About Class 12 Political Science Chapter 4 MCQ
Welcome to our comprehensive collection of Class 12 Political Science Chapter 4 MCQ on India’s External Relations. This page contains 20 carefully selected multiple choice questions with detailed answers based on the CBSE curriculum for 2025-26.
These MCQs cover crucial topics including the Non-Alignment Movement, India-China War of 1962, India-Pakistan Wars (1965, 1971), Panchsheel Agreement, Bandung Conference, and India’s Nuclear Policy. Practice these questions to ace your CBSE board exams!
Question 1
Who was India’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 1946 to 1964?
- a) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- b) Jawaharlal Nehru
- c) Lal Bahadur Shastri
- d) Indira Gandhi
Answer: b) Jawaharlal Nehru
Nehru was his own foreign minister and exercised profound influence on India’s foreign policy.
Question 2
What were the three major objectives of Nehru’s foreign policy?
- a) Military expansion, territorial gains, economic dominance
- b) Preserve sovereignty, protect territorial integrity, promote rapid economic development
- c) Join military alliances, acquire nuclear weapons, dominate Asia
- d) Isolationism, neutrality, protectionism
Answer: b) Preserve sovereignty, protect territorial integrity, promote rapid economic development
These objectives were to be achieved through the strategy of non-alignment.
Question 3
When was the Panchsheel Agreement signed between India and China?
- a) 29 April 1950
- b) 29 April 1952
- c) 29 April 1954
- d) 29 April 1956
Answer: c) 29 April 1954
The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were jointly enunciated by Nehru and Zhou Enlai.
Question 4
When did China take control of Tibet?
- a) 1947
- b) 1949
- c) 1950
- d) 1954
Answer: c) 1950
Large sections of the Tibetan population opposed this takeover.
Question 5
When did the Dalai Lama seek asylum in India?
- a) 1954
- b) 1956
- c) 1958
- d) 1959
Answer: d) 1959
After an armed uprising in Tibet in 1958, the Dalai Lama crossed into India in 1959.
Question 6
When did China launch its massive invasion of India?
- a) October 1960
- b) October 1961
- c) October 1962
- d) October 1963
Answer: c) October 1962
The invasion occurred on both disputed regions – Aksai Chin and NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh).
Question 7
Who was India’s Defence Minister during the 1962 China War?
- a) Sardar Patel
- b) V.K. Krishna Menon
- c) Lal Bahadur Shastri
- d) Y.B. Chavan
Answer: b) V.K. Krishna Menon
Krishna Menon had to leave the cabinet after India’s defeat in the war.
Question 8
When was the Bandung Conference held?
- a) 1950
- b) 1952
- c) 1955
- d) 1961
Answer: c) 1955
The Afro-Asian conference in Bandung, Indonesia, marked the zenith of India’s engagement with newly independent nations.
Question 9
When was the First Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held?
- a) Belgrade, September 1955
- b) Belgrade, September 1961
- c) Bandung, April 1955
- d) Cairo, October 1964
Answer: b) Belgrade, September 1961
Nehru was a co-founder of the NAM.
Question 10
When did full diplomatic relations between India and China resume after the 1962 war?
- a) 1970
- b) 1972
- c) 1976
- d) 1979
Answer: c) 1976
It took more than a decade for India and China to restore normal relations.
Question 11
When was the India-Pakistan war over Kashmir?
- a) 1962
- b) 1965
- c) 1971
- d) 1999
Answer: b) 1965
Pakistan launched attacks in Rann of Kutch and Kashmir; India responded with an offensive on Punjab border.
Question 12
Who was India’s Prime Minister during the 1965 war with Pakistan?
- a) Jawaharlal Nehru
- b) Lal Bahadur Shastri
- c) Indira Gandhi
- d) Morarji Desai
Answer: b) Lal Bahadur Shastri
Shastri ordered Indian troops to launch a counter-offensive on the Punjab border.
Question 13
When was the Tashkent Agreement signed?
- a) December 1965
- b) January 1966
- c) June 1966
- d) January 1967
Answer: b) January 1966
It was signed by Lal Bahadur Shastri and General Ayub Khan, brokered by the Soviet Union.
Question 14
When did the Bangladesh Liberation War take place?
- a) 1965
- b) 1970
- c) 1971
- d) 1972
Answer: c) 1971
The full-scale war broke out in December 1971, resulting in the creation of Bangladesh.
Question 15
When did India sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Soviet Union?
- a) January 1971
- b) August 1971
- c) December 1971
- d) July 1972
Answer: b) August 1971
This 20-year treaty was signed to counter the US-Pakistan-China axis.
Question 16
When was the Shimla Agreement signed between India and Pakistan?
- a) 3 July 1971
- b) 3 July 1972
- c) 3 January 1972
- d) 3 December 1971
Answer: b) 3 July 1972
It was signed by Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to formalize the return of peace.
Question 17
When did India conduct its first nuclear test?
- a) May 1964
- b) May 1968
- c) May 1974
- d) May 1998
Answer: c) May 1974
It was termed as a “peaceful explosion” for using nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Question 18
Who guided India’s nuclear programme initiated in the late 1940s?
- a) C.V. Raman
- b) Vikram Sarabhai
- c) Homi J. Bhabha
- d) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Answer: c) Homi J. Bhabha
The nuclear programme was a significant component of Nehru’s industrialisation plans.
Question 19
Which military alliance was led by the United States during the Cold War?
- a) Warsaw Pact
- b) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
- c) SEATO
- d) CENTO
Answer: b) NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
The Soviet-led alliance was the Warsaw Pact. India avoided joining either bloc.
Question 20
When was the Asian Relations Conference convened by India?
- a) March 1947
- b) August 1947
- c) January 1948
- d) March 1950
Answer: a) March 1947
It was convened five months ahead of India attaining its independence.