FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION – 2026
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POST IN BS – 17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
BRITISH HISTORY
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
PART – I (MCQs): MAXIMUM 30 MINUTES
PART – I (MCQs): MAXIMUM MARKS = 20
PART – II MAXIMUM MARKS = 80
NOTE: (i) First attempt PART-I (MCQs) on separate OMR Answer Sheet which shall be taken back
after 30 minutes.
(ii) Overwriting/cutting of the options/answers will not be given credit.
(iii) There is no negative marking. All MCQs must be attempted.
PART-I (MCQs)(COMPULSORY)
Q.1. (i) Select the best option/answer and fill in the appropriate Box on the OMR Answer Sheet.(20×1=20)
(ii) Answers given anywhere else, other than OMR Answer Sheet, will not be considered.
1. Which monarch ruled jointly with William III after 1689?
(A) Henry IV (B) Anne (C) Catherine of Braganza (D) None of these
2. The 1701 Act of Settlement ensured that the English crown would pass to the house of:
(A) Hanover (B) Bourbon (C) Habsburg (D) None of these
3. The Seven Years’ War ended with British dominance over:
(A) The Dutch in Indonesia (B) The Spanish in the Caribbean (C) The French in North America (D) None of these
4. Which British Prime Minister was in office during the American Declaration of Independence?
(A) William Pitt the Younger (B) Lord North (C) Robert Walpole (D) None of these
5. The Act of Union 1801 created the United Kingdom of:
(A) Great Britain and Scotland (B) England and Scotland (C) Great Britain and Ireland (D) None of these
6. The Peterloo Massacre (1819) occurred in:
(A) Birmingham (B) Liverpool (C) London (D) None of these
7. The Irish Famine primarily occurred due to failure of ________ crops:
(A) Wheat (B) Barley (C) Potato (D) None of these
8. Women over 30 gained the right to vote in Britain in:
(A) 1900 (B) 1907 (C) 1910 (D) None of these
9. The “Winter of Discontent” occurred during the premiership of:
(A) John Major (B) James Callaghan (C) Harold Macmillan (D) None of these
10. Britain’s first female Prime Minister belonged to the:
(A) Liberal Party (B) Labour Party (C) Conservative Party (D) None of these
11. The Good Friday Agreement aimed to end conflict primarily in:
(A) Wales (B) Northern Ireland (C) Scotland (D) None of these
12. The London 7/7 bombings took place in:
(A) 2003 (B) 2004 (C) 2008 (D) None of these
13. The coalition formed in 2010 was between Conservatives and:
(A) Labour (B) SNP (C) Liberal Democrats (D) None of these
14. The American War of Independence ended with the Treaty of:
(A) Paris (1783) (B) Versailles (1783) (C) London (1783) (D) None of these
15. The French Revolution led to:
(A) British support of French monarchy (B) British declaration of war on France (C) British neutrality (D) None of these
16. The Reform Act of 1832:
(A) Extended voting rights to all men (B) Extended voting rights to women (C) Extended voting rights to middle-class men (D) None of these
17. The Crimean War was fought between Britain and:
(A) Russia (B) France (C) Ottoman Empire (D) None of these
18. Britain’s appeasement policy was led by:
(A) Churchill (B) Chamberlain (C) Attlee (D) None of these
19. The Suez Crisis (1956) led to:
(A) British withdrawal (B) British victory (C) Alliance with France (D) None of these
20. The Coalition Government (2010–2015) was led by:
(A) David Cameron (B) Nick Clegg (C) Ed Miliband (D) None of these
PART II
NOTE:
(i) Part – II is to be attempted on the separate Answer Book.
(ii) Attempt ONLY FOUR questions from PART – II. ALL questions carry EQUAL marks.
(iii) All the parts (if any) of each Question must be attempted at one place instead of at different places.
(iv) Candidate must write Q. No. in the Answer Book in Accordance with Q. No. in the Q. Paper.
(v) No Page / Space be left blank between the answers. All the blank pages of Answer Book must be crossed.
(iv) Extra attempt of any question or any part of the attempted question will not be considered.
SECTION-A
Q. No. 2: Examine the complex relationships between abolition, imperialism, and economic interests, and argue for or against the notion that Britain’s anti-slavery movement was a thinly veiled justification for colonial expansion. (20)
Q. No. 3: Critically evaluate the extent to which the Industrial Revolution transformed British society more through disruption than through progress. Use regional examples to support your argument. (20)
Q. No. 4: How far was the decline of the British Empire after 1945 the result of global pressures rather than internal political decisions? Support your analysis with at least three major real end-of-decolonisation cases. (20)
Q. No. 5: Critically evaluate the effects of World War-I on British social structure, industrial relations, and the polity, highlighting the ways in which the war accelerated the decline of the Liberal Party and paved the way for Labour’s rise to power. (20)
SECTION-B
Q. No. 6: Discuss the impact of European integration on British politics and identity since 1973, with particular reference to the debates surrounding the Maastricht Treaty and the UK’s opt-out from the euro. (20)
Q. No. 7: From 1997 to 2012, Britain saw dramatic shifts in foreign policy, constitutional reform, and international identity. Assess whether the period should be interpreted as one of renewal or of unresolved contradictions in British governance. (20)
Q. No. 8: Write short notes on any two of the following: (10 each) (20)
(a) Britain’s role in the War on Terror
(b) Lady Diana Spencer
(c) John Major’s foreign policy
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