2012 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2012 · GS Paper I

Question 71: History and Culture

The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress (1929) is very important in history, because

  1. 1.the Congress passed a resolution demanding complete independence
  2. 2.the rift between the extremists and moderates was resolved in that Session
  3. 3.a resolution was passed rejecting the two-nation theory in that Session

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a1 only
b2 and 3
c1 and 3
dNone of the above

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

At its Lahore session in December 1929, under Jawaharlal Nehru's presidency, the Congress passed the resolution demanding Purna Swaraj, complete independence, which is why the session is so important. The rift between moderates and extremists had been healed earlier, at Lucknow in 1916. The two-nation idea was a Muslim League position, expressed in its own Lahore resolution of 1940, and the Congress opposed it.

  • 1. The Congress resolved at Lahore to demand complete independence.
  • 2. The moderate-extremist rift ended at Lucknow in 1916.
  • 3. The two-nation theory was not rejected by resolution at that session.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (b) and (d) go: each of them leaves 1 out.

    What you needed to know: The Congress resolved at Lahore to demand complete independence.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (c) goes: it includes 3.

    What you needed to know: The two-nation theory was not rejected by resolution at that session.

Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statement 2.

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: the Lahore resolution demanded complete independence.
  • (b) Wrong: the moderate-extremist rift was healed in 1916, and no resolution rejected the two-nation theory at Lahore 1929.
  • (c) Wrong: no resolution rejecting the two-nation theory was passed there.
  • (d) Wrong: statement 1 is correct.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2012, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.