UPSC Prelims 2004 · General Studies
Question 32: History and Culture
The name of the famous person of India who returned the Knighthood conferred on him by the British Government as a token of protest against the atrocities in Punjab in 1919 was
AnswerThe answer is (c).
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in 1919 in a letter to the Viceroy, protesting against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the repression in Punjab. Syed Ahmad Khan had died in 1898, so he could not have protested in 1919. Remember the pairing: Tagore, knighthood returned, Jallianwala Bagh.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Sapru did not return an honour for this reason.
- (b) Ashutosh Mukherjee did not return an honour for this reason.
- (c) Correct: Tagore returned his knighthood after Jallianwala Bagh.
- (d) Syed Ahmad Khan died in 1898, long before 1919.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2004, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.