pyq/2014/history-optional-ii/1

Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: (10×5=50)

(a) "Plassey did not complete the British conquest of India. Had the English been convincingly defeated in any subsequent battle in India, then (the battle of) Plassey would have remained as a minor episode in the history of India." (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) "Montague-Chelmsford reform proposals introduced 'dyarchy', but blurred the lines of responsibility." (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) "The military, feudal and traditional overtones of the Revolt of 1857 were overshadowed by its nationalist or proto-nationalist character." (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) "The 'safety-valve thesis' does not adequately explain the birth of the Indian National Congress in 1885." (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) "M.K. Gandhi made a gross mistake in championing the Khilafat cause, an extra-territorial issue which cut at the very roots of Indian nationality." (10 marks, 150 words)