UPHESC Assistant Professor History 2025 PYQs

Concept: Odisha temples (Lingaraja, Jagannath, Konark) belong to the Kalinga sub-school of the North Indian Nagara style.

1. Nagara: curvilinear shikhara (rekha deul), no boundary-wall emphasis — found north of the Vindhyas and in Odisha.
2. Dravidian: pyramidal vimana and gopurams (Tamil Nadu); Vesara: mixed style of the Deccan (Chalukya/Hoysala).

Short trick: Odisha deul = rekha deul + jagamohana = Kalinga form of Nagara.

Concept: The Global IndiaAI Summit (3–4 July 2024) was organised by MeitY under the IndiaAI Mission at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

1. (A) is true.
2. (R) is also true: in the IMF's AI Preparedness Index (2024) Singapore (0.80), Denmark (0.78) and the USA (0.77) are among the highest-rated advanced economies, and India's performance is relatively strong among emerging market economies.
3. But the ratings of other countries are not the reason why a summit was held in Delhi — so (R) does not explain (A).

Short trick: Two true facts with no cause–effect link → option (B).

Concept: Kisunla (donanemab, Eli Lilly) was approved by the US FDA on 2 July 2024 for early Alzheimer’s disease; it clears amyloid plaques.

1. Aducanumab (Aduhelm) – approved 2021, later withdrawn.
2. Leqembi (lecanemab) – full approval 2023, not 2024.
3. Lenacapavir – an anti-HIV drug, not for Alzheimer’s.

Short trick: 2021 Aduhelm → 2023 Leqembi → 2024 Kisunla.

Concept: On 30 September 2024 the Maharashtra Government declared the indigenous (desi) cow ‘Rajya Mata – Gomata’.

1. The decision cited the cow’s place in Indian tradition, Ayurveda and organic farming.
2. It also announced a daily subsidy for desi cows in goshalas.

Short trick: Maharashtra = first state to make desi cow ‘Rajya Mata’ (Sept 2024).

Concept: The ACBS Asian Billiards Championship 2024 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (August 2024).

1. India’s Dhruv Sitwala won the title there — his third Asian billiards crown.
2. Pankaj Advani had gone in as defending champion seeking a hat-trick.

Short trick: Billiards 2024 → Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); winner Dhruv Sitwala.

Concept: D. Gukesh beat Ding Liren in Singapore on 12 December 2024 to become World Chess Champion at 18 — the youngest ever.

1. Nancy Tyagi – fashion designer/influencer (Cannes 2024).
2. Manu Bhaker – shooter, two bronzes at Paris 2024.
3. Sanjay Malhotra – RBI Governor (Dec 2024).

Short trick: Gukesh at 18 broke Kasparov’s record (22).

Concept: Primary data are collected first-hand by the researcher; secondary data come from existing sources.

1. Interviews, surveys and observation collect fresh, first-hand data → primary.
2. A literature review studies already published work → secondary source.

Short trick: ‘Already published’ = secondary.

Concept: W.H. Kilpatrick, a pupil of Dewey, formalised the Project Method in his 1918 essay ‘The Project Method’.

1. Dewey gave the pragmatic philosophy (learning by doing) behind it, but Kilpatrick developed the method.
2. Armstrong – Heuristic method; Socrates – question-answer (Socratic) method.

Short trick: Project → Kilpatrick; Heuristic → Armstrong; Dialogue → Socrates.

Concept: Primary data methods: observation, interview, questionnaire (mail), schedule, case study.

1. Case study, mailed questionnaire and schedule all gather first-hand data → a, b, d.
2. Online resources (websites, databases, reports) are already existing data → secondary.

Short trick: Remove the ‘already available’ source (c) → a, b, d.

Concept: Formative assessment = assessment for learning, done during instruction; summative = assessment of learning, done at the end.

1. (A), (C), (D) – ongoing feedback, diagnosing strengths/weaknesses, guiding the teacher → formative.
2. (B) – end-of-course grading is the hallmark of summative assessment.

Short trick: Formative = during (forming); Summative = sum at the end.

Concept: Research methods (designs) are approaches such as philosophical, historical, descriptive/survey and experimental; tools/techniques are the means of collecting data inside them.

1. Philosophical, historical and survey (descriptive) research are recognised research methods.
2. Observation is a technique/tool of data collection used within these methods, not a research method by itself.

Short trick: Method = the plan of study; observation = a tool to gather data.

Concept: Verbal communication uses words — spoken or written; non-verbal uses everything except words.

1. Voice signals (tone, pitch – paralanguage), eye contact (oculesics) and touch (haptics) are non-verbal.
2. Written communication uses words, so it is verbal.

Short trick: Words (spoken/written) = verbal; no words = non-verbal.

Concept: eGyanKosh is IGNOU’s national digital repository of self-learning material, launched in 2005.

1. It stores and shares IGNOU’s print course material and video lectures (later linked with Gyan Darshan/Gyan Vani content).
2. Other e-initiatives: NPTEL (IITs & IISc), Shodhganga (INFLIBNET).

Short trick: Gyan-Kosh → IGNOU; Ganga (Shodhganga) → INFLIBNET.

Concept: Public Wi-Fi is often unencrypted, so attackers on the same network can snoop (man-in-the-middle).

1. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN server, protecting your traffic.
2. (A), (C), (D) all increase risk.

Short trick: Public Wi-Fi → VPN on, banking off.

Concept: VPN = Virtual Private Network.

1. It builds a private, encrypted link over a public network such as the Internet.
2. It is ‘virtual’ because no dedicated physical line is used.

Short trick: Private tunnel over a public road = VPN.

Concept: The Wild Life (Protection) Act was enacted in 1972.

1. 1980 – Forest (Conservation) Act; 1986 – Environment (Protection) Act.
2. The 1972 Act created protected areas and the Schedules of protected species (amended 2022).

Short trick: Wildlife 72, Forest 80, Environment 86.

Concept: Kyoto greenhouse gases: CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, HFCs, PFCs, SF₆ (+ NF₃).

1. CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide absorb infrared radiation directly → GHGs.
2. Carbon monoxide is a pollutant that absorbs little IR; it is not counted as a direct greenhouse gas (only an indirect effect via OH).

Short trick: CO₂ yes, CO no.

Concept: Rising GHGs warm the planet and stress ecosystems.

1. CO₂ fertilization – more CO₂ boosts plant photosynthesis (a known effect).
2. Global warming – the main effect; ozone depletion – N₂O and CFCs (also GHGs) destroy stratospheric ozone.
3. Biodiversity declines with climate change; it does not increase.

Short trick: Climate change = species loss, not gain.

Concept: Chennai is the oldest artificial harbour on India’s east coast, built on an open, straight coast using breakwaters.

1. Mumbai – largest natural harbour; Kochi – natural harbour on a lagoon (Vembanad backwater).
2. Kandla (Deendayal) – a tidal port in the Gulf of Kachchh.

Short trick: Chennai = artificial; Mumbai & Kochi = natural; Kandla = tidal.

Concept: Odisha is India’s largest producer of bauxite (over 70% of output), mainly from the Panchpatmali deposit (Koraput).

1. Next producers: Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra.
2. NALCO’s mines and alumina refinery are in Odisha.

Short trick: Bauxite → Odisha (Koraput, NALCO).