QUESTION 1 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] In sources from the post-Harsha period, what did the term 'Hundi' denote?
Explanation: Hundi functioned as an instrument for transferring money or credit across distances, much like a bill of exchange.
QUESTION 2 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] An ancient Indian ruler's inscription advises that praising one's own religious sect or criticising others out of excessive zeal actually injures one's own sect. Which ruler issued this?
Explanation: This paraphrases Ashoka's Rock Edict XII, which preaches restraint and tolerance among religious sects.
QUESTION 3 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] During the Gupta era, the towns of Ghantasala, Kaduru and Chaul were chiefly known as:
Explanation: These were coastal towns serving as ports that facilitated India's maritime trade with foreign lands during Gupta times.
QUESTION 4 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Arrange chronologically from earliest: rise of the Pratiharas under Bhoja; establishment of Pallava power under Mahendravarman I; establishment of Chola power by Parantaka I; founding of the Pala dynasty by Gopala.
Explanation: Mahendravarman I's Pallava reign predates Gopala's founding of the Pala dynasty, which predates Bhoja's Pratihara rise, which predates Parantaka I's Chola consolidation.
QUESTION 5 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] In Indian land-revenue terminology, what do the terms 'kulyavapa' and 'dronavapa' denote?
Explanation: These were traditional units measuring land area based on the quantity of seed required to sow it.
QUESTION 6 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] The 1884 Rakhmabai case in colonial India centred on which issue(s): women's right to education, age of consent, restitution of conjugal rights?
Explanation: The Rakhmabai case revolved around a wife's refusal to join her husband, raising the issue of restitution of conjugal rights and helping spur the debate that led to the Age of Consent Act.
QUESTION 7 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Indigo cultivation in India declined by the early 20th century primarily because of:
Explanation: The invention of synthetic indigo dye in Germany made natural indigo commercially unviable in world markets, driving the crop's decline in India.
QUESTION 8 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Why did Wellesley establish Fort William College at Calcutta?
Explanation: Wellesley set up the college specifically to train young Company civil servants in Indian languages and administrative practice before they took up posts.
QUESTION 9 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] In Indian history, 'Ulgulan' or the 'Great Tumult' refers to which event?
Explanation: 'Ulgulan' is the name given to the tribal uprising led by Birsa Munda against British and landlord exploitation around the turn of the 20th century.
QUESTION 10 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Which of these best explains the Industrial Revolution's impact on India in the first half of the 19th century?
Explanation: Cheap machine-made British textiles flooding Indian markets devastated the livelihoods of traditional handicraft artisans well before railways or industrialisation reached India.
QUESTION 11 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar's nationalist Bengali book 'Desher Katha': (1) it warned against the colonial state's hypnotic hold over the mind; (2) it inspired swadeshi street plays and folk songs; (3) his use of 'desh' specifically meant the region of Bengal. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: All three descriptions accurately capture the influence and regional framing of Deuskar's Swadeshi-era nationalist text.
QUESTION 12 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] What did the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) include: (1) an invitation to Congress for the Round Table Conference; (2) withdrawal of ordinances tied to the Civil Disobedience Movement; (3) an inquiry into police excesses at Gandhi's request; (4) release of only non-violent prisoners?
Explanation: The pact provided for withdrawing repressive ordinances, an inquiry into police conduct, and release of non-violent civil-disobedience prisoners as its specific terms.
QUESTION 13 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] In which matter does the Rajya Sabha have equal power with the Lok Sabha?
Explanation: Constitutional amendments require passage by both Houses with special majority; a no-confidence motion is a Lok Sabha-only device, cut motions belong only to the Lok Sabha's budgetary process, and Rajya Sabha has no special power over new All India Services.
QUESTION 14 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding MPLADS funds: (1) they must create durable assets like health/education infrastructure; (2) a specified share must benefit SC/ST populations; (3) funds are sanctioned yearly and cannot be carried forward; (4) district authorities must inspect at least 10% of works yearly. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: MPLADS mandates durable-asset creation, SC/ST fund earmarking, and minimum inspection quotas - but unused funds can actually be carried forward to subsequent years, unlike statement 3 claims.
QUESTION 15 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Which Fundamental Right category specifically addresses discrimination through untouchability?
Explanation: Article 17, which abolishes untouchability, falls under the Right to Equality category of Fundamental Rights.
QUESTION 16 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Separation of the judiciary from the executive in India is enjoined by:
Explanation: Article 50, a Directive Principle, specifically directs the State to separate the judiciary from the executive in public services.
QUESTION 17 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] The 'Macro Economic Framework Statement' accompanying the Union Budget is mandated by:
Explanation: This statement is specifically required under the FRBM Act rather than being a direct constitutional mandate.
QUESTION 18 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] By definition, a constitutional government is a:
Explanation: The defining feature of constitutionalism is that governmental power is limited and bound by the constitution's terms.
QUESTION 19 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Beyond Fundamental Rights, which parts of India's Constitution reflect the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Preamble, Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties?
Explanation: The Preamble's ideals and the socio-economic goals of the Directive Principles closely echo the UDHR, whereas the Fundamental Duties (added in 1976) are not primarily UDHR-derived in the same direct sense.
QUESTION 20 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding India's Legal Services Authorities, which category(ies) of citizens are entitled to free legal aid: a person with annual income under Rs 1,00,000; a transgender person with annual income under Rs 2,00,000; an OBC member with annual income under Rs 3,00,000; all senior citizens automatically?
Explanation: Under the Legal Services Authorities Act, transgender persons and members of backward classes meeting specified income ceilings are indeed entitled to free legal aid, unlike the specific income figures and blanket senior-citizen entitlement framed in the other statements.
QUESTION 21 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Which best defines a Parliamentary System of Government?
Explanation: The hallmark of a parliamentary system is the executive's collective responsibility to, and removability by, the legislature.
QUESTION 22 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Which part of the Constitution of India declares the ideal of a Welfare State?
Explanation: The Directive Principles (Part IV) articulate the socio-economic goals that define India's commitment to being a welfare state.
QUESTION 23 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding the Constitution's 'basic structure': (1) the Constitution itself defines 'basic structure' in terms of federalism, secularism, fundamental rights and democracy; (2) the Constitution provides for judicial review to safeguard citizens' liberties and preserve constitutional ideals. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: The 'basic structure' doctrine is a judicial innovation from the Kesavananda Bharati case - the constitutional text does not itself define or list a 'basic structure' - while judicial review is indeed constitutionally embedded.
QUESTION 24 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Which characteristic best fits the role of bureaucracy in the Indian context?
Explanation: The bureaucracy's core defining role is to execute and implement the policies decided by the elected political executive.
QUESTION 25 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] What is the legal status of the Preamble to the Constitution of India?
Explanation: The Supreme Court, in the Kesavananda Bharati case, held the Preamble to be part of the Constitution, though it is not directly enforceable independently of the substantive provisions.
QUESTION 26 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding provisions contained in Part IV (DPSP) of the Constitution: (1) they are enforceable by courts; (2) they are not enforceable by any court; (3) they are meant to guide law-making by the State. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: Directive Principles are explicitly non-justiciable under Article 37, yet they are meant to guide the State's legislative and policy priorities.
QUESTION 27 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding ministers and disqualification: (1) a voter who is not a member of the state legislature can be made a state minister for up to six months; (2) under the Representation of the People Act, a person convicted and sentenced to five years' imprisonment is permanently disqualified from contesting even after release. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: The six-month non-member ministerial window is a genuine constitutional provision, but disqualification under the RP Act lasts only a specified period after release, not permanently.
QUESTION 28 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Regarding Parliament's sessions: (1) the President can summon Parliament to meet at a place of his/her choosing; (2) the Constitution mandates exactly three sessions of Parliament every year, though it need not be compulsory to hold all three; (3) there is no prescribed minimum number of sitting days each year. Which is/are correct?
Explanation: The President can indeed summon Parliament at any chosen venue and there is no minimum-days rule, but the Constitution does not itself mandate exactly three annual sessions - it only requires that the gap between sessions not exceed six months.
QUESTION 29 OF 29
[UPSC Prelims 2020] Which grouping consists entirely of G20 member countries?
Explanation: Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey are all G20 members, unlike the other lists, each of which includes at least one non-member country.
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