UPSC Post-Independence India – Chapter 12: Wars and Security, 1947–1999 (20 MCQs)

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UPSC Post-Independence India – Chapter 12: Wars and Security, 1947–1999 (20 MCQs) – 20 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir after the first war came into force on:

Correct Answer: C [1 January 1949]

Explanation:

The UNCIP-arranged ceasefire took effect from 1 January 1949, a year after India referred the matter to the UN Security Council.

2.  

Major Shaitan Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for the battle of:

Correct Answer: D [Rezang La]

Explanation:

Major Shaitan Singh won the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for the battle of Rezang La in Ladakh in 1962.

3.  

Operation Gibraltar (1965) was:

Correct Answer: D [Pakistan's plan to send infiltrators into Kashmir]

Explanation:

Under Operation Gibraltar in August 1965 Pakistan sent armed infiltrators into Kashmir, hoping to trigger a local uprising.

4.  

The Tashkent Declaration was mediated by:

Correct Answer: B [the Soviet Union]

Explanation:

The Tashkent Declaration of January 1966 was mediated by the Soviet Union under Premier Kosygin.

5.  

Operation Searchlight of March 1971 was:

Correct Answer: A [the Pakistani army's crackdown in East Pakistan]

Explanation:

Operation Searchlight, launched on 25 March 1971, was the Pakistani army's crackdown on the Bengali population of East Pakistan.

6.  

At Dhaka on 16 December 1971, Lt Gen A.A.K. Niazi surrendered to:

Correct Answer: B [Jagjit Singh Aurora]

Explanation:

Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, GOC-in-C Eastern Command, accepted Niazi's surrender at Dhaka on 16 December 1971.

7.  

The Simla Agreement of 1972 was signed by Indira Gandhi and:

Correct Answer: B [Z.A. Bhutto]

Explanation:

Z.A. Bhutto, Pakistan's President after the 1971 war, signed the Simla Agreement with Indira Gandhi on 2 July 1972.

8.  

Operation Meghdoot (1984) was carried out to secure:

Correct Answer: D [the Siachen Glacier]

Explanation:

Operation Meghdoot, launched on 13 April 1984, placed Indian troops on the heights of the Siachen Glacier.

9.  

The Kargil Review Committee was chaired by:

Correct Answer: B [K. Subrahmanyam]

Explanation:

The Kargil Review Committee, set up in July 1999, was chaired by strategic analyst K. Subrahmanyam; its report was From Surprise to Reckoning.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. China declared a unilateral ceasefire in November 1962.
2. Lal Bahadur Shastri died in Tashkent in January 1966.
3. The Simla Agreement provided for mediation by the United Nations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

China declared a unilateral ceasefire on 21 November 1962 and Shastri died in Tashkent on 11 January 1966; Simla stressed bilateralism.

11.  

Assertion (A): India signed the Indo-Soviet Treaty in August 1971.

Reason (R): India wanted support against possible pressure from the United States and China during the Bangladesh crisis.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

India signed the treaty on 9 August 1971 precisely to secure Soviet backing against possible US and Chinese pressure.

12.  

CQMH Abdul Hamid won the Param Vir Chakra in the battle of:

Correct Answer: C [Asal Uttar]

Explanation:

CQMH Abdul Hamid won the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in the battle of Asal Uttar during the 1965 war.

13.  

The Defence Minister who resigned after the 1962 war was:

Correct Answer: D [V.K. Krishna Menon]

Explanation:

V.K. Krishna Menon, blamed for unpreparedness, left the Defence Ministry on 31 October 1962 and soon quit the Cabinet.

14.  

The Lahore Declaration of February 1999 was signed by:

Correct Answer: C [A.B. Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif]

Explanation:

Prime Ministers A.B. Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif signed the Lahore Declaration on 21 February 1999 after Vajpayee's bus journey.

15.  

Operation Cactus (1988) was carried out in:

Correct Answer: A [the Maldives]

Explanation:

In Operation Cactus, November 1988, Indian forces flew to Male and foiled a coup against President Gayoom of the Maldives.

16.  

Under the Tashkent Declaration, India and Pakistan agreed to withdraw to positions held before:

Correct Answer: B [5 August 1965]

Explanation:

The Tashkent Declaration required both armies to withdraw to positions held before 5 August 1965, when infiltration began.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Kargil conflict
2. Tashkent Declaration
3. Simla Agreement
4. Ceasefire in Kashmir after the first war

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [4-2-3-1]

Explanation:

Order: Ceasefire in Kashmir after the first war (1949) → Tashkent Declaration (1966) → Simla Agreement (1972) → Kargil conflict (1999).

18.  

India's nuclear tests of May 1998 were code-named:

Correct Answer: D [Operation Shakti]

Explanation:

The five tests at Pokhran on 11 and 13 May 1998 were code-named Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II).

19.  

The 1962 war was fought mainly in:

Correct Answer: C [NEFA and Ladakh]

Explanation:

China attacked on 20 October 1962 in NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) and in Ladakh, the eastern and western sectors.

20.  

The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) served in Sri Lanka during:

Correct Answer: A [1987–90]

Explanation:

The IPKF was sent under the India–Sri Lanka Accord of July 1987 and was withdrawn in March 1990.

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