UPSC 2006 Modern History Questions with Answers

Explanation

The Lahore session of the Indian National Congress was held in 1929 under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru. During this session, the Congress adopted the historic resolution to demand Purna Swaraj (complete independence) from British rule. It was also decided to celebrate 26th January 1930 as Independence Day, marking the declaration of India’s resolve for full sovereignty. This session marked a significant shift in the freedom struggle, moving away from dominion status demands to the goal of complete independence.

Explanation

Dr. Rajendra Prasad held the portfolio of Food and Agriculture in the Interim Government formed in the year 1946.

Explanation

The Revolt of 1857 was a major upheaval against the British Rule in India which is also called as "sepoy mutiny". The revolt started at Meerut(Uttar Pradesh). John Lawrence called it a sepoy mutiny.

Option (a) is correct: Lord Canning (1856-62) was the Governor-General of India during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Establishment of three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857 and enactment of Indian Councils Act of 1861 also happened during Canning’s time. Transfer of control from East India Company to the Crown through the Government of India Act, 1858 and ‘White Mutiny’ by European troops in 1859 were other notable events during his tenure as Governor General.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: Charter Act of 1853 did not abolish the East India Company’s monopoly of Indian trade. The company’s monopoly on trade with India was abolished earlier by the Charter Act of 1813, and the monopoly on trade with China ended with the Charter Act of 1833. The Charter Act of 1853 primarily focused on restructuring the administration of India and introduced a merit-based civil service.

Statement 2 is correct: Government of India Act, 1858 abolished the rule of the East India Company after the revolt of 1857 and transferred the administration of India directly to the British Crown. It marked the beginning of the British Raj.

Explanation

The Revolt of 1857, also known as the First War of Indian Independence, marked a major uprising against British rule in India. Triggered by political, economic, and social grievances, it united soldiers, peasants, and rulers.

Option (d) is correct: Tantia Tope, originally named Ramchandra Panduranga, was a prominent leader of the 1857 Revolt from Kanpur, alongside Nana Sahib and Azimullah Khan. Betrayed by Mansingh, Raja of Narwar, loyal to the Scindia of Gwalior who opposed the revolt, Tantia Tope was captured and hanged on April 18, 1859.

Explanation

Madame Bhikaji Cama, a Parsi revolutionary who had developed contacts with French socialists worked from Paris and Geneva. She published the journal Bande Mataram.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Madam Bhikaji Cama actually unfurled the first version of the Indian National Flag at the Second International Socialist Congress held in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907, not Paris. The flag was co-designed by Madam Cama, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma. The flag had green, saffron, and red stripes, with "Vande Mataram" written on it in Devanagari script, and symbols representing different communities of India.

Statement 2 is correct: Madam Bhikaji Cama did serve as the private secretary to Dadabhai Naoroji, a key figure in the Indian National Congress and a prominent advocate for India’s independence.

Statement 3 is correct: Bhikaji Cama was born into a wealthy Parsi family in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1861. Her father, Sorabji Framji Patel was a well-known merchant and philanthropist.

Explanation

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel Anand Math (1882) is based on the historical events of the Sanyasi Rebellion. The Sannyasi Rebellion (1763-1800) was led by Hindu ‘sannyasis’ and Muslim ‘fakirs’ in Bengal against British economic oppression and restrictions on religious activities. It was triggered by the Bengal famine of 1770 and excessive taxation and it became an early symbol of resistance to colonial rule.