Here are 100 most important questions on Modern History of India with one or two-word answers, useful for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, Banking, and Railways.
British Rule in India (1757–1857)
1. In which year did the Battle of Plassey take place? → 1757
2. Who was the British commander in the Battle of Plassey? → Robert Clive
3. Who was the Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Plassey? → Siraj-ud-Daulah
4. In which battle was Mir Jafar made the Nawab of Bengal? → Battle of Plassey
5. Who won the Battle of Buxar? → British East India Company
6. In which year was the Battle of Buxar fought? → 1764
7. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal? → Lord Cornwallis
8. Who introduced the Ryotwari System? → Thomas Munro
9. Who introduced the Mahalwari System? → Holt Mackenzie
10. Which act made the Governor-General of Bengal the Governor-General of India? → Charter Act, 1833
11. Who was the first Governor-General of India? → Lord William Bentinck
12. Who abolished Sati? → Lord William Bentinck
13. Who founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal? → William Jones
14. Who introduced the Doctrine of Lapse? → Lord Dalhousie
15. Who was the first victim of the Doctrine of Lapse? → Satara
Revolt of 1857 and Its Aftermath
16. In which year did the Revolt of 1857 begin? → 1857
17. Who was the Governor-General during the Revolt of 1857? → Lord Canning
18. Who led the Revolt of 1857 in Delhi? → Bahadur Shah II
19. Who led the Revolt of 1857 in Kanpur? → Nana Saheb
20. Who led the Revolt of 1857 in Jhansi? → Rani Lakshmibai
21. Who led the Revolt of 1857 in Lucknow? → Begum Hazrat Mahal
22. Who led the Revolt of 1857 in Bihar? → Kunwar Singh
23. Where did Mangal Pandey start the Revolt of 1857? → Barrackpore
24. Which act ended the rule of the East India Company? → Government of India Act, 1858
25. Who became the first Viceroy of India? → Lord Canning
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Indian Nationalism and Early Political Movements
26. In which year was the Indian National Congress founded? → 1885
27. Who was the founder of the Indian National Congress? → A.O. Hume
28. Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress? → W.C. Banerjee
29. Where was the first session of the Indian National Congress held? → Bombay
30. Who is known as the "Grand Old Man of India"? → Dadabhai Naoroji
31. Who gave the Drain Theory? → Dadabhai Naoroji
32. Who wrote Poverty and Un-British Rule in India? → Dadabhai Naoroji
33. Who started the Home Rule Movement? → Bal Gangadhar Tilak & Annie Besant
34. Who gave the slogan "Swaraj is my birthright"? → Bal Gangadhar Tilak
35. Who founded the Arya Samaj? → Swami Dayanand Saraswati
36. Who gave the slogan "Go back to the Vedas"? → Swami Dayanand Saraswati
37. Who started the Aligarh Movement? → Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
38. When was the Partition of Bengal announced? → 1905
39. Who was the Viceroy during the Partition of Bengal? → Lord Curzon
40. When was Bengal reunited? → 1911
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Gandhian Era and Freedom Struggle
41. When did Mahatma Gandhi return to India from South Africa? → 1915
42. Who started the Champaran Satyagraha? → Mahatma Gandhi
43. Who started the Kheda Satyagraha? → Mahatma Gandhi
44. In which year did the Jallianwala Bagh massacre occur? → 1919
45. Who was the Viceroy during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? → Lord Chelmsford
46. Who was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? → General Dyer
47. In which year was the Non-Cooperation Movement launched? → 1920
48. Who was the leader of the Khilafat Movement? → Ali Brothers
49. When did the Chauri Chaura incident take place? → 1922
50. In which year was the Simon Commission appointed? → 1927
51. Who gave the slogan "Simon Go Back"? → Lala Lajpat Rai
52. In which year was the Civil Disobedience Movement launched? → 1930
53. Who led the Salt Satyagraha? → Mahatma Gandhi
54. Where did Gandhi start the Salt March? → Sabarmati Ashram
55. Where did the Salt March end? → Dandi
56. Who was the British Prime Minister during the Round Table Conferences? → Ramsay MacDonald
57. When was the Quit India Movement launched? → 1942
58. Who gave the slogan "Do or Die"? → Mahatma Gandhi
59. Who founded the Forward Bloc? → Subhas Chandra Bose
60. Who formed the Indian National Army? → Subhas Chandra Bose
61. What was the slogan of Subhas Chandra Bose? → Jai Hind
62. Who was the last Viceroy of British India? → Lord Mountbatten
63. When was the Indian Independence Act passed? → 1947
64. Who was the first Governor-General of independent India? → Lord Mountbatten
65. Who was the first Indian Governor-General of India? → C. Rajagopalachari
66. When was India officially declared a Republic? → 1950
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Other Important Events
67. Who started the Self-Respect Movement? → Periyar E.V. Ramasamy
68. Who founded the Prarthana Samaj? → Atmaram Pandurang
69. Who founded the Brahmo Samaj? → Raja Ram Mohan Roy
70. Who founded the Ramakrishna Mission? → Swami Vivekananda
71. Who founded the Theosophical Society in India? → Annie Besant
72. When was the Hindu Mahasabha founded? → 1915
73. Who was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize? → Rabindranath Tagore
74. Which book did Rabindranath Tagore return to protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? → Knighthood
75. Who was the first Indian to be elected to the British Parliament? → Dadabhai Naoroji
76. When was the Rowlatt Act passed? → 1919
77. Who founded the Communist Party of India? → M.N. Roy
78. In which year was the Cripps Mission sent to India? → 1942
79. When was the Indian National Army formed? → 1943
80. Where was the first session of the Constituent Assembly held? → New Delhi