Socio-Religious Movements: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Modern History)
2 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Socio-Religious Movements (Modern History). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–2 of 2 questions
UPSC 2012Modern History · Socio-Religious Movements
Q1. During the Indian freedom struggle, the National Social Conference was formed. What was the reason for its formation?
Explanation
Indian Social Conference (1887) was formed by M. G.
Ranade and Raghunath Rao in Madras. It was a separate social reform organ of the Indian National Congress as they did not want to include social reforms in their deliberations. It advocated inter-caste marriage, opposed polygamy and kulinism and launched "Pledge Movement to pledge against Child Marriage"
UPSC 2012Modern History · Socio-Religious Movements
Q2. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Brahmo Samaj? 1. It opposed idolatry. 2. It denied the need for a priestly class for interpreting the religious texts. 3. It popularized the doctrine that the Vedas are infallible. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Explanation
The Brahmo Samaj, founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828, was a reformist movement aimed at promoting monotheism, social equality, and the abolition of social evils like Sati and child marriage. It sought to reform Hinduism by advocating for reason, rationality, and rejection of idol worship and caste discrimination.
Statement 1 is correct: Brahmo Samaj vehemently opposed idolatry or idol worship.
Statement 2 is correct: The chief aim of Brahmo Samaj was the worship of the eternal God. It was against priesthood, rituals and sacrifices.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Brahmo Samaj spread the religious treasure and teachings of Vedas but never claimed that Vedas are infallible.
Exam tip:
S1 and S2 both show rationalist, reformist, anti-ritualistic tendencies(Group 1). S3 implies scriptural orthodoxy(Group 2). Therefore, Group 2 logically contradicts Group 1, This eliminates option A and D. Since Brahmo Samaj is historically known (even without exact recall) as a liberal, reformist movement, S3 cannot logically align with its ideology.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2012
(b) Indian National Congress did not want to include social reforms in its deliberations and decided to form a separate body for such a purpose.
2
2012
(b) 1 and 2 only
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Socio-Religious Movements?
This page covers 2 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Socio-Religious Movements (Modern History), asked from 2001 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Socio-Religious Movements?
Questions on Socio-Religious Movements (Modern History) are available for 5 years, from 2001 to 2025. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
