UPSC Prelims 1999 · General Studies
Question 47: Geography
A person of mixed European and Indian blood in Latin America is called a
AnswerThe answer is (b).
A mestizo is a person of mixed European (usually Spanish) and indigenous American Indian ancestry in Latin America. A mulatto has mixed European and African ancestry. Meiji is the name of the Japanese imperial era beginning in 1868, not a people, and Mau Mau was the Kenyan uprising against British rule in the 1950s. Remember: mestizo is European plus Amerindian; mulatto is European plus African.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong. Mulatto means mixed European and African ancestry.
- (b) Right. Mestizo means mixed European and indigenous American ancestry.
- (c) Wrong. Meiji is a Japanese era, not a people.
- (d) Wrong. Mau Mau was a Kenyan uprising.
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.