History (Part-3) (CDS-Solved Paper)

Total Questions: 50

1. Which of the following statement(s) about the Deccan Riots of 1875 is/are true [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

1. The Deccan riots resulted in protection for peasants through the Deccan Agriculturalists Relief Act of 1879.
2. The riots did not spread to the whole of Maharashtra because of prompt suppression by the British.
3. The British were unable to contain the riots and they spread throughout Maharashtra.
4. The cotton boom in the Deccan that had been caused by the artificial demand generated by the American Civil War caused the impoverishment of the peasants.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 4
Solution:

In May and June, 1875, the peasants of Maharashtra in some parts of Pune, Satara and Nagar districts revolted against increasing agrarian distress. The Deccan revolt of 1875 targeted conditions of debt peonage to moneylenders.

The sole purpose of the rioters was to obtain and destroy the bond, decrease and other documents in the possession of the moneylenders. The Deccan riots resulted in protection for peasants through the Deccan Agriculturalists Relief Act of 1879.

The riots did not spread to the whole of Maharashtra because of prompt suppression by the British. The cotton boom in the Deccan that had been caused by the artificial demand generated by the American civil war caused the impoverishment of the peasants. Hence, statement 1, 2 and 4 are correct and statement 3 is incorrect.

2. Why are the Gypsies regarded as of Indian origin? [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

1. They follow Indian religious practices.
2. Their language, called Romani, is an Indo-Aryan language.
3. They believe that they came from India.
4. Epigraphic evidence locates their original home in Uttar Pradesh.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Correct Answer: (d) 2 and 3
Solution:

Gypsies is the term used to refer the Romani people who are regarded as Indo-Aryan ethnic group originating from the Northern Indian subcontinent. Their language, Romani is an indo-Aryan language. Gypsies have long believed they have origins in India, citing common Sanskrit words in their languages and photographs of darker-skinned ancestors in South Asian clothes. Their ancestry is traced back to Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab regions of modern-day India. Hence, statement 2 and 3 are correct.

3. The term Upari refers to which one of the following? [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Correct Answer: (b) A category of tenancy tenure under the Maratha rule
Solution:

Under the farming system of Maratha, the major tenure by which the land was mostly held under the Maratha Government were Miras, Watan, Inam, Saranjam and Upari. The Upari tenure was a tenancy tenure. The land holders had no proprietary right on the land.

4. The ‘water frame’ of Richard Arkwright was a device for [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Correct Answer: (c) producing strong threads of yarn
Solution:

The water frame is the name given to a water-powered spinning frame, which was an easy way to create cotton thread. The first time, the machine was used in 1768. It was able to spin 128 threads of yarn at a time, which was the easiest and fastest method than never before. It was developed by Richard Arkwright, who patented the technology in 1769.

5. The epic, Silappadikaram refers to the [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Correct Answer: (b) Jaina elements in the storyline
Solution:

Silappadikaram is one of the five great epics of Tamil literature, was composed by poet named Ilanga around 1800 years ago.

The Silappadikaram also refers to Vedic rituals and mentions various Gods, such as Indra, Shiva, Vishnu and Murugan and several Goddesses including Durga.

6. Rakshasa type of marriage is [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Correct Answer: (b) marriage by capture
Solution:

Rakshasa marriage is the marriage by capturing the bride forcibly. The groom will fight a battle with the bride’s family, overcome them and carry the bride away to convince her to marry him.

7. Consider the following statement(s) about Harappan cities: [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

l. Roads were not always absolutely straight and did not always cross one another at right angles.
2. A striking feature is the uniformity in the average size of the bricks for houses and for city walls.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) Only 2
Solution:

The remarkable thing about the arrangement of the roads that were always straight and did always cross one another at right angles. Hence, (b) is the correct answer.
Indus Valley Civilisation was mainly an urban culture sustained by surplus agricultural production and commerce.
The latter include trade with summer in Southern Mesopotamia. Both Mohenjodaro and Harappa are characterised as having differentiated living quarters, flat rooked.
Brick size was same in almost every Harappan city. Brick houses are fortified administrative or religious centres.

8. Read the following statements carefully and choose the correct option. [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Statement I The Pahi-okashta peasants were non-resident cultivators cultivating lands on a contractual basis.
Statement II The Pahi-okashta peasants worked under the temptation of favourable terms of revenue or the compulsion of economic distress.
Codes

Correct Answer: (a) Both the statements are true and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I
Solution:

The Khud-kashta were residents of the village in which they held their lands. The Pahi-okashta were non-resident cultivators, who belonged to some other village, they worked elsewhere on contractual basis.
People became Pahi-okashta either out of choice or out of compulsion. When terms of revenue in a distant village were more favourable, peasants moved to other village. Hence, both statements are true and statement II is the correct explaination of statement I.

9. Read the following statements carefully and choose the correct option. [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Statement I The Zamindars were an exploitative class in Mughal India.
Statement II The Zamindars often received the support of the peasantry in a large number of agrarian uprisings in North India in the 17th century.

Correct Answer: (b) Both the statements are true, but statement II is not the correct explanation of statement I
Solution:

The Zamindars in Mughal rule was not of much utility due to better ties with neighbouring regions. They defied the Mughals in frequent uprisings, which hastened the decline of Mughal power.
In response, the Mughals tried to strengthen the Jagirdars and therefore, the revenue administration against the local potentates.
In absence of strong centre, the Jagirdars started defying the centre and found alliances with the local potentates further eroding the Mughal power. Hence, both statements are true.

10. Read the following statements carefully and choose the correct option. [Evening Shift-2016 (II)]

Statement I King Ashoka abolished capital punishment and disbanded his army. Statement II After Kalinga War, Ashoka was remorseful and became a Buddhist.

Correct Answer: (d) Statement I is false, but statement II is true
Solution:

After the accession to the throne, Ashoka fought only one major war called the Kalinga War. The war caused great suffering to the Brahmana priests and Buddhist monks. This in turn brought upon Ashoka much grief and remorse.
He therefore abandoned the policy of physical occupation in favour of one of cultural conquest. In other words, Bherighosha was replaced with Dhammaghosha. Statement I is incorrect becuase king Ashoka never disbanded his army.