UPSC Indian History Mains Previous Year Questions

Here we are provided subject-wise previous Year’s questions. This will help more understanding Indian History Mains topic and exam

pattern. 

Provided questions from 2023 to 2013.

Syllabus for Indian History

1. Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
2. The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country
3. Post-independence consolidation and reorganisation within the country

Last Updated on: 04-02-2024

2023 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Explain the role of geographical factors towards the development of Ancient India. (Answer in 150 words)  Mark 10

Q2. What was the difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism? (Answer in 150 words)  Mark 10

Q3. What were the major technological changes introduced during the Sultanate period? How did those technological changes influence Indian society? (Answer in 250 words)  Mark 15

Q4. How did the colonial rule affect the tribals in India and what was the tribal response to the colonial oppression? (Answer in 250 words)  Mark 15

2022 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Why did the armies of the British East India Company – mostly comprising of Indian Soldiers – win consistently against the more numerous and better-equipped armies of the then-Indian rulers? Give reasons. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons. (Answer in 150 words)  Mark 10

2021 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. (Answer in 150 words) Mark15

Q2. Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. To what extinct did the role of moderates prepare a base for the wider freedom movement? comment (Answer in 150 words) Mark 15

Q4. Assess the main administrative issues and socio-cultural problems in the integration process of Indian Princely State. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

2020 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long term implications on the national movement. (Answer in 150 words).

Q2. Since the decade of the 1920s, the national movement acquired various ideological strands and thereby expanded its social base. Discuss. (Answer in 250 words).

2019 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. The 1857 Uprising was the culmination of the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule.

Q2. Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate.

Q3. Examine the linkages between the nineteenth century’s “Indian Renaissance” and the emergence of national identity.

2018 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Why indentured labour was taken by the British from India to other colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there?

Q2. Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times.

Q3. Discuss whether the formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for the economy of India.

2017 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the specter of a fragmented polity.

Q2. Why did the ‘Moderates’ fail to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century?

Q3. The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th-century social reform movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?

Q4. Highlight the importance of the new objectives that got added to the vision of Indian Independence since the twenties of the last century.

Q5. Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India.

2016 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Explain how the Uprising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India.

Q2. Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase.

Q3. Highlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom.

2015 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.

Q2. It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years but for the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss.

2014 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat?

Q2. Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence.

Q3. In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial aspirations in India?

2013 UPSC IAS Indian History Mains

Q1. Defying the barriers of age, gender and religion, the Indian women became the torch bearer during the struggle for freedom in India. Discuss.

Q2. Several foreigners made India their homeland and participated in various movements. Analyze their role in the Indian struggle for freedom.

Q3. In many ways, Lord Dalhousie was the founder of modern India. Elaborate.

Q4. Critically discuss the objectives of Bhoodan and Gramdan movements initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave and their success.

Q5. Write a critical note on the evolution and significance of the slogan “Jai Jawana Jai Kisan”.

Q6. Discuss the contribution of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to pre-and post-independent India.

Q5. Analyze the circumstances that led to Tashkent Agreement in 1966. Discuss the highlights of the agreement.

Q6. Critically examine the compulsions which prompted India to play decisive roles in the emergence of Bangladesh.