UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Government of India Launches Nationwide Two-Year Commemoration of the 200th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule from 11th April 2026 to 11th April 2028

Q1. The 19th-century campaign in Maharashtra to solemnise marriages without Brahmin priests and to spread rational, non-ritualistic practices for the emancipation of Shudras and Ati-Shudras was institutionally carried forward chiefly through which one of the following organisations?

  • A. Satyashodhak Samaj
  • B. Prarthana Samaj
  • C. Arya Samaj
  • D. Brahmo Samaj

Q2. Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule opened India's first girls' school in 1848, and Jyotirao founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873. How many years separated these two milestones?

  • A. 25 years
  • B. 21 years
  • C. 27 years
  • D. 30 years

Q3. Consider the following initiatives, each attributed to Jyotirao Phule's social and educational work: Which of the above is/are NOT correctly attributed to him?

  1. Starting India's first school for girls at Bhide Wada, Pune, in 1848
  2. Opening night schools for adult working people
  3. Establishing a home to shelter infants and prevent female infanticide
  4. Founding the Brahmo Samaj to campaign for widow remarriage in Bengal
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q4. By 1851, Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule were jointly running how many girls' schools in Pune?

  • A. Three
  • B. One
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q5. Which one of the following is regarded as Jyotirao Phule's foremost anti-caste work, in which he explicitly drew a parallel between caste oppression in India and Negro slavery in America?

  • A. Gulamgiri
  • B. Shetkaryacha Asud
  • C. Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak
  • D. Trutiya Ratna

Q6. The title of Jyotirao Phule's 1881 work 'Shetkaryacha Asud' translates most closely to which one of the following?

  • A. The Cultivator's Whipcord
  • B. Slavery
  • C. The Book of True Religion
  • D. Society of Truth Seekers

Q7. With reference to the Government of India's commemoration of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule's 200th birth anniversary, consider the following: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Nodal agency: Dr. Ambedkar Foundation
  2. Administering ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
  3. Venue anchor: Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi
  4. Duration: a single-year celebration confined to the year 2026
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q8. The commemorative activities for Phule's bicentenary are being organised through several categories of participating bodies. Which of the following is/are NOT correctly listed as such a participating category?

  1. Central Ministries
  2. State Governments
  3. Educational institutions
  4. The Reserve Bank of India as the designated funding authority
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2
  • D. 2 and 4

Q9. With reference to the announcement and observance of Mahatma Phule's 200th birth anniversary, consider the following: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The two-year commemoration was announced by the Prime Minister in his 2025 Independence Day address from the Red Fort
  2. The announcement invoked the mantra of 'priority to the backward'
  3. For the first time, Parliament House hosted a tribute to Phule on this occasion
  4. The occasion marked Phule's 150th birth anniversary
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q10. Consider the following statements comparing the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation with the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre and its awards: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Dr. Ambedkar Foundation was established in 1992 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
  2. The Dr. Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC), New Delhi, came into existence in 2017
  3. The Dr. Ambedkar International Award was instituted earlier than the Dr. Ambedkar National Award
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The following figures are often placed within the non-Brahmin, anti-caste emancipatory tradition associated with Jyotirao Phule's legacy. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly placed in that tradition?

  1. B. R. Ambedkar, who acknowledged Phule as one of his gurus
  2. E. V. Ramasamy 'Periyar'
  3. Narayana Guru
  4. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4

Q12. By whose conferral did Jyotirao Phule receive the title 'Mahatma' in 1888?

  • A. Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar
  • B. Vithal Ramji Shinde
  • C. Mahadev Govind Ranade
  • D. Gopal Ganesh Agarkar