Statement I: The British ruled India through a modern bureaucracy headed by the Indian Civil Service, whose members were recruited through merit based on open competition Statement II: The Indian Civil Service was based on the whole hearted participation of Indians
- A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
- B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
- C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
- D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Statement I is true but Statement II is false. The Indian Civil Service was a modern, merit-based bureaucracy filled through open competitive examinations from 1853, but Indians were kept out of it in practice for decades. The Charter Act of 1853 ended nomination and opened the service to competition, and the first examinations were held in London in 1855. The examination was held only in London and in English, on subjects suited to British graduates, and the maximum age was lowered over time, to 19 in 1876, which made it very hard for Indians to compete. Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to qualify, in 1863. Simultaneous examinations in India began only in 1922, and even then the top posts stayed largely British. Option A is wrong because Statement II is false, so it cannot explain Statement I. Option B is wrong because both statements are not true. Option D is wrong because Statement I is true and Statement II is false. Exam tip: open competition from 1853, first examination 1855, first Indian Satyendranath Tagore in 1863, examinations in India from 1922.
Practice Questions
View allChandimangala, a sixteenth century text, was composed by
- A.Hema Saraswati
- B.Madhav Kandali
- C.Tukaram
- D.Mukundaram Chakrabarti
Show answer
The Bengali poet Mukundaram Chakrabarti, honoured with the title Kavikankan, composed the Chandimangala in the sixteenth century. Mangalkavyas are long Bengali narrative poems in praise of a deity, and the Chandimangala celebrates the goddess Chandi.
Read the full explanation →Inspired by the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi, in Tamilnadu, C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from
- A.Tirunelveli to Nagercoil
- B.Kanchipuram to Mahabalipuram
- C.Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on Tanjore coast
- D.Chennai to Vellore
Show answer
In April 1930, C. Rajagopalachari led a band of volunteers from Tiruchirappalli, then called Trichinopoly, to Vedaranyam on the Tanjore coast, where they broke the salt law.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India ?
- A.Francois Bernier
- B.Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
- C.Jean de Thevenot
- D.Abbe Barthelemy Carre
Show answer
He was a French gem merchant, and his travel account describes India's diamonds and mines in detail. Tavernier made six voyages to the East between about 1630 and 1668 and visited India several times during the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
Read the full explanation →In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs : (Term : Description) 1. Eripatti : Land, revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank 2. Taniyurs : Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins 3. Ghatikas : Colleges generally attached to the temples Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- A.1 and 2
- B.3 only
- C.2 and 3
- D.1 and 3
Show answer
Eripatti and Ghatikas are described correctly, but Taniyurs were not villages gifted to Brahmins. These terms come from inscriptions of early medieval South India, especially of the Pallava and Chola periods.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : Statement-I : 7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day. Statement-II : It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
- B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
- C.Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
- D.Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
National Handloom Day falls on 7 August precisely to honour the Swadeshi Movement launched on that date in 1905. On 7 August 1905, a large meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall passed the boycott resolution against British goods in protest against the partition of Bengal, formally launching the Swadeshi Movement.
Read the full explanation →