RAS question
Dadabhai Naoroji was known as:
Correct answer: (B) Grand Old Man of India.
Dadabhai Naoroji was known as the Grand Old Man of India.
Explanation
Dadabhai Naoroji was called the Grand Old Man of India because of his pioneering role in the Indian freedom struggle and the Indian National Congress. The phrase is the identifier being tested here, not a formal post or an event name. In RAS-style personality questions, such titles matter because they separate closely placed nationalist figures whose public reputations are often asked in direct recall form. Among the four options, only Grand Old Man of India belongs to Naoroji; Lokmanya, Punjab Kesari, and Deshbandhu identify other leaders.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Lokmanya was the title of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, so it points to a different nationalist leader.
- (C) Punjab Kesari was the title of Lala Lajpat Rai, not Dadabhai Naoroji.
- (D) Deshbandhu was the title of Chittaranjan Das, so it cannot identify Naoroji.
Concept
This tests Modern Indian History through the titles associated with freedom-struggle personalities. RAS asks these because a title often compresses a leader's public role into one recall point.