Practice Test: Modern India - 1 - UPSC MCQ

Ans: c

Explanation: Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (Mahatma) was born in Pune,was a great social reformer. He dedicated his book Gulamgiri to the American movement to free slaves, he linked the conditions of the black slaves in America with those of the lower castes in India. This comparison contains an expression of hope that one day, like the end of slavery in America, there would be an end to all sorts of caste discriminations in Indian society.

• It aimed for the liberty of all communities and not restricted to any special community. Therefore, statement 1 is incorrect.
• In the Central Legislature, Muslim representation should not be less than one-third.
• No cabinet either Central or Provincial, should be formed without at least one-third of the ministers being Muslims. Therefore statement 2 is also incorrect.

• During Swadeshi Movement the action of the authorities led to a movement among the students to boycott the Calcutta University which they described as Golamkhana (House of manufacturing slaves).
• At a conference attended by a large number of very eminent men of Bengal in different walks of life held on 10 November 1905, it was decided to establish at once a National Council of Education in order to organize a system of education-literary, scientific and technical- on national lines and under national control.
• The number of national schools also grew apace with time. Primary education in vernacular language was encouraged and for technical education Bengal technical institute was established

• Pagalpanthi Movement was a peasant movement and not a religious reform movement PagalPanthis were a mixture of the Hinduism, Sufism and Animism, which became prominent in Bengal (Now in Bangladesh).
• The sect was founded by Karam Shah, and his son Tipu Shah led these people to upholad the religion and rights of the peasants in Bengal.
• He captured Sherpur in 1825, after standing up against oppressive taxes and laws imposed by the Zamindars and the British. The rebels kept disturbed the area for more than 2 decades. Tipu Shah died in 1852, but the resistance movement continued.

• William Jones - Founder of Asiatic Society of Bengal. Sir William Jones translated Kalidasa's Abhijnana books (1789), Jayadeva'sGitagovinda (1789) and Manusamhita (1794), and edited Ritusamhara (1792).
• James Prinsep (20 August 1799 – 22 April 1840) was an English scholar, orientalist and antiquary. He was the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and is best remembered for deciphering the Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts of ancient India.
• Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India which led to his appointment in 1861 to the newly created position of archaeological surveyor to the government of India.
• He founded and organized what later became the Archaeological Survey of India. Walter Elliot in 1840 wrote on the 'cromlechs and cairns' in the Nilgiri hills. In 1845 he excavated and collected the Amaravati Marbles which were at one time called the "Elliot Marbles" and were exhibited in Madras. These marbles eventually went to the British Museum.
• Elliot studied ancient inscriptions, belief0s and cultures. He was a keen numismatist and collector of coins and his main work on the topic was published in 1885, at a time when unable to see, he had to feel the coins to describe them and have written by a scribe for his Coins of Southern India

The Federal court established through Government of India Act, 1935 was not a final court of decision. This power still lied with Privy Council.

Gandhiji went on fast against the communal award in Yeravada Jail in Poona, When Dr. B R Ambedkar came to compromise with Gandhiji the Poona pact is signed between Harijans and Hindus. ' On behalf of Harijans Dr. B R Ambedkar signed the deal while on the behalf of Hindus, Madan Mohan Malviya signed the pact.

The Terms of the Poona Pact were as under:

1. There shall be seats reserved for the Depressed Classes out of general electorate.

2. Election to these seats shall be by joint electorates subject, however, to the following procedure – All members of the Depressed Classes registered in the general electoral roll of a constituency will form an electoral college which will elect a panel of four candidates belonging to the Depressed Classes for each of such reserved seats by the method of the single vote and four persons getting the highest number of votes in such primary elections shall be the candidates for election by the general electorate.

3. The representation of the Depressed Classes in the Central Legislature shall likewise be on the principle of joint electorates and reserved seats by the method of primary election in the manner provided for in clause above for their representation in the provincial legislatures

 Central Legislature

4. In the Central Legislature 18 per cent of the seats allotted to the general electorate for British India in the said legislature shall be reserved for the Depressed Classes.

5. The system of primary election to a panel of candidates for election to the Central and Provincial Legislatures as herein-before mentioned shall come to an end after the first ten years, unless terminated sooner by mutual agreement under the provision of clause 6 below.

6. The system of representation of Depressed Classes by reserved seats in the Provincial and Central Legislatures as provided for in clauses (1) and (4) shall continue until determined otherwise by mutual agreement between the communities concerned in this settlement.

7. The Franchise for the Central and Provincial Legislatures of the Depressed Classes shall be as indicated, in the Lothian Committee Report.

8. There shall be no disabilities attached to any one on the ground of his being a member of the Depressed Classes in regard to any election to local bodies or appointment to the public services. Every endeavor shall be made to secure a fair representation of the Depressed Classes in these respects, subject to such educational qualifications as may be laid down for appointment to the Public Services.

9. In every province out of the educational grant an adequate sum shall be ear-marked for providing educational facilities to the members of Depressed Classes.

Government of India Act 1919 had introduced the system of dyarchy to govern the provinces of British India. This act had a provision that a commission would be appointed after 10 years to investigate the progress of the governance scheme and suggest new steps for reform. The Government in England was a conservative Government which was not in very much favor of giving any control to Indians. In March 1927, his majesty’ s Government announced its decision to appoint the “Statutory Commission” in advance of the prescribed date. The personnel of the Commission and its terms of reference were announced in November 1927. It had 7 members which were lifted from the three political parties of the British Parliament under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. None of the Indians was appointed in the commission and the promise of appeasing the Indian opinion seemed to be a bubble. When no Indian was included in the commission, it was like depriving of their right to participate in the determination of the constitution of their own country. The Commission paid two visits to India (February-March, 1928, October 1928—April 1929). Each time it faced boycott. It made extensive tours and prepared a report which was published in May, 1930. The outcome of the Simon Commission was the Government of India Act 1935, which established representative government at the provincial level in India and is the basis of many parts of the Indian Constitution

Associated Events with the Tenure of Lord Ripon:

Lord Ripon, also known as George Robinson, served as the Viceroy of India from 1880 to 1884. During his tenure, several significant events took place that had a lasting impact on India's political and social landscape. The events associated with Lord Ripon's tenure are as follows:

1. Appointment of Hunter Commission: - The appointment of the Hunter Commission was one of the notable events during Lord Ripon's tenure. - The commission was established in 1882 to investigate the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in which British troops fired upon a crowd of peaceful protesters in Amritsar, Punjab. - The commission's findings led to widespread condemnation of the British administration's actions and contributed to the growing Indian nationalist movement. 2. Illbert Bill Controversy: - The Illbert Bill controversy was another significant event during Lord Ripon's tenure. - The bill aimed to grant Indian magistrates the power to try European offenders in criminal cases. - However, it faced strong opposition from British residents in India, who feared losing their privileged status. - Despite the controversy, Lord Ripon supported the bill, although it was ultimately diluted and passed with limited applicability. 3. Factory Act, 1881: - Lord Ripon's tenure witnessed the enactment of the Factory Act in 1881. - The act aimed to improve working conditions in factories, particularly for women and children. - It introduced regulations regarding working hours, safety measures, and provisions for breaks and holidays. - The act was a significant step towards labor welfare and laid the foundation for subsequent labor reforms in India. 4. Local Self-Government: - Lord Ripon was a strong advocate for local self-government in India. - He introduced the Local Self-Government Resolution in 1882, which aimed to decentralize power and empower local bodies. - The resolution gave Indians the opportunity to participate in the administration of their local affairs and paved the way for the development of grassroots democracy in India. Therefore, the correct answer is option A: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

• The Cripps Mission failed because British were not willing to agree to the formation of a truly National Government and also tries to promote interest of the Princes.
• While they agreed to the demand of a constituent assembly, they insisted that the Indian states in the assembly would be represented by the nominees of the Princes, and that the people of the States would have no representation in it.
• The Quit India movement resolution asked for complete Independence of India post which India would join hands to fight fascist and imperialist powers. Quit India movement called for a non- violent movement for India's Independence. 
• However, government repression was so heavy that people turned violent. Revolutionary activities were indeed organized by Jaiprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali, S M Joshi and Ram Manohar Lohia almost throughout the war years.

a) Champaran Satyagraha (1917)—First Civil Disobedience Movement. Gandhi was requested by Rajkumar Shukla to look into the problems of the indigo planters, of Champaran in Bihar.
b) Gandhi used Satyagraha and hunger strike for the first time during an industrial dispute between the owners and workers of a cotton mill in Ahmedabad. The owners wanted to withdraw the plague bonus to the workers while the workers were demanding a hike of 35% in their wages.
c) In Indian History, Kheda Satyagraha (1918) is the first step towards non-cooperation.
d) Anti-Rowlatt Satyagraha movement was started by Gandhi Ji against The Rowlatt Act,1919 for the exclusion of freedom of press and detention without trial set up a Satyagraha Sabha on 24th February 1919 at Bombay. As, the Rowlatt Act empowers the Britishers regarding the suspension of the right of Habeas Corpus.

Linlithgow offer is most commonly known as August Offer. This offer turned down the demand of the Congress to set up a national Government at the center but proposed the following: After the war, a representative “Constitution Making Body” shall be appointed immediately after the war. The number of the Indians in the Viceroy’ s Executive council will be increased. A war advisory Council would be set up. The Congress did not approve the August Offer. Jawahar Lal Nehru said that the whole idea was “dead and doornail”. The Muslim League said that it will not be satisfied with anything short of partition of India.

• On February 18, 1946, a section of non-commissioned officers and sailors known as Ratings, serving in the Royal Indian Navy, mutinied against the British Officers.
• The mutiny started as a strike by the ratings to protest against the hardships regarding pay, food and racial discrimination. In the same night, a Naval Central Strike committee was created by the Ratings.
• Dutt chose the Navy Day on December 1 st 1945 as the curtain raiser for the first act of sabotage because the civil population was invited for the first time in the history of RIN to visit ships as well as the shore establishments and the authorities wanted to present a Navy spick and span and the ships dressed with flags and bunting.

The dastaks given to Britishers were meant only for Company use and not for individual use by company's officer. But the comapny officers were corrupt and misused the datak to get concession on the goods. At the same time Britishers levied heavy taxes on Indian goods entering the Calcutta to deincentivise them and make them non-competitive. The britishers controlled the fort william in Calcutta while Chandernagar was controlled by French. Therefore, statement 3 is incorrect as chandernagar was controlled by French and not by Britishers.

In 1813, Lord Hastings, Governor General forced several imposing measures against the Marathas.

Lord Dalhousie annexed Satara using his doctrine of lapse. Cornwallis led Britishers in Third Anglo-Mysore War where Marathas and Nizams joined British to fight again Mysore. Lord cornwollis led the British and won. Treaty of Shrirangapatnam was signed after third Anglo-Mysore war.

• While practicing law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to promote education to untouchables and uplift them.
• His first organized attempt was his establishment of the central institution Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of "outcastes", at the time referred to as depressed classes.
• In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party, which contested the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats, and secured 11 and 3 seats respectively.
• Ambedkar opposed Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which granted a special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and which was included against his wishes.

The Treaty of Sagauli was signed in 1816.

Landholders Society was founded by Dwarka Nath Tagore Devendra Nath Tagore was the founder of Tattavabodhini Sabha which was later merged with Bramho Sabha to revive Brahmo Samaj, ten years after the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Gadar Party was founded in United States and Canada. Indian independence league was found in different South East Asian Nations. Indian Association was founded in Calcutta by Anand Mohan Bose and S N Banerjee East India Association was founded in London by Dadabhai Naoroji

Explanation: Kaisar-I-Hind Medal: The Kaisar-I-Hind Medal was a medal awarded by the British Indian government between 1900 and 1947. It was awarded to individuals for their distinguished service to the Indian Empire. Reason for Mahatma Gandhi's Award: Mahatma Gandhi was awarded the Kaisar-I-Hind Medal for his foundation of the Indian Ambulance Corps during the Boer War. This is option B. Other Options: The other options mentioned are not correct: - Option A: The Foundation of Natal Indian Congress is not the reason for Mahatma Gandhi's award. - Option C: The Foundation of Indian Opinion Magazine is not the reason for Mahatma Gandhi's award. - Option D: Satyagraha against Asiatic Ordinance in Transvaal is not the reason for Mahatma Gandhi's award. Therefore, the correct answer is option B: Foundation of Indian Ambulance Corps during the Boer War.

The 'Conscience Keeper' of Mahatma Gandhi Introduction: The person who was called the 'conscience keeper' of Mahatma Gandhi was C. Rajagopalachari. Explanation: C. Rajagopalachari, also known as Rajaji, played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He served as the Governor-General of India from 1948 to 1950 and later became the first Indian Governor-General of the Dominion of India. Reasons why C. Rajagopalachari was considered the 'conscience keeper' of Mahatma Gandhi: 1. Moral Guidance: Rajaji provided moral guidance and acted as a moral compass for Mahatma Gandhi. He was known for his strong principles and ethical values, which aligned with Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and truth. 2. Trusted Advisor: Rajaji was one of the most trusted advisors of Mahatma Gandhi. He had a deep understanding of Gandhi's ideals and actively participated in discussions and decision-making processes. 3. Interpretation of Gandhi's Teachings: Rajaji had a profound understanding of Gandhi's teachings and was able to interpret them effectively. He often clarified Gandhi's messages to the public and conveyed his thoughts accurately. 4. Mediator and Peacemaker: Rajaji acted as a mediator between conflicting parties and resolved disputes by following Gandhi's principles of non-violence and peaceful negotiations. He played a crucial role in resolving conflicts during the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan. 5. Continuation of Gandhi's Legacy: After Gandhi's assassination, Rajaji continued to promote and uphold his principles. He worked towards preserving Gandhi's legacy and ensuring that his teachings were spread across the nation. In conclusion, C. Rajagopalachari was called the 'conscience keeper' of Mahatma Gandhi due to his moral guidance, trusted advisory role, interpretation of Gandhi's teachings, mediation skills, and his dedication to continuing Gandhi's legacy.

Lord Linlithgow was the Viceroy during the Cripps Mission. The Communal Award was given during Lord Irwin's tenure. 

Harshell Committee   was formed for currency suggestion

Indian Disbandment Committee -1923 -- Lord Itchcap -- Central Committee of Education

Cripps Mission (1942), Wavell Plan (1945), Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) and Mountbatten Plan (1947)

Use of rockets was earlier done by HyderAli ,Tipu's father. However, it under Tipu Sultan's instructions that Fathul Mujahidin - a military manual was written by Zainul Abedin Shustari that detailed the use of rocketry. Tipu had strong alliance with the French and was approached by Napoleon for an alliance against the British in India. He tried to organize a modern army with the help of French not the Dutch.

• The doctrine of subsidiary alliance was a master-stroke introduced by Lord Wellesley, British Governor-General in India from 1798 to 1805.
• Early in his governorship Wellesley adopted a policy of non-intervention in the princely states, but he later adopted the policy of forming subsidiary alliances.
• This policy played a major role in British expansion in India and is said to have sealed the fate of French dream of expansion in India as it quickly led to the fall of Indian states one by one to the British.
• The British often pitched it as a policy to secure themselves from the French, but in reality it not only pre-empted any French alliance for Indian rulers, but also helped Britain consolidate rule over India. According to the term of this alliance, Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed force.
• They were to be protected by the company, but had to pay for the 'subsidiary forces' that the company was supposed to maintain for the purpose of this protection.
• If the Indian rulers failed to make the payment, then part of their territory was taken away as penalty. By the late 18th century, power of the Maratha Empire had weakened in the Indian subcontinent, and India was left with a great number of states, most small and weak.
• Many rulers accepted the offer of protection by Lord Wellesley, as it gave them security against attack by their neighbours.

• Communalism is an ideology that because a group of people follow a particular religion they have, as a result, common social, economic and political interest.
• Thus, the interest of all Hindus are common simply because of the religion that they follow. Or the interest of all Muslims because they are Muslims.
• This is far from truth for several reasons - for example, Marxian theorists say the worker class – across all religions have common interests that are not common with the capitalism class - of the same religion.

The second statement is not correct because the sea power of the English was superior to that of the French. The merchant fleets of the English were bigger and maderegular voyages.