1997 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 1997 · General Studies

Question 14: History and Culture

Assertion (A): The sponsor and the most prominent figure of the Chisti order of Sufis in India is Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. Reason (R): The Chisti order takes its name from a village Chisti in Ajmer. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?

aBoth A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
bBoth A and R are true, but R is not a correct explanation of A
cA is true, but R is false
dA is false, but R is true

AnswerThe answer is (c).

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer, is the best-known figure of the Chishti order in India. But the order is named after Chisht, a town near Herat in present-day Afghanistan, where the order began, and not after a village in Ajmer. So A is true and R is false. Remember that the Chishti name is a place in Afghanistan, and Ajmer is only the Indian centre of the order.

  • A. Moinuddin Chishti's dargah at Ajmer made him the most prominent Chishti saint in India.
  • R. The order is named after Chisht, a town near Herat, not a village in Ajmer.

How you could have got this

If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (d) goes. Then judge the second statement; if it is correct too, decide whether it explains the first.

This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) R is false, so it cannot explain A.
  • (b) R is false; it is not merely a weak explanation.
  • (c) Right: A is true and R is false.
  • (d) A is true, so this option fails.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1997, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.