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BEGINNING OF STRUGGLE-(1805-1905) MCQs

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From the 100 in PrepShark’s BEGINNING OF STRUGGLE-(1805-1905) set (Indian History). Pick an answer, then open the explanation.

Question 01
Consider the following pairs: 1. — G. Subramania Iyer 2. — Dyal Singh Majithia 3. — Sisir Kumar Ghosh 4. — Dadabhai Naoroji How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
1. Option A: Only one
2. Option B: Only two
3. Option C: Only three
4. Option D: All four
Answer and explanation
Answer: C. Only three
**Pair 1 is correctly matched.** **The Hindu** was started in **Madras** by **G. Subramania Iyer** and **M. Veeraraghavachariar**. **Pair 2 is correctly matched.** **The Tribune** was founded in **Lahore** in **1881** by **Dyal Singh Majithia**. **Pair 3 is incorrectly matched.** **The Bengalee** was associated with **Surendranath Banerjea**, who edited it; **Sisir Kumar Ghosh** was not its editor. **Pair 4 is correctly matched.** **Voice of India** was started in Bombay by **Dadabhai Naoroji** in the **1880s** to bring Indian press opinion to a wider readership.
Question 02
Consider the following statements regarding financial decentralisation in British India: 1. It began with Lord Mayo's resolution of 1870, which gave provincial governments fixed grants for certain services. 2. Under Lord Ripon's government in 1882, sources of revenue were classified into imperial, provincial and divided heads. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. Option A: 1 only
2. Option B: 2 only
3. Option C: Both 1 and 2
4. Option D: Neither 1 nor 2
Answer and explanation
Answer: C. Both 1 and 2
**Statement 1 is correct.** **Mayo's 1870 scheme** handed certain departments, such as **police, jails and education**, to the provinces with **fixed grants**. **Statement 2 is correct.** In **1882** the system was extended: revenues were divided into **imperial**, **provincial** and **divided** heads, giving provinces a share of growth.
Question 03
Which newspaper, founded as a Bengali weekly by the Ghosh brothers in Jessore district, converted itself overnight into an English-language paper in 1878 to escape a new press law?
1. Option A: Som Prakash
2. Option B: Sambad Kaumudi
3. Option C: Amrita Bazar Patrika
4. Option D: Hindoo Patriot
Answer and explanation
Answer: C. Amrita Bazar Patrika
**Amrita Bazar Patrika** switched to **English** in **1878** because the **Vernacular Press Act** applied only to Indian-language papers. The episode exposed the discriminatory character of the law. **Why A is incorrect.** **Som Prakash**, a Bengali paper linked with **Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar** and **Dwarkanath Vidyabhushan**, was among the papers targeted, but it did not switch to English. **Why B is incorrect.** **Sambad Kaumudi** was an early Bengali paper of the **1820s**, long before the 1878 law. **Why D is incorrect.** The **Hindoo Patriot** was an **English** weekly from the start, associated with **Harish Chandra Mukherjee**.
Question 04
Which one of the following was **NOT** a feature of Indian political activity in the decades before the founding of the Indian National Congress?
1. Option A: A single all-India organisation holding annual sessions to frame national demands
2. Option B: Leadership drawn from landed, commercial and English-educated professional elites
3. Option C: Associations based in the presidency towns, such as Calcutta, Bombay and Madras
4. Option D: Use of petitions and memorials addressed to the British Parliament
Answer and explanation
Answer: A. A single all-India organisation holding annual sessions to frame national demands
**Option A is the answer.** Before **1885** there was **no all-India organisation** meeting annually; the closest precursor was the **Indian National Conference** of 1883 and 1885. Political work was regional. **Option B is correct as stated.** Early associations were led by **zamindars**, **merchants** and, increasingly, **professionals**. **Option C is correct as stated.** Bodies like the **British Indian Association**, the **Bombay Association** and the **Madras Native Association** were city-based and regional. **Option D is correct as stated.** Petitions before each **Charter renewal** were a standard method.
Question 05
Consider the following statements regarding the Indian Association of Calcutta: 1. Anandamohan Bose was one of its founders. 2. It aimed to represent the educated middle class and to create a strong body of public opinion across the country. 3. It merged with the British Indian Association in 1883. Which of the statements given above are correct?
1. Option A: 1 only
2. Option B: 1 and 2 only
3. Option C: 1 and 3 only
4. Option D: 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Answer: B. 1 and 2 only
**Statement 1 is correct.** **Surendranath Banerjea** and **Anandamohan Bose** were its founders. **Statement 2 is correct.** It sought to **unite Indians** on common political programmes and to reach beyond **zamindari** interests to the **middle class**, setting up branches outside Bengal. **Statement 3 is incorrect.** It did **not** merge with the British Indian Association; it organised the **National Conference** and later merged its work with the **Congress**.

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