BPSC Prelims (Combined Competitive Exam)
64th BPSC Prelims 2018: Previous-Year Questions
91 questions from this paper, sorted by subject, with their options. Each one opens to its answer and explanation.
Modern History 18 questions
Who is considered the Father of Dyarchy?
- ALord Clive
- BHector Munro
- CLord Macaulay
- DSir Lionel Curtis
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Under whose leadership was the suppression of Thugs achieved?
- ALord Clive
- BCaptain Sleeman
- CLord Minto
- DAlexander Burnes
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which of the following was not a reason for making the sepoys of the East India Company rebellious?
- AThe efforts of the officers of the company to spread Christianity
- BThe order to the sepoys to travel on ships
- CThe stoppage of Bhatta
- DThe inefficiency of the officers
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who among the following did not rebel against the British East India Company’s control over them?
- ARaja of Vijayanagar
- BNizam of Hyderabad
- CPoligar of Tamil Nadu
- DDewan Velu Thampi of Travancore
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The Indigo Rebellion was about:
- Athe peasant not wanting to grow indigo but being forced
- Bthe peasant wanting to grow indigo but being forced not to
- Cthe peasant not wanting to grow indigo but being forced to grow at a price that was unacceptable
- Da protest movement that carried an indigo-coloured flag
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which of the following was not a ‘nationalist’ newspaper?
- AThe Hindu
- BBengalee
- CThe Mahratta
- DThe Times of India
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
From the options given below, find the correct combination of the names of editors of the nationalist newspapers The Hindu, Kesari, Bengalee, Hindustani, Sudharak:
- ASurendra Nath Banerjee, G. Subramania Iyer, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Ganga Prasad Verma, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- BBal Gangadhar Tilak, G. Subramania Iyer, Surendra Nath Banerjee, Ganga Prasad Verma, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- CG. Subramania Iyer, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Ganga Prasad Verma, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Surendra Nath Banerjee
- DG. Subramania Iyer, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Surendra Nath Banerjee, Ganga Prasad Verma, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who began the 'Faraiji Movement'?
- AHaji Shariatullah
- BSyed Ahmed
- CSalimullah
- DM.A. Jinnah
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Identify the correct combination from the options given below for Prarthana Samaj, Young India, Lokahitavadi, Satyashodhak Samaj, Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha:
- AGopal Hari Deshmukh, Atmaram Pandurang, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jyotiba Phule, Naoroji Furdunji.
- BAtmaram Pandurang, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, Jyotiba Phule, Naoroji Furdunji
- CAtmaram Pandurang, Jyotiba Phule, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, Naoroji Furdunji.
- DNaoroji Furdunji, Atmaram Pandurang, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, Jyotiba Phule.
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Rajani Palme Dutt said, "They both fought and collaborated with imperialism." Which political grouping was he referring to?
- AThe Indian National Congress
- BThe Communist Party of India
- CThe Swaraj Party
- DHindustan Socialist Republican Association.
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Bal Gangadhar Tilak came to be known as 'Lokmanya Tilak' when –
- AHe became a popular teacher.
- BHe started a popular newspaper.
- CThe government accused him in the Rand Murder Case.
- DHe started the Shivaji and Ganpati festivals.
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above.
How old was Bhagat Singh when he threw a bomb in the assembly in protest against the government?
- A21 years
- BA little more than 21 years
- C25 years
- DA little more than 25 years
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which of the following was the first Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi in India?
- AAhmedabad
- BBardoli
- CChamparan
- DIndividual
The immediate cause of the Deccan Riots of 1875 was:
- AThe shadow of a famine
- BHigh interest rates charged by Mahajans
- CHigh land revenue rates
- DProtest against imposition
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre happened in the context of which Gandhian Satyagraha?
- ASwadeshi Satyagraha
- BRowlatt Satyagraha
- CBardoli Satyagraha
- DIndividual Satyagraha
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who raised the Flag of Independence at the Congress Session of 1929?
- AMaulana Muhammad Ali
- BPandit Jawaharlal Nehru
- CVallabhbhai Patel
- DSubhas Chandra Bose
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
“Therefore, the Government of India always acts with consent and often on the instructions of the Chamber of Commerce, and this is called 'White Man's Burden'.” Who said this?
- ABankim Chandra Chatterjee
- BMahatma Gandhi
- CSachchidanand Sinha
- DRajendra Prasad
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who wrote the book, Poverty and Un-British Rule in India?
- AR.C. Dutt
- BDadabhai Naoroji
- CBipin Chandra Pal
- DLajpat Rai
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Ancient History 8 questions
The earliest evidence of animal Husbandry and agriculture in India has come from:
- AAnjira
- BDamb Sadat
- CKili Gul Muhammad
- DMehrgarh
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
According to the report of the IIT Kharagpur study group, continuous low rainfall for how many years was the cause of the fall of the Indus Valley Civilization?
- A600 years
- B700 years
- C800 years
- D900 years
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
After the Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha, the first Buddhist council was held at:
- ARajgriha (Rajgir)
- BGaya
- CPataliputra
- DVaishali
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who was the king of Suvarnabhumi who established a Buddhist monastery in Nalanda and requested Devapala through his messenger to donate five villages for its maintenance?
- ADharanindra
- BSangramadhananjaya
- CBalaputradeva
- DChudamani Varman
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who among the following first issued gold coins on a large scale?
- APushyamitra Shunga
- BMenander
- CVima Kadphises
- DGautamiputra Satakarni
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who among these was the first to explain that the daily sunrise and sunset occur due to the Earth's rotation on its axis?
- AAryabhatta
- BBhaskara
- CBrahmagupta
- DVarahamihira
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who wrote 'Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'?
- ACtesias
- BPliny
- CPtolemy
- DStrabo
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which Sultan was reputed to be 'Akbar of Kashmir'?
- ASultan Shamsuddin Shah
- BSultan Qutbuddin
- CSultan Sikandar
- DSultan Zainul Abidin
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Medieval History 5 questions
Which Sultan demanded half the crops on land after measurement as revenue?
- AIltutmish
- BBalban
- CAlauddin Khilji
- DMuhammad-Bin-Tughluq
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria belonged to which sect?
- ASuhrawardi order
- BRishi order
- CChishti order
- DFirdausi order
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who among these rulers divided his troops into units of two hundred, two hundred and fifty and five hundred?
- ABahlul Lodi
- BSikandar Shah
- CSher Shah
- DIslam Shah
- ENone of the above/ More than one of the above
Who stated that five thousand to twenty thousand men worked for forty years to build the palace of forty pillars at Allahabad in Akbar's time?
- AManucci
- BTavernier
- CWilliam Finch
- DAbdul Hamid Lahori
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
It was said about Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar that the extent of his empire was-
- AChandni Chowk to Palam
- BDelhi to Bihar
- CPeshawar to Bihar
- DPeshawar to Varanasi
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Bihar Special GK 33 questions
The first account of Bakhtiyar Khalji's attack on Bihar is found in-
- AFrom Tarikh-e-Hind
- BFrom Tabaqat-e-Nasiri
- CFrom Taj-ul-Masir
- DFrom Tarikh-e-Mubarak Shahi
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Which of the following was not a reason for making the sepoys of the East India Company rebellious?
- AThe efforts of the officers of the company to spread Christianity
- BThe order to the sepoys to travel by ships
- CThe stoppage of Bhatta
- DThe inefficiency of the officers
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Where did Kunwar Singh join the Rebellion of 1857 against the British?
- AArrah
- BPatna
- CBettiah
- DVaranasi
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
When was the right of tenants on land in Bengal and Bihar recognized by the Bengal Tenancy Act?
- A1868
- B1881
- C1885
- D1893
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
When did Bihar become an independent province in India?
- A1897
- B1905
- C1907
- D1912
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Bihar became an Indian state in -
- A1911
- B1912
- C1936
- D2000
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Who invited Gandhiji to Champaran?
- ARajendra Prasad
- BRajkumar Shukla
- CMazharul Haq
- DKrishna Sahay
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Gandhiji's Non-Cooperation Movement urged people to avoid alcohol. This resulted in a serious loss of revenue for the government. The government of a province circulated a list of prominent individuals who drank alcohol as a device to persuade people to start drinking again. Name the province.
- AAndhra Pradesh
- BBihar
- CBombay
- DGujarat
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Who was associated with the Bihar Kisan Sabha?
- ASwami Sahajanand
- BKaryanand Sharma
- CRahul Sankrityayan
- DYadunandan Sharma
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
During the Salt Satyagraha, in Bihar, along with making salt, people protested against the government by opposing which tax?
- AChowkidari
- BElephant
- CDevelopment
- DDebris
- ENone of the above
Who among the following was the leader of the first Congress Ministry in Bihar?
- AAnugrah Narayan Sinha
- BAbdul Bari
- CJayaprakash Narayan
- DShri Krishna Sinha
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
The elected Government of Bihar resigned in February 1938 for which reason?
- AThe participation of India in war
- BSatyagraha against the British at the call of Gandhi
- CHigh taxes being imposed by the British
- DFor the release of political prisoners
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
In which year did the state of Jharkhand come into existence?
- A1998
- B1999
- C2000
- D2001
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Most of the area of Bihar is covered with -
- AHilly soil
- BAlluvial soil
- CRegur soil
- DTarai soil
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Which one of the following parts of Bihar is geologically older in age relatively?
- ARohtas Plateau
- BNorth-Western Hills
- CKharagpur Hills
- DNorth Ganga Plains
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
By how many districts of Bihar was Patna district bounded till July 2018?
- A7
- B8
- C9
- D10
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
'Bihar Economic Survey', for the first time, was published for the Financial Year
- A2004-05
- B2006-07
- C2008-09
- D2009-10
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
What is the percentage of population in Bihar State employed in the agriculture sector in 2017-18?
- A65
- B67
- C68
- D70
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
What was the economic growth rate of the State of Bihar during the year 2016-17?
- A6.3 percent
- B7.3 percent
- C8.3 percent
- D9.3 percent
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Which of the following is not true about Bihar's Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana?
- AProposed annual expenditure for the scheme is ₹ 7,221 crore
- BEducation, Health and Social Welfare three departments run the scheme
- CEvery girl child will receive total ₹ 60000 from her birth to graduation level education
- DAt the time of a girl child's birth, her family receives ₹ 2000
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
What is the percentage of population employed in agriculture in the state of Bihar in 2017-18?
- A65
- B67
- C68
- D70
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
What is the position of Bihar in terms of jute production among the states of India?
- AFirst
- BSecond
- CThird
- DFourth
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Among the states of India, Bihar ranks in terms of lowest literacy rate (2011 Census):
- AFirst
- BSecond
- CThird
- DFourth
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
What is the sex ratio in Bihar State as per the Census of India, 2011?
- A893
- B916
- C918
- D925
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
The most powerful locomotive of India, manufactured at Madhepura Locomotive Factory. The power of the electric rail engine is-
- A9000 HP
- B10000 HP
- C11000 HP
- D12000 HP
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
On 22nd March, 2018 who unveiled the book, Neel Ke Dhabbe on the occasion of 106th Bihar Day in Patna?
- AVice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu
- BPrime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
- CHome Minister Shri Rajnath Singh
- DSpeaker Smt. Sumitra Mahajan
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Which type of industries has potential and prospects in Bihar?
- AOil refinery
- BForest-based industry
- CSand-mining industry
- DAgro-based industry
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Which airport did the NDMA conduct a mock drill based on CBRN emergency in April, 2018?
- AIGI - New Delhi
- BL.N.J.P. - Patna
- CC.S.I. - Mumbai
- DD.A.B.H. - Indore
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
On March 18, 2018, in which city of Bihar did Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi inaugurate the state's first 'Start-up Hub'?
- AMotihari
- BMunger
- CPatna
- DAra
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Under which of the following Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar launched more than 750 development schemes at Begusarai and Khagaria districts on 6 January, 2018?
- AVikas Yatra
- BVikas Survekshan Yatra
- CNav-Srijan Yojana, 2018
- DVikas Samiksha Yatra
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
On April 10, 2018, where did Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the 'National Convention of Swachhagrahis'?
- AMotihari
- BPatna
- CKishanganj
- DKatihar
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
According to a report, what is the rank of Patna city among 20 cities as per availability of 4G signals between December 2017 and February 2018?
- AFirst
- BSecond
- CNineteenth
- DTwentieth
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
In which city of Bihar, Sulabh International launched the cheapest drinking water project 'Sulabh Jal'?
- APatna
- BBhagalpur
- CDarbhanga
- DPurnea
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Indian Polity 13 questions
After Independence, in which year were the Indian States reorganized on the linguistic basis?
- A1947
- B1951
- C1956
- D2000
- ENone of the above / More than one of the above
Which one of the following Articles directs the State Governments to organize the Panchayats?
- AArticle 33
- BArticle 40
- CArticle 48
- DArticle 50
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which of the following article directs the state governments to organize village panchayats?
- AArticle 33
- BArticle 40
- CArticle 48
- DArticle 50
- ENone of the above
The President:
- Ais not a part of the Parliament
- Bis a part of the Parliament
- Cis a part of the Parliament and sits in the Parliament
- Dcan vote in the Parliament
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The Attorney General of India is appointed by –
- ALaw Minister
- BPresident of India
- CSpeaker of the Lok Sabha
- DPrime Minister
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
In order to be chosen a member of the Lok Sabha, a person must not be less than the age of?
- A18 years
- B21 years
- C25 years
- D30 years
- ENone of the above/ More than one of the above
A Judge of the Supreme Court may resign his office by writing to?
- AThe President
- BThe Prime Minister
- CThe Law Minister
- DThe Attorney General of India
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The Governor of a State is appointed by -
- AThe Prime Minister
- BThe Chief Justice of India
- CThe President
- DThe Chief Justice of the High Court
- ENone of the above / more than one of the above
In which one of the following years was Sarkaria Commission, which was empowered to recommend changes in Centre-State relations submitted its report?
- A1983
- B1984
- C1985
- D1987
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Under which one of the following Articles is the formation of Finance Commission laid down?
- AArticle 280
- BArticle 269
- CArticle 268
- DArticle 265
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
In the NITI Aayog of the Government of India, which is a think tank for economic policy-making, what is the full form of NITI?
- ANational Internal Trade Information
- BNational Institution for Transforming India
- CNational Integrated Treaty Institute
- DNational Intellectual Training Institute
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who is the first Chairman of the Backward Classes Commission?
- AJagjivan Ram
- BKaka Saheb Kalelkar
- CB. D. Sharma
- DB. R. Ambedkar
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The Chairman of the State Public Service Commission is appointed by?
- AThe Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission
- BThe President of India
- CThe Governor of the State
- DThe Chief Minister
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Geography 14 questions
Which one of the following is not a part of the Meghalaya Plateau?
- ABhuban Hills
- BGaro Hills
- CKhasi Hills
- DJaintia Hills
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Karewas soils, which are useful for the cultivation of Zafran (a local variety of saffron), are found
- AKashmir Himalaya
- BGarhwal Himalaya
- CNepal Himalaya
- DEastern Himalaya
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
According to the India State of Forest Report released in February 2018, what percentage of India’s total area comes under forest area?
- A23.00%
- B23.40%
- C24.00%
- D24.40%
- EMore than one of the above / None of the above
Which of the following is a way to increase productivity in agriculture?
- AEfficient irrigation
- BQuality seeds
- CUse of pesticides
- DUse of fertilizers
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which one of the following most appropriately describes the nature of the Green Revolution of the late sixties of 20th century?
- AIntensive cultivation of green vegetables
- BIntensive Agriculture District programme
- CHigh-yielding varieties programme
- DSeed-Fertilizer-Water technology
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which one among the following States of India is called ‘Sugar Bowl’?
- AUttar Pradesh
- BMaharashtra
- CBihar
- DHaryana
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The Pass, which is situated at the highest elevation, is
- AZoji La
- BRohtang
- CNathu La
- DKhyber
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who among the following was the first to explain that the rotation of the Earth on its own axis accounts for the daily rising and setting of the Sun?
- AAryabhata
- BBhaskara
- CBrahmagupta
- DVarahamihira
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which one of the following is a landlocked country?
- ABelgium
- BHungary
- CRomania
- DUkraine
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which one among the following is the largest island in area?
- ABorneo
- BGreat Britain
- CMadagascar
- DSumatra
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
In which of the following areas, Mediterranean climate does not prevail?
- ACentral Chile
- BCape Town
- CAdelaide
- DPampas
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which country is the largest producer of silk in the world?
- AIndia
- BChina
- CBrazil
- DJapan
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Which one among the following countries of the world, except the United States of America, is the largest crude oil producer?
- ARussia
- BChina
- CSaudi Arabia
- DCanada
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
The main component of greenhouse gases is:
- ACarbon dioxide
- BMethane
- CNitrous oxide
- DOzone
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above