CDS 2026 History Previous Year Questions

With reference to the Indo-Roman trade in ancient India, the term 'aurei' refers to :

Which one of the following is a Neolithic site ?

Who among the following was called by Gandhiji as his Rajya Guru in May, 1915 ?

Consider the following statements about the Gupta administrative system :

1. The Gupta kings assumed imperial titles such as Maharajadhiraja, Parama-bhattaraka and Parameshvara.

2. The Gupta kings also connected themselves with the Gods through epithets such as Parama-daivata and Parama-bhagavata.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Who was the author of the book of travels, called Rihla, written in Arabic, providing extremely rich and interesting details about India ?

With reference to the Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman, consider the following statements :

1. The script of this inscription is Kharosthi and the language is Prakrit.
2. The inscription records the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana Lake.
3. It is an undated inscription.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Who among the following was the only Indian member to be present when the Vernacular Press Bill came up before the Legislative Council?

Which of the following factors was/were responsible for the rise of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanapada during the $6^{th}$ century BCE ?

1. Region of productive agriculture

2. Accessibility to iron-mines

3. Availability of elephants in the region

Select the answer using the codes given below :

The Mesolithic site of Bagor is one of the most well-documented sites. It is located in :

Extensive pit-dwellings have been identified at the two Neolithic sites of :

The Chalcolithic Ahar Culture has been identified in which of the following river systems ?

Which one of the following statements is not correct ?

With reference to the Ranigumpha Cave (Odisha), consider the following statements :

1. Ranigumpha Cave is plain and contains no murals or sculptures.
2. Ranigumpha Cave is two-storeyed.
3. Ranigumpha Cave consists of an oval courtyard.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

During the period 100 BCE - 200 CE, valuable evidence of India's maritime trade links has been identified from which of the following sites on the Coromandel Coast ?

Which of the pairs of Ashokan inscription and location is/are correctly matched ?

1. Jaugada : Karnataka

2. Bahapur : New Delhi

3. Rajula-Mandagiri : Andhra Pradesh

Select the answer using the codes given below :

The twelfth century witnessed the emergence of a new movement in Karnataka, led by Basavanna (1106-68 CE) who was a minister in the court of a Kalachuri ruler. His followers were known as :

With reference to the Industrial Revolution, consider the following statements :

1. The Industrial Revolution saw the replacement of handicrafts by power-driven machinery.

2. The industrialised countries became dependent upon other countries for the supply of raw materials necessary for their industries.

3. Large-scale production started with the help of machinery in factories.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

Swami Vivekananda's speech in the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 opened with which of the following words ?

S1: In an economic sense, feudalism refers to a kind of system of agricultural production.

S6: Thus, feudalism went beyond economic aspects to cover the social and political aspects of life as well.

P: In fact, the latter cultivated their own land as well as that of the lord.

Q: It is based on the relationship between lords and peasants, who worked on the former's land.

R: They also had judicial control over the peasants.

S: The peasants also performed other labour for the lords, who in exchange provided military protection.

Arrange the sentences P, Q, R, S to form a coherent paragraph between S1 and S6.

S1: William I had the land mapped, and distributed it in sections to one hundred eighty Norman nobles who had migrated with him to Britain.

S6: Thus, Anglo-Saxon peasants became tenants of various levels of landholders.

P: They could not, however, use their knights for private warfare, which was forbidden in England.

Q: They soon began to gift some of their own lands to knights who would serve them just as they in turn served the king.

R: They were obliged to supply a certain number of knights to the king.

S: These noble lords became the chief tenants of the king and were expected to give him military help.

Arrange the sentences P, Q, R, S to form a coherent paragraph between S1 and S6.