Skip to content
GK24
Prime
Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2021, GAT

The founders of the Paramhansa Mandali founded in Maharashtra believed in which one of the following?

  1. A.Social distancing along caste lines
  2. B.Glorification of caste system
  3. C.Forbidding widow remarriage
  4. D.One God and in breaking caste rules

Correct answer

D. One God and in breaking caste rules

Explanation

The correct answer is D, One God and in breaking caste rules. The Paramhansa Mandali was a secret society that worshipped one God and worked to break the rules of caste.

The Paramhansa Mandali was founded in Bombay in 1840 (some sources give 1849) by Dadoba Pandurang, with Durgaram Mehtaji and others. Its members believed in one God and wanted to end caste distinctions. At their secret meetings they ate food cooked by people of lower castes, a direct challenge to caste taboos of the time. They also supported widow remarriage and the education of women. It is seen as a forerunner of the Prarthana Samaj, founded in Bombay in 1867.

A is wrong because the Mandali opposed separation by caste instead of supporting it.

B is wrong because its members rejected the caste system and did not praise it.

C is wrong because the society favoured widow remarriage and did not forbid it.

Exam tip: Paramhansa Mandali, Bombay, by Dadoba Pandurang; it led the way for the Prarthana Samaj (1867) of Atmaram Pandurang.

Practice Questions

View all
Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Who among the following founded the Dharma Sabha?

  1. A.Krishna Mohan Banerjee
  2. B.Keshab Chandra Sen
  3. C.Radhakanta Deb
  4. D.Akshay Kumar Datta
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Radhakanta Deb

Raja Radhakanta Deb founded the Dharma Sabha in Calcutta in 1830 to defend orthodox Hindu customs against reformers. The Dharma Sabha was set up mainly to oppose Lord William Bentinck's regulation of 1829 that banned sati, which Raja Rammohan Roy had campaigned for.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Initially, what was the purpose of setting up of the hill stations during the colonial period in India?

  1. A.To serve as winter capitals for the British
  2. B.To serve the needs of the British army
  3. C.To source timber from forests
  4. D.To set up sanatoria
Show answer
Correct answer: B. To serve the needs of the British army

The first hill stations grew out of military needs: cantonments for troops and places where soldiers could be kept healthy.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : 1. The growth of socialist tendency in the national movement led to the foundation of the Congress Socialist Party in 1934 under the leadership of Acharya Narendra Deva and Jayaprakash Narayan. 2. In 1936, Jawaharlal Nehru urged the Congress to accept socialism as its goal and to bring itself closer to the peasantry and the working class. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

The Congress Socialist Party was formed in 1934 by Acharya Narendra Deva and Jayaprakash Narayan, and in 1936 Nehru asked the Congress to adopt socialism.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2022, GATEasy

Who among the following invented the flying shuttle?

  1. A.James Hargreaves
  2. B.John Kay
  3. C.Richard Arkwright
  4. D.Humphry Davy
Show answer
Correct answer: B. John Kay

He patented the flying shuttle in England in 1733. The flying shuttle let a single weaver send the thread across the loom by pulling a cord, so wider cloth could be woven much faster.