Indian History
#1078
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181. Who was the last Mughal Emperor to sit on the Peacock Throne?
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Muhammad Shah was the last Mughal emperor associated with possession of the Peacock Throne before Nadir Shah captured it during his invasion of Delhi in 1739. Nadir Shah also took the Koh-i-Noor.
#1083
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182. The invasion of Alexander took place in north-west India in 326 B.C. in the period of:
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Alexander invaded north-western India in 326 BCE during the rule of the Nanda dynasty, traditionally identified with Dhanananda. He fought King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes.
#1087
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183. Chandragupta Maurya embraced which religion during the last days of his life?
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According to Jain tradition, Chandragupta Maurya embraced Jainism late in life and went to Shravanabelagola with the Jain teacher Bhadrabahu. He is traditionally said to have undertaken sallekhana there.
#1090
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184. Name the king who invaded Delhi and plundered the Koh-i-Noor Diamond:
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Nadir Shah invaded the Mughal Empire and captured Delhi in 1739. He carried away enormous wealth, including the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor.
#1091
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185. Who among the following foreigners was the first to visit India?
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Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus I Nicator to the court of Chandragupta Maurya. His account, Indica, is an important source for Mauryan India.
#1092
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186. Mangal Pandey fired the first shot of the Revolt of 1857 at:
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Mangal Pandey attacked British officers at Barrackpore on 29 March 1857. The wider uprising began at Meerut on 10 May 1857; Barrackpore is an important immediate prelude.
#1094
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187. Who was the Hindu king shown playing the Veena on ancient coins?
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Samudragupta issued a famous Veena-player type gold coin showing himself playing a stringed instrument. His coins are important evidence of Gupta royal ideology and cultural patronage.
#1096
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188. Who was the first Indian to become a member of the British Parliament?
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Dadabhai Naoroji became the first Indian elected to the British House of Commons in 1892, representing Finsbury Central. He used Parliament to raise Indian economic issues and developed the Drain of Wealth theory.
#1108
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189. Who was the Governor-General of India during the Sepoy Mutiny?
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Lord Canning was Governor-General when the Revolt of 1857 broke out. After the Government of India Act 1858, Company rule ended and Canning became the first Viceroy of India.
#1112
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190. Abhinav Bharat Society of revolutionaries was organized by:
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Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar organized Abhinav Bharat Society in 1904. It evolved from the Mitra Mela and became a revolutionary organization opposed to British rule.
#1116
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191. The ground of the Battle of Plassey is situated in:
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The Battle of Plassey was fought at Plassey in present-day West Bengal on 23 June 1757. Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-daulah, giving the East India Company decisive political influence in Bengal.
#1119
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192. What caused the decline of the Gupta Empire in the 5th century?
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The weakening of the Gupta Empire was accelerated by Huna invasions in the 5th century, along with political fragmentation and the rise of regional powers. Yashodharman of Malwa later defeated the Hunas.
#1120
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193. The first telegraph line between Calcutta and Agra was opened in:
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The first major telegraph line between Calcutta and Agra was opened in 1853 during the administration of Lord Dalhousie. Telegraph communication strengthened administrative and military coordination.
#1141
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194. The Indus-Valley people knew how to write and their script was:
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The Indus/Harappan script remains undeciphered and is commonly described in textbooks as pictographic in appearance. It is distinct from the later Brahmi script and has not been securely deciphered.
#1144
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195. Which of the following characterizes the people of Indus Civilization? 1. Great palaces and temples. 2. Worshipped male and female deities. 3. Employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.
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Only statement 2 is supported by standard textbook evidence. Harappan sites provide evidence of religious symbols and possible male/female deities, but there is no convincing evidence of great palaces/temples or widespread horse-drawn chariots in warfare.
#1148
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196. Who gave the slogan 'Give me blood, I shall give you freedom'?
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Subhas Chandra Bose gave the famous call associated with his leadership of the Indian National Army. It expressed the revolutionary mobilization strategy of the INA during the struggle against British rule.
#1151
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197. Who was the first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress?
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Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman to preside over the Congress at its Kanpur session in 1925. Annie Besant was the first woman Congress president overall, in 1917.
#1157
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198. Who was the founder of Swaraj Party?
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The Swaraj Party was founded in 1923 by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru after the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement. Its strategy was to enter legislative councils and obstruct colonial policies from within.
#1168
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199. What was the most important feature of the Indus Valley Civilization?
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Standardized brick-built construction is a major hallmark of the Indus Civilization. Many cities used standardized baked bricks and displayed planned streets, drainage systems and substantial public structures, showing a high level of urban organization.
#1170
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200. In July 1905, who ordered the Partition of Bengal?
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Lord Curzon announced the Partition of Bengal in July 1905; it came into effect on 16 October 1905. The partition stimulated the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement and was annulled in 1911.
