2003 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2003 · General Studies

Question 112: History and Culture

Assertion (A): Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an Emperor far away from his capital. Reason (R): There was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the north-west frontier.

aBoth A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
bBoth A and R are individually true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
cA is true but R is false
dA is false but R is true

AnswerThe answer is (a).

The key treats both A and R as true, with R as the explanation. Shah Alam II became emperor in 1759 while away from Delhi: he was a fugitive prince who feared the wazir Imad-ul-Mulk, who had murdered his father Alamgir II, and Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasions from the north-west also kept the capital unsafe. He spent his early reign in Bihar and Awadh, and fought at Buxar in 1764.

  • A. Shah Alam II spent his early years as emperor away from Delhi.
  • R. The key accepts the danger from the north-west as the reason for staying away.

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) Correct, per the key: A is true and R is accepted as the reason.
  • (b) The key takes R as the explanation, so 'not the explanation' fails.
  • (c) R is accepted as true, so 'R false' fails.
  • (d) A is true, so 'A false' fails.

Worth knowing: The hostility of the wazir Imad-ul-Mulk is usually given as the main reason Shah Alam II stayed away, so R explains only part of A; the key accepts it as the explanation.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2003, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.