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INSIGHTS – HISTORY BONUS TEST

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1. Consider the following statements

1. Dayanand Saraswati gave a utopian explanation for chaturvarna and

sought to maintain it on the basis of virtue

2. Narayan Guru gave the slogan - „no religion, no caste and no God for

mankind.‟

Which of the above is/are correct?

a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None

Solution: a)

Ranade, Dayanand and Vivekananda denounced the existing system of caste in no

uncertain terms. While the reform movements generally stood for its abolition,

Dayanand gave a utopian explanation for chaturvarna (four-fold varna division of

Hindu society) and sought to maintain it on the basis of virtue. „He deserves to be a

Brahman who has acquired the best knowledge and character, and an ignorant

person is fit to be classed as a shudra,‟ he argued. Understandably the most virulent

opposition to caste came from lower caste movements. Jyotiba Phule and Narayana

Guru were two unrelenting critics of the caste system and its consequences. A

conversation between Gandhiji and Narayana Guru is significant. Gandhiji, in an

obvious reference to Chaturvarna and the inherent differences in quality between

man and man, observed that all leaves of the same tree are not identical in shape and

texture. To this Narayana Guru pointed out that the difference is only superficial,

but not in essence: the juice of all leaves of a particular tree would be the same in

content. It was he who gave the call — „one religion, one caste and one God for

mankind‟ which one of his disciples, Sahadaran Ayyapan, changed into „no religion,

no caste and no God for mankind.‟


1. The foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 was a sudden and

historical event

2. The British were suspicious of the INC from the very beginning itself


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both



d. None

Solution: b)

The foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 was not a sudden event, or a

historical accident. It was the culmination of a process of political awakening that

had its beginnings in the 1860s and 1870s and took a major leap forward in the late

1870s and early 1880s. The year 1885 marked a turning point in this process, for that

was the year the political Indians, the modem intellectuals interested in politics, who

no longer saw themselves as spokesmen of narrow group interests, but as

representatives of national interest vis-a-vis foreign rule, as a „national party,‟ saw

their efforts bear fruit. The all-India nationalist body that they brought into being

was to be the platform, the organizer, the headquarters, the symbol of the new

national spirit and politics.

British officialdom, too, was not slow in reading the new messages that were being

conveyed through the nationalist political activity leading to the founding of the

Congress, and watched them with suspicion, and a sense of foreboding. As this

political activity gathered force, the prospect of disloyalty, sedition and Irish-type

agitations began to haunt the Government.

3. The Paramahansa Mandali and the Prarthana Samaj were first established in

which province?

a. Bengal

b. Maharashtra

c. Madras

d. None of the above

Solution: b)

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. Apart from the Brahmo Samaj, which has branches in several parts of the

country, the Paramahansa Mandali and the Prarthana Samaj in Maharashtra and the

Arya Samaj in Punjab and North India were some of the prominent movements

among the Hindus.

4. Anand Mohan Bose is remembered for

1. Founding the British Indian Association of Bengal

2. For founding Sadharan Brahmo Samaj



Which of the above is/are incorrect?

a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None

Solution: a)

The younger nationalists of Bengal, led by Surendranath Banerjea and Anand

Mohan Bose, founded the Indian Association in 1876.

On May 15, 1878 he, along with Shibnath Shastri, Sib Chandra Deb, Umesh Chandra

Dutta and others founded the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj . He was elected its first

president.

5. Which one of the following was not an objective of the Indian National

Congress in its initial years?

a. To weld Indians into a nation, to create an Indian people

b. To create a common political platform or programme for the countrymen

for their political activities

c. To create a common all-India national-political leadership

d. To gain independence from the British

Solution: d)

In the initial years, independence from the British was not an agenda for INC.


1. From the beginning, the Congress was organized in the form of a

Parliament.

2. The proceedings of the Congress sessions were conducted democratically


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None

Solution: d)

From the beginning, the Congress was organized in the form of a Parliament. In fact,

the word Congress was borrowed from North American history to connote an

assembly of the‟ people. The proceedings of the Congress sessions were conducted



democratically, issues being decided through debate and discussion and

occasionally through voting. It was, in fact, the Congress, and not the bureaucratic

and authoritarian colonial state, as some writers wrongly argue, which indigenized,

popularized and rooted parliamentary democracy in India.

7. Who said the following words?

„Let us not forget that we are at a stage of the country‟s progress when our

achievements are bound to be small, and our disappointments frequent and

trying. That is the place which it has pleased Providence to assign to us in this

struggle, and our responsibility is ended when we have done the work which

belongs to that place.‟

a. G.K. Gokhale

b. M.G. Ranade

c. Dadabhai Naoroji

d. Surendranath Banerjea

Solution: a)

„Let us not forget that we are at a stage of the country‟s progress when our

achievements are bound to be small, and our disappointments frequent and trying.

That is the place which it has pleased Providence to assign to us in this struggle, and

our responsibility is ended when we have done the work which belongs to that

place. It will, no doubt, be given to our countrymen of future generations to serve

India by their successes; we, of the present generation, must be content to serve her

mainly by our failures. For, hard though it be, out of those failures the strength will

come which in the end will accomplish great tasks.”

8. The Rehnumai Mazdeyasan Sabha was a religious reforms movement of

which of the following community?

a. Parsi

b. Jews

c. Muslims


Solution: c)

9. With reference to social reforms movements of early nineteenth century,

consider the following statements

1. The idea of otherworldliness and salvation were not a part of the leaders‟

agenda

2. Many leaders didn‟t believe in the existence of the god



3. Their belief was that eligion was to be reformed to reform the society


a. 1 and 2 Only

b. 2 and 3 Only

c. 1 and 3 Only

d. All

Solution: d)

Although religious reformation „was a major concern of these movements, none of

them were exclusively religious in character. Strongly humanist in inspiration, the

idea of otherworldliness and salvation were not a part of their agenda; instead their

attention was focused on worldly existence. Raja Rammohan Roy was prepared to

concede the possible existence of the other world mainly due to its utilitarian value.

Akshay Kumar Dutt and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar were agnostics who refused to

be drawn into any discussion on supernatural questions. Asked about the existence

of God, Vidyasagar quipped that he had no time to think about God, since there was

much to be done on earth. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Vivekananda

emphasized the secular use of religion and used spirituality to take cognizance of the

material conditions of human existence.

Given the inter-connection between religious beliefs and social practices, religious

reformation was a necessary pre -requisite for social reform. „The Hindu meets his

religion at every turn. In eating, in drinking, moving, sitting, standing, he is to

adhere to sacred rules, to depart from which is sin and impiety.‟ Similarly, the social

life of the Muslims was strongly influenced by religious tenets. Religion was the

dominant ideology of the times and it was not possible to undertake any social

action without coming to grips with it.

10. With reference to the development of railways during the British period,


1. It ushered commercial revolution benefiting Britain, not industrial

revolution in India

2. Expenditure on railways was seen as Indian subsidy to British industries


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None



Solution: c)

The early nationalists pointed out that the railways had not been coordinated with

India‟s industrial needs. They had therefore, ushered in a commercial and not an

industrial revolution which enabled imported foreign goods to undersell domestic

industrial products. Moreover, they said that the benefits of railway construction in

terms of encouragement to the steel and machine industry and to capital investment

— what today we would call backward and forward linkages — had been reaped by

Britain and not India. In fact, remarked G.V. Joshi, expenditure on railways should

be seen as Indian subsidy to British industries.‟ Or, as Tilak put it, it was like

„decorating another‟s wife.”


1. Akshay Kumar Dutt held that all natural and social phenomena could be

analyzed and understood by purely mechanical processes

2. The Brahmo Samaj ridiculed the infallibility of the Vedas


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None

Solution: a)

Two important intellectual criteria which informed the reform movements were

rationalism and religious universalism. Social relevance was judged by a rationalist

critique. It is difficult to match the uncompromising rationalism of the early Raja

Rammohan Roy or Akshay Kumar Dutt. Rejecting supernatural explanations, Raja

Rammohan Roy affirmed the principle of causality linking the whole phenomenal

universe. To him demonstrability was the sole criterion of truth. In proclaiming that

rationalism is our only preceptor,‟ Akshay Kumar went a step further. All natural

and social phenomena, he held, could be analyzed and understood by purely

mechanical processes. This perspective not only enabled them to adopt a rational

approach to tradition but also to evaluate the contemporary socio-religious practices

from the standpoint of social utility and to replace faith with rationality. In the

Brahmo Samaj, it led to the repudiation of the infallibility of the Vedas, and in the

Aligarh Movement, to the reconciliation of the teachings of Islam with the needs of

the modern age. Holding that religious tenets were not immutable, Syed Ahmed

Khan emphasized the role of religion in the progress of society: if religion did not



keep pace with and meet the demands of the time. It would get fossilized as in the

case of Islam in India.

12. “ He held very advanced ideas about marriage and family: courtship before

marriage, partnership and equality as the basis of married life and divorce by

both law and custom.”

The above statement refers to

a. Akshay Kumar Dutt

b. Rajaram Mohun Roy

c. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

d. Gopal Han Deshmukh

Solution: a)

The perspectives on reform were not always influenced by religious Considerations.

A rational and secular outlook was very much evident in Posing an alternative to

prevalent social practices. In advocating widow marriage and opposing polygamy

and child marriage, Akshay Kumar was not concerned about religious sanction or

whether they existed in the pa His arguments were mainly based on their effects of

Society. Instead of depending on the scriptures, he cited medical Opinion against

Child marriage. He held very advanced ideas about marriage and family: courtship

before marriage, partnership and equality as the basis of married life and divorce by

both law and custom. In Maharashtra, as compared to other regions, there was less

dependence on religion as an aid to social reform. To Gopal Han Deshmukh,

popularly known as Lokahitavadi whether social reforms had the sanction of

religion was immaterial. If religion did not sanction these, he advocated that religion

itself should be changed as it was made by man and what was laid down, in the

scriptures need not necessarily be of contemporary relevance.


1. Raja Rammohan Roy considered Muslim lawyers to be more honest than

their Hindu counterparts

2. Vidyasagar did not discriminate against Muslims in his humanitarian

activities

3. To Bankim, dharma rather than religious belonging was the criterion for

determining superiority.


a. 1 and 2 Only

b. 2 and 3 Only

c. 1 and 3 Only



d. None

Solution: d)

The universalist perspective was not a purely philosophic concern; it strongly

influenced the political and social outlook of the time, till religious particularism

gained ground in the second half of the nineteenth century. For instance, Raja

Rammohan Roy considered Muslim lawyers to be more honest than their Hindu

counterparts and Vidyasagar did not discriminate against Muslims in his

humanitarian activities. Even to Bankim, who is credited with a Hindu outlook,

dharma rather than religious belonging was the criterion for determining

superiority.

14. Lex Loci Act passed by the British in 1850 was about

a. It gave legal right to all Hindu‟s to inherit property

b. It provided the right to inherit ancestral property to Hindu converts to

Christianity

c. It gave right to Hindu women to inherit property


Solution: b)

The Act proposed in 1845 and passed in 1850 provided the right to inherit ancestral

property to Hindu converts to Christianity.


1. Leaders like Gokhale and Ranade identified that the colonialism operated

through the more disguised and complex mechanism of free trade and

foreign capital investment

2. Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, taught an entire generation of Indians

the value of modem industrial development

3. Prithwis Chandra Ray was an eminent critic of the British exploitation of

India


a. 1 and 3 Only

b. 2 and 3 Only

c. 1 and 3 Only

d. All

Solution: d)



Three names stand out among the large number of Indians who initiated and carried

out the economic analysis of British rule during the years 1870-1905. The tallest of

the three was Dadabhai Naoroji, known in the pre-Gandhian era as the Grand Old

Man of India. Born in 1825, he became a successful businessman but devoted his

entire life and wealth to the creation of a national movement in India. His near

contemporary Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, taught an entire generation of

Indians the value of modem industrial development. Romesh Chandra Dutt, a

retired ICS officer, published The Economic History of India at the beginning of the

20th century in which he examined in minute detail the entire economic record of

colonial rule since 1757.

These three leaders along with G.V. Joshi, G. Subramaniya lyer, G.K. Gokhale,

Prithwis Chandra Ray and hundreds of other political workers and journalists

analysed every aspect of the economy and subjected the entire range of economic

issues and colonial economic policies to minute scrutiny. They raised basic questions

regarding the nature and purpose of British rule. Eventually, they were able to trace

the process of the colonialization of the Indian economy and conclude that

colonialism was the main obstacle to India‟s economic development.

16. The book „Indian Famines: Their Causes and Remedies‟ is written by

a. G. Subramaniya lyer

b. G.V. Joshi

c. Prithwis Chandra Ray

d. G.K.Gokhale

Solution: c)

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946&first=1&last=89&barcode=99999990297014


1. Early nationalists were against foreign capital because they saw it as an

unmitigated evil which did not develop a country but exploited and

impoverished it.

2. Interestingly, John Stuart Mill and Alfred Marshall had argued that

foreign capital was needed for India to develop


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both



d. None

Solution: a)

Nearly all the early nationalists were clear on one question: However great the need

of India for industrialization, it had to be based on Indian capital and not foreign

capital. Ever since the1840s, British economists, statesman and officials had seen the

investment of foreign capital, along with law and order, as the major instrument for

the development of India. John Stuart Mill and Alfred Marshall had put forward this

view in their economic treatises. In 1899, Lord Curzon, the Viceroy, said that foreign

capital was „a sine qua non to the national advancement‟ of India.

The early nationalists disagreed vehemently with this view. They saw foreign capital

as an unmitigated evil which did not develop a country but exploited and

impoverished it. Or, as Dadabhai Naoroji popularly put it, foreign capital

represented the „despoilation‟ and „exploitation‟ of Indian resources. Similarly, the

editor of the Hindustan Review and Kayastha Samachar described the use of foreign

capital as „a system of international depradation. „

18. Which of the following were the demands of nationalists in the initial days of

freedom struggle

1. No reduction of import duties on textile import

2. No expansion in Afghanistan or Burma,

3. The right to bear arms,

4. Higher expenditure on famine relief,

5. The right of Indian judges to try Europeans in criminal cases

Choose the correct answer using the codes below

a. 1,2,3 and 5

b. 2,3,4 and 5

c. 1,2,4 and 5

d. All

Solution: d)

On the surface, the nationalist Indian demands of those years — no reduction of

import duties on textile import no expansion in Afghanistan or Burma, the right to

bear arms, freedom of the Press, reduction of military expenditure, higher

expenditure on famine relief, Indianization of the civil services, the right of Indians

to join the semi-military volunteer corps, the right of Indian judges to try Europeans

in criminal cases, the appeal to British voters to vote for a party which would listen



to Indians — look rather mild, especially when considered separately. But these

were demands which a colonial regime could not easily concede, for that would

undermine its hegemony over the colonial people.

19. With reference to the Ilbert Bill, consider the following statements

1. Indian nationalists protested in against the Bill

2. This Bill was successfully thwarted by the Europeans.


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None

Solution: b)

A major agitation was organized during 1883 in favour of the Ilbert Bill which would

enable Indian magistrates to try Europeans. This Bill was successfully thwarted by

the Europeans.

Ilbert Bill, in the history of India, a controversial measure proposed in 1883 that

sought to allow senior Indian magistrates to preside over cases involving British

subjects in India. The bill, severely weakened by compromise, was enacted by the

Indian Legislative Council on Jan. 25, 1884. The bitter controversy surrounding the

measure deepened antagonism between British and Indians and was a prelude to

the formation of the Indian National Congress the following year.

20. Regarding the nature of socio-religious movements of the nineteenth century,


1. They frequently referred to a golden past to make realize people that no

malaise existed then

2. The call for ban of Sati system was based on scriptural support


a. 1 Only

b. 2 Only

c. Both

d. None

Solution: c)

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