UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1: Indian History

UPSC Prelims Exam

• GS Paper 1 - Exam Before Exam
• Time: 2 hours
• Full Marks: 200

Bomb thrown in Legislative Assembly

• Event took place on 7 April, 1929
• Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar were involved

52nd Amendment Act

• Added to the Constitution during the Prime Ministership of V.P. Singh
• Also known as the Anti-Defection Law
• Added in 1985

Indus Valley Civilization

• Seaport city: None of the options (Surkotada, Balakot, and Chanhudaro) is a seaport

CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act)

• Grants citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi communities who entered India before 31st December, 2016
• Does not include migrants from Bhutan and Tajikistan

Currencies of Countries

• Afghanistan: Not Dinar
• Egypt: Egyptian Pound
• Hungary: Not Euro

Awards and Prizes

• Bookers Prize 2023: Not Won by Paul Lynch
• Bookers Prize 2024: Not Won by Salman Rushdie for Novel Kairos

Reports and Publications

• Global Wage Report: Published by the International Labour Organization (ILO)

State Formation Years

• Andhra Pradesh: Got statehood in 1953 (not 1960)
• Arunachal Pradesh: Got statehood in 1987 (not 2000)
• Bihar and West Bengal: Got statehood in 1950

First Chief Justice of India

• H.J. Kania

Agriculture

• Rabi crops are not sown in June-July
• Kharif crops are sown in June-July

Space Program

• Father of Indian Space Program: Vikram Sarabhai

Rajya Sabha

• Has equal powers with Lok Sabha in matters of creating new All India Services

Ministry of Women and Child Development

• Launched Project Pari

President of India

• Addresses both Houses of Parliament at the commencement of the first session after a general election

Infrastructure

• Central Government has decided to construct the Shinku La Tunnel, which will connect Zanskar Valley - Lahaul

Foreign Awards

• Roshni Nadar Malhotra was recently awarded France's highest civilian award

Sports

• Pankaj Advani won the Asian Billiards Championship 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Sun Temples in India

• Modhera: In Gujarat
• Surya Pahar: In Assam
• Dakshinarka: In Bihar

Canals in India

• Anupgarh Canal: In Rajasthan

Awards and Prizes

• Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award: Recently won by Usha Thakur

International Relations

• Pushpa Kamal Dahal is the current Prime Minister of Nepal
• K.P. Sharma Oli served as PM of Nepal for more than one time

Sports

• Argentina was crowned Copa America Champions, defeating Colombia for a record 15th time

Film Awards

• Shah Rukh Khan will receive the 'Living Legend' Award at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland

Exercises and Operations

• Samudra Laksamana Exercise 2024: Will be held at Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, between India and the USA

Constitutional Amendments

• 104th Amendment Act: Abolished Anglo-Indian Reservation in Lok Sabha

Tribes in India

• Garo and Khasi: Not from Manipur
• Koya: Not from Arunachal Pradesh
• Shompen: From Andaman and Nicobar Islands, cast their votes for the first time in the Lok Sabha election

Foreign Travellers

• Fa-Xian: Visited during the reign of Harshvardhana

Nuclear Tests

• First nuclear test: Conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan, on 18th May, 1974 (not 1975)
• Conducted under President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Constitution of India

• Tribunals: Under Part 14A
• Official Language: Under Part 17
• Amendment of the Constitution: Under Part 20

Forests in India

• Rainforests: Found in areas with rainfall of 200cm or more
• Monsoon forests: Found in areas with rainfall of 25cm - 50cm
• Desert (Arid) forests: Found in areas with rainfall of below 25cm

Inland Waterways

• National Waterway-1: On the Ganga River

Wildlife Sanctuaries

• Corbett National Park: Located in Uttarakhand
• River flowing through Corbett National Park: Ramganga

Economy

• Architect of Indian Planning: P.C. Mahalanobis

Constitutional Assembly

• First meeting of Constituent Assembly: Held on 9th December, 1946
• First session of Lok Sabha: Held on 13 May, 1952

President of India

• Notice for impeachment: To be given 14 days prior

Judiciary

• Judges of SC take oath administered by President
• CAG takes oath administered by President
• Attorney General takes oath administered by President
• Governors take oath administered by President

Committees and Commissions

• Mandal Committee: Brought OBC reservation

Wetlands in India

• Thane Creek: In Maharashtra
• Ansupa Lake: In Odisha (not Telangana)

Election Results

• Indore: Registered NOTA vote of 1.38 lakh in general election 2024
• It was at 3rd position after BJP and Congress

Ministers and their Portfolios

• Kiren Rijiju: Did not assume charge as Minister of Food Processing
• C R Patil: Did not assume charge as Minister of Jal Shakti

Biodiversity

• New deep-water shark species: Discovered in Kerala (not Karnataka or Gujarat)

International Relations

• Gardi Sugdub: Located in the Caribbean Sea

Health

• Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM): A rare, usually fatal infection of the central nervous system

Currency and Economy

• Country that recently introduced holographic technology in new banknotes: Singapore (not Japan, China, Bhutan, or Nepal)

Health

• Zika Virus Disease: A mosquito-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes

Wildlife Sanctuaries

• Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary: Located in Sikkim (not Manipur or West Bengal)

Reverse Mortgage Scheme

• Beneficiaries: Senior Citizens

RTGS Transaction

• Upper limit: No limit

UDYAMI Helpline

• For: Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises

Jainism

• Rishabha and Aristanemi: Mentioned in Rigveda

Battles and Wars

• Third Battle of Panipat: Between Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Marathas (not the English Forces)
• Bairam Khan defeated Hemu in Battle of Chausa
• Battle of Chausa took place in 1539

Treaties and Agreements

• Treaty of Srirangapatnam: Signed between Lord Cornwallis and Tipu Sultan

History

• Gold coins during the Gupta Period: Known as Dinars
• Bimbisara: Of the Haryanka Dynasty

Nano Urea Plant

• Located in: Gujarat

Constitution of India

• Article 40: Related to Organization of Village Panchayats

Literature

• Dark Room: Written by R.K. Narayan
• Geet Govind: Written by Jayadeva

Languages in 8th Schedule

• Urdu: Included
• Gujarati: Included
• Marathi: Included
• English: Not included

Union List of 7th Schedule

• Banking: Included
• Agriculture: Included
• War and Peace: Included
• Atomic Energy: Included

Writings of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

• Gulamgiri: Written by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

State Government

• Maharashtra Government: Approved renaming Ahmednagar as Ahilya Nagar

Budget and Economy

• First Budget of Independent India: Presented by R.K. Shanmukham Chetty (not Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel)
• Black Budget: 1973-1974 budget, presented by Y.B. Chavan

Badminton

• Thomas Cup: For men
• Uber Cup: For women### Geography
• Banas is a desert river.
• Barak and Rupen are not desert rivers.
• Machchhu is a desert river.
• Didwana, Khatu, and Sargoi are saline lakes in India.
• Lonar Lake, Deepor Beel Lake, and Kabar Tal Lake are lakes in different regions.
• Donya Polo Airport, Kushinagar International Airport, and Vijaywada International Airport were constructed as Greenfield Projects.

Politics and Governance

• Shashi Tharoor is the author of "The India Way".
• Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand were created in 2000.
• India ranked 63rd in the Global Energy Transition index, which is released by the World Economic Forum, not IMF.
• Sweden topped the Global Energy Transition index.
• Ahom is an ethnic community of Assam.

Culture and Architecture

• Kamakhya temple, a Shakti Peeth, is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya and represents the Ahom style of architecture.
• Lala Lajpat Rai is also known as Punjab Kesari and Sher-e-Punjab.

Environment

• Excess of Nitrogen Oxide and Sulphur Dioxide in the environment causes acid rain.
• Ozone is not a cause of acid rain.

Law and Rights

• Right of workers to resort to strike is a statutory right.

Miscellaneous

• Lakshadweep is a coral group of islands.
• Henry Vivian Derozio founded the Young Bengal Movement organization.
• ICC World Cup 2027 will be hosted by South Africa.
• Jhooming is practised by the Santhals Tribal Group.
• The human eye has the highest sensitivity for yellow-green color.

Practice questions from GS Paper 1 of the UPSC Prelims Exam, covering Indian History and related topics.