Socio-religious Reforms

Raja Rammohan Roy founded the ____________.

• Brahmo Samaj

• Arya Samaj

• Arya Mahila Samaj

• Ramakrishna Mission

Answer explanation

Brahmo Samaj was started to expose the religious hypocrisies. It was the first intellectual reform movement in modern India where social evils then practised were condemned and efforts made to remove them from society.

The kanya-gurukuls were founded by __________.

• B R Ambedkar

• Mahatma Gandhi

• Dayananda Saraswati

• Joytiba Phule

_________ established the Sharda Sadan.

• Sarojini Naidu

• Dayanand Saraswati

• Vivekananda

• Pandita Ramabai

Answer explanation

Sharda Sadan was a residential school for widows, providing them with education and vocational training to help them become self-reliant. Pandita Ramabai was a pioneer in women’s education and social reform in India.

The British did not interfere in the Indian society and culture before __________.

• 1857

• 1813

• 1856

• 1850

Answer explanation

During British rule, colonial India followed a policy of non-interference in the social, religious and cultural life of the fellow Indian till 1813 AD.

In 1856, ___________ supervised the marriage of an upper caste widow.

• Rammohan Roy

• Keshab Chandra Sen

• Vidyasagar

• Ranade

Women received equal status and respect in colonial India

• True
• False

Answer explanation

Women did not receive equal status and respect in colonial India. During British rule, Indian society remained deeply patriarchal, and women faced discrimination in areas like education, employment, and social rights.

Malabari' s efforts were driven towards fighting the custom of child marriage.

• True
• False

Answer explanation

Behramji Malabari was a social reformer and journalist who actively fought against the practice of child marriage in India. His efforts played a significant role in influencing the passage of the Age of Consent Act, 1891, which raised the minimum age for marriage for girls.

Through his writings and activism, Malabari worked to improve the status of women, advocating for widow remarriage and women's education as well.

Vidyasagar carried on the legacy of rammohan Roy by taking up the leadership of Brahmo Samaj after his death.

• True
• False

Answer explanation

While Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was deeply influenced by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and carried forward his reformist ideas, he did not take up the leadership of the Brahmo Samaj after Roy's death.

After Raja Ram Mohan Roy's death, the leadership of the Brahmo Samaj was taken over by Debendranath Tagore, who led the organization in a more conservative direction. Vidyasagar, on the other hand, focused on education and social reform, especially advocating for the remarriage of widows, women's education, and reforming the social status of women. He was a key figure in promoting Bengali education and reforming marriage laws, but his work was largely separate from the Brahmo Samaj's religious movement.

Social reformers rejected blind faith and superstitions.

• True
• False

Answer explanation

Social reformers in India, such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and others, rejected blind faith and superstitions. They promoted rational thinking, scientific knowledge, and social reforms to challenge practices like Sati, child marriage, and untouchability, aiming to improve social conditions and encourage a more progressive, enlightened society.

Dayananda Saraswati believed that in earlier times women held positions of respect in Indian society.

• True
• False

Answer explanation

Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, believed that in earlier times, women held positions of respect and were treated with equality in Indian society. He argued that the Vedic texts promoted the dignity and respect of women, and he advocated for the reform of social practices that degraded women, such as child marriage and sati.

Dayananda believed in the empowerment of women, emphasizing their right to education and equality within society.