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?
- Pokhran-I (1974) was code-named Smiling Buddha.
- Pokhran-I was officially described by India as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion'.
- Pokhran-II (1998) consisted of five nuclear detonations.
- 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?
- He was independent India's first Minister for Industry (Industry and Supply).
- He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and became its first president.
- He gave the call 'Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Pradhan' opposing Article 370.
- 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?
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. Which one of the following lodes/mines of the Kolar Gold Fields was the deepest, reaching about 3,200 metres below sea level?
- A. Champion
- B. Oorgaum
- C. Nundydroog
- D. Mysore
Q7. 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
Q8. 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?
- The Naxalbari peasant uprising of 1967 originated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
- 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.
- The CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation was one of the two constituent parties whose merger formed the CPI (Maoist) in 2004.
- 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
Q9. 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
Q10. 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?
- 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.
- The first synchronous census of India was conducted on 17 February 1881 under W.C. Plowden, Census Commissioner of India.
- 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
Q11. In the 2025-26 commemorations of Birsa Munda, the term 'Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh' refers precisely to which one of the following?
- A. The year-long observance marking the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda
- B. The single day, 15 November, observed as Tribal Pride Day
- C. A one-time museum exhibition held at Ranchi on his death anniversary
- D. The annual observance of his death anniversary on 9 June
Q12. With reference to the geographical and community context of Birsa Munda, consider the following statements:
1. The Chotanagpur Plateau lies primarily in the present-day State of Jharkhand.
2. The Munda are an Austroasiatic-language-speaking tribal group found exclusively within Jharkhand.
3. Birsa Munda's birthplace, Ulihatu, is located in present-day Jharkhand.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Chotanagpur Plateau lies primarily in the present-day State of Jharkhand.
- The Munda are an Austroasiatic-language-speaking tribal group found exclusively within Jharkhand.
- Birsa Munda's birthplace, Ulihatu, is located in present-day Jharkhand.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q13. Among the following tribal agitations of the Chotanagpur region, which one was the earliest major uprising?
- A. Kol Revolt (1831-32)
- B. Sardari Larai (1880s)
- C. Ulgulan (1899-1900)
- D. Santhal Rebellion (1855)
Q14. With reference to the Sardari Larai and Birsa Munda's Ulgulan, consider the following statements:
1. The Sardari Larai was a non-violent, petition-based agitation, whereas the Ulgulan was an armed uprising.
2. The Sardari Larai broke out after the Ulgulan had been suppressed.
3. Both movements arose in the Chotanagpur region among the Munda tribals.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Sardari Larai was a non-violent, petition-based agitation, whereas the Ulgulan was an armed uprising.
- The Sardari Larai broke out after the Ulgulan had been suppressed.
- Both movements arose in the Chotanagpur region among the Munda tribals.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q15. In the context of the commemoration of Birsa Munda, the honorific title 'Dharti Aaba' precisely means which one of the following?
- A. Father of the Earth
- B. Great Tumult
- C. Lord of the Forest
- D. King of the Mundas
Q16. Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, observed on 15 November to commemorate Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, was instituted by the Government of India in which year?
- A. 2015
- B. 2019
- C. 2021
- D. 2023
Q17. The prohibition on the alienation of tribal land to non-tribals in Chotanagpur, prompted by the Ulgulan, was placed on the statute book in which year?
- A. 1900
- B. 1908
- C. 1912
- D. 1885
Q18. Which one of the following is regarded as the principal legislative legacy of the Ulgulan, being the landmark colonial law that first prohibited the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals in the Chotanagpur region?
- A. Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908
- B. Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act, 1949
- C. Forest Rights Act, 2006
- D. Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
Q19. The Birsait faith founded by Birsa Munda is described as monotheistic, centred on a single supreme creator revered as Dharti Aaba. How many supreme deities does it accordingly recognise?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Thirty-three
Q20. The year-long Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh commemorations honouring Birsa Munda's legacy as a religious and social reformer are implemented by which one of the following Union ministries?
- A. Ministry of Minority Affairs
- B. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
- C. Ministry of Education
- D. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Q21. The setting up of dedicated museums commemorating the tribal freedom struggles such as Birsa Munda's Ulgulan is operationalised by which one of the following Union ministries?
- A. Ministry of Culture
- B. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
- C. Ministry of Home Affairs
- D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Q22. Within the present United Nations system, which body is the direct institutional successor of the League of Nations Opium Advisory Committee and serves as the central policy-making organ on international drug control?
- A. International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
- B. UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
- C. UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- D. WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence
Q23. Consider the following statements comparing the League of Nations Opium Advisory Committee (OAC) with its successor, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND):
1. While the OAC was constituted under the League of Nations, the CND functions as a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
2. The CND was established in 1946 by an ECOSOC resolution and assumed the drug-control functions of the OAC.
3. The import-certificate system for controlling the international movement of narcotic drugs was first introduced by the CND.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- While the OAC was constituted under the League of Nations, the CND functions as a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
- The CND was established in 1946 by an ECOSOC resolution and assumed the drug-control functions of the OAC.
- The import-certificate system for controlling the international movement of narcotic drugs was first introduced by the CND.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q24. As constituted at its first session in Geneva in May 1921, the League of Nations Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs had how many founding member states (excluding non-voting assessors)?
- A. Six
- B. Seven
- C. Eight
- D. Ten
Q25. In the context of the historic red-and-purple dye trade, the expression 'born in the purple' (Porphyrogenitus) originally referred to which of the following?
- A. Imperial lineage signified by Tyrian purple robes — a dye reserved by Roman/Byzantine law for the ruling family
- B. A Spanish colonial title given to heirs born in viceregal Mexico where cochineal was produced
- C. The crimson cochineal-dyed cloak worn by British army officers commissioned during the Napoleonic Wars
- D. A medieval European guild rank awarded only to master dyers who could produce madder-based reds
Q26. Which one of the following was the first commercially manufactured synthetic organic dye, triggering the coal-tar dye revolution in 19th-century Europe?
- A. Mauveine
- B. Synthetic alizarin
- C. Synthetic indigo
- D. Magenta (fuchsine)
Q27. Consider the following items historically traded as dye sources across empires:
1. Cochineal — a scale insect raised on prickly-pear cactus in Mesoamerica
2. Kermes — a scale insect of the Mediterranean used before cochineal
3. Madder — a plant whose roots yield the colourant alizarin
4. Woad — a plant whose leaves yield a natural red colourant
Which of the above are correctly identified as natural sources of RED (crimson/scarlet) dye?
- Cochineal — a scale insect raised on prickly-pear cactus in Mesoamerica
- Kermes — a scale insect of the Mediterranean used before cochineal
- Madder — a plant whose roots yield the colourant alizarin
- Woad — a plant whose leaves yield a natural red colourant
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q28. Which Spanish colonial institution operationalised and monopolised the trans-Atlantic cochineal trade from Mexico to Europe in the 16th–17th centuries?
- A. Casa de Contratación
- B. Consejo de Indias
- C. Real Audiencia
- D. Cámara de Castilla
Q29. Under whose mentorship at the Royal College of Chemistry, London, did William Henry Perkin accidentally synthesise mauveine — the first commercial synthetic dye — in 1856?
- A. August Wilhelm von Hofmann
- B. Justus von Liebig
- C. Friedrich Wöhler
- D. Robert Wilhelm Bunsen