UPSC Prelims 2005 · General Studies
Question 76: History and Culture
Consider the following statements :
- 1.Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar founded the Bethune School at Calcutta with the main aim of encouraging education for women.
- 2.Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was the first graduate of the Calcutta University.
- 3.Keshav Chandra Sen’s campaign against Sati led to the enactment of a law to ban Sati by the then Governor General.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerThe answer is (b).
Statement 2 is accepted: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was among the first graduates of the University of Calcutta (1858). Statement 1 is accepted too: Vidyasagar championed women's education and was closely tied to the Bethune School. Statement 3 is wrong: sati was banned in 1829 by Lord William Bentinck after Raja Ram Mohan Roy's campaign, before Keshab Chandra Sen's time.
- 1. Vidyasagar was closely tied to the Bethune School and promoted women's education.
- 2. Bankim was among the first two graduates of Calcutta University in 1858.
- 3. Sati was banned in 1829 by Bentinck, before Keshab Chandra Sen's time.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: Bankim was among the first two graduates of Calcutta University in 1858.
- Then, if you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 3.
What you needed to know: Sati was banned in 1829 by Bentinck, before Keshab Chandra Sen's time.
Only (b) 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) Drops statement 2, which the key accepts.
- (b) Given answer: statements 1 and 2.
- (c) Statement 3 is false: sati was banned in 1829 by Bentinck.
- (d) Statement 3 is false.
Worth knowing: The Bethune School was founded in 1849 by J.E.D. Bethune, with Vidyasagar as its secretary, and Bankim shared the first graduate place with Jadunath Bose; the key reads both statements loosely.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2005, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.