Q1. In the palaeolithic period there was great improvement in tool technology. Discuss various methods used by the palaeolithic people to make tools. [250 words]
Q2. How do prehistoric paintings help us to know about the people living in that period? [150 words]
Q3. The Neolithic period witnessed some of the major changes in the course of human evolution. Comment. [150 words]
Q4. The Harappan Culture represented a great sense of town planning. In light of this statement discuss the main features of the town planning of the Indus Valley Civilization. [150 words]
Q5. Discuss the salient features of Harappan civilization. [250 words]
Q6. Examine how Indus Valley Civilization was distinct from other civilizations that flourished during that period. [150 words]
Q7. Did Harappan civilization have any link to other major civilizations and distant lands? What are the findings that point towards such a possibility? [150 words]
Q8. To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to thè present day urbanisation? Discuss. [150 words]
Q9. Explain how the Indus civilization could influence Indian culture in its later history. [150 words]
Q10. What are the causes that led to the decline of Indus Civilization [150 words]
Q11. Women enjoyed a satisfactory position in early Vedic society. Critically examine. [250 words]
Q12. What are the causes for the emergence of new religious sects in the Mahajanapada period? [150 words]
Q13. Buddhist philosophy is a social philosophy rather than a religious philosophy. Comment. [150 words]
Q14. What are the reasons for the decline of Buddhism? [150 words]
Q15. Enumerate the factors that facilitated the emergence of Magadh as the most powerful Mahajanapada. [150 words]
Q16. Though Alexander’s invasion did not have much impact in political history of India, its impact can be noticed in the culture and economy of the subsequent period. Comment. [150 words]
Q17. Ashoka can be considered to be the greatest ruler of Ancient India. Comment. [150 words]
Q18. To what extent Ashoka can be held responsible for the decline of Mauryan empire? [250 words]
Q19. Briefly discuss the art and architecture during the Mauryan period. [250 words]
Q20. Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India, the Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness. Comment. [150 words]
Q21. Rule of Kushans can be considered to be the apex of the second urbanisation. Discuss. [150 words]
Q22. Discuss the development of temple architecture during the Gupta period? [150 words]
Q23. To what extent Gupta age can be considered the Golden Age of ancient India. [250 words]
Q24. Mention the causes for the failure of Hindu rulers against the Muslim invaders. [150 words]
Q25. Discuss the development of temple architecture during the Pallavas. [150 words]
Q26. Briefly discuss the village administration under the Cholas. [150 words]
Q27. Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personálities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss. [150 words]
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Q1. What are the factors that facilitated the establishment of Muslim rule in India? [150 words]
Q2. Iltutmish is the real founder of Delhi Sultanate. comment [250 words]
Q3. Balban was one of the greatest sultans of the medieval period. discuss. [250 words]
Q4. Discuss the various reforms introduced by Alauddin Khilji. [150 words]
Q5. Mohammad bin Tughlaq’s innovative reforms brought him bad name, as they were not executed properly. Discuss. [250 words]
Q6. What are the reasons that led to the rise of the Bhakti movement in India and what was its impact? [250 words]
Q7. What do you understand by Sufism? Explain how sufism is relevant in the present times? [250 words]
Q8. identify the similarities between the Sufi and the Bhakti cults. Describe the impact of the Sufi movement on the life of the people. [250 words]
Q9. Sufis and mediaeval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or the outward structure of Hindu/Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment. [150 words]
Q10. First Battle of Panipat is one of the most significant battles of Indian history. Comment. [250 words]
Q11. Evaluate The Contribution Of Sher Shah Towards Trade And Commerce, Land revenue And Military Reforms. [150 words]
Q12. Discuss the religious and Rajput policy of Akbar. [150 words]
Q13. Briefly discuss the Dahasala system and Mansabdari system of Akbar. [150 words]
Q14. To what extent Aurangzeb can be held responsible for the decline of Mughals [250 words]
Q15. The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat? [150 words]
MODERN HISTORY
Q1. Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the spectre of a fragmented polity. [150 words]
Q2. What are the factors responsible for the advent of the European? [150 words]
Q3. What are the reasons for the failure of Portuguese trade in India? [150 words]
Q4. Give an account of Anglo-French rivalry in India [150 words]
Q5. What are the reasons for the failure of French in India? [150 words]
Q6. What do you think did help the British in establishing their authority in India, while other European powers failed? [150 words]
Q7. The British won the battle of Plassey without actually fighting it. Comment. [150 words]
Q8. Battle of Plassey can be considered to be a watershed moment in Modern Indian history. Comment. [250 words]
Q9. Give an estimate of Tipu Sultan. [150 words]
Q10. What are the reasons for the loss of Marathas against the British? [150 words]
Q11. 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. [150 words]
Q12. Briefly discuss the British policies of annexation of Indian states. [150 words]
Q13. 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. Elucidate. [150 words]
Q14. Explain how the revolt of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India. [250 words]
Q15. Critically discuss the Socio Religious Reform Movement of 19th century India. [250 words]
Q16. Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj. [150 words]
Q17. Examine the linkages between the nineteenth century’s Indian Renaissance and the emergence of national identity. [150 words]
Q18. The women's questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19 century social reform movement. What were the major issues and debates concerning women in that period? [250 words]
Q19. Discuss the causes and nature of Tribal movements in India during the colonial period. [150 words]
Q20. Briefly discuss the tribal movements in the North-East Frontier. [150 words]
Q21. What are the objectives of the British behind introducing permanent settlement in India? What are its demerits? [150 words]
Q22. Next to famine, war and pandemic the worst thing that can happen to agriculture is ‘absentee landlordism’. Analyse this statement with the land revenue system of Britishers in India. [250 words]
Q23. What are the demerits of Ryotwari settlement? [150 words]
Q24. Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy. [250 words]
Q25. Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons. [150 words]
Q26. Indian nationalism grew partly as a result of colonial policies and partly as a reaction to colonial practices. Discuss. [250 words]
Q27. Why were people dissatisfied with British rule in the 1870s and 1880s? [150 words]
Q28. Briefly discuss the Theory of Drain of wealth. [150 words]
Q29. Give an account of the pre-Congress political associations in India. [150 words]
Q30. Indian National Congress acted as the safety valve for the British government. Critically examine. [150 words]
Q31. What are the aims and objectives of the Indian National Congress at the time of its inception? Discuss how far was it successful in achieving its target? [250 words]
Q32. Discuss the nature of Indian National Congress at the time of its inception. [150 words]
Q33. Give an evaluation of the early nationalists in India. [150 words]
Q34. 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? [150 words]
Q35. Enumerate the factors that led to the growth of Militant Nationalism in India. [150 words]
Q36. Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long-term implications on the national movements. [150 words]
Q37. What are the reasons for the Bengal partition? How did the Indians react to it? [250 words]
Q38. The Swadeshi movement was a turning point in modern Indian history. Comment. [250 words]
Q39. What are the reasons for the growth of Revolutionary Nationalism in India? Give an account of revolutionary activities in India before WW I. [250 words]
Q40. What are the main provisions of Montague- Chelmsford reforms 1919? Also discuss its drawbacks. [250 words]
Q41. What was Gandhi’s contribution to the Indian freedom struggle and how did his ideologies and tactics shape the course of India’s struggle for independence. [250 words]
Q42. Discuss the similarities and differences in Tilak’s and Gandhi’s approach to the Indian struggle. [150 words]
Q43. Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. [150 words]
Q44. Highlight the importance of the new objectives that got added to the vision of Indian independence since the twenties of the last century. [150 words]
Q45. Peasant movements of the 20th century in India were deeply influenced by the ongoing struggle for national freedom. Discuss the important features of these movements. [250 words]
Q46. Give an account of the post World War Revolutionary activities in India. [250 words]
Q47. What are the main recommendations of the Nehru Report? [150 words]
Q48. Why was Salt Satyagraha chosen by Gandhi to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement? Provide a brief survey of the nature of Civil Disobedience Movement in different parts of the subcontinent. [250 words]
Q49. How was the Civil Disobedience Movement different from Non Cooperation Movement? [150 words]
Q50. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate. [250 words]
Q51. What are the main features of the Government of India Act, 1935? [150 words]
Q52. 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. [250 words]
Q53. What were the main provisions of Cripps Mission? Why did this mission fail? [150 words]
Q54. Discuss the role of Subhash Chandra Bose in India’s freedom struggle. [250 words]
Q55. The Quit India movement deviated from Gandhian ideology. Discuss. [150 words]
Q56. Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose differed widely in their ways and methods and in their political and economic ideologies. Discuss. [150 words]
Q57. Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate. [250 words]
Q58. In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial aspirations in India? [150 words]
Q59. Assess the role of British imperial power in complicating the process of transfer of power during the 1940s. [250 words]
Q60. Warren Hastings laid the foundation of the mighty British empire in India. Discuss. Why was he impeached in the British parliament? [250 words]
Q61. Briefly discuss the reforms brought by Lord Cornwallis. [250 words]
Q62. Lord William Bentinck initiated an era of progress and reforms in India. Comment. [250 words]
Q63. "In many ways, Lord Dalhousie was the founder of modern India." Elaborate. [250 words]
Q64. How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss. [250 words]
Q65. It sometimes felt that the philosophies of Gandhi and Marx were akin to each other. But on deeper analysis, it is revealed that their differences were more pronounced than their similarities. Comment. [250 words]
Q66. What are the factors responsible for the growth of communalism in India during the colonial period? [250 words]
Q67. Why did congress agree to the partition of India? [150 words]
Q68. Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from the mid-eighteenth century till independence. [150 words]
Q69. Defying the barriers of age, gender and religion, the Indian women became the torch-bearer during the struggle for freedom in India. Discuss. [150 words]
Q70. Several foreigners made India their homeland and participated in various movements. Analyse their role in the Indian struggle for freedom. [150 words]
Q71. The role played by B.R. Ambedkar has helped in nation-building and continues to have a prominent impact on the present Indian socio-economic-political setup. Discuss. [250 words]
Q72. Examine how India’s freedom struggle impacted the art and literature during that phase. [150 words]
Q73. The socio-religious reformers of the 19th-20th century aimed at modernization rather than westernisation. Discuss. [150 words]
Q74. Discuss the role played by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in India’s freedom struggle and in post-independence integration of princely states. [150 words]
Q75. Discuss the contributions of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to pre- and post-independent India. [150 words]
Q76. Assess the main administrative issues and socio-cultural problems in the integration process of Indian Princely States. [150 words]
Q77. Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. [150 words]
Q78. Why was indentured labour taken by the British from India to other colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there? [250 words]
Q79. The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples. [ 150 words]
