UPSC Prelims 2010 · General Studies

Question 83: History and Culture

What was the immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi movement ?

aThe partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon

bA sentence of 18 months rigorous imprisonment imposed on Lokmanya Tilak

cThe arrest and deportation of Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh; and passing of the Punjab Colonization Bill

dDeath sentence pronounced on the Chapekar brothers

AnswerThe answer is (a).

Curzon's partition of Bengal, announced in 1905 and put into effect on 16 October 1905, directly provoked the Swadeshi movement. The boycott of British goods was announced at a meeting in the Calcutta Town Hall on 7 August 1905. Tilak's 18-month sentence came in 1897, the Punjab Colonization Bill in 1907 and the Chapekar brothers' death sentences in 1898-99, so none of them was its immediate cause. Remember: Swadeshi and Boycott grew out of the Partition of Bengal.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Right: the partition of Bengal triggered the movement.
(b) Tilak's sentence of 18 months was in 1897, years earlier.
(c) The Punjab agitation of 1907 came after the movement began.
(d) The Chapekar brothers' sentence was in the 1890s.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2010, General Studies, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.