2004 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2004 · General Studies

Question 4: History and Culture

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1.The First Session of the Indian National Congress was held in Calcutta.
  2. 2.The Second Session of the Indian National Congress was held under the presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji.
  3. 3.Both Indian National Congress and Muslim League held their sessions at Lucknow in 1916 and concluded the Lucknow Pact.

Which of these statements given above is/are correct?

a1 and 2
b2 only
c2 and 3
d3 only

AnswerThe answer is (c).

The first Congress session met in Bombay in 1885, not Calcutta. The second, at Calcutta in 1886, was presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji. In 1916 both the Congress and the Muslim League held their sessions at Lucknow and concluded the Lucknow Pact, a joint scheme of reforms in which the Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims. So statements 2 and 3 are correct.

  • 1. The first session (1885) was held in Bombay.
  • 2. Dadabhai Naoroji presided over the 1886 Calcutta session.
  • 3. Both bodies met at Lucknow in 1916 and concluded the Lucknow Pact.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 2 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 2 out.

    What you needed to know: Dadabhai Naoroji presided over the 1886 Calcutta session.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) and (b) go: each of them leaves 3 out.

    What you needed to know: Both bodies met at Lucknow in 1916 and concluded the Lucknow Pact.

Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statement 1.

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) Statement 1 is wrong: the first session was at Bombay.
  • (b) Misses statement 3, which is correct.
  • (c) Correct: Naoroji presided in 1886, and the Lucknow Pact was concluded in 1916.
  • (d) Misses statement 2, which is correct.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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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.