UPSC Prelims 2019 Q15: Modern History – Key Personalities & Ideologies
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Nationalist Figures: Position-Person Match
| Person | Position | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru | President, All India Liberal Federation | CORRECT - Sapru was a leading Liberal (moderate), President of AILF (Liberal Party successor to moderates who left Congress after 1918). Also chaired Sapru Committee (1945) on constitutional proposals. |
| 2. K.C. Neogy (Kshitish Chandra Neogy) | Member, Constituent Assembly | CORRECT - Neogy represented Bengal in the Constituent Assembly; also India's first Finance Commission Chairman (1951). |
| 3. P.C. Joshi (Puran Chand Joshi) | General Secretary, Communist Party of India | CORRECT - Joshi was the CPI General Secretary from 1935 to 1947 - the party's longest-serving GS during the crucial pre-independence phase. |
All three pairs are correctly matched. Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3.
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Pairs 2 and 3 are also correctly matched.
- (b) Incorrect. Pair 3 (P.C. Joshi - GS, CPI) is also correct.
- (c) Incorrect. Pairs 1 and 2 are also correctly matched.
- (d) CORRECT. All three pairs are historically accurate - Sapru/AILF, Neogy/Constituent Assembly, Joshi/CPI-GS.
Key point
All three matched: Sapru -> President, All India Liberal Federation. K.C. Neogy -> Member, Constituent Assembly (later 1st Finance Commission Chair). P.C. Joshi -> General Secretary, CPI (1935-47).
Remember
All three pairs are correctly matched: Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was President of the All India Liberal Federation, K.C. Neogy was a Member of the Constituent Assembly (and later India's first Finance Commission Chairman), and P.C. Joshi was General Secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1935 to 1947.
Common mistakes
- Confusing K.C. Neogy with Meghnad Saha or B.R. Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly context.
- Assuming CPI's first GS was S.A. Dange - Dange was a founder but Joshi was the long-serving GS during 1935-47.
- Missing that Sapru led the Sapru Committee (1945), which drafted constitutional proposals accepted partly by the British Cabinet Mission (1946).
Exam tip
Moderate/Liberal Party track: All India Liberal Federation (1919) was formed by moderates (Surendranath Banerjee, Sapru, Sastri, Jayakar) who quit Congress after Nagpur session. Sapru later mediated in Round Table Conferences and Sapru Committee (1945).
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 - Themes in Indian History Part III (Framing the Constitution and Nationalist Movement)
- Bipan Chandra - India's Struggle for Independence