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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2020, Paper I

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Parmahansa Mandali was founded in Bengal by Swami Vivekananda 2. Prarthana Samaj was started in Maharashtra with the aim of reforming Hindu religious thought and practice Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2

Correct answer

B. 2 only

Explanation

The correct answer is B, 2 only. The Paramahansa Mandali was a Maharashtra body, founded in Bombay, not in Bengal by Swami Vivekananda, while the Prarthana Samaj was indeed a Maharashtra reform movement.

The Paramahansa Mandali was set up in the 1840s, with Dadoba Pandurang as its leading founder. It was a secret society that believed in one God and worked against caste rules, and its members ate food cooked by people of lower castes at their meetings. The Prarthana Samaj was founded in Bombay in 1867 by Atmaram Pandurang, with inspiration from Keshab Chandra Sen of the Brahmo Samaj. Leaders such as M. G. Ranade and R. G. Bhandarkar used it to promote worship of one God, women's education, widow remarriage and an end to caste barriers.

A is wrong because statement 1 gives the wrong place and founder; Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897. C is wrong because statement 1 is false. D is wrong because statement 2 is true.

Exam tip: Paramahansa Mandali (Bombay, Dadoba Pandurang) came before the Prarthana Samaj (Bombay, 1867, Atmaram Pandurang).

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2021, GATHard

Which of the following statements about the Law Commission headed by Lord Macaulay is/are correct? 1. It attempted to codify the laws. 2. It was opposed to uniform system of Courts. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

The Law Commission under Macaulay set out to codify Indian law, and it was not opposed to a uniform system of courts.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2022, GATMedium

Which of the following statements about the Unionist Party is/are correct? 1. It was a political party representing the interests of landholders in Punjab. 2. It was opposed to the idea of the partition of India as India and Pakistan. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  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 Unionist Party spoke for the landholders of Punjab and was against the partition of India. Founded in 1923 by Sir Fazl-i-Husain and Sir Chhotu Ram, the Unionist Party brought together Muslim, Hindu and Sikh landowners and peasants of Punjab on a platform of rural interests rather than religion.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATHard

Which of the following statements are correct? 1. British 'trade surplus' with India in the nineteenth century meant that the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India. 2. India played a crucial role in the late-nineteenth-century world economy by helping Britain balance its deficits. 3. Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China and, therefore, for a while after the 1820s, opium became India's single largest export. 4. The nineteenth century saw export of Indian raw materials decline, and that of manufactured goods increase. Select the answer using the code given below :

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

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct; statement 4 reverses what actually happened. In the nineteenth century Britain sold far more to India, above all machine-made cotton cloth, than it bought from it, so it had a trade surplus with India.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2025, GATEasy

Who among the following Sikh Gurus laid the foundation of the Khalsa Panth ?

  1. A.Guru Nanak
  2. B.Guru Arjan
  3. C.Guru Hargobind
  4. D.Guru Gobind Singh
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, founded the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib on Baisakhi day in 1699. At that gathering he initiated the first five Sikhs, the Panj Pyare, with amrit, a baptism of sweetened water stirred with a double-edged sword.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2019, Paper IHard

Consider the following statements pertaining to the Satavahanas : 1. Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymics 2. Satavahana succession to the throne was generally patrilineal 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

Satavahana kings carried names taken from their mothers, yet the throne usually passed from father to son. A metronymic is a name derived from the mother.