UPSC Prelims 2020 · GS Paper I
Question 26: History and Culture
With reference to the book “Desher Katha” written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statements :
- 1.It warned against the Colonial State’s hypnotic conquest of the mind.
- 2.It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
- 3.The use of ‘desh’ by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar's Desher Katha (1904, in Bengali) showed how colonial rule drained India's wealth and warned readers against the hypnotic hold of the colonial State on the mind. It inspired swadeshi street plays and folk songs. Statement 3 is wrong: by desh Deuskar meant the country, India as a whole, not Bengal alone.
- 1. The book warned against the colonial State's hypnotic conquest of the mind.
- 2. It inspired swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
- 3. Deuskar used desh for India as a whole, not Bengal alone.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (b), (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 3.
What you needed to know: Deuskar used desh for India as a whole, not Bengal alone.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 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) Right: statements 1 and 2 are correct.
- (b) Wrong: statement 3 is false, because desh meant India as a whole.
- (c) Wrong: statement 3 is false and statement 2 is true.
- (d) Wrong: includes statement 3, which is false.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.