UPSC’s fascination with Buddhism and history: Repeating the same question in consecutive years
QUESTION 1
Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of Buddha? (CSE Prelims 2015)
1. Avanti
2. Gandhara
3. Kosala
4. Magadha
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) 3 and 4 only
Do you think UPSC never repeats questions? History is vast, offering an endless pool of questions to choose from. However, UPSC has not only repeated themes but also replicated exact questions with slight variations in the answer codes. What’s surprising is that this occurred in consecutive years—2014 and 2015.
Most of the questions from Ancient Indian History are either factual or revolve around specific terms. They may be so direct at times that you would immediately know whether you know the answer to them or not. However, this question was unusual. Buddhism is one of the most frequently asked topics from Ancient India, and UPSC often frames questions on it. Every word seemed familiar—heard of and read. Simple? No. The real challenge was connecting all the kingdoms to Buddha. The catch in the question was the “Life of Buddha”—not just Buddhism. It was a time-consuming question that required recalling chapters from Ancient Indian History books and applying logic under the pressure of the examination hall.
Avanti and Gandhara were not directly linked to Buddha’s life. Pasenadi, king of Kosala, was his contemporary, and Kosala and Magadha shared matrimonial ties. Buddha traveled through Kosala and Magadha, spreading his teachings. Gandhara’s Buddhist influence grew later under Mauryan rule, especially Asoka.
According to the official key of UPSC option (d) was the correct answer.
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The most popular topic, the least popular question
QUESTION 2
Who among the following is associated with ‘Songs from Prison’, a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English? (CSE Prelims 2021)
a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
b) Jawaharlal Nehru
c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
d) Sarojini Naidu
Almost all freedom fighters went to prison. Some of them were also writers, poets, and lyricists. So how do you pick one option from the many popular names of modern India? Let’s take a reverse approach to understanding the dilemma in such questions.
The answer is Mahatma Gandhi—the personality you have likely studied the most while preparing for the UPSC exam. Not just his role in the freedom struggle, but also his popular books and journals must have been noted and revised in the tabular summaries you make. However, this one might have been overlooked while reading about Gandhi.
So, you will likely switch to the elimination method, and Gandhi might be the first one you remove. That’s exactly where UPSC plays its trick.
According to the official key of UPSC option (c) was the correct answer.
When aspirants thought selective preparation on Medieval India was enough, but UPSC had other plans
QUESTION 3
Consider the following Pairs ( CSE Prelims 2015)
Medieval Indian State Present Region
1. Champaka : Central India
2. Durgara : Jammu
3. Kuluta : Malabar
Which of the above pairs is/ are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 3 only
History is vast, and aspirants often perform a cost-benefit analysis when covering the three periods. There was a time when medieval India was considered a lesser focus in the UPSC exam. Students played it safe by sticking to popular topics like the Vijayanagar Empire or the Mughal Empire, thinking, ‘How difficult can UPSC go in less-touched areas?’ Fair point, but UPSC thinks differently. That’s why questions like the one above catch aspirants off guard. It’s not just about knowing medieval Indian states, but also their contemporary locations. The questions aren’t straightforward, as the options themselves can confuse you. Google might seem like an option in such questions—if only it were allowed inside the exam hall.
Relating historical regions to their present-day counterparts makes tricky questions more manageable. Kuluta (Kullu) and Champaka (Chamba) are in Himachal Pradesh, while Durgara (Jammu) is further north.
According to the official key of UPSC option (b) was the correct answer.
When options are designed to make you second-guess
QUESTION 4
In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around (CSE Prelims 2020)
(1) Women’s right to gain education
(2) Age of consent
(3) Restitution of conjugal rights
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Women in history is again a frequently asked question. But every time, you won’t get a popular historical figure. Even if you have heard about the personality or the issues associated with them, the options given in the question are so close that they might confuse you. Take the above question, for example. The famous case from modern Indian history was related to the age of consent and restitution of conjugal rights. No matter how obvious the option on ‘education’ might sound, it isn’t the correct answer.
According to the official key of UPSC option (b) was the correct answer
Overthinking might turn easy questions into UPSC traps
QUESTION 5
Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to the album and individual portrait? (CSE Prelims 2019)
(a) Humayun
(b) Akbar
(c) Jahangir
(d) Shah Jahan
Who says it was a difficult question? As long as you don’t overthink, you can easily apply a simple trick—Shah Jahan for Architecture, Jahangir for Paintings. But we don’t just want to highlight the easy questions here. We also want to show how specific UPSC can be in picking creatively framed questions.
So, be careful—trust your instincts and general knowledge. If you overthink, you lose a point. These are the questions that can either make or break your UPSC dream.
We hope you understand that some traps of UPSC can be avoided. Although history has a vast syllabus, silly mistakes can be avoided to gain an advantage where other candidates lose. Keep that in mind as we resume with our usual way of providing MCQs from Week 101. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
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Almost all freedom fighters went to prison. Some of them were also writers, poets, and lyricists. So how do you pick one option from the many popular names of modern India? (Image source: Wikimedia Commons) 
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