India Quiz: From the Indus Valley to Independence, What Do You Know About Indian History?

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"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!" - Mark Twain

Mark Twain did not hold back on his impression of India – and for good reason. As one of the most ancient civilizations in history, India has evolved from the indigenous population setting up camp in Indus Valley to the nation we know today, which freed itself from British colonization. Its storied history is a thing worthy of exploration.

Are you ready to explore this history? Take our India History Quiz and be as enraptured about the country as Mark Twain was.

Test your History Knowledge

"In India, I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth, but not adhering to it, inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing everything, but possessed by nothing." – Apollonius Tyanaeus

Have you found all this and more about India? Then take our India History Quiz to show us whether you're a mere mortal.

What was the first civilization established in India called? What religion was founded by the Indo-Aryans? Who was the first European explorer to reach India by sea? Who led the Salt March and why? Think you have all the answers? Then, take our India History Quiz to show us how much you know about world history! 

Possess everything or nothing by acing this India History Quiz! You might just find you're a mortal living upon Earth but not adhering to it. 

Try all of our History Quizzes

From ancient civilizations to recent wars, our history quiz collection will test your knowledge about historical trivia. Whether you're more interested in the niched down history of specific wars or eras or the broader history of the world's greatest inventors or leaders, our history quiz collection has got you covered.

Have you tested out of this India History Quiz? Then take a train to our Chinese History Quiz or a boat to our Japanese History Quiz. You'll need to prepare for jetlag if you head over to North America with our Canadian History Quiz or our Mexican History Quiz. Wherever you end up, you're sure to discover something new while testing your knowledge of history! 


Jessica Holom is a freelance writer and digital nomad with a background in literature, art, and writing. She believes curiosity never killed a single cat and enjoys learning, world-exploring, and writing about both.

India History Quiz Questions

25 Questions · 110 Plays · No comments

Question 1

"The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them." What foreign monarch claimed the title, "Empress of India"?

  • A
    King Edward VII
  • B
    King William IV
  • C
    Queen Victoria
  • D
    Queen Elizabeth I

Question 2

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." What famous leader was assassinated in 1948?

  • A
    Lalit Maken
  • B
    Indira Gandhi
  • C
    John F. Kennedy
  • D
    Mahatma Gandhi

Question 3

All the way from Macedonia, who invaded India and captured Porus in the 3rd century BC?

  • A
    Alexander the Great
  • B
    Attila the Hun
  • C
    Tamerlane
  • D
    Genghis Khan

Question 4

With China on the sidelines, what borderland did India and Pakistan go to war over?

  • A
    Kashmir
  • B
    Detroit
  • C
    Indo Gangetic Plain
  • D
    West Bengal

Question 5

A leader in the Indian National Congress and independence movement, who was India's first prime minister?

  • A
    Winston Churchill
  • B
    Charan Singh
  • C
    Jawaharlal Nehru
  • D
    Indira Gandhi

Question 6

This army took most of the continent. Who stomped on in, invading India in the 13th and 14th centuries?

  • A
    British
  • B
    Vikings
  • C
    Romans
  • D
    Mongols

Question 7

Happy India Day! When did India become an independent nation?

  • A
    July 4, 1776
  • B
    June 12, 1887
  • C
    January 10, 1976
  • D
    August 15, 1947

Question 8

Another war between India and Pakistan created which country from East Pakistan?

  • A
    Iran
  • B
    China
  • C
    Nepal
  • D
    Bangladesh

Question 9

Let's go back to the beginning. What civilization was first established in India in 3000 BC?

  • A
    Sumer Civilization
  • B
    Indus Valley Civilization
  • C
    Egyptian Civilization
  • D
    Olmec Civilization

Question 10

What company was granted a charter to trade exclusively with India?

  • A
    Dutch East India Company
  • B
    Dutch West India Company
  • C
    Royal African Company
  • D
    British East India Company

Question 11

"Goodbye, see ya later..." What country split off from India during the Partition of India?

  • A
    Myanmar
  • B
    Nepal
  • C
    Pakistan
  • D
    Bangladesh

Question 12

Although it had been an independent nation for a few years already, what year did India become a republic?

  • A
    1950
  • B
    2000
  • C
    1960
  • D
    1970

Question 13

With the god known as Brahman, what religion was founded by the Indo-Aryans in 1500 BC?

  • A
    Hinduism
  • B
    Christianity
  • C
    Sikhism
  • D
    Buddhism

Question 14

As of 2021, who is this head of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the current prime minister of India?

  • A
    Narendra Modi
  • B
    Manmohan Singh
  • C
    Chandra Shekhar
  • D
    Shinzo Abe

Question 15

Characterizing the event as a "peaceful nuclear explosion," in what operation did India detonate its first successful nuclear weapon?

  • A
    Operation Fishbowl
  • B
    Operation Argus
  • C
    Operation Smiling Buddha
  • D
    Operation Crossroads

Question 16

"Ours is not a drive for power, but purely a non-violent fight for India's independence." The Indian National Congress drove what movement in an attempt to gain independence from Britain?

  • A
    Chipko Movement
  • B
    Namantar Andolan
  • C
    Save Silent Valley Movement
  • D
    Quit India Movement

Question 17

While Buddhism originated in Nepal, it is a big part of Indian culture. Who founded it?

  • A
    Siddhartha Gautama
  • B
    Lao Tzu
  • C
    Prophet Muhammad
  • D
    Dalai Lama

Question 18

Gandhi led a march against a British monopoly on what product?

  • A
    Coffee
  • B
    Tea
  • C
    Salt
  • D
    Sugar

Question 19

Expanding the empire across much of the Indian subcontinent, who is this Mughal leader and lover of the arts?

  • A
    Akbar the Great
  • B
    Irrfan Khan
  • C
    Chandragupta Maurya
  • D
    Emperor Krishnadevaraya

Question 20

After converting to Buddhism, who implemented major Buddhist reforms and expanded the Mauryan Empire?

  • A
    Ashoka the Great
  • B
    Shah Rukh Khan
  • C
    Shatadhanvan
  • D
    Chandra-Gupta I

Question 21

Rounding Africa's Cape of Good Hope, who was the first European to reach India by sea?

  • A
    Ferdinand Magellan
  • B
    Hernando Cortes
  • C
    Vasco da Gama
  • D
    Sir Francis Drake

Question 22

Apart from yoga and the USB, India is responsible for a number of early inventions. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

  • A
    Compass
  • B
    Chess
  • C
    Shampoo
  • D
    Decimal numeral system

Question 23

Lasting for three centuries, what Islamic empire stretched across India?

  • A
    Ghurid Sultanate
  • B
    Mumbai Sultanate
  • C
    Delhi Sultanate
  • D
    Ottoman Empire

Question 24

Due to surpass China in population size by 2027, when did India exceed a billion people?

  • A
    2000
  • B
    2005
  • C
    2010
  • D
    1995

Question 25

Battling it out east of the Indus, what caliphate brought Islam to India?

  • A
    Umar I Caliphate
  • B
    Ali Caliphate
  • C
    Rashidun Caliphate
  • D
    Umayyad Caliphate

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