Which of the following statements about the social base of the Arya Samaj in British India is/are correct? 1. It was located mainly in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh. 2. It mainly comprised the trading castes. 3. It was much more limited than that of the Brahmo Samaj. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, 1 and 2 only. The Arya Samaj drew its strength mainly from Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh and from the trading castes, and its social base was wider, not narrower, than that of the Brahmo Samaj.
Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj at Bombay in 1875, but it took firm root after the Lahore branch opened in 1877 and spread through Punjab and the western United Provinces. Its members came largely from commercial castes such as the Khatris, Aroras and Aggarwals. With its call to go back to the Vedas, its Hindi propaganda, the DAV schools and the shuddhi movement, it reached far more people than the Brahmo Samaj, which stayed largely confined to the educated middle class of Bengal.
Statement 3 is therefore wrong. Option B is wrong because it includes statement 3 and leaves out statement 1. Option C is wrong because it leaves out statement 2, which is correct. Option D is wrong because it includes statement 3.
Exam tip: Arya Samaj: Dayananda, Bombay 1875, Satyarth Prakash, strongest in Punjab.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following was/were founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy?
1. Atmiya Sabha
2. Brahmo Samaj
3. Prarthana Samaj
4. Arya Samaj
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1, 2 and 3
- B.2 only
- C.1 and 2 only
- D.1, 3 and 4
Show answer
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- C.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
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- C.Chauri Chaura
- D.South India
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