Day: September 24, 2026

Q. “Globalization tends to benefit the privileged sections of society and further marginalized those who are already disadvantaged.” Critically examine. [UPSC- 2026] Ans: Globalization means the growing integration of economies and societies through trade, capital flows, technology, migration and culture. In India it gathered pace after the 1991 reforms. Its effects on inequality are much […]

Q. Underline the various factors for decline of the Indian cottage industries during the nineteenth century. [UPSC- 2026] Ans: India entered the nineteenth century with a highly developed tradition of handicrafts, textiles, metalwork, shipbuilding and artisanal production. However, under British colonial rule many of these cottage industries declined sharply. This process, often described as deindustrialisation, […]

Q. “Superior Maritime strength proved to be England’s most powerful weapon in the struggle for colonial supremacy, particularly in the Carnatic Wars.” Critically examine. [UPSC- 2026] Ans: The Carnatic Wars (1746–1763) were an extension of the Anglo-French rivalry in Europe into India and ultimately decided which European power would dominate the subcontinent. In this struggle, […]

Q. Critically evaluate Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi and point out the weaknesses in his account. [15 Marks] Ans: Ziauddin Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi is one of the most important Persian chronicles for the history of the Delhi Sultanate. Written in the mid-fourteenth century, it broadly covers the period from Ghiyasuddin Balban to the early years of Firoz […]

Q. Critically evaluate Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi and point out the weaknesses in his account. [15 Marks] NOTE: All those enrolled can send their answers for evaluation in PDF format after scanning (you can use any app) on selfstudyhistory@gmail.com Name your file as your name and day. For example, if your name is Ashok Kumar and […]

Q. Was eighteenth-century India a ‘Dark Age’ of decline, or a time of economic growth? Explain. [20 Marks] NOTE: All those enrolled can send their answers for evaluation in PDF format after scanning (you can use any app) on selfstudyhistory@gmail.com Name your file as your name and day. For example, if your name is Ashok […]

Q. Was eighteenth-century India a ‘Dark Age’ of decline, or a time of economic growth? Explain. [20 Marks] Ans: Older historians often portrayed the 18th century as a “Dark Age”—an era of political disintegration, warfare, administrative decay and economic decline following the weakening of the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb’s death in 1707. More recent scholarship, […]

Q. Because the Permanent Settlement fixed the revenue demand without any systematic survey of land, the burden of assessment was distributed unevenly and often unjustly. Critically examine. [10 Marks] Ans: The Permanent Settlement of 1793, introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal, Bihar and parts of Orissa, sought to create a stable landed aristocracy and ensure […]

Q. Because the Permanent Settlement fixed the revenue demand without any systematic survey of land, the burden of assessment was distributed unevenly and often unjustly. Critically examine. [10 Marks] NOTE: All those enrolled can send their answers for evaluation in PDF format after scanning (you can use any app) on selfstudyhistory@gmail.com Name your file as […]

Q. Examine the key features of ‘New Imperialism’ in relation to the resurgence of colonialism during the nineteenth century. [10 Marks] Ans: The term “New Imperialism” generally refers to the rapid expansion of European colonial control, especially after 1870 and up to the First World War. Unlike the earlier phase of colonialism centred mainly on […]