Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Pandit Nehru and Maulana Azad.

• Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad were official Congress negotiators for Cripps Mission.

Key Points

• On 11 March 1942, Churchill announced that the British government had prepared a plan to overcome India's political deadlock and Sir Stafford Crips would be sent to India.
• Sir Cripps was also a member of the British Cabinet and actively supported the Indian National Movement.
• The Cripps Mission provided for a separate constitution for other provinces of India, whose hidden goal was to divide India into pieces.
• This proposal was against the principle of national unity of India.

The correct answer is The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon.

Key Points

• The immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi Movement was the partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon.
• Swadeshi Movement
  • This was a comprehensive movement that lasted 6 years.
  • Although this was regarded as a cultural movement celebrating the rich harvest of history, the rich traditions like folk music, paintings, the culture of Bengal were highlighted.
  • But very soon, it got integrated with the political upheavals that followed after the partition of Bengal. Krishna Kumar Mitra, in his newspaper, ‘Sanjivani’ highlighted the prospects of national education and ‘Economic Swadeshi’.
  • Very soon, this movement started gaining momentum with the help of the entire Bengali middle-class intelligentsia.
  • After the partition of Bengal, the Swadeshi movement got a big boost, because of the integration of the boycott movement with the Swadeshi movement.
  • Tilak called this movement “Bahishkar Yoga“ and most of the Bengali intelligentsia that was initially not in favor of the boycott movement got integrated with the Swadeshi movement.
  • This was primary learning for the national movement.
  • According to Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Lala Lajpat Rai, it was training in ‘self-determination’, ‘self-help’, and ‘self-reliance’.

Additional Information

• Lord Curzon
  • Curzon came up with the idea to suppress the rising tide of nationalism.
  • With the publication of the book, ‘Indian Musalman’, by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, and with his active alliance, the attitude of the British towards Muslims changed significantly.
  • Thus Curzon wanted to ensure that the minority consciousness should be used against the majority and that this would then break the solidarity of Indian society, and in turn, break the solidarity of the Indian National Movement as well.
  • Thus, his active agenda was to create a feeling of minority consciousness.
  • The ‘Partition of Bengal’ was at the core of his policies.
  • The population of Bengal was balanced - where Hindus and Muslims were numerically almost equal.
  • Their consciousness was that of a Bengali consciousness and not at all a religious contradiction between Hindus and Muslims, and the Bengali intelligentsia was primarily responsible for the spread of nationalism in different parts of India.

The correct answer is Kushans.

• Kushans were the first kings to issue the largest hoards of gold coins in India.

Key Points

• Kushanas Coins:
  • Kushanas issued mostly gold coins and numerous copper coins which have been found in most parts of North India up to Bihar.
  • The Gold Dinara's or Suvarnas were based on the Roman denarius and were of 124 grains (8.04 grams).
    • Double and quarter Dinaras were also issued. The copper coins were large, from 26 to 28 Masas or 240 to 260 grains (15.55 to 16.85) grams.
  • The coins of Vima Kadphises bear the figure of Siva standing beside a bull.
  • In the legend on these coins, the king calls himself Maheshwara, i.e. devotee of Siva.
    • Kanishka, Huvishka and Vasudeva etc. all have this depiction on their coins.
  • Many Indian gods and goddesses are depicted on Kushana coins besides many Persian and Greek deities.

Additional Information

• Indo-Greek Coins:
  • The Indo-Greek coins show beautiful artistic features them.
  • The portrait or bust of the king on the obverse side appears to be real portraits. On the reverse, some deity is depicted.
  • We know that more than forty Indo-Greek rulers ruled in a small north-western region of India from these coins.
• Pre Guptan and Guptan Coins:
  • Gupta kings issued the most number of Gold coins.
  • The Satavahanas issued coins of lead and potin (base silver).
  • Satavahanas’ copper coins with the Ujjain symbol bearing a ship were abundant in Avanti.
  • The gold coins of the Guptas (Dinara) originally approximated to the Kushana standard, but in the middle of the 5th century rose in weight to 144 grains, thus returning to the Indian standard of the copper Karsapana.

Mistake Points

• Gupta kings issued the most number of Gold coins whereas Kushans were the first kings to issue the largest hoards of gold coins in India.

Solution Source - https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lehs102.pdf (Pg No. 44)

The correct answer is Jaunpur.

• The Jaunpur sultanate was ruled by the Sharqi dynasty.
• Malik-ul-Sharq was the founder of the Sharqi Dynasty.
• Malik-ul-Sharq made Jaunpur his capital and established his reign from Etawah to Bengal and Vindhyachal to Nepal.
• The founder of the Sharqi Dynasty, Malik-ul-Sharq, died in 1398 A.D.