Prominent Personalities in Modern History: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Modern History)
32 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on prominent personalities of modern India are on this page, from 1996 to 2021. UPSC identifies people from a short description: a writer, a revolutionary or a reformer, and tests who did what. The explanations give the person’s role, so that a profile can be recognised in a new question.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 31–32 of 32 questions
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UPSC 1996Modern History · Prominent Personalities in Modern History
Q31. His principal forte was social and religious reform. He relied upon legislation to do away with social ills and work unceasingly for the eradication of child marriage and the purdah system. To encourage consideration of social problems on a national scale, he inaugurated the Indian National Social Conference, which for many years met for its annual session alongside the Indian National Congress. The reference in this passage is to:
Explanation
Mahadev Govind Ranade was jurist and social reformer who worked for education, women empowerment, widow remarriage and against child marriages. He established the Indian National Social Conference(INSC) in 1887. He was also among the initial members of Indian National Congress(INC) and addressed his INSC along with the annual sessions of the INC.
UPSC 1996Modern History · Prominent Personalities in Modern History
Q32. Consider the following statements about Jawaharlal Nehru: 1. He was the president of the Congress Party in 1947 2. He presided over the Constituent Assembly 3. He formed the first Congress ministry in United Province before India’s independence Of these statements:
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: JL Nehru was the first Prime Minister and Union Minister of External affairs of Independent India. He was the President of INC at Lahore Session in 1929 where the congress passed the resolution of Purna Swaraj. In the Karachi session he was credited for drafting resolutions on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme. Kripalani was the Congress president in 1947.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Rajendra Prasad was the president of the Constituent Assembly.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The first Congress-led government in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) was formed in 1937 but it was headed by Govind Ballabh Pant, not Jawaharlal Nehru.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
31
1996
(c) Mahadev Govind Ranade
32
1996
(d) none is correct
What UPSC has tested in Prominent Personalities in Modern History
Madam Bhikaji Cama unfurled the national flag at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart in 1907.
Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Forward Bloc in 1939 after breaking from the Congress.
Mahatma Gandhi’s fast unto death in 1932 was mainly against Ramsay MacDonald’s Communal Award.
The Hind Mazdoor Sabha was established in 1948 by leaders including Ashok Mehta.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Prominent Personalities in Modern History?
This page covers 32 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Prominent Personalities in Modern History (Modern History), asked from 1996 to 2021. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Who unfurled the Indian flag abroad in 1907?
Madam Bhikaji Cama, who unfurled a flag at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart on 22 August 1907, appealing for freedom of India. It was among the first versions of an Indian national flag.
Which party did Subhas Chandra Bose form in 1939?
The All India Forward Bloc, after he resigned as Congress president and left the Congress following differences with Gandhi. It aimed to consolidate radical elements and push for an immediate struggle for independence.
Why did Gandhi fast unto death in 1932?
Against the Communal Award announced by Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932, which granted separate electorates to the depressed classes. The fast ended with the Poona Pact, signed with Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
