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Modern India and the Freedom Struggle PYQs (previous year questions) for UPSC Prelims: Modern India and the Freedom Struggle (History and Culture) had 71 questions across the 11 official UPSC Prelims papers we tagged (2016–2026), and appeared in 11 of them. Asked in 11 of 11 years. The concepts asked in the most papers: Gandhian Movements, Social Reform Movements, Swadeshi Movement.
Year-wise question count
Asked in 11 of 11 years.
Most-asked concepts
Sorted by the number of papers a concept appeared in.
| Concept | Questions | Papers | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gandhian Movements | 5 | 4 | 2025, 2020, 2019, 2018 |
| Social Reform Movements | 5 | 4 | 2021, 2020, 2019, 2016 |
| Swadeshi Movement | 4 | 4 | 2023, 2020, 2019, 2016 |
| Constitutional Development | 3 | 3 | 2024, 2023, 2022 |
| Constitutional Reforms | 3 | 3 | 2026, 2017, 2016 |
| Colonial Economy | 3 | 2 | 2026, 2018 |
| British Constitutional Acts | 2 | 2 | 2021, 2019 |
| Cripps Mission | 2 | 2 | 2022, 2016 |
| Freedom Fighters | 2 | 2 | 2021, 2018 |
| Indian National Movement | 2 | 2 | 2021, 2019 |
| Labour Movement | 2 | 2 | 2018, 2017 |
| Peasant Movements | 2 | 2 | 2026, 2020 |
| Education Policy | 3 | 1 | 2018 |
| Non-Cooperation Movement | 3 | 1 | 2025 |
| Social Reformers | 2 | 1 | 2025 |
| Archaeology | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brahmo Samaj | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
| British Education Policy | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| British Land Revenue | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Constituent Assembly | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Economic Impact of British Rule | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| European Missionaries | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| European Trading Companies | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Freedom Struggle | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Freedom Struggle Chronology | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Government of India Acts | 1 | 1 | 2018 |
| Home Rule Movement | 1 | 1 | 2018 |
| Indian National Army | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Indian National Congress | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
| Labour Legislation | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Land Revenue Systems | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Political Associations | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Political Parties | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Post-independence India | 1 | 1 | 2018 |
| Princely States | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Quit India Movement | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Regional Kingdoms | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Revolt of 1857 | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Revolutionary Movements | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Socio-cultural Awakening | 1 | 1 | 2018 |
| Subsidiary Alliance | 1 | 1 | 2018 |
| Tribal Revolts | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Tribal Uprisings | 1 | 1 | 2018 |
How to practise Modern India and the Freedom Struggle PYQs
- Start with the concepts at the top of the table. They have come back the most.
- Solve one year’s Modern India and the Freedom Struggle questions from the official PDF against the clock, then check the answer listed below.
- Log every miss as a concept gap, a calculation slip or a misread. Each needs a different fix.
- Once a concept is clean in two papers, move to the next. Then sit a full paper from the year pages.
Questions by year
Each line gives the question number, type, concept, our one-line summary and the official answer, with a link to the official PDF.
UPSC Prelims2026
- Q.2 · MCQ · Colonial Economy: Reason for the rupee-sterling rate set by the Hilton-Young Commission PDF
- Q.9 · MCQ · Peasant Movements: Comparing the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha PDF
- Q.16 · MCQ · Freedom Struggle: Factors behind Subhas Bose forming the Forward Bloc PDF
- Q.17 · MCQ · Revolt of 1857: British policy in Awadh just after its 1856 annexation PDF
- Q.18 · MCQ · Constitutional Reforms: Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and communal political alliances PDF
UPSC Prelims2025
- Q.11 · MCQ · Social Reformers: Views of Raja Ram Mohan Roy on tradition and rationalism PDF
- Q.12 · MCQ · Non-Cooperation Movement: Which items formed part of the Non-Cooperation programme PDF
- Q.20 · MCQ · Non-Cooperation Movement: Objective and staged plan of the Non-Cooperation Movement PDF
- Q.71 · MCQ · Gandhian Movements: Occasion of Gandhi's 'Sedition has become my religion' PDF
- Q.73 · MCQ · Non-Cooperation Movement: Who defended the accused after Chauri Chaura PDF
- Q.74 · MCQ · Gandhian Movements: Event after which Gandhi took up Harijan upliftment PDF
- Q.78 · MCQ · Social Reformers: Founder of the Self-Respect Movement PDF
UPSC Prelims2024
- Q.57 · MCQ · Land Revenue Systems: Ryotwari and Permanent Settlement revenue rules PDF
- Q.61 · MCQ · Constituent Assembly: Provisional President of the Constituent Assembly PDF
- Q.62 · MCQ · Constitutional Development: Federation and reserved subjects under the 1935 Act PDF
- Q.73 · MCQ · Political Parties: Matching post-independence parties with their leaders PDF
UPSC Prelims2023
- Q.50 · MCQ · Constitutional Development: Act that made the Governor General of Bengal Governor General of India (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.81 · MCQ · Archaeology: Field associated with Rea, Longhurst, Sewell, Burgess and Elliot (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.83 · MCQ · Swadeshi Movement: National Handloom Day and the Swadeshi Movement (official answer: A) PDF
UPSC Prelims2022
- Q.51 · MCQ · Constitutional Development: Reserved subjects under dyarchy in the 1919 Act (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.53 · MCQ · Revolutionary Movements: Freedom fighters associated with the Ghadar Party (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.54 · MCQ · Cripps Mission: Proposals of the Cripps Mission (official answer: B) PDF
UPSC Prelims2021
- Q.33 · MCQ · European Trading Companies: Locations of English East India Company factories c.1600-1625 (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.36 · MCQ · Indian National Movement: Correct statement about Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.39 · MCQ · European Missionaries: Statements on St. Francis Xavier (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.42 · MCQ · British Constitutional Acts: Statements on women's franchise and reserved seats in 1919 and 1935 (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.43 · MCQ · Quit India Movement: Correct statement about 8 August 1942 (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.44 · MCQ · Freedom Fighters: Person associated with the translation 'Songs from Prison' (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.46 · MCQ · Social Reform Movements: Secretary of the school later called Bethune Female School (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.47 · MCQ · Indian National Army: What Shah Nawaz Khan, Sehgal and Dhillon are remembered as (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.48 · MCQ · Regional Kingdoms: Statements on origins of Arcot, Mysore and Rohilkhand (official answer: B) PDF
UPSC Prelims2020
- Q.23 · MCQ · Economic Impact of British Rule: Impact of the Industrial Revolution on India in early 19th century (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.26 · MCQ · Swadeshi Movement: Statements on Deuskar's book Desher Katha (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.27 · MCQ · Gandhian Movements: Provisions included in the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (official answer: dropped in the final key) PDF
- Q.28 · MCQ · Social Reform Movements: Publisher of Vital-Vidhvansak journal for untouchables (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.32 · MCQ · Social Reform Movements: Issues at the centre of the Rakhmabai case of 1884 (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.33 · MCQ · Peasant Movements: Why indigo cultivation declined in early 20th century (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.34 · MCQ · British Education Policy: Why Wellesley established Fort William College (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.35 · MCQ · Tribal Revolts: Event described as Ulgulan or the Great Tumult (official answer: D) PDF
UPSC Prelims2019
- Q.4 · MCQ · British Constitutional Acts: Statements about the provisions of the Charter Act of 1813 (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.5 · MCQ · Swadeshi Movement: Statements on the Swadeshi Movement's effects and institutions (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.6 · MCQ · Social Reform Movements: Match movements or organisations with their leaders (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.14 · MCQ · Gandhian Movements: Statements on Gandhi and indentured labour, War Conference, Salt Law (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.15 · MCQ · Indian National Movement: Match persons with positions held in the national movement (official answer: D) PDF
UPSC Prelims2018
- Q.11 · MCQ · Freedom Fighters: Leader who wrote biographies of Mazzini and Garibaldi (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.19 · MCQ · Education Policy: Provisions of Wood's Dispatch (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.38 · MCQ · Government of India Acts: Holder of residuary powers under the 1935 Act (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.51 · MCQ · Tribal Uprisings: Measures taken after the Santhal uprising (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.52 · MCQ · Colonial Economy: Economic result of British rule in 19th century India (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.68 · MCQ · Colonial Economy: Staple exports of the East India Company from Bengal (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.69 · MCQ · Gandhian Movements: Significance of the Champaran Satyagraha (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.70 · MCQ · Labour Movement: Founders of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.75 · MCQ · Subsidiary Alliance: Aim not linked to Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.76 · MCQ · Education Policy: Factors behind the introduction of English education (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.79 · MCQ · Home Rule Movement: Body renamed Swarajya Sabha in 1920 (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.80 · MCQ · Socio-cultural Awakening: Earliest of four 19th-century events (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.89 · MCQ · Education Policy: Matching colonial institutions with founders (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.91 · MCQ · Post-independence India: Chronology of four events of the 1950s-60s (official answer: B) PDF
UPSC Prelims2017
- Q.13 · MCQ · British Land Revenue: People linked with introducing Ryotwari Settlement (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.15 · MCQ · Labour Legislation: Provisions of the Trade Disputes Act of 1929 (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.24 · MCQ · Labour Movement: Factories Act 1881 and N.M. Lokhande (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.26 · MCQ · Princely States: Object of the Butler Committee of 1927 (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.37 · MCQ · Political Associations: Matching early leaders with associations they founded or led (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.62 · MCQ · Constitutional Reforms: Meaning of the principle of Dyarchy (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.93 · MCQ · Freedom Struggle Chronology: Chronological order of RIN mutiny, Quit India, 2nd RTC (official answer: C) PDF
UPSC Prelims2016
- Q.49 · MCQ · Swadeshi Movement: First struggle that used Swadeshi and Boycott (official answer: A) PDF
- Q.58 · MCQ · Social Reform Movements: What the Satya Shodhak Samaj organised (official answer: C) PDF
- Q.64 · MCQ · Constitutional Reforms: What the Montague-Chelmsford proposals related to (official answer: D) PDF
- Q.69 · MCQ · Brahmo Samaj: Organisations founded by Keshab Chandra Sen (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.92 · MCQ · Indian National Congress: Main reason for the 1907 Surat split (official answer: B) PDF
- Q.93 · MCQ · Cripps Mission: What the Cripps plan envisaged after the war (official answer: D) PDF
Other History and Culture topics
FAQ
How many Modern India and the Freedom Struggle questions come in UPSC Prelims?
In the official papers we tagged: 5 in 2026, 7 in 2025, 4 in 2024, 3 in 2023, 3 in 2022, 9 in 2021, 8 in 2020, 5 in 2019, 14 in 2018, 7 in 2017 and 6 in 2016. That is 71 questions in all, about 39% of History and Culture.
Which Modern India and the Freedom Struggle topics repeat in UPSC Prelims?
Asked in the most papers: Gandhian Movements, Social Reform Movements, Swadeshi Movement. The concept table lists every one with its count.
Are these official UPSC Prelims questions?
Yes. Every question is from an official UPSC Prelims paper hosted on our year pages. The one-line summaries are ours; open the PDF linked beside each question for the full text.