UPSC Prelims 2001 Q57: Current Affairs – Books & Authors
Match List I with List II
and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists:
List I (Books)
I. The Struggle in My Life
II. The Struggle and the Triumph
III. Friends and Foes
IV. Rebirth
List II (Author)
A) Lech Walesa
B) Nelson Mandela
C) Leonid Brezhnev
D) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
E) Sheikh Mujibur Rehman
- (a) I - A, II - B, III - E, IV - C
- (b) I - B, II - A, III - E, IV - C
- (c) I - A, II - B, III - C, IV - D
- (d) I - B, II - A, III - C, IV - D
Answer: (b) I - B, II - A, III - E, IV - C
Explanation
Matching books with their authors
| Book (List I) | Author (List II) |
|---|---|
| I. The Struggle Is My Life | B. Nelson Mandela (1978 collection of speeches and writings) |
| II. The Struggle and the Triumph | A. Lech Walesa (autobiography, 1991) |
| III. Friends and Foes | E. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (per the key) |
| IV. Rebirth | C. Leonid Brezhnev (memoir, 1978) |
Nelson Mandela's book is The Struggle Is My Life, Lech Walesa wrote The Struggle and the Triumph, and Rebirth is a memoir by Leonid Brezhnev. Once these three are fixed, only option (b) remains, with Friends and Foes going to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Answer: (b) I - B, II - A, III - E, IV - C.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Mandela and Walesa are swapped.
- (b) CORRECT. Mandela, Walesa, Mujibur Rahman, Brezhnev.
- (c) Incorrect. Mandela and Walesa are swapped, and Rebirth is not Bhutto's.
- (d) Incorrect. Rebirth is Brezhnev's book, not Bhutto's.
Key point
Mandela's autobiography is Long Walk to Freedom (1994); The Struggle Is My Life is an earlier collection.
Remember
Mandela–The Struggle Is My Life; Walesa–The Struggle and the Triumph; Brezhnev–Rebirth.
Common mistakes
- Giving The Struggle and the Triumph to Mandela because of the word 'struggle'.
- Giving Rebirth to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
- Not using the surest pair to cut the options.
Exam tip
Fix one sure pair (Rebirth–Brezhnev) and two options fall away.
Sources
- Nelson Mandela — The Struggle Is My Life (International Defence and Aid Fund, 1978)
- Lech Walesa — The Struggle and the Triumph: An Autobiography (Arcade, 1992)