Indian history is one of the few General Awareness topics where a student with a solid revision system can almost guarantee marks. The questions are factual, the syllabus is finite, and the same facts keep returning in new wording: who founded what, which battle was fought in which year, which reformer started which body. This guide walks through ancient, medieval and modern India, plus art and culture, in the order exam setters tend to ask them.
Every date and name here is a standard, widely accepted one. Where historians still argue (exact dates of early periods, authorship questions, disputed attributions), we have left the item out on purpose. Early dates are marked "c." (circa); learn them as markers, not as exact years.
What exams ask from history and how to use this guide
SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS, RRB NTPC, Group D, bank clerk and PO papers (in their General or Static Awareness sections) and state police constable or SI papers all draw on the same school-level history. Reputable exam-prep coverage notes that questions are mostly direct and factual: rulers, battles, movements, reformers, books, Acts and Congress sessions. The number of history questions in a paper varies by exam, shift and year, so check the latest notification and recent papers for your target exam.
Across these exams, the question types repeat:
- Who did it? Founder, author, builder, ruler, president of a session.
- Where or when? Capital, site, year of a battle, Act, pact or movement.
- Match the following. Person with work, dynasty with monument, reformer with organisation.
- Chronology. Arrange events in order, or pick which came first.
- Statement-based. "Which of the following is correct?" These punish half-knowledge.
Modern history (1757 to 1947) usually carries the most weight because it is the most connected to the Constitution and polity. Ancient and medieval history reward fact-lists. Do not skip any of the three, but spend your first and deepest effort on modern India.
Chapter 1: Indus Valley and the Vedic Age
Indus (Harappan) Civilisation
The mature phase is conventionally placed at around 2600 to 1900 BCE. Harappa (now in Pakistan) was identified in 1921 by Daya Ram Sahni, and Mohenjo-daro in 1922 by R. D. Banerji. The script is still undeciphered, which is why it is a favourite statement-question trap.
| Site | Present location | Remember it for |
|---|---|---|
| Mohenjo-daro | Sindh, Pakistan | Great Bath |
| Harappa | Punjab, Pakistan | The first site discovered; granaries |
| Lothal | Gujarat | Dockyard |
| Dholavira | Gujarat | Three-part city layout, water reservoirs; UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021 |
| Kalibangan | Rajasthan | Fire altars, ploughed field evidence |
| Rakhigarhi | Haryana | One of the largest Indian sites |
| Chanhudaro | Sindh, Pakistan | Craft production, bead-making |
High-yield themes: grid-pattern streets, covered drains, burnt-brick houses, steatite seals, standard weights, trade with Mesopotamia. Mehrgarh (Balochistan) is a pre-Harappan farming site.
Vedic Age
Scholars divide it into the Early (Rigvedic) and Later Vedic periods. The Rig Veda is the oldest text. The four Vedas are Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. The Gayatri Mantra is in the Rig Veda, and the Purusha Sukta (tenth book) is the usual reference for the origin of the four varnas. The "Battle of Ten Kings" (Dasarajna) was fought on the Parushni (Ravi) with Sudas as the winning chief. Assemblies named in the texts include sabha and samiti. "Satyameva Jayate" comes from the Mundaka Upanishad.
How to study: make one page of "sites and what they are known for" and one of "Vedic texts and what they contain". Ancient-history questions here are almost always pure recall.
Chapter 2: Mahajanapadas, Buddhism, Jainism and the Mauryas
Mahajanapadas and early Magadha
Buddhist texts such as the Anguttara Nikaya list sixteen Mahajanapadas, including Magadha, Kosala, Kashi, Anga, Vajji, Malla, Vatsa, Avanti, Gandhara, Kamboja, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Chedi and Assaka. Learn the capitals of the big four:
- Magadha: Rajgir (Girivraja) first, later Pataliputra
- Kosala: Shravasti
- Vatsa: Kaushambi
- Avanti: Ujjain
Vajji (capital Vaishali) was a republic. Magadha rose under the Haryanka line (Bimbisara, then Ajatashatru), followed by the Shishunagas and the Nandas. Alexander fought Porus at the Hydaspes in 326 BCE.
Buddhism and Jainism
- Buddha: born at Lumbini; enlightenment at Bodh Gaya; first sermon at Sarnath (Dhammachakkapravartana); died at Kushinagar (Mahaparinirvana).
- Four Buddhist councils: Rajgir (under Ajatashatru), Vaishali, Pataliputra (under Ashoka), and Kashmir (under Kanishka).
- Mahavira: the 24th Tirthankara; Rishabhanatha was the first and Parshvanath the 23rd.
The Mauryan Empire
Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321 BCE) founded the empire with Chanakya (Kautilya), traditionally credited with the Arthashastra. Megasthenes, the envoy of Seleucus Nicator, wrote Indica. Chandragupta was succeeded by Bindusara, then Ashoka (c. 268 to 232 BCE).
- The Kalinga war is described in Rock Edict XIII; it is the turning point toward Dhamma.
- Most edicts use the Brahmi script; Kharosthi appears in the north-west. James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi in 1837.
- The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is the basis of India's national emblem.
- The Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman mentions the Sudarshana lake, linked to Mauryan times.
- The last Mauryan king, Brihadratha, was killed by his commander Pushyamitra Shunga.
Memory aid: the Magadha order is Haryanka (Bimbisara, Ajatashatru), Shishunaga, Nanda, then Maurya. For the Mauryas, remember the order of names: Chandragupta, Bindusara, Ashoka.
Chapter 3: Post-Mauryan Kingdoms, Guptas and Harsha
After the Mauryas came the Shungas and Kanvas in the north, and the Satavahanas in the Deccan (Gautamiputra Satakarni is the best-known ruler, and Simuka is regarded as the founder). The Kushanas followed in the north-west; Kanishka is associated with the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art and with the Fourth Buddhist Council. Charaka (medicine) and Sushruta (surgery) are linked with this wider period.
The Guptas
| Ruler or figure | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Sri Gupta | Founder of the dynasty |
| Chandragupta I | The Gupta era is dated from c. 319 to 320 CE |
| Samudragupta | Allahabad (Prayagraj) Pillar inscription composed by Harishena; often called the "Napoleon of India" (a label given by the historian V. A. Smith) |
| Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) | Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien (Faxian) visited India in his time; Kalidasa is associated with his court |
| Kumaragupta | Associated with the founding of Nalanda |
| Skandagupta | Faced the Huna invasions |
Other Gupta-era touchpoints: the Iron Pillar at Mehrauli (Delhi), Aryabhata and his Aryabhatiya (499 CE), Varahamihira, the Dashavatara temple at Deogarh, and Vishakhadatta's Mudrarakshasa.
Harsha and the Chalukyas
Harshavardhana (reigned c. 606 to 647 CE) ruled from Thaneswar and Kannauj. Banabhatta wrote the Harshacharita; the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) visited during his reign. Harsha was halted on the Narmada by the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II, whose Aihole inscription was composed by Ravikirti.
Chapter 4: South Indian Dynasties
South India is asked mainly through temples and rulers. Match each dynasty to its signature structure.
| Dynasty | Capital or centre | Signature facts |
|---|---|---|
| Sangam age (Chera, Chola, Pandya) | Tamil country | Tolkappiyam; Silappatikaram by Ilango Adigal; Manimekalai by Sittalai Sattanar |
| Pallavas | Kanchipuram | Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) rock-cut and structural temples; Narasimhavarman I "Mamalla"; Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi |
| Chalukyas of Badami | Vatapi (Badami) | Pulakeshin II; Aihole and Pattadakal temples |
| Rashtrakutas | Manyakheta | Kailasa temple at Ellora; Amoghavarsha |
| Cholas | Thanjavur | Rajaraja I built the Brihadeeswara temple (completed 1010); Rajendra I founded Gangaikonda Cholapuram; Uttaramerur inscriptions on village assemblies |
| Vijayanagara | Hampi | Founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka; Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada; defeated at Talikota in 1565 |
The Bahmani kingdom was founded in 1347 (Alauddin Bahman Shah). Pala rulers of Bengal and Bihar are linked with Nalanda and Vikramashila. The Chandelas built the Khajuraho temples. Mahmud of Ghazni attacked Somnath in 1025, and his scholar Al-Biruni wrote Kitab-ul-Hind.
How to study: one table, dynasty versus capital versus monument versus ruler. Revise it every weekend.
Chapter 5: The Delhi Sultanate
The sultanate (1206 to 1526) had five dynasties. Memory aid: "Slaves Keep Taking Sweet Laddoos" for Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi.
| Dynasty and ruler | What gets asked |
|---|---|
| Slave: Qutbuddin Aibak | Founded the sultanate in 1206; began Qutub Minar; Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque |
| Slave: Iltutmish | Completed Qutub Minar; introduced the silver tanka and copper jital; got recognition from the Abbasid caliph in 1229 |
| Slave: Razia | The first woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate (1236 to 1240) |
| Slave: Balban | Theory of kingship; sijda and paibos court customs |
| Khalji: Alauddin | Reigned 1296 to 1316; market control and price regulation; Siri; Alai Darwaza; Malik Kafur's southern campaigns |
| Tughlaq: Muhammad bin Tughlaq | Reigned 1325 to 1351; shifted capital to Daulatabad; token currency; Ibn Battuta visited |
| Tughlaq: Firoz Shah | Canals, Firozabad, Diwan-i-Khairat; moved Ashokan pillars to Delhi |
| Sayyid and Lodi | Khizr Khan (Sayyid, 1414); Bahlol Lodi (1451); Sikandar Lodi developed Agra; Ibrahim Lodi lost in 1526 |
Timur invaded in 1398. Amir Khusrau, the poet, is a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, and Barani wrote the Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi. The Sultanate period shaped Indo-Islamic architecture: arches, domes and minarets alongside local craft.
Chapter 6: The Mughals, Marathas and Sikhs
Mughals: the ruler-by-ruler sheet
| Ruler | High-yield facts |
|---|---|
| Babur | First Battle of Panipat (1526) against Ibrahim Lodi; Khanwa (1527) against Rana Sanga; wrote the Baburnama; died 1530 |
| Humayun | Lost to Sher Shah at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540); regained Delhi in 1555 |
| Sher Shah Suri | Sur dynasty; land measurement and revenue system; silver rupiya; Grand Trunk Road; Sasaram tomb |
| Akbar (1556 to 1605) | Second Panipat (1556); Mansabdari system; Todar Mal's revenue work; Haldighati (1576); Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri; Din-i-Ilahi (1582); Sulh-i-kul; Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari by Abul Fazl |
| Jahangir | Chain of justice; flourishing painting, with Ustad Mansur known for animal and bird studies |
| Shah Jahan | Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jama Masjid at Delhi; Peacock Throne |
| Aurangzeb | Reigned 1658 to 1707; reimposed jizya (1679); long Deccan campaigns; Bibi ka Maqbara |
Later events: Nadir Shah's invasion (1739), the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) against Ahmad Shah Abdali, and Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, who was exiled to Rangoon after 1857.
Marathas
Shivaji was born at Shivneri in 1630 and was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad in 1674. He signed the Treaty of Purandar (1665) with the Mughals. His administration featured the Ashtapradhan council and the taxes chauth and sardeshmukhi. Later power passed to the Peshwas, beginning with Balaji Vishwanath. The Marathas lost the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. Three Anglo-Maratha wars followed: the Treaty of Salbai (1782) ended the first, the Treaty of Bassein (1802) preceded the second, and the third ended with the Peshwa's defeat in 1818.
Sikhs
Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, who formed the Khalsa in 1699. Guru Arjan Dev compiled the Adi Granth (1604) and Guru Ram Das founded Amritsar. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in 1675. Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed the Treaty of Amritsar with the British in 1809 and died in 1839; Punjab was annexed after the second Anglo-Sikh war in 1849.
Chapter 7: Bhakti and Sufi Movements
These two movements are asked as "saint, region, work". Learn them as a pair of tables.
| Saint or acharya | Link to remember |
|---|---|
| Alvars and Nayanars | Tamil devotional poets of Vishnu and Shiva respectively |
| Shankaracharya | Advaita |
| Ramanuja | Vishishtadvaita |
| Madhvacharya | Dvaita |
| Basavanna | Lingayat (Virashaiva) tradition in Karnataka |
| Jnaneshwar | Jnaneshwari, Marathi commentary on the Gita |
| Kabir | Verses compiled in the Bijak |
| Guru Nanak | Founder of Sikhism |
| Chaitanya | Krishna devotion in Bengal |
| Surdas | Sur Sagar |
| Tulsidas | Ramcharitmanas, in Awadhi |
| Mirabai | Devotional songs to Krishna |
| Tukaram | Marathi abhangs; Varkari tradition |
| Shankaradeva | Bhakti movement in Assam |
Sufi orders: the Chishti order is the most asked. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer), Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Baba Farid and Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi) belong here. Bahauddin Zakariya of Multan is associated with the Suhrawardi order. Sufi centres were called khanqahs.
Chapter 8: British Expansion and the Revolt of 1857
Arrival and conquest
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1498 | Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut |
| 1510 | Albuquerque captures Goa |
| 1600 | East India Company chartered in England |
| 1757 | Plassey (Clive versus Siraj-ud-Daulah) |
| 1764 | Buxar, followed by the 1765 grant of diwani to the Company |
| 1793 | Permanent Settlement under Cornwallis |
| 1799 | Fall of Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam |
| 1848 to 1856 | Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse (Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur) |
| 1853 | First passenger railway, Bombay to Thane |
Key Acts: the Regulating Act (1773) created the post of Governor-General of Bengal; the Charter Act of 1833 made William Bentinck the first Governor-General of India. Wellesley's subsidiary alliance and Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse are also standard questions.
The Revolt of 1857
It began at Meerut on 10 May 1857, shortly after the Barrackpore incident involving Mangal Pandey in March. The immediate spark was the greased cartridge of the Enfield rifle. Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed leader at Delhi.
| Centre | Leader |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah Zafar |
| Kanpur | Nana Sahib (with Tatya Tope) |
| Lucknow | Begum Hazrat Mahal |
| Jhansi | Rani Lakshmibai |
| Bihar (Jagdishpur) | Kunwar Singh |
Aftermath: the Government of India Act 1858 ended Company rule; Queen Victoria's Proclamation was read on 1 November 1858; Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of India. Earlier tribal and peasant risings that appear in exams include the Santhal rebellion (1855) and Birsa Munda's Ulgulan (1899 to 1900).
Chapter 9: Social and Religious Reform
| Reformer | Organisation or work |
|---|---|
| Raja Ram Mohan Roy | Brahmo Sabha (1828), later Brahmo Samaj; campaigned against sati (outlawed in 1829 under Bentinck) |
| Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar | Widow remarriage; the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 |
| Dayananda Saraswati | Arya Samaj (1875, Bombay); Satyarth Prakash |
| Swami Vivekananda | Ramakrishna Mission (1897); Chicago address, 1893 |
| Atmaram Pandurang and M. G. Ranade | Prarthana Samaj (1867) |
| Jyotiba Phule | Satyashodhak Samaj (1873); Savitribai Phule opened a girls' school in Pune in 1848 |
| Sir Syed Ahmad Khan | Aligarh movement; Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College (1875) |
| Annie Besant | Theosophical Society's Indian work (Adyar); Home Rule League (1916) |
| Narayana Guru | SNDP Yogam (1903), Kerala |
| B. R. Ambedkar | Mahad Satyagraha (1927); Poona Pact (1932) |
The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by Blavatsky and Olcott. Macaulay's Minute (1835) and Wood's Despatch (1854) are the education landmarks.
Chapter 10: Congress Phases and Gandhian Movements
Three phases
- Moderate phase (1885 to 1905): petitions, prayers, protests. Dadabhai Naoroji, Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta.
- Extremist phase (1905 onward): Lal-Bal-Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal); Swadeshi and boycott after Curzon's Partition of Bengal (16 October 1905).
- Gandhian phase (1915 onward): mass movements.
The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885 in Bombay with A. O. Hume as the organiser and W. C. Bonnerjee as the first president. The Muslim League was formed at Dacca in 1906. The Congress split at Surat in 1907. The Lucknow Pact (1916) united Congress and the League. The 1911 Delhi Durbar annulled the Bengal partition and announced the shift of the capital to Delhi.
Gandhian milestones
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1917 | Champaran (indigo) |
| 1918 | Ahmedabad mill strike and Kheda |
| 1919 | Rowlatt Satyagraha; Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April, Amritsar (General Dyer) |
| 1920 to 1922 | Non-Cooperation and Khilafat; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura (4 February 1922) |
| 1928 | Bardoli satyagraha (Vallabhbhai Patel); Simon Commission boycott |
| 1929 | Lahore session under Nehru declares Purna Swaraj |
| 1930 | Dandi March (12 March to 6 April) and Civil Disobedience |
| 1931 | Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March); Karachi session (Patel presiding) |
| 1932 | Communal Award; Poona Pact |
| 1935 | Government of India Act: provincial autonomy |
| 1940 | Individual satyagraha (Vinoba Bhave first); League's Lahore resolution |
| 1942 | Cripps Mission (March); Quit India launched on 8 August in Bombay |
First-time facts about sessions are exam favourites: Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim president (1887), Annie Besant the first woman president (1917), and Sarojini Naidu the first Indian woman president (1925). Dadabhai Naoroji presided three times (1886, 1893, 1906). Gandhi presided over only one session, at Belgaum in 1924.
Chapter 11: Revolutionaries, the INA, Partition and Independence
Revolutionary movements
- Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki: Muzaffarpur bomb attempt, 1908.
- Madan Lal Dhingra: killed Curzon Wyllie in London, 1909.
- Ghadar Party: founded in 1913 in San Francisco; Lala Har Dayal is associated with it.
- Kakori train action (9 August 1925): Hindustan Republican Association; Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were among those hanged.
- HSRA and Bhagat Singh: Central Assembly bomb on 8 April 1929 (Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt); Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on 23 March 1931. Chandrashekhar Azad died at Alfred Park, Allahabad, on 27 February 1931.
- Surya Sen: Chittagong armoury raid, 1930.
- Udham Singh: shot Michael O'Dwyer in London, 1940.
The final phase
Subhas Chandra Bose took over the Indian National Army in Southeast Asia in 1943 and formed the Azad Hind Government on 21 October 1943. The INA trials at the Red Fort followed in 1945. The Cabinet Mission arrived in 1946. The Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946 and Rajendra Prasad became its president. Prime Minister Attlee's February 1947 statement set a deadline; Mountbatten's plan was announced on 3 June 1947; the Indian Independence Act passed in July; India and Pakistan became independent on 15 August 1947. The boundary was drawn by Cyril Radcliffe. Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948. The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. Sardar Patel, assisted by V. P. Menon, led the integration of the princely states.
Chapter 12: Art and Culture Touchpoints
Art and culture questions are really history questions in disguise. Use this checklist.
- Stupas: Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati.
- Cave sites: Ajanta (Buddhist paintings, Maharashtra), Ellora (Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves, including the Kailasa temple), Barabar (Ashokan period).
- Schools of sculpture: Gandhara, Mathura, Amaravati.
- Temple styles: Nagara (north), Dravida (south), Vesara (Deccan blend).
- Temples to know: Brihadeeswara (Thanjavur), Khajuraho, Konark Sun Temple, Hampi's Vittala temple.
- Indo-Islamic: Qutub Minar, Alai Darwaza, Humayun's Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal, Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, Charminar at Hyderabad.
- Literature: Kalidasa (Abhijnanashakuntalam), Banabhatta (Harshacharita), Kalhana (Rajatarangini, on Kashmir), Jayadeva (Gita Govinda), Abul Fazl (Akbarnama).
- Foreign visitors: Megasthenes, Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang, Al-Biruni, Ibn Battuta, Abdur Razzak, Bernier.
Memory aids, study plan and common traps
Memory aids that work
- Timeline ladder. Write 15 anchor dates on one sheet: 1206, 1398, 1526, 1556, 1576, 1757, 1764, 1857, 1885, 1905, 1919, 1930, 1942, 1947, 1950. Everything else hangs from these.
- Stories, not lists. Learn modern history as cause and effect: Curzon's partition leads to Swadeshi, which leads to the Surat split.
- Pair tables. Person with work, dynasty with monument, saint with region.
- Odd-one-out drills. Make your own four-option sets from your notes.
A six-week plan (a planning suggestion)
- Week 1: Indus, Vedic, Mahajanapadas, Mauryas.
- Week 2: Guptas, Harsha, South Indian dynasties.
- Week 3: Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Marathas, Bhakti and Sufi.
- Week 4: British expansion, 1857, social reform.
- Week 5: Congress phases, Gandhi, revolutionaries, independence.
- Week 6: Art and culture, full revision, and only PYQs from then on.
After each chapter, attempt 20 questions without notes, then re-read only what you got wrong. Revise each period again after seven days and after thirty days.
Common traps
- Confusing the first Governor-General of Bengal (Warren Hastings, under the 1773 Act) with the first Governor-General of India (Bentinck, 1833) and the first Viceroy (Canning).
- Mixing the three Panipat battles: 1526, 1556, 1761.
- Swapping Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), or the two Tarain battles (1191 and 1192).
- Assuming Ashoka's edicts are all in one script.
- Mixing up Poona Pact (1932, with Ambedkar) and Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931).
- Attributing Quit India to 1940 or 1941; it was 1942.
30 PYQ-style practice questions with answers
These are practice questions written in the style of past papers; they are not actual exam questions. Cover the answers and try each one.
- The Great Bath was found at: (a) Harappa (b) Mohenjo-daro (c) Lothal (d) Kalibangan. Answer: (b)
- Which Indus site is known for its dockyard? (a) Dholavira (b) Rakhigarhi (c) Lothal (d) Chanhudaro. Answer: (c)
- The Gayatri Mantra appears in which Veda? (a) Sama (b) Rig (c) Yajur (d) Atharva. Answer: (b)
- Buddha delivered his first sermon at: (a) Lumbini (b) Bodh Gaya (c) Sarnath (d) Kushinagar. Answer: (c)
- The Third Buddhist Council was held under which ruler? (a) Ajatashatru (b) Ashoka (c) Kanishka (d) Harsha. Answer: (b)
- Arthashastra is traditionally attributed to: (a) Megasthenes (b) Banabhatta (c) Kautilya (d) Kalidasa. Answer: (c)
- The Allahabad Pillar inscription was composed by: (a) Harishena (b) Ravikirti (c) Banabhatta (d) Vishakhadatta. Answer: (a)
- Which Chinese pilgrim visited India during Chandragupta II's time? (a) Hiuen Tsang (b) Fa-Hien (c) I-tsing (d) Marco Polo. Answer: (b)
- The Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur was built by: (a) Rajaraja I (b) Narasimhavarman I (c) Krishna I (d) Pulakeshin II. Answer: (a)
- Who founded the Delhi Sultanate in 1206? (a) Iltutmish (b) Balban (c) Qutbuddin Aibak (d) Alauddin Khalji. Answer: (c)
- Market control and price regulation are associated with: (a) Balban (b) Alauddin Khalji (c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq (d) Sikandar Lodi. Answer: (b)
- Ibn Battuta visited India during the reign of: (a) Iltutmish (b) Muhammad bin Tughlaq (c) Akbar (d) Alauddin Khalji. Answer: (b)
- The First Battle of Panipat (1526) was fought between: (a) Akbar and Hemu (b) Babur and Ibrahim Lodi (c) Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas (d) Humayun and Sher Shah. Answer: (b)
- Din-i-Ilahi was promulgated by: (a) Jahangir (b) Akbar (c) Shah Jahan (d) Aurangzeb. Answer: (b)
- Akbarnama was written by: (a) Abul Fazl (b) Barani (c) Babur (d) Amir Khusrau. Answer: (a)
- Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad in: (a) 1630 (b) 1665 (c) 1674 (d) 1680. Answer: (c)
- Who compiled the Adi Granth in 1604? (a) Guru Nanak (b) Guru Arjan Dev (c) Guru Gobind Singh (d) Guru Ram Das. Answer: (b)
- Ramcharitmanas was composed by: (a) Surdas (b) Kabir (c) Tulsidas (d) Mirabai. Answer: (c)
- Amir Khusrau was a disciple of: (a) Baba Farid (b) Nizamuddin Auliya (c) Moinuddin Chishti (d) Bahauddin Zakariya. Answer: (b)
- The Battle of Plassey was fought in: (a) 1757 (b) 1764 (c) 1799 (d) 1857. Answer: (a)
- First Viceroy of India: (a) Warren Hastings (b) William Bentinck (c) Lord Canning (d) Lord Dalhousie. Answer: (c)
- The Doctrine of Lapse is associated with: (a) Wellesley (b) Dalhousie (c) Cornwallis (d) Curzon. Answer: (b)
- Brahmo Sabha (1828) was founded by: (a) Dayananda Saraswati (b) Keshab Chandra Sen (c) Raja Ram Mohan Roy (d) Vivekananda. Answer: (c)
- Arya Samaj was founded in: (a) 1828 (b) 1875 (c) 1897 (d) 1905. Answer: (b)
- The first president of the Indian National Congress was: (a) A. O. Hume (b) Dadabhai Naoroji (c) W. C. Bonnerjee (d) Badruddin Tyabji. Answer: (c)
- The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in: (a) 1915 (b) 1919 (c) 1922 (d) 1930. Answer: (b)
- Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement after which incident? (a) Kakori (b) Chauri Chaura (c) Bardoli (d) Dandi. Answer: (b)
- The Poona Pact (1932) was signed between: (a) Gandhi and Irwin (b) Gandhi and Ambedkar (leaders for the depressed classes) (c) Nehru and Jinnah (d) Tilak and Jinnah. Answer: (b)
- The Quit India Movement was launched on 8 August of: (a) 1930 (b) 1940 (c) 1942 (d) 1946. Answer: (c)
FAQs
Which history topics are most important for SSC and railway exams? Modern history (1857, reformers, Congress sessions, Gandhian movements, Acts), then the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate, then Mauryas and Guptas. Check recent papers for your own exam.
How many dates should I memorise? A core of about 40 dates is enough for most questions. Anchor them to stories and fill gaps by chronology.
Should I read NCERT books? NCERT school history books give clean, error-free basics and are a sound base. Use a compact summary or your own notes for revision.
Is ancient history worth the time? Yes, but in short bursts. It is fact-heavy and easy to revise using the tables above.
How do I avoid mixing up similar names? Make odd-one-out sets and pair tables, and revise them by writing, not just reading.
Are battles and years asked directly? Often. Keep a one-page battle sheet: Tarain, Panipat I to III, Haldighati, Plassey, Buxar.
Do banking and police exams ask the same history? They rely on the same school-level history, usually at a similar factual depth. Check the syllabus in your latest notification.
What if the exam asks about a fact not in my notes? Eliminate options using period and region logic. Most wrong options come from a different era.
How often should I revise? After one day, one week and one month. Then do a short mixed quiz every weekend.
Can I trust every date in coaching notes? Not always. Early dates vary between sources, so rely on standard textbooks and flag anything that two sources report differently.
History rewards steady revision, and the final step is practice under time pressure. Attempt full-length mocks and sectional tests on Pareeksha, review every wrong answer, and add it to your own list of traps.
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