Gandhiji delivered the famous ‘Do or Die’ speech on ________.

The correct answer is A, 1219. Genghis Khan led the Mongols into Transoxiana in 1219, the campaign that destroyed the Khwarazmian empire. The war began after the governor of Otrar killed Mongol traders and the Shah of Khwarazm, Ala-ud-din Muhammad, put Genghis Khan’s envoys to death. The Mongols then took Otrar, Bukhara and Samarkand within about two years, and the Shah fled westwards and died on an island in the Caspian. His son Jalal-ud-din was chased to the Indus in 1221 and asked Iltutmish of Delhi for shelter, which Iltutmish refused in order to keep the Mongols away from his kingdom. B is wrong because in 1208 Genghis Khan was still settling his hold over the Mongol tribes. C is wrong because 1213 belongs to his campaigns in northern China against the Jin. D is wrong because 1205 is close to the year he was proclaimed Genghis Khan, before any move westwards. Exam tip: Transoxiana 1219, Jalal-ud-din reaches the Indus in 1221, and Iltutmish refuses him shelter.

The correct answer is B, 323 BCE. Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE at Babylon, aged about thirty-two, on his way back from the Indian campaign. He became king of Macedon in 336 BCE, overthrew the Persian empire of Darius III, and in 326 BCE crossed the Indus and fought Porus on the Jhelum in the Battle of the Hydaspes. His soldiers refused to march beyond the Beas, so he turned back along the Indus and through Baluchistan, reached Babylon and died there of fever. His empire was then divided among his generals, and Seleucus took the eastern part. A is wrong because 300 BCE falls after his death, by which time Chandragupta Maurya was already ruling Magadha. C is wrong because 423 BCE belongs to the age of the Peloponnesian War in Greece, a century before Alexander. D is wrong because 623 BCE is three centuries too early, long before Macedon rose to power. Exam tip: Alexander lived 356 to 323 BCE, invaded India in 326 BCE and died at Babylon.

The correct answer is A, the proclamation of the Emergency in 1975. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification in 2024 declaring 25 June as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas, to pay tribute to those who suffered during the Emergency, which was proclaimed on 25 June 1975 and withdrawn on 21 March 1977. The Emergency was declared under Article 352, on the ground of internal disturbance, a ground later replaced by armed rebellion through the Forty-fourth Amendment of 1978. Option B is wrong because the Quit India Movement began on 8 August 1942 with the resolution passed at Bombay. Option C is wrong because the Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919, on Baisakhi. Option D is wrong because the partition of Bengal was announced in July 1905 and took effect on 16 October 1905, which was observed as a day of mourning.

The correct answer is B, National Mathematics Day, which has been observed on 22 December since 2012, when it was announced to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was born on 22 December 1887. It therefore predates 2014. Option A is wrong as a choice because Parakram Diwas, on 23 January, was declared in 2021 for the 125th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose. Option C is wrong because Veer Bal Diwas, on 26 December, was announced in 2022 for the younger sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh. Option D is wrong because National Space Day, on 23 August, was declared in 2024 after the landing of Chandrayaan-3. Other days older than 2014 that appear in such questions are National Voters' Day of 2011, National Sports Day of 2012 and National Panchayati Raj Day of 2010.

The correct answer is B, the Startup India initiative was launched, on 16 January 2016, and the Government announced in 2022 that the date would be observed as National Startup Day. The initiative offers recognised startups tax benefits, easier compliance and funding support, and it is run by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Option A is wrong because Make in India was launched on 25 September 2014. Option C is wrong because the Atal Innovation Mission was set up under the NITI Aayog in 2016 but is not what this day marks, and it has no single founding date of this kind. Option D is wrong because Digital India was launched on 1 July 2015. Questions on government schemes frequently use these four launch dates against one another, so learn the date beside each scheme name.