APSC Mains 2020 History (Paper I) Question paper
Section – A
Q1. Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
(a) “It was Afonso de Albuquerque who laid the real foundation of Portuguese power in India.” (b) The Partition of Bengal (1905) caused a tremendous political agitation which stirred national feelings in India to its very depths.”
(c) The boycott of the Simon Commission provided a great opportunity for the restoration of amity between the different communities and political parties.”
(d) “It is high time that the safety valve theory… was confined to the care of the Mahatmas from whom perhaps it originated!”
(e) “There is ample evidence to show that many individual communists were swayed by the patriotic emotions of the day and actively participated in the Quit India Movement.”
Q2. (a) What do you mean by the term ‘commercialization’ of agriculture? What impact did it have upon the economy of India? 10+10=20
(b) Discuss the development of railways in colonial India. 15
(c) Discuss the causes leading to the Santhal Hul Revolution of 1855. 15
Q3. (a) Make a critical assessment on different stages of the growth of modern education in India during the colonial administration. 20
(b) Critically analyze the role of the Asiatic Society of Bengal towards understanding India’s cultural and traditional part. 15
(c) The Montague-Chelmsford Act ‘made a clear division of the functions of the Central and Provincial Governments’. Comment. 15
Q4. (a) To what extent has the Policy of Reservation been successful in ameliorating the problems of backward castes and tribes in Independent India? 20
(b) Examine the growth and activities of the Muslim League. 15
(c) Discuss the nature and impact of the Revolt of 1857. 15
Section – B
Q5. Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each : 10×5=50
(a) By 1830 England had all the prerequisites for the rapid growth of large-scale factory production.”
(b) “The Third German Empire was essentially a Nazi dictatorship.”
(c) “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.”
(d) “Neither poverty nor disease but work itself which casts the blackest shadow over the years of the Industrial Revolution.”
(e) “The Second World War was essentially a war of revenge initiated by Germany.”
Q6. (a) What were the major causes of the French Revolution of 1789? 20
(b) Globalization had both positive as well as negative impact upon the society. Comment. 15
(c) Analyze the main demands of the Chartists in England. 15
Q7. (a) Describe how imperialism and colonization led to the Partition of Africa. 20
(b) Alliances and counter-alliances ultimately led to the outbreak of World War 1. Explain. 15
(c) What were the results of the Chinese Revolution of 1949? 15
Q8. (a) Discuss the circumstances leading to the American Revolution. 20
(b) What were the circumstances that contributed to the Cold War rivalry after 1945? 15
(c) The emergence of the Dr. Ho Chi Minh in the North Vietnam and the withdrawal of France from the South East Asia led to the American involvement in the region. Explain. 15
