Consider the following Women’s Associations and their important associates in early twentieth-century India : 1. Women’s Indian Association of 1917 : Margaret Cousins 2. National Council of Women in India of 1925 : Sarala Devi Chaudhurani 3. Bharat Stree Mahamandal of 1910 : Lady Meherbai Tata Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched ?
- (a)1, 2 and 3
- (b)2 and 3 only
- (c)1 and 2 only
- (d)1 only
Correct — D, 1 only. The Women's Indian Association was founded in 1917 at Adyar, Madras, by Margaret Cousins, with Annie Besant as its first president, so pair 1 is correctly matched. The other two pairs have their founders swapped: the Bharat Stree Mahamandal of 1910 was founded by Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, not Lady Meherbai Tata, and the National Council of Women in India of 1925 is associated with Lady Mehribai Tata, not Sarala Devi Chaudhurani. Because only the first pair holds, the answer is 1 only.
- (a)1, 2 and 3 — Pairs 2 and 3 are wrongly matched — the founders of the National Council of Women in India (Mehribai Tata) and the Bharat Stree Mahamandal (Sarala Devi Chaudhurani) have been swapped.
- (b)2 and 3 only — Both of these pairs are incorrectly matched, and this option leaves out the one correct pair, the Women's Indian Association with Margaret Cousins.
- (c)1 and 2 only — Pair 2 is wrong — the National Council of Women in India (1925) is associated with Lady Mehribai Tata, not Sarala Devi Chaudhurani.
The early twentieth century saw the rise of organised all-India women's associations that campaigned for education, social reform and political rights. Three landmarks were the Bharat Stree Mahamandal (1910), the Women's Indian Association (1917) and the National Council of Women in India (1925), each linked with a leading woman reformer.
The question sets a classic matched-pairs trap by swapping the founders of two of the associations. The reliable anchors are that Margaret Cousins founded the Women's Indian Association in 1917, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani founded the Bharat Stree Mahamandal in 1910, and Lady Mehribai Tata is tied to the National Council of Women in India of 1925.
- The Women's Indian Association was founded in 1917 at Adyar, Madras, by Margaret Cousins, with Annie Besant as its first president.
- The Bharat Stree Mahamandal, an early all-India women's organisation, was founded in 1910 by Sarala Devi Chaudhurani.
- The National Council of Women in India was formed in 1925 and is associated with Lady Mehribai Tata.
- The All India Women's Conference, another major body, was founded later, in 1927.
- The deliberate swap of founders between the Bharat Stree Mahamandal (Sarala Devi Chaudhurani) and the National Council of Women in India (Mehribai Tata).
- Confusing Margaret Cousins with Annie Besant — Besant was the Women's Indian Association's first president, while Cousins was its founder.
A correctly-matched-pairs item — identify that only the Women's Indian Association with Margaret Cousins is right, and spot the swapped founders in the other two pairs.
Annie Besant was 1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement 2. The founder of the Theosophical Society 3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress. Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(c) 1 and 3 only — Annie Besant launched the Home Rule Movement and became the first woman President of the Congress (1917); she did not found the Theosophical Society.
Annie Besant was the first president of the Women's Indian Association (1917) that Margaret Cousins founded — the same early twentieth-century circle of women leaders this NDA question tests.
Consider the following statements : 1. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu. 2. The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(b) 2 only — the first woman President of the Congress was Annie Besant (1917), not Sarojini Naidu; Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim President.
Tests the same set of women leaders of early twentieth-century India (Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu) whose work overlapped the women's associations named in this question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Women's Indian Association, founded in 1917, was established by
- (a)Sarojini Naidu
- (b)Margaret Cousins
- (c)Sarala Devi Chaudhurani
- (d)Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
Answer(b) Margaret Cousins — she founded the Women's Indian Association at Adyar, Madras, in 1917.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Bharat Stree Mahamandal, one of the earliest all-India women's organisations, was founded in 1910 by
- (a)Sarala Devi Chaudhurani
- (b)Annie Besant
- (c)Lady Mehribai Tata
- (d)Pandita Ramabai
Answer(a) Sarala Devi Chaudhurani — she founded the Bharat Stree Mahamandal in 1910.