UPSC Prelims 2021 Analysis

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. Pingali Venkayya: He is the designer of the Indian National Flag. He presented the tricolour flag to Mahatma Gandhi in 1921 at the Indian National Congress session in Bezwada (now Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh).

Statement 2 is incorrect. Pattabhi Sitaramayya: He was President of the Indian National Congress in 1948. He advocated for the linguistic reorganization of states and played a role in the demand for a separate Andhra state.

Statement 3 is correct. Madanapalle, a town in Andhra Pradesh, is known for a significant event related to the National Anthem of India. Rabindranath Tagore, during his brief stay at Theosophical College in Madanapalle in 1919, translated his Bengali poem/National Anthem Jana Gana Mana into English as Morning Song of India.

Statement 4 is incorrect. Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott: Founders of the Theosophical Society (1875). The Theosophical Society was established in New York (1875) and later moved to Adyar, Chennai (1882), not Madanapalle.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 did not recommend granting voting rights to all women above the age of 21. While the reforms introduced some limited electoral reforms, including the extension of the franchise to a larger section of the Indian population, they did not grant universal suffrage to women. Statement 2 is correct. The Government of India Act of 1935 introduced reserved seats for women in the legislatures at both the central and provincial levels. These reserved seats were aimed at ensuring representation for women in the political process.

Government of India, Act 1919

• Introduced limited self-government and increased Indian participation
• Introduced Dyarchy (Dual Government) in provinces:

1. Transferred subjects → Administered by Indian ministers
2. Reserved subjects → Administered by British officials

• Bicameral Legislature at the Central Level
• Separate Electorates Continued
• High Commissioner for India in London was created to represent Indian affairs in Britain.
• Subjects divided into Central and Provincial lists
• Voting rights were restricted based on property, income, and education.

Government of India, Act 1935

• Created an All-India Federation consisting of British Indian Provinces and Princely States. (Never Implemented)
• Bicameralism extended to six provinces (Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Bihar, Assam, and United Provinces)
• Abolished Dyarchy at the provincial level, Introduced Provincial Autonomy → Governors had to act on ministers' advice (except in special cases)
• Three lists introduced:

1. Federal List (Centre)
2. Provincial List (Provinces)
3. Concurrent List (Both Centre & Provinces)

• Ministers had full control over provincial subjects (except during emergencies)
• Established the Federal Court of India (precursor to the Supreme Court)
• Communal and separate electorates were retained and extended to groups such as Anglo-Indians and Indo-Christians.
• Women were given reservations in Provincial and central legislature.

Explanation

Officers of the Indian Army: Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were senior officers of the Indian National Army (INA), which was led by Subhas Chandra Bose.They are remembered for their significant roles in the INA and their court-martial by the British at Red Fort in 1945.

Members of the Interim Government: The Interim Government of 1946 was formed on 2nd September 1946, as a transitional government before India's independence.

Congress Members

• Jawaharlal Nehru – Vice President & External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – Home, Information & Broadcasting
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad – Food & Agriculture
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad – Education
• Asaf Ali – Railways & Transport
• C. Rajagopalachari – Industry & Supplies
• Jagjivan Ram – Labour
• John Mathai – Finance
• Sarat Chandra Bose – Works, Mines & Power

Muslim League Members

• Liaquat Ali Khan – Finance
• I.I. Chundrigar – Commerce
• Abdur Rab Nishtar – Posts & Air
• Ghazanfar Ali Khan – Health
• Jogendra Nath Mandal – Law

Members of the Drafting Committee in the Constituent Assembly

• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar – Chairman (Law expert and key architect of the Indian Constitution)
• N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
• K.M. Munshi
• Mohammad Saadullah
• N. Madhava Rao
• T.T. Krishnamachari
• Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer

Explanation

In the West coast, the English established factories at Agra, Ahmadabad, Baroda and Broach by 1619.

In the South-eastern Coast, the English established the factories at Masulipatam and Armagaon.

In Eastern India, the English established the factories at Hariharpur, Balasore, Hugli, Patna, Dacca, Kasimbazar.

There was no factory at Chicacole and Trichinopoly.

Explanation

Songs from Prison' is a collection of translations of ancient Indian religious lyrics from Sanskrit into English. These translations were made by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during his time in Yerwada Prison in 1930. Therefore, the person associated with 'Songs from Prison' is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It was published in 1934.

Balgangadhar Tilak: He launched Kesari, a Marathi weekly, and Mahratta, an English weekly, to promote nationalist ideas. In 1884, he established the Deccan Education Society to improve education in India. He also initiated the public celebrations of Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav and Shivaji Jayanti to foster national unity and cultural pride. In 1916, Tilak, along with Annie Besant, founded the All India Home Rule League, advocating self-governance for India.

Jawahar Lal Nehru: He became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1929 during the Lahore Session, where he led the passage of the historic Purna Swaraj resolution, demanding complete independence from British rule. In the 1936 Lucknow Session, he urged Congress members to embrace socialism as a guiding principle. The following year, he presided over the Faizpur Session, making it the first INC session to be held in a rural area.

Explanation

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

• He was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School. As the secretary of the Bethune School established in 1849, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar did important work in the field of higher education for women in India.
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's most significant contribution was his advocacy for widow remarriage and girls' education, leading to the enactment of the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act of 1856.

Annie Besant:

• In September 1916, Annie Besant along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak established the All-India Home Rule League.
• In 1917, Annie Besant was elected the President of the Indian National Congress (INC) Calcutta session, becoming the first woman to hold this position.
• In 1898, she founded the Central Hindu College in Benares. Theosophists from abroad assisted in this effort, and the institution eventually became the foundation for Banaras Hindu University.
• She also established the Central Hindu School for Girls in Varanasi, advancing female education in India.

Debendranath Tagore:

• He founded the Tattvabodhini Sabha and Adi Brahmo Samaj.

Sarojini Naidu:

• In recognition of her service during the plague epidemic in India, the British government honored her with the ‘Kaisar-i-Hind’ Medal.
• In 1925, she became the first Indian woman to be elected president of the Indian National Congress (INC) during its Kanpur Session and held the position until 1928.
• In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi chose her to lead the Salt Satyagraha, a nonviolent protest against the British monopoly on salt production.
• She also accompanied Gandhi to London for the second session of the Round Table Conference in 1931, which ultimately remained inconclusive.

Explanation

On 8th August 1942, the Quit India Resolution was adopted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC). This was a significant event in the Indian freedom struggle as it marked the launch of the Quit India Movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi, demanding an end to British Rule in India.

The other options are not related to this specific date.

• The Viceroy’s Executive council was indeed expanded to include more Indians, but this was part of the August Offer in 1940, not on 8th August 1942.
• The Congress ministries did resign in seven provinces, but this happened in 1939, not in 1942.
• Lastly, Cripps did propose an Indian Union with full Dominion Status, but this was part of the Cripps Mission, which also did not occur on 8th August 1942.

Therefore, the correct answer is that the Quit India Resolution was adopted by the AICC on this date.