Q20. Regarding the 1931 Karachi Congress resolution on rights and economic policy, consider: 1. Ambalal Sarabhai opposed it; 2. it demanded civil liberties and adult suffrage. Which is correct?
[UPSC NDA-II General Ability, 14 November 2021]
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) Neither
Answer: (B) 2 only
Explanation: The Karachi Congress session in 1931 was chaired by Vallabhbhai Patel and adopted an influential statement on fundamental rights and national economic policy. The resolution supported civil liberties and adult franchise. The first assertion is not accepted as correct.
Q19. In what year was the Indian Association founded?
[SSC CGL 2020 Tier-I, 17 August 2021, Shift 1]
(A) 1881
(B) 1876
(C) 1856
(D) 1903
Answer: (B) 1876
Explanation: The Indian Association of Calcutta was established in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose. It championed political rights and challenged colonial restrictions. The association predates the Indian National Congress, which began in 1885.
Q18. When and where did Congress demand Purna Swaraj as its goal?
[UPSC NDA-I General Ability, 18 April 2021]
(A) Bombay, 1885
(B) Lahore, 1929
(C) Kheda, 1917
(D) Bombay, 1942
Answer: (B) Lahore, 1929
Explanation: The Lahore Congress meeting of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, adopted complete independence as the political objective. Earlier Congress demands had focused on political reforms and later dominion status. The decision was a decisive constitutional turning point.
Q17. Match:
A. Indian Association;
B. Poona Sarvajanik Sabha;
C. Bombay Presidency Association;
D. Madras Mahajan Sabha;
with
1. Anandacharlu;
2. S. N. Banerjee;
3. M. G. Ranade;
4. Pherozeshah Mehta.
[UPPSC RO/ARO General Studies, 20 September 2020]
(A) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
(B) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
(C) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1
(D) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
Answer: (A) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
Explanation: Banerjee founded the Indian Association; Ranade was closely associated with the Poona Sabha; Mehta helped found the Bombay Presidency Association; and Anandacharlu helped establish the Madras Mahajan Sabha. These associations laid organisational foundations for later Congress nationalism.
Q16. Who is commonly called the father of the Indian National Congress?
[WBCS Prelims 2020]
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) A. O. Hume
(C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(D) Surendranath Banerjee
Answer: (B) A. O. Hume
Explanation: Allan Octavian Hume played the key organisational role in convening the Congress in 1885. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was its first president, not Hume. Congress initially emphasised constitutional reform and the consolidation of national political opinion.
Q15. Who was the first president of the British Indian Association?
[CGPSC Civil Service Prelims 2020]
(A) Surendranath Banerjee
(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(C) Radhakanta Deb
(D) Ananda Mohan Bose
Answer: (C) Radhakanta Deb
Explanation: Raja Radhakanta Deb was the first president of the British Indian Association, established in Calcutta in 1851. The organisation chiefly articulated the concerns of Indian landholders while petitioning British authorities about constitutional, administrative and revenue issues.
Q14. On which date was the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha established by associates of Ranade and G. V. Joshi?
[Haryana Civil Services Prelims, 31 March 2019]
(A) 2 April 1870
(B) 2 April 1869
(C) 2 April 1871
(D) 2 April 1872
Answer: (A) 2 April 1870
Explanation: The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was organised on 2 April 1870. Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi and Mahadev Govind Ranade were important figures associated with it. The organisation represented grievances and sought a stronger public voice in government matters.
Q13. Which statement about the inaugural Indian National Congress session is NOT true?
[RPSC 2nd Grade Social Science, 17 February 2019]
(A) It was originally proposed for Poona
(B) It met at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College
(C) It was attended by 72 delegates
(D) It passed twelve resolutions
Answer: (D) It passed twelve resolutions
Explanation: The first Congress session was held in Bombay in 1885 with seventy-two delegates under W. C. Bonnerjee. It passed nine resolutions, not twelve. The original plan to meet at Poona was changed before the session.
Q12. Arrange: (i) Madras Mahajan Sabha, (ii) Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, (iii) Indian Association, (iv) Bombay Presidency Association.
[UGC NET History, 18 December 2018]
(A) (iii), (iv), (i), (ii)
(B) (ii), (iv), (iii), (i)
(C) (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
(D) (iii), (iv), (ii), (i)
Answer: (C) (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
Explanation: Poona Sarvajanik Sabha dates to 1870, the Indian Association to 1876, Madras Mahajan Sabha to 1884 and Bombay Presidency Association to 1885. Comparing foundation years gives the sequence (ii), (iii), (i), (iv).
Q11. Which first major voluntary association, founded in Calcutta in 1851, primarily represented the interests of Indian landlords?
[UPSC NDA-I General Ability, 22 April 2018]
(A) British Indian Association
(B) Landholders Society
(C) Madras Native Association
(D) Bombay Association
Answer: (A) British Indian Association
Explanation: The British Indian Association was formed in 1851 by merging the Landholders Society and the Bengal British India Society. It reflected the political concerns of wealthy Bengali landowners and submitted petitions seeking reform in British Indian administration.
