APPSC Group 2 · Prelims · Topic 2
2 APPSC Group 2 Modern India questions with answers
39 questions from APPSC G2 Prelims Mock 1 with answers and APPSC G2 Screening Test 2024 question paper with answers and APPSC G2 Mains Paper I 2025 question paper with answers. Try each one, then tap Show answer.
Previous-paper questions are as in the original paper. Medha AI wrote the answers and explanations.
2.10National movement 1885-1919Notes
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V.O. Chidambaram Pillai started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 at:
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Answer C. Tuticorin
V.O. Chidambaram Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company at Tuticorin to compete with British shipping.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.30
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Bal Gangadhar Tilak published 'Kesari' in Marathi. Which paper did he publish in English?
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Answer A. Mahratta
Tilak's English paper was the Mahratta; Kesari was in Marathi.
Source: NCERT Class 8 Our Pasts III ch.8 p.108; Modern India (reference) p.132; Modern India (reference) p.30
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Who persuaded Gandhi to visit Champaran in 1917 to see the plight of the indigo cultivators?
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Answer B. Rajkumar Shukla
Rajkumar Shukla, a local cultivator, persuaded Gandhi to come to Champaran.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.40
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Sachindranath Sanyal, who wrote 'Bandi Jivan', was involved along with Rash Behari Bose in the attempt in 1912 to:
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Answer B. Throw a bomb at Viceroy Hardinge in Delhi
In the Delhi Conspiracy Case (1912), Rash Behari Bose and Sachindranath Sanyal tried to bomb Viceroy Hardinge during his state entry into Delhi. Sanyal wrote 'Bandi Jivan' in prison.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.31; Modern India (reference) p.32
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Consider the following statements about the Home Rule Leagues:
I. Tilak's league worked in Maharashtra (except Bombay city), Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar.
II. Annie Besant's league covered the rest of India, including Bombay city.
III. The two leagues were merged into one organisation in 1916 itself.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer B. I and II only
Statements I and II are correct; the two leagues worked separately, dividing the country between them.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.35
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Who was the founder of Common Weal and New India newspapers ?
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Answer C. Annie Besant
Annie Besant started the weekly Commonweal and bought and renamed the Madras Standard as New India (1914) to campaign for Home Rule.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Mains Paper I 2025 (Notification 11/2023), Q75, final key
2.1Advent of Europeans & British expansionNotes
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In which year did the Mughal emperor appoint the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal?
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Answer B. 1765
The Company received the Diwani of Bengal on 12 August 1765.
Source: NCERT Class 8 Our Pasts III ch.3 'Ruling the Countryside'; NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History III, Theme 9 'Colonialism and the Countryside'
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Match List I (European settlement) with List II (European power):
List I
a. Pulicat
b. Chandernagore
c. Serampore
d. Diu
List II
I. French
II. Portuguese
III. Dutch
IV. Danes
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Answer A. a-III, b-I, c-IV, d-II
Pulicat was Dutch, Chandernagore French, Serampore Danish and Diu Portuguese.
Source: Modern India (reference) ch.1
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At the Battle of Colachel (1741), Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the forces of the:
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Answer D. Dutch
Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company at Colachel in 1741.
Source: Modern India (reference) ch.1
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Arrange the following treaties connected with the First Anglo-Maratha War in chronological order:
I. Treaty of Purandar
II. Treaty of Salbai
III. Treaty of Surat
IV. Treaty of Wadgaon
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Answer D. III, I, IV, II
Surat (1775), Purandar (1776), Wadgaon (1779) and Salbai (1782) is the correct sequence.
Source: Modern India (reference) ch.1
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Consider the following pairs regarding Carnatic wars :
Wars Associated Treaty I. First Carnatic War Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle II. Second Carnatic War Treaty of Yandabo III. Third Carnatic War Treaty of Paris Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
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Answer C. I and III
The First Carnatic War ended with Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) and the Third with the Treaty of Paris (1763). The Second ended with the Treaty of Pondicherry (1754); Yandabo (1826) closed the First Anglo-Burmese War.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q13, final key
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Who among the following introduced the Blue Water Policy ?
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Answer C. Francisco de Almeida
Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy (1505-09), followed the Blue Water Policy of controlling the sea rather than holding land.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q25, final key
2.9Socio-religious reform movementsNotes
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In the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras Presidency, who formed an association for widow remarriage in the 19th century?
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Answer B. Veerasalingam Pantulu
Veerasalingam Pantulu formed an association for widow remarriage in the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras Presidency.
Source: NCERT Class 8 Our Pasts III ch.7 'Women, Caste and Reform' p.93; AP SCERT Class 8 Social Studies (2021) ch.19 'Social and Religious Reform Movements' p.224
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The Paramahansa Mandali, a secret society formed in Bombay in 1849 that asked its members to break caste rules, was founded by:
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Answer B. Dadoba Pandurang
The Paramahansa Mandali (1849) was founded by Dadoba Pandurang; it believed in one god and opposed caste rules, and was a precursor of the Prarthana Samaj.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.92
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Consider the following reform bodies and the persons who founded or led them. Which pair is NOT correct?
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Answer A. Bharat Dharma Mahamandal : Swami Dayanand Saraswati
The Bharat Dharma Mahamandal (1902) was an all-India body of orthodox Hindus, linked with Pandit Din Dayal Sharma and Madan Mohan Malaviya, that opposed the Arya Samaj; Dayanand Saraswati had died in 1883.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.92; Modern India (reference) p.93; Modern India (reference) p.94; Modern India (reference) p.95
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The Vaikom Satyagraha which started in Kerala was associated with :
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Answer B. Temple Entry Movement
The Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25) in Travancore demanded that lower castes be allowed to use the roads around the Vaikom temple, and is seen as the start of the temple entry movement.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q14, final key
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Which of the following is not correctly matched ?
Organisation Person (1) Seva Sadan Behramji M. Malabari (2) Deva Samaj Radhakant Deb (3) Seva Samiti Pandit Hriday Nath Kunzru (4) Bahujan Samaj Mukundrao Patil Show answerHide answer
Answer B. Deva Samaj - Radhakant Deb
Deva Samaj (Lahore, 1887) was founded by Shiv Narayan Agnihotri. Radhakant Deb led the orthodox Dharma Sabha.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q24, final key
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Who founded the 'Indian Society of Oriental Art' to revive ancient art traditions of India ?
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Answer B. Abanindranath Tagore
Abanindranath Tagore, leader of the Bengal School, founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art in Calcutta in 1907 (with Gaganendranath Tagore).
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q27, final key
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Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
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Answer C. Tayuni Movement - Rashid Ahmed Gangohi
The Taiyuni movement was started by Maulana Karamat Ali Jaunpuri. Rashid Ahmed Gangohi was associated with the Deoband movement.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q29, final key
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Which of the following statements is correct regarding the Lex Loci Act of 1850 ?
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Answer C. It provided the right to inherit ancestral property to Hindu converts to Christianity.
The Caste Disabilities Removal Act, 1850 (Lex Loci) said a person who changed religion, such as a Hindu converting to Christianity, would not lose rights to inherit ancestral property.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q30, final key
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The Shuddhi Movement to bring back the people who transformed their religion to Islam and Christianity from Hinduism was started by :
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Answer D. Arya Samaj
The Shuddhi (purification) movement for reconversion to Hinduism was launched by Swami Dayananda Saraswati's Arya Samaj and later led by Swami Shraddhananda.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q70, final key
2.3Governors-General, Viceroys & ActsNotes
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Which one of the following did NOT take place during the Governor-Generalship of Lord Ellenborough (1842-44)?
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Answer C. First Anglo-Sikh War
Ellenborough's short tenure saw the end of the First Afghan War (troops withdrawn in 1842), the annexation of Sindh (1843) and the Gwalior war (1843). The First Anglo-Sikh War came under Hardinge I.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.144
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Which Act introduced the Communal Electorate System ?
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Answer A. Morley-Minto Reforms
The Indian Councils Act of 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms) introduced separate electorates for Muslims; later Acts extended the system.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q12, final key
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Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists :
List I (Governor-General) List II (Treaty) a. Warren Hastings I. Treaty of Salbai b. Lord Wellesley II. Treaty of Bassein c. Lord Minto-I III. Treaty of Amritsar d. Lord Hardinge-I IV. Treaty of Lahore Codes :
(a b c d)
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Answer A. I II III IV
Salbai (1782) under Warren Hastings, Bassein (1802) under Wellesley, Amritsar (1809) with Ranjit Singh under Minto I, and Lahore (1846) after the First Anglo-Sikh War under Hardinge I.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q16, final key
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By which one of the following Acts was the Governor-General of Bengal designated as the Governor-General of India ?
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Answer B. Charter Act of 1833
The Charter Act of 1833 made the Governor-General of Bengal the Governor-General of India; Lord William Bentinck was the first.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q21, final key
2.15Post-independence consolidationNotes
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Arrange the following agreements in chronological order:
I. Tashkent Agreement
II. Panchsheel
III. Shimla Agreement
IV. Indus Waters Treaty
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Answer D. II, IV, I, III
The order is Panchsheel (1954), Indus Waters Treaty (1960), Tashkent Agreement (1966) and Shimla Agreement (1972).
Source: NCERT Class 12 Politics in India since Independence p.70; NCERT Class 12 Politics in India since Independence p.76; NCERT Class 12 Politics in India since Independence p.78
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What was the code name of the Indian armed forces operation to liberate Goa, Daman and Diu from Portuguese rule ?
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Answer B. Operation Vijay
Operation Vijay (December 1961) ended Portuguese rule in Goa, Daman and Diu. Operation Pawan was the IPKF operation in Sri Lanka and Operation Rajiv was in Siachen.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q15, final key
2.4Education, press & administration under the BritishNotes
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Arrange the following press laws in chronological order:
I. Vernacular Press Act
II. Metcalfe's Press Act
III. Indian Press Act
IV. Licensing Regulations of John Adam
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Answer C. IV, II, I, III
The order is Licensing Regulations (1823), Metcalfe's Act (1835), Vernacular Press Act (1878) and Indian Press Act (1910).
Source: Modern India (reference) ch.13
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Which commission recommended that the civil services be divided into Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate services?
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Answer A. Aitchison Commission
The Aitchison Commission (1886) under Lord Dufferin recommended the Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate classification.
Source: Modern India (reference) ch.9
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During India's colonial period, the Downward Filtration Theory was related to :
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Answer B. Education
The Downward Filtration Theory held that Western education given to the upper classes would filter down to the masses; it shaped British education policy after Macaulay's Minute (1835).
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q22, final key
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Who said that "a single shelf of a good European Library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia" ?
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Answer A. Thomas Babington Macaulay
The remark comes from Macaulay's Minute on Indian Education (1835), which argued for English education.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q23, final key
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Lottery Committee (1817) of the British Rule was related to :
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Answer C. Town Planning
The Lottery Committee set up in Calcutta in 1817 used lottery money to build roads, drains and other town improvements, an early form of town planning.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q26, final key
2.71857 revoltNotes
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The proclamation issued in the name of Bahadur Shah in 1857 called on people to join the fight under the standards of:
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Answer C. Muhammad and Mahavir
It appealed to people to fight under the standards of both Muhammad and Mahavir, stressing Hindu-Muslim unity.
Source: NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History III, Theme 11 'Rebels and the Raj'
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Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists :
List I (Leaders) List II (Revolt Centres) a. Kunwar Singh I. Kanpur b. Hazrat Mahal II. Delhi c. Nana Saheb III. Arrah, Bihar d. Bakht Khan IV. Lucknow Codes :
(a b c d)
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Answer C. III IV I II
In 1857 Kunwar Singh led at Arrah (Bihar), Begum Hazrat Mahal at Lucknow, Nana Saheb at Kanpur and Bakht Khan at Delhi.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q10, final key
2.12Gandhian era 1919-1947Notes
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Match the following phrases with the events they were used to describe:
List I
a. 'Himalayan blunder'
b. 'As dead as a doornail'
c. 'A post-dated cheque on a crashing bank'
d. 'Napoleon's return from Elba'
List II
I. August Offer
II. Rowlatt Satyagraha
III. Dandi March
IV. Cripps proposals
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Answer D. a-II, b-I, c-IV, d-III
Gandhi called the early launch of the Rowlatt Satyagraha a 'Himalayan blunder' (his own words were 'Himalayan miscalculation'); Nehru called the August Offer 'dead as a doornail'; Gandhi called the Cripps offer a 'post-dated cheque'; Subhas Bose compared the Dandi March to Napoleon's return from Elba.
Source: Modern India (reference) p.41; Modern India (reference) p.63; Modern India (reference) p.64; Modern India (reference) p.53
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The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was formed in Bombay in 1920. Who presided over its first session ?
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Answer B. Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai presided over the first session of the AITUC in Bombay in October 1920; N.M. Joshi was among its founders and later general secretary.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q11, final key
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Arrange the following events in the correct chronological sequence :
I. Cripps Mission
II. Gandhi-Irwin Pact
III. Chauri Chaura Incident
IV. Poona Pact
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Answer B. III, II, IV, I
Chauri Chaura (February 1922), Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931), Poona Pact (September 1932), Cripps Mission (March 1942).
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q20, final key
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Who among the following had resigned from the Viceroy's Executive Council protesting Jallianwala Bagh Massacre ?
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Answer A. Sankaran Nair
C. Sankaran Nair, the only Indian member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, resigned in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919). Tagore returned his knighthood.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q28, final key
2.5British land revenue & economic policyNotes
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Which of the following statements is incorrect with reference to Permanent Settlement ?
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Answer A. It was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1795.
The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Cornwallis in 1793, not 1795. It made zamindars hereditary owners, was planned with John Shore, and fixed the revenue permanently.
Source: APPSC Group 2 Screening Test 2024 (Notification 11/2023), Q7, final key
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