UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise static quiz: History and Culture MCQs on Azad Hind Radio, French East India Company, and more (Week 124)

QUESTION 1

Where was Azad Hind (Free India) Radio, which later became a monthly magazine first inaugurated by Subhash Chandra Bose?

(a) Tokyo, Japan

(b) Rangoon, Burma

(c) Berlin, Germany

(d) Calcutta, India

Explanation

With the support of the German Foreign Ministry, Bose set up a Free India Centre (FIC) in Berlin in May 1941. The Special Department India or Sonderreferat Indien (SRI) oversaw the activities of the FIC, which consisted of members of the Indian Students’ Association and Indian communists and anti-colonialists such as ACN Nambiar, a journalist based in Berlin. “It was called the Students’ Association, but basically these were anti-colonialists,” added Roy in her interview.

Bose also gained access to broadcasting facilities in Berlin and inaugurated the Azad Hind (Free India) Radio, which later became a monthly magazine.

Therefore, c is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Bose, Berlin and the call for Indian independence in Nazi Germany by Nikita Mohta, The Indian Express)

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements: 

1.  In 1914, the India Independence Committee or the Berlin Committee was formed under the aegis of the German Foreign Ministry and consisted of Indian nationalists in Berlin who sought to spread anti-colonial propaganda and organise resistance abroad.

2. The first committee formed by the Indian diaspora in Germany was the Indische Ausschuss or India Institute in 1928, the brainchild of Taraknath Das.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

The Indo-German link in the freedom struggle, though unusual, dated back to the First World War. What bound the two sides together was a shared hostility toward Britain. In 1914, the India Independence Committee or the Berlin Committee was formed under the aegis of the German Foreign Ministry and consisted of Indian nationalists in Berlin who sought to spread anti-colonial propaganda and organise resistance abroad.

Indian students and academics in Germany stood united in disseminating an anti-British sentiment. The first committee formed by the Indian diaspora in Germany was the Indische Ausschuss or India Institute in 1928, the brainchild of Taraknath Das, an Indian student, and Karl Haushofer, professor of Geography at the University of Munich.

Therefore, c is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Bose, Berlin and the call for Indian independence in Nazi Germany by Nikita Mohta, The Indian Express)

QUESTION 3

Consider the following enclaves in India during the colonial period of history.

1. Pondicherry

2. Karaikal

3. Yanam

4. Mahe

5. Chandernagore

6. Surat

Which of the above were the settlements of the French East India Company?

(a) 3, 4 and 6

(b) 1, 2, and 5

(c) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Explanation

Among the European colonial powers in the Indian Ocean, France was a relative latecomer. It arrived in the Indian subcontinent several decades after the Portuguese, Dutch, and the English, and within just a matter of a century was reduced to a mere spectator to Britain’s grand imperial rise in the region. Though limited to just five distinct enclaves – Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanaon, Mahe, and Chandannagore– the French empire in India had far-reaching consequences.

Therefore, c is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Were the French the ‘good colonisers’ in India? Historian Robert Ivermee says it’s ‘misleading’ by Adrija Roychowdhury, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements regarding British influence in the Gulf region during colonial times:

1. The British in India expanded their influence in the Gulf region primarily through direct colonization and administrative control.

2. Under the Interpretation Act of 1889, the Gulf protectorates were considered legally a part of British India.

Which of the statements given above is/are true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

The British in India expanded their influence over the Gulf region for strategic, economic and geopolitical reasons. The expansion, though, was not done through direct colonisation, but rather by establishing indirect control through treaties, often referred to as the “system of protection”. They were legally a part of India, under the Interpretation Act of 1889.

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: The Middle East was once part of British India — just not on official maps by Adrija Roychowdhury, The Indian Express)

QUESTION 5

What are Kurux, Malto and Brahui ?

(a) Tribes in the Northeastern states of India

(b) First migrants from Africa to the Indian subcontinent

(c) South Dravidian languages

(d) None of the above

Explanation

The Dravidian language family has four subgroups: South Dravidian with Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil among others, South-Central Dravidian with Gondi, Manda, Telugu etc; Central Dravidian consists of languages such as Naiki, Parji and North Dravidian had Kurux, Malto and Brahui. Of these, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu have established traditions of written literature and are recognised as scheduled languages by the Constitution of India.

Therefore, d is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Brahui, Malto, Kurux: The histories and the unsettling futures of the North Dravidian languages by Nikita Mohta, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 6

The Preah Vihear temple, recently seen in news is dedicated to which Hindu God/Goddess?

(a) Shiva

(b) Vishnu

(c) Durga

(d) None of the above

Explanation

On May 28, a deadly clash erupted along the disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia, claiming the life of at least one Cambodian soldier. In the aftermath, both nations have agreed to withdraw troops to previously agreed positions in an attempt to de-escalate tensions.

Although the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has persisted for decades, it seldom receives international attention. At the heart of this dispute lies the ancient Shiva temple of Preah Vihear. Despite a 1962 intervention by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the temple territory remains a point of contention.

Therefore, a is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: The Preah Vihear temple: understanding Thai-Cambodia conflicts over an 11th-century Hindu temple by Nikita Mohta, The Indian Express )

QUESTION 7

Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?

(a) Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam : Kathakali 

(b) Sonal Mansingh : Odissi

(c) Mallika Sarabhai : Bharatnatyam

(d) Darshana Jhaveri : Kathak

Explanation

If we ever think of how ‘Kuchipudi’ dance form found global limelight, the success has to be attributed to the Guru of Kuchipudi dance form, Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. He systemised Kuchipudi and bought the dance form more close to the standards of ‘Natya Shastra’, with introduction of elements such as ‘Chari’, a different style of leg movements.

Therefore, a is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: On International Dance Day, a look at some of India’s famous dance forms and their exponents, The Indian Express)

QUESTION 8

Which of the following is not the work of Rabindranath Tagore?

(a) Gora

(b) Devi Chaudhurani

(c) Nastanirh

(d) Jogajog 

Explanation

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandamath and Devi Chaudhurani. Rest all mentioned above are works by Tagore.

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary: Some of his writings you can revisit, The Indian Express.)

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