UPSC Mains 2022 History Optional Paper I questions

38 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2022. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All History Optional PYQs

1. Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your Question-cum-Answer Booklet. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim

2. Mesolithic site with burials

3. Neolithic pit-dwelling

4. Early village settlement

5. SSA BAER TIA

6. Place of Second Sangam

7. Place of inscribed statue of Ashoka

8. First Gupta hoard of coins

9. Hoard of metal sculptures

10. Oldest Jesuit church

11. Buddhist monastery

12. Place of earliest Vishnu temple

13. Shiva and Buddhist temple complex

14. INDIA—POLITICAL

15. (xvi) -. i iii Y

16. The urban character of the Harappan Civilization was a result neither of any outside influence nor a sudden act but a gradual evolution of regional socio-economic factors. Comment.

    20 marks

17. Foreign accounts as a source of ancient Indian history may have some advantages but also have a few shortcomings. Citing appropriate examples, examine the statement.

    15 marks

18. Though some of the ideas of Buddhism may have had their origin in Vedic-Upanishadic traditions but it was an altogether new religion with its own specific principles and institutions. Discuss.

    15 marks

19. The economic achievements of the Guptas were the culmination of a process which began during the Kushanas. Comment.

    20 marks

20. harmony but also for the extension of the state's authority. Analyse the statement.

    15 marks

21. With the help of representative examples, delineate the main differences between the Nagara and Dravida styles of temple architecture.

    15 marks

22. Evaluate the importance of tripartite struggle for the domination over North India during the eighth and ninth centuries.

    20 marks

23. Throw light on the chief characteristics of Tamil Bhakti Movement during the early medieval period.

    15 marks

24. s Rajatarangini is the best example of history writing tradition in early India. Discuss.

    15 marks

25. What were 'Brahmadeya' grants? How do you account for the large number of such grants in the early medieval period?

26. The establishment of large number of urban settlements in North India in the thirteenth century was principally owing to the deployment of Turkish garrisons across the lands. Comment.

27. Much of the political instability after the death of IItutmish was the doing of the Chahalgan. Elucidate.

28. The Rajput school of painting was Mughal in style and Rajput in its content. Comment.

29. Account for the rise of the Maratha power in the eighteenth century.

30. fer aires fora Aree The market regulations of Ala-ud-din Khilji were useful for the Sultan's military might but harmful for the economy of the Sultanate. Comment.

    15 marks

31. Examine the nature of the Mansabdari system during the reign of Akbar.

    15 marks

32. Chola maritime expansion was driven largely by concerns of overseas commerce. Elucidate.

    20 marks

33. The Virashaiva Movement of Southern Deccan in the twelfth century was essentially an attempt at social reform. Discuss.

    15 marks

34. The various Gharanas of Hindustani classical music were outcomes of patronage by regional princely courts, rather than central imperial ones. Discuss.

    15 marks

35. The prolonged conflict between the Vijayanagara Kingdom and the Bahmani successor states was influenced less by cultural factors, and more by strategic and economic considerations. Comment.

    20 marks

36. Trade and commerce in the Mughal Empire brought about the integration of the Indian subcontinent into a single market. Comment.

    15 marks

37. Aurangzeb's Deccan policy was a major factor in Mughal decline. Discuss.

    15 marks

38. The Vaishnava Bhakti tradition of the fifteenth century contributed to the flourishing of provincial literature. Discuss with appropriate examples.

    20 marks