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Indian HistoryHardAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper I

Which among the following events happened earliest?

  1. A.Swami Dayanand established Arya Samaj.
  2. B.Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.
  3. C.Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandmath.
  4. D.Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to succeed in the Indian Civil Services Examination.

Correct answer

B. Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan. Neeldarpan, the Bengali play about the cruelty of European indigo planters towards the peasants of Bengal, was written by Dinabandhu Mitra in 1858–59 and published in 1860, earlier than the other three events. It appeared during the Indigo Revolt of 1859–60, and its English translation, published under the name of Reverend James Long, led to his trial and conviction for libel in 1861. The play helped turn educated opinion against the planters and led to the Indigo Commission of 1860. Option D is wrong because Satyendranath Tagore, elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore, cleared the Indian Civil Service examination in 1863 and joined service in 1864, a few years after Neeldarpan. Option A is wrong because Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay in 1875. Option C is wrong because Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Anandmath, which contains the song Vande Mataram, was published in 1882. Exam tip: the order is Neeldarpan (1860), first Indian ICS (1863), Arya Samaj (1875), Anandmath (1882).

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKMedium

The call for 'renunciation of (all) voluntary associations with the (British) Government' was given during

  1. A.Non-Cooperation Movement.
  2. B.Civil Disobedience Movement.
  3. C.Quit India Movement.
  4. D.Protest against partition of Bengal.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Non-Cooperation Movement.

The Congress resolution on non-cooperation, passed at the special Calcutta session of September 1920 and confirmed at Nagpur in December 1920, called for the renunciation of all voluntary association with the British Government.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKMedium

Consider the following events leading to the Indian Independence : 1. Lucknow Pact 2. Return of Subhash Chandra Bose to India 3. Cripps Mission 4. Naval Mutiny in Bombay Select the chronological sequence of these events (earliest to latest) from the code given below:

  1. A.4, 3, 2, 1
  2. B.3, 4, 2, 1
  3. C.1, 2, 3, 4
  4. D.2, 1, 3, 4
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 1, 2, 3, 4

The events run from the Lucknow Pact of 1916, through Subhas Chandra Bose's return to India in the 1920s and 1930s, to the Cripps Mission of 1942 and the Naval Mutiny of 1946.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKEasy

During the period 100 BCE - 200 CE, valuable evidence of India's maritime trade links has been identified from which of the following sites on the Coromandel Coast ?

  1. A.Arikamedu
  2. B.Tamralipti
  3. C.Bharukachcha
  4. D.Muchiri
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Arikamedu

Arikamedu, near Puducherry on the Coromandel Coast, has yielded clear evidence of trade with the Roman world between about the first century BCE and the second century CE.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKHard

Who was the founder of Mahakali Pathshala in Calcutta?

  1. A.Her Holiness Mataji Maharani Tapaswini
  2. B.Sister Nivedita
  3. C.Madame Blavatsky
  4. D.Sarojini Naidu
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Her Holiness Mataji Maharani Tapaswini

Mataji Tapaswini founded the Mahakali Pathshala in Calcutta in 1893 to give girls an education rooted in Indian tradition. Tapaswini was a woman ascetic from Maharashtra who settled in Calcutta and won the support of leading Bengali families for her school.