UPSC Prelims 1999 · General Studies
Question 19: History and Culture
The Congress policy of pray and petition ultimately came to an end under the guidance of
AnswerThe answer is (b).
The early Congress Moderates relied on prayers, petitions and speeches to the British. The Extremists, led by Tilak with Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal, rejected this as political begging after the Partition of Bengal and called for swaraj, boycott and swadeshi. Tilak's cry 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' marks the break. Gandhi's mass movements came later and built on this shift.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong. Aurobindo was an Extremist voice, but the given answer credits Tilak as the guiding leader of the shift.
- (b) Right. Tilak led the Extremists who rejected the pray-and-petition approach.
- (c) Wrong. Lajpat Rai was one of the Lal-Bal-Pal trio, but Tilak is the leader credited with the change.
- (d) Wrong. Gandhi's mass movements came later; the break with petitioning had already been made.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1999, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.