UPSC NDA-1

21. Name the first major voluntary association representing primarily Indi

Name the first major voluntary association representing primarily Indian land-lord interests that was set up in Calcutta in 1851?

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British Indian Association
Landholder’s Society
Madras Native Association
Bombay Association
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The British Indian Association was the first major voluntary association representing primarily Indian land-lord interests that was set up in Calcutta in 1851.
The British Indian Association was founded on October 29, 1851, in Calcutta through the merger of the Landholders’ Society and the Bengal British India Society. While it aimed to represent a broader spectrum of Indian interests, its leadership and membership were dominated by the landed aristocracy and wealthy Bengali gentry, making landholder interests a primary focus.
The Landholder’s Society was indeed founded earlier, in 1838, and represented landlord interests, but the question asks for an association set up in 1851 which was also “major”. The British Indian Association, formed in 1851 by merging the Landholders’ Society, was a more significant and consolidated political body at that time. The Madras Native Association (1852) and the Bombay Association (1852) were important early political organizations but were located in Madras and Bombay, respectively, not Calcutta, and were founded in 1852, not 1851.

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22. Who among the following social reformer started a society for the enco

Who among the following social reformer started a society for the encouragement of widow remarriage in 1866 in Maharashtra ?

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Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Jyotirao Phule
Vishnushastri Pandit
Pandita Ramabai
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Vishnushastri Pandit started a society for the encouragement of widow remarriage in 1866 in Maharashtra.
Vishnushastri Pandit was a prominent social reformer in Maharashtra who actively campaigned for widow remarriage. He founded the Punarvivah Uttejaka Mandali (Society for the Encouragement of Widow Remarriage) in 1866 to promote this cause through public lectures, writings, and practical assistance.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a later nationalist leader from Maharashtra, focused more on political swaraj and social customs preservation, though he was not against reform in principle. Jyotirao Phule was a radical social reformer in Maharashtra who worked extensively against caste discrimination and for women’s education, and while he supported widow remarriage, he is not primarily credited with starting a specific society for this cause in 1866. Pandita Ramabai was a pioneering social reformer, particularly known for establishing institutions for destitute women and widows, but her main activities and institutions like Sharada Sadan began in the 1880s.

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23. What is the name of the award given to meritorious men in the Mughal C

What is the name of the award given to meritorious men in the Mughal Court in the form of a robe of honour that was once worn by the Emperor ?

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Sarapa
Patka
Padma murassa
Khilat
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The name of the award given to meritorious men in the Mughal Court in the form of a robe of honour that was once worn by the Emperor is Khilat.
Khilat (also spelled Qalat) was a term used in the Mughal court (and other Islamic courts) for a robe of honour or a set of garments bestowed by a superior ruler upon a subordinate or an honored visitor as a mark of favour, recognition, or appointment. The highest form of Khilat was often a garment or set of garments that had been previously worn by the Emperor himself, adding immense prestige to the recipient.
Sarapa literally means ‘head to foot’ and refers to a complete set of Khilat, which might include not just a robe but also a turban, belt, sword, or other items, covering the recipient from head to foot. While a Sarapa is a type of Khilat, Khilat is the general term for the robe of honour award itself. Patka is a type of sash or belt, not the main robe of honour. Padma murassa refers to a jewelled lotus ornament, not a robe.

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24. Who gifted the Badshah Nama to King George in 1799 ?

Who gifted the Badshah Nama to King George in 1799 ?

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Abul Fazl
Abdul Hamid Lahori
Nawab of Awadh
William Jones
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The Nawab of Awadh gifted the *Badshah Nama* to King George in 1799.
The illustrated manuscript of the *Badshah Nama*, a chronicle of the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, that is now housed in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, was presented to King George III by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan II of Awadh in 1799.
Abul Fazl was the author of *Akbarnama*, a chronicle of Emperor Akbar’s reign, not Shah Jahan’s. Abdul Hamid Lahori was the principal author of the *Badshah Nama* during Shah Jahan’s reign, but he was the writer, not the person who gifted the manuscript to King George III much later. Sir William Jones was a renowned orientalist and founder of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, known for his studies of Indian languages and literature, but he was not the one who presented this specific gift.

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25. Which one of the following statements about Renaissance Humanist cultu

Which one of the following statements about Renaissance Humanist culture is NOT true ?

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It slackened the control of religion over human life
It believed that human nature was many-sided
It was concerned with good manners
It criticized material wealth, power and glory
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The statement that Renaissance Humanist culture criticized material wealth, power and glory is NOT true.
Renaissance Humanism, while emphasizing classical learning and human potential, generally did not criticize material wealth, power, and glory. In fact, many humanists flourished under the patronage of wealthy individuals, powerful rulers, and the Church, who commissioned art, architecture, and scholarly works. The pursuit of excellence and achievement, often leading to wealth and fame, was compatible with humanist ideals. Criticism of excessive materialism existed but was not a defining characteristic of the broader humanist movement, which celebrated human capabilities and achievements in various spheres, including the worldly.
Renaissance Humanism did slacken the control of religion over human life by shifting intellectual focus from purely theological matters to secular studies like history, literature, and philosophy (Option A). It embraced the idea that human nature was complex and multifaceted, exploring the full range of human emotions, virtues, and vices through their study of classical texts and observation of contemporary life (Option B). Humanism also placed value on cultivating well-rounded individuals, which included aspects of social grace and good manners, as reflected in works like Castiglione’s *The Book of the Courtier* (Option C).

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26. Who among the following built a model steam engine in 1698 called “Min

Who among the following built a model steam engine in 1698 called “Miner’s Friend” to drain mines ?

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Thomas Savery
Thomas Newcomen
James Watt
Richard Arkwright
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Thomas Savery built a model steam engine in 1698 called “Miner’s Friend” to drain mines.
Thomas Savery was an English inventor and engineer who patented the first practical steam engine, which he named the “Miner’s Friend”, in 1698. This engine used steam pressure and atmospheric pressure to pump water, primarily intended for draining mines.
Thomas Newcomen later developed a more effective atmospheric engine in 1712, which improved upon Savery’s design and became widely used for pumping water out of mines for several decades. James Watt significantly improved the steam engine in the latter half of the 18th century with his invention of the separate condenser, dramatically increasing efficiency. Richard Arkwright was a key figure in the textile industry revolution, known for his inventions like the water frame, and utilized steam power but did not invent the primary engines himself.

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27. Which one of the following statements about the Olympe de Gouges (1748

Which one of the following statements about the Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793) is correct ?

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She declared that although citizens should have equal rights, they are not entitled to the same honours by the State
She was a supporter of the Jacobin government
She was jailed for treason by the National Assembly
She declared that the nation is the union of woman and man
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The correct statement about Olympe de Gouges is that she declared that the nation is the union of woman and man.
Olympe de Gouges was a French social reformer and writer who challenged the revolutionary government’s exclusion of women from the rights granted to men. In her 1791 ‘Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen’, she explicitly stated, “The principle of all sovereignty rests essentially in the nation, which is but the union of woman and man”. This directly counters the notion that the nation is solely composed of male citizens.
Olympe de Gouges was a strong critic of the Jacobin government and advocated for equal rights for women, including the right to vote, own property, and participate in public life. She was eventually arrested, tried, and executed for sedition during the Reign of Terror, demonstrating that she was opposed to, rather than a supporter of, the Jacobin government. Option A contradicts her fundamental belief in equal rights. Option C is partially true in that she was jailed and executed for treason/counter-revolutionary views by the revolutionary authorities, but identifying the authority specifically as the “National Assembly” for the time of her execution (1793, during the Convention and Reign of Terror) might be imprecise, whereas statement D is a direct reflection of her core philosophy and text.

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28. Who among the following first used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ in

Who among the following first used the term ‘Industrial Revolution’ in English to describe the changes that occurred in British industrial development between 1760 and 1820 ?

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Karl Marx
Georges Michelet
Arnold Toynbee
Friedrich Engels
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The correct answer is C.
While the term “Industrial Revolution” was used earlier, particularly by French writers like Georges Michelet (in French) and possibly in English in less prominent contexts, Arnold Toynbee (1852–1883), a British economic historian, is widely credited with popularizing the term in English to describe the economic transformation of Great Britain between 1760 and 1820. His posthumously published “Lectures on the Industrial Revolution of the 18th Century in England” (1884) were highly influential in establishing this period and the term in historical discourse. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote extensively on the conditions brought about by industrialization but are not credited with the initial use or popularization of this specific term for this period in English.
Toynbee’s work emphasized the social consequences of industrialization, such as urbanization and the condition of the working class, alongside the technological and economic changes. His interpretation shaped much subsequent historical analysis of the period.

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29. Thermal capacity of a body depends on the

Thermal capacity of a body depends on the

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mass of the body only
mass and shape of the body only
density of the body
mass, shape and temperature of the body
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The correct answer is A.
Thermal capacity (or heat capacity) of a body is the amount of heat energy required to raise its temperature by one degree Celsius (or Kelvin). It is an extensive property, meaning it is proportional to the amount of substance. Specifically, Thermal Capacity (C) = mass (m) × specific heat capacity (c). The specific heat capacity (c) is an intensive property that depends on the material of the body.
Looking at the options:
A) mass of the body only: While incomplete as it doesn’t mention the material (specific heat capacity), mass is a fundamental determinant.
B) mass and shape of the body only: Shape does not affect thermal capacity. Incorrect.
C) density of the body: Density is mass per unit volume. Thermal capacity depends on total mass, not density directly unless volume is fixed and material is implied. Incorrect.
D) mass, shape and temperature of the body: Shape is incorrect. While specific heat capacity can vary with temperature, “temperature of the body” in this context is ambiguous and shape is explicitly wrong. Incorrect.
Given the options, A is the best fit as mass is a primary factor, even though the material’s specific heat capacity is also crucial. The question asks what it “depends on” among the options provided. Mass is the only consistently correct factor listed without incorrect additions in options B, C, and D. This suggests the question focuses on the extensive nature of thermal capacity.
The specific heat capacity ‘c’ is a property of the material and represents the heat capacity per unit mass. The thermal capacity ‘C’ of a body is the total heat capacity for that specific body, which is the product of its mass and the specific heat capacity of the material it’s made from.

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30. Which of the following statements about electromagnetic waves, sound w

Which of the following statements about electromagnetic waves, sound waves and water waves is/are correct ?

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  • 1. They exhibit reflection
  • 2. They carry energy
  • 3. They exert pressure
  • 4. They can travel in vacuum

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1, 2 and 3
2 and 4
1 and 3 only
1 only
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The correct answer is A.
Let’s examine each statement for electromagnetic waves, sound waves, and water waves:
1. They exhibit reflection: Yes, all three types of waves can be reflected when they encounter a boundary. (e.g., light reflection from a mirror, sound reflection creating an echo, water waves reflecting off a wall). Correct.
2. They carry energy: Yes, all waves are disturbances that transfer energy from one place to another. Correct.
3. They exert pressure: Electromagnetic waves exert radiation pressure. Sound waves are essentially pressure variations in a medium. Water waves exert pressure on objects they encounter. Correct.
4. They can travel in vacuum: Electromagnetic waves (like light, radio waves) can travel through a vacuum. However, sound waves require a material medium (like air, water, or solids) to propagate and cannot travel in a vacuum. Water waves also require water as a medium. Incorrect.

Therefore, statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct for all three types of waves, while statement 4 is only correct for electromagnetic waves.

Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves. Sound waves are longitudinal waves (in fluids) or can be both longitudinal and transverse (in solids). Water waves are complex, often a combination of transverse and longitudinal motions, particularly surface waves. The ability to travel in vacuum is a key distinction between electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves (like sound and water waves), which require a medium.

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