FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2025 FOR RECRUITMENT
TO POSTS IN BS-17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
HISTORY OF PAKISTAN & INDIA
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS | (PART-I MCQs) MAXIMUM MARKS: 20
PART-I (MCQs) : MAXIMUM 30 MINUTES | (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 In The Loyal Mohammedans of India, how did Sir Syed Ahmad Khan describe the Muslims who joined the rebellion?
(A) As freedom fighters defending their rights (B) As misguided individuals seeking revenge (C) As criminals while condemning the general denunciation of Muslims as a race (D) None of these
2 What argument did Sir Syed Ahmad Khan make in his seven-volume Commentary on the Quran?
(A) The Quran contains allegorical interpretations of divine laws. (B) The Quran is the word of God, and nature is the work of God. (C) The Quran promotes the separation of religion and science. (D) None of these
3 What was the cause of the earliest recorded Hindu-Muslim riot in Benares in 1809 after the arrival of the British?
(A) Economic tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities (B) Revenge for a perceived insult involving a mosque allegedly built on a sacred Hindu site (C) A dispute over control of religious festivals in the region (D) None of these
4 According to G.K. Gokhale in London in 1913, why was the Indian National Congress immediately accepted by the Indian intelligentsia and the government?
(A) Its objectives aligned perfectly with Indian nationalist aspirations. (B) It promised rapid political reforms for Indian representation. (C) It was founded by a Scotsman, A.O. Hume, a commanding personality and distinguished ex-official. (D) None of these
5 According to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, during the agitation the partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon, revolutionary groups were recruited predominantly from which group, and how did they view the Muslims?
(A) Exclusively from the Muslim aristocracy, viewing Hindus as allies in the freedom struggle. (B) Predominantly from the Hindu middle classes, viewing Muslims as obstacles to freedom. (C) Equally from all religious communities, promoting unity against British rule. (D) None of these
6 What was the primary objective of the Home Rule League founded by Mrs. Annie Besant in 1915?
(A) To advocate for complete independence from British rule. (B) To establish Home Rule for India as an auxiliary to the National Congress and its British Committee in England. (C) To promote social and educational reforms in India. (D) None of these
7 From whom did Gandhi draw inspiration regarding the idea that the village is the ideal unit for practising the principle of “loving thy neighbour as thyself”?
(A) Rabindranath Tagore (B) Leo Tolstoy (C) John Ruskin (D) None of these
8 What warning did Muhammad Ali Jinnah give to the British Prime Minister in a 1919 memorandum regarding the Sultan of Turkey and the Khalifa?
(A) Great Britain should establish direct rule over Turkey to maintain peace in India. (B) Reducing the Sultan of Turkey and the Khalifa to the status of a petty sovereign would cause a colossal and abiding reaction in India. (C) The Muslim world would support British policies if they upheld the sovereignty of the Sultan of Turkey. (D) None of these
9 What was the primary demand of the Akali Movement in Punjab during the 1920s?
(A) Abolition of British rule in India (B) Management of Sikh gurdwaras by elected committees under the aegis of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. (C) Establishment of an independent Sikh state (D) Reform of the Sikh marriage laws
10 How did Muhammad Ali Jinnah describe the Simon Commission?
(A) A necessary reform (B) A betrayal of trust (C) A butchery of the soul (D) A symbol of progress
11 What did the Nehru Report state regarding the demand for independence?
(A) Complete independence was the primary demand of all Indian leaders
(B) Dominion Status was the minimum acceptable demand, though some sought complete independence
(C) The Nehru Report advocated for full autonomy within the British Empire
(D) Indian leaders were satisfied with remaining under British rule
12 What did Jinnah’s Fourteen Points state regarding the future constitution of India?
(A) The constitution should be unitary, with all powers vested in the central government
(B) The constitution should be federal, with the residuary powers vested in the provinces
(C) The future constitution should grant complete independence to the provinces
(D) The constitution should establish a centralised government with no provincial autonomy
13 What did the election manifesto adopted by the All-India Congress Committee in August 1936 state about the Government of India Act 1935?
(A) Congressmen were to cooperate fully with the provisions of the Act
(B) Congressmen were to work with the British government under the Act for the betterment of India
(C) Congressmen were to combat the Act and seek to end it
(D) The manifesto did not address the Government of India Act 1935
14 Why did Jinnah decide to take up residence in London in 1931?
(A) He believed it was the best place to lead the Indian independence movement
(B) He felt he could neither help India, change the Hindu mentality, nor make Muslims realise their precarious position
(C) He wanted to engage in a political alliance with the British government
(D) He sought to further his legal career in the British colonial administration
15 What did the Pirpur Report of 1938 state about the Congress governments?
(A) They were focused on the economic development of all communities in India
(B) The conduct of the Congress governments substantiated the theory that a majority of Congress members were Hindu, aiming for a purely Hindu Raj
(C) The Congress governments were neutral and fair to all religious communities
(D) They actively promoted the idea of a united India under a secular government
16 What did Rehmat Ali express in ‘Now and Never’ about the Indian delegation’s agreement to the formation of an All-India federation at the Round Table Conference?
(A) He welcomed the formation of an All-India federation as a step towards unity
(B) He believed the agreement at the Round Table Conference marked the death-warrant of Islam and its future in India
(C) He was indifferent to the formation of the All-India federation
(D) He praised the Indian delegation for representing the interests of Muslims at the Round Table Conference
17 What was the result of the extensive authority granted to the governor general by the Government of India Act 1935?
(A) It limited the governor general’s role to ceremonial duties
(B) It established the governor general as the epicentre of authority
(C) It decentralised power to provincial governments
(D) It abolished the office of the governor general upon independence
18 What significant disadvantage did East Pakistan face at the time of Partition in 1947?
(A) It lost control over its agricultural resources to India
(B) It had only 5% of the industrial workers of undivided Bengal
(C) It gained control over major industrial centres like Calcutta
(D) It had the majority of the financial and commercial sectors
19 What was the British original plan regarding the Indian and Pakistan Armies after Partition?
(A) To keep the Indian and Pakistan armies under one British leader
(B) To keep the Indian and Pakistan armies under separate leaders
(C) To keep the Indian Army under a Pakistani leader
(D) To merge both armies into a single force
20 Who were the key figures advocating for an independent Bengal?
(A) Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy and Sarat Chandra Bose, supported by the British governor and European stakeholders in the jute industry
(B) Abul Kalam Azad, who surprisingly supported a united Bengal on the basis of ‘common language, common culture, and common history’
(C) Gandhi, who was the sole advocate for a United Bengal
(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) 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.
(vi) Extra attempt of any question or any part of the question will not be considered.
Q. No. 2 How did the Sufis of the Suhrawardiyya and Chishtiyya silsila structure their relationships with the Sultans and Mughal emperors in medieval India, particularly in terms of acting as advisors, receiving patronage, mediating between the populace and rulers, providing legitimacy to rulers, and confronting political authority when necessary? (20)
Q. No. 3 How did trade and commerce influence the development of urban life in medieval India? What roles did markets, guilds, and trade networks play in shaping the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of medieval cities? (20)
Q. No. 4 How did Indian politicians and intellectuals, through critiquing and adapting British colonial knowledge, contribute to the intellectual foundations of nationalism in India? (20)
Q. No. 5 How did the experiences of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, and Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah with the British and Hindus influence their shift from advocating for a united India to supporting the idea of Muslims as a separate nation? (20)
Q. No. 6 How did the martial law regimes of General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf impact political and freedom of speech in Pakistan? (20)
Q. No. 7 In what ways did Pakistan’s foreign alliances, especially with the United States and China, influence its economic, political, and security development between 1947 and 1999? (20)
Q. No. 8 Write short notes on any two of the following: (10 each) (20)
(a) Muslim leaders of the Congress who opposed the creation of Pakistan
(b) Anti-colonial struggle by South Asian Shrine-based communities
(c) Mughal architecture as a symbol of imperial power
Answer Key Q 1
1 (C) As criminals while condemning the general denunciation of Muslims as a race, 2 (B) The Quran is the word of God, and nature is the work of God., 3 (B) Revenge for a perceived insult involving a mosque allegedly built on a sacred Hindu site, 4 (C) It was founded by a Scotsman, A.O. Hume, a commanding personality and distinguished ex-official., 5 (B) Predominantly from the Hindu middle classes, viewing Muslims as obstacles to freedom., 6 (B) To establish Home Rule for India as an auxiliary to the National Congress and its British Committee in England., 7 (B) Leo Tolstoy, 8 (B) Reducing the Sultan of Turkey and the Khalifa to the status of a petty sovereign would cause a colossal and abiding reaction in India., 9 (B) Management of Sikh gurdwaras by elected committees under the aegis of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee., 10 (C) A butchery of the soul, 11 (B) Dominion Status was the minimum acceptable demand, though some sought complete independence, 12 (B) The constitution should be federal, with the residuary powers vested in the provinces, 13 (C) Congressmen were to combat the Act and seek to end it, 14 (B) He felt he could neither help India, change the Hindu mentality, nor make Muslims realise their precarious position, 15 (B) The conduct of the Congress governments substantiated the theory that a majority of Congress members were Hindu, aiming for a purely Hindu Raj, 16 (B) He believed the agreement at the Round Table Conference marked the death-warrant of Islam and its future in India., 17 (B) It established the governor general as the epicentre of authority, 18 (B) It had only 5% of the industrial workers of undivided Bengal, 19 (A) To keep the Indian and Pakistan armies under one British leader, 20 (A) Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy and Sarat Chandra Bose, supported by the British governor and European stakeholders in the jute industry
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