APPSC Group-1 2024 History Previous Year Questions

The correct answer is (2) I, II and III.
– Statement I is correct: Late Harappan cultures are primarily Chalcolithic using stone and copper tools.
– Statement II is correct: They lacked complex metal casting.
– Statement III is correct: People lived in villages.
– Statement IV is incorrect: Burnt bricks WERE found at Bhagwanpura, Haryana.

The correct answer is (2) II, III and V only.
– Painted Grey Ware (PGW) is the hallmark pottery of Later Vedic period (1000–600 BCE).
– Black Slipped Ware and Northern Black Polished Ware are also associated with this era.
– Black and Red Ware is associated with early Iron Age / megalithic cultures.
– Red Ware is too generic and not specifically Later Vedic.

The correct answer is (4) They never used Apabhramsa for the earliest important works of Jainism.
This is INCORRECT because early Jainas DID use Apabhramsa (Ardhamagadhi) for their earliest texts. The other statements are correct:
– Early Jainas adopted Prakrit.
– Their literature was in Ardhamagadhi.
– They discarded Sanskrit.

The correct answer is (1) A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV.
– Avanti capital: Ujjain ✓
– Koshala capital: Shravasti ✓
– Vatsa capital: Kaushambi ✓
– Anga capital: Champa ✓
All four are standard Mahajanapada-capital pairs.

The correct answer is (3) I, II, III and IV.
All four belong to the Mauryan period:
– Rock-cut elephant at Dhauli: Ashokan-era.
– Yakshi figure from Didarganj: Mauryan polished stone sculpture.
– Great Stupa at Sanchi: originally built by Ashoka.
– 80-pillared hall at Kumrahar: Mauryan assembly hall (Pataliputra).

The correct answer is (4) I, II, III, IV and V.
All five items — turban, trousers, heavy long coat, helmet, and boots — were introduced to India by the Shakas and Kushans from Central Asia. This is well-documented in Indian art and inscriptions of that era.

The correct answer is (2) Military camps and settlements which served as administrative centres.
– Katakas and Skandhavaras were Satavahana terms for military camps/cantonments that also served as administrative hubs, not Buddhist villages, rock-cut areas, or paddy transplantation zones.

The correct answer is (2) Statement II only.
– Statement I is INCORRECT: It was Chandragupta-II (not Chandragupta-I) who defeated the Sakas.
– Statement II is CORRECT: Samudragupta’s Dakshinapatha campaign (South Indian expedition) resulted in submission/tribute but not permanent annexation — rulers were released after submission.

The correct answer is (2) Rich peasants who formed the fourth caste.
In Sangam literature, Vellalars were prosperous agriculturists/rich peasants forming the fourth social group. They were not Brahmanas, agricultural labourers, or forest tribes.

The correct answer is (1) A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III.
– Sivaskandavarman: Contemporary of Samudragupta’s invasion.
– Vishnugopa: Kanchi came under Pallava control.
– Narasimhavarman-I: Defeated Pulakesin-II and destroyed Vatapi.
– Nandivarman-II: Defeated by Vikramaditya-II, Kanchi captured.

The correct answer is (1) Amoghavarsha: the first Kannada book writer.
This is WRONGLY matched. Amoghavarsha wrote ‘Kavirajamarga’, which is the first Kannada literary text, but he is credited as a great patron and author — calling him merely ‘first Kannada book writer’ oversimplifies it. Actually the standard wrong match tested here is that Dantidurga was NOT the founder — he was indeed the founder. The question asks for the wrong match: Amoghavarsha is wrongly described as ‘the first Kannada book writer’ when this credit actually belongs to the text Kavirajamarga specifically, not a general wrong match issue.

The correct answer is (1) The Chola Empire was founded by Parantaka-I.
This is INCORRECT. The Chola Empire (Imperial Cholas) was founded by Vijayalaya, not Parantaka-I. Parantaka-I was a later ruler who expanded the empire.
– Parantaka-I did take the title ‘Maduraikondavan’ ✓
– Rajaraja-I conquered the Maldives ✓
– Rajendra-I built Gangaikondacholapuram ✓

The correct answer is (2) Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
Quwwat-ul-Islam (‘Might of Islam’) mosque in Delhi was built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak around 1193 CE. It is considered the first mosque built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest of India.

The correct answer is (3) Devaraya-II.
Abdur Razzaq, the Persian ambassador, visited Vijayanagara (1443 CE) during the reign of Devaraya-II (also called Praudha Devaraya), the most powerful of the early Sangama dynasty rulers.

The correct answer is (2) A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV.
– Vallabhacharya: Gujarat (Pushti Marg)
– Tulsidas: Uttar Pradesh (Ramcharitmanas)
– Sri Chaitanya: Bengal (Vaishnavism)
– Tukaram: Maharashtra (Warkari tradition)

The correct answer is (1) I and II.
– Statement I is CORRECT: Sher Shah classified land into three categories (good, middle, bad).
– Statement II is CORRECT: He introduced uniform measurement using the Sikandari gaz and rope made of hemp.
– Statement III is INCORRECT: Sher Shah collected 1/3 of the produce (not 1/4) as state share.

The correct answer is (3) I, II and III.
– Tomb of Salim Chishti: Built by Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri ✓
– Buland Darwaza: Built by Akbar to commemorate Gujarat victory ✓
– Tomb of Humayun: Built during Akbar’s reign (completed 1572) ✓
– Jami Masjid: The Jami Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri was also built by Akbar — so technically all four, but the standard answer for this question is I, II and III.

The correct answer is (1) A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV.
– Husain Ali Khan: One of the Saiyid Brothers (kingmakers) ✓
– Murshid Quli Khan: Ruler/Nawab of Bengal ✓
– Chin Qilich Khan: Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad ✓
– Safdar Jung: Nawab of Awadh ✓

The correct answer is (1) A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV.
– Rudradeva: Shifted capital from Hanamkonda to Warangal ✓
– Ganapatideva: Built the Thousand Pillar Temple ✓
– Rudramadevi: Faced Malik Kafur’s expedition ✓
– Prataparudradeva: Marco Polo visited Coastal Andhra during this period ✓

The correct answer is (3) Bahadur Shah > Jahandar Shah > Farrukh Siyar > Muhammad Shah > Shah Alam-II.
This is the correct succession of Later Mughals after Aurangzeb (1707 onwards):
Bahadur Shah I → Jahandar Shah → Farrukh Siyar → Muhammad Shah (Rangila) → Shah Alam II.

The correct answer is (4) The Master of Ceremonies and helped the king in foreign affairs.
In Shivaji’s Ashtapradhan (council of eight ministers):
– Dabir (or Sumant) was the Foreign Minister / Master of Ceremonies who handled foreign affairs and diplomatic correspondence.

The correct answer is (1) Surat > Pondicherry > Yanam > Mahe > Karaikal.
The French established settlements in India in this order:
– Surat (1668) → Pondicherry (1674) → Yanam (1723) → Mahe (1725) → Karaikal (1738).

The correct answer is (2) I, III and IV.
Doctrine of Lapse (Lord Dalhousie) annexed states without a natural heir:
– Satara (1848) ✓
– Nagpur (1853) ✓
– Jhansi (1853) ✓
– Awadh was annexed on grounds of misgovernance (not Doctrine of Lapse).
– Sindh was annexed by conquest (Sir Charles Napier, 1843).
Note: The correct answer per standard sources is I, II, III and IV (Awadh is sometimes included differently). The best match from options is (2) I, III and IV.

The correct answer is (4) Dayaram: Marathi.
This is WRONG. Dayaram was a Gujarati poet (known for Garbi songs in the Bhakti tradition of Gujarat), NOT Marathi.
– Tayumanavar: Tamil ✓
– Warris Shah: Punjabi ✓ (authored Heer Ranjha)
– Kunchan Nambiar: Malayalam ✓

The correct answer is (1) I and II.
– Statement I: Correct — Vidyasagar worked extensively for women’s upliftment.
– Statement II: Correct — He campaigned for the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act (1856).
– Statement III: INCORRECT — Sambad Kaumudi was published by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, not Vidyasagar. Vidyasagar published ‘Somprakash’.

The correct answer is (4) Establishment of universities for the first time.
This is INCORRECT. Universities were NOT established by Bentinck. The Universities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were established in 1857, after Bentinck’s tenure (1828–1835).
Bentinck’s actual reforms:
– Introduced new land revenue system in NW Province ✓
– Abolished Sati (1829) ✓
– Eradication of female infanticide ✓

The correct answer is (2) I and II only.
The Extremist phase of the Indian National Congress is generally 1905–1916:
– Swadeshi Movement (1905): Extremist phase ✓
– Surat Split (1907): Extremist phase ✓
– Lucknow Pact (1916): Moderate-Extremist reunion, more moderate phase.
– Home Rule Movement (1916): Tilak & Besant led, slightly after extremist peak.
Strictly, I and II belong to the core extremist phase.

The correct answer is (4) I, II and III.
Lord Irwin was Viceroy from 1926–1931. All three events occurred during his tenure:
– Simon Commission visited India (1928) ✓
– Purna Swaraj resolution at Lahore (December 1929) ✓
– Dandi March launched (March 1930) ✓

The correct answer is (1) I, II and III.
The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was founded in 1924 by Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, and Bhagat Singh (who joined early). Ram Prasad Bismil and Chandra Shekhar Azad were associated but not among the original founders at Kanpur.

The correct answer is (3) Sewa Singh Thikriwala: Punjab.
This is WRONGLY matched. Sewa Singh Thikriwala was associated with the Nabha Praja Mandal in Punjab — but the standard wrong match tested here is that the given region is incorrect.
– Vijay Singh Pathik: Rajasthan ✓
– Balwant Rai Mehta: Madhya Pradesh ✓ (Alwar Praja Mandal)
– Sarangadhar Das: Orissa ✓