-Pakistan war in 1971 is/are true?
Which of the following statements regarding the India-Pakistan war in 1971 is/are true?
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender on Pakistan's behalf, not Yahya Khan, so statement 1 is false. J.S. Aurora was the GOC-in-C of the Eastern Command who accepted the surrender, not the Chief of the Indian Army, that role belonged to General Sam Manekshaw, so statement 2 is false as worded.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Arrange the following persons in chronological order:
Arrange the following persons in chronological order:
1. A1-2-3
2. B2-1-3
3. C1-3-2
4. D3-1-2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Amir Khusro (1253-1325) belonged to the Delhi Sultanate era, Tansen (c.1500-1586) was a court musician of Akbar, and Thyagaraja (1767-1847) was a Carnatic composer of the 18th-19th century. The correct time order is therefore Amir Khusro, then Tansen, then Thyagaraja, matching 1-2-3.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Easy
Which states had a relation with Gautama Buddha’s life?
Which states had a relation with Gautama Buddha's life?
1. AOnly 1, 2 and 3
2. BOnly 2 and 4
3. COnly 3 and 4
4. DOnly 1, 3 and 4
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Buddha spent most of his teaching life in the eastern Gangetic plain, especially Kosala (Sravasti, where King Prasenajit was a patron) and Magadha (Rajgriha, where Bimbisara and Ajatashatru patronised him). Avanti and Gandhara lay outside his sphere of activity and aren't connected to his life, so only Kosala and Magadha qualify.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Consider the statements related to Bal Gangadhar Tilak:
Consider the statements related to Bal Gangadhar Tilak:
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Statement 1 is correct because Tilak launched the Indian Home Rule League in 1916. Statement 2 is wrong: the Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A.O. Hume and other early leaders, and Tilak joined the movement afterwards rather than being a founding member.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Easy
Match the following Land revenue systems and Provinces in India during the British rule…
Match the following Land revenue systems and Provinces in India during the British rule correctly:
1. A1-a, 2-b, 3-c
2. B1-b, 2-a, 3-c
3. C1-c, 2-b, 3-a
4. D1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
The Zamindari (Permanent) Settlement applied to Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, so 1 pairs with b. The Mahalwari system covered the United Provinces, Central Provinces and Punjab, giving 2 with a. The Ryotwari system was introduced in Bombay and Madras, matching 3 with c.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about the Battle of Plassey?
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about the Battle of Plassey?
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Statement 1 is wrong. The Company won Plassey in 1757 mainly through Mir Jafar's treachery and the conspiracy with Bengal's bankers, not because of any genuine military superiority. Statement 2 is correct because the victory gave the Company a virtual stranglehold over Bengal's trade and commerce, drawing on the province's revenues and dastak privileges.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium
Match the following Vedas and Collections correctly:
Match the following Vedas and Collections correctly:
1. A1b, 2a, 3d, 4-c
2. B1-c, 2-b, 3a, 4-d
3. C1d, 2b, 3-c, 4-a
4. D1a, 2c, 3b, 4-d
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
The Atharvaveda holds spells and incantations, fitting the "Tantra and Mantra" collection (2-c), and the Yajurveda carries the sacrificial formulas, fitting the ritual "Bali sutra" collection (4-d). The Rigveda and Samaveda are both song collections, mapped to the devotional and sacred song entries (1-a and 3-b). That gives 1a, 2c, 3b, 4d.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Hard
In the context of the Indian freedom movement, what was recommended in the Motilal…
In the context of the Indian freedom movement, what was recommended in the Motilal Nehru Committee Report?
1. AOnly 1
2. BOnly 2 and 3
3. COnly 1 and 3
4. D1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
The Nehru Report of 1928 asked for Dominion Status, not complete independence, so statement 1 is wrong. It backed joint electorates with reserved seats for minorities (statement 2) and laid out a detailed list of Fundamental Rights that later shaped the Constitution (statement 3). So only 2 and 3 are correct.
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History UPSC GPSC-2026 Medium