https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.

com/

VISIONIAS
www.visionias.in

Test Booklet Series

TEST BOOKLET

GENERAL STUDIES (P) 2025 – Test – 4706

C
Time Allowed: Two Hours Maximum Marks: 200

INSTRUCTIONS

1. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE EXAMINATION, YOU SHOULD CHECK THAT THIS
BBOOKLET DOES NOT HAVE ANY UNPRINTED OR TURN OR MISSING PAGES OR ITEMS, ETC. IF SO, GET IT
REPLACED BY A COMPLETE TEST BOOKLET.

2. ENCODE CLEARLY THE TEST BOOKLET SERIES A, B, C OR D AS THE CASE MAY BE IN THE APPROPRIATE PLACE IN
THE ANSWER SHEET.

3. You have to enter your Roll Number on the Test Booklet in the Box
provided alongside. Do NOT write anything else on the Test Booklet.

4. This Test Booklet contains 100 items (Questions). Each item is printed in English. Each item comprises four
responses (answers). You will select the response which you want to mark on the Answer Sheet. In case you
feel that there is more than one correct response with you consider the best. In any case, choose ONLY ONE
response for each item.

5. You have to mark all your responses ONLY on the separate Answer Sheet provided. See direction in the
answers sheet.

6. All items carry equal marks. Attempt all items. Your total marks will depend only on the number of correct
responses marked by you in the answer sheet. For every incorrect response 1/3rdof the allotted marks will be
deducted.

7. Before you proceed to mark in the Answer sheet the response to various items in the Test booklet, you have to
fill in some particulars in the answer sheets as per instruction sent to you with your Admission Certificate.

8. After you have completed filling in all responses on the answer sheet and the examination has concluded, you
should hand over to Invigilator only the answer sheet. You are permitted to take away with you the Test
Booklet.

9. Sheet for rough work are appended in the Test Booklet at the end.

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE ASKED TO DO SO

1 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

1. With reference to the Indian Freedom 4. In the context of international relations, the
Struggle, prabhat pheris, magic lanterns, and 'principle of refoulment' is often seen in the
vanar senas were associated with:
news in the affairs of
(a) Swadeshi movement
(b) Non Cooperation Movement (a) nuclear disarmament

(c) Civil Disobedience Movement (b) border disputes

(d) Royal Indian Navy (RIN) revolt (c) maritime security

(d) refugee migration

2. With reference to the Permanent Settlement,
a land revenue system introduced by the
Britishers, consider the following 5. Consider the following:
statements: 1. Dominion Status
1. It was introduced in Bengal and Bihar in
2. Seperate electorate for communities
1793 by Lord Cornwallis.
2. It recognised zamindars as landowners 3. Universal Adult Franchise

and made ownership rights hereditary 4. Equal rights for women

and transferable. How many of the above were recommended
3. Zamindars had to give one-third of their
by the Nehru Report of 1928?
share to the company.
How many of the statements given above are (a) Only one

correct? (b) Only two

(a) Only one (c) Only three
(b) Only two
(d) All four
(c) All three
(d) None
6. Arrange the following historical events on a
3. Consider the following nuclear disarmament chronological sequence:
treaties at a global level:
1. Mutiny started at Meerut
1. Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), 1963
2. Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of 2. Mangal Pandey killed Hugeson and

Nuclear Weapons (NPT), 1967 Baugh

3. Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 3. Bahadur Shah Zafar was declared the
(CTBT), 1996
Shahenshan-e-Hindustan
4. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons (TPNW), 2017 Select the correct answer using the code

How many of the above given treaties are given below.

signed and ratified by India? (a) 3-2-1
(a) Only one
(b) 2-1-3
(b) Only two
(c) Only three (c) 2-3-1

(d) All four (d) 3-1-2

2 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

7. Consider the following statements about the 10. Consider the following statements
Doctrine of Lapse: Communist Party of India (CPI):

1. The Doctrine of Lapse was first 1. A number of left-wing organizations and

groups came together at Kanpur in 1925
implemented by Lord Wellesley.
to form Communist Party of India (CPI).
2. Jhansi was the first princely state
2. M.N. Roy was the general secretary of
annexed under this doctrine.
the CPI at Kanpur.
3. It stipulated the annexation of states Which of the statements given above is/are
where the ruler did not have a natural correct?
heir. (a) 1 only
How many of the statements given above are (b) 2 only

correct? (c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
11. Consider the following personalities:
(c) All three
1. Naoroji Furdonji
(d) None 2. Dadabhai Naoroji
3. S.S. Bengali
8. Manjeri conference was associated with 4. K.R. Cama
which among the following? How many of the above are related to the

(a) Peasant movement in Malabar 'Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha'?

(a) Only one
(b) Princely states movement
(b) Only two
(c) Home rule league
(c) Only three
(d) Anti-caste movement in Maharashtra
(d) All four

9. Consider the following passage: 12. With reference to modern Indian history,
She met Dadabhai Naoroji and inspired by consider the following:
his ideals, plunged into the freedom 1. Introduction of new land revenue system
movement. At the International Socialist 2. Arrival of Christian missionaries in

Conference at Stuttgart, she raised the first tribal areas

3. Rise of middlemen
flag of India's independence with the words
4. Transformation of tribe-forest relation
written in middle Vande Matram.
How many of the above were reasons behind
Who among the following is being described
the growth of tribal movement during the
in the passage given above? British Indian period?
(a) Kamala Nehru (a) Only one
(b) Madam Bhikaji Cama (b) Only two
(c) Sarojini Naidu (c) Only three

(d) Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (d) All four

3 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

13. In the context of India's relations with other 16. During the British Indian period, which act
countries, the Katchatheevu island is often introduced government spending on
seen in the context of education?
(a) India-China (a) Indian Councils Act of 1861

(b) India-Maldives (b) Charter Act of 1813

(c) Charter Act of 1853
(c) India-Srilanka
(d) Charter Act of 1793
(d) India-Pakistan

17. With reference to the cultural contributions

14. Arrange the following revolutionary
of the ‘Swadeshi’ movement, consider the
activities in chronological order of their following statements:
occurrence: 1. Amar Sonar Bangla was composed
1. Attempt to assassinate Judge Kingsford by Bankimchandra Chatterjee during
by Prafulla Chaki and Khudiram Bose. this movement.
2. Bomb attack on the Viceroy by 2. Abanindranath Tagore created
Rashbehari Bose and Sachin Sanyal. the painting of the ‘Bharatmata’ to
3. Assassination of Plague Commissioner support the movement.
of Poona by the Chapekar brothers. 3. It spread to the Madras region under the
leadership of Chidambaram Pillai.
4. Assassination of A.M.T Jackson,
How many of the above statements are
Collector of Nasik, by Anant Lakshman
correct?
Kanhere.
(a) Only one
Select the correct answer using the code
(b) Only two
given below.
(c) All three
(a) 4-1-2-3 (d) None
(b) 3-1-4-2
(c) 1-4-3-2 18. Consider the following pairs:
(d) 4-3-1-2 Statue Associated Personality
1. Statue of : Jain Monk Vijay Vallabh
15. Consider the following statements with Equality Surishwer
reference to the Individual Satyagraha: 2. Statue of : Nadaprabhu
1. It was started as a response to the Prosperity Kempegowda
August Offer of 1940. 3. Statue of : Adi Shankaracharya
2. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first Oneness
satyagrahi. 4. Statue of : Lachit Barphukan
Which of the statements given above is/are Peace

correct? How many of the above given pairs are

(a) 1 only correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair
(b) 2 only
(b) Only two pairs
(c) Both 1 and 2
(c) Only three pairs
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) All four pairs
4 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

19. Who among the following was the President 22. Consider the following statements with
reference to the anti-Simon Commission
of the Lahore Session of Congress in 1929?
agitation:
(a) Jawaharlal Nehru
1. The primary issue with the commission
(b) Sarojini Naidu was that it did not have any Indian as its

(c) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel member.

2. The Liberal Federation led by Tej
(d) Amrit Ranchhorddas Seth
Bahadur Sapru welcomed the
appointment of the commission and

20. Zimmerman Plan, with reference to the joined it later.

Which of the statements given above is/are
Indian freedom struggle, was for/to
correct?
(a) obtaining the overseas Indian support in (a) 1 only
order to foment a revolt against the (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
British government.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(b) enacting constitutional changes through

the Central Executive Council 23. Consider the following statements regarding
the Interim government of 1946:
(c) destroy all Indian presses that publish in
1. It was initially formed by the Congress
English members alone.
(d) support the Home Rule League in an 2. The Interim government could operate
under the directions of the Viceroy and
indirect way so as to escape the wrath
the British Government in London.
British government Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only
21. Crystal Maze 2, recently seen in the news, is
(b) 2 only
associated with: (c) Both 1 and 2
(a) a newly discovered red giant star that (d) Neither 1 nor 2

occasionally puffs out large clouds of

24. Which of the following was a significant
gas and dust feature introduced by the Indian Councils
(b) a real-time deep fake detector with a Act, 1892?
(a) It established the principle of direct
95% accuracy rate and delivers results in
elections in India.
millisecond.
(b) It provided Indian members the right to
(c) a new version of a medium-range vote on financial matters.
(c) It allowed the members of the Indian
ballistic missile
Council to discuss the budget.
(d) a genetically modified maize crop
(d) It gave the Viceroy the power to veto
variety. legislative decisions.
5 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

25. Consider the following statements regarding 28. With reference to the Ryotwari System,
Haider Ali: consider the following statements:
1. He established his authority over Mysore 1. It was implemented mainly due to the
state by defeating Nanjaraj. loss of revenue to the zamindars in
2. He introduced a new calendar, a new permanent settlement regions.
coinage system, and new weights and 2. The revenue rates under the Ryotwari
measures scales. System were fixed permanently.
3. He established a modern arsenal in 3. It was first implemented in the region of
Dindigul. Punjab.
How many of the statements given above are How many of the statements given above are

correct? correct?
(a) Only one
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(c) All three
(d) None
(d) None

29. Consider the following statements regarding

26. With reference to the Champaran satyagraha,
Brahmo Samaj:
consider the following personalities:
1. It discarded the teachings of Vedas and
1. Brij Kishore
Upanishads and relied entirely on
2. Narhari Parikh
western teachings.
3. J.B. Kriplani
2. It denied the need for priestly class for
Which of the personalities given above were
interpreting religious writings.
associated with Gandhiji during Champaran
3. It accepted idolatry as a practical
Satyagraha? approach to faith.
(a) 1 and 3 only How many statements given above are
(b) 2 only correct?
(c) 1 and 2 only (a) Only one
(d) 1, 2 and 3 (b) Only two
(c) All three
27. Consider the following statements related to (d) None
Ghadar party:
1. The Ghadar Party was a revolutionary 30. Consider the following pairs:
organization centered on a weekly Salt march/protest Leader
publication, with headquarters in Berlin. 1. Dharasana : Sarojini Naidu
2. The Defence of India Act 1915 was 2. Tanjore coast : K. Kelappan
passed to crush the Ghadr movement. 3. Malabar : C. Rajagopalchari
Which of the statements given above is/are How many of the pairs given above are
correct? correctly matched?
(a) 1 only (a) Only one
(b) 2 only (b) Only two
(c) Both 1 and 2 (c) All three
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (d) None

6 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

31. Consider the following statement regarding 34. Consider the following statements with
Asian Development Bank (ADB): reference to the Wavell Plan:
1. It has over 50 countries as its members. 1. Except Governor-General all members
2. The People’s Republic of China is its of the executive council were to be
largest shareholder. Indians.
3. It provides loans, technical assistance, 2. Hindus and Muslims were to have
grants, and equity investment only to representation in proportion of their
countries in Asia and the Pacific region. respective populations.
How many statements given above are Which of the statements given above is/are
correct? correct?
(a) Only one (a) 1 only
(b) Only two (b) 2 only
(c) All three (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None (d) Neither 1 nor 2

35. India-Middle East-Europe Economic

32. Consider the following:
Corridor (IMEC), recently seen in news,
1. To promote friendly relations among
passes through which of the following
political workers from different parts of
countries?
India
1. Oman
2. To form a democratic national
2. UAE
movement
3. Israel
3. To develop and propagate an anti-
4. Jordan
colonial nationalist ideology
5. Italy
How many of the above are the objectives of
Select the correct answer using the code
the Indian National Congress in its early
given below.
years of the formation in the 19th century?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(a) Only one
(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
(b) Only two
(c) 3, 4 and 5 only
(c) All three (d) 1, 2 and 4 only
(d) None
36. He had actively participated in the Non-
33. With reference to the Awadh kingdom of the Cooperation Movement and had become a
18th century, consider the following teacher in a national school in Chittagong,
statements: which led to his being popularly known as
1. It emerged from the disintegration of the Masterda. Arrested and imprisoned for two
Tughlaq Empire. years, from 1926 to 1928, for revolutionary
2. It was founded by Burhan-ul-Mulk activity, he continued to work in the
Saadat Khan. Congress. He was related to the Chittagong
3. Lucknow was the first capital of the armoury raid. He was tried and hanged in
Awadh Kingdom. January 1934 for the raid.
How many of the statements given above are Which of the following personalities is best
correct? described in the passage given above?
(a) Only one (a) Chittaranjan Das
(b) Only two (b) Surya Sen
(c) All three (c) Sachin Sanyal
(d) None (d) Kazi Narul Islam

7 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

56. In the context of the Subsidiary Alliance, 59. Consider the following:
which of the following statements is not 1. S.A. Dange
correct?
2. Shaukat Usmani
(a) The princely states were required to pay
3. Philip Spratt
for the maintenance of the British troops
4. Ben Bradley
stationed in their territories.
(b) Princely states under the alliance had to How many of the above were associated
disband their own armies with the Meerut Conspiracy case?
(c) It provided the British control over the (a) Only one
internal affairs of the allied states.
(b) Only two
(d) Nizam of Hyderabad was the first to sign
(c) Only three
the Subsidiary Alliance.
(d) All four

57. Consider the following statements about the

C. Rajgopalachari Formula: 60. In the context of socio-religious reform
1. It wanted the Muslim League to endorse movements, consider the following
the Congress demand for independence.
statements:
2. It recommended the Muslim majority
1. It was founded in 1875 by Swami
areas to exercise the right to self-
Dayanand Saraswati.
determination.
Which of the statements given above is/are 2. It held Vedas to be infallible.
correct? 3. It fought untouchability and advocated
(a) 1 only social equality.
(b) 2 only
4. Some of its followers started a network
(c) Both 1 and 2
of schools and colleges in the country to
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
impart western education.

58. Consider the following statements: Which of the following organizations is best
1. Amlah was an officer of zamindar described in the above statements?
appointed for collecting rent from the (a) Paramhansa Mandali
villages.
(b) Prarthana Samaj
2. Jotedars were rich peasants who
(c) Ramkrishna Mission
controlled money lending and local
(d) Arya Samaj
trade.
3. Bargadars were rich landlords who
cultivated their lands by hiring 61. The Gender Inequality Index recently seen in
labourers. the news, is published by:
How many of the statements given above are
(a) World Economic Forum
correct?
(b) World Bank Group
(a) Only one
(c) United Nations Development
(b) Only two
(c) All three Programme
(d) None (d) European Institute for Gender Equality
11 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

62. Which of the following statements is correct 64. Consider the following statements regarding
Federation of Indian Chambers of
regarding the Yaounde Declaration, seen in
Commerce and Industry (FICCI):
the news recently? 1. It was formed in 1927 with
(a) It was adopted by third-world countries representation from all parts of India.
2. It was not recognized by the British
at the Non-Alignment Summit to
government.
strengthen the UN as the primary 3. It did not concern itself with the politics
of the day and was limited to capitalist
multilateral organization
class interests.
(b) It was signed by African countries to How many of the statements given above are
accelerate action to end deaths from correct?
(a) Only one
malaria disease
(b) Only two
(c) It involves major countries aiming to (c) All three

address the potential risks associated (d) None

with Artificial Intelligence (AI) 65. Consider the following pairs:

(d) It aimed to address the challenges Movement/Campaign Region
1. Anti-Chowkidara tax : Bihar
associated with the rise of transnational
campaign
organized crime 2. Defiance of forest : Maharashtra
laws
3. No-revenue No-rent : Uttar Pradesh
63. Consider the following statements with
campaign
respect to the National Urban Cooperative How many of the above pairs are correctly
matched?
Finance and Development Corporation
(a) Only one
(NUCFDC): (b) Only two
1. It acts as an umbrella organization for (c) All three
(d) None
Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) in

India. 66. Consider the following statements regarding

Indian Independence Act 1947:
2. It is registered as a deposit-taking NBFC
1. British Parliament passed this Act which
with the RBI. was based on the Mountbatten Plan.
Which of the statements given above is/are 2. It provided for a common governor
general to India and Pakistan.
correct?
Which of the statements given above is/are
(a) 1 only correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
12 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

67. Consider the following stateements 70. Arrange the following political organizations
regarding the Congress Socialist Party in chronological order of their formation:
(CSP): 1. East India Association
1. It was formed in 1934 under the
2. Bombay Presidency Association
leadership of Acharya Narendra Dev and
3. British Indian Association
Jayprakash Narayan.
4. Indian League
2. They believed that the primary struggle
in India was against the bourgeoisie and Select the correct answer using the code
not the freedom struggle. given below.
Which of the statements given above is/are (a) 1-2-3-4
correct? (b) 1-3-2-4
(a) 1 only (c) 3-1-4-2
(b) 2 only (d) 3-4-1-2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
71. With reference to the British India, consider

68. Consider the following statements regarding the following statements regarding the
the National Bank for Financing communication network during the 19th
Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID): century:
1. It can raise money through instruments 1. In the year 1853, the Telegraph line was
like borrowing from the RBI, mutual started between Calcutta and Agra.
funds and deposits from people. 2. Lord Wellesley introduced the postage
2. It is regulated as an All-India Financing
stamp system.
institution by the RBI
Which of the statements given above is/are
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
correct?
(a) 1 only (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

69. Consider the following about the causes for

72. Consider the following pairs:
the growth of militant nationalism:
Leader Movement
1. Abyssinia’s (Ethiopia) victory over Italy
1. Digambar Biswas : Indigo revolt
and the 1905 Japan’s victory over
Russia demolished the myth of (1859-60)
white/European supremacy. 2. Vasudev Balwant : Ramosi revolt
2. Dissatisfaction with the moderate Phadke (1878-79)
leadership. 3. Baba Ram Singh : Kuka revolt
3. Emergence of a trained leadership (1872)
among the Indians. How many of the pairs given above are
How many of the above statements are
correctly matched?
correct?
(a) Only one
(a) Only one
(b) Only two (b) Only two
(c) All three (c) All three
(d) None (d) None
13 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

73. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's famous novel 76. Consider the following statements regarding
Anand Math is based upon which among the 1945-46 Indian General Elections:
1. They were held during the tenure of the
following events?
Labour party in Britain.
(a) Chuar uprising
2. Congress won over 90 percent of the
(b) Kolis revolt general seats in the provincial elections.
(c) Poligar revolt 3. The repression in 1942 and the Indian
(d) Sanyasi rebellion National Army trials were main issues
taken up during the election campaign.
How many of the statements given above are
74. Which of the following is the objective of
correct?
the Wassenaar Arrangement recently seen in (a) Only one
the news? (b) Only two
(a) It aims to limit the spread of missiles (c) All three
(d) None
and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs)
capable of delivering weapons of mass
77. During the first half of the 19th century
destruction. under East India Company rule, the Lottery
(b) It focuses on preventing nuclear Committee was appointed for
proliferation by controlling the export of (a) re-auctioning of land under the
Permanent Settlement.
nuclear materials, equipment, and
(b) providing relief to areas struck by
technology.
famine.
(c) It focuses on enhancing responsibility (c) providing trade permits to local
with information exchange in the merchants.
transfer of conventional weapons and (d) improvements in town planning.

dual-use goods and technologies.

78. In the context of the Princely state of Rajkot
(d) It focuses on minimizing the risk of
in British India, consider the following
chemical and biological weapons statements regarding Rajkot Praja Pratinidhi
proliferation. Sabha:
1. It was inaugurated in 1923 by Mahatma
Gandhi.
75. The Vandemataram movement, which
2. It is an assembly consisting of
started in 1907 in the context of Swadeshi
representatives elected on the basis of
movement took place in which of the universal adult franchise.
following (modern-day) states? Which of the statements given above is/are
(a) Andhra Pradesh correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) West Bengal
(b) 2 only
(c) Punjab
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Maharashtra (d) Neither 1 nor 2
14 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

79. The popular revolt of 1857 did not spread to 82. With reference to Ketamine, recently seen in
the entire country. What was/were the the news, consider the following statements:
1. It is a dissociative anaesthetic that
prominent reasons behind it?
detaches people from their pain and
1. Modern educated Indians did not support physical environment.
the revolt. 2. It has been included as a psychotropic
2. Lack of co-operation between Hindus substance under the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985.
and Muslims.
Which of the statements given above is/are
3. Support of Indian rulers and big correct?
zamindars to the British. (a) 1 only
Select the correct answer using the code (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
given below.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only 83. With reference to the Pitt's India Act 1784,
(c) 2 and 3 only consider the following statements:
1. It gave the British Government supreme
(d) 1, 2 and 3
control over the East India Company's
(EIC) affairs and administration in India.
80. With reference to the Lucknow Pact of 1916, 2. It allowed the EIC to retain its trade
consider the following statements: monopoly in India and China.
1. The pact brought together the 3. It resulted in the establishment of a dual
system of control over the EIC's affairs.
Moderates, the Extremists and the
How many of the statements given above are
Muslim League. correct?
2. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Madan Mohan (a) Only one
Malviya supported the Lucknow pact. (b) Only two
(c) All three
Which of the statements given above is/ are
(d) None
correct?
(a) 1 only 84. With reference to the Woods' Despatch,
(b) 2 only 1854, consider the following statements:
1. Woods' Despatch was issued during the
(c) Both 1 and 2
Governor-Generalship of Lord Canning.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. It encouraged the education of women
and the establishment of teacher training
81. With reference to Modern Indian History, schools.
3. English was recommended as the
Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel M.S.
medium of instruction for all levels of
Olcott are related to: education across India.
(a) Revolutionary struggle outside India How many of the statements given above are
(b) Communist movement in 1920s correct?
(a) Only one
(c) Early supporters of Indian National
(b) Only two
Congress
(c) All three
(d) Theosophical movement (d) None
15 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

85. In the context of women's role during the 88. Consider the following:
freedom struggle, who among the following 1. The India House was based in Berlin and
is not associated with the Quit India was established by Shyamji Krishna
Movement? Verma.
(a) Usha Mehta 2. Madan Lal Dhingra, associated with

(b) Pritilata Waddedar India House was responsible for the

(c) Aruna Asaf Ali assassination of Curzon Wyllie.

(d) Sucheta Kripalani Which of the following statements is/are

correct?
(a) 1 only
86. Recently, the Prime Minister of India
(b) 2 only
inaugurated the redevelopment plan of this
(c) Both 1 and 2
Ashram. This was the first ashram
(d) Neith 1 nor 2
established by Mahatma Gandhi after
coming to India from South Africa in 1915.
89. Recently, the Ramgarh crater was recognised
It was also called Satyagraha Ashram which
as a geo-heritage site by the Geological
is a colonial style building with a white-
Survey of India. It is located in which of the
washed façade.
following states/UT of India?
Which of the following ashrams is being
(a) Madhya Pradesh
described by the passage given above?
(b) Rajasthan
(a) Sabarmati Ashram
(c) Chattisgarh
(b) Kochrab Ashram
(d) Jammu & Kashmir
(c) Sevagram Ashram
(d) Phoenix Ashram 90. With reference to the Indian Association or
Indian National Association, consider the
87. Consider the following pairs: statements:
Battles Governor General 1. It was founded by Surendranath
1. First Anglo- : Lord Hardinge I Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose.
Sikh War 2. It helped in organising an all-
2. Third Anglo- : Warren Hastings India conference in Calcutta in 1883.
Mysore War 3. It demanded reduction of age limit for
3. Second Anglo- : Lord Wellesley candidates of the Indian Civil
Maratha War Service examination.
How many of the above pairs are correctly How many of the above statements are
matched? correct?
(a) Only one pair (a) Only one

(b) Only two pairs (b) Only two

(c) All three pairs (c) All three

(d) None of the pairs (d) None

16 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

91. With reference to Modern Indian History, 94. In which of the following regions Parallel
governments were not set up during the Quit
'Red shirts' were:
India movement?
(a) Radical socialist workers in United 1. Jhansi
provinces 2. Ballia
3. Satara
(b) Workers of Communist Party of India in 4. Rajkot
Tashkent Select the correct answer using the code
given below.
(c) Non-violent participants of Civil
(a) Only two
Disobedience movement in Northwest (b) Only three
(c) All four
Frontier Province
(d) None
(d) Members of Indian National Army led

by Subhash Chandra Bose 95. Consider the following statements regarding

cervical cancer:
1. Its main cause is the persistent infection
92. Consider the following statements regarding with the low-risk human papillomavirus
(HPV).
the Bombay Plan:
2. Cervavac is the first indigenous vaccine
1. It was drafted by the Indian National of India against cervical cancer.
Which of the statements given above is/are
Congress.
correct?
2. It sought for partial nationalization, land (a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
reform and workers’ welfare schemes.
(c) Both 1 and 2
Which of the statements given above is/are (d) Neither 1 nor 2
correct?
96. With reference to the differences in the
(a) 1 only working of the moderates and extremists
(b) 2 only during India’s freedom struggle, consider the
following statements:
(c) Both 1 and 2
1. Unlike the Extremists, Moderates
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 believed that the British Government
was in the interest of India.
2. The social base of Moderates
93. India Tex project was launched as part of included the educated middle class while
Bharat TEX 2024, is associated with: that of Extremists included zamindars
and landlords.
(a) accelerating sustainable and circular 3. Unlike the Moderates, the Extremists
textile value chain. propagated the exclusive use of violence
against British rule.
(b) seamless and easy tax-related
How many of the above statements are
compliances. correct?
(a) Only one
(c) export of agricultural commodities.
(b) Only two
(d) production of indigenous technologies in (c) All three
defence sector. (d) None
17 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

97. The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is a 99. With reference to the Desai-Liaqat pact
multi-disciplinary organisation recently seen consider the following statements:
in the news. It is mandated with 1. It proposed an equal number of persons
investigation of money laundering and nominated by the Congress and the
violation of foreign exchange laws. It comes Muslim League in the central legislature.
under which ministry/department? 2. Twenty per cent of the seats were
(a) Ministry of Home Affairs reserved for minorities under this pact.
(b) Ministry of Defence Which of the statements given above is/are
(c) Ministry of Finance correct?
(d) It is a separate department under the (a) 1 only
direct control of Prime Minister's Office (b) 2 only
(PMO) (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
98. Arrange the following Governor-generals/
Viceroys in the correct chronological order: 100. Consider the following statements with
1. Lord Canning reference to the All India Forward Bloc:
2. John Shore 1. It was formed by Chittaranjan Das.
3. Lord Metcalfe 2. Before independence, it was a faction
4. Lord William Bentinck within the Indian National Congress.
Select the correct answer using the code Which of the statements given above is/are
given below. correct?
(a) 4-2-3-1 (a) 1 only
(b) 2-4-1-3 (b) 2 only
(c) 4-2-1-3 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) 2-4-3-1 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

18 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

VISIONIAS
www.visionias.in
ANSWERS & EXPLANATIONS
GENERAL STUDIES (P) TEST – 4706 (2025)

Q 1.C
• The Civil Disobedience Movement also popularized a variety of forms of mobilization. Prabhatpheris, in
which bands of men, women and children went around at dawn singing nationalist songs, became the rule
in villages and towns.
• Patrikas, or illegal news-sheets, sometimes written by hand and sometimes cyclostyled, were part of
the strategy to defy the hated Press Act, and they flooded the country. Magic lanterns were used to
take the nationalist message to the villages. And, as before, incessant tours by individual leaders and
workers, and by groups of men and women, and the holding of public meetings, big and small, remained
the staple of the movement.
• Children were organized into vanar senas or monkey armies and at least at one place the girls
decided they wanted their own separate manjari sena or cat army.
• Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 2.B
• The Permanent Settlement was a land revenue system introduced in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa
(modern-day eastern India) in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• It was designed to establish a stable and predictable land revenue system.
• Key Features:
o Zamindars as Landlords: The system recognized existing zamindars (land collectors) as
permanent landlords. They were given hereditary rights to their estates in perpetuity. Hence,
statement 2 is correct.
o Fixed Revenue: Zamindars were required to pay a fixed amount of revenue to the government every
year, regardless of the fluctuations in crop production or market conditions.
o Land Rights: The system granted zamindars exclusive rights to collect rent from peasants cultivating
their land.
o Division of Rent: The zamindars were entitled to keep 1/11th of the rent they collected from the
peasants. The remaining 10/11th was to be paid to the Company as land revenue. Hence,
statement 3 is not correct.
• Consequences:
o Stabilization of Revenue: The system provided a stable source of revenue for the East India
Company.
o Emergence of a Landlord Class: Zamindars became a powerful and influential elite, often
exploiting peasants for rent.
o Inefficient Agriculture: The fixed revenue system discouraged zamindars from investing in
agricultural improvements, leading to stagnation in productivity.
o Exploitation of Peasants: Peasants faced high rents and had limited rights, resulting in poverty and
indebtedness.
o Social and Political Unrest: The system generated resentment among peasants, leading to occasional
uprisings.

Q 3.A
• Recently the UN Secretary-General urges for disarmament in the Security Council meeting held in
Japan. He asked state to ensure transparency and prevent accidental use, avoid threat to use nuclear
weapon, fulfil their disarmament commitments, etc.

1 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

• The Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) 1963 prohibits nuclear weapon test detonation in outer space,
in the atmosphere and underwater. It was a significant step toward limiting the spread of nuclear
weapons and the danger of radioactive fallout. The treaty was a success because it stopped the spread of
radioactive nuclear material through atmospheric testing and set a precedent for the future armed controls
agreement. The PTBT was the first of several Cold War agreements on nuclear arms. As of now, 185
countries have signed and ratified the PTBT, including India. Hence option 1 is correct.
• The treaty on the Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) is an international treaty that aims to
prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and technology. The treaty also promotes cooperation in the
peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear disarmament. As of now it has 190 countries signatory to it
with a few exceptions like India, Israel, and North Korea. India has refused to sign this treaty
because of the arbitrary categorization of ‘nuclear weapon states’ and ‘non-nuclear weapon states’,
it restricts access to peaceful nuclear technology for non-weapon states and provides no time-bound
target for nuclear weapon states. Hence option 2 is not correct.
• The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is a treaty that prohibits all nuclear explosions for
military or civilian purposes in all environments. It was adopted by UNGA in 1996. As of now, 187
nations have signed it with 177 ratifications. However, it has not come into force yet because of a specific
condition that demand ratification by eight specific countries, including India, is still pending. Hence
option 2 is not correct.
• The Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons (TPNW) was adopted by the United Nations in
2017 to prohibit nuclear weapons and eventually eliminate them. This treaty prohibits states from
developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or stockpiling nuclear weapons,
along with transferring or receiving nuclear weapons. India has not signed and ratified this treaty
because it was not part of negotiations, other states having nuclear weapons have not signed it,
discriminatory for focusing solely on banning nuclear weapons without addressing the existing stockpiles
held by nuclear-armed nations without any specific targets. Hence option 4 is not correct.

Q 4.D
• Recently, the United Kingdom parliament has passed the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and
immigration) bill regarding the government's plan for deporting undocumented immigrants to the
East African nation of Rwanda.
o According to the UK government’s factsheet, the Bill was introduced in order to respond “to the
Supreme Court’s concerns and will allow Parliament to confirm the status of the Republic of Rwanda
as a safe third country”.
o In its ruling last year, UK Supreme Court President Robert Reed said that Rwanda couldn’t be
relied upon to not mistreat asylum-seekers. Citing Rwanda’s abysmal human rights record,
including enforced disappearances and torture, Reed said that Rwanda practiced “refoulement,” or
the practice of sending migrants back to their unsafe home countries.
• The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee
Convention or the Geneva Convention, is a multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee and the
right of those granted asylum. It also delineated the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.
• India is not a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol. But at
the same time, India continues to grant asylum to many refugees from neighbouring countries and respect
their rights.
• One of the most important principles of the 1951 Convention is that of non-refoulement given in article
33. As per this principle if life or freedom of the refugee is threatened in their country of origin,
states are obligated to not return or expel such individuals. This provision has been adapted as a
customary international law and is also applicable to non-signatory states.
• The 1951 Convention defines a refugee as someone who is outside their country of nationality and is
unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion,
nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular group. So, the definition of refugee under
the UN Refugee Convention does not include deprivation of economic rights to be an eligible
criterion.
• Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Q 5.C
• Lord Birkenhead, the Conservative Secretary of State responsible for the appointment of the Simon
Commission, had constantly harped on the inability of Indians to formulate a concrete scheme of
constitutional reforms which had the support of wide sections of Indian political opinion. This challenge,

2 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

too, was taken up and meetings of the All-Parties Conference were held in February, May and August
1928 to finalize a scheme that popularly came to be known as the Nehru Report after Motilal Nehru, its
principal author.
• This report defined Dominion Status as the form of government desired by India. It also rejected
the principle of separate communal electorates on which previous constitutional reforms had been
based. Seats would be reserved for Muslims at the Centre and in provinces in which they were in a
minority, but not in those where they had a numerical majority.
• The Report also recommended universal adult suffrage, equal rights for women, freedom to form
unions, and dissociation of the state from religion in any form. A section of the Muslim League had in
any case dissociated itself from these deliberations, but by the end of the year it became clear that even the
section led by Jinnah would not give up the demand for reservation of seats for Muslims, especially in
Muslim majority provinces.
• The dilemma in which Motilal Nehru and other secular leaders found themselves was not one that was
easy to resolve: if they conceded more to Muslim communal opinion, then Hindu communalists would
withdraw support and if they satisfied the latter, then Muslim leaders would be estranged. In the event, no
further concessions were forthcoming and Jinnah withdrew his support to the report and went ahead to
propose his famous ‘Fourteen Points’ which were basally a reiteration of his objections to the Nehru
Report.
• Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 6.B
• Indian freedom fighter, Mangal Pandey, killed two British officials - Hugeson and Baugh on March
29, 1857, in Calcutta. Mangal Pandey was one of the prominent faces of the revolt of 1857 who was given
death sentence by the British in a fear that he would have been responsible for the massive outrage during
the revolt.
• The Mutiny proper began at Meerut on 10 May 1857. Eighty-five members of the 3rd Bengal Light
Cavalry, who had been jailed for refusing to use cartridges they believed to be at odds with their religion,
were broken out of prison by their comrades.
• Soldiers of the 3rd Native Cavalry who launched the revolt in Meerut on May 10, 1857, marched to Delhi,
and on May 11, 1857 Marching soldiers arrived in Delhi, rallied around Bahadur Shah and
proclaimed him the Shahenshah-i-Hindustan. Every rebel leader in the country raised the banner of
revolt in his name.
• On 20-27 May, 1857 Sepoys mutiny was started in Aligarh, Etawah, Mainpuri, Etah.

3 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 7.A
• Doctrine of Lapse refers to the annexation policy which was adopted by Lord Dalhousie; when he became
the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856. The Doctrine of Lapse was used as an administrative
policy for the extension of the paramountcy of the British. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The Company conquered various princely territories under the doctrine of lapse, including Satara in 1848,
Jaipur and Sambalpur in 1849, Nagpur and Jhansi in 1854, Tanjore and Arcot in 1855, Udaipur and Oudh
in 1856. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• Under this Doctrine, when the ruler of a protected state died without a natural heir, his state was not to
pass to an adopted heir as sanctioned by the age-old tradition of the country. Instead, it was to be annexed
to the British dominions unless the adoption had been clearly approved earlier by the British, authorities.
Hence statement 3 is correct.

Q 8.A
• In August 1921, peasant discontent erupted in the Malabar district of Kerala. Here, Mappila (Muslim)
tenants rebelled. Their grievances related to the lack of tenure security, renewal fees, high rents, and other
oppressive landlord exactions.
• The impetus for resistance first came from the Malabar District Congress Conference held at
Manjeri in April 1920. This conference supported the tenants’ cause and demanded legislation to regulate
landlord-tenant relations. The change was significant because earlier, the landlords had successfully
prevented Congress from committing itself to the tenants’ cause. The Manjeri conference was followed
by the forming of a tenants’ association at Kozhikode, and soon, tenants’ associations were set up in other
parts of the district.
• Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Q 9.B
• Born to an extremely wealthy Parsi business family, Bhikaiji Cama received her early education in
Bombay (now Mumbai). Influenced by an environment in which the Indian nationalist movement was
taking root, she was drawn toward political issues at an early age.
• In 1885 she married Rustomji Cama, a well-known pro British lawyer, but her involvement with
sociopolitical issues led to differences between the couple. Because of marital problems and her poor
health, which required medical attention, Cama left India for London.
• It was in London that Bhikaji Cama met Dadabhai Naoroji and inspired by his ideals plunged into
the freedom movement. She also began to meet with other Indian nationalists like Shyamji Varma,
Lala Hardayal, and soon became one of the active members of the movement.
• In 1905-She created the Paris Indian Society with the help of SR Rana & MB Godrej.
• She began to publish booklets for the Indian community in England, propagating the cause of Swaraj.
“March forward! We are for India. India is for Indians!” she defiantly declared.
• She also toured US, where she gave speeches on the ill effects of British rule, and urged Americans to
support the cause of India’s freedom.
• At the International Socialist Conference at Stuttgart, she raised the first flag of India's
independence with the words written in middle Vande Matram
• While unfurling the flag at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, she appealed for
equality and autonomy from the British which had taken over the Indian sub-continent.
4 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

• Kamala Nehru was an Indian independence activist and the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime
minister of India.
• Born in Mangalore, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was the first woman to run for a legislative seat in
India, in the Madras provincial elections.
o As a social reformer, she played a crucial role in bringing back handicrafts, theatre and handlooms to
help in uplifting the socio-economic status of the Indian women.
o Many of the iconic cultural institutions in India today exist because of her vision, these include the
National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and the
Crafts Council of India. Chattopadhyay stressed the significant role which handicrafts and cooperative
grassroot movements play in the social and economic upliftment of the Indian people.
o Kamaladevi played a prominent role in political reforms and India’s freedom struggle. She joined
Indian National Congress in 1927 and was elected to the All-India Congress Committee within a year.
During the Salt March to Dandi, she convinced Gandhi to give women equal opportunity to be in the
forefront of the March. Later, she joined Seva Dal and trained women activists.
• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 10.A
• Attracted by the Soviet Union and its revolutionary commitment, a large number of Indian revolutionaries
and exiles abroad made their way there. The most well-known and the tallest of them was M.N. Roy, who
along with Lenin, helped evolve the Communist International’s policy towards the colonies. Seven such
Indians, headed by Roy, met at Tashkent in October 1920 and set up a Communist Party of India.
• Independently of this effort, as we have seen, a number of left-wing and communist groups and
organizations had begun to come into existence in India after 1920. Most of these groups came
together at Kanpur in December 1925 and founded an all-India organization under the name the
Communist Party of India (CPI). After some time, S.V. Ghate emerged as the general secretary of the
party. Hence, statement 1 is correct but statement 2 is not correct.
• The CPI called upon all its members to enroll themselves as members of the Congress, form a strong left-
wing in all its organs, cooperate with all other radical nationalists, and make an effort to transform the
Congress into a more radical mass-based organization.

Q 11.D
• Religious reform was begun among the Parsis in Bombay in the middle of the 19th century.
• In 1851, the Rehnumai Mazdaysan Sabha or Religious Reform Association was started by Naoroji
Furdonji, Dadabhai Naoroji, S.S. Bengali and others. It has K.R. Cama also as one of its leaders.
• It aimed for the “regeneration of the social conditions of the Parsis and the restoration of the Zoroastrian
religion to its pristine purity”. The message of reform was spread by the newspaper Rast Goftar (Truth-
Teller).
• Parsi religious rituals and practices were reformed and the Parsi creed was redefined. In the social sphere,
attempts were made to uplift the status of Parsi women through the removal of the purdah system, and
raising the age of marriage and education. Gradually, the Parsis emerged as the most westernized section
of Indian society.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q 12.D
• The tribal people spread over a large part of India and organized hundreds of militant outbreaks and
insurrections during the 19th century. The tribals had cause to be upset for a variety of reasons. The
colonial administration ended their relative isolation and brought them entirely within the ambit of
colonialism. It recognized the tribal chiefs as zamindars and introduced a new land revenue system and
taxation of tribal products. It encouraged the influx of Christian missionaries into the tribal areas.
Above all, it introduced many moneylenders, traders, and revenue farmers as middlemen among the
tribals.
• Colonialism also transformed the relationship of tribes with the forest. They depended on the forest for
food, fuel, and cattle feed. They practiced shifting cultivation (jhum, podu, etc.), taking recourse to fresh
forest lands when their existing lands showed signs of exhaustion. The colonial government changed all
this. It usurped the forest lands and placed restrictions on access to forest products, forest lands, and
village common lands. It refused to let cultivation shift to new areas.
• Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

5 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 13.C
• Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. It is
located northeast of Rameswaram, approximately 33 km from the Indian coast and within the boundary
of Sri Lanka.
• The Island was formed as a result of volcanic eruption in the 14th-century.
• The region was initially ruled by the Jaffna kingdom of Sri Lanka in the early medieval period, but
later its control shifted to the Ramnad zamindari under Nayak dynasty of Madurai in the 17th
century. Later this island became part of the Madras presidency during the British Colonialism.
• The ownership dispute over Katchatheevu between India and Sri Lanka persisted until 1974, with both
countries claiming the island as their own. Sri Lanka claimed sovereignty over Katchatheevu on the
ground that the Portuguese who had occupied the island during 1505-1658 CE had exercised
jurisdiction over the Katchatheevu.
• 1974: Under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement the island was transferred to Sri Lanka.
The transfer of Katchatheevu Island by then PM Indira Gandhi to then Sri Lankan Prime Minister
Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1974 and the surrendering of Indian fishing rights in 1976 is now before
the Apex Court, there is no evidence yet that the transfer was approved by the Union Cabinet. Further,
there was no approval from Parliament despite the matter involving the transfer of Indian sovereign
territory to Sri Lanka.

• Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 14.B
• 1897: Tilak propagated a spirit of militant nationalism, including use of violence, through Ganapati and
Shivaji festivals and his journals Kesari and Maharatta. Two of his disciples—the Chapekar brothers,
Damodar and Balkrishna-murdered the Plague Commissioner of Poona, Rand, and one Lt. Ayerst
in 1897.
• 1908: Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki made an attempt to assassinate Kings Ford in
Muzaffarpur in 1908. Mr.Kingsford was a district judge. Prafulla Chaki was an Indian revolutionary
associated with the Jugantar group of revolutionaries who carried out assassinations against British
colonial officials in an attempt to secure Indian Independence. Prafulla committed suicide when he was
about to be arrested by the Police. Khudiram Bose was an Indian revolutionary from Bengal Presidency
who opposed British rule of India. He became one of the youngest martyrs of the Indian Independence
Movement when he was sentenced to death and executed for his role in the Muzaffarpur Conspiracy
Case.
• 1909: Abhinav Bharat Society was launched in 1904 by V D Savarkar. One member of this
organization Anant Lakshaman Karkare shot dead the district magistrate of Nasik. On 21st of
December, 1909 , A M T Jackson the magistrate at Nasik was enjoying a theater where a drama was
staged in his honor on the eve of his transfer. A young man of Abhinav Bharat Society named Ananat
Laxman Karkare shot this indologist and “pandit” Jackson dead, in the theatre. This sensational murder is
known as Nasik Conspiracy Case. 27 members of the Abhinav Bharat Society were convicted and
punished. Ganesh Savarkar, brother of VD Savarkar was sent to Kala Pani.
• 1912: The Delhi Conspiracy Case, also known as the Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy Case or the Harding
Bomb Case, occurred in 1912 when the members of Yugantar, Rashbehari Bose and Sachin Sanyal,
threw a bomb in Delhi's Chandni Chowki order to kill Lord Hardinge. The Viceroy survived with
minor injuries, but his mahawat (elephant keeper) was killed.
• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

6 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 15.C
• Individual Satyagraha:
• The Individual Satyagraha which was started as a response to the August Offer of 1940. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
• It has the following features:
• Gandhi chose an individual Satyagraha strategy to ensure that the fight against fascism was not
hampered, unlike in the past when his campaign had taken on a mass character. Gandhi handpicked the
satyagrahis, and their demands were limited to claiming their freedom of speech in order to preach
against war participation.
• It was mainly based on the principle of freedom of speech, not on the principle of non-violence in
the circumstances of the war.
• It was to be a controlled ‘individual satyagraha’ because non-Congress members could not offer it,
and it was left to Mahatma Gandhi to choose the Satyagrahis.
• Acharya Vinoba Bhave was to be the first Satyagrahi on 17 October 1940 and Jawaharlal Nehru the
second. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• If the Government did not arrest a Satyagrahi, he or she would not only repeat the performance but
move into the villages and start a trek towards Delhi, thus participating in a movement that came to be
known as the ‘Delhi Chalo’ (onwards to Delhi) movement.
• Purpose of the Individual Satyagraha: The Individual Satyagraha had a dual purpose —while giving
expression to the Indian people’s strong political feeling, it gave the British Government further
opportunity to peacefully accept the Indian demands.

Q 16.B
• The Charter Act of 1813 was a significant move by the British Parliament to extend the East India
Company’s authority for an additional 20 years. Sometimes referred to as the East India Company Act of
1813, it holds importance for establishing the legal status of British-controlled territories in India. This act
marked a defining moment as it outlined the constitutional framework for the British Indian regions.
• Provisions of the act:
o It continued the Company's rule in India.
o The Company's commercial monopoly was ended, except for the tea trade and the trade with China.
o It expressly asserted the Crown's sovereignty over British India.
o The company should invest Rs. 1 Lakh every year in the education of Indians. After this Act,
the education of Indian people was considered as an official responsibility of the company. Thus,
it can be said that the Charter Act of 1813 created a new era of British education in India.
o Christian missionaries were allowed to come to British India and preach their religion.
o The power of the provincial governments and courts in India over European British subjects was also
strengthened.
o Financial provision was also made to encourage a revival in Indian literature and for the promotion of
science.
o Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 17.B
• On August 7, 1905, with the passage of the Boycott Resolution in a massive meeting held in the Calcutta
Townhall, the formal proclamation of Swadeshi Movement was made.
• ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’, the national anthem of present-day Bangladesh, was composed by
Rabindranath Tagore, and was sung by huge crowds marching in the streets on October 16, 1905. The
first ten lines of this song constitute Bangladesh's national anthem, adopted in 1971 during its liberation
war. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The painting of ‘Bharatmata’ was created by Abanindranath Tagore during the Swadeshi
movement. It depicts the nationalist icon of the stature of the Goddess, yet it is distinct from any known
deity of the Hindu pantheon. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The movement spread to other parts of the country—in Poona and Bombay under Tilak, in Punjab under
Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh, in Delhi under Syed Haider Raza, and in Madras under Chidambaram
Pillai. Hence statement 3 is correct.
• The Indian National Congress, meeting in 1905 under the presidentship of Gokhale, resolved to (i)
condemn the partition of Bengal and the reactionary policies of Curzon, and (ii) support the anti-
partition and Swadeshi Movement of Bengal.

7 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 18.B
• Statue of Equality dedicated to Sri Ramanujacharya and located near Hyderabad. He was an 11th-
century philosopher and social reformer who championed social equality. He fought against social
inequalities like the caste system and demanded to opening of Hindu temples for all the people. He also
proposed the philosophy of Visistadvaita Vedanta, which translates to qualified non-dualism. As per this
philosophy, both the individual soul and Brahma are real, but Brahma is superior. His idea of devotion
significantly influenced the Bhakti movement. His prominent work, “Sri Bhashya” on the Brahma
sutra, influenced the Bhakti movement in India. Hence pair 1 is not correctly matched.
• The Statue of Prosperity is built in Bengaluru and it is a statue of the founder of the Bengaluru city,
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. Nadaprabhu Kempegowda was a governor under the Vijayanagar
Empire in the 16th century. He led the Yalahanka-Nadu region present-day Bengaluru area from 1513 to
1569. He was credited with laying down the initial city plan of Bengaluru. His foresight in city planning
was seen with the establishment of four watch towers making the city limits. He also understood the
importance of water. He commissioned the construction of several lakes and canals to ensure a sustainable
water supply for the city. He was also a patron of art and literature. He had numerous Kannada
inscriptions erected across the region. Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.
• The Statue of Oneness is a 108-foot-tall statue of the Hindu saint Adi Shankaracharya, which was
unveiled in Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh. The interesting aspect of the statue is that it portrays a
young Adi Shankaracharya, specifically at the age of 12, in a walking posture. Adi Shankaracharya is
considered the greatest exponent of Advait Vedanta, which emphasizes non-duality. The statue's name,
Statue of Oneness, also reflects this philosophy, which emphasizes the underlying unity or oneness of
Brahma and Atma. Hence pair 3 is correctly matched.
• Recently, the Prime Minister unveiled the statue of Valour, a statue of Ahom General Lachit
Barphukan in Jorhat, Assam. He was the first military and judicial head in the Ahom Kingdom. He also
played a prominent role in the Battle of Saraighat against the Mughal Empire and was also credited with
the founding of the Paik practice, a system of forced labor in the Ahom Kingdom. Whereas, Statue of
Peace is dedicated to Jain monk Sri Vijay Vallabh Sureshwar Ji Maharaj and is located in Pali,
Rajasthan. He lived during 1870-1954 and worked selflessly to spread the message of Lord Mahavira.
He also worked for the welfare of the masses with the spread of education and eradication of social evils
like sati and wrote various inspirational literature. Hence pair 4 is not correctly matched.

Q 19.A
• The Anti-Simon Commission movement raised the popular sentiment for struggle. The National Congress
reflected this mood. Gandhiji came back to active politics and attended the Calcutta session of 1928. He
now began to consolidate the nationalist ranks. The first step was to reconcile the militant left wing of the
congress.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was made the President of the Lahore Session of Congress in 1929. The Lahore
session voiced a new militant spirit. It passed a resolution declaring 'Poorna Swaraj' as its objective.
Hence option (a) is the correct answer.
• On 31 December 1929, the newly adopted tri-color flag of freedom. 26th January 1930 was fixed as the
first Independence Day, which was to be so celebrated every year with the people taking the pledge
that it was 'a crime against man and god to submit any longer' to British rule.
• The Congress session also announced the launching of a civil disobedience movement. But it did not
draw any programme of action for the struggle. It was left to Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress
organization being placed at his disposal.

Q 20.A
• The "Berlin Committee for Indian Independence" was established in 1915 by Virendra Nath
Chattopadhyaya, including Bhupendra Nath Dutt & Lala Hardayal under the "Zimmerman plan" with
the full backing of the German foreign office.
• Their goal was mainly to achieve the following four objectives:
• Mobilize Indian revolutionaries abroad.
• Incite rebellion among Indian troops stationed abroad.
• Send volunteers and arms to India.
• Even to Organized an armed invasion of British India to gain India's independence and send the British
back to home
• Hence option (a) is the correct answer

8 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 21.C
• Recently, the Indian Air Force has successfully tested a new version of a medium-range ballistic
missile known as Crystal Maze 2. This missile has a strike range of over 250 km and was developed by
Israel. It is an air-to-surface missile and can target long-range radar and air defence systems as well.
Hence option (c) is the correct answer.
• Astronomers have recently discovered a new version of a red giant star that behaves quite
differently from others. These red giants, known as Old Smoker, puff out massive clouds of gas and
dust at irregular intervals. These enormous eruptions can cause the star to become temporarily invisible
from Earth. Hence option (a) is not correct.
• FakeCatcher is a deepfake detector tool developed by Intel. It analyses videos and delivers results in
milliseconds, making it ideal for real-time applications. It has an impressive accuracy rate of
around 90-95% in detecting defects. It uses a unique approach that analyses subtle variations in video
pixels, particularly focusing on how light interacts with blood flow. Hence option (b) is not correct.

Q 22.A
• In 1927, the Conservative Government of Britain, faced with the prospect of electoral & feat at the hands
of the Labour Party, suddenly decided that it could not leave an issue which concerned the future of the
British Empire in the irresponsible hands of an inexperienced Labour Government and it was thus that the
Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as the Simon Commission after its Chairman, was
appointed.
• The response in India was immediate and unanimous. That no Indian should be thought fit to serve
on a body that claimed the right to decide the political future of India was an insult that no Indian
of even the most moderate political opinion was willing to swallow. The call for a boycott of the
Commission was endorsed by the Liberal Federation led by Tej Bahadur Sapru, by the Indian
Industrial and Commercial Congress, arid by the Hindu Mahasabha the Muslim League even split
on the issue, Mohammed Ali Jinnah carrying the majority with him in favour of boycott. Hence,
statement 1 is correct but statement 2 is not correct.
• It was the Indian National Congress, however, that turned the boycott into a popular movement. The
Congress had resolved on the boycott at its annual session in December 1927 at Madras, and in the
prevailing excitable atmosphere, Jawaharlal Nehru had even succeeded in getting passed a snap resolution
declaring complete independence as the goal of the Congress. But protest could not be confined to the
passing of resolutions, as Gandhiji made clear in the issue of Young India of 12 January 1928: ‘It is said
that the Independence Resolution is a fitting answer. The act of appointment (of the Simon Commission)
needs for an answer, not speeches, however heroic they may be, not declarations, however brave they may
be, but corresponding action. "
• The action began as soon as Simon and his friends landed at Bombay on 3 February 1928. That day, all
the major cities and towns observed a complete hartal, and people were out on the streets participating in
mass rallies, processions and black-flag demonstrations. In Madras, a major clash with the police resulted
in firing and the death of one person. T. Prakasam symbolized the defiant spirit of the occasion by baring
his chest before the armed policemen who tried in vain to stop him from going to the scene of the killing.
Everywhere that Simon went — Calcutta, Lahore, Lucknow, Vijayawada, Poona — he was greeted by a
sea of black-flags carried by thousands of people. And ever new ways of defiance were being constantly
invented.
• In Lucknow, Jawaharlal and Govind Ballabh Pant were beaten up by the police. But the worst incident
happened in Lahore where Lala Lajpat Rai, the hero of the Extremist days and the most revered leader of
Punjab, was hit on the chest by lathis on 30 October and succumbed to the injuries on 17 November 1928.
• The Simon boycott movement provided the first taste of political action to a new generation of youth.
They were the ones who played the most active role in this protest, and it was they who gave the
movement its militant flavour. Although a youth movement had already begun to take shape by 1927, it
was participation in the Simon agitation that gave a real fillip to the formation of youth leagues and
associations all over the country. Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Bose emerged as the leaders of this new
wave of youth and students, and they travelled from one province to another addressing and presiding
over innumerable youth conferences.

9 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 23.C
• After the 1945 elections the dilemma before the Government was whether to go ahead and form the
Interim Government with the Congress or await League agreement to the plan.
• Wavell, who had opted for the second course at the Simla Conference a year earlier, preferred to do the
same again. But His Majesty’s Government, especially the Secretary of State, argued that it was vital to
get Congress cooperation.
o Thus, the Interim Government was formed on 2nd September 1946 with Congress members
alone with Nehru as de facto head. Hence statement 1 is correct.
o This was against the League’s insistence that all settlements be acceptable to it.
• Wavell brought the League into the Interim Government on 26 October 1946 though it had not
accepted either the short or long term provisions of the Cabinet Mission Plan and had not given up
its policy of Direct Action.
o The Secretary of State argued that without the League’s presence in the Government civil war would
have been inevitable. Jinnah had succeeded in keeping the British in his grip
• The Congress demand that the British get the League to modify its attitude in the Interim Government or
quit was voiced almost from the time the League members were sworn in. Except for Liaqat Ali Khan, all
the League nominees were second-raters, indicating that what was at stake was power, not responsibility
to run the country.
• Despite the freedom given to the Interim government, it could only operate under the directions of
the Viceroy and the British Government in London. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Q 24.C
• The Indian Councils Act 1892, introduced several key features aimed at reforming the legislative
councils in British India:
o The Act expanded the legislative councils at both the central (Imperial Legislative Council) and
provincial levels. This expansion allowed for a greater number of Indian representatives to participate
in the legislative process. Some of these members could be elected indirectly by Indians, but the
officials’ majority remained. Hence option (a) is not correct.
o One of the significant features of the Act was the inclusion of non-official members in the
legislative councils. Non-official members were individuals who were not part of the government
bureaucracy. They were to be nominated by local bodies such as municipalities, universities,
chambers of commerce, and other organizations.
o The Act conferred increased powers on legislative councils to discuss budgets and financial matters.
While it did not grant power to vote. Hence option (c) is correct but (b) is not correct.
o Pitt's India Act, 1784: The Governor General- - in-council of the Company was reduced to three
from four members, and the governor-general, a crown appointee, was authorized to veto the majority
decisions. Hence option (d) is not correct.

Q 25.B
• In 1761, Haider Ali overthrew Nanjaraj and established his authority over the Mysore state. Hence,
statement 1 is correct.
• He extended full control over the rebellious poligars and conquered the territories of Bidnur, Sunda, Sera,
Canara, and Malabar. He was responsible for introducing the Mughal administrative and revenue system
in his dominion. He established a modern arsenal in Dindigul in 1755 with the help of French
experts. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• In 1769, he repeatedly defeated the British forces and reached the walls of Madras. He died in 1782 in the
course of the second Anglo-Mysore war and was succeeded by his son, Tipu Sultan.
• Tipu Sultan ruled Mysore till his death at the hands of the British in 1799, was a man of complex
character. His desire to change with the times was symbolized in the introduction of a new calendar,
a new system of coinage and new scales of weights and measures. He showed a keen interest in the
French revolution. He planted a Tree of Liberty at Srirangapatnam and he became a member of a Jacobin
Club. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Q 26.D
• The story of Champaran began in the early nineteenth century when European planters had involved the
cultivators in agreements that forced them to cultivate indigo on the 3/20th of their holdings (known as
the tinkathia system). Towards the end of the nineteenth century, German synthetic dyes forced indigo
out of the market, and the European planters of Champaran, keen to release the cultivators from the

10 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

obligation of cultivating indigo, tried to turn their necessity to their advantage by securing enhancements
in rent and other illegal dues as a price for the release. Resistance had surfaced in 1908 as well, but the
exactions of the planters continued till Raj Kumar Shukla, a local man, decided to follow Gandhiji all
over the country to persuade him to come to Champaran to investigate the problem.
• On reaching Champaran, Gandhiji was ordered by the Commissioner to leave the district immediately.
But to the surprise of all concerned, Gandhiji refused and preferred to take the punishment for his defiance
of the law. The Government of India, unwilling to make an issue of it and not yet used to treating Gandhiji
as a rebel, ordered the local Government to retreat and allow Gandhiji to proceed with his inquiry.
• Gandhiji and his colleagues, who now included Brij Kishore, Rajendra Prasad, and other members of
the Bihar intelligentsia, Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh, two young men from Gujarat who had
thrown in their lot with Gandhiji, and J.B. Kripalani, toured the villages and from dawn to dusk recorded
the statements of peasants, interrogating them to make sure that they were giving correct information.
• Hence option (d) is the correct option.

Q 27.B
• The Ghadr Party was a revolutionary group organised around a weekly newspaper The Ghadr with its
headquarters in San Francisco and branches along the US coast and in the Far East. Hence statement 1
is not correct.
• These revolutionaries included mainly ex-soldiers and peasants who had migrated from Punjab to the
USA and Canada in search of better employment opportunities. They were based in the US and Canadian
cities along the western (Pacific) coast. Pre-Ghadr revolutionary activity had been carried on by Ramdas
Puri, G.D. Kumar, Taraknath Das, Sohan Singh Bhakna, and Lala Hardayal who reached there in
1911. To carry out revolutionary activities, the earlier activists had set up a ‘Swadesh Sevak Home’ in
Vancouver and the ‘United India House’ in Seattle.
• Finally, in 1913, the Ghadr was established.
• The moving spirits behind the Ghadr Party were Lala Hardayal, Ramchandra, Bhagwan Singh, Kartar
Singh Saraba, Barkatullah, and Bhai Parmanand.
• The British met the wartime threat with a formidable battery of repressive measures— the most intensive
since 1857—and above all by the Defence of India Act passed in March 1915 primarily to smash the
Ghadr movement. There were large-scale detentions without trial, special courts giving extremely severe
sentences, numerous court-martials of army men. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Q 28.D
• This system of land revenue was instituted in the late 18th century by Sir Thomas Munro, Governor of
Madras in 1820. The establishment of British rule in South and South-Western India brought new
problems of land settlement. The officials believed that in these regions there were no zamindars with
large estates with whom settlement of land revenue could be made and that the introduction of the
zamindari system would upset the existing state of affairs. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The Ryotwari Settlement was in the end introduced in parts of the Madras and Bombay Presidencies at the
beginning of the 19th century. The settlement under the Ryotwari system was not made permanent. It was
revised periodically after 20 to 30 years when the revenue demand was usually raised. Hence statement 2
is not correct.
• This was practised in the Madras and Bombay areas, as well as Assam and Coorg provinces. In this
system, the peasants or cultivators were regarded as the owners of the land. They had ownership rights
and could sell, mortgage or gift the land. The taxes were directly collected by the government from the
peasants. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
• Consequences of Ryotwari Settlement:
o Farmers had to pay revenue even during drought and famines, or else they would be evicted.
o It amounted to the replacement of a large number of zamindars by one giant zamindar called East
India Company.
o Although the ryotwari system aimed for direct Revenue settlement between farmers and the
government over the years, landlordism and tenancy became widespread. Because textile weavers
were unemployed, they started working as tenant farmers for other rich farmers
o Since the Government insisted on cash revenue, farmers resorted to growing cash crops instead of
food crops. Cash crops needed more inputs which resulted in more loans and indebtedness.
o After the end of the American Civil War, cotton exports declined but the government didn't reduce the
revenue. As a result, most farmers defaulted on loans, and land was transferred from farmers to
money lenders.

11 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 29.A
• The spirit of reform embraced almost the whole of India beginning with the efforts of Raja Rammohan
Roy in Bengal leading to the formation of the Brahmo Samaj in 1828. Brahmo Samaj made an effort to
reform Hindu religion by removing abuses, by basing it on the worship of one god and on the
teachings of the Vedas and Upanishads, and by incorporating the best aspects of modern Western
thought. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• Most of all it was based on human reason which was to be the ultimate criterion for deciding what was
worthwhile and what was useless in the past or present religious principles. For that reason, it denied
the need for a priestly class to interpret religious writings. Every individual had the right and the
capacity to decide with the help of his own intellect what was right and what was wrong in the
religious books. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Thus the Brahmos were basically opposed to idolatry and superstitious practices and rituals,- in
fact the entire Brahmanical system; they could worship one God without the mediation of the
priests. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Q 30.A
• On 6 April 1930, by picking up a handful of salt, Gandhiji inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement,
a movement that was to remain unsurpassed in the history of the Indian national movement for the
country-wide mass participation it unleashed.
• Once the way was cleared by Gandhiji’s ritual beginning at Dandi, the defiance of salt laws started
all over the country. In Tamil Nadu, C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from Trichinopoly to
Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast. By the time he was arrested on 30 April, he had collected
enough volunteers to keep the campaign going for quite some time in Malabar, K. Kelappan, the
hero of the Vaikom Satyagraha, walked from Calicut to Payannur to break the salt law. Hence, pair
2 and 3 are not correctly matched.
• A band of Satyagrahis walked all the way from Sylhet in Assam to Noakhali on the Bengal Coast to make
salt. In Andhra, a number of sibirams (military style camps) were set up in different districts to serve as
the headquarters of the salt Satyagraha, and bands of Satyagrahis marched through villages on their way
to the coastal centres to defy the law.
• On May 21, with Sarojini Naidu, the first Indian woman to become President of the Congress, and
Imam Saheb, Gandhiji’s comrade of the South African struggle, at the helm, and Gandhiji’s son,
Manual, in front ranks, a band of 2000 marched towards the police cordon that had sealed off the
Dharasana salt works. Hence, pair 1 is correctly matched.

Q 31.A
• Recently, the Government of India signed a $23 million loan agreement with the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) to enhance access to quality fintech education, research and innovation at the Gujarat
Innovation Finance Tech City (GIFT City).
• ADB is a multilateral financial institution that was founded in 1966 with 31 member countries and
is headquartered in Manila, Philippines. It is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient,
and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its effort to eradicate extreme poverty. It is owned
by 68 members now. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• As of now, there are five largest shareholders of ADB, which are Japan and the United States each
holding 15.6% of total shares the People's Republic of China holds 6.4% of total shares, India holds
6.3% of the total shares and Australia holds 5.8% of the total share. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• ADB provides loans to all of its developing member countries. The ADB's lending comes from its
ordinary capital resources, which are offered at near-market terms to lower to middle-income countries.
The ADB also provides loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investment to all the countries
in their time of need. The Asian Development Fund's activities promotes poverty reduction and
improvement in the quality of life in the poorer countries of Asia and Pacific region. However, it does
not have any boundary constraints while providing loans and technical assistance to local
governments. Hence statement 3 is not correct.

Q 32.C
• A national party called the Indian National Congress was formed on December 28th, 1885. A British
government employee named Allan Octavian Hume founded the party. A total of 72 delegates from all of
India’s provinces and presidencies joined forces to form the party. From December 28 to December 30,
1885, they all gathered in Bombay. Hume played a key role in forming the party when he served as its

12 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

first general secretary. The party was founded specifically to unite all of the educated populace and
have an impact on politics.
• The main aims of the Indian National Congress (INC) in the initial stage were to —
o Form a democratic, nationalist movement; Hence option 2 is correct
o Politicise and politically educate people;
o Promote friendly relations among nationalist political workers from different parts of the country;
Hence option 1 is correct
o Establish the headquarters for a movement;
o Develop and propagate an anti-colonial nationalist ideology; Hence option 3 is correct.
o Formulate and present popular demands before the government with a view to unifying the people
over a common economic and political program;
o Develop and consolidate a feeling of national unity among people irrespective of religion, caste or
province;
o Carefully promote and nurture Indian nationhood.
• In the initial years, the INC openly stated that its aims do not include the mass movement on social and
religious reforms. This was done especially to not to restrict itself as a socio-religious reforms
organization.

Q 33.A
• The Awadh Kingdom emerged from the disintegration of the Mughal Empire and ruled over a
large territory encompassing what is now Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar. Hence, statement 1 is
not correct.
• Establishment and Expansion:
o Origins: The kingdom was founded by Burhan-ul-Mulk Saadat Khan, a Persian noble who served
as the governor of Awadh under the Mughals. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
✓ He established his capital at Faizabad. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
✓ Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula's son Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth Nawab of Awadh, shifted
the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow.
o Independence: In 1722, Saadat Khan declared independence from the Mughal Empire and
established the kingdom of Awadh.
o Expansion: Under subsequent rulers, including Shuja-ud-Daulah, Awadh expanded its territory and
became a formidable military power in northern India.
• In 1723, Saadat Khan, the Nawab of Awadh, implemented a comprehensive revenue settlement
aimed at improving the lives of peasants and protecting them from exploitation.
o Khan reduced the land revenue rates, making them fairer and more proportional to the actual
productivity of the land.
o Khan established measures to prevent big zamindars (landlords) from oppressing peasants.
• The implementation of Khan's revenue settlement resulted in significant improvements for
peasants.
• Lucknow, flourished as a significant cultural hub in North India. Several factors contributed to this
emergence:
o The Nawabs of Awadh were renowned for their patronage of the arts and culture.
o Lucknow became a center for literary activity.
o The city also hosted literary gatherings and salons.
o The Nawabs commissioned magnificent architectural projects, including palaces, mosques, and
gardens.
o The Bara Imambara, the Rumi Darwaza, and the Dilkusha Palace are notable examples of Awadhi
architecture. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The prolonged period of peace and economic prosperity under the Nawabs of Awadh created a
favorable environment for the growth of a distinct Lucknow culture.
• The Awadh kingdom adopted a policy of impartiality in the employment of Hindus and Muslims.
o The Awadh rulers appointed Hindus to high-ranking positions within the government. The most
notable example was Maharaja Nawab Rai, a Hindu who held the highest post in the Awadh
government.
o It fostered a culture of tolerance and respect among different religious communities and contributed to
the stability and prosperity of the region.

13 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 34.D
• The Wavell Plan:
o Although the war in Europe came to an end in May 1945, the Japanese threat still remained. The
conservative government in Britain led by Churchill was keen to reach a solution on the
constitutional question in India.The viceroy, Lord Wavell was permitted to start negotiations with
Indian leaders. Congress leaders were released from jails in June 1945.
o Various Provisions:
o With the exception of the governor-general and the commander-in-chief, all members of the
executive council were to be Indians. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
o Caste Hindus and Muslims were to have equal (Not according to their respective population)
representation. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
o The reconstructed council was to function as an interim government within the framework of
the 1935 Act (i.e. not responsible to the Central Assembly).
o The governor-general was to exercise his veto on the advice of ministers.
o Representatives of different parties were to submit a joint list to the viceroy for nominations to the
executive council. If a joint list was not possible, then separate lists were to be submitted.
o Possibilities were to be kept open for negotiations on a new constitution once the war was finally
won.

Q 35.B
• Recently, the cabinet has approved Inter-governmental Framework Agreement (IGFA) with UAE
on India Middle East European Economic Corridor (IMEC).
• IMEC is a proposed multimodal transit network that aims to integrate integration of Asia, Europe
and the Middle East.
• It is a multi-modal transit that consists of rail road, ship-to-rail network and road transport route
extending across two corridors:
o the Eastern Corridor connecting India to the Arabian Gulf.
o the Northern Corridor connecting the Gulf to the Europe.
• An MOU was signed between India, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE
and the U.S. at New Delhi G20 Summit to establish it.
• The IMEC is expected to bring prosperity with an increase in the flow of energy and digital
communication. It also provides an alternative approach to China's Belt and Road Initiative. It
will help in global supply chain resilience and also provide an alternative route to the narrow passes
of the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
• According to proposed map, the corridor will include the shipping route connecting Mumbai and Mundra
with the UAE, a rail network connecting the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan with the Israeli port of Haifa
to reach the sources of the Mediterranean Sea. Then Haifa port in Israel connected with the Port of Piraeus
in Greece to eventually be connected to Europe.
• The exact map of the IMEC route is:

14 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 36.B
• Surya Sen:
o Surya Sen had actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement and had become a
teacher in a national school in Chittagong, which led to his being popularly known as Masterda.
Arrested and imprisoned for two years, from 1926 to 1928, for revolutionary activity, he
continued to work in the Congress. He and his group were closely associated with the Congress
work in Chittagong. In 1929, Surya Sen was the Secretary and five of his associates were
members of the Chittagong District Congress Committee.
o Surya Sen, a brilliant and inspiring organizer, was an unpretentious, soft-spoken and transparently
sincere person. Possessed of immense personal courage, he was deeply humane in his approach. He
was fond of saying: ‘Humanism is a special virtue of a revolutionary.’ He was also very fond of
poetry, being a great admirer of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Surya Sen soon
gathered around himself a large band of revolutionary youth including Anant Singh, Ganesh Ghosh
and Lokenath Baul. They decided to organize a rebellion, on however small a scale, to demonstrate
that it was possible to challenge the armed might of the British Empire in India.
o Their action plan was to include occupation of the two main armouries in Chittagong and the
seizing of their arms with which a large band of revolutionaries could be formed into an armed
detachment; the destruction of the telephone and telegraph systems of the city; and the
dislocation of the railway communication system between Chittagong and the rest of Bengal.
The action was carefully planned and was put into execution at 10 o’clock on the night of 18
April 1930.
o A group of six revolutionaries, led by Ganesh Ghosh, captured the Police Armoury, shouting slogans
such as Inquilab Zindabad, Down with Imperialism and Gandhiji‘s Raj has been established. Another
group of ten, led by Lokenath Paul, took over the Auxiliary Force Armoury along with its Lewis guns
and 303 army rifles. Unfortunately they could not locate the ammunition. This was to prove a
disastrous setback to the revolutionaries’ plans. The revolutionaries also succeeded in dislocating
telephone and telegraph communications and disrupting movement by train. In all, sixty- five were
involved in the raid, which was undertaken in the name of the Indian Republican Army, Chittagong
Branch.
o All the revolutionary groups gathered outside the Police Armoury where Surya Sen, dressed in
immaculate white khadi dhoti and a long coat and stiffly ironed Gandhi cap, took a military salute,
hoisted the National Flag among shouts of Bande Mataram and Inquilab Zindabad, and proclaimed a
Provisional Revolutionary Government.
o It was not possible for the band of revolutionaries to put up a fight in the town against the army which
was expected. They, therefore, left Chittagong town before dawn and marched towards the Chittagong
hill ranges, looking for a safe place.
o Surya Sen decided to disperse into the neighboring villages; there they formed into small groups
and conducted raids on the Government, personnel and property. Despite several repressive
measures and combing operations by the authorities, the villagers, most of them Muslims, gave
food and shelter to the revolutionary outlaws and enabled them to survive for three years.
Surya Sen was finally arrested on 16 February 1933, tried and hanged on 12 January 1934.
Many of his co-fighters were caught and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Hence,
option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 37.D
• Portugal had a monopoly of the highly profitable trade for nearly a century in India. They established their
trading settlements at Cochin Goa, Daman, and Diu. The Portuguese were intolerant and fanatical in
religious matters. They indulged in forcible conversion 'offering people the alternative of
Christianity or sword'. Their approach in this respect was particularly hateful to the people of India,
where religious tolerance was the rule. They also indulged in human cruelties and lawlessness. Hence,
statement 1 is correct.
• Despite their barbaric behavior their possessions in India survived for a century because they enjoyed
control over the high seas, their soldiers and administrators maintained strict discipline and they did not
have to face the might of the Mughal Empire as South India was outside Mughal influence.
• They clashed with Mughal power in Bengal in 1631 and were driven out of their settlement at Hugli.
Their hold over the Arabian Sea had already been weakened by the English and their influence in Gujarat
and had become negligible by this time. Portugal was, however, incapable of maintaining for long its
trade monopoly or its dominions in the East. Its population was less than a million, its Court was
autocratic and decadent its merchants enjoyed much less power and prestige than its landed
15 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

aristocrats, it lagged in the development of shipping, and it followed a policy of religious

intolerance. These were some of the reasons that led to the decline of the Portuguese in India. Hence,
statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Q 38.C
• The Congress at the Calcutta session had chosen the path of non-cooperation, and many U.P. nationalists
committed themselves to the new political path. But others, including Madan Mohan Malaviya, preferred
constitutional agitation. These differences were also reflected in the U.P. Kisan Sabha, and the Non-
cooperators soon set up an alternative Awadh/Oudh Kisan Sabha at Pratapgarh on 17 October 1920.
• This new body succeeded in integrating under its banner all the grassroots kisan sabhas that had emerged
in the districts of Avadh in the past few months through the efforts of Gauri Shankar Misra, Jawaharlal
Nehru, Mata Badal Pande, Baba Ramchandra, Deo Narayan Pande and Kedar Nath, the new
organization brought under its wing, by the end of October, over 330 kisan sabhas. Hence option (c) is
the correct answer.

Q 39.A
• The program of non-cooperation included within its ambit the surrender of titles and honors, boycott of
government-affiliated schools and colleges, law courts, and foreign cloth, and could be extended to
include resignation from government service and mass civil disobedience, including the non-payment of
taxes. National schools and colleges were to be set up, panchayats were established for settling disputes,
hand-spinning and weaving were encouraged, and people were asked to maintain Hindu- Muslim unity,
give up untouchability, and observe strict non-violence. Gandhiji promised that if the program were
fully implemented, Swaraj would be ushered within a year. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The Nagpur session of 1920, thus, committed the Congress to a program of extra-constitutional mass
action. Many groups of revolutionary terrorists, especially in Bengal, also pledged support to the
movement. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• Provincial Congress Committees were to be organized on a linguistic basis after the Nagpur session to
keep in touch with the people by using the local language. The Congress organization was to reach the
village and mohalla levels by forming village and mohalla or ward committees. The membership fee was
reduced to four annas per year to enable the poor to become members. Mass involvement would also
enable Congress to have a regular source of income. In other ways, the organizational structure was
streamlined and democratized. The Congress was to use Hindi as far as possible. Hence statement 3 is
not correct.

Q 40.A
• The Indian Councils Act of 1861 introduced the portfolio system in the Executive Council of the
Governor-General, which was a significant step towards the establishment of a cabinet system. Under this
system, different members of the Council were assigned specific responsibilities or 'portfolios' such as
military, finance, and law, which allowed for more specialized and efficient administration. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
• The Act of 1861 marked the turning of the tide of centralization. It laid down that legislative councils
similar to that of the center should be established first in Bombay, Madras, and Bengal and then in other
provinces.
• The Act of 1861 did expand the council's size by adding more members, both official and non-official, but
it did not allow for the nomination of Indians as official members. The non-official members could
include Indians, but they were not officially part of the government administration. It mainly allowed for a
limited participation of Indians in the council's proceedings as non-official members. Hence statement 2
is not correct.
• The Indian Councils Act of 1861 did not bring financial matters under the direct control of the legislative
council. The act allowed for some discussions on financial matters, but the final decision-making power
regarding budget and financial administration remained with the Governor-General and his Executive
Council. The legislative council had a consultative role but did not have the authority to control financial
policies or budgets.
Q 41.C
• The RIN revolt started on 18 February when 1100 naval ratings of HMIS Talwar struck work at
Bombay to protest against the treatment meted out to them — flagrant racial discrimination,
unpalatable food and abuses to boot. The arrest of B.C. Dutt, a rating, for scrawling ‘Quit India’ on the
HMIS Talwar, was sorely resented. Hence statement 1 is correct.

16 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

• In the RIN revolt, Karachi was a major centre, second only to Bombay. The news reached Karachi on 19
February, upon which the HMIS Hindustan along with one more ship and three shore establishments,
went on a lightning strike. Sympathetic token strikes took place in military establishments in Madras.
Vishakhapatnam. Calcutta, Delhi, Cochin etc.
• The communal unity evident in the RIN revolt was limited, despite the Congress, League and Communist
flags being jointly hoisted on the ships’ masts. Muslim ratings went to the League to seek advice on future
action, while the rest went to the Congress and the Socialists; Jinnah’s advice to surrender was
addressed to Muslim ratings alone, who duly heeded.
• The Congress did not give the call for RIN revolt, in fact, no political organization did. People
rallied in sympathy with the students and ratings as well as to voice their anger at the repression
that was let loose. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Individual Congressmen participated actively as did individual Communists and others. Student
sympathizers of the Congress, the Congress Socialist Party, the Forward Bloc and the Communist Party of
India jointly led the 21 November 1945 demonstration in Calcutta.
• The Congress lauded the spirit of the people and condemned the repression by the Government. It
did not officially support RIN revolt as it felt their tactics and timing were wrong.
• It was evident to Congress leaders that the Government was able and determined to repress. Vallabhbhai
Patel asked the ratings to surrender because he saw the British mobilization for repression in
Bombay. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Q 42.A
• The August Offer of 1940:
o The August Offer, proposed in 1940 by Lord Linlithgow, then Viceroy of India,was an attempt to
garner Indian support during World War II.
o During this phase President of The Indian National Congress was Abul Kalam Azad. Hence option
(a) is the correct answer.
• Proposals:
o Representative Body: It was promised that the British Government would introduce
a representative constituent body, consisting mainly of Indians, to frame India's new
Constitution.
o It repeated the promise of dominion status after victory in the war.
o It promised to set up a War Advisory Council with the participation of Indians.
o It promised the expansion of the viceroy’s executive council with a majority of Indians.
o Response of various stakeholders:
✓ Congress: Congress rejected the August offer, as it insisted on complete independence instead of
dominion status.
✓ Mahatma Gandhi: In response to the offer, Mahatma Gandhi called for the Individual
Satyagraha.
✓ Muslim League: The Muslim League also rejected the August offer, as it was now beginning to
demand a separate state of Pakistan.

Q 43.B
• While the Congress was in the thick of the Civil Disobedience movement, the third Round Table
Conference met in London in November 1932 without Congress representation. The discussions
eventually led to the passing of the Government of India Act of 1935.
• The Act provided for the establishment of the All India Federation and a new system of government
of provinces based on provincial autonomy. The federation was to be based on a union of the
provinces of British India and the Princely States. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• There was to be a bicameral federal legislature in which the states were given disproportionate weightage.
Moreover, the representatives of the states were not directly elected by the people but appointed by the
rulers. Only 14% of the total population in British India was given the right to vote. Hence,
statement 3 is not correct.
• Defense and foreign affairs remained outside the control of the legislature while the Governor-General
retained special control over the other subjects. The Governor-General and the Governors were to be
appointed by the British Government and were to be responsible for it. Hence, statement 2 is
correct.
• In the province, local powers were increased. Ministries responsible to the provincial to the provincial
assemblies were to control all departments of provincial administration. But the governors were given
special powers.
17 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 44.B
• Recently, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released the Status
of Leopard in India 2022 report. It is based on the leopard population estimation done by the
National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India. This exercise is done in
collaboration with the State Forest Department as a part of the quadrennial ‘Monitoring of Tiger, co-
predator, prey and their habitat 2022’. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Some of the key findings of the report are:
o Leopard population is estimated at 13,874 with a 1.08% growth in terms of sampled area compared
to 2018.
o Central India and Eastern Ghats registered the largest growth. Shivalik and Gangetic Plains
registered a decline.
o Madhya Pradesh has the highest population of leopards followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and
Tamil Nadu.
o Nagarjunsagar, Srisailam Tiger Reserve has the highest population of leopards, followed by
Panna and Satpura Tiger Reserve. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Leopard is categorized as a vulnerable species in the Red List of IUCN.
o It is in the Appendix 1 of CITES and Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
o It is a skilled climber and rests on the branches of trees.
o It generally lives in a solitary and is nocturnal species.

Q 45.A
• The Quit India Movement:
o The Quit India Movement was the culmination of years of Indian disillusionment with British rule,
with the immediate causes being the failure of Cripps mission, hardships caused during World War
II and the Japanese knocking at the doors of Indian borders. Hence option (a) is the correct
answer.
o By 1942, India's struggle for independence had been ongoing for several decades. The
nationalistic sentiments were at its peak, and people grew increasingly impatient with British rule.
o The shortage of supply of essential goods and the export of rice caused large-scale deprivation and
death, ultimately resulting in the Bengal Famine of 1943.
o Course of actions:
o The All India Congress Committee met at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, on 8 August 1942 and passed
the famous Quit India Resolution. Gandhi sloganed his 'Do or Die' call on the same day.
o Also known as the “ August Kranti Movement,” Quit India Movement was more a rejection of
British rule than a traditional Satyagraha and also influenced the unprecedented and tumultuous
events for the next five years in Indian history.
o Demands: It demanded an end to British rule in India with immediate effect, the formation of a
provisional government after the war and the declaration of free India.
o In February 1943, a striking new development provided a new burst of political activity. Gandhiji
commenced a fast on’ 10 February in jail. He declared the fast would last for twenty-one days.
o Government reaction: The Government, however, was in no mood to either negotiate with the
Congress or wait for the movement to be formally launched. In the early hours of 9 August, in a single
sweep, all the top leaders of the congress were arrested and taken to unknown destinations.
o The Viceroy and his officials remained unmoved. Guided by Winston Churchill’s statement to his
Cabinet that ‘this our hour of triumph everywhere in the world was not the time to crawl before a
miserable old man (Mahatma gandhi) who had always been our enemy,”.

Q 46.B
• The Morley-Minto reforms (1909) enlarged the deliberative functions of the legislative councils at both
the Central and Provincial levels. The legislatures are now allowed to pass resolutions, ask questions
and supplementary, vote on separate items in the budget and move resolutions on the budget. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
• The Indian Councils Act of 1909, also known as Morley-Minto Reforms, also provided separate
representation of presidency corporations, chambers of commerce, universities, and zamindars.
Recognition of elective principle for the first time for non-official membership of the councils. Indians
could participate in elections of legislative councils. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms of 1919 provided limited suffrage to women property holders
but it did not give women the right to contest elections. In Britain itself, women got the right to vote
only in 1918. The Government of India Act of 1919 allowed the provincial council to decide whether
18 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

women could vote provided they met stringent property, income or educational criteria. Between the years
1919 and 1929, all of the British provinces and the princely states granted women the right to vote. Hence
statement 3 is not correct.
• Separate electorates for Muslims.
• In the Indian Legislative Council and Provincial Legislative Councils, membership was extended. In
Provincial councils, a non-official majority was introduced.
• Elected members were to be indirectly elected. Local bodies would elect an electoral college and then this
college would elect provincial legislatures, which in turn would elect Central legislatures.
• Legislatures were given the power to ask questions, pass resolutions and vote on different items of budget.
• One Indian could now be appointed as a member of Viceroy’s executive council. Satyendra Nath Sinha
became the first Indian to be appointed in 1909.

Q 47.A
• Salt as a symbol of the Civil Disobedience Movement:
o Soon after the observance of this “Independence Day”, Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would
lead a march to break one of the most widely disliked laws in British India, which gave the state a
monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt. His picking on the salt monopoly was another
illustration of Gandhiji’s tactical wisdom. For in every Indian household, salt was
indispensable; yet people were forbidden from making salt even for domestic use, compelling
them to buy it from shops at a high price. The state monopoly over salt was deeply unpopular;
by making it his target, Gandhiji hoped to mobilize a wider discontent against British rule.
o Gandhiji said, ''There is no article like salt outside water by taxing which the State can reach even the
starving millions, the sick, the maimed and the utterly helpless. The tax constitutes therefore the most
inhuman poll tax the ingenuity of man can devise’'. Hence, both Statement-I and Statement-II are
correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

Q 48.C
• After the death of Lala Lajpat Rai during the anti-Simon Commission movement, the Hindustan Socialist
Republican Association (HSRA) had decisively moved away from individual heroic action. Lajpat Rai
due to lathi blows received during a lathi- charge on an anti-Simon Commission procession (October
1928) led them once again to take to individual assassination. Bhagat Singh, Azad and Rajguru shot dead
Saunders, the police official responsible for the lathi charge in Lahore.
• The HSRA leadership now decided to let the people know about its changed objectives and the
need for a revolution by the masses. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were asked to throw a
bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929 to protest against the passage of the
Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill aimed at curtailing civil liberties of citizens in general
and workers in particular. The bombs had been deliberately made harmless and were aimed at making
‘the deaf hear’. The objective was to get arrested and to use the trial court as a forum for propaganda so
that people would become familiar with their movement and ideology. Hence, option (c) is the correct
answer.

Q 49.C
• The 2024 Global Education Monitoring Report is released by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and titled ‘Technology on Her Terms’.
• This report looks at the impact of technology on girls' education, opportunities and outcomes, and the
role of education in shaping future technological development. It also highlights that investing in
girls' and women's right to education is essential for building peaceful, just, equitable, and inclusive
societies.
• Major Outcomes of the reports:
o Girls and women are less able to access technology, with 130 million fewer women than men owning
mobile phones and 244 million fewer women having internet access.
o Greater interaction on social media at age 10 is associated with worsening socio-emotional difficulties
with the age among girls.
o Cyberbullying is common and is exacerbated by the danger of deepfakes made using AI.
o In 2022, women held less than 25% of science, engineering and ICT jobs.
• UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that was established in 1945 in London.
Its headquarters are in Paris.
o Its objective includes developing educational tools to help humanity, preventing the cultural heritage
of the world's many cultures, and promoting the equal dignity of all cultures.
19 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

o It also designates World Heritage Sites for having cultural, historical, scientific and other form of
significance.
• Global Education Monitoring Report aims to monitor progress towards the education targets
within the Sustainable Development Goals framework. It is a singular, comprehensive, analytical and
authoritative reference for the global follow-up and review of education. With 15 reports produced
since 2002, this report has acquired extensive experience in monitoring and policy analysis and a
global reputation for excellence, covering themes ranging from inequality, gender and teaching and
learning to conflict, literacy and early childhood care and education.
• Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 50.C
• After a few months’ tussle with the Government, the Congress Working Committee decided to accept
office under the Act of 1935. During July, it formed Ministries in six provinces: Madras, Bombay, Central
Provinces, Orissa, Bihar and U.P. Later, Congress Ministries were also formed in the North-West Frontier
Province and Assam.
• The Congress Ministers set an example in plain living. They reduced their own salaries drastically from
Rs. 2000 to Rs. 500 per month. They were easily accessible to the common people. And in a very short
time, they did pass a very large amount of ameliorative legislation, trying to fulfil many of the promises
made in the Congress election manifesto.
• The commitment of the Congress to the defence and extension of civil liberties was as old as the
Congress itself, and it is hardly surprising, therefore, that the Congress Ministries registered major
achievements in this sphere. All emergency powers acquired by the provincial governments during
1932, through Public Safety Acts and the like, were repealed; bans on illegal political organizations
such as the Hindustan Seva Dal and Youth Leagues and on political books and journals were lifted.
Though the ban on the Communist Party remained, since it was imposed by the Central Government and
could only be lifted on its orders, the Communists could in effect now function freely and openly in the
Congress provinces. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• One of the first acts of the Congress Government was to release thousands of political prisoners and
detenus and to cancel internment and deportation orders on political workers. Many of the
revolutionaries involved in the Kakori and other conspiracy cases were released. But problems remained
in U.P. and Bihar where several revolutionaries convicted of crimes involving violence remained in jails.
Most of these prisoners had earlier been sent to kala pani (Cellular Jail in Andamans) from where they had
been transferred to their respective provinces after they had gone on a prolonged hunger strike during July
1937. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• In Bombay, the Government also took steps to restore to the original owners lands which had been
confiscated by the Government as a result of the no-tax campaign during the Civil Disobedience
Movement in 1930. But in the same province, K.M. Munshi, the Home Minister of Bombay, and a
light-weight within the Congress leadership, used the CID to watch the Communists and other left-
wing Congressmen, earning a rebuke from Jawaharlal Nehru. The Madras Government, too, used
the police to shadow radical Congressmen.
• Nearly all the Congress-run states (that is, U.P., Bihar, Bombay, Madras and Assam) had
reactionary second chambers in the form of legislative councils, which were elected on a very
narrow franchise — while the number of voters for the assemblies in these states was over 17.5
million, it was less than 70 thousand for the second chambers. These were, therefore, dominated by
landlords, capitalists and moneylenders, with the Congress forming a small minority.
• As a majority in the lower house was not enough, in order to get any legislation passed through the
second chamber, the Congress had to simultaneously pressure their upper class elements and
conciliate them. Thus the Bihar Government negotiated a compromise with the zamindars on its tenancy
bills while the U.P. Government conciliated the moneylender and merchant members of its upper house
by going slow on debt legislation so that their support could be secured for tenancy legislation.

Q 51.D
• Charles Metcalfe was the Acting Governor-General of India in 1835. He distinguished himself by
liberating the Press in India and was responsible for removing all the restrictions on the press in
India. Hence option (d) is the correct answer.
• Sir Charles Metcalfe passed the Press Act in 1835, thus restoring press freedom. He repealed the
obnoxious 1823 ordinance, earning him the moniker "liberator of the Indian press." The new Press Act
(1835) required a printer/publisher to give a detailed account of the premises of a publication and to cease

20 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

operations if a similar declaration was issued. A liberal press policy resulted in a rapid expansion of
newspapers

Q 52.C
• The Indian National Army (INA):
o The idea of the INA was first conceived in Malaya by Mohan Singh, an Indian officer of the
British Indian Army, when he decided not to join the retreating British army and instead went to the
Japanese for help.
o Indian prisoners of war were handed over by the Japanese to Mohan Singh who then tried to
recruit them into an Indian National Army.
o It was made clear at various meetings of leaders of the Indian community and of Indian Army officers
that the INA would go into action only on the invitation of the Indian National Congress and the
people of India.
o The outbreak of the Quit India Movement gave a fillip to the INA as well. Anti-British
demonstrations were organized in Malaya. On 1 September 1942 the first division of the INA was
formed with 16,300 men.
o Mohan Singh and Niranjan Singh Gill, the senior-most Indian officer to join the INA, were arrested
by the Japanese due to serious differences emerged between the Indian army officers and the
Japenese.
• Role of Subhash Chandra Bose:
• The second phase of the 1NA began when Subhas Chandra Bose was brought to Singapore on 2 July
1943, by means of German and Japanese submarines.○ Bose returned to Singapore and set up
the Provisional Government of Free India on 21 October 1943.
• Subhas Bose set up two INA headquarters, in Rangoon and in Singapore, and began to reorganize the
INA and a women’s regiment called the Rani Jhansi regiment was formed.
• On 6 July 1944, Subhas Chandra Bose, in a broadcast on Azad Hind Radio addressed to Gandhiji, said:
‘India’s last war of independence has begun. . Father of our Nation! In this holy war of
India’s liberation, we ask for your blessing and good wishes.’
• One INA battalion commanded by Shah Nawaz was allowed to accompany the Japanese Army to the
Indo-Burma front and participate in the Imphal campaign.
• Kalpana Datta:
o Kalpana Datta was one of the members of Master Da Surya Sen's revolutionary group (an
influential Indian revolutionary), who carried forward the work of Pritilata Waddedar.
o She was a member of Chattri Sangha (a semi-revolutionary organization for women, Kolkata). She
was part of the armoury loot, and the first attempt at torching Pahartoli Club (which led to the
death of Pritilata). Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 53.C
• The Revolutionary terrorists were severely suppressed during World War I, with most of the leaders in jail
or absconding. Consequently, in order to create a more harmonious atmosphere for the Montague-
Chelmsford reforms, the Government released most of them under a general amnesty in early 1920. Soon
after, the National Congress launched the Non-Cooperation Movement and on the urging of Gandhiji,
C.R. Das and other Leaders most of the revolutionary terrorists either joined the movement or suspended
their own activities in order to give the Gandhian mass movement a chance.
• But the sudden suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement shattered the high hopes raised
earlier. Many young people began to question the very basic strategy of the national leadership and
its emphasis on non violence and began to look for alternatives. They were not attracted by the
parliamentary politics of the Swarajists or the patient and undramatic constructive work of the no-
changers. Many were drawn to the idea that violent methods alone would free India. Revolutionary
terrorism again became attractive. It is not accidental that nearly all the major new leaders of the
revolutionary terrorist politics, for example, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, Surya Sen, Jatin Das,
Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Shiv Varma, Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Jaidev Kapur,
had been enthusiastic participants in the non-violent Non-Cooperation Movement.
• Gradually two separate strands of revolutionary terrorism developed — one in Punjab, U.P. and Bihar and
the other in Bengal. Both the strands came under the influence of several new social forces. One was the
upsurge of working-class trade unionism after the War. They could see the revolutionary potential
of the new class and desired to harness it to the nationalist revolution. The second major influence
was that of the Russian Revolution and the success of the young Socialist State in consolidating

21 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

itself. The youthful revolutionaries were keen to learn from and take the help of the young Soviet State
and its ruling Bolshevik Party. The third influence was that of the newly sprouting Communist groups
with their emphasis on Marxism, Socialism and the proletariat.
• Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 54.C
• Lord Curzon
o He was a true successor of Lord Dalhousie. He was a great imperialist, authoritarian in temperament,
ruthless in his ways and wanted to achieve too much at too great a pace.• A sharp reaction was created
in the Indian mind by Curzon’s seven-year rule (1899-1905) in India which was full of missions,
commissions and omissions.
• Reactionary policies adopted:
o Through Calcutta Corporation act 1899 he reduced the number of elected legislatures to deprive
Indians from self-governance. Hence option 2 is correct.
o He instituted in 1902, a Universities Commission to go into the entire question of university
education in the country. Hence option 3 is correct.
o The Agriculture Research Institute in Pusa (Bihar – Bengal Presidency) was established. Hence
option 1 is correct.

Q 55.B
• On 29 January 1780, India’s and Asia’s first printed newspaper ‘Hicky’s Bengal Gazette’ started its
publication. It was an English language weekly that was started by James Augustus Hicky, a rather
eccentric Irishman. The newspaper was published in Calcutta, the centre of colonial India during that
time. Hence pair 1 is not correctly matched.
• The Banga-Duta was a weekly newspaper founded in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1822. It's notable for
being one of the first newspapers published in multiple languages in India: English, Bengali, Persian, and
Hindi. Banga-Duta newspaper was founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dwarkanath Tagore and
others. Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.
• Sambad Kaumudi was a Bengali weekly newspaper published in Kolkata during the first half of the 19th
century. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a key figure in Indian social reform, founded the newspaper. It played a
significant role in advocating for social reforms and progressive ideas. Hence pair 3 is correctly
matched.

• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

22 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 56.C
• The Subsidiary Alliance System was an arrangement believed to have been established between the
British East India Company and Indian princely states, which marked a shift in power dynamics from
Indian kingdoms to the British. The ruler of the allying Indian State was compelled to accept the
permanent stationing of a British force within his territory and to pay a subsidy for its maintenance. All
this was done allegedly for his protection but was, in fact, a form through which the Indian ruler paid
tribute to the Company. Sometimes the ruler ceded part of his territory instead of paying an annual
subsidy. Hence statement (a) is correct.
• The system of Subsidiary Alliances also led to the disbandment of the armies of the protected states.
Lakhs of soldiers and officers were deprived of their hereditary livelihood, spreading misery and
degradation in the country. Many of them joined the roaming bands of Pindarees which were to ravage the
whole of India during the first two decades of the 19th century. Hence statement (b) is correct.
• The Subsidiary Treaty also usually provided that the Indian ruler would agree to the posting at his court of
a British Resident, that he would not employ any European in his service without the approval of the
British, and that he would not negotiate with any other Indian ruler without consulting the Governor-
General. In return, the British undertook to defend the ruler from his enemies.
• The British also promised non-interference in the internal affairs of the allied state, but this was a promise
they seldom kept. In reality, by signing a Subsidiary Alliance, an Indian state virtually signed away its
independence. It lost the right to self-defense, maintaining diplomatic relations, employing foreign
experts, and settling its disputes with its neighbours. Hence statement (c) is not correct.
• On 1 September 1798, the Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam Ali Khan (Asaf Jah II) entered into a subsidiary
alliance with the English East India Company, thus making Hyderabad the first princely state to officially
become a British protectorate. Hence statement (d) is correct.

Q 57.C
• During the 1940s, several efforts were on to solve the ongoing constitutional crisis, basically due to Jinnah
wanting the Congress to accept his idea of Two-nation theory. In the course of time, some individuals also
tried to come up with constitutional proposals.
• C. Rajagopalachari, the veteran Congress leader, prepared a formula for Congress-League cooperation. It
was a tacit acceptance of the League's demand for Pakistan. Gandhi supported the formula.
• The main points in CR Plan were:
• Muslim League to endorse Congress demand for independence. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• League to cooperate with Congress in forming a provisional government at the centre.
• After the end of the war, the entire population of Muslim majority areas in the North-West and North-
East India to decide by a plebiscite, whether or not to form a separate sovereign state. Hence statement 2
is correct.
• In case of acceptance of partition, agreement to be made jointly for safeguarding defence, commerce,
communications, etc.

Q 58.B
• In terms of definition, the zamindar was not a landowner in the village, but a revenue collector of the
state. They had several villages under them.
• Zamindars were responsible for paying revenue to the company and distributing the revenue demand
(jama) over villages. Each village Ryot, big or small, paid rent to the zamindar.
• At the time of rent collection, an officer of the zamindar called the "Amlah" came around to the
village for rent collection. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Jotedars were a class of rich peasants. By the early 19th century, jotedars had acquired vast areas of
land sometimes as much as several thousand acres, they controlled local trade as well as
moneylending, exercising immense power over the poorer cultivators of the region. Unlike zamindars,
who often lived in urban areas, jotedars were located in the villages and exercised direct control over a
considerable section of poor villages.
• In some places, they were called haoladars, elsewhere, they were known as gantidars or mandals. Their
rise inevitably weakened Zamindari's authority. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• A large part of lands under jotedars was cultivated through sharecroppers called adhiyars or
Bargadars, who brought their ploughs, laboured in the field and handed over half the produce to the
jotedars after the harvest. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

23 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 59.D
• By 1929, the Government was deeply worried about the rapidly growing communist influence in the
national and trade union movements. It decided to strike hard. In a sudden swoop, in March 1929,
it arrested radical political and trade union activists that included Muzaffar Ahmed, S.A. Dange,
Joglekar, Philip Spratt, Ben Bradley, Shaukat Usmani and others. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
• The basic aim of the Government was to behead the trade union movement and to isolate the Communists
from the national movement. The thirty-two accused were put up for trial at Meerut. The Meerut
Conspiracy Case was soon to become a cause celebre. The defence of the prisoners was to be taken
up by many nationalists including Jawaharlal Nehru, M.A. Ansari and M.C. Chagla.
• Gandhiji visited the Meerut prisoners in jail to show his solidarity with them and to seek their
cooperation in the coming struggle. Speeches of defence made in the court by the prisoners were carried
by all the nationalist newspapers thus familiarizing lakhs of people for the first time with communist
ideas. The Government's design to isolate the Communists from the mainstream of the national
movement, not only miscarried but had the very opposite consequence. It did, however, succeed in one
respect. The growing working class movement was deprived of its leadership. At this early stage, it was
not easy to replace it with a new leadership.

Q 60.D
• The Arya Samaj Movement, revivalist in form though not in content, was the result of a reaction to
Western influences. Its founder, Dayananda Saraswati or Mulshankar (1824-1883) was born in the old
Morvi state in Gujarat in a Brahmin family. He wandered as an ascetic for fifteen years (1845-60) in
search of truth. The first Arya Samaj unit was formally set up by him at Bombay in 1875 and later
the headquarters of the Samaj were established at Lahore.
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati went to Vedas which he regarded as infallible, being inspired by god
and being fount of all knowledge. He rejected all later religious thought if it conflicted with the
Vedas. However, his approach was rationalist. Dayananda’s slogan of ‘Back to the Vedas’ was a call for
a revival of Vedic learning and Vedic purity of religion and not a revival of Vedic times. He accepted
modernity and displayed a patriotic attitude to national problems.
• Dayananda launched a frontal attack on Hindu orthodoxy, caste rigidities, untouchability, idolatry,
polytheism, belief in magic, charms and animal sacrifices, taboo on sea voyages, feeding the dead
through shraddhas, etc. Dayananda subscribed to the Vedic notion of chaturvarna system in which
a person was identified as a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra not by birth but according to
the occupation and merit of the person.
• The Arya Samaj fixed the minimum marriageable age at twenty-five years for boys and sixteen years for
girls. Swami Dayananda once lamented the Hindu race as “the children of children".
• After the death of Dayananda in 1883, the work of the samaj was carried on by illustrious members.
Education was an all-important field for the samaj. The Dayananda AngloVedic (D.A.V.) College
was established in 1886 at Lahore. But a difference of opinion between two groups in the samaj
arose over the curriculum of the D.A.V. College. One group was known as the College Party (some
sources say ‘Culture’ Party), among whose leaders were Lala Hansraj, Lala Lal Chand and Lala
Lajpat Rai, and the other was the Mahatma (later Gurukul) Party led by Guru Datta Vidyarthi and
Lala Munshi Ram (who later came to be known as Swami Shraddhanand. Hence,option (d) is the
correct answer.

Q 61.C
• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently has released the Gender Inequality
Index (GII) as a part of their Human Development Report.
• Gender Inequality Index is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions
reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market.
o A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men and vice versa.
• In the recent Gender Inequality Index 2022, India stands at rank 108 out of 193 countries with a
score of 0.437.
o India has shown a significant jump of 14 rank on GII 2022 vis-i-vis GII 2021 where it ranked at
122 out of 191 countries.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) published Global Gender Gap Report, which tracked the
progress toward closing gender gaps in health, education, economy, and politics over time. The 2023
report found that the global gender gap score was 68.4%, a 0.3% improvement from 2022. India was

24 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

• It was set up with the objective of addressing the gap in long-term non-recourse finance for infrastructure
development and sustainably boosting the country's economy.
• Unlike banks, NaBFID do not accept deposits from people.
• It may raise money in the form of loans or otherwise both in Indian Rupees and foreign currencies
or secure money by the issue and sale of various financial instruments.
• It may borrow money from the Central Government, RBI, Scheduled Commercial Banks, Mutual
Funds, and Multilateral Institutions like the World Bank. Unlike banks, NBFID can not accept
deposits from people. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The central government will provide grants to it directly and provide a guarantee at a concessional rate
of up to 0.1% for borrowing from multilateral institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and other foreign
funds.
• The NABFID was established as the Principal Developmental Financial Institutions for
Infrastructure Financing. Regulation of it is also different from the regulation of scheduled commercial
banks. It is regulated as an All-India Financial Institution (AIFI) by RBI. Other All India Financial
Institutions in India are the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank), the National Bank of Agriculture
and Rural Development (NABARD), and the National Housing Bank (NHB). Hence statement 2 is
correct.

Q 69.C
• By the dawn of the 20th century, militant nationalists emerged. Its main leaders were Tilak, A K Dutt,
Raj Narain Bose, Bipin Chandra Pal, Vishnu Shastri Pandit and Lala Lajpat Rai.
• Main ideas: Extremists had hatred for foreign rule and believed in the capacity of masses. They saw
Swarajya as the goal and advocated direct political action through self-sacrifice
• Reasons for growth of militant nationalism:
o Realisation that the true nature of British rule was exploitative, and that the British India government,
instead of conceding more, was taking away even what existed.
o Growth of self-confidence and self-respect.
o Impact of growth of education—increase in awareness and unemployment.
o International influences and events that demolished the myth of white/European supremacy. These
included— Emergence of Japan—an Asian country—as an industrial power — Abyssinia’s
(Ethiopia) victory over Italy. Hence option 1 is correct— Boer Wars (1899-1902) in which the
British faced reverses.— Japan’s victory over Russia (1905).— Nationalist movements worldwide.
o Reaction to increasing westernization.
o Dissatisfaction with the achievements as well as the methods of the Moderates. Hence option 2 is
correct.
o Reactionary policies of Curzon such as the Calcutta Corporation Act (1899), the Official Secrets Act
(1904), the Indian.
o Universities Act (1904) and partition of Bengal (1905).
o Existence of a militant school of thought.
o Emergence of a trained leadership. Hence option 3 is correct

Q 70.C
• The correct chronological order will be - British Indian Association - The East India Association - The
Indian League - Bombay Presidency Association.
• The Bengal British India Society was founded in 1843 with the object of the dissemination of information
relating to the actual condition of the people of British India and to employ the means of peaceful and
lawful character to secure the welfare of all classes of our fellow subjects. In 1851, both the
Landholders’ Society and the Bengal British India Society merged into the British Indian
Association.
• The East India Association was organised by Dadabhai Naoroji in 1866 in London to discuss the
Indian question and influence public men in England to promote Indian welfare.
• The Indian League was started in 1875 by Sisir Kumar Ghosh with the object of “stimulating the sense
of nationalism amongst the people” and of encouraging political education.
• The Bombay Presidency Association was started by Badruddin Tyabji, Pherozshah Mehta and K.T.
Telang in 1885.
• Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

28 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 71.A
• The communication network in British India underwent a significant transformation, driven by the needs
of colonial administration, trade, and military control
• Efficient Postal System:
o Prior to British rule: India possessed local messaging systems, but they lacked organization and
efficiency.
o British Intervention: The British established a standardized and organized postal network across the
country. This system ensured reliable and timely delivery of letters and parcels, connecting distant
parts of India.
o Impact: This improved communication fostered trade, administrative efficiency, and personal
correspondence, ultimately contributing to a more unified India.
• The British introduced a modern and efficient postal system in India, replacing the existing
inefficient and unreliable system.
o This new system facilitated regular mail delivery across the vast country, connecting distant
regions and improving communication.
o In the year 1853, the Telegraph line was started between Calcutta and Agra. It was the first
Telegraph line of India which was introduced by Lord Dalhousie. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Lord Dalhousie introduced several significant reforms and innovations, one of which was the
establishment of a postage stamp system.
o Recognizing the need for a modern postage system, Dalhousie proposed the introduction of
postage stamps in 1852. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

Q 72.C
• The beginning of the Indigo revolt was made by the ryots of Govindpur village in Nadia district when,
under the leadership of Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas, ex-employees of a planter, they gave up
indigo cultivation. And when, on 13 September, the planter sent a band of 100 lathyals to attack their
village, they organized a counterforce armed with lathis and spears and fought back. Hence pair 1 is
correctly matched.
• Vasudev Balwant Phadke, an educated clerk, raised a Ramosi peasant force of about 50 in Maharashtra
during 1879, and organized social banditry on a significant scale. Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.
• The Kuka Revolt in Punjab was led by Baba Ram Singh and had elements of a messianic movement. It
was crushed when 49 of the rebels were blown up by a cannon in 1872. Hence pair 3 is correctly
matched.
• Hence option (c) is the correct option.

Q 73.D
• The civil rebellions began as British rule was established in Bengal and Bihar, and they occurred in area
after area as it was incorporated into the colonial rule. Displaced peasants and demobilized soldiers of
Bengal led by religious monks and dispossessed zamindars were the first to rise in the Sanyasi rebellion,
made famous by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in his novel Anand Math, which lasted from 1763 to
1800.
• Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Q 74.C
• Recently, the Indian security agencies stopped a Pakistan-bound ship from China over suspicion
that it contained a dual-use consignment that could be used by Islamabad in its nuclear and ballistic
missile program.
• The Wassenaar Arrangement is a voluntary export control regime that promotes transparency and
responsibility in the transfer of dual-use goods and technologies and conventional arms. Hence
option (c) is the correct answer.
o The Arrangement was established in 1996 in Wassenaar, Netherlands.
o It has 42 participating states, including India, which joined in 2017.
• The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an informal, non-treaty agreement between 35
member states to limit the spread of missile and missile technology.
o The MTCR was established in 1987 by the G7 industrialized country.
o Member States agree to impose export control on missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and
related technology components and software. Hence option (a) is not correct.

29 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

• The Nuclear Suppliers Group NSG is a voluntary association of 48 countries that export and
transport civilian nuclear technologies. Hence option (b) is not correct.
o The NSG was formed in 1975 after India's nuclear test in 1974.
o The goal of NSG is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons by implementing guidelines for
nuclear and nuclear-related exports.
• The Australia Group is an informal group of 43 countries and the European Union that was
established in 1985 to prevent the spread of chemical and biological weapons (CBWs). Hence option
(d) is not correct.

Q 75.A
• The Vande Mataram movement was started on February 11, 1907, in Andhra Pradesh following the
announcement of the Bengal Partition of 1905.
• The Swadeshi movement was also known as Vandemataram movement in deltaic Andhra Pradesh.
Hence option (a) is the correct answer.
• During 1901, Bengal had become the nerve centre for Indian nationalism. At that time it was the biggest
province of British India and included parts of Bihar and Orissa.
• To weaken it, Lord Curzon (1899–1905) the Viceroy of India, proposed partition of Bengal.
• The official reason was stated as administrative inconvenience due to the size of Bengal. But partition
itself was based on a religious and political agenda.
• Bengal was to be divided into two regions i.e. East Bengal and Assam out of the rest of Bengal. Thus to
reduce the nationalist movement in Bengal and thereby in the entire country.
• But the Indian nationalists saw the design behind partition and condemned it unanimously, starting the
anti-partition and the Swadeshi movements.

Q 76.C
• The Labour Party, which had come to power in Britain after the War, was in a hurry to settle the
Indian problem. As a result the ban on the Congress was lifted and elections declared. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
• People were elated at the prospect of popular ministries and turned out in large numbers at election
meetings — 50,000 on an average, and a lakh or so when all India leaders were expected.
• Nehru, a seasoned campaigner of the 1937 elections, confessed that he had not previously seen such
crowds, such frenzied excitement.
• Except in constituencies where nationalist Muslims were put up, candidates did not really need to canvass
for votes or spend money. The election results indicated that people had not only flocked to the meetings
but had rallied behind the Congress at the ballot-box too.
• The Congress won over 90 percent of the general seats (including twenty-three of the thirty-six
labour seats) in the provincial elections while the Muslim League made a similar sweep in the
Muslim constituencies. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• But, perhaps, the most significant feature of the election campaign was that it sought to mobilize Indians
against the British, not merely voters for the elections.
• This was evident from the two issues which were taken up and made the main plank of the election
campaign — the repression in 1942 and the Indian National Army trials. Hence statement 3 is
correct.

Q 77.D
• In 1798, Lord Wellesley became the Governor-General, he built a massive palace, Government house
for himself in Calcutta. He was concerned about the condition of the city - the crowding, the excess
vegetation, the dirty tanks, the smells, and poor drainage. After Wellesley's departure, the work of town
planning was carried on by the Lottery Committee (1817) with the help of the government.
• The Lottery Committee was so named because funds for town improvement were raised through public
lotteries. In other words, in the early decades of the 19th century, raising funds for the city was still
thought to be the responsibility of public-minded citizens and not exclusively that of the government, the
lottery committee commissioned a new map of the city to get a comprehensive picture of Calcutta.
• Among the committees, major activities were road building in the Indian part of the city and clearing the
river bank of encroachments. In its drive to make the Indian areas of Calcutta cleaner, the committee
removed many huts and displaced the labouring poor, who were now pushed to the outskirts of Calcutta.
Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

30 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 78.B
• Rajkot, a small state with a population of roughly 75,000, situated in the Kathiawad peninsula, had an
importance out of all proportion to its size and rank among the States of Western India because Rajkot
city was the seat of the Western India State Agency from where the British Political Agent maintained his
supervision of the numerous States of the area.
• Rajkot had enjoyed the good fortune of being ruled for twenty years till 1930 — by Lakhajiraj, who had
taken great care to promote the industrial, educational and political development of his state.
• Lakhajiraj encouraged popular participation in government by inaugurating in 1923 the Rajkot
Praja Pratinidhi Sabha. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• This representative assembly consisted of ninety representatives elected on the basis of universal
adult franchise, something quite unusual in those times. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Though the Thakore Sahib, as the ruler was called, had full power to veto any suggestion, yet under
Lakhajiraj this was the exception rather than the rule and popular participation was greatly legitimized
under his aegis.
• Lakhajiraj had also encouraged nationalist political activity by giving permission to Mansukhlal Mehta
and Amritlal Sheth to hold the first Kathiawad Political Conference in Rajkot in 1921 which was presided
over by Vithalbhai Patel.
• He himself attended the Rajkot and Bhavnagar (1925) sessions of the Conference, donated land in Rajkot
for the starting of a national school that became the centre of political activity’ and, in defiance of the
British Political Agent or Resident, wore khadi as a symbol of the national movement.
• He was extremely proud of Gandhiji and his achievements and often invited ‘the son of Rajkot’ to the
Durbar and would then make Gandhiji sit on the throne while he himself sat in the Durbar. He gave a
public reception to Jawaharlal Nehru during his visit to the State.

Q 79.B
• Modern educated Indians viewed the revolt as backward-looking and believed that the British rule would
help them accomplish the task of modernization of India. They wanted to end the backwardness of India
at that time. It became one of the reasons that revolt could not embrace to entire country. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
• During the entire revolt, there was complete cooperation between Hindus and Muslims at all levels. All
the rebels recognized Bahadur Shah Zafar, a Muslim, as their emperor. The Hindu and Muslim rebels and
sepoys respected each other's sentiments. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• No more than 1 percent of the chiefs of India joined the revolt. Most rulers of the Indian states and the big
zamindars refused to join the revolt as their interests were better protected under British patronage and
also they were fearful of British might. Hence they acted as 'breakwaters to the storm.' Hence statement 3
is correct.

Q 80.A
• The Lucknow Pact of December 1916 was an understanding between the Congress and the Muslim
League (controlled by the UP-based “Young Party”) whereby the Congress accepted separate electorates.
The pact provided a joint political platform for the Moderates, Extremists, and the Muslim League.
Although the Lucknow pact marked a significant step forward for Hindu-Muslim unity, it was based on
the notion of treating Hindus and Muslims as separate entities. The Lucknow pact, therefore, left the way
open for the resurgence of communalism in Indian politics. The pact took place in the 1916 session and is
also known as the Lucknow Pact. It was presided over by Ambikacharan Majumdar.
• Tilak and Annie Besant had played a leading role in bringing about the Lucknow pact agreement between
the Congress and the League, much against the wishes of many influential leaders, including Madan
Mohan Malaviya. However, due to the support of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who was considered the most
orthodox of Hindus and the most outstanding scholar of ancient religious texts, the opposition stood little
chance of success and faded away. Hence statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.

Q 81.D
• A group of westerners led by Madame H.P. Blavatsky (1831- 1891) and Colonel M.S. Olcott, who
were inspired by Indian thought and culture, founded the Theosophical Society in New York City,
United States in 1875. In 1882, they shifted their headquarters to Adyar, on the outskirts of Madras
(at that time) in India. Hence option (d) is the correct answer.
• The society believed that a special relationship could be established between a person’s soul and
God by contemplation, prayer, revelation, etc. It accepted the Hindu beliefs in reincarnation and
31 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

karma, and drew inspiration from the philosophy of the Upanishads and samkhya, yoga and
Vedanta schools of thought. It aimed to work for universal brotherhood of humanity without
distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
• The society also sought to investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man. The
Theosophical Movement came to be allied with the Hindu renaissance. (At one time it allied with the
Arya Samaj too.) It opposed child marriage and advocated the abolition of caste discrimination, uplift of
outcastes, and improvement in the condition of widows.
• In India, the movement became somewhat popular with the election of Annie Besant (1847-1933) as its
president after the death of Olcott in 1907. Annie Besant had come to India in 1893. She laid the
foundation of the Central Hindu College in Benaras in 1898 where both Hindu religion and Western
scientific subjects were taught. The college became the nucleus for the formation of Benaras Hindu
University in 1916. Annie Besant also did much for the cause of the education of women.
• The Theosophical Society provided a common denominator for the various sects and fulfilled the urge of
educated Hindus. However, to an average Indian the Theosophist philosophy seemed to be vague and
lacking a positive programme; to that extent its impact was limited to a small segment of the westernized
class. As religious revivalists, the Theosophists did not attain much success, but as a movement of
westerners glorifying Indian religious and philosophical traditions, it gave much-needed self-respect to the
Indians fighting British colonial rule. Viewed from another angle, the Theosophists also had the effect of
giving a false sense of pride to the Indians in their outdated and sometimes backward-looking traditions
and philosophy.

Q 82.C
• Ketamine is an anaesthetic that has been listed as a hallucinogen by the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration. It is referred to as a dissociative anaesthetics hallucinogen because it creates a feeling of
detachment from pain and the environment. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• This drug is used for treating depression and other mental illness in the recent time. Due to its
powerful impact, it is used by those patients who have not responded to traditional therapies.
• Ketamine is also used as a recreational drug, popularly known as K or special K among clubgoers.
• Ketamine has a power to affect brain receptors that traditional antidepressants do not target.
• Ketamine is considered as a safe drug until it is taken only for medicinal purpose and in the right
dose. It is also observed that this drug can become addictive and when taken chronically in high
dose can cause severe bladder damage. It can also lead to cognitive impairment.
• The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 prohibits the production, cultivation,
possession, sale, purchase, transport, storage, and consumption of any narcotic drugs or
psychotropic substances. Ketamine has been placed under the list of psychotropic substances under
this act to avoid its misuse and as a preventive measure. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Q 83.C
• The Pitt's India Act 1784 or the East India Company Act 1784 was passed in the British Parliament to
rectify the defects of the Regulating Act 1773. This Act gave the British Government supreme control
over the Company's affairs and its administration in India. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• While the East India Company became the instrument of British national policy, India was to be made to
serve the interests of all sections of the ruling classes of Britain. The Company having saved its
monopoly of the Indian and Chinese trade was satisfied. Its directors retained the profitable right of
appointing and dismissing its British officials in India. Moreover, the Government of India was to be
carried out through their agency. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• It resulted in dual control or joint government in India by the Crown in Great Britain and the
British East India Company, with the Crown having ultimate authority. It established six
Commissioners for the affairs of India, popularly known as the Board of Control, including two Cabinet
Ministers. For political matters, the Board of Control was created and for commercial affairs, the Court of
Directors was appointed.. The Board of Control was to guide and control the work of the Court of
Directors and the Government of India. In important and urgent matters it had the power to send direct
orders to India through a secret committee of Directors. Hence statement 3 is correct.
• Other provisions:
o It was the first attempt by the parliament to control the company (indirectly).
o The Board was to "superintend, direct and control" the government of the Company's possessions, in
effect controlling the acts and operations relating to the civil, military, and revenues of the Company.

32 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

o The Governor General - in-council of the Company was reduced to three from four members, and the
governor-general, a crown appointee, was authorized to veto the majority decisions. The Governors of
Bombay and Madras were also deprived of their independence.
o The Supreme Court of Calcutta was meant only for English subjects.
o The act authorized the Court of Directors to make all the recruitments in India.
o By a supplementary act passed in 1786, Lord Cornwallis was appointed as the second Governor
General of Bengal, and he then became the effective ruler of British India under the authority of the
Board of Control and the Court of Directors.

Q 84.A
• Wood’s Despatch Act was a policy document issued in 1854 by Sir Charles Wood, who was in charge of
the East India Company, to Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India. Wood's communique
suggested a major shift to popularising the use of English within India. It is considered the Magna Carta
of English education in India. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Wood's Despatch emphasized the importance of educating women and suggested the establishment of
teacher training schools. These initiatives were aimed at improving the overall quality of education and
making education accessible to a broader section of Indian society. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Woods advocated for the use of vernacular languages in elementary schools, Anglo-vernacular languages
in high schools, and English for college students. Hence statement 3 is not correct.

Q 85.B
• The Quit India Movement marked a new high in terms of popular participation in the national movement
and sympathy with the national cause in earlier mass struggles, the youth were in the forefront of the
struggle.
• Students from colleges and even schools were the most visible element, espeecia1ly in the early days of
August (probably the average age of participants in the 1942 struggle was even lower than that in earlier
movements).
• Women especially college an school girls, played a very important role. Aruna Asaf Ali and Sucheta
Kripalani were two major women organizers of the underground, and Usha Mehta an important
member of the small group that ran the Congress Radio.
• Workers were prominent as well, and made considerable sacrifice by enduring long strikes and braving
police repression in the streets.
• A remarkable aspect of the new phase of the revolutionary terrorist movement in Bengal was the large-
scale participation of young women Under Surya Sen’s leadership, they provided shelter, acted as
messengers and custodians of arms, and fought, guns in hand. Pritilata Waddedar died while

33 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

conducting a raid in 1932, while Kalpana Dutt (now Joshi) was arrested and tried along with Surya Sen
and given a life sentence.
o Thus Pritilata Waddedar was not associated with Quit India Movement.
• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 86.B
• Recent context: The Prime Minister of India inaugurated the redevelopment plan of Sabarmati
Ashram to mark the 94th anniversary of the Dandi March. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the
redeveloped Kochrab ashram from Ahmedabad.
• Kochrab Ashram, also known as Satyagraha Ashram, was the first Ashram founded by Mahatma
Gandhi in India.
o It was established in 1915 after returning from South Africa.
o The Ashram is located in Kochrab village, an outskirt of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
o Gandhiji's friend, barrister Jivanlal Desai, gave him the ashram, a European-style (white-washed
façade) bungalow with a large garden.
• Gandhiji and his followers lived in the ashram for about a year and a half before moving to a new
location, due to a plague outbreak, which is now known as Sabarmati Ashram.
o Sabarmati Ashram also known as Gandhi Ashram or Harijan Ashram is located in the
Sabarmati suburb of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
o It was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 on the bank of the Sabarmati River.
• Sevagram, which translates to the village of service, has become the center of many important national
movements after an ashram was established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. It acted as a residence of
Mahatma Gandhi from 1936 to 1948.
• Phoenix Settlement in Durban, South Africa is an Ashram founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1904 for
community living.
• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 87.B
• First Anglo- Sikh War(1845-46) - The outbreak of the first Anglo-Sikh war has been attributed to the
action of the Sikh army crossing the River Sutlej on December 11, 1845. Lord Hardinge- I led the
British army in the war. The end of the first Anglo-Sikh War forced the Sikhs to sign the treaty of
Lahore on March 8, 1846. The Jalandhar Doab (between the Beas and the Sutlej) was annexed to the
Company’s dominions. A British resident was to be established at Lahore under Henry Lawrence. Since,
the Sikhs were not able to pay the entire war indemnity, Kashmir including Jammu was sold to Gulab
Singh. Hence, pair 1 is correctly matched.
• Third Anglo-Mysore War(1790-92) - A dispute arose between Tipu and the state of Travancore.
Travancore had purchased Jalkottal and Cannanore from the Dutch in the Cochin state. As Cochin was a
feudatory of Tipu, he considered the act of Travancore as a violation of his sovereign rights. So, in April
1790, Tipu declared war against Travancore for the restoration of his rights. The English, siding with
Travancore, attacked Tipu. In 1790, Tipu defeated the English under General Meadows. In
1791, Cornwallis took the leadership and at the head of a large army marched through Ambur and
Vellore to Bangalore (captured in March 1791) and from there to Seringapatam. Coimbatore fell to them,
but they lost it again, and at last with the support of the Marathas and the Nizam, the English attacked
Seringapatam for the second time. Tipu offered serious opposition, but the odds were against him.
Consequently, he had to pay heavily under the Treaty of Seringapatam. Hence pair 2 is not correctly
matched.
• Treaty of Seringapatam- Under this treaty of 1792, nearly half of the Mysorean territory was taken over
by the victors. Baramahal, Dindigul and Malabar went to the English, while the Marathas got the regions
surrounding the Tungabhadra and its tributaries and the Nizam acquired the areas from the Krishna
beyond the Pennar.
• Second Anglo-Maratha War(1803-05) - After Peshwa Madhavrao Narayan committed suicide in 1795,
Bajirao II, the worthless son of Raghunathrao, became the Peshwa. Nana Phadnavis, a bitter foe of Bajirao
II, became the chief minister. The dissensions among the Marathas provided the English with an
opportunity to intervene in Maratha affairs. The death of Nana Phadnavis in 1800 gave the British an
added advantage. On April 1, 1801 the Peshwa brutally murdered the brother of Jaswantrao Holkar,
Vithuji. A furious Jaswant arrayed his forces against the combined armies of Sindhia and Bajirao II. The
turmoil continued and on October 25, 1802, Jaswant defeated the armies of the Peshwa and Sindhia

34 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

decisively at Hadapsar near Poona and placed Vinayakrao, son of Amritrao, on the Peshwa’s seat. A
terrified Bajirao II fled to Bassein where, on December 31, 1802, he signed a treaty with the English.
• Treaty of Bassein (1802) - Under the treaty, the Peshwa agreed:
o to receive from the Company a native infantry to be permanently stationed in his territories;
o to surrender the city of Surat;
o to give up all claims for chauth on the Nizam’s dominions;
o to accept the Company’s arbitration in all differences between him and the Nizam or the Gaekwad;
• After the Peshwa accepted the subsidiary alliance, Sindhia and Bhonsle attempted to save Maratha's
independence. However, the well-prepared and organised army of the English under Arthur Wellesley
defeated the combined armies of Sindhia and Bhonsle and forced them to conclude separate subsidiary
treaties with the English. Hence, pair 3 is correctly matched.

Q 88.B
• The Surat split of 1907 followed suppression of the extremists and the slow development of atma shakti
lost its appeal. But at the same in time in London, numerous informal nationalist organizations were
working. The most important among them was the India House.
• The India House was based in London and was established by Shyamji Krishna Verma to promote
the nationalist views among the Indians of Britain. It published a newspaper “The Indian Sociologist”
which used its subtitle –An Organ of Freedom, and Political, Social, and Religious Reform. Hence
statement 1 is not correct.
• Several revolutionaries got associated with the India house and most important ones are V D Savarkar and
Madan Lal Dheengra. Others were V.N. Chatterjee, Lala Har Dayal, V. V. S. Aiyar, M.P.T. Acharya and
P.M. Bapat. All of them later laid the foundation of militant nationalism in India. The newspaper was later
banned for sedition.
• Sir Curzon Wyllie was shot dead by Madan Lal Dhingra, associated with India House, in order to
give the British a clear message to free India. He wished to committe suicide but was arrested. He was
trialed and hanged on 17 August 1909. The sacrifice of Dhingra not only inspired the Indians but also the
Irish, who were struggling at that time for autonomy. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Q 89.B
• Recently, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has recognized Pandavula Gutta and Ramgarh
crater as Geo-Heritage sites.
o Geo-heritage sites are sites of rare and unique geological, geomorphological, paleontological, and
stratigraphic significance.
o A geological feature formed by the impact of a meteorite is known as Astrobleme. The Ramgarh
crater is one of the three such meteorite impact craters in India. The other two are Lonar in
Maharashtra and Dhala in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Ramgarh Crater is located in Rajasthan and situated on the old course of river Parbati. It was
discovered by the Geological Survey of India in 1869.
• The crater was recognized and added to the ‘Earth Impact Database’ by the Planetary and Space
Science Centre in Canada. The Earth Impact Database provides information about the confirmed
meteoroid impact structures in the world.
• The Geological Survey of India was established in 1851 by Thomas Oldham, primarily to find coal
deposits for the railways. At present, its functions include the creation and updation of natural
geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment.
• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Q 90.B
• The Indian National Association was also known as the Indian Association of Calcutta. It superseded
the Indian League and was founded in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan
Bose, who were getting discontented with the conservative and pro-landlord policies of the British Indian
Association. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The Indian National Association aimed to create a strong public opinion on political questions, and
unify Indian people in a common political programme. The association sponsored an all-India
conference which first took place in Calcutta in 1883. It later merged with the Indian National
Congress in 1886. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Activities of the Indian National Association:

35 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

o It protested against the reduction of the age limit in 1877 for candidates of the Indian Civil Services
examination. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
o The association demanded the simultaneous holding of civil service examinations in England and
India and Indianization of higher administrative posts.
o It led a campaign against the Repressive Arms Act and the Vernacular Press Act introduced by Lytton
in 1878.

Q 91.C
• A volunteer brigade named 'Khudai Khidmatgars', also known as 'Red Shirts' was active in the
North West Frontier region under Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, a pashtun freedom fighter. He was
also known as Frontier Gandhi. Hence option (c) is the correct answer.
• Between March and December 1931, severe repression had been unleashed against the Khudai
Khidmatgars and the peasants led by them who were agitating against the brutal methods of tax-collection
by the government.
• Over time, the movement acquired a more political colour, leading to the British taking notice of its
growing prominence in the region. Following the arrest of Khan and other leaders in 1929, the movement
formally joined the Indian National Congress after they failed to receive support from the All-India
Muslim League. Members of the Khudai Khidmatgar were organised and the men stood out because of
the bright red shirts they wore as uniforms, while the women wore black garments.

Q 92.B
• G.L. Mehta, the president of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), argued
in 1943, that ‘A consistent programme of reforms’ was the most effective remedy against social
upheavals.’
• It was with this reform perspective that the ‘Post War Economic Development Committee,’ set up
by the capitalists in 1942, which eventually drafted the Bombay Plan, was to function. Hence
statement 1 is not correct.
• Its attempt was to incorporate ‘whatever is sound and feasible in the socialist movement’ and see ‘how far
socialist demands could be accommodated without capitalism surrendering any of its essential features.’
• The Bombay Plan, therefore, seriously took up the question of rapid economic growth and equitable
distribution, even arguing for the necessity of partial nationalization, the public sector, land reform
and a series of workers’ welfare schemes. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• One may add that the basic assumption made by the Bombay planners was that the plan could be
implemented only by an independent national Government.

Q 93.A
• India Tex project is launched at Bharat TEX 2024, one of the largest ever global textile events
organized in India. It is a four-year project duration from 2023-27.
o It was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is a part of One
UNEP Textile Initiative.
o This initiative provides strategic leadership and encourages sector-wide collaboration to
accelerate a just transition toward a sustainable and circular textile value chain.
o India Tex is implemented by UNEP in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles.
o This program will be funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
• It is based on 3 key concepts:
o Eco-innovation: Guides Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in incorporating circularity and
resilience into every aspect to reduce the environmental and social impact of human activity.
o Product Environmental Footprint (PEF): PEF measures the environmental performance of a good
or service throughout its life cycle.
o Circularity: Based on the principle of Reduce by design, as well as value-retention processes:
Reduce, Reuse, Refurbish, Repurpose, Recycle, etc. So, this project aims to accelerate the transition
of the Indian textile sector towards circularity.
• There are three main focus areas of this project: scaling circular business mode, addressing over-
consumption and over-production and eliminating hazardous chemicals.
• Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

36 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 94.A
• A significant feature of the Quit India Movement was the emergence of what came to be known as
parallel governments in some parts of the country.
• Among different places, the parallel governments in Satara in Maharashtra, Tamluk in the Midnapur
district of Bengal and Ballia, in East United Province were most prominent.
• The parallel government Satara lasted for the longest duration. It started in August 1943 and remained
till May 1945. Here the parallel government came to be known as Prati Sarkar.
• The leaders like Y.B. Chauhan and Nana Patil provided leadership to the parallel government. The
activities of the parallel government were marked by attacks on Government collaborators, informers and
talatis or lower-level officials and Robin Hood-style robberies. Nyayadan Mandals or people’s courts
were set up and justice dispensed. Prohibition was enforced, and ‘Gandhi marriages’ celebrated to which
untouchables were invited and at which no ostentation was allowed. The Prati Sarkar continued to
function till 1945.
• The first parallel government during the Quit India Movement was proclaimed in Ballia, in East U P, in
August 1942 under the leadership of Chittu Pande.
• In Tamluk in the Midnapur district of Bengal, the Jatiya Sarkar came into existence on 17 December,
1942 and lasted till September 1944. The Jatiya Sarkar also established Vidyut Vahini, an armed
organisation to carry out revolutionary activity.
• The Parallel government was set up in some parts of the country, not in all Congress-ruled provinces. It
was not set up in Jhansi and Rajkot.
o The Congress ministries in different provinces resigned in 1939, in protest of the government's
decision to join the war without their prior approval.
• Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Q 95.B
• Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When the cancer starts in the cervix, it
is called cervical cancer. The cervical cancer occurs most often in women over age 30 and it is the
second most common cancer among females in India.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the cause of cervical cancer, is a group of more than 200
related viruses and can be categorized into two groups - low-risk and high-risk. Low-risk HPVs rarely
cause cancer, whereas high-risk HPVs are the main cause of cancers. Out of 12 high-risk HPV,
HPV16 and HPV18 are responsible for most of the HPV-related cancers. Hence statement 1 is not
correct.
• There are six HPV vaccines available globally, which protect against the high-risk HPV16 and
HPV18. Cervavac is the first indigenous vaccine against cervical cancer in India. It is developed and
manufactured by Serum Institute of India. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• HPV vaccine should be given to all girls aged 9 to 14 years. After the age of 30, screening should be
done after every 5-10 years that can detect cervical disease. So, the Union Government of India
proposed in the interim budget of 2024-25, a programme for vaccinations of all the girls in the age
group of 9-14 years to prevent cervical cancer.
• The World Health Organization has also outlined the 90-70-90 targets for each country for elimination of
cervical cancer by 2030.
o 90% of girls by the age of 15 should be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine.
o 70% of women should be screened by the age of 35 and again by the age of 45.
o 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer should be managed.

Q 96.A
• Moderates believed in England’s providential mission in India. They believed political connections
with Britain to be in India’s social, political and cultural interests. On the other hand, Extremists rejected
‘providential mission theory’ as an illusion. They believed that political connections with Britain would
perpetuate British exploitation of India. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The social base of moderates included zamindars and upper middle classes in towns. In contrast, the social
base of extremists included educated middle and lower-middle classes in towns. Hence statement 2 is not
correct.
• Moderate leaders insisted on the use of constitutional methods only. The Extremist leaders
disfavoured the use of violence against British rule and did not approve the methods of political murder
and assassination used by the Indian revolutionaries. However, the extremist leaders did not hesitate to
use extra-constitutional methods like boycotting and passive resistance to achieve their objectives.
Hence statement 3 is not correct.
37 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 97.C
• Recently, the Supreme Court in Pankaj Bansal v. Union of India case held that the arrest made by the
ED is illegal if the grounds of arrest are not furnished in writing.
o The Supreme Court is of the view that the lack of written ground of arrest will result in the
violation of the protection granted under Article 22 of the Indian Constitution. So, ED has no
power to arrest a person without giving the ground of arrest in return.
• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency of
the Government of India that enforces economic law and fights economic crimes.
• It was established in 1956 as an ‘enforcement unit’ under the Department of Economic Affairs and
moved to the Department of Revenue in 1960. Now it is under the Minister of Finance.
• The statutory functions of the Directorate include enforcement of the following acts:
o Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002
o Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999
o Fugitive Economic Offender Act, 2018
• The Director of the Enforcement Directorate is appointed in accordance with the provision of the
Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003. As per it, the Director is appointed by Centre on the
recommendation of a high-level committee headed by the Central Resilience Commissioner.
• Hence option (c) is the correct answer.

Q 98.D
• Sir John Shore (1751-1834) was the Governor-General of Bengal (1793-1798) and an expert in the
Bengal revenue system. He arrived in Calcutta in 1768 as a writer (apprentice clerk) of the English East
India Company, when the company's Colonial State was just being formed and the great trading company
was taking over the collection of land revenues, the key to political control of India.
• Lord William Bentinck was a British Governor-General of Bengal (1828–33) and of India (1833–35).
An aristocrat who sympathized with many of the liberal ideas of his day, he made important
administrative reforms in Indian government and society. He reformed the finances, opened up judicial
posts to Indians, and suppressed such practices as suttee, or widow burning, and thuggee, or ritual murder
by robber gangs.
• Lord Metcalfe (Governor General of India 1835-36) had succeeded Lord William Bentinck, being
senior member of council. His short term of office is memorable for the measure which his predecessor
had initiated, but which he carried into execution. He is best known for giving entire liberty to the press. It
was the Public opinion in India, but there were people at home as well as India who opposed this policy.
Due to his liberal policy towards press, Lord Metcalfe is known as Liberator of India Press.
• Charles John Canning, 1st Earl Canning, was an English statesman who was the Governor-General of
India (1856-58) and later became the first Viceroy of India (1858-62)when power was transferred from
the East India Company to the British Crown following the end of the revolt of 1857.Hence option (d) is
the correct answer.

Q 99.C
• Bhulabhai Desai was a leader of the Congress Party in the Central Assembly and also a personal friend of
the Deputy Leader of the Muslim league, Liaqat Ali Khan.
• To break the deadlock in the formation of interim government at the centre in 1945 both leaders held a
series of discussions for cooperation between the Muslim League and Congress and the proposals agreed
came to be known as the Desai-Liaqat pact.
• In this deal, Liaqat gave up the demand for a separate state for Muslims in exchange for an equal number
of Muslims-to-Hindus in the council of ministers.
• Provisions of this pact were:
• An equal number of persons nominated by the Congress and the League in the central legislature.
Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Twenty per cent of the seats reserved for minorities. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The government was to be formed and was to function with the framework of the existing Government of
India Act, 1935.

38 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/
https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/

Q 100.B
• Haripura Session: At the Congress meeting in Haripura, Gujarat, in February 1938, Subhash Candra
Bose was unanimously elected president of the session.The session adopted a resolution that
the Congress would give moral support to those who were agitating against the governance in the
princely states.
• Tripuri Session: In January 1939, Subhash Chandra Bose decided to stand again for the president’s
post in the Congress. Gandhi was not happy with Bose’s candidature.
• Subhash Chandra Bose won the election by 1580 votes against 1377; he got the full support of
the Congress Socialist Party and the communists.○ Bose was ill when the Tripuri session took place,
but he attended it and in his presidential speech he prophecised that an imperialist war was about to
take place in Europe.
• He was in favour of giving a six-month ultimatum to Britain to grant the national demand of
independence.
• Gandhi, on the other hand, was firm in the belief that it was not the time for such ultimatums as neither
the Congress nor the masses were yet ready for struggle.
• In the circumstances, Bose saw no option but to resign.He resigned from the president’s post in April
1939.
• All India Forward Bloc:
o Bose and his followers formed the Forward Bloc (at Makur, Unnao) as a new party within the
Congress. Hence statement 1 is not correct but statement 2 is correct.
o The party re-established as an independent political party after the independence of India.

39 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

https://upscpdf.com/ https://upscpdf.com/