1. With reference to historical figures in Indian politics, consider the following statements:
- Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President and the second President of free India.
- Jyotiba Phule founded Satyashodhak Samaj to champion women’s education and Dalit rights.
- Rajagopalachari fought caste prejudice by enacting the Madras Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act.
- Sardar V. Patel played a crucial role in the integration of princely states into India post-independence.
How many of the above statements are correct?
[A] Only one
[B] Only two
[C] Only three
[D] All four
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [All four]
Notes:- Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President and the second President of free India. Correct: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served as India’s first Vice President (1952-1962) and later became the second President (1962-1967).
- Jyotiba Phule founded Satyashodhak Samaj to champion women’s education and Dalit rights. Correct: Jyotiba Phule established Satyashodhak Samaj (1873) to fight caste discrimination, promote women’s education, and advocate for Dalit rights. His efforts laid the foundation for social reform movements in India.
- Rajagopalachari fought caste prejudice by enacting the Madras Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act. Correct: C. Rajagopalachari, as the Premier of Madras Presidency (1937-1939), passed the Madras Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act (1939). This law allowed Dalits and other marginalized communities to enter Hindu temples, challenging caste discrimination.
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a crucial role in the integration of princely states into India post-independence. Correct: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, as India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, led the integration of over 560 princely states into the Union of India. He used diplomacy and persuasion, backed by military action (e.g., Hyderabad and Junagadh), to unify India.
2. Which of the following statements about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is/are correct?
- He is known as the ‘Bismarck of India.’
- Vallabhbhai Patel was given the title of ‘Sardar’ by Subhash Chandra Bose.
- He presided the INC session in Karachi in 1930.
- Statue of Unity was listed in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s “Eight Wonders”.
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 3
[B] Only 1 & 4
[C] Only 1, 2 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1 & 4]
Notes:- Vallabhbhai Patel was given the title of ‘Sardar’ by Mahatma Gandhi.
- He is known as the ‘Bismarck of India.’
- He served as India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
- In 1991, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. Since 2014, his birthday has been celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).
- Patel also led the Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928, which was a huge effort.
- He was chosen President of the INC in Karachi in 1931.
- In the Constituent Assembly of India, Patel was in charge of the Provincial Constitution Committee and the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities, and Tribal and Excluded Areas.
- He is known as the ‘patron saint’ of the civil services because of his involvement in establishing India’s modern civil services.
- Statue of Unity was listed in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s “Eight Wonders” in January 2020. (SCO).
3. Which Union Ministry organised ‘Unity Runs’ on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel?
[A] Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
[B] Ministry of Education
[C] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
[D] Ministry of Home Affairs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports]
Notes:
Department of Youth Affairs and Sports and its affiliate organizations namely Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) organized Unity Runs on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in all districts.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur flagged off the Run for Unity from Mohali, Punjab. Across the country, 90,122 Runs for Unity were organized with participation of 55.32 Lakh, to generate awareness among citizens about the essence of national unity.
4. After the Bardoli Satyagraha, the title of ‘Sardar’ to Vallabhbhai Patel was given by ____:
[A] Jawaharlal Nehru
[B] Mahatma Gandhi
[C] Motilal Nehru
[D] Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mahatma Gandhi]
Notes:
The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, in the state of Gujarat, India during the period of the British Raj, was a major episode of civil disobedience and revolt in the Indian Independence Movement. Its success gave rise to Vallabhbhai Patel as one of the greatest leaders of the independence struggle. While Patel credited Gandhi’s teachings and the farmers’ undying resolve, people across the nation recognized his vital leadership. Gandhi and his fellow satyagrahis called him Sardar for the first time, which in Gujarati and most Indian languages means Chief or Leader. It was after Bardoli that Sardar Patel became one of India’s most important leaders. It was a non-tax movement.
5. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was equated with _____:
[A] Garibaldi
[B] Cavour
[C] Bismarck
[D] Mazzini
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bismarck]
Notes:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel played an unparalleled role in the country’s struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation. Therefore he is also regarded as the “Bismarck of India” and “Iron Man of India”. In India and across the world, he was often addressed as Sardar, which means Chief in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian.
6. सरदार पटेल नेतृत्व केंद्र (Sardar Patel Leadership Centre) का उद्घाटन किस स्थान पर किया गया है?
[A] मसूरी
[B] नैनीताल
[C] वाराणसी
[D] नागपुर
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [मसूरी]
Notes:
केंद्रीय कार्मिक, लोक शिकायत, पेंशन राज्य मंत्री डॉ. जितेंद्र सिंह ने लाल बहादुर शास्त्री राष्ट्रीय प्रशासन अकादमी (LBSNAA), मसूरी में “सरदार पटेल नेतृत्व केंद्र” राष्ट्र को समर्पित किया। इसका उद्घाटन सरदार वल्लभभाई पटेल की जयंती के अवसर पर राष्ट्रीय एकता दिवस के अवसर पर किया गया था।
7. ‘Sardar Patel Leadership Centre’ has been inaugurated at which place?
[A] Nainital
[B] Mussoorie
[C] Varanasi
[D] Nagpur
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mussoorie]
Notes:
Union Minister of State Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh dedicated “Sardar Patel Leadership Centre” to the nation at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie.
This was inaugurated on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, marking the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
8. In which year Sardar Patel along with Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher attended Ekikarana movement conference in Mumbai?
[A] 1935
[B] 1942
[C] 1944
[D] 1946
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1946]
Notes:
The tenth conference of the Ekikarana movement was held on 10 January 1946 in Mumbai. This conference was inaugurated by Sardar Patel and attended by the likes of B. G. Kher, the then Chief Minister of Bombay presidency. In his speech at the conference, Sardar Patel stated that the interests of all linguistic groups would be high on the list of priorities for the new government of independent India.
9. Sardar Patel Zoological Park, which was seen in news recently, is located in which state?
[A] Bihar
[B] Gujarat
[C] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Karnataka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Gujarat]
Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated Sardar Patel Zoological Park known as Jungle Safari, in Kevadia, Narmada district of Gujarat.
The Zoological Park, also known as Jungle Safari, has been set up near the Statue of Unity. The Prime Minister also inaugurated Arogya Van at Kevadia in Narmada district of Gujarat. It has around 400 species of plants and trees with rich medicinal values.
10. In which year, Sardar Patel led the Borsad Satyagrah?
[A] 1921
[B] 1922
[C] 1923
[D] 1924
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [1923]
Notes:
In September 1923 the government announced a levy of Rs 2.5 lakhs on the residents of Borsad taluka as its expense on special anti-dacoity police posted there: each person over 16 years of age was to pay two rupees and seven annas towards the sum. Sardar Patel and his colleagues uncovered evidence of the police being in cahoots with the dacoits; and that the villagers who had shown exemplary courage in resisting the dacoits or in informing the police were severely victimised. Sardar Patel and his team organised the villagers for agitation against the levied tax. After a protracted struggle, which Sardar had organized superbly, the government was forced to give in.
