12 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Modern History in the UPSC 2018 Prelims. Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
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UPSC 2018Modern History · Prominent Personalities in Modern History
Q11. He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna; stayed in America for some time, and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was:
Explanation
Lala Lajpat Rai was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was the INC’s president at the 1920 Calcutta Special Session. In 1921, he founded Servants of the People Society, a non-profit welfare organisation, in Lahore. He also wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji, and Shrikrishna. He led a non-violent march in protest against the Simon Commission and was brutally assaulted by the police. He succumbed to a heart attack later, with the assault likely contributing to his weakened condition.
UPSC 2018Modern History · Prominent Personalities in Modern History
Q12. Which among the following events happened earliest?
Explanation
Neeldarpan was a Bengali play written in 1860 by Dinabandhu Mitra. It depicted the plight of indigo farmers under British rule, particularly the oppressive system imposed by British planters. The play was later translated into English by Michael Madhusudan Dutt and became influential in the Indigo Revolt In 1863, Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to clear the Indian Civil Services (ICS) Examination. He was the elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore and worked towards administrative and social reforms. Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875 in Bombay. It aimed to promote Vedic knowledge and social reform, rejecting idol worship and advocating for women’s education. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandamath, a Bengali novel in 1882. It featured the famous song Vande Mataram, which later became an important slogan in the Indian freedom movement.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
11
2018
(c) Lala Lajpat Rai
12
2018
(b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Modern History?
This page covers 12 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Modern History in the UPSC 2018 Prelims, asked from 1996 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Modern History?
Questions on Modern History in the UPSC 2018 Prelims are available for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
