60+ Important History MCQs with Answers – GK & Competitive Exams

60+ Important History MCQs with Answers

Practice these History MCQs with answers — perfect for SSC, UPSC prelims, banking, railway and state competitive exams. Answers are provided for quick revision.

1. Who is often called the 'Father of History'?
(i) Aristotle
(ii) Herodotus
(iii) Thucydides
Answer: (ii) Herodotus

2. In which year did World War I begin?
(i) 1912
(ii) 1914
(iii) 1918
Answer: (ii) 1914

3. Who was the first President of the United States?
(i) Thomas Jefferson
(ii) George Washington
(iii) John Adams
Answer: (ii) George Washington

4. The Industrial Revolution began in which country?
(i) France
(ii) England
(iii) Germany
Answer: (ii) England

5. Who discovered the sea route to India in 1498?
(i) Christopher Columbus
(ii) Vasco da Gama
(iii) Ferdinand Magellan
Answer: (ii) Vasco da Gama

6. Which Mughal emperor built the Taj Mahal?
(i) Akbar
(ii) Jahangir
(iii) Shah Jahan
Answer: (iii) Shah Jahan

7. When did India gain independence?
(i) 1945
(ii) 1947
(iii) 1950
Answer: (ii) 1947

8. Who founded the Maurya Empire?
(i) Ashoka
(ii) Chandragupta Maurya
(iii) Bindusara
Answer: (ii) Chandragupta Maurya

9. The ancient Olympic Games originated at which place?
(i) Athens
(ii) Olympia
(iii) Sparta
Answer: (ii) Olympia

10. Who was the founder of the Gupta dynasty?
(i) Chandragupta I
(ii) Samudragupta
(iii) Chandragupta II
Answer: (i) Chandragupta I

11. Which empire was Ashoka associated with?
(i) Maurya Empire
(ii) Gupta Empire
(iii) Chola Empire
Answer: (i) Maurya Empire

12. Who wrote The Prince?
(i) Thomas More
(ii) Niccolò Machiavelli
(iii) John Locke
Answer: (ii) Niccolò Machiavelli

13. The Renaissance began in which country?
(i) France
(ii) Italy
(iii) England
Answer: (ii) Italy

14. The French Revolution began in which year?
(i) 1776
(ii) 1789
(iii) 1804
Answer: (ii) 1789

15. Who led the Salt March (Dandi March) in 1930?
(i) Jawaharlal Nehru
(ii) Subhas Chandra Bose
(iii) Mahatma Gandhi
Answer: (iii) Mahatma Gandhi

16. Which battle marked the end of Napoleon’s rule (1815)?
(i) Battle of Trafalgar
(ii) Battle of Waterloo
(iii) Battle of Leipzig
Answer: (ii) Battle of Waterloo

17. Who established the Delhi Sultanate in 1206?
(i) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
(ii) Iltutmish
(iii) Alauddin Khilji
Answer: (i) Qutb-ud-din Aibak

18. Which ruler introduced the Mansabdari system?
(i) Akbar
(ii) Humayun
(iii) Jahangir
Answer: (i) Akbar

19. The ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ was associated with which power?
(i) British East India Company
(ii) French East India Company
(iii) Dutch East India Company
Answer: (i) British East India Company

20. Who started the Swadeshi Movement in 1905?
(i) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(ii) Leaders of the INC and local leaders (Partition of Bengal response)
(iii) Mahatma Gandhi
Answer: (ii) Leaders of the INC in response to the 1905 Partition

21. The Reformation was started by which leader?
(i) John Calvin
(ii) Martin Luther
(iii) Henry VIII
Answer: (ii) Martin Luther

22. Which ancient civilization built the Pyramids?
(i) Mesopotamians
(ii) Egyptians
(iii) Indus Valley People
Answer: (ii) Egyptians

23. The Harappan civilization belonged to which age?
(i) Bronze Age
(ii) Iron Age
(iii) Stone Age
Answer: (i) Bronze Age

24. Who was the first woman ruler of the Mughal Empire in practice (regent)?
(i) Nur Jahan
(ii) Jahanara Begum
(iii) Razia Sultana
Answer: (i) Nur Jahan

25. The famous Rosetta Stone helped decipher which script?
(i) Cuneiform
(ii) Egyptian hieroglyphs
(iii) Sanskrit
Answer: (ii) Egyptian hieroglyphs

26. The US Civil War was fought between which years?
(i) 1861–1865
(ii) 1846–1848
(iii) 1914–1918
Answer: (i) 1861–1865

27. Who was the principal architect of the Indian Constitution?
(i) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
(ii) Sardar Patel
(iii) Jawaharlal Nehru
Answer: (i) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

28. The Iron Pillar at Mehrauli belongs to which period?
(i) Gupta period
(ii) Maurya period
(iii) Mughal period
Answer: (i) Gupta period

29. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement (1793) in India?
(i) Lord Cornwallis
(ii) Lord Wellesley
(iii) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (i) Lord Cornwallis

30. The Quit India Movement was launched in which year?
(i) 1940
(ii) 1942
(iii) 1946
Answer: (ii) 1942

31. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts which event?
(i) The Norman Conquest of England (1066)
(ii) The fall of Rome
(iii) The Crusades
Answer: (i) The Norman Conquest of England

32. Which empire built the Angkor Wat temple complex?
(i) Khmer Empire
(ii) Majapahit Empire
(iii) Sukhothai Kingdom
Answer: (i) Khmer Empire

33. Who was the British Viceroy who enacted the Indian Councils Act 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms)?
(i) Lord Curzon
(ii) Lord Minto
(iii) Lord Hardinge
Answer: (ii) Lord Minto

34. The Sepoy Mutiny / First War of Independence took place in which year?
(i) 1857
(ii) 1837
(iii) 1875
Answer: (i) 1857

35. Who established Mughal rule firmly after Babur?
(i) Humayun
(ii) Akbar
(iii) Shah Jahan
Answer: (ii) Akbar

36. The Dandi March lasted for how many days approximately?
(i) 6 days
(ii) 24 days
(iii) 10 days
Answer: (ii) About 24 days

37. Hammurabi’s Code belongs to which civilization?
(i) Egyptian
(ii) Babylonian (Mesopotamia)
(iii) Indus Valley
Answer: (ii) Babylonian

38. The Constituent Assembly of India first met in which year?
(i) 1946
(ii) 1947
(iii) 1950
Answer: (i) 1946

39. Who is credited with founding Islam?
(i) Jesus
(ii) Muhammad
(iii) Moses
Answer: (ii) Muhammad

40. Which ancient Indian text is attributed to Chanakya (Kautilya)?
(i) Arthashastra
(ii) Manusmriti
(iii) Ramayana
Answer: (i) Arthashastra

41. The Peloponnesian War was fought between which groups?
(i) Athens and Sparta
(ii) Athens and Thebes
(iii) Sparta and Corinth
Answer: (i) Athens and Sparta

42. Who led the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (1917)?
(i) Joseph Stalin
(ii) Vladimir Lenin
(iii) Leon Trotsky
Answer: (ii) Vladimir Lenin

43. The Berlin Wall fell in which year?
(i) 1989
(ii) 1991
(iii) 1987
Answer: (i) 1989

44. Which Indian ruler issued edicts engraved on pillars and rocks?
(i) Ashoka
(ii) Chandragupta Maurya
(iii) Harsha
Answer: (i) Ashoka

45. Who translated the Bible into English (commonly credited version)?
(i) William Tyndale / King James Commission
(ii) Martin Luther
(iii) John Wycliffe
Answer: (i) King James Version (1611) commonly credited

46. The Satyagraha movement was pioneered by whom?
(i) Subhas Chandra Bose
(ii) Mahatma Gandhi
(iii) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: (ii) Mahatma Gandhi

47. The Salt Satyagraha began from which place?
(i) Dandi
(ii) Champaran
(iii) Sabarmati
Answer: (i) Dandi

48. The oldest known law code is associated with which civilization?
(i) Code of Ur-Nammu (Sumerian)
(ii) Hammurabi’s Code
(iii) Twelve Tables of Rome
Answer: (i) Code of Ur-Nammu

49. Who was the nominal leader of the 1857 rebellion at Delhi?
(i) Bahadur Shah II
(ii) Nana Sahib
(iii) Rani Lakshmibai
Answer: (i) Bahadur Shah II

50. Which Chola kings were famous for naval expeditions and temple building?
(i) Rajaraja I and Rajendra Chola I
(ii) Pulakeshin II
(iii) Krishna Deva Raya
Answer: (i) Rajaraja I and Rajendra Chola I

51. The Non-Cooperation Movement was called off after which event?
(i) Chauri Chaura incident (1922)
(ii) Jallianwala Bagh massacre
(iii) Simon Commission arrival
Answer: (i) Chauri Chaura incident

52. Which Indian leader founded the Forward Bloc?
(i) Subhas Chandra Bose
(ii) C. Rajagopalachari
(iii) S. S. Bose
Answer: (i) Subhas Chandra Bose

53. Who established Persian as a major administrative language during the Delhi Sultanate?
(i) Iltutmish and later sultans
(ii) Akbar
(iii) Sher Shah Suri
Answer: (i) Iltutmish and subsequent sultans

54. The Doctrine of Lapse ended after which major change?
(i) After 1857, with Crown rule replacing Company rule (Government of India Act 1858)
(ii) Government of India Act 1858
(iii) Charter Act 1833
Answer: (i) Effective end after 1857; Crown rule under 1858 Act

55. Who was Rana Pratap?
(i) Mughal Emperor
(ii) Rajput king of Mewar (Maharana Pratap)
(iii) Maratha leader
Answer: (ii) Maharana Pratap of Mewar

56. The Maratha Confederacy was consolidated under which leader?
(i) Shivaji
(ii) Peshwa administration (Balaji Vishwanath, Baji Rao I)
(iii) Baji Rao I
Answer: (iii) Baji Rao I (major expansion under him)

57. The Portuguese established their first stronghold in India at which place?
(i) Goa
(ii) Diu
(iii) Calicut
Answer: (i) Goa

58. The Ryotwari system was introduced by whom?
(i) Thomas Munro
(ii) Lord Cornwallis
(iii) Lord Wellesley
Answer: (i) Thomas Munro

59. What was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire?
(i) Hampi
(ii) Mysore
(iii) Warangal
Answer: (i) Hampi

60. Who was the founder of Sikhism?
(i) Guru Nanak
(ii) Guru Gobind Singh
(iii) Guru Angad
Answer: (i) Guru Nanak

61. The Treaty of Versailles ended which war?
(i) World War I
(ii) World War II
(iii) Napoleonic Wars
Answer: (i) World War I

62. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred in which year?
(i) 1919
(ii) 1920
(iii) 1915
Answer: (i) 1919

63. Who gave the slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it”?
(i) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(ii) Lala Lajpat Rai
(iii) Bipin Chandra Pal
Answer: (i) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

64. Which empire built the Qutub Minar?
(i) Delhi Sultanate
(ii) Mughal Empire
(iii) Maurya Empire
Answer: (i) Delhi Sultanate

65. Who was the last Mughal emperor?
(i) Bahadur Shah II
(ii) Bahadur Shah I
(iii) Aurangzeb
Answer: (i) Bahadur Shah II

66. The Twelve Tables are associated with which civilization?
(i) Greece
(ii) Rome
(iii) Babylon
Answer: (ii) Rome

67. The Battle of Plassey (1757) was won by which commander?
(i) Robert Clive
(ii) Warren Hastings
(iii) Lord Clive
Answer: (i) Robert Clive

68. Who was the first Indian to become Viceroy of India?
(i) Lord Wellesley
(ii) No Indian ever served as Viceroy
(iii) Lord Curzon
Answer: (ii) No Indian ever served as Viceroy

69. Which movement did B.R. Ambedkar lead?
(i) Dalit rights and social reform movement
(ii) Khilafat Movement
(iii) Non-Cooperation Movement
Answer: (i) Dalit rights and social reform movement

70. Who wrote the Historia related to ancient Rome?
(i) Livy
(ii) Tacitus
(iii) Herodotus
Answer: (i) Livy

71. Which Indian king expanded Satavahana power?
(i) Gautamiputra Satakarni
(ii) Kharavela
(iii) Harsha
Answer: (i) Gautamiputra Satakarni

72. Who led the Champaran Satyagraha (1917)?
(i) Mahatma Gandhi
(ii) Rajendra Prasad
(iii) Motilal Nehru
Answer: (i) Mahatma Gandhi

73. The Salt Tax was opposed under which movement?
(i) Civil Disobedience Movement
(ii) Non-Cooperation Movement
(iii) Quit India Movement
Answer: (i) Civil Disobedience Movement

74. The earliest urban culture of the Indian subcontinent is known as—
(i) Indus Valley Civilization
(ii) Vedic Civilization
(iii) Mauryan Civilization
Answer: (i) Indus Valley Civilization

75. Which Mughal emperor promoted Sulh-i-kul (universal tolerance)?
(i) Akbar
(ii) Jahangir
(iii) Aurangzeb
Answer: (i) Akbar

76. When did India become a Republic?
(i) 26 January 1950
(ii) 15 August 1947
(iii) 26 January 1949
Answer: (i) 26 January 1950

77. Who was Ashoka’s grandfather?
(i) Chandragupta Maurya
(ii) Bindusara
(iii) Bimbisara
Answer: (i) Chandragupta Maurya

78. The Berlin Conference (1884–85) regulated colonization of which continent?
(i) Asia
(ii) Africa
(iii) South America
Answer: (ii) Africa

79. Which movement demanded Purna Swaraj in 1930?
(i) Indian National Congress (Lahore Session 1929)
(ii) Muslim League
(iii) Forward Bloc
Answer: (i) Indian National Congress

80. Who built the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur?
(i) Raja Raja Chola I
(ii) Rajendra Chola
(iii) Kulothunga Chola
Answer: (i) Raja Raja Chola I

81. The Treaty of Allahabad (1765) followed which battle?
(i) Battle of Buxar
(ii) Treaty of Paris
(iii) Treaty of Versailles
Answer: (i) Battle of Buxar

82. Who expanded Pataliputra as the Mauryan capital?
(i) Ajatashatru
(ii) Ashoka
(iii) Chandragupta Maurya
Answer: (iii) Chandragupta Maurya

83. Mughal miniature painting flourished under which emperor?
(i) Akbar and Jahangir
(ii) Aurangzeb
(iii) Humayun
Answer: (i) Akbar and Jahangir

 

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