Indian History

The first INC session was held in Bombay (now Mumbai) in December 1885 with 72 delegates. W.C. Bonnerjee was the first president. Delhi, Madras, and Calcutta hosted later sessions but not the first one.

Kanishka convened the Fourth Buddhist Council at Srinagar (Kundalvan) around 78 CE, where Buddhism split into Hinayana and Mahayana. He did expand Buddhism outside India, and Gandhara art flourished under him, but the council is his most defining legacy.

Abdur Razzaq was the Persian ambassador who visited the Vijayanagara court in the 15th century. Nicolo Conti was Italian (not Dutch), Nuniz was Portuguese (not Italian), and Domingo Paes was Portuguese.

Lord Dufferin, the Viceroy of India (1884-1888), dismissed the INC as unrepresentative. He called it 'a microscopic minority' when it was formed in 1885. Curzon and Kimberly were also Viceroys but didn't make this specific criticism.

In the Rig Veda, 'Varna' refers to the classification of 'Arya' (the noble people) and 'Dasa' (the indigenous people they encountered). It later evolved into the fourfold caste system, but originally only described this social distinction.

The Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daula in Agra is called the 'Baby Taj' or 'second Taj Mahal' because it pioneered the pietra dura (marble inlay) technique later perfected in the Taj Mahal. Built by Nur Jahan for her father, it's a Mughal masterpiece from 1622-28 CE.

Jaunpur was indeed called the Shiraz of the East during the Sharki Sultanate period (late 14th-15th centuries). The Sharki rulers patronized learning, architecture, and culture, drawing comparisons to the Persian city of Shiraz. The other cities - Agra, Delhi, and Varanasi - were not known by this title.

According to the Election Commission of India, a political party must be recognized as a state party in at least four states to qualify as a national party. This is one of several criteria including vote share and seat requirements. The options of three, five, or seven states do not match the constitutional provision.

The Congress supported the Khilafat Movement primarily to secure Muslim sympathy against British rule (point 3) and to position the Congress as a defender of the Caliphate's reinstatement (point 1). This was part of the Hindu-Muslim unity strategy during the Non-Cooperation Movement. Points 2 and 4 are historically inaccurate - the Congress never sought the Caliph's removal nor aimed to marginalize Jinnah at this time.

Tamralipti (modern Tamluk in West Bengal) was a major port city that facilitated north Indian trade during the Gupta period. It connected the Gangetic plains to maritime trade routes in the Bay of Bengal. Broach (Gujarat), Kalyan, and Cambray were western coastal ports, not primarily serving north Indian trade.

Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State for India (1917-1922), was the primary architect of the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms which introduced Dyarchy in the Government of India Act 1919. While Chelmsford was Viceroy, the concept and policy originated from Montagu's declaration of 1917 promising gradual development of self-governing institutions. Tez Bahadur Sapru and Lionel Curtis were advisors, not the originators.

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, formally founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib. This was a military brotherhood of saint-soldiers created to defend the Sikh community against Mughal persecution. The other Gurus listed - Har Rai, Harkrishan, and Tegh Bahadur - preceded him and did not establish the Khalsa.

Vaghbhata (name has typo as Vaghbhara in question) was the most renowned medical scholar of the Gupta age, author of Ashtanga Hridaya and Ashtanga Sangraha - foundational texts of Ayurveda. This question is testing knowledge of Gupta-era scholars. However, there is a spelling error in the name - should be Vaghbhata, not Vaghbhara.

Sher Shah Sur's military reforms included: maintaining a large central army (A), cash payments to soldiers replacing the jagir system (B), and introducing detailed descriptive rolls (huliya) for soldiers and branding of horses (C). However, swiftly moving artillery (D) was not characteristic of 16th century armies - artillery was cumbersome and slow. Option D is indeed the correct answer as it did NOT constitute part of his reforms.

The correct chronological sequence is: Santhal Rebellion (1855-56), Mutiny of the Sepoys (1857-58), Indigo Revolt (1859-60), and Deccan Riots (1875). Option D (2,4,1,3) correctly places these events in chronological order. This requires knowledge of mid-19th century agrarian and military uprisings against British colonial rule.

Ramsay MacDonald, British Prime Minister, announced the Communal Award on August 4, 1932. This award provided separate electorates for depressed classes, Muslims, Sikhs, and others. The year 1932 is historically correct - it was a controversial decision that led to Gandhi's fast unto death and the subsequent Poona Pact. The other years (1931, 1933, 1934) are incorrect.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 13, 1919) was directly preceded by the passage of the Rowlatt Act in March 1919. This act allowed detention without trial, triggering nationwide protests including the one at Jallianwala Bagh. The Partition of Bengal (1905) and Simon Commission (1927) were separated by many years. Gandhi's first Satyagraha was in South Africa (1906-1914), not immediately before.

Allauddin Hasan Bahman Shah (also known as Hasan Gangu) founded the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 after rebelling against Muhammad bin Tughlaq. He established an independent dynasty with its capital at Gulbarga.

Rajaraja I (Chola dynasty, reign 985-1014 CE) built a powerful naval fleet and conducted naval expeditions across the Arabian Sea, conquering the Maldives and parts of Sri Lanka. He established Chola naval dominance in the Arabian Sea region.

Gandhi believed that establishing village industries and promoting swadeshi (self-reliance) would bridge economic inequalities by empowering rural communities and reducing dependence on industrial goods. While trusteeship was also his theory, village industries was the practical device he emphasized for economic equality.

The correct matching is: Doctrine of Lapse (Lord Dalhousie-3), Partition of Bengal (Lord Curzon-1), Regulating Act (Warren Hastings-2), Diwani in Bengal 1765 (Lord Clive-4). This gives the sequence 3-1-2-4, which matches option B.

The capital of India was shifted from Calcutta to New Delhi in 1911 during Lord Hardinge's viceroyalty. This was announced by King George V at the Delhi Durbar. The actual shift was completed in 1931, but the decision was made under Hardinge.

Harihara (Harihara I) along with his brother Bukka, founded the Vijayanagara kingdom in 1336 CE on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. They served as the first rulers of this great empire that lasted over two centuries.