Upsc prelims MCQ

(a) 1 and 2 only. • Statement 1 is Correct: The NCBC is currently a Constitutional Body. It was originally formed as a statutory body in 1993. However, the landmark 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 2018 inserted Article 338B into the Constitution, elevating its status to a constitutional body alongside the NCSC (Article 338) and NCST (Article 338A). • Statement 2 is Correct: When the 102nd Amendment was enacted to give the NCBC constitutional status, Parliament simultaneously passed the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Act, 2018. This officially repealed the original 1993 statute that had created the earlier iteration of the commission. • Statement 3 is Incorrect: The NCBC is not headed by a Ministry Secretary. According to Article 338B, the Commission consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and three other Members. They are all directly appointed by the President of India by warrant under his hand and seal.

(d) Appointment of the Regional Commissioners to assist the Election Commission in the performance of the functions conferred on the Commission. Based on Article 324 of the Constitution: • Options (a), (b), and (c) are direct functions: Article 324(1) explicitly vests the "superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every State and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President" directly in the Election Commission. • Option (d) is the exception: According to Article 324(4), Regional Commissioners are appointed by the President of India, not the Election Commission. The President makes these appointments after consulting with the Election Commission to assist them during general elections to the Lok Sabha or state legislative assemblies.

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(B) 1, 2 and 4 only Statement 1 is Correct: The ideological rift between the Moderates (who wanted strictly constitutional agitation confined to Bengal) and the Extremists/Garam Dal (who demanded passive resistance, national boycotts, and a pan-India movement) first surfaced openly at the 1905 Banaras Session, presided over by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Statement 2 is Correct: The Extremists, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, were gaining massive popularity. The 1907 session was originally slated to be held in Pune (Poona). Because Pune was Tilak’s home turf, the Moderates (led by Pherozeshah Mehta) feared Extremist dominance and manipulated the working committee to shift the venue to Surat, a recognized Moderate stronghold. Statement 3 is Incorrect: Tilak did not become the President of the Surat Congress. The Extremists proposed Lala Lajpat Rai (and later Tilak) for the presidency, but the Moderates forced the election of Rash Behari Ghosh. The denial of the presidency to the Extremists was the immediate flashpoint for the physical brawl on the stage. Statement 4 is Correct: The culmination of these tensions at the 1907 session resulted in chairs and shoes being thrown, leading to the infamous Surat Split. The British quickly capitalized on this division by arresting the Extremist leaders and throwing Tilak in jail in Mandalay.

(c) 2-3-1-4. 1. Santhal Rebellion (1855–1856) Location: Rajmahal Hills region (Damin-i-Koh), modern-day Jharkhand. Key Leaders: Brothers Sido and Kanhu Murmu. Context: A massive tribal uprising against the oppressive alliance of British colonial authorities, corrupt police, local zamindars, and outsider moneylenders (dikus). It resulted in the creation of a separate Santhal Pargana district to pacify the region. 2. Kherwar Movement (1874) Location: Chhotanagpur region, Jharkhand. Key Leader: Bhagirath Majhi. Context: Initially a socio-religious reform movement (also known as the Sapha Har movement) aimed at purifying Santhal society by advocating monotheism and abstention from liquor. It quickly acquired a political and agrarian dimension, opposing British revenue settlement policies and demanding tax exemption. 3. Deccan Revolt (1875) Location: Poona and Ahmednagar districts, Maharashtra (Deccan region). Context: An agrarian uprising led by Maratha peasants directed primarily against the exploitative practices of outsider Gujarati and Marwari moneylenders. The Ryots systematically attacked moneylenders' houses to destroy debt bonds and decrees. It led the British to pass the Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act in 1879. 4. Rampa Rebellion (1879) Location: Rampa tract of the Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. Key Leaders: Tomma Dora (and later Alluri Sitarama Raju in the subsequent 1922 Manyam rebellion). Context: An uprising by the Koyas and hill tribes against the oppressive actions of a local Mansabdar (tax collector/landlord) supported by the British, as well as restrictive new forest regulations (Madras Forest Act) that curtailed their traditional grazing and shifting cultivation (Podu) rights.

(a) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2 1. Paika Revolt (1817) Location: Khurda, Odisha. Key Leader: Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mahapatra. Context & Causes: The Paikas were a traditional landed militia who enjoyed rent-free lands (Nishkar Jagirs) in exchange for military service to the Kingdom of Khurda. After the British East India Company conquered Odisha in 1803, they introduced new revenue policies, resumed these rent-free lands, and imposed heavy taxes. Additionally, the British salt monopoly caused a steep rise in prices, devastating the local economy. Significance: Bakshi Jagabandhu, the former military chief of the King of Khurda, led a massive armed rebellion that saw widespread participation from tribals, peasants, and local zamindars. It was one of the most formidable early challenges to British authority, predating the 1857 revolt. 2. Bareilly Revolt (1816) Location: Rohilkhand (Bareilly), Uttar Pradesh. Key Leader: Mufti Muhammad Aiwaz. Context & Causes: The rebellion was sparked by the British imposition of a controversial 'Police Tax' (Chaukidari tax) to fund local police forces, which the citizens found oppressive. The situation escalated when a British magistrate forcefully attempted to collect the tax, resulting in the injury of a woman. Significance: This administrative heavy-handedness provoked widespread anger. Mufti Muhammad Aiwaz, a highly respected local scholar, united the masses and declared a Jihad (holy war) against the British. Though brutally suppressed, it served as a significant precursor to the 1857 uprising. 3. Malabar Revolt (Pazhassi Revolt, 1793–1805) Location: Malabar and Wayanad regions, Kerala. Key Leader: Edachena Kungan (Commander under Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja). Context & Causes: Following the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1792), the British bypassed Pazhassi Raja for revenue collection in the region, imposing exorbitant taxes on the peasantry. This led to a 12-year-long armed resistance against the East India Company. Significance: Edachena Kungan was the chief military commander of Pazhassi Raja's army. He successfully gathered support from various classes, including the Kurichiya tribe. In 1802, Kungan famously led an attack that captured the British fort at Panamaram, acquiring weapons and igniting a widespread guerrilla war in the Wayanad forests. 4. Sylhet Revolt (Chargola Uprising, 1786) Location: Sylhet / Barak Valley (Present-day Assam/Bangladesh border region). Key Leader: Radharam (Zamindar of Chargola). Context & Causes: Often referred to as the Chargola Uprising or Pratapgarh Rebellion, it was triggered by the East India Company's expanding control over tax collection and the imposition of the "Permanent Settlement" under Lord Cornwallis, which disrupted local power structures and upset landowners. Significance: Radharam refused to register his lands under Company rules and declared himself the independent Nawab of Chargola. He raised a personal militia of Kuki soldiers, built a fort, and actively attacked British outposts and war-boats (such as in the Battle of Son Beel) before ultimately being defeated by a joint British land and naval assault.