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Question

Before the advent of railways, which system served as India's primary mode of transport, utilizing rivers, canals, backwaters, and streams for the movement of goods and people?

This question was previously asked in
UPTET 2026 Paper 2 Social Studies Question Paper (3-Jul-2026) (Shift 1)
The correct answer is

Inland waterways

Before railways were introduced in India in the mid-19th century, inland waterways formed the backbone of internal transport.

Rivers, canals, backwaters, and streams allowed the movement of goods and people across long distances at relatively low cost, especially in regions like Bengal, the Gangetic plains, and Kerala's backwaters.

Maritime trade routes were used mainly for overseas commerce, while road networks like the Grand Trunk Road served overland travel, but neither matched the extensive use of rivers and canals for domestic goods movement.

Therefore, the correct answer is inland waterways.

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Important Questions from Modern Indian History

  1. Subsidiary alliance treaty was imposed on Awadh in ________.

  2. Which of the following revolutionaries stated during his trial that “he did not wish to glorify the cult of the bomb and pistol but wanted a revolution in society”?

  3. Krishnadeva Raya composed a work on __________ in Telugu known as the Amuktamalyada.

  4. Who designed the administrative code to separate revenue administration from judicial administration?

  5. When was a comprehensive despatch on education called Wood’s despatch on education sent?

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