Kerala PSC KAS Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 9 - Kerala PSC KAS MCQ

• In the early nineteenth century, increased Russian influence in Persia replaced British influence and thwarted an English scheme for the establishment of a new route by River Euphratesto India. Especially after the Treaty of Turkomanchai (1828), the English got alarmed about possible Russian plans regarding India. Soon, there was a search for a scientific frontier from the Indian side. Passes of the north-west seemed to hold the key to enter India. The need was felt for Afghanistan to be under the control of a ruler friendly to the British.
• Lord Auckland who came to India as the governor-general in 1836, advocated a forward policy. o This implied that the Company government in India itself had to take initiatives to protect the boundary of British India from a probable Russian attack. o This objective was to be achieved either through treaties with the neighbouring countries or by annexing them completely. This prompted the British government to go ahead with the forward policy, and Tripartite Treaty (1838) was entered into by the British,Sikhs and Shah Shuja (who had been deposed from the Afghan throne in 1809 and had been living since then as a British pensioner at Ludhiana).
• John Lawrence (1864-1869) started a policy of masterly inactivity which was a reaction to the disasters of the First Afghan War and an outcome of practical common sense and intimate knowledge of the frontier problem and of Afghanpassion for independence.
• Lord Lytton started a new foreign policy of ‘proud reserve’, which was aimed at having scientific frontiers and safeguarding‘spheres of influence’. According to Lytton, the relations with Afghanistan could no longer be left ambiguous. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
• Lytton made an offer of a favourable treaty to Sher Ali, but the Amir wanted friendship with both his powerful neighbours, Russia and British India, while keeping both of them at arm's length. Later, Sher Ali refused to keep a British envoy in Kabul while having earlier granted a similar concession to the Russians. o Lytton was displeased, and when the Russians withdrew their envoy from Kabul, Lytton decided to invade Afghanistan. o Sher Ali fled in face of the British invasion, and the Treaty of Gandamak (May 1879) was signed with Yakub Khan, the eldest son of Sher Ali.
  • Treaty of Gandamak (May 1879): The treaty signed after the Second-Anglo Afghan War provided that:
  • the Amir conduct his foreign policy with the advice of the Government of India;
  • a permanent British resident be stationed at Kabul; and
  • the Government of India gives Amir all support against foreign aggression and an annual subsidy.
• Under Lord Curzon, the frontier policy was revised and a new system came into operation. He followed a realistic and common sense' policy towards the tribesmen. He would have nothing to do with the 'elastic and pliable adjectives' of Masterly Inactivity or Forward Policy or surrender to the “paralysing influence of these labels. He said: "Let our new frontier policy be called by any name that men choose. Only let it be based not upon obsolete political formulas, but upon up-to-date common sense."
  • In the light of past experience, Curzon hoped "to draft a code of frontier policy which could with consistency, and without violent interruptions, be applied to the whole line of North-Western frontier from the Pamirs to Baluchistan." Curzon's policy may be summed up as a policy of ‘military concentration as against diffusion, and of tribal conciliation in place of exasperation’.

• The Fowler Committee was appointed by the British government in 1898 to reform the Indian Currency system.
• Until 1892, silver was the metal on which Indian currency and coinage had largely been based. The Fowler Committee recommended the continuance of the Indian Government proposals made in 1892 and implemented in 1893. It concurred with the Government of India in its decision not to revert to the silver standard. It further recommended establishing a gold currency, making the sovereign legal tender. Also recommended was opening the Indian mints to the unrestricted coinage of gold, receiving gold and reissuing them as coins. The exchange rate for gold was to be fixed at 15 rupees to the sovereign or is. 4d. per rupee (one shilling and four pence), as originally contemplated in 1893. Hence option (a) is the correct answer.
• In 1926 the Royal Commission on Indian Currency (Hilton Young Commission) recommended the establishment of a central bank to be called the 'Reserve Bank of India'.

• Lord Metcalfe was the Governor-General of India from 1835-36. He repealed the obnoxious 1823 ordinance by introducing a new press act (1835) and earned the epithet, “liberator of the Indian press”.
  • Earlier, according to the Licensing Regulations, 1823 starting or using a press without a license was a penal offense. Later on, it was extended to cover journals, pamphlets and books.
  • These restrictions were directed chiefly against Indian-language newspapers or those edited by Indians. Rammohan Roy’s Mirat-ul-Akbar had to stop publication.
• The New Press Act (1835) required a printer/publisher to give a precise account of the premises of a publication and cease functioning, if required by a similar declaration. The result of a liberal press policy was a rapid growth of newspapers. Hence option (d) is the correct answer. 

• Lord William Bentinck was Governor-General of India from 1828 to 1835. During his tenure of seven years as the Governor-General of India, many reforms were introduced by him in the field of finance, education, and social reforms.
• He is credited with significant social and educational reforms in India, including the abolition of sati and the prohibition of women from witnessing cremations on Varanasi's ghats, as well as the suppression of female infanticide and human sacrifice. There was little opposition to Bentinck's Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829, which he passed after consulting with the army and officials. The most admirable measure taken by Bentinck, which contributed to the material well-being of the people, was the suppression of the 'thugs.'
• He, along with Thomas Babington Macaulay, pioneered the use of English as a language of instruction in India. English was made the official language of India under his tenure in 1835.
  • The famous Lord Macaulay’s Minute settled the row in favour of Anglicists—the limited government resources were to be devoted to the teaching of Western sciences and literature through the medium of the English language alone.
  • ord Macaulayheld the view that “Indian learning was inferior to European learning”—which was true as far as physical and social sciences in the contemporary stage were concerned.
  • The government soon made English as the medium of instruction in its schools and colleges and opened a few English schools and colleges instead of a large number of elementary schools, thus neglecting mass education.
• Lord Cornwallis had set up four Circuit Courts as provincial courts of appeal. But, Lord Bentinck abolished four Circuit Courts and their functions were transferred to collectors under the supervision of the commissioner of revenue and circuit.
  • Sadar Diwani Adalat and Sadar Nizamat Adalat were set up at Allahabad for the convenience of the people of the upper Provinces. Abolition of the provincial courts of appeal and circuit setup by Cornwallis, the appointment of commissioners of revenue and circuit.
• During his tenure annexation of Mysore, Coorg, and Central Cachar happened. The Treaty of Roopnagar was signed with Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1931.
• Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

• The establishment of British rule in South and South Western India brought new problems of land settlement. While framing land revenue policies for these areas British officials believed that in these regions, there were no Zamindars with large estates with whom settlement of land revenue could be made and the introduction of the zamindari system would upset the existing state of affairs. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Many Madras officials led by Reed and Thomas Munro recommended that settlement should therefore be made directly with actual cultivators.
• They also pointed out that under the Permanent settlement the Company was a financial loser as it had to share the revenues with the zamindars and could not claim a share of the growing income from land. Moreover, the cultivator was left at the mercy of the zamindar who could oppress him at will. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Munro claimed that it is the system that has always prevailed in India. The supporters of the Ryotwari system also claimed that it was a continuation of the state of affairs that had existed in the past. Due to these factors, Munro introduced the Ryotwari system in the parts of Bombay and Madras presidency in the beginning of the 19th Century. Hence statement 3 is correct.

The Turkish Revolution occurred in 1923 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk established the Republic of Turkey, marking the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk led the Turkish Revolution and became the first President of the Republic of Turkey.

The primary goal of the Turkish Revolution was to modernize Turkey by adopting Western political, social, and legal systems.

During the Turkish Revolution, Atatürk introduced various reforms, including land redistribution, granting women the right to vote, and replacing the Arabic script with the Latin alphabet.

The Turkish War of Independence was fought against the occupying forces of the United Kingdom and France.

Who was Atatürk's famous quote, "Peace at Home, Peace in the World," reflecting his foreign policy approach? a) Lenin b) Winston Churchill c) Atatürk himself d) Woodrow Wilson

The 1934 surname law in Turkey required all citizens to adopt Turkish surnames, aiming to modernize the country's naming system.

The Turkish Revolution led to the establishment of a secular state in Turkey, with the separation of religion from the government.

Gallipoli, a strategic region in Turkey, witnessed significant resistance against the invading Allied forces during the Turkish War of Independence.

The Turkish Revolution served as a model for nationalist movements in several Middle Eastern countries, inspiring them to seek independence and modernization.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 by the United States resulted in Japan's surrender. The devastation caused by these bombings made it clear that Japan could not continue the war effort.

The United States was Japan's main rival in the Pacific during World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 marked Japan's confrontation with the United States.

The "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" was used by Japan to justify its territorial expansion and establish an economic bloc under its control in Asia. However, it was more of a facade for imperialistic intentions.

The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals held after World War II to prosecute major Nazi war criminals. Many Nazi leaders were convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Some were sentenced to death, while others received long prison terms. The trials set an important precedent for holding individuals accountable for crimes committed during wartime.

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was a prominent dynasty during medieval China, known for its economic prosperity, cultural achievements, and expansion of the Silk Road.

The Silk Road played a crucial role in connecting China with Europe and other regions, enabling the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures.

Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer sailing under the Spanish flag, is credited with discovering the New World (the Americas) in 1492. His voyages opened the door for European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

Key Points

• The Constituent Assembly first met as the Legislative body on 9th December 1946.
• The first meeting was held in the constitution hall (now the Central Hall of Parliament House).
• When the Constituent Assembly met as the Legislative body Sachchidananda Sinha presided over it (Temporarily).
• Hence statement c is not correct.
• The Constituent Assembly was made a fully sovereign body.
• The Constituent Assembly became the first Parliament of free India.
• Since the representatives of the areas incorporated into Pakistan ceased to be members of the Constituent Assembly of India
• The total strength of the Constituent Assembly came down to 299 as against 389.

Hence statement a, b and d are correct.

Key Points

• The American Constitution was the first to incorporate a Preamble.
  • So, the term and idea of the Preamble were borrowed from the Constitution of the United States of America.
  • The ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are borrowed from the French Constitution.
  • But, the language of the Preamble is borrowed from the Constitution of Australia.

Daman and Diu had become a union territory in western India.

• With an area of 112 km2, it was India's smallest federal division on the mainland.
• The territories consisted of two distinct regions - Daman and Diu - which are physically divided by the Gulf of Khambhat.
• The state of Gujarat and the Arab Sea bordered the territory.
• The territory of the Portuguese colony after the 1500s was occupied by India in 1961.
• Daman and Diu were administered as part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu from 1961 to 1987 when they became a separate union territory.