Aspirant Academy

History

Model Answer Frameworks

19th-20th Century: 1857 Revolt, Peasant and Tribal Movements, Political Awakening, Integration

Paper I · Unit 1 Section 10 of 14 0 PYQs 51 min
Topic Preview Subject Inventory

Public Section Preview

Model Answer Frameworks

5-Mark Answer — Example 1 (PYQ 2021)

Question: Write a short note on the integration of Sirohi in 'United Rajasthan'. (RPSC Mains 2021, 5 marks)

Model Answer:

Sirohi's Maharawal signed the Instrument of Accession in December 1947. On 26 January 1950, Sirohi merged with Rajasthan, but Abu and Delwara tehsils were provisionally assigned to Bombay due to Jain pilgrimage significance. Gokulbhai Bhatt ("Gandhi of Rajasthan"), Sirohi Praja Mandal leader, championed Rajasthan merger. Under States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Abu area remained with Bombay; remaining Sirohi was confirmed as Rajasthan.

Word count: ~52 words | Word budget: Context (10) + Key facts + Abu complication (25) + Gokulbhai Bhatt (8) + Final settlement (9) = 52

5-Mark Answer — Example 2 (PYQ 2021)

Question: Critically examine the Begun Peasant Movement of Rajasthan. (RPSC Mains 2021, 5 marks)

Model Answer:

The Begun Movement (1921–23) in Chittorgarh resisted illegal cesses and begar under Mewar jagirdari, led by Ramnarayan Chaudhary. The Gomenda firing (13 July 1923) killed two peasants — Roopa ji and Kripaji — when jagirdar's forces fired on assembled farmers. The state commission blamed peasants for "unlawful assembly," exposing princely justice's feudal bias. The movement lacked sustained mass organisation, limiting long-term structural impact despite its martyrdom significance.

Word count: ~55 words | Factual elements: Leader (Ramnarayan Chaudhary), date (13 July 1923), two named martyrs, commission finding — all specific

5-Mark Answer — Example 3 (PYQ 2023)

Question: Critically evaluate the attitude of the Jaipur Praja Mandal towards Quit India Movement. (RPSC Mains 2023, 5 marks)

Model Answer:

When Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement (August 1942), Hiralal Shastri's Jaipur Praja Mandal adopted a cautious stance — prioritising responsible government dialogue with Jaipur rulers over direct action, launching a "Jeevan Kuti" constructive programme instead. Strategically, this preserved the organisation from state repression. Critically, it resulted in less mass mobilisation than Mewar Praja Mandal achieved, and drew accusations of subordinating national liberation to organisational self-preservation.

Word count: ~60 words | Critical elements: Both strategic justification AND criticism present — required for "critically evaluate" questions

10-Mark Answer Template

Question: Examine the role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V.P. Menon in the integration of Rajputana princely states into the Indian Union (1947–1950). (Predicted 2026 question)

Model Answer:

Introduction: Rajputana's 22 princely states were integrated into the Indian Union in six stages (March 1948 – November 1956) through Sardar Patel's political strategy and V.P. Menon's administrative execution.

Key Points:

  1. Legal framework: Patel and Menon deployed the Instrument of Accession under the Indian Independence Act, 1947. Crucially, Menon personally targeted Udaipur's Maharana Bhupal Singh (most senior Rajput ruler) for Stage 3 accession (18 April 1948), whose agreement broke resistance among smaller states.

  2. Financial inducements: Rulers received guaranteed privy purses — Udaipur ₹26 lakh annually, Jaipur ₹18 lakh, Jodhpur ₹17.5 lakh — secured under original Article 291 of the Constitution (later abolished by 26th Amendment, 1971). These guarantees made voluntary accession financially rational.

  3. Handling resistance: Jodhpur's Hanwant Singh explored Pakistan accession; Menon's direct intervention emphasising geographic impossibility secured his agreement. Jaisalmer's non-viability made accession straightforward. Patel's implicit warning that reluctant states would face internal instability without Indian protection was decisive.

  4. Outcome: The six-stage integration created India's largest state by area (342,239 sq km). Rajasthan's territorial consolidation completed with Ajmer-Merwara's merger under States Reorganisation Act, 1956 — achieved without a single military operation against any Rajputana state.

Conclusion: The Rajputana integration was the most complex multi-state merger in post-independence India — combining legal finesse, financial negotiation, and strategic pressure across 8 years without armed conflict.

Word count: ~168 words (within acceptable range for 10-mark)