UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

UPSC Prelims 2018— Question 89

2018General Studies Paper-IHistoryModern IndiaSocio-Religious Reform Movementseasy
Q89

Question

With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs : Institution Founder 1. Sanskrit College at Benaras – William Jones 2. Calcutta Madarsa – Warren Hastings 3. Fort William College – Arthur Wellesley Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?

Options

A
1 and 2
B
2 only✓ Correct Answer
C
1 and 3
D
3 only
AnswerOption B

Explanation

**Concept and analysis:** Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781. Fort William College was established by Lord Wellesley in 1800, not Arthur Wellesley. Sanskrit College at Benaras was founded by Jonathan Duncan in 1791, not William Jones. Therefore only the second pair is correct. The question is testing precise UPSC-level identification rather than a broad association. The key is to distinguish the exact institutional, constitutional, historical, geographical, economic or scientific feature being asked. **Option-wise evaluation** **Option A:** Incorrect. It selects 1 and 2, but that combination does not match the verified statement-level assessment; it either includes a false statement or omits a true one. **Option B:** Correct. It selects statements 2; these are the statements supported by the relevant constitutional, economic, historical, scientific or geographical facts. **Option C:** Incorrect. It selects 1 and 3, but that combination does not match the verified statement-level assessment; it either includes a false statement or omits a true one. **Option D:** Incorrect. It selects 3 only, but that combination does not match the verified statement-level assessment; it either includes a false statement or omits a true one. **UPSC takeaway:** The safest way to solve this type of question is to anchor the answer in the defining feature of the concept and then test every option against that feature. Closely related institutions or terms are often used as distractors. In statement-based questions, do not judge the option as a whole before checking each statement independently. In factual questions, compare the wording of each option with the exact definition, location, institutional role, chronology or scientific property. The correct answer follows from that verification rather than from familiarity with a keyword.

Question Classification

SubjectHistory
TopicModern India
SubtopicSocio-Religious Reform Movements
Question TypeDirect MCQ
Difficultyeasy
VerificationVerified