Top 50 MCQs on World History for UPSC Preparation 2025 World history holds a significant place in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, particularly in the General Studies Paper I. A clear knowledge of major events, important personalities, revolutions, and movements that contributed to world civilization is required. To assist you during your preparation, we have compiled the Top 50 MCQs that deal with major events in World History.
1. Who was the first ruler of the Roman Empire?
A) Julius Caesar
B) Augustus
C) Nero
D) Constantine the Great
Answer: B) Augustus
2. The Battle of Hastings (1066) was fought between the forces of William the Conqueror and which English king?
A) King Alfred the Great
B) King Richard I
C) King Harold II
D) King Edward I
Answer: C) King Harold II
3. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) ended which war?
A) World War I
B) World War II
C) The Napoleonic Wars
D) The Crimean War
Answer: A) World War I
4. Which of the following was a significant cause of the French Revolution in 1789?
A) The rise of the Roman Empire
B) The economic crisis and inequality in society
C) The expansion of the Ottoman Empire
D) The defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte
Answer: B) The economic crisis and inequality in society
5. The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, was a charter of liberties granted by which English king?
A) King John
B) King Henry VIII
C) King Richard the Lionheart
D) King Charles I
Answer: A) King John
6. The Cold War (1947-1991) was primarily a conflict between which two superpowers?
A) USA and Soviet Union
B) USA and China
C) China and India
D) France and Germany
Answer: A) USA and Soviet Union
7. The Industrial Revolution began in which country in the late 18th century?
A) France
B) Germany
C) United Kingdom
D) United States
Answer: C) United Kingdom
8. Who was the first emperor of China?
A) Emperor Wu
B) Emperor Qin Shi Huang
C) Emperor Yang
D) Emperor Tang Taizong
Answer: B) Emperor Qin Shi Huang
9. The Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Germany, was constructed in which year?
A) 1945
B) 1955
C) 1961
D) 1971
Answer: C) 1961
10. The Battle of Waterloo (1815) was fought between Napoleon Bonaparte and the forces of which country?
A) United Kingdom
B) Spain
C) Russia
D) Austria
Answer: A) United Kingdom
11. Which civilization is considered the cradle of Western civilization?
A) Ancient Egypt
B) Ancient Greece
C) Ancient Mesopotamia
D) Ancient Rome
Answer: B) Ancient Greece
12. Which event marked the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire?
A) Julius Caesar’s assassination
B) Augustus becoming the first emperor
C) The Battle of Actium
D) The founding of Rome
Answer: B) Augustus becoming the first emperor
13. The period of the Reformation in Europe began in the early 16th century with the actions of which religious figure?
A) Martin Luther
B) John Calvin
C) Henry VIII
D) Charlemagne
Answer: A) Martin Luther
14. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) divided the newly discovered lands between which two countries?
A) Spain and Portugal
B) Spain and France
C) Portugal and France
D) England and Spain
Answer: A) Spain and Portugal
15. Which country was the first to grant women the right to vote?
A) United Kingdom
B) United States
C) New Zealand
D) France
Answer: C) New Zealand
16. Who was the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917?
A) Vladimir Lenin
B) Joseph Stalin
C) Leon Trotsky
D) Tsar Nicholas II
Answer: A) Vladimir Lenin
17. The Magna Carta was signed in which year?
A) 1066
B) 1215
C) 1347
D) 1492
Answer: B) 1215
18. The French Revolution began in which year?
A) 1776
B) 1789
C) 1799
D) 1812
Answer: B) 1789
19. Who was the first emperor of the Mughal Empire in India?
A) Akbar
B) Shah Jahan
C) Babur
D) Aurangzeb
Answer: C) Babur
20. The Great Depression began in which year?
A) 1928
B) 1929
C) 1932
D) 1939
Answer: B) 1929
21. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 resulted in the division of Africa among European powers. Which country was not part of the colonization process during this period?
A) Ethiopia
B) Belgium
C) Germany
D) France
Answer: A) Ethiopia
22. The Cold War was characterized by which type of conflict?
A) Military conflict
B) Ideological and political tension
C) Territorial disputes
D) Religious war
Answer: B) Ideological and political tension
23. The first manned moon landing took place in which year?
A) 1961
B) 1969
C) 1972
D) 1980
Answer: B) 1969
24. Who is known as the Father of the Indian Nation?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Subhas Chandra Bose
C) Sardar Patel
D) Mahatma Gandhi
Answer: D) Mahatma Gandhi
25. The Treaty of Paris (1783) ended which war?
A) World War I
B) The American Revolutionary War
C) The Napoleonic Wars
D) The Spanish-American War
Answer: B) The American Revolutionary War
26. The First World War began in which year?
A) 1912
B) 1914
C) 1917
D) 1920
Answer: B) 1914
27. The Russian Revolution took place in which year?
A) 1915
B) 1917
C) 1920
D) 1923
Answer: B) 1917
28. Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic?
A) Amelia Earhart
B) Bessie Coleman
C) Harriet Quimby
D) Jacqueline Cochran
Answer: A) Amelia Earhart
29. The “Enlightenment” period primarily emphasized which of the following?
A) Religious reformation
B) Rationalism and scientific thinking
C) Absolutism
D) Feudalism
Answer: B) Rationalism and scientific thinking
30. Who is credited with the development of the Theory of Relativity?
A) Isaac Newton
B) Albert Einstein
C) Nikola Tesla
D) Galileo Galilei
Answer: B) Albert Einstein
31. The Battle of Stalingrad was fought during which war?
A) World War I
B) World War II
C) The Napoleonic Wars
D) The Korean War
Answer: B) World War II
32. The Pax Romana refers to the period of peace in the Roman Empire during the reign of which emperor?
A) Julius Caesar
B) Augustus
C) Nero
D) Tiberius
Answer: B) Augustus
33. The unification of Germany in 1871 was achieved under the leadership of which prime minister?
A) Wilhelm II
B) Otto von Bismarck
C) Friedrich Engels
D) Kaiser Wilhelm I
Answer: B) Otto von Bismarck
34. Who was the first president of the United States?
A) George Washington
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) James Madison
Answer: A) George Washington
35. Who was the last emperor of the Roman Empire?
A) Augustus
B) Constantine
C) Romulus Augustulus
D) Nero
Answer: C) Romulus Augustulus
36. The concept of “Social Darwinism” was developed in the late 19th century by which thinker?
A) Karl Marx
B) Charles Darwin
C) Herbert Spencer
D) Max Weber
Answer: C) Herbert Spencer
37. The Magna Carta limited the powers of which institution?
A) The Church
B) The King
C) The Parliament
D) The Military
Answer: B) The King
38. The Treaty of Ghent (1814) ended which war?
A) The War of 1812
B) The Napoleonic Wars
C) The Franco-Prussian War
D) The Crimean War
Answer: A) The War of 1812
39. The Mau Mau Uprising took place in which country?
A) Kenya
B) India
C) South Africa
D) Nigeria
Answer: A) Kenya
40. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in which year?
A) 1956
B) 1962
C) 1969
D) 1975
Answer: B) 1962
41. The League of Nations was established after which war?
A) World War I
B) World War II
C) Napoleonic Wars
D) Crimean War
Answer: A) World War I
42. Who was the famous ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa, known for his wealth and pilgrimage to Mecca?
A) Sundiata Keita
B) Mansa Musa
C) Askia Muhammad
D) Babur
Answer: B) Mansa Musa
43. The “Iron Curtain” was a term used to describe the division between which two regions?
A) USA and USSR
B) West and East Germany
C) Western Europe and Eastern Europe
D) France and Germany
Answer: C) Western Europe and Eastern Europe
44. Who is known for his role in the creation of the United Nations?
A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Winston Churchill
C) Harry S. Truman
D) John F. Kennedy
Answer: A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
45. The Rosetta Stone was key to deciphering which ancient language?
A) Latin
B) Egyptian
C) Greek
D) Sanskrit
Answer: B) Egyptian
46. The first democratic revolution in Latin America occurred in which country?
A) Argentina
B) Brazil
C) Mexico
D) Haiti
Answer: D) Haiti
47. Who was the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom?
A) Margaret Thatcher
B) Queen Elizabeth I
C) Theresa May
D) Victoria Woodhull
Answer: A) Margaret Thatcher
48. The French philosopher who wrote “The Social Contract” was:
A) Voltaire
B) Montesquieu
C) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D) Thomas Hobbes
Answer: C) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
49. The famous ancient wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, were located in which modern-day country?
A) Iran
B) Iraq
C) Egypt
D) Syria
Answer: B) Iraq
50. The first European explorer to reach India by sea was:
A) Christopher Columbus
B) Vasco da Gama
C) Marco Polo
D) Ferdinand Magellan
Answer: B) Vasco da Gama
These Top 50 MCQs on World History cover a broad spectrum of historical events, movements, and key figures that shaped global history. Preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination requires a comprehensive understanding of world history, and these questions will help you gauge your knowledge and revise.
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