Question 1

The artificially fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission (1926) was adopted by the British Government for which one of the following reasons?

Accepted Answer

Aiding the flow of remittances from India and maintaining India's creditworthiness. * Aiding Remittances and Creditworthiness: The Hilton-Young Commission recommended fixing the rupee-sterling exchange rate at 1 shilling and 6 pence, a policy adopted to serve imperial financial interests. The primary objective was to facilitate the uninterrupted transfer of Home Charges (pensions, administrative expenditures, interest payments) from India to Britain. * By maintaining a stable and relatively high exchange rate, the colonial administration ensured that remittances to Britain could be made smoothly while preserving India's standing and creditworthiness in London's financial markets.

Question 2

Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct?

Accepted Answer

The Eka Movement was provided leadership by the taluqdars of Awadh, whereas the Bardoli Satyagraha was a movement of the landless labourers.. * The Bardoli Satyagraha was launched in the Bardoli taluq of Surat district (Gujarat) against the British government's decision to increase land revenue by 30%. Led by Vallabhbhai Patel, the peasants collectively refused to pay the enhanced revenue. * In contrast, the Eka Movement emerged in the Awadh region (Hardoi, Bahraich, Sitapur districts of UP) as a peasant uprising against exorbitant rents, exploitation by thekedars (revenue contractors), and oppressive share-rents.

Question 3

Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939?
1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
2. The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
3. The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
4. The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3. * Statement 1 is correct: Subhas Chandra Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi. After Bose's re-election as INC President in 1939, Gandhi declared the defeat of his candidate, Pattabhi Sitaramayya, as his own defeat. * Statement 2 is correct: The Congress Left was disunited; the Congress Socialist Party, Communists, and Royists were fragmented and failed to present a united front behind Bose during the Tripuri Crisis. * Statement 3 is incorrect: While the Communists did not support Bose's radical approach, they did support the Left Consolidation Committee initiated by the Forward Bloc in June 1939; their stance was more about keeping unity under Gandhi rather than a direct trigger for creating the Bloc. * Statement 4 is correct: Supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity over supporting Bose. They abstained from voting on the Govind Ballabh Pant resolution, which effectively withdrew their support from Bose to prevent a split in the Congress.

Question 4

Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856:
1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.
2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.
3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

2 and 3 only. * Statement 1 is incorrect: In 1856, Awadh was annexed under Lord Dalhousie. Immediately after the annexation, the taluqdars were completely disarmed and their forts were destroyed. * Statement 2 is correct: The Summary Settlement of 1856 was based on the assumption that the taluqdars were interlopers with no permanent stakes in the land, who had established their hold through force and fraud. * Statement 3 is correct: British land revenue officers believed that by removing taluqdars, they would reduce the level of exploitation of peasants while increasing revenue returns for the state.

Question 5

Consider the following assertion :
The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.
Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?
1. Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.
2. Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.
3. Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only. * Statement 1 is correct: The 1919 reforms further extended the 1909 communal separate electorates and gave communal representation to additional groups such as Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans in certain provinces. * Statement 2 is correct: The British policy of separate electorates formed part of the broader strategy of "divide and rule." The British believed that dividing political interests along communal lines would reduce the possibility of a consolidated anti-colonial struggle. * Statement 3 is correct: Over time, several socially and politically marginalized groups began viewing separate electorates and reserved political representation as instruments for securing political safeguards and access to power (e.g., Communal Award).

Modern Indian History: 2026 PYQ.

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