IAS History-1999 (Main)

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Paper-I

Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 300

Candidates should attempt Question 1 and 5 which are compulsory, and any three of the remaining questions selecting at least one question from each Section. All questions carry equal marks.

Section-A

  1. Mark any 15 of the following on the map supplied to you and write short descriptive notes on the places plotted by you on map:
    1. Ambek
    2. Kanyakubj
    3. Kishkindha
    4. Kundalvan
    5. Khajuraho
    6. Gihlot
    7. Gokul
    8. Chidamberum
    9. Jahazpur
    10. Jaisalmer
    11. Takshila
    12. Dwarka
    13. Jalalabad
    14. Nalanda
    15. Panchwati
    16. Pataliputra
    17. Fatehpur Sikri
    18. Badrinath
    19. Behmanabad
    20. Balbrahmeshwar
    21. Bijapur
    22. Burhanpur
    23. Bairat
    24. Bhadrawati
    25. Bheetargaon
    26. Warangel
    27. Vilaspur
    28. Shatrunjai
    29. Sripur
    30. Kargil
  2. Discuss salient features of the indus Valley Civilization. Mention important places from where relics of civilization have been recovered so far. Examine causes of its decline.
  3. ‘Harshvardhan was himself great, but he has been made greater by Ban and Yuan Chiang.’ Critically examine the statement.
  4. Examine sources of information for Mauryan dynasty. Throw light on historical significance of Ashoka՚s inscriptions.

Section-B

  1. Write short essays in not more than 200 words each on any three of the following topics:
    1. Alauddin Khilji was a typical despot
    2. Sher Shah combined in himself qualities of lion and fox
    3. Rana Pratap՚s patriotism was his only offence
    4. Spanish ulcer ruined Napoleon Bonaparte, the Deccan ulcer ruined Aurangzeb
  2. Critically evaluate the contribution of Rashtrakutas to art and culture.
  3. Examine circumstances leading to rise of Shivaji. Throw light on his legacy.
  4. Trace influence of Islam on Indian culture and civilization.

History-1999 (Main) (Paper-II)

Candidates should attempt Question 1 and 5 which are compulsory, and any three of the remaining questions selecting at least one question from each Section. All questions carry equal marks.

Section A

  1. Comment on any three of the following statements in about 200 words each:
    1. After 1757 there grew up a State of Bengal which was a “sponsored state” as well as a “plundered state”
    2. The British Indian State experienced the ‘wind of change’ with the arrival of Lord William Bentinck.
    3. The Christian Missionary propaganda from 1813 onwards was “often insensitive and wounding”
    4. The Indian Middle Class firmly believed that “Britain had imposed a colonial economy on India which had impoverished the country.”
  2. Do you believe that the uprising in 1857 was nationalist in nature? If not, what was its character?
  3. Trace the origin and growth of the Indian Muslim League.
  4. “Gandhi՚s mystique consisted of a union of original ideas with a remarkable flair for tactics and an uncanry insight m the mass mind.” Elucidate.

Section B

  1. Comment on any three of the following statements in about 200 words each:
    1. Portugal and Spain, the pioneers in world exploration, were also first in the race to conquer overseas countries
    2. To some extent, the American War of Independence inspired the French Revolution
    3. The political unification of Germany was accomplished solely by Bismarck
    4. With the proclamation in Nanking of a Chinese Republic with Sun-Yat-Sen as the President in 1911, “the old China wilted rapidly.”
  2. Trace the rise and growth of the New European Society in the inter-war period.
  3. “Stalinist Russia was a despotic regime.” Critically examine this view.
  4. In the post-Second World War scenario friends in war did not remain friends in peace. Examine the truth of this view in the period of your study.