History MCQs for UPSC Prelims — March 2026

Q1. With reference to the history of the Census in India, consider the following statements: 1. The first census operations of 1872 were conducted non-synchronously. 2. The first synchronous census of India was conducted in 1881 under Lord Ripon. 3. Census 2027 will be the 16th census in the Indian census series. 4. The Census of 2021 was conducted on schedule, and digital enumeration was introduced only with Census 2027. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The first census operations of 1872 were conducted non-synchronously.
  2. The first synchronous census of India was conducted in 1881 under Lord Ripon.
  3. Census 2027 will be the 16th census in the Indian census series.
  4. The Census of 2021 was conducted on schedule, and digital enumeration was introduced only with Census 2027.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q2. India's first synchronous census, conducted in 1881, was carried out during the viceroyalty of which one of the following?

  • A. Lord Ripon
  • B. Lord Mayo
  • C. Lord Dufferin
  • D. Lord Curzon

Q3. The Acworth Committee (1920-21) is best known in Indian railway finance for recommending which one of the following?

  • A. Separation of railway finances from the general finances of the government
  • B. Full nationalisation of all private railway companies in 1951
  • C. Merger of the Railway Budget with the Union Budget
  • D. Introduction of the 5% Guarantee System for private railway companies

Q4. With reference to milestones in the development of Indian railways, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's first passenger train ran in 1853 between Bombay (Boribunder) and Thane.
  2. The first passenger train was operated by the East Indian Railway.
  3. On Independence in 1947, 42 separate railway systems were integrated, with full nationalisation under a unified administration following in 1951.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. In the context of colonial Indian railways, which one of the following best describes the 'Guarantee System'?

  • A. A system under which the Crown guaranteed private railway companies a fixed return of about 5% on their invested capital
  • B. A system guaranteeing fixed freight rates to Indian merchants using the railways
  • C. A system under which the colonial state guaranteed employment to Indians on railway construction
  • D. A system guaranteeing the British Treasury a fixed dividend on the Consolidated Fund of India

Q6. With reference to colonial railway finances in India, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Under the Guarantee System, private railway companies were guaranteed a 5% return by the Crown.
  2. The net profit of Indian State Railways in 1925-26 was about £6.5 million.
  3. Of the 1925-26 profit, about £4 million was contributed to the British Indian general revenue.
  4. The Guarantee System extended its guaranteed return only to Indian-owned private railway companies.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. Hyperinflation under Isabel Perón's government, a key trigger of the instability preceding the 1976 coup, is estimated to have approached approximately what annual rate?

  • A. 45 per cent
  • B. 150 per cent
  • C. 450 per cent
  • D. 1,200 per cent

Q8. Operation Condor, the coordinated campaign of repression among South American dictatorships, was implemented by how many participating countries?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Six
  • D. Nine

Q9. ESMA, the principal clandestine detention centre of the Dirty War and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was operated by which branch of the Argentine armed forces?

  • A. Navy
  • B. Army
  • C. Air Force
  • D. Gendarmerie

Q10. Perón's 'Third Position' positioned Justicialismo as a path between how many rival economic-political systems?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q11. Following the March 1976 coup, the head of the junta who was installed as President of Argentina was drawn from which branch of the armed forces?

  • A. Army
  • B. Navy
  • C. Air Force
  • D. Federal Police

Q12. Isabel Martínez de Perón held the office of President of Argentina for a period closest to:

  • A. 9 months
  • B. 20 months
  • C. 3 years
  • D. 5 years

Q13. Consider the following statements about events and outcomes during the Tanker War phase (1984–1988) of the Iran-Iraq War. Which of the above is NOT correct?

  1. Iraq stepped up air attacks specifically targeting Kharg Island from 1984 onward.
  2. Iran shifted its crude oil export operations to alternative loading facilities at Lavan Island and Sirri Island during the conflict.
  3. The Tanker War phase involved attacks on more than 100 oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
  4. The United States and Western European nations never provided any form of naval protection to oil tankers transiting the Persian Gulf during the Tanker War.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q14. In the context of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), the term 'Tanker War' most precisely refers to which of the following?

  • A. Iraq's land-based campaign using long-range artillery to destroy Iran's oil fields in Khuzestan province
  • B. The maritime phase (1984–1988) during which both sides launched attacks on more than 100 oil tankers in the Persian Gulf
  • C. A covert US naval operation to escort Iranian oil tankers through the Gulf and prevent Soviet interference
  • D. Iran's naval blockade of Iraq's Basra port aimed at halting Iraqi crude exports

Q15. The Imperial War Graves Commission, the predecessor of the present Commonwealth War Graves Commission, was constituted in 1917 under which one of the following instruments?

  • A. An Act of the United Kingdom Parliament
  • B. A Royal Charter
  • C. The Treaty of Versailles
  • D. An Order in Council of the Imperial War Cabinet

Q16. With reference to the history of census-taking in India, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The first synchronous census in India was conducted in 1881.
  2. A non-simultaneous modern census exercise was carried out in India between 1865 and 1872, before the first synchronous census.
  3. Caste data was last comprehensively collected in the 1951 Census.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q17. With reference to the origins and United Nations adoption of International Women's Day, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The UN began marking 8 March as International Women's Day during International Women's Year in 1975.
  2. International Women's Day originated from early twentieth-century labour movements in North America and Europe.
  3. In 1911, International Women's Day was first observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
  4. The UN General Assembly first proclaimed a Day for Women's Rights and International Peace through a resolution adopted in 1945.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4

Q18. With reference to the historical evolution and United Nations recognition of International Women's Day, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States in honour of the 1908 New York garment workers' strike.
  2. The 1910 Socialist International conference that proposed an international Women's Day was held in Copenhagen.
  3. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a Day for Women's Rights and International Peace in 1977.
  4. International Women's Day was first marked internationally on 8 March 1911.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q19. Regarding the interwar gold exchange standard and the Genoa Conference of 1922, which of the following is NOT correct?

  1. The Genoa Conference of 1922 recommended that most central banks adopt a gold exchange standard.
  2. Under the gold exchange standard, central banks could hold reserves in both gold and foreign exchange.
  3. The arrangement was intended to economise on scarce monetary gold.
  4. The Genoa Conference recommended abandoning fixed exchange rates in favour of freely floating currencies.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4

Q20. The suspension of the pound's gold convertibility in 1931 was operationally carried out through which institution that held the nation's gold reserves?

  • A. Bank of England
  • B. Board of Trade
  • C. Royal Mint
  • D. International Monetary Fund

Q21. With reference to Britain's 1931 departure from the gold standard compared with earlier episodes, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Britain suspended gold convertibility in 1931, as it had earlier suspended convertibility in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War.
  2. The 1931 sterling crisis was triggered partly by the May 1931 failure of Austria's Creditanstalt bank.
  3. After leaving gold in 1931 the pound appreciated and British output continued to fall.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q22. The General Strike, precipitated partly by the deflation flowing from Britain's overvalued pound, took place in which year?

  • A. 1921
  • B. 1925
  • C. 1926
  • D. 1931

Q23. Which of the following is NOT a correct feature of Britain's 1925 return to the gold standard?

  1. The pound was fixed at its pre-war parity of $4.86.
  2. Winston Churchill was the Chancellor of the Exchequer responsible.
  3. The gold backing was held in the Issue Department of the Bank of England.
  4. It introduced a freely floating exchange rate for the pound.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 4

Q24. With reference to Britain's return to the gold standard in 1925, which of the following are correctly identified?

  1. It restored the pound at the pre-war parity of £1 = $4.86.
  2. Winston Churchill, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the measure.
  3. Britain first adopted the gold standard only in the 1870s, alongside Germany and France.
  4. The gold backing the pound was held in the Issue Department of the Bank of England.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4