1997 General Studies, all questions
UPSC Prelims 1997 · General Studies
Question 22: History and Culture
Who among the following was associated with the suppression of Thugs?
aGeneral Henry Prendergast
bCaptain Sleeman
cAlexander Burnes
dCaptain Robert Pemberton
AnswerThe answer is (b).
Captain William Sleeman, working under Governor-General William Bentinck in the 1830s, led the campaign that broke the Thugs, bands of highway stranglers who robbed and murdered travellers. A special department against Thuggee and dacoity was set up in the mid-1830s, with Sleeman at its centre. Remember Sleeman and Thuggee together.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Prendergast is remembered for the Burma campaign of 1885, not for Thuggee.
- (b) Right: Sleeman led the suppression of the Thugs.
- (c) Alexander Burnes was a political officer known for his missions on the Indus and to Kabul.
- (d) Pemberton is associated with a mission to Bhutan in the late 1830s.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
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.