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Indian HistoryHardAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2017, GAT

Which colonial administrator made the following declaration about the partition of Bengal in 1904 ? "Bengal united is a power. Bengal divided will pull in different ways. That is perfectly true and one of the merits of the scheme"

  1. A.Lord Curzon
  2. B.H. H. Risley
  3. C.Lord Minto
  4. D.Sir Lancelot Hare

Correct answer

B. H. H. Risley

Explanation

The correct answer is B, H. H. Risley. Herbert Hope Risley, Home Secretary to the Government of India, wrote these words in an official note in December 1904.

Risley's note openly admitted that the partition aimed to split the Bengali-speaking people, who were seen as the centre of nationalist politics. Curzon's government put the plan forward as an administrative measure, since Bengal was too large to govern well, but the real purpose was to weaken the province and divide Hindus and Muslims. The partition was announced in July 1905 and took effect on 16 October 1905, which was observed as a day of mourning and began the Swadeshi movement. It was annulled in 1911. Risley is also known for his work on caste in the census of 1901.

A is wrong: Lord Curzon was the Viceroy who carried out the partition, but these words are Risley's. C is wrong: Lord Minto succeeded Curzon in November 1905, after the decision. D is wrong: Sir Lancelot Hare was a later Lieutenant-Governor of Eastern Bengal and Assam, not the author of this note.

Exam tip: Partition of Bengal took effect on 16 October 1905 under Curzon; the 'Bengal united is a power' note was Risley's; annulled in 1911.

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

Which one of the following sources tells us about women protesting against the infidelity of their husbands or the neglect of the wife and children by the male head of the household?

  1. A.The Kitab-ul-Hind
  2. B.Documents belonging to the Village Panchayats of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra
  3. C.Sculptures from Mandor
  4. D.The Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazl
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Documents belonging to the Village Panchayats of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra

These records preserve petitions that women sent to the panchayat seeking redress. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries village panchayats settled disputes and punished misconduct.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

Who among the following was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army of independent India?

  1. A.S. M. Srinagesh
  2. B.K. M. Cariappa
  3. C.K. S. Thimayya
  4. D.K. S. Rajendrasinhji
Show answer
Correct answer: B. K. M. Cariappa

General K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on 15 January 1949. He succeeded General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British chief, and the day he took charge is celebrated every year as Army Day on 15 January.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

Which of the following statements with regard to the speech of Mahatma Gandhi at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University are correct? 1. He charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor. 2. He asserted that our salvation can come only through the farmers. 3. He highlighted the plight of the untouchables. 4. He promised to take up the cause of the mill owners of Ahmedabad. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

At the opening of Banaras Hindu University in February 1916, Gandhi criticised the elite for ignoring the poor and said India's salvation lay with its farmers.