20 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markThe United Nations Organisation resolution on Kashmir, dated 21 April 1948, recommended a three step process. Which of these was NOT one of the three steps?
(A) Pakistan had to withdraw its entire nationalities who entered into Kashmir(B) India needed to progressively reduce its forces so as to maintain law and order(C) The state was to be divided along the line then held by the two armies(D) A plebiscite was to be conducted in a free and impartial manner - 1 markAfter 5 August 2019, the state was constituted into which two Union Territories?
(A) Jammu, and Kashmir & Ladakh(B) Jammu and Kashmir-Ladakh(C) Kashmir and Jammu-Ladakh(D) Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh - 1 markThe DMK’s three pronged agitation of 1953-54 began with a demand about which railway station?
(A) Kallakudi, which had been renamed Dalmiapuram after an industrial house from the North(B) Tiruchirappalli, renamed after a northern industrialist(C) Madras Central, renamed after a northern industrialist(D) Dalmiapuram, which had been renamed Kallakudi after a Tamil reformer - 1 markThe Anandpur Sahib Resolution declared its goal as attaining the bolbala of the Sikhs. How does the chapter gloss bolbala?
(A) Self respect or dignity(B) Community or nation(C) Dominance or hegemony(D) Autonomy or self rule - 1 markWhat was ‘Operation Blue Star’?
(A) The code name for the police operation against militants in Amritsar city in 1983(B) The code name for army action in the Golden Temple in June 1984(C) The code name for the search operation after Indira Gandhi’s assassination(D) The code name for the army’s counter insurgency operation in Punjab in 1992 - 1 markUnder the Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal Accord, a tribunal was to be set up to decide the sharing of which river water, and among which States?
(A) Ravi-Beas water among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan(B) Sutlej-Yamuna water among Punjab, Haryana and Delhi(C) Ravi-Beas water among Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana(D) Sutlej-Beas water among Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh - 1 markWhich group led the anti-foreigner movement in Assam from 1979?
(A) The Asom Gana Parishad, a regional political party(B) The Asom Gana Sangram Parishad, a front of opposition parties(C) The All Assam Students’ Union, a students’ group not affiliated to any party(D) The All Party Hill Leaders Conference
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): The Indian approach did not treat the political expression of regional aspirations as anti-national.
Reason (R): India adopted a democratic approach to the question of diversity, and democracy allows the political expressions of regional aspirations.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Before 1947 Jammu and Kashmir was a Princely State.
Reason (R): Its ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, wanted to merge with Pakistan because the majority population of the State was Muslim.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The popular movement led by Sheikh Abdullah wanted to get rid of the Maharaja but was against joining Pakistan.
Reason (R): Sheikh Abdullah was opposed to Pakistan due to its non-secular character.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the leader in List I with the organisation in List II.
List I: (i) Laldenga, (ii) Angami Zapu Phizo, (iii) E.V. Ramasami, (iv) Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa
List II: (A) Naga National Council, (B) Sikkim National Congress, (C) Mizo National Front, (D) Dravidar Kazhagam
(A) (i)-C, (ii)-A, (iii)-B, (iv)-D(B) (i)-C, (ii)-A, (iii)-D, (iv)-B(C) (i)-A, (ii)-C, (iii)-D, (iv)-B(D) (i)-D, (ii)-A, (iii)-C, (iv)-B - 1 markMatch the country in List I with what the chapter’s closing section says about it in List II.
List I: (i) United Kingdom, (ii) Spain, (iii) Sri Lanka, (iv) India
List II: (A) Faces a secessionist movement from the Basques, (B) Faces a secessionist movement from the Tamils, (C) Has regional aspirations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, (D) Has succeeded in accepting regionalism as part and parcel of democratic politics
(A) (i)-A, (ii)-C, (iii)-B, (iv)-D(B) (i)-C, (ii)-A, (iii)-D, (iv)-B(C) (i)-C, (ii)-B, (iii)-A, (iv)-D(D) (i)-C, (ii)-A, (iii)-B, (iv)-D
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) At independence the entire North-East region except Meghalaya and Nagaland comprised the State of Assam.
(ii) The reorganisation of the North-East was completed by 1972.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii) - 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) The Dravidian movement took to arms in pursuit of a Dravida nation.
(ii) The success of the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 added to the DMK’s popularity.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii)
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange the following in the correct chronological order.
(i) Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya become States
(ii) Nagaland State is created
(iii) The All Party Hill Leaders Conference is formed
(iv) Arunachal Pradesh becomes a separate State
(A) (ii), (iv), (iii), (i)(B) (iii), (iv), (i), (ii)(C) (ii), (iii), (iv), (i)(D) (iii), (ii), (i), (iv)
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 mark“The region has only 4 per cent of the country’s population but about ________ as much share of its area.”
(A) half(B) thrice(C) twice(D) four times - 1 mark“Sikkim’s defence and foreign relations were looked after by India, while the power of internal administration was with the ________, Sikkim’s monarch.”
(A) Maharaja(B) Chogyal(C) Wangchuk(D) Raja
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markThree of these are named by the chapter among the parties that emerged in the 1990s and kept alive the issue of regional pride in the politics of Tamil Nadu. Which is the odd one out?
(A) Marumalarchchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)(B) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)(C) Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK)(D) All India Anna DMK (AIADMK)
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Internally, there is a dispute about the status of Kashmir within Indian union. You have studied about the special provisions under Articles 370 and 371 last year in Indian Constitution at Work. This special status had provoked two opposite reactions. There is a section of people outside of J&K that believed that the special status of the State conferred by Article 370 did not allow full integration of the State with India. This section felt that Article 370 be revoked and J&K be treated like any other state of India. Another section, mostly Kashmiris, believe that the autonomy conferred by Article 370 is not enough. They had at least three major grievances. First, the promise that Accession would be referred to the people of the State after the situation created by tribal invasion was normalised, has not been fulfilled. This generated the demand for a plebiscite. Secondly, there was a feeling that the special federal status guaranteed by Article 370, had been eroded in practice. This had led to the demand for restoration of autonomy or ‘Greater State Autonomy’. Thirdly, it was felt that democracy which is practiced in the rest of India has not been similarly institutionalised in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
- 1 markThe passage says the special status provoked two opposite reactions. What did the section of people outside J&K feel?
(A) That Article 370 be revoked and J&K be treated like any other state of India(B) That the special provisions of Article 370 should be extended to other states as well(C) That the autonomy conferred by Article 370 was not enough(D) That a plebiscite should be held to settle the question of Accession
Passage
The large scale migration into the North-East gave rise to a special kind of problem that pitted the ‘local’ communities against people who were seen as ‘outsiders’ or migrants. These latecomers, either from India or abroad are seen as encroachers on scarce resources like land and potential competitors to employment opportunities and political power. This issue has taken political and sometimes violent form in many States of the North-East. The Assam Movement from 1979 to 1985 is the best example of such movements against ‘outsiders’. The Assamese suspected that there were huge numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh. They felt that unless these foreign nationals are detected and deported they would reduce the indigenous Assamese into a minority. There were other economic issues too. There was widespread poverty and unemployment in Assam despite the existence of natural resources like oil, tea and coal. It was felt that these were drained out of the State without any commensurate benefit to the people.
- 1 markWhy, according to the passage, are the latecomers to the North-East seen as a problem by the ‘local’ communities?
(A) Because they refuse to learn the languages of the region(B) Because they are seen as supporters of the secessionist movements(C) Because they were settled in the region by the central government(D) Because they are seen as encroachers on scarce resources like land and potential competitors to employment opportunities and political power
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (C) The chapter lists exactly three steps: Pakistan’s withdrawal, India’s progressive reduction of forces, and a free and impartial plebiscite. It says nothing about a division along the line held by the armies, and adds that “no progress could be achieved under this resolution.”
- (D) The chapter names them in this form: “the state was constituted into two Union Territories, viz., Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.” The illustration at the head of the section carries the same caption, sourced to https://pib.gov.in.
- (A) The chapter gives the direction of the renaming clearly: the DMK “demanded the restoration of the original name of Kallakudi railway station which had been renamed Dalmiapuram, after an industrial house from the North.” The original name was Kallakudi, so the choice naming Dalmiapuram as the original reverses the two.
- (C) The chapter glosses both of the Resolution’s terms in brackets: it “spoke of the aspirations of the Sikh qaum (community or nation) and declared its goal as attaining the bolbala (dominance or hegemony) of the Sikhs.” So qaum is community or nation and bolbala is dominance or hegemony.
- (B) The chapter defines it: “In June 1984, the Government of India carried out ‘Operation Blue Star’, code name for army action in the Golden Temple.” It adds that the government could successfully flush out the militants, but the operation also damaged the historic temple and deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs.
- (A) The chapter lists the accord’s provisions: Chandigarh would be transferred to Punjab, a separate commission would settle the Punjab-Haryana border dispute, and “a tribunal would be set up to decide the sharing of Ravi-Beas river water among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.”
- (C) The chapter says: “In 1979 the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), a students’ group not affiliated to any party, led an anti-foreigner movement.” The Asom Gana Parishad was formed later, when the AASU and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad organised themselves as a regional political party after the accord.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own, and the second is exactly why the first follows: “India adopted a democratic approach to the question of diversity. Democracy allows the political expressions of regional aspirations and does not look upon them as anti-national.”
- (C) The first is the chapter’s own. The second puts the Pakistani leaders’ view into the Maharaja’s mouth: the chapter says the Pakistani leaders thought Kashmir ‘belonged’ to Pakistan since the majority population was Muslim, while “Maharaja Hari Singh did not want to merge either with India or Pakistan but to have an independent status for his state.”
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own. A is the chapter’s account of the popular movement, and R comes from the chapter’s profile of Sheikh Abdullah: he was “opposed to Pakistan due to its non-secular character”. That is why the movement he led was against joining Pakistan, so R explains A.
Match the Following
- (B) All four pairings are the chapter’s own. Laldenga was the founder and leader of the Mizo National Front; Phizo was president of the Naga National Council; the Dravidar Kazhagam was formed under E.V. Ramasami ‘Periyar’; and Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa founded the Sikkim National Congress in 1962.
- (D) The chapter uses the three foreign examples to make its first lesson: “Even in smaller countries like the United Kingdom there are regional aspirations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Spain faces secessionist movement from the Basques and so does Sri Lanka from the Tamils.” Its closing sentence about India is that “politics in India has succeeded in accepting regionalism as part and parcel of democratic politics.”
Statement-Based Questions
- (B) The first names the wrong two States. The chapter says: “At independence the entire region except Manipur and Tripura comprised the State of Assam.” Meghalaya and Nagaland were carved out later. The second is the chapter’s own: “The reorganisation of the North-East was completed by 1972.”
- (B) The chapter denies the first: “Though some sections of this movement had ambitions of creating a Dravida nation, the movement did not take to arms. It used democratic means like public debates and the electoral platform to achieve its ends.” The second is its own: “The success of the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 added to the DMK’s popularity.”
Chronological Ordering
- (D) The chapter dates the All Party Hill Leaders Conference to 1960, and then gives the reorganisation list: “Nagaland State was created in 1963; Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya in 1972 while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh became separate States only in 1987.”
Fill in the Blanks
- (C) The chapter’s word is twice. The sentence pairs a small share of the population with a disproportionately large share of the area, and is followed by the note that a small corridor of about 22 kilometers connects the region to the rest of the country.
- (B) The chapter’s word is Chogyal, and it uses the title as a name throughout the section: the Chogyal was unable to deal with the democratic aspirations of the people and was seen as perpetuating the rule of a small elite from the minority Lepcha-Bhutia community.
Odd One Out
- (D) The chapter’s 1990s list is “Marumalarchchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK)”. The AIADMK is older: it came out of the split that followed the death of C. Annadurai, and it is one of the two parties the chapter says have dominated Tamil Nadu politics for the last four decades.
Passage-Based Questions
- (A) The passage attributes this position to that section and no other: “This section felt that Article 370 be revoked and J&K be treated like any other state of India.” The choices about the autonomy not being enough and about a plebiscite belong to the opposite reaction, the one held mostly by Kashmiris.
- (D) The passage gives the reason in one sentence: “These latecomers, either from India or abroad are seen as encroachers on scarce resources like land and potential competitors to employment opportunities and political power.” Note that the passage says they are seen as this, and does not itself endorse the view.
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