UPSC Prelims · Modern History PYQ
Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Ambedkar, and the ideological currents — liberal, socialist, and Gandhian — that shaped the national movement.
Includes
With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?
Correct answer: C. Rabindranath Tagore translated the National Anthem from Bengali to English here.
Explanation
Rabindranath Tagore translated 'Jana Gana Mana' from Bengali into English at Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh, at the local Theosophical college, in 1919.
Who among the following is associated with 'Songs from Prison', a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English?
Correct answer: C. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Explanation
Gandhi is associated with translating a collection of devotional prison songs into English during one of his periods of imprisonment.
One common agreement between Gandhism and Marxism is
Correct answer: A. the final goal of a stateless society
Explanation
Despite their opposite methods, both Gandhism and Marxism ultimately envision a stateless society as their end goal — Marxism through the eventual withering away of the state, Gandhi through self-governing village communities under Ram Rajya.
With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs: Person — Position held
1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru : President, All India Liberal Federation
2. K. C. Neogy : Member, The Constituent Assembly
3. P. C. Joshi : General Secretary, Communist Party of India Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
All three pairs hold: Tej Bahadur Sapru led the All India Liberal Federation, K.C. Neogy sat in the Constituent Assembly, and P.C. Joshi served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of India.
He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was
Correct answer: C. Lala Lajpat Rai
Explanation
Lala Lajpat Rai wrote these biographical works, spent time in the United States, and was later elected to the Central Legislative Assembly.
Which of the following parties were established by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar?
1. The Peasants and Workers Party of India
2. All India Scheduled Castes Federation
3. The Independent Labour Party
Correct answer: B. 2 and 3 only
Explanation
Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party (1936) and later the All India Scheduled Castes Federation (1942); the Peasants and Workers Party of India was founded separately by other leaders, not by him.
Consider the following statements: The most effective contribution made by Dadabhai Naoroji to the cause of Indian National Movement was that he 1. exposed the economic exploitation of India by the British 2. interpreted the ancient Indian texts and restored the self-confidence of Indians 3. stressed the need for eradication of all the social evils before anything else
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: A. 1 only
Explanation
Naoroji's most effective contribution lay in exposing British economic exploitation of India through his 'Drain of Wealth' theory in 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' — the other statements don't accurately capture his actual legacy.
Mahatma Gandhi said that some of his deepest convictions were reflected in a book titled "Unto this Last" and the book transformed his life. What was the message from the book that transformed Mahatma Gandhi ?
Correct answer: B. The good of individual is contained in the good of all
Explanation
The book's central insight — that 'the good of the individual lies in the good of all' — is what transformed Gandhi's outlook after he read Ruskin's 'Unto This Last'.
Who among the following Gandhian followers was a teacher by profession?
Correct answer: C. J. B. Kriplani
Explanation
J.B. Kripalani, a close Gandhian associate later prominent in Congress, worked as a professor before joining the freedom struggle full-time.
Which one of the following was a journal brought out by Abul Kalam Azad?
Correct answer: A. Al-Hilal
Explanation
Abul Kalam Azad brought out the Urdu weekly 'Al-Hilal' to spread nationalist and pan-Islamic ideas among Muslims.
Which party was founded by Subhash Chandra Bose in the year 1939 after he broke away from the Congress?
Correct answer: D. Forward Bloc
Explanation
Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Forward Bloc in 1939, after resigning as Congress President amid differences with Gandhi.
Who among the following was a proponent of Fabianism as a movement?
Correct answer: A. Annie Besant
Explanation
Before her Theosophist and Home Rule activism in India, Annie Besant was an active proponent of Fabian socialism in England.
With reference to the Indian freedom struggle, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Correct answer: C. The All-India Muslim League which was formed in 1906 vehemently opposed the partition of Bengal and separate electorates
Explanation
Options (a), (b) and (d) here are all accurate; the Muslim League, founded in 1906, actually supported the partition of Bengal and demanded separate electorates rather than opposing them, making that the incorrect statement being asked for.
That the per capita income in India was Rs. 20 in 1867-68, was ascertained for the first time by
Correct answer: D. Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation
Dadabhai Naoroji was the first to calculate that India's per capita income stood at around Rs 20 in 1867-68, as part of his wider critique of colonial economic drain.
Which Indian nationalist leader looked upon a war between Germany and Britain as a god-sent opportunity which would enable Indians to exploit the situation to their advantage?
Correct answer: C. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation
Subhas Chandra Bose viewed a war between Germany and Britain as an opportunity India could exploit to its advantage in the fight for independence.
Which one of the following Indian leaders was dismissed by the British from the Indian Civil Service?
Correct answer: B. Surendranath Banerji
Explanation
Surendranath Banerji was dismissed from the Indian Civil Service, an experience that pushed him toward nationalist politics.
At the time of India’s Independence, Mahatma Gandhi was
Correct answer: B. not a member of the Congress
Explanation
By the time of independence, Gandhi was no longer formally a member of the Congress party, having stepped back from active party membership years earlier.
Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
I. Theodore Beck : Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, Aligarh
II. Ilbert Bill : Ripon
III. Pherozesha : Indian National Congress
IV. Badruddin Tyabji : Muslim League
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Correct answer: D. I, II and III
Explanation
Theodore Beck was linked to the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh, the Ilbert Bill controversy to Viceroy Ripon, and Pherozeshah Mehta to the Indian National Congress — all correctly matched (I, II, III); Badruddin Tyabji, however, was a founding president of the Congress itself, not of the Muslim League, making pair IV incorrect.
“A graduate at 18, professor and associated editor of the Sudharak at 20, Secretary of the Sarvajanik Sabha and of the Provincial Conference at 25, Secretary of the National Congress at 29, leading witness before an important Royal Commission at 31, Provincial legislator at 34, Imperial legislator at 36, President of the Indian National Congress at 39 ……… a patriot whom Mahatma Gandhi himself regarded as his master.” This is how a biographer describes
Correct answer: C. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Explanation
This description, tracing a rapid and distinguished public career, refers to Gopal Krishna Gokhale, whom Gandhi regarded as his political mentor.
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
List I
I. Surendranath Bannerjee
II. M. K. Gandhi
III. Subhash Chandra Bose
IV. Lajpat Rai
List II
A) Hind Swaraj
B) The Indian Struggle
C) Autobiographical Writings
D) A Nation in Making Codes:
Correct answer: D. I – D, II – A, III – B, IV – C
Explanation
Matching leaders to their writings: Surendranath Bannerjee wrote 'A Nation in Making,' Gandhi wrote 'Hind Swaraj,' Subhas Bose wrote 'The Indian Struggle,' and Lajpat Rai's autobiographical writings round out the set — giving I-D, II-A, III-B, IV-C.
Consider the following statements about Jawaharlal Nehru:
I. He was the President of the Congress Party in 1947.
II. He presided over the Constituent Assembly.
III. He formed the first Congress Ministry in United Province before India’s independence. Of these statements
Correct answer: D. None is correct
Explanation
None of these three statements about Nehru is correct: he was not Congress President in 1947 (that was J.B. Kripalani), he did not preside over the Constituent Assembly (Rajendra Prasad did), and he did not form the first Congress ministry in the United Provinces before independence (G.B. Pant did).