The Industrial Revolution – NDA History PYQs

NDA 2026-I

Q. 1. Consider the following pairs (Inventions and Inventors):

1. Flying shuttle loom – John Kay

2. Water frame – James Hargreaves

3. Spinning jenny – Richard Arkwright

How many pairs are correctly matched?

(a) One

(b) Two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (a) One

Explanation: John Kay did genuinely invent the flying shuttle loom. The Water Frame was actually Richard Arkwright’s invention, not Hargreaves’s. The Spinning Jenny was actually James Hargreaves’s invention, not Arkwright’s. These two pairs have their inventors swapped with each other. So only one pair is correctly matched. Concept Tested: Correct pairing of textile inventions with their inventors

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often swaps Arkwright’s Water Frame and Hargreaves’s Spinning Jenny between each other. Only the Flying Shuttle-Kay pairing here is genuine.

NDA 2026-I

Q. 2. Consider the following statements about Industrial Revolution in Britain:

1. There was availability of banks which could loan money to set up industries

2. There was a good transport network

(a) I only

(b) II only

(c) Both I and II

(d) Neither I nor II

Answer: (c) Both I and II

Explanation: British banks genuinely provided capital for new industrial ventures. A strong transport network of rivers, canals, and roads did exist. Both statements together are accurate here. Concept Tested: Real infrastructural and financial factors behind British industrialisation

NDA 2025-I

Q. 3. Which of the following main industry/industries was/were developed in the second industrial revolution that took place after about 1850?

(a) Coal and iron

(b) Cotton spinning and weaving

(c) Chemical and electrical

(d) Steam engines

Answer: (c) Chemical and electrical

Explanation: Chemical and electrical industries defined this later industrial phase. This period followed the earlier textile- and steam-driven first revolution. Coal, iron, cotton, and steam engines belonged to the earlier industrial wave. So option (c) Chemical and electrical is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Industries defining the Second Industrial Revolution

NDA 2024-II

Q. 4. Which one of the following statements about the Industrial Revolution is correct?

(a) Thomas Savery invented astrolabe

(b) Thomas Newcomen invented chemical dyes

(c) James Watt’s invention converted the steam engine from being a mere pump into one which would provide energy to power machines in factories

(d) Mathew Boulton discovered the technique of refining gold of impurities

Answer: (c) James Watt’s invention converted the steam engine from being a mere pump into one which would provide energy to power machines in factories

Explanation: Watt’s improved engine turned steam power into a true factory energy source. This shift moved steam power far beyond its earlier role as a simple pump. Savery is linked to mine-draining pumps, not the astrolabe. Newcomen improved steam pumps, not chemical dyes. Boulton manufactured Watt’s engines, not gold-refining techniques. So option (c) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Watt’s real contribution to steam engine technology

NDA 2024-I

Q. 5. Social theorists in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries emphasised the emergence of industrialisation, urbanisation, secularisation and bureaucratisation as hallmarks of:

(a) Modernity

(b) Feudalism

(c) Kingship

(d) Medievalism

Answer: (a) Modernity

Explanation: These four processes together mark the classic sociological idea of modernity. Theorists used them to distinguish modern society from earlier eras. Feudalism, kingship, and medievalism describe entirely different social forms. So option (a) Modernity is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Sociological concept defined by these four processes

NDA 2023-II

Q. 6. Which of the following statements about the technological innovations during the Industrial Revolutions are correct?

1. Mule was the nickname for a machine invented in 1779, that allowed the spinning of strong and fine yarn

2. Water Frame, invented in 1769 by Richard Arkwright, made it possible to weave pure cotton clothes

3. Power loom, invented by Edmund Cartwright in 1787, could be used to weave any kind of materials

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 3

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 3 only

Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation: The Mule (1779) did combine features to spin strong, fine yarn. The Water Frame (1769) did enable weaving of pure cotton cloth. The power loom (1787) could indeed be adapted to weave various materials. All three statements together are correct here. Concept Tested: Technical capabilities of key textile inventions

NDA 2022-II

Q. 7. Who among the following invented the flying shuttle?

(a) James Hargreaves

(b) John Kay

(c) Richard Arkwright

(d) Humphry Davy

Answer: (b) John Kay

Explanation: John Kay invented the flying shuttle in 1733. This device dramatically increased the speed of hand weaving. Hargreaves, Arkwright, and Davy are linked to separate inventions. So option (b) John Kay is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Inventor of the flying shuttle

NDA 2022-I

Q. 8. The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ was first used by

(a) J. A. Blanqui

(b) T. S. Ashton

(c) Arnold Toynbee

(d) R. H. Tawney

Answer: (c) Arnold Toynbee

Explanation: Arnold Toynbee is the figure credited with this term’s first use in this context. His Oxford lectures fixed the phrase to Britain’s economic transformation. Blanqui, Ashton, and Tawney made separate, unrelated contributions. So option (c) Arnold Toynbee is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Figure credited with first using the term

NDA 2021-II

Q. 9. During the Industrial Revolution, who among the following designed the ‘flying shuttle loom’?

(a) Samuel Crompton

(b) Edmund Cartwright

(c) John Kay

(d) Richard Arkwright

Answer: (c) John Kay

Explanation: John Kay designed the flying shuttle in 1733. It greatly sped up the weaving process on hand looms. Crompton, Cartwright, and Arkwright are linked to separate inventions. So option (c) John Kay is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Designer of the flying shuttle loom

NDA 2020 I&II

Q. 10. In which of the following years were passenger trains introduced in England?

(a) 1823

(b) 1825

(c) 1848

(d) 1861

Answer: (b) 1825

Explanation: Passenger trains began running in England in 1825. The Stockton and Darlington Railway marked this milestone. The other years listed do not match this introduction date. So option (b) 1825 is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Year passenger trains began in England

NDA 2019-II

Q. 11. Which among the following was/were among the factors for England to experience the Industrial Revolution first?

1. The scientific inventions had paved the way for Industrial Revolution.

2. It had favourable social and political structures in place.

3. Navigable rivers had made inland transport easier.

4. It had seen the ascendancy of capitalist practices.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation: Scientific inventions genuinely paved the way for industrial change. Favourable social and political structures did support this transformation. Navigable rivers did ease inland transport across England. Capitalist practices had indeed grown well established beforehand. All four factors together explain England’s early industrial lead. Concept Tested: Combined factors behind England’s early Industrial Revolution

NDA 2019-I

Q. 12. Which of the following statements about The New Model Unions is/are correct?

1. The New Model Unions were formed in the 1850s

2. The New Model Unions were formed in the 1880s

3. The New Model Unions comprised a Labour Party idea

4. The New Model Unions excluded women in the 1920s

(a) 1

(b) 2

(c) 3 and 4

(d) 3 only

Answer: (a) 1

Explanation: The New Model Unions genuinely emerged in Britain during the 1850s. The 1880s date wrongly places their formation decades too late. They were not organised around any Labour Party idea, which came much later. The claim about excluding women in the 1920s is not their defining feature. Only statement 1 is correct among the four. Concept Tested: Actual formation period of the New Model Unions

NDA 2018-I

Q. 13. Who among the following first used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ in English to describe the changes that occurred in British industrial development between 1760 and 1820?

(a) Karl Marx

(b) Georges Michelet

(c) Arnold Toynbee

(d) Friedrich Engels

Answer: (c) Arnold Toynbee

Explanation: Arnold Toynbee is credited with this specific English usage. His work anchored the term to Britain’s 1760-1820 transformation. Marx, Michelet, and Engels are linked to other historical contributions. So option (c) Arnold Toynbee is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Figure credited with popularising the term in English

NDA 2018-I

Q. 14. Who among the following built a model steam engine in 1698 called “Miner’s Friend” to drain mines?

(a) Thomas Savery

(b) Thomas Newcomen

(c) James Watt

(d) Richard Arkwright

Answer: (a) Thomas Savery

Explanation: Thomas Savery built this early steam-powered pump in 1698. It was designed specifically to drain water from mines. Newcomen, Watt, and Arkwright are linked to later, separate inventions. So option (a) Thomas Savery is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Inventor of the 1698 ‘Miner’s Friend’ steam engine

NDA 2017-II

Q. 15. Who among the following used the term Industrial Revolution for the first time in English to describe the changes that occurred in the British industrial development between 1760 and 1820?

(a) Friedrich Engels

(b) Eric Hobsbawm

(c) Arnold Toynbee

(d) Georges Michelet

Answer: (c) Arnold Toynbee

Explanation: Arnold Toynbee is credited with this English usage of the term. His lectures fixed the phrase to Britain’s 1760-1820 transformation. Engels, Hobsbawm, and Michelet made separate, distinct contributions. So option (c) Arnold Toynbee is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Figure credited with this English usage of the term

NDA 2016-II

Q. 16. Statement I: Chartism was the political reform campaign for democratic rights which swept over Britain between 1838 and 1848.

Statement II: The trade union movement declined by the 1830s as it failed to fulfil the aspirations of the working class.

(a) Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

(b) Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

(c) Statement I is true but Statement II is false

(d) Statement I is false but Statement II is true

Answer: (a) Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Explanation: Chartism genuinely swept Britain as a democratic reform campaign from 1838 to 1848. Trade unionism had indeed declined by the 1830s, falling short of workers’ hopes. This decline pushed workers toward political reform through Chartism instead. So both statements are true, and II explains I. Concept Tested: Link between trade union decline and the rise of Chartism

NDA 2016-II

Q. 17. Who among the following invented the powerloom that revolutionized the cotton textile industry?

(a) Edmund Cartwright

(b) Samuel Crompton

(c) Richard Arkwright

(d) James Hargreaves

Answer: (a) Edmund Cartwright

Explanation: Edmund Cartwright invented the power loom in 1785. It mechanised weaving on a scale earlier hand looms could not match. Crompton, Arkwright, and Hargreaves invented separate spinning devices. So option (a) Edmund Cartwright is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Inventor of the power loom

NDA 2016-II

Q. 18. The industrial revolution in England had a profound impact on the lives of people. Which of the following statements are correct about that?

1. Women were the main workers in the silk, lace-making and knitting industries

2. Factory managers were well aware of the health risks of industrial work on children

3. Children were often employed in textile factories

4. The novel ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens was a severe critique of the horrors of industrialization

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1 and 2

(c) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 3 and 4 only

Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4

Explanation: Women did dominate work in silk, lace-making, and knitting trades. Children were indeed widely employed in textile factories. Dickens’s Hard Times did sharply critique industrialisation’s harsh effects. Factory managers were largely indifferent to, not well aware of, child health risks. So statement 2 wrongly credits managers with this awareness. Statements 1, 3, and 4 together are the correct answer. Concept Tested: Real conditions of workers during the Industrial Revolution

NDA 2016-II

Q. 19. Consider the following statements:

1. British colonialism continued to grow steadily in the 18th and 19th centuries

2. Raw cotton for the textile industry in Britain during the industrial revolution needed to be imported

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: British colonial expansion did grow steadily across these two centuries. Britain lacked domestic cotton and genuinely relied on imported raw cotton. Both statements together are accurate here. Concept Tested: Colonial growth and Britain’s dependence on imported cotton

NDA 2016-II

Q. 20. Although used earlier by French and German writers, the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ in English was first popularized by

(a) Adam Smith

(b) Arnold Toynbee

(c) James Mill

(d) Bertrand Russell

Answer: (b) Arnold Toynbee

Explanation: Arnold Toynbee popularised this term in English through his Oxford lectures. His work shaped how the term came to be commonly understood. Smith, Mill, and Russell are linked to entirely separate contributions. So option (b) Arnold Toynbee is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Populariser of ‘Industrial Revolution’ in English

NDA 2016-II

Q. 21. In the 19th century, the majority of the workers in Japan’s modern industries were mainly

(a) Japanese men and children

(b) Japanese women and Chinese men

(c) women

(d) Japanese and Chinese men

Answer: (c) women

Explanation: Women formed the majority of workers in Japan’s early modern industries. Textile mills in particular relied heavily on young female labour. The other combinations listed do not match this actual workforce pattern. So option (c) women is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Composition of Japan’s early industrial workforce

NDA 2015-I

Q. 22. Arrange the following inventions in the field of cotton industry in chronological order (starting with the earliest):

1. James Hargreaves’s Spinning Jenny

2. John Kay’s Flying Shuttle

3. Samuel Crompton’s Mule

4. Richard Arkwright’s Water Frame

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 3, 4, 2

(b) 2, 1, 4, 3

(c) 4, 1, 3, 2

(d) 2, 4, 1, 3

Answer: (b) 2, 1, 4, 3

Explanation: John Kay’s Flying Shuttle came first, in 1733. James Hargreaves’s Spinning Jenny followed in 1764. Richard Arkwright’s Water Frame came next, in 1769. Samuel Crompton’s Mule followed last, in 1779. This gives the order Flying Shuttle, Spinning Jenny, Water Frame, Mule. So option (b), 2-1-4-3, is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Chronology of key cotton industry inventions

NDA 2011-II

Q. 23. Which, among the following, is/are the impact/impacts of industrial revolution in England?

1. Cottage industry was replaced by the factory system of production using machines.

2. It led to the overpopulation of villages.

3. It led to the emergence of working class movements.

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 1 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: Factories using machines did replace the earlier cottage industry system. Working-class movements did emerge in direct response to industrial conditions. The Revolution actually drew people away from villages into growing cities. So statement 2 wrongly claims villages became overpopulated instead. Statements 1 and 3 together are the correct answer. Concept Tested: Real demographic and economic impacts of industrialisation

NDA 2011-II

Q. 24. Which of the following statements about industrial revolution in Europe is not correct?

(a) Britain was the first country to experience the industrial revolution

(b) England was fortunate as coal and iron resources were plentifully available, as were other minerals: lead, copper and tin: that were used in industry

(c) From the 1780s, the iron industry symbolized the British industrial revolution

(d) In England, the movement of goods between markets was helped by a good network of rivers and an indented coastline

Answer: (c) From the 1780s, the iron industry symbolized the British industrial revolution

Explanation: It was actually the cotton and textile industry that symbolised this early period. So statement (c) wrongly credits the iron industry with this defining role. Britain genuinely was the first country to industrialise. Coal, iron, and other minerals were indeed abundant in England. Rivers and a favourable coastline did ease the movement of goods there. These other statements about the Industrial Revolution are accurate. Concept Tested: The industry that actually symbolised early British industrialisation

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often swaps cotton (the real symbol of the 1780s British Industrial Revolution) for iron, which became prominent only later.

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