Detailed explanation

Statements 2 and 3 are the intended correct statements, giving option (d). The supplied answer (a) is inconsistent with the historical dates. This question tests whether you can distinguish the date of an enabling law from the establishment of an institution, and an early experimental telegraph line from a later long-distance connection.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• 1773 — Regulating Act: an early attempt at parliamentary control over Company government; the Governor of Bengal became Governor-General of Bengal.
• 1781 — Calcutta Madrasa was established under Warren Hastings; 1791 — Sanskrit College at Varanasi under Jonathan Duncan. Both are associated with Oriental learning.
• 1784 — Pitt’s India Act: political supervision by the Board of Control alongside Company administration.
• 1853 — the first passenger railway ran between Bombay and Thane. Railways and telegraphs improved communication but also served military and commercial colonial interests.
• 1861 — High Courts Act; 1862 — three presidency High Courts established; 1865 — revised Letters Patent. Learn these as distinct stages.

Reference: High Court history: 1862 and 1865

Detailed explanation

The expected answer is (a), statements 3 and 4. The two dates attached to Haider Ali are incorrect in the usual exam chronology. The statements about Tipu refer to his association with French revolutionary symbols at Srirangapatna; this should not be confused with his becoming a member of a political club in Paris.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• First Anglo-Mysore War, 1767–1769: ended with the Treaty of Madras. Haider Ali demonstrated Mysore’s ability to challenge Company power.
• Second Anglo-Mysore War, 1780–1784: began under Haider and ended under Tipu with the Treaty of Mangalore.
• Third Anglo-Mysore War, 1790–1792: ended with the Treaty of Seringapatam; Tipu lost substantial territory and paid an indemnity.
• Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, 1799: Tipu died defending Srirangapatna. Lord Wellesley was Governor-General.
• Mysore invested in military production, artillery and iron-cased rockets. Its resistance involved both military innovation and attempts to secure external allies.

Reference: Haidar Ali: Dindigul command and arsenal

Detailed explanation

Dholavira and Rakhigarhi are in present-day India, so option (a) is correct. Mohenjo-daro and Ganweriwala are in present-day Pakistan. The geographical spread of the Harappan civilisation extended across today’s international border; its name does not imply that every site lies in the modern Republic of India.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• The mature Harappan phase is generally dated to about 2600–1900 BCE. Earlier and later phases extend beyond this range.
• Harappa — Punjab, Pakistan; Mohenjo-daro — Sindh, Pakistan. Do not interchange their provincial locations.
• Kalibangan — Rajasthan, associated with evidence of a ploughed field; Lothal — Gujarat, associated with a structure traditionally interpreted as a dockyard.
• Banawali — Haryana; Ropar/Rupnagar — Punjab, India. Modern Punjab exists on both sides of the border, so specify the country.
• Dholavira became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. This is a later revision fact, not a fact that was available when an earlier paper was set.
• Urban planning, standardised weights, craft specialisation and long-distance exchange are major features. The script remains undeciphered, limiting certainty about political institutions.

Detailed explanation

The intended matching is A–4, B–3, C–1, D–2, giving option (b). Delhi Durbar refers here to the imperial assembly of 1877, the Second Anglo-Afghan War began in 1878, and Victoria’s imperial title belongs to 1876. The Kuka entry needs a qualification: 1872 marks a major uprising and repression, rather than the movement’s original beginning.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• The Kuka/Namdhari movement combined religious and social reform with opposition to British authority. Ram Singh is its central nineteenth-century leader.
• Ram Singh’s organised movement is commonly dated to 1857; earlier Namdhari origins are associated with Balak Singh. Avoid learning 1872 as its absolute starting point.
• Delhi Durbars were held in 1877, 1903 and 1911. The 1911 Durbar accompanied the announcement that the imperial capital would shift from Calcutta to Delhi.
• The Treaty of Gandamak belongs to 1879 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. British influence over Afghan external relations was a central issue.
• First Anglo-Afghan War: 1839–1842; second: 1878–1880; third: 1919. These wars belong to different political settings.

Detailed explanation

Gulamgiri, translated as Slavery,, was written by Jyotirao Phule in 1873. The option’s “Jyotiba Pule” refers to Jyotiba Phule. The work challenges caste oppression and the ideological claims used to legitimise social hierarchy.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• 1873 — Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj, or Society of Truth Seekers, to challenge caste domination and promote social equality.
• Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule worked for girls’ education and education for socially excluded communities; their Pune school initiative began in 1848.
• Gulamgiri was dedicated to those in the United States who worked for the emancipation of enslaved people, connecting struggles against different forms of oppression.
• Shetkaryacha Asud, usually translated as Cultivator’s Whipcord, is another work associated with Phule and concerns the exploitation of cultivators.
• Savitribai Phule was an educator, poet and reformer in her own right. Do not reduce her contribution to being only the wife of Jyotirao.
• A useful comparison: Phule—Satyashodhak Samaj; Dayanand—Arya Samaj; Vivekananda—Ramakrishna Mission; Rammohan Roy—Brahmo Sabha.

Detailed explanation

The Indian Universities Act was passed in 1904 during Lord Curzon’s viceroyalty. It followed the Indian Universities Commission of 1902, chaired by Thomas Raleigh. The question tests the date of the Act, not the date of the commission that preceded it.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• 1854 — Wood’s Despatch set out a broad framework for education, including education departments and universities.
• 1857 — universities were established at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. These initially functioned mainly as examining and affiliating bodies.
• 1882 — Hunter Education Commission under Ripon focused especially on primary and secondary education.
• 1902 — Raleigh Commission; 1904 — Indian Universities Act. Distinguish inquiry from legislation.
• 1917–1919 — Sadler Commission examined Calcutta University and the relationship between school and university education.
• 1929 — Hartog Committee stressed consolidation and quality, including the problems of wastage and stagnation in primary education.
• Curzon presented his measures as improvements in standards; critics saw increased government control as a restriction on educational autonomy.

Detailed explanation

Sindh was conquered and annexed in 1843 during Lord Ellenborough’s tenure as Governor-General. Sir Charles Napier commanded the British forces. The question asks for the Governor-General, so the military commander and the political head must not be confused.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• Charles Napier defeated the forces of the Talpur rulers at Miani in February 1843 and at Dubba, near Hyderabad in Sindh, in March 1843.
• The conquest extended Company control over the lower Indus region. Strategic communications and commercial interests formed part of the wider context.
• Distinguish Hyderabad in Sindh from Hyderabad in the Deccan; the shared place name is a common source of confusion.
• Punjab was annexed in 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War, not in the same year as Sindh.
• Awadh was annexed in 1856 on the stated ground of misgovernment, not through the Doctrine of Lapse.
• A wider sequence is useful: Sindh 1843 → Punjab 1849 → Awadh 1856 → Revolt 1857.

Detailed explanation

The expected answer is (c): statement 1 is accepted with a legal qualification, while statement 2 is incorrect. The Charter Act of 1833 directed measures towards ameliorating and ending slavery; it did not instantly eliminate slavery throughout Company territories. Awadh was annexed in 1856, not 1855.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• Charter Act 1833: the Governor-General of Bengal became Governor-General of India; William Bentinck was the first to hold the latter designation.
• The Act ended the Company’s remaining commercial activities, including its privileged China trade, leaving it principally an administrative body.
• It centralised legislative authority and provided for a law member in the Governor-General’s Council; Macaulay became the first law member.
• The Indian Slavery Act of 1843 curtailed the legal enforcement of claims to ownership over persons and prevented specified official involvement in slave transactions. Distinguish this from the policy provision of 1833.
• Awadh’s annexation damaged the position of the court, taluqdars and dependants; the resulting discontent contributed to the conditions behind the 1857 revolt.
• Doctrine of Lapse concerned succession in certain dependent states. The annexation of Awadh used a different stated justification: misgovernment.

Reference: Indian Slavery Act, 1843

Detailed explanation

Both statements are incorrect, making option (b) correct. Young Bengal is associated with Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and his students, while the Prarthana Samaj was founded in Bombay in 1867. This question changes both a founder and a date.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• Derozio taught at Hindu College during the late 1820s and early 1830s. His followers are often called Derozians.
• Young Bengal questioned social and religious orthodoxy, but its influence remained limited largely to an educated urban circle.
• Prarthana Samaj was influenced by the broader Brahmo reform current and the work of Keshab Chandra Sen.
• M. G. Ranade and R. G. Bhandarkar were prominent figures associated with Prarthana Samaj and western Indian social reform.
• Reform concerns included widow remarriage, women’s education, caste restrictions and the age of marriage. Religious reform and social reform frequently overlapped.
• Brahmo Sabha—1828; Prarthana Samaj—1867; Satyashodhak Samaj—1873; Arya Samaj—1875; Ramakrishna Mission—1897.

Detailed explanation

Both statements are correct, so option (a) is the answer. Gandhi’s “Do or Die” call belongs to the Quit India Movement of August 1942. Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Forward Bloc in 1939 after his conflict with the Congress leadership and resignation from its presidency.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• The failure of the Cripps Mission in 1942 was an important immediate background to Quit India. Wartime conditions and the threat of Japanese advance intensified political tensions.
• The resolution was adopted at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay, now associated with August Kranti Maidan.
• Major Congress leaders were arrested on 9 August 1942. The loss of central leadership contributed to decentralised protests and underground activity.
• Aruna Asaf Ali is associated with hoisting the flag at Gowalia Tank; Usha Mehta helped operate the underground Congress Radio.
• Parallel governments arose in places including Ballia, Tamluk and Satara, though their duration and organisation differed.
• Bose presided over the Haripura Congress in 1938 and won re-election at Tripuri in 1939 before resigning. The Forward Bloc was not founded after the launch of Quit India.
• Do not equate the Forward Bloc with the Indian National Army: they were different organisations with different origins.

Detailed explanation

The supplied answer is (c), but statement 1 compresses a disputed organisational chronology and should be treated cautiously. Statement 2 is clearly incorrect: Jawaharlal Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution on 13 December 1946. Ambedkar’s central role in drafting the Constitution was a separate contribution.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• 9 December 1946 — the Constituent Assembly first met; Sachchidananda Sinha served as temporary chairman.
• 11 December 1946 — Rajendra Prasad was elected President of the Constituent Assembly.
• 13 December 1946 — Nehru introduced the Objectives Resolution; 22 January 1947 — the Assembly adopted it.
• 29 August 1947 — the Drafting Committee was appointed, with B. R. Ambedkar as its chairman.
• 26 November 1949 — the Constitution was adopted; 26 January 1950 — its main provisions came into force.
• The Objectives Resolution articulated guiding principles for the constitutional project and provided an important foundation for the Preamble.
• Saumyendranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore and Surendranath Banerjea are different people. Initials alone are insufficient for accurate revision.

Reference: RCPI: organisational origins

Reference: Exam account: 1942 interpretation

Detailed explanation

The correct sequence is 1, 2, 4, 3, giving option (b): C. R. Das died in 1925; the Simon Commission was appointed in 1927; the Nehru Report appeared in 1928; Jatin Das died in 1929. The key distinction is that the commission’s appointment preceded its arrival in India.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru established the Swaraj Party in 1923 after disagreement over whether nationalists should enter legislative councils.
• The Simon Commission arrived in India in February 1928. “Appointed in 1927” and “arrived in 1928” are both correct statements about different stages.
• Lala Lajpat Rai was injured during a protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore and died in November 1928.
• The Nehru Report is associated with Motilal Nehru, not simply with Jawaharlal Nehru because of the shared surname.
• Jatin Das’s hunger strike lasted 63 days. Distinguish him from Jatindranath Mukherjee, known as Bagha Jatin.
• The Lahore Congress of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, adopted Purna Swaraj as its objective.
• 26 January 1930 was observed as Independence Day by the nationalist movement; this helped give 26 January its later constitutional significance.

Detailed explanation

The correct relative order is Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Alamgir II, giving option (a). These four were not consecutive emperors. Several rulers, especially Muhammad Shah, came between Farrukhsiyar and Ahmad Shah; a correct ordering must not erase that gap.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• After Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, Bahadur Shah I ruled from 1707 to 1712. The later succession struggles strengthened the influence of powerful nobles.
• The Sayyid brothers, Abdullah Khan and Husain Ali Khan, are often described as kingmakers in early eighteenth-century Mughal politics.
• Muhammad Shah ruled from 1719 to 1748. Nadir Shah invaded India and sacked Delhi in 1739 during his reign.
• Farrukhsiyar’s farman of 1717 granted important trading concessions to the English East India Company; the use and abuse of trade privileges later contributed to conflict in Bengal.
• Shah Alam II, a later emperor, was involved in the political settlement after the Battle of Buxar in 1764 and the grant of Diwani to the Company in 1765.
• Imperial decline did not mean all regional economic activity immediately collapsed. Bengal, Awadh and Hyderabad developed as important successor states.
• For chronology, attach each ruler to one anchor event rather than memorising names without context.

Detailed explanation

The correct order is Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), the Malabar/Moplah rebellion (1921), and Bardoli (1928). This produces 3, 2, 4, 1, or option (b). “Khera” in the question refers to Kheda. The four movements involved agrarian grievances but did not have identical methods or social contexts.

Statement / option-by-option analysis

Expanded topic notes

• Tinkathia required indigo cultivation on three-twentieths of a holding under the prevalent arrangement. Raj Kumar Shukla helped bring the Champaran grievances to Gandhi’s attention.
• Champaran concerned indigo cultivation and planter coercion; Kheda concerned revenue collection after crop failure; Bardoli concerned an increased revenue assessment.
• The Ahmedabad mill workers’ strike of 1918 was an industrial labour struggle, not a peasant movement, although it belongs to the same early phase of Gandhi’s Indian campaigns.
• In Malabar, many Mappila tenants faced oppressive agrarian relations. Anti-colonial mobilisation, religious identities and violence against civilians all need to be included in a balanced account.
• Patel became widely associated with the title “Sardar” following Bardoli. Do not transfer leadership of Bardoli to Gandhi merely because it used satyagraha.
• A refusal to pay revenue required collective discipline: officials could attach property and attempt auctions. Local organisation and mutual support were central to sustained resistance.
• Earlier Mappila outbreaks occurred before 1921. In this question, “Mopla Peasants Movement” refers to the major 1921 rebellion.