Sources of Modern Indian History – UGC NET History – Practice Questions

1. Which type of source should be given priority in constructing the history of modern India?
A. Oral traditions
B. Archives
C. Paintings
D. Novels

2. Archives primarily contain:
A. Imaginary narratives
B. Religious myths only
C. Original documents created during administrative, legal, social, or commercial activities
D. Folk songs exclusively

3. Match List I with List II:

A. A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III
B. A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV
C. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
D. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

4. The records of the East India Company mainly cover the period:
A. 1600–1857
B. 1700–1947
C. 1757–1905
D. 1858–1947

5. Assertion (A): Official records are an essential component of archives.
Reason (R): They help historians understand policy-making and administrative developments.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

6. Which European East India Company’s records are especially useful for studying economic and political conditions of the 17th–18th centuries?
A. Portuguese, Dutch, and French Companies
B. Danish Company only
C. British Company only
D. Portuguese, Dutch, and French East India Companies

7. Contemporary and semi-contemporary works useful for modern Indian history include:
A. Coins only
B. Memoirs, biographies, and travel accounts
C. Paintings only
D. Temple inscriptions only

8. Newspapers and journals became prominent historical sources mainly from:
A. Early 17th century
B. Mid-18th century
C. Later part of the 18th century onward
D. Post-1947 period only

9. Assertion (A): Oral evidence is accepted unquestioningly by historians.
Reason (R): Many historians remain sceptical about the reliability of oral history.

A. Both A and R are true
B. A is true but R is false
C. A is false but R is true
D. Both A and R are false

10. Which among the following is NOT a category of official records?
A. Temple records
B. Judicial records
C. Central government archives
D. State government archives

11. The National Archives of India is located in:
A. Kolkata
B. New Delhi
C. Mumbai
D. Chennai

12. Match List I with List II:

A. A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III
B. A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
C. A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV
D. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

13. Who was appointed the first Surveyor General of Bengal in 1767?
A. James Rennell
B. Alexander Burnes
C. William Moorcroft
D. George Forster

14. The Survey of India began with the appointment of:
A. Thomas Roe
B. James Rennell
C. Mountstuart Elphinstone
D. William Jones

15. Assertion (A): Survey of India records provide socio-economic and geographical information.
Reason (R): Surveyors maintained journals and memoirs.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

16. Which records provide information on colonial education policy?
A. Political department records
B. Educational records of central archives
C. Judicial proceedings
D. Foreign archives

17. In 1907, which new series was created to deal with political and communal issues?
A. Revenue Political
B. Home Political
C. Judicial Political
D. Military Political

18. Records of the Reforms Office are particularly useful for studying:
A. Economic history of the 18th century
B. Educational reforms before 1857
C. Constitutional developments from 1920–1937
D. Judicial reforms under Mughals

19. Assertion (A): State archives include records of erstwhile princely states.
Reason (R): These princely states were incorporated into the Indian Union after 1947.

A. Both A and R are false
B. A is true but R is false
C. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation
D. A is false but R is true

20. Khalsa Darbar records are related to:
A. Kingdom of Lahore
B. Mysore State
C. Awadh Kingdom
D. Hyderabad State

21. The Peshwa Daftar is housed in:
A. Rajasthan State Archives
B. Alienation Office, Pune
C. National Archives, Delhi
D. Maharashtra Secretariat, Mumbai

22. The Rajasthan State Archives are located at:
A. Jaipur
B. Bikaner
C. Udaipur
D. Jodhpur

23. Match List I with List II:

A. A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III
B. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
C. A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV
D. A-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III

24. Dogra rule archives are particularly important for studying the history of:
A. Rajasthan
B. Punjab
C. Gujarat
D. Jammu and Kashmir

25. Assertion (A): The early records of Fort William were lost in the sack of Calcutta (1756).
Reason (R): Bengal Presidency archives after Plassey survived substantially.

A. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
B. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

26. The Madras Presidency records begin from:
A. 1600
B. 1670
C. 1707
D. 1757

27. The Madras Presidency archives provide information about:
A. Mughal administration only
B. Anglo-French struggle and rise of EIC power in South India
C. Maratha naval wars only
D. British parliamentary debates only

28. Bombay Presidency archives are housed in:
A. Kolkata Secretariat
B. Delhi Secretariat
C. Maharashtra Secretariat Record Office, Mumbai
D. Chennai High Court

29. Assertion (A): Bombay Presidency archives are useful for studying Western India.
Reason (R): They include records of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Sindh, and Kannada-speaking regions.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

30. Portuguese archives in Goa mainly belong to the period:
A. 1700–1900
B. 1500–1700
C. 1858–1947
D. 1600–1800

31. Which records are housed in the Madras Record Office?
A. Dutch records of Cochin and Malabar
B. Dutch records of Cochin and Malabar
C. French Pondicherry archives
D. Portuguese Goa archives

32. French archives of Chandernagore and Pondicherry were taken to:
A. London
B. Paris
C. Copenhagen
D. Lisbon

33. Match List I with List II:

A. A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III
B. A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
C. A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV
D. A-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III

34. The Danish possessions of Tranquebar and Serampore were sold to the English East India Company in:
A. 1813
B. 1833
C. 1857
D. 1845

35. Assertion (A): The Mayor’s Court at Fort St. George has the earliest judicial archives.
Reason (R): These records begin from AD 1689.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

36. Judicial records are useful for studying:
A. Temple rituals only
B. Folk traditions only
C. Genealogy, social and economic conditions
D. Geological surveys only

37. Parliamentary Papers are important because they contain:
A. Religious scriptures
B. Excerpts from East India Company and Crown records
C. Temple inscriptions
D. Mughal paintings

38. Private archives mainly consist of:
A. Government orders only
B. Papers of important individuals and families
C. Temple donations only
D. Oral narratives only

39. Assertion (A): Nehru Memorial Museum and Library houses records of nationalist leaders and INC.
Reason (R): It preserves private archives relevant to modern India.

A. Both A and R are false
B. A is true but R is false
C. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation
D. A is false but R is true

40. Which archive in England is especially valuable for modern Indian history?
A. India Office Records, London
B. Vatican Archives
C. Smithsonian Archives
D. Moscow Archives

41. India Office Records include:
A. Minutes of East India Company Courts
B. Minutes of Courts of Directors and Board of Control correspondence
C. Temple grants only
D. Oral traditions only

42. Which institution preserves papers of British viceroys and officials?
A. India Office Records only
B. British Museum
C. Victoria Memorial
D. National Archives of India

43. Match List I with List II:

A. A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III
B. A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
C. A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV
D. A-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III

44. The archives of the Dutch East India Company are available at:
A. Paris
B. Lisbon
C. Rijksarchief, The Hague
D. Copenhagen

45. Assertion (A): Archives in Pakistan are useful for India’s regional colonial history.
Reason (R): They contain material related to Afghanistan, Iran, and neighbouring regions.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

46. Bishop Heber’s Journal provides information about:
A. Ancient India only
B. Socio-economic life during decline of Indian powers and rise of British rule
C. Gupta administration
D. Medieval temple architecture

47. Which among the following wrote Hindu Manners and Customs?
A. George Forster
B. Abbe Dubois
C. Alexander Burnes
D. Benjamin Heyne

48. Narrative of a Visit to the Court of Sinde was written by:
A. John Butler
B. George Forster
C. James Burnes
D. William Moorcroft

49. Assertion (A): Travel accounts supplement official records in reconstructing modern Indian history.
Reason (R): They are generally considered indispensable and reasonably reliable.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

50. Which newspaper, started in 1780, is regarded as the first newspaper in India?
A. Madras Courier
B. The Bengal Gazette or Calcutta General Advertiser
C. Bombay Herald
D. Calcutta Gazette