History MCQs for UPSC Prelims — June 2026

Q1. How many nuclear detonations were carried out under Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti) in May 1998?

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

Q2. Consider the following statements about India's Pokhran nuclear tests: 1. Pokhran-I (1974) was code-named Smiling Buddha. 2. Pokhran-I was officially described by India as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion'. 3. Pokhran-II (1998) consisted of five nuclear detonations. 4. Pokhran-II made India the very first Asian country ever to conduct a nuclear test. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Pokhran-I (1974) was code-named Smiling Buddha.
  2. Pokhran-I was officially described by India as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion'.
  3. Pokhran-II (1998) consisted of five nuclear detonations.
  4. Pokhran-II made India the very first Asian country ever to conduct a nuclear test.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. With reference to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, whose Balidan Diwas falls on 23 June, consider the following statements: 1. He was independent India's first Minister for Industry (Industry and Supply). 2. He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and became its first president. 3. He gave the call 'Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Pradhan' opposing Article 370. 4. He was the first Vice-President of independent India. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. He was independent India's first Minister for Industry (Industry and Supply).
  2. He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and became its first president.
  3. He gave the call 'Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Pradhan' opposing Article 370.
  4. He was the first Vice-President of independent India.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1 only

Q4. According to the Government's commemoration of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, at what age did he found the Bharatiya Jana Sangh?

  • A. 45
  • B. 48
  • C. 50
  • D. 52

Q5. With reference to the recent transfer of Rakhigarhi skeletal remains, the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. The apex national institute for anthropological research in India, functioning under the Ministry of Culture
  • B. The sole statutory authority empowered to conduct all archaeological excavations in India
  • C. A research institute under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs dedicated to tribal welfare schemes
  • D. An autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology overseeing palaeogenomics

Q6. In which one of the following cities was the world's first dedicated Fingerprint Bureau established in 1897?

  • A. London
  • B. Buenos Aires
  • C. Calcutta
  • D. Paris

Q7. With reference to the origin and formation of Left-Wing Extremist organisations in India, consider the following statements: 1. The Naxalbari peasant uprising of 1967 originated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. 2. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) was constituted in 2004 through the merger of the Maoist Communist Centre of India and the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) People's War. 3. The CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation was one of the two constituent parties whose merger formed the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. 4. The CPI (Maoist), along with all its front organisations, has been banned as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 2009. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Naxalbari peasant uprising of 1967 originated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
  2. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) was constituted in 2004 through the merger of the Maoist Communist Centre of India and the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) People's War.
  3. The CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation was one of the two constituent parties whose merger formed the CPI (Maoist) in 2004.
  4. The CPI (Maoist), along with all its front organisations, has been banned as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 2009.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q8. Who among the following is regarded as the principal ideologue of the 1967 Naxalbari peasant uprising in West Bengal, credited with authoring the 'Historic Eight Documents' that became the ideological foundation of the Naxalite movement?

  • A. Kanu Sanyal
  • B. Charu Majumdar
  • C. Jangal Santhal
  • D. Ganapathy

Q9. With reference to the early history of the Census of India, consider the following statements: 1. The first attempt to enumerate the population of India, conducted between 1865 and 1872, took place during the tenure of Viceroy Lord Mayo and was non-synchronous in nature. 2. The first synchronous census of India was conducted on 17 February 1881 under W.C. Plowden, Census Commissioner of India. 3. The decennial tradition of the Indian Census, by which an enumeration is conducted once every ten years, began with the 1872 census and has continued without break ever since. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The first attempt to enumerate the population of India, conducted between 1865 and 1872, took place during the tenure of Viceroy Lord Mayo and was non-synchronous in nature.
  2. The first synchronous census of India was conducted on 17 February 1881 under W.C. Plowden, Census Commissioner of India.
  3. The decennial tradition of the Indian Census, by which an enumeration is conducted once every ten years, began with the 1872 census and has continued without break ever since.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3
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