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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GK

The Hunter Commission (1882) appointed to survey the state of education in India

  1. A.deprecated University education
  2. B.overruled the Despatch of 1854
  3. C.endorsed the Despatch of 1854 with greater emphasis on primary education
  4. D.criticized the grants-in-aid system of schooling

Correct answer

C. endorsed the Despatch of 1854 with greater emphasis on primary education

Explanation

The correct answer is C, endorsed the Despatch of 1854 with greater emphasis on primary education. The commission upheld Wood's Despatch but asked the state to give special care to the spread of primary education.

The Indian Education Commission was appointed in 1882 by Lord Ripon under the chairmanship of Sir William Wilson Hunter, to review how far the Despatch of 1854 had been carried out. Wood's Despatch, sent by Sir Charles Wood, is called the Magna Carta of English education in India. The Hunter Commission recommended that primary education be handed over to the new district and municipal boards, that secondary education be split into a literary course and a vocational course, and that private enterprise be encouraged through grants.

Option A is wrong because university education was outside its terms and it did not speak against it. Option B is wrong because it supported the Despatch rather than overruling it. Option D is wrong because it favoured the grants-in-aid system and wanted it extended to private schools.

Exam tip: Wood's Despatch 1854, Hunter Commission 1882 (Ripon, primary education), Raleigh Commission 1902 (Curzon, universities).

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2018, GATEasy

Which one of the following statements about Bipin Chandra Pal is correct?

  1. A.He was a member of the moderate group of Congress.
  2. B.He was a member of the extremist group of Congress.
  3. C.He was the Minister of Defence in the first Government of independent India.
  4. D.He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. He was a member of the extremist group of Congress.

Bipin Chandra Pal was one of the leading Extremists, the "Pal" of the famous trio Lal-Bal-Pal. The trio were Lala Lajpat Rai of Punjab, Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra and Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2018, GATEasy

The Theosophical Society was led by

  1. A.A. O. Hume
  2. B.Arthur Griffith
  3. C.Annie Besant
  4. D.Lord Dufferin
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Annie Besant

Annie Besant became the international president of the Theosophical Society in 1907 and led it until her death in 1933.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

Statement I : King Ashoka abolished capital punishment and disbanded his army.

Statement II : After Kalinga War, Ashoka was remorseful and became a Buddhist.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Statement I is false but Statement II is true

Ashoka turned to Buddhism after the Kalinga war, but he neither abolished the death penalty nor disbanded his army. The Kalinga war, fought around 261 BCE in the eighth year of his reign, left over a lakh dead, and in Rock Edict XIII Ashoka records his deep remorse.