Modern History: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: St. Francis Xavier, along with St. Ignatius of Loyola and others, co-founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) in 1534. The Jesuits were established to promote education, missionary work, and counter the Protestant Reformation.

Statement 2 is incorrect: He died on December 3, 1552, on Shangchuan Island (Sancian Island), off the coast of China, while waiting for a ship to take him to mainland China for missionary work. His body was later brought to Goa, where it is enshrined in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a church dedicated to him.

Statement 3 is correct: The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated annually on December 3 in Goa.

Explanation

One of the major factors in the decline of indigo cultivation was the invention of synthetic dyes in the 19th century. This breakthrough led to the development of a wide range of synthetic dyes that were cheaper, easier to produce, and more effective than natural indigo. By the 1880s, synthetic dyes became widely available, reducing the global demand for natural indigo.

Explanation

The Munda Rebellion (1899-1900), led by Birsa Munda, was a major tribal uprising in Chotanagpur (now Jharkhand), known as Ulgulan ("The Great Tumult"). It opposed the zamindari system (introduced in 1874), which replaced the traditional Khuntkari system(land belonged collectively to the Munda clans), creating landlords (zamindars) and tenants (ryots). This led to heavy taxation, exploitation by moneylenders, and forced labor (Beth Begari). Birsa Munda mobilized tribals against British rule and earned the title ‘Dharti Abba’ (Earth Father). The revolt was ultimately suppressed, and Birsa Munda died in prison in 1900.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: Dr. Rakhmabai was an Indian physician and a feminist. At the young age of eleven, she was married to Dadaji Bhikaji, who was then nineteen. The Rakhmabai case did not centrally involve the women’s right to gain education.

Statement 2 is correct: The Rakhmabai case of 1884 was instrumental in the drafting of the Age of Consent Act in 1891.

Statement 3 is correct: She was married off at the young age of eleven with Dadaji Bhikaji, who was nineteen years old. In 1885, after 12 years of marriage, Bhikaji filed a petition in the court and sought "restitution of conjugal rights".

Explanation

Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Aurang is a Persian term referring to a warehouse where goods are collected before being sold.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: The term Banian (or Banyan) was used during the colonial period to refer to Indian agents or intermediaries who acted as local representatives or agents for European trading companies, including the East India Company. They helped the company in business dealings, acted as middlemen, and facilitated trade.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: A Mirasidar was a landowner or hereditary holder of land in South India under the Ryotwari settlement system. The East India Company recognized mirasdars as the only proprietors of land, dismissing tenants’ rights completely. They acted as a designated revenue payer of the state.

Explanation

The Industrial Revolution in Britain led to the mass production of textiles and other goods in Britain, which flooded the Indian market. This caused a decline in demand for Indian handicrafts which could not compete with the cheaper, machine-made British goods. This led to the ruin of traditional handicraft industries and artisans. Machine-based production in Indian textiles became more prominent after the 1850s, with the establishment of British-owned factories like the Bombay Spinning and Weaving Mill (1854). The first railway line in India was opened in 1853 between Bombay and Thane. By the latter half of the 19th century, the railway network expanded rapidly to facilitate the movement of goods (especially raw materials for British industries). British goods were often imported into India without heavy duties. British colonial policy was designed to ensure that India served as a market for British manufactured goods.

Explanation

Fort William College was established in 1800 by Lord Wellesley, the Governor-General of India in Calcutta (now Kolkata). The primary purpose of the college was to train British civil servants in Indian languages, customs, and laws to improve the efficiency of the East India Company’s administration in India. Lord Wellesley recognized that British officials often lacked knowledge of Indian languages, culture, and traditions which hindered effective governance. The college was designed to train newly recruited British civilians in Indian languages (such as Persian, Sanskrit, Arabic, and regional languages) and familiarize them with local customs and laws. He believed that a well-trained administrative cadre would help the East India Company govern India more effectively and reduce reliance on Indian intermediaries.

Explanation

Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar, originally from Maharashtra but residing in Bengal, was aligned with the ideas of Aurobindo Ghosh. He published Desher Katha in 1904, which sold over 15,000 copies before it was banned by the colonial authorities in 1910. Deuskar is also credited with introducing the Shivaji festival in Bengal. Additionally, he is believed to be the first to use the term ‘swaraj’ in a modern political context, in his 1902 pamphlet on Shivaji.

Statement 1 and 2 are correct: In overwhelming detail, the book "Desher Katha" summarised the work of M. G. Ranade and D. Naoroji in a popular idiom and warned in its concluding chapter against the colonial state’s "hypnotic conquest of the mind". "Desher Katha" had an immense repercussion in Bengal, captured the mind of young Bengal and assisted more than anything else in the preparation of the Swadeshi Movement.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Deuskar uses the word ‘desh’ in the context of the whole country.

Explanation

Gopal Baba Walangkar (1840-1900) was also known as Gopal Krishna, born into a family of the untouchable Mahar caste in Maharashtra. Gopal Baba Walangkar developed a racial theory to explain the oppression and also published the first journal targeted at the untouchable people. Vital-Vidhvansak (Destroyer of Brahmanical or Ceremonial Pollution), published in 1888 by Walangkar, was among the first journals targeted at the Dalit community, started publishing in 1888. He also wrote articles for Marathi-language newspapers such as Sudharak and Deenbandhu, as well as composed couplets in Marathi that were intended to inspire the people.

Explanation

Swadeshi Movements were large-scale protests against the partition of Bengal. Later, the movement spread to other regions of the nation. New means of protest like processions, public meetings, and boycotts of imported goods were used.

Statement 1 is correct: Emphasis was placed on Self-Reliance (Atma Shakti), honour, social and economic regeneration of the villages. Swadeshi textile mills, banks, etc, were set up. At Tuticorin, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company. This gave a boost to indigenous artisans.

Statement 2 is correct: The National Council of Education, established in 1906, was created to organize and promote national education in India, with a particular emphasis on teaching in the vernacular languages.