Q51. Which one of the following statements is incorrect?
(a) Goa attained full statehood in 1987
(b) Diu is an island in the Gulf of Khambhat
(c) Daman and Diu were separated from Goa by the 56th Amendment of the Constitution of India
(d) Dadra and Nagar Haveli were under French colonial rule till 1954
Answer: (d) Dadra and Nagar Haveli were under French colonial rule till 1954
Explanation: Dadra and Nagar Haveli were under Portuguese colonial rule till 1954 and not French colonial rule.
Q52. During the Indian Freedom Struggle, who of the following raised an army called the ‘Free Indian Legion’?
(a) LalaHardayal
(b) Rashbehari Bose
(c) Subhas Chandra Bose
(d) V D Savarkar
Answer: (c) Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation: In January 1942, the Propaganda Ministry announced the formation of the “Indian National Army” (Jai Hind) in Berlin. At the end of July 1942, three hundred volunteers were issued German Army uniforms bearing a badge on the right arm which showed a leaping tiger superimposed on an Indian tricolor, surrounded by the legend “Freies Indien”. The men were then officially designated the “Free Indian Legion”.
Q53. . As per provisions of the Charter Act of 1833, a Law Commission (for consolidating, codifying, and improving Indian laws) was constituted under the Chairmanship of
(a) Lord Bentinck
(b) Raja Rammohan Roy
(c) Lord Macaulay
(d) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (c)
Explanation: The first Law Commission was established in 1834 under the Charter Act of 1833 under the Chairmanship of Lord Macaulay which recommended codification of the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, and a few other matters. Thereafter, the second, third, and fourth Law Commissions were constituted in 1853, 1861 and 1879 respectively.
Q54. Who among the following used the phrase ‘UN-British’ to criticize the English colonial control of India?
(a) Anandmohan Bose
(b) BadruddinTyabji
(c) Dadabhai Naoroji
(d) Pherozeshah Mehta
Answer: (c) Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation: He wrote a book entitled Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.
Q55. Hardayal, an intellectual giant, was associated with
(a) Home Rule Movement
(b) Ghadar Movement
(c) Swadeshi Movement
(d) Non-Cooperation Movement
Answer: (b)
Explanation: Lala Har Dayal was an Indian nationalist revolutionary who founded the Ghadar Party in America. He was a polymath who turned down a career in the Indian Civil Service. His simple living and intellectual acumen inspired many expatriate Indians living in Canada and the USA to fight against British Imperialism during the First World War.
Q56. On imprisonment in 1908 by the Brities, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was sent to
(a) Andaman and Nicobar
(b) Rangoon
(c) Singapore
(d) Mandalay
Answer: (d)
Explanation: On 30 April 1908, two Bengali youths, Prafulla Chaki and Khudiram Bose, threw a bomb on a carriage at Muzaffarpur, to kill the Chief Presidency Magistrate Douglas Kingsford of Calcutta fame, but erroneously killed some women traveling in it. Tilak, in his paper Kesari, defended the revolutionaries and called for immediate Swaraj or self-rule. The Government swiftly arrested him for sedition and was sent to Mandalay, Burma from 1908 to 1914. While in prison he wrote the most famous Gita Rahasya.
Q57. Who among the following Indian rulers established embassies in foreign countries on modern lines?
(a) Haider Ali
(b) Mir Qasim
(c) Shah Alam II
(d) Tipu Sultan
Answer: (d) Tipu Sultan
Explanation: Tipu Sultan established embassies in France, Turkey, and Egypt on modern lines.
Q58. The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in
(a) 1928
(b) 1930
(c) 1931
(d) 1922
Answer: (b)
Explanation: The Civil Disobedience Movement led by M K Gandhi, in the year 1930 was an important milestone in the history of Indian Nationalism. On the historic day of 12th March 1930, Gandhi inaugurated The Civil Disobedience Movement by conducting the historic Dandi Salt March, where he broke the Salt Laws imposed by the British Government.
Q59. Where was the First Session of the Indian National Congress held in December 1885?
(a) Ahmedabad
(b) Bombay
(c) Calcutta
(d) Delhi
Answer: (b) Bombay
Explanation: INC was formed on 28 Dec 1885 in Bombay and its first session was held under the presidentship of W.C. Banerjee.
Q60. Who termed Cripps’ proposals as ‘a post-dated cheque in a crashing bank’?
(a) Ambedkar
(b) Annie Besant
(c) Patel
(d) Gandhiji
Answer: (d)
Explanation: Mahatma Gandhi thought Cripps’s proposals as inadequate and treated them as post-dated cheques.
Q61. Consider the following statements:
Arya Samaj was founded in 1835
LalaLajpatRai opposed the appeal of Arya Samajto the authority of Vedas in support of its social reform programme
Under Keshab Chandra Sen, the BrahmoSamajcampaigned for women’s education
VinobaBhave founded the SarvodyaSamaj to work among refugees
Which of these statements are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 2 and 4
(d) 3 and 4
Answer: (d) 3 and 4
Explanation: Arya Samaj was founded in 1875 (not 1835) at Bombay by Dayananda Saraswati. Though Lala Lajpat Rai was a follower of Arya Samaj but never opposed it.
Q62. Who among the following wrote the poem, Subh-e Azadi?
(a) SahirLudhiyanvi
(b) Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(c) Muhammad Iqbal
(d) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Answer:(b) Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Explanation: Subh-e Azadi (Dawn of Freedom) was written in August 1947 after the partition of India.
Q63. Who was the leader of the Bardoli Satyagraha?
(a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
(b) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
(c) Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
(d) Acharya J. B. Kripalani
Answer: (c)
Explanation: The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, in the state of Gujarat, India during the period of the British Raj, was a major episode of civil disobedience and revolt in the Indian Independence Movement. Its success gave rise to Vallabhbhai Patel as one of the greatest leaders of the independence struggle. The background to this movement was provided in 1925 when the taluka of Bardoli in Gujarat suffered from floods and famine, causing crop production to suffer and leaving farmers facing great financial troubles. However, the Government of the Bombay Presidency had raised the tax rate by 30% that year, and despite petitions from civic groups, refused to cancel the rise in the face of the calamities.
Q64. “Go back to Vedas.” This call was given by
(a) Ramakrishna Paramah-amsa
(b) Vivekananda
(c) Jyotiba Phule
(d) Daynand Saraswati
Answer: (d)
Explanation: One of the main messages of Swami Dayanand Saraswati was for Hindus to go back to the roots of their religion, which are the Vedas. By doing this, he felt that Hindus would be able to improve the depressive religious, social, political, and economic conditions prevailing in India in his times.
Q65. Assertion (A): The Congress Ministries in all the provinces resigned in the year 1939.
Reason (R): The Congress did not accept the decision of the Viceroy to declare war against Germany in the context of the Second World War. [2008]
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Answer: (b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
Explanation: R does not explain A. As in September 1939, the viceroy unilaterally declared that India was at war with Germany without bothering to consult any Indian leader. In protest, Congress ministries resigned in October 1939. Muslim league declared it as the Day of Deliverance.
Q66. Who amongst the following Englishmen, first translated Bhagavad Gita into English?
(a) William Jones
(b) Charles Wilkins
(c) Alexander Cunningham
(d) John Marshall
Answer: (b) Charles Wilkins
Explanation: Charles Wilkins was a member of the Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by William Jones. He translated the Bhagavad Gita into English in 1794.
Q67. Consider the following statements:
The Cripps Proposals include the provision for
Full independence for India.
Creation of a constitution-making body.
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: (b) 2 only
Explanation: The Cripps proposals did not include the provision for full independence for India but offered an Indian union with a dominion status. The Congress objected to the provision of dominion status instead of complete independence. After the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution.
Q68. Which one of the following submitted in 1875 a petition to the House of Commons demanding India’s direct representation in the British parliament?
(a) The Deccan Association
(b) The Indian Association
(c) The Madras Mahajan Sabha
(d) The Poona SarvajanikSabha
Answer: (b) The Indian Association
Explanation: The Indian Association of Calcutta was founded in 1876 Indian League was established in 1875, by young nationalists of Bengal led by S.N. Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose.
Q69. With which one of the following mountain tribes did the British first come into contact after the grant of Diwani in the year 1765?
(a) Garos
(b) Khasis
(c) Kukis
(d) Tipperahs
Answer: (a) Garos
Explanation: In the later part of the 18th century, the British East India Company started establishing contact with the Garos, after acquiring the Diwani of Bengal from the Mughal emperor. The British won over all the semi-independent estates that bordered the Garo Hills. The British won over all the semi-independent estates that bordered the Garo Hills. But the internal administration of the estates was not disturbed. They were given the responsibility of keeping the power of the Garos in check, as in the time of the Mughals. Hence, the enmity between the Garos and the Zamindars grew stronger and the British had to finally intervene. Finally, this chaos ended when the Garo Hills were annexed in 1873.
Q70. Which of the following can be considered as the most useful and outstanding reforms made by Lord Curzon, especially in respect of the people living in the divided province of Punjab?
(a) Educational Reforms
(b) Police Reforms
(c) Industrial Reforms
(d) Agricultural Reforms
Answer: (d)
Explanation: Curzon introduced some reforms in agriculture. He passed the Punjab Land Alienation Act of 1902. Under this act, Curzon declared the land of agriculture would not be transferred to non-agriculturists. In this way, he protected the farmers from the money lander class.
Q71. Permanent Revenue Settlement of Bengal was introduced by
(a) Clive
(b) Hastings
(c) Wellesley
(d) Cornwallis
Answer: (d)
Explanation: Cornwallis’s greatest achievement in India was the reorganization of the land taxation, known as the Permanent Settlement of 1793. Agricultural land in Bengal was cultivated by a large number of small farmers, who paid rent to a group of Zamindars (landowners). Under the Mughals, the government had collected taxes from the Zamindars. The East India Company, however, had tried to set aside the Zamindars and collect land taxes either directly through company officials or through revenue farmers, who collected the rent from peasants and paid a lump sum to the government. The new system led to widespread corruption, and the peasants suffered severely. Cornwallis decided to go back to the old Mughal system. He granted legal ownership of their land to the Zamindars. In return, they had to pay the government 90 percent of the rent which they collected from the farmers. These arrangements were to last forever, hence the title “permanent settlement.”
Q72. Match List-I (Acts of Colonial Government of India) with List-II (Provisions) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: [2002]
List-I (Acts of Colonial (Provisions)
List-II Government of India)
A. Charter Act, 1813
1. Set up a Board of Control in Britain to fully regulate the East India
B. Regulating Act
2. The company’s trade monopoly in India was ended
C. Act of 1858
3. The power to govern was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown
D. Pitt’s India Act
4. The Company’s directors were asked to present to the British government all correspondence and documents about the administration of the company
Codes:
(a) A – 2; B – 4; C – 3; D – 1
(b) A – 1; B – 3; C – 4; D – 2
(c) A – 2; B – 3; C – 4; D – 1
(d) A – 1; B – 4; C – 3; D – 2
Answer: (a) A – 2; B – 4; C – 3; D – 1
Explanation: The regulating Act was passed in 1773. Pitts India Act was passed in 1784.
Q73. During the colonial period in India, what was the purpose of the Whitley Commission?
(a) To review the fitness of India for further political reforms
(b) To report on existing conditions of labor and to make recommendations
(c) To draw up a plan for financial reforms for India
(d) To develop a comprehensive scheme for Civil Services in India
Answer: (b) To report on existing conditions of labor and to make recommendations
Explanation: (b) Whitley chaired the Royal Commission on Labor in India, which was reported in 1931.
Q74. Which is the oldest trade union organization in India?
(a) Indian National Trade UnionCongress (INTUC)
(b) Centre of Indian TradeUnions (CITU)
(c) All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)
(d) Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh(BMS)
Answer: (c)
Explanation: The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) is the oldest trade union federation in India and one of the five largest. It was founded on 31 October 1920 in Bombay by Lala Lajpat Rai and a few others and, until 1945 when unions became organised on party lines; it was the primary trade union organization in India. Since then it has been associated with the Communist Party of India.
Q75. Sarvodaya stands for
(a) Total revolution
(b) Non-cooperation
(c) Upliftment of all
(d) Non-violence
Answer: (c)
Explanation: Sarvodaya is a term meaning ‘universal uplift’ or ‘progress of all’. The term was first coined by Mahatma Gandhi as the title of his 1908 translation of John Ruskin’s tract on political economy, Unto This Last, and Gandhi came to use the term for the ideal of his political philosophy. Later Gandhians, like the Indian nonviolence activist Vinoba Bhave, embraced the term as a name for the social movement in post-independence India.
