UPSC Essentials | Daily Quiz : History and Culture (Week 132) — Test your knowledge for UPSC CSE Prelims 2026

1. Jawaharlal Nehru’s reputed book on history, Discovery of India comprised of collection letters that he wrote to his daughter.

2. An Indian Pilgrim is an autobiography of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— It was the early 1930s and Jawaharlal Nehru was incarcerated for his involvement in the civil disobedience movement. Sitting in the confines of Naini prison, he read and reflected upon a large amount of literature, and in the process started writing what would eventually turn out to be a voluminous account of world history starting from 6000 BC to the time at which he was writing. But Nehru’s writing was not for a student of history, nor was it matter fashioned in a way to satiate the appetite of a history enthusiast. The collection of 196 segments of world history that Nehru put together, were in fact letters that a doting father wrote to his daughter who had just stepped into her years of adolescence.

— The series of letters that went on to be published as ‘Glimpses of world history’, was Nehru’s first attempt as a historian. He was aware of the fact that history to him was not an academic venture.

— An Indian Pilgrim is an autobiography of Subhash Chandra Bose that he wrote in December 1937.

Therefore, d is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Jawaharlal Nehru, the historian who wrote about the past for the love of his daughter’s future by Adrija Roychowdhury, Research, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 2

Consider the following passage :

After sixteen years of tireless work, several prison terms and long periods of exile he was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to be the President of the Indian National Congress for 1938. Gandhi’s choice became known at the time of the Calcutta meeting of the All India Congress Committee in October 1937. With the Mahatma’s blessings he decided to go on a trip to Europe before taking up his duties as Congress President. He spent more than a month from late November 1937 to early January 1938 with Emilie Schenkl at his favourite health resort Badgastein in Austria.

‘He’ in the above lines refer to:

(a) Chittaranjan Das

(b) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

(c) Subhash Chandra Bose

(d) Nellie Sengupta

Explanation

The above lines refer to Subhash Chandra Bose. The question is curated from Editor’s Introduction (Sisir K. Bose and Sugata Bose) of ‘An Indian Pilgrim An Unfinished Autobiography’ by  Subhas Chandra Bose. 

Therefore, c is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to Birsa Munda, consider the following statements:

1. He was a revolutionary Adivasi leader who led the late 19th-century “The Great Tumult”.

2. The idea of a sovereign Adivasi territory could be traced to his popular slogan: “Abua dishum, abua raj”.

3. He was accorded the title of “Marang Gomke”.

Which of the above given statements is/are true?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

— Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the revolutionary Adivasi leader who led the late 19th-century Ulgulan (“The Great Tumult”).

— The date of its formation is significant: the state was the product of a lengthy struggle to protect Adivasi identity and resources.

— The idea of a sovereign Adivasi territory could be traced to Birsa Munda’s popular slogan: “Abua dishum, abua raj” (Our land, our rule).

— Throughout the late-18th and 19th centuries, colonial forces upturned the Adivasi way of life in Chhotanagpur. These disruptions led to periodic rebellions, such as the Hul of 1855-56 and the Ulugulan of 1899, which saw Adivasis take up arms against imperial officers and their non-Adivasi collaborators.

Adivasi Mahasabha & Jaipal Singh Munda

— The 1930s saw the emergence of a number of Adivasi organisations across Chhotanagpur. In 1930, the Chhotanagpur Kisan Sabha, which advocated for farmers’ rights, came up in response to the growing exploitation of ryots by zamindars. In 1933, the Chotanagpur Catholic Sabha and other tribe-specific associations, such as the Ho-Malto Marang Sabha and the Munda Sabha, took shape; each voiced the socio-political concerns of their respective communities.

— Eventually, these organisations united to form the Chotanagpur-Santhal Pargana Adivasi Sabha in 1938, bringing together Ho, Munda, Santhal, and Oraon leaders to one platform. This was a time when the Jharkhand movement transitioned from one calling for social reform to political mobilisation. The creation of Orissa (now Odisha) in 1936, and the lack of Adivasi representation in the Bihar Congress government of 1937 gave impetus to the movement.

— In 1939, the Sabha became the Adivasi Mahasabha. At this juncture emerged Jaipal Singh Munda, an Oxford-educated intellectual, former ICS officer, and captain of India’s gold-winning 1928 hockey team. Munda hailed from a village in Khunti district, some 25 km from Ranchi.

— In 1939, leaders of the Mahasabha had invited him to preside over their annual conference held on the banks of the Harmu river in Ranchi. He was given a grand welcome, and accorded the title of “Marang Gomke” (Great Leader).

— It was in this conference that the Mahasabha formally raised the demand for Jharkhand; of course, Bihar’s then Prime Minister (equivalent to chief minister today) Shri Krishna Sinha rejected this proposal.

— Munda then approached national leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, but was told to focus on first attaining Independence from colonial rule.

Therefore, a is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: 25 years after its formation, the story of Jharkhand by Shubham Tigga, Explained, The Indian Express)

QUESTION 4

Which of the following books won the Booker Prize 2025?

(a) Flashlight

(b) Flesh

(c) The Land in Winter 

(d) Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Explanation

— David Szalay is the Hungarian-British author who has won the prestigious 2025 Booker Prize for his profound and propulsive sixth novel, Flesh. His victory marks a significant milestone, as he is the first author of Hungarian heritage to win the award.

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Who is David Szalay, the 2025 Booker Prize winner? by Aishwarya Khosla, Books and Literature, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 5

Consider the following statements:

1. The concepts of dravya, guna, and karma are central to the Vaishesika school of Indian philosophy.

2. According to Sri Aurobindo, matter is nothing but the non-manifested satelement of the spirit called Satchidānanda.

Which of the above given statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

The above question is curated from ‘Ancient Indian Scientific Thought and Modern Theories’, namami.gov.in. Here are the relevant excepts:

— “The Indian poetical and philosophic works provide enough details about the development of science and technology in ancient India. One gets to know of the enough discussions of there in the Vaiśeṣika and Yoga schools of Indian philosophy. While the former deals with such concepts like dravya (substance), guṇa (quality), and karma (motion) and the cause of different types of motion, the latter talks about the yoga and its health benefits. The physical postures and meditative practices of yoga actually developed through thousands of years of intensive study of the body’s responses to particular postures and meditations. The modern world approves of its benefits in health management.”

— “There is an eternal dispute between the spiritualists and the materialists for supremacy. There are varying approaches to physics, especially matter, in Indian philosophical systems. Sri Aurobindo respects the claims of both. According to him, matter is nothing but the non-manifested satelement of the spirit called Satchidānanda.”

Therefore, c is the correct answer.

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