Kerala PSC KAS Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 5 - Kerala PSC KAS MCQ

• Pherozshah Mehta - was a Parsi politician and lawyer from Bombay. He was knighted by the British Government in India for his service to the law. He was one of the founding members and President of the Indian National Congress in 1890. He started The Bombay Chronicle, an English-language weekly newspaper

• Dadabhai Naroji - also known as the "Grand Old Man of India" and "Unofficial Ambassador of India" was a British Parsi scholar, trader and politician who was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom House of Commons and the first Indian to be a British MP. He was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress.

• A O Hume - was a member of the Imperial Civil Service, a political reformer, ornithologist and botanist who worked in British India. He was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress.

• Gopal Krishna Gokhale - was a political leader and social reformer. He was a senior leader of the INC and the founder of the Servants of India Society. He belonged to the moderate faction of INC. Gokhale's mentor was Justice M.G. Ranade, who started the Sarvajanik Sabha Journal. Gokhale was the mentor to Mahatma Gandhi and he was the one who suggested Gandhi to tour India after his return in 1915.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: During the Great War of 1914-18, the British had instituted censorship of the press and permitted detention without trial. Now, on the recommendation of a committee chaired by Sir Sidney Rowlatt, these tough measures were continued. In response, Gandhiji called for a countrywide campaign against the “Rowlatt Act”.

• Statement 2 is correct: In towns across North and West India, life came to a standstill, as shops shut down and schools closed in response to the bandh call. The protests were particularly intense in the Punjab, where many men had served on the British side in the War – expecting to be rewarded for their service. Instead they were given the Rowlatt Act. Gandhiji was detained while proceeding to the Punjab, even as prominent local Congressmen were arrested. It was the Rowlatt satyagraha that made Mahatma Gandhi a truly national leader. Emboldened by its success, Gandhiji called for a campaign of “non-cooperation” with British rule.

Statement 2 is correct. Bacha Khan's goal came to be the formulation of a united, independent, secular India. To achieve this end, he founded the Khudai Khidmatgar ("Servants of God"), commonly known as the "Red Shirts" (Surkh Pōsh), during the 1920s. The Khudai Khidmatgar was founded on a belief in the power of Gandhi's notion of Satyagraha, a form of active non-violence as captured in an oath.

Statement 3 is correct. Bacha Khan strongly opposed the proposal for the partition of India, siding with the Indian National Congress. When the Indian National Congress declared its acceptance of the partition plan without consulting the Khudai Khidmatgar leaders, he felt deeply betrayed and hurt by this, telling the Congress, "you have thrown us to the wolves." In June 1947, Khan and other Khudai Khidmatgars declared the Bannu Resolution, demanding that the Pashtuns be given a choice to have an independent state of Pashtunistan, composing all Pashtun territories of British India, instead of being made to join Pakistan. However, the British Raj refused to comply with the demand of this resolution.

The Government of India Act, 1935:

● The Act provided for the establishment of an All India Federation and a new system of government for the provinces on the basis of provincial autonomy.

● The federation was to be based on the union of the provinces of British India and the Princely States (States).

● There was to be a bicameral federal legislature in which the States were given disproportionate weightage.

● The representatives of the States were not to be elected by the people, but Appointed directly by the rulers.

● Only 14 percent of the total population in British India was given the right to vote.

● The Governor-General and the Governors were to be appointed by the British Government and were to be responsible to it.

The Act could not satisfy the nationalist aspiration for both political and economic power to continue to be concentrated in the hands of the British Government, foreign rule was to continue as before, only a few popularly elected ministers were to be added to the structure of British administration in India. The Congress condemned the Act as “totally disappointing,”

• Gopal Ganesh Agarkar (1856-1895) was an educationist and social reformer from Maharashtra. A strong advocate of the power of human reason, he criticized the blind dependence on tradition and false glorification of the past. Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was a cofounder of the New English School (1880), the Deccan Education Society (1884) and the Fergusson College (1885). He was also a principal of Fergusson College.

• He was also the first editor of Kesari, the newspaper started by Lokmanya Tilak in 1881.

• Later, he started his own periodical, Sudharak, which spoke against untouchability and the caste system.

Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Prussia, played a crucial role in unifying the German states into a single nation. Through a series of strategic military and political maneuvers, he achieved the unification in 1871, creating the German Empire.

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was a significant event that led to the unification of Germany. Prussia's victory over France not only weakened the French influence in the region but also rallied the German states behind Prussia, culminating in the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871.

The North German Confederation, a precursor to the German Empire, consisted of various German states, excluding Austria. Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, and Württemberg were among the states that joined the confederation, while Austria remained separate.

The Zollverein, established in 1834, was an economic union that eliminated trade barriers and tariffs among many German states. It significantly boosted economic cooperation and contributed to fostering a sense of common identity, laying the groundwork for eventual unification.

The Treaty of Frankfurt concluded the Franco-Prussian War and resulted in France ceding the territories of Alsace and part of Lorraine to the newly unified Germany. The treaty also required France to pay a substantial war indemnity to Germany.

The "Kleindeutschland" concept advocated for the unification of Germany without including Austria. Instead, it aimed to unify the German-speaking states of the German Confederation under Prussian leadership.

The King of Prussia, Wilhelm I, was proclaimed Emperor (Kaiser) of the German Empire on January 18, 1871, at the Palace of Versailles. This event marked the official establishment of a unified German state.

The Danish War of 1864 was fought between Denmark and Prussia-Austria over the territories of Schleswig and Holstein. After their victory, Prussia and Austria jointly administered the region, but tensions eventually led to the Austro-Prussian War.

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 resulted in a decisive victory for Prussia, leading to the formation of the North German Confederation. Austria was excluded from German affairs, and Prussia emerged as the dominant power in the region.

The German Empire established in 1871 adopted a constitutional monarchy system. The Kaiser (emperor) served as the head of state, but real political power was vested in the Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. The government also included the Bundesrat (federal council) and the Reichstag (parliament) in the legislative process.

Mussolini's fascist regime fell in 1943 when Italy was invaded by the Allied forces during World War II, leading to his arrest and the collapse of the fascist government.

Italian fascists strongly opposed socialism, considering it a threat to their nationalist and authoritarian goals.

After the end of World War II, Mussolini was captured and executed by a firing squad in 1945, marking the end of his leadership and the fascist regime in Italy.

Nazi propaganda aimed to create a cult of personality around Adolf Hitler, portraying him as a charismatic and infallible leader. It glorified the Nazi Party, demonized Jews and other minorities, and promoted the idea of Aryan racial superiority, contributing to the indoctrination and manipulation of the German population.

Herodotus, a Greek historian, is often referred to as the "Father of History." His work "Histories" is an important source of information about the Persian Wars and other events.

Sparta was the city-state known for its military strength and adherence to the Spartan way of life, emphasizing discipline and physical fitness.

The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was a significant event in English history that took place in 1688-1689. It resulted in the overthrow of King James II and the installation of William III and Mary II as joint rulers. The revolution marked the shift from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy in England.

• The Preamble to the Indian Constitution is based on the ‘objective Resolution’ drafted and moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 December 1946. It was adopted unanimously by Constituent Assemble on 22 January 1947. Hence statement 2 is correct.

• After adopting the Preamble, it stands as part of the Constitution. Therefore, the current opinion on the preamble held by the Supreme Court is in consonance with the opinion of the founding fathers.

• The preamble was enacted only after the rest of the constitution was enacted by the Constituent Assembly. Hence statement 1 is not correct.

• The reason for enacting the preamble at the end was to ensure that it was in conformity with the Constitution as adopted by the Constituent Assembly.

• Directive Principles were initially ignored by the Supreme Court while interpreting various socio-economic rights. It was only after the landmark verdict in the Keshavananda Bharati’s case in 1973 that the top court said that directive principles must be viewed as the guidelines by which the fundamental rights are realized.

• Justice PN Bhagwati in the 1980 Minerva Mills case described that "The Indian Constitution is founded on the bedrock of the balance between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy. To give absolute primacy to one over the other is to disturb the harmony of the Constitution. This harmony and balance is an essential feature of the basic structure of the Constitution."

• In the Champakam Dorairajan case (1951), the Supreme Court ruled that in case of any conflict between the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles, the former would prevail.

• Maneka Gandhi's case is a landmark case for the implementation of Article 21. In this case, the court said that expression ‘personal liberty’ in Article 21 is of the widest amplitude and it covers a variety of rights which go to constitute the personal liberty of man and some of them have raised to the status of distinct fundamental rights and given additional protection under Article 19.

Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

• The Constitution of India provides for State Public Service Commission (SPSC) at the state level like Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) at the centre level. Articles 315 to 323 of the Constitution deal with the composition, appointment and removal of members, functions and powers, independence of a SPSC.

• Option (a) is correct: The Chairman and members of the State Public Service Commission are appointed by the Governor of the state. Although they are appointed by the governor they can be removed by the President only. The President can remove them on the same grounds and in the same manners as he can remove the Chairman or member of UPSC.

• Option (b) is correct: A member of SPSC on ceasing to hold office is eligible for Chairman and member of UPSC, or as a Chairman of that SPSC or any other SPSC but not for any other employment under the government of India or State. Also, the Chairman of a SPSC on ceasing to hold office is eligible for appointment as the chairman or member of UPSC or chairman of any other SPSC but not for any other employment under the Government of India or a state.

• Option (c) is not correct: The expense of SPSC including the Salaries, Allowances and Pensions of the Chairman and Members of SPSC are charged on the Consolidated Fund of State (and not on the Consolidated Fund of India). They are not subject to the vote of the state legislature. Also, the conditions of service of Chairman and members cannot be varied to their disadvantages.

• Option (d) is correct: The role of SPSC is limited and recommendations made by it are only advisory in nature and hence, non-binding on the government. It is up to the state government to accept or reject the advice. however, the government have to answer to the concerned state legislature for not accepting the recommendations of the commission.