RAS Pre 2021, held on 27 October 2021. Question text as printed in RPSC's booklet; answer as per RPSC's final answer key.

Which of the following statement regarding Ruma Devi is not true?

Q: What is the answer to RAS Pre 2021 Q1?

(2). Correct — option (2), She was brought-up in the village Jasrapur (Khetari). The stem asks for the statement that is not true. Profiles of Ruma Devi published in 2019 place her in Barmer district, and one says she grew up there. So option (2) is the false statement and the answer. The Hindu BusinessLine (30 August 2019) says she "grew up in Rawsar, a hamlet in the border district of Barmer". It adds that after marrying at 17 she moved in 2006 to her in-laws' home in Mangla ki Bedi village. The Times of India (26 February 2019) calls her "Ruma Devi of dusty Mangla ki Beri village in Barmer". Neither profile connects her with Khetri. The other three statements agree with the same reports. She works in handicrafts, she was selected for the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018, and the reports credit her with work for 22,000 women. Ruma Devi is a Barmer craftswoman, not from Khetri.

(1)She is known in the field of Handicrafts.
(2)She was brought-up in the village Jasrapur (Khetari).
(3)She was felicitated with ‘Nari Shakti Award’ by the President of India in 2018.
(4)She played a major role in providing employment to Thousands of Woman.

Answer

(2)

Why

Correct — option (2), She was brought-up in the village Jasrapur (Khetari).

The stem asks for the statement that is not true. Profiles of Ruma Devi published in 2019 place her in Barmer district, and one says she grew up there. So option (2) is the false statement and the answer.

The Hindu BusinessLine (30 August 2019) says she "grew up in Rawsar, a hamlet in the border district of Barmer". It adds that after marrying at 17 she moved in 2006 to her in-laws' home in Mangla ki Bedi village.

The Times of India (26 February 2019) calls her "Ruma Devi of dusty Mangla ki Beri village in Barmer". Neither profile connects her with Khetri.

The other three statements agree with the same reports. She works in handicrafts, she was selected for the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018, and the reports credit her with work for 22,000 women.

Ruma Devi is a Barmer craftswoman, not from Khetri.

Why the others are wrong

(1)
She is known in the field of Handicrafts. — This statement is true, so it cannot answer a "not true" question.
BusinessLine (2019) reports that she applied Barmeri patchwork and appliqué work to her creations, with embroidery patterns such as soof, pakka, kharak, kachcha and sindhi. The Times of India (2019) says she joined Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan, a Barmer NGO, in 2008 and became its president in 2010.
(3)
She was felicitated with ‘Nari Shakti Award’ by the President of India in 2018. — Read with 2018 as the award's year, this statement is true: she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018. The Times of India reported on 26 February 2019 that she was "Selected for the prestigious Nari Shakti Puruskar 2018" and would receive it from President Ram Nath Kovind on 8 March.
The Tribune reported that President Kovind presented the Nari Shakti Puraskar at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 8 March 2019. So the ceremony was in 2019; the statement's "in 2018" fits the award's name, not the ceremony date. Option (2) is false on either reading.
(4)
She played a major role in providing employment to Thousands of Woman. — This statement is true. The Times of India (26 February 2019) describes her as a force behind the financial independence of 22,000 women living across 75 villages of Barmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer.
BusinessLine (30 August 2019) reports: "Today, she has 22,000 women working with her", earning ₹3,000-10,000 depending on their skill set.

Concept

Ruma Devi is a handicraft artisan from Barmer district. After marriage she formed a self-help group with women of her village in 2006, according to The Times of India (2019), and later led Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan, a Barmer NGO.

The Nari Shakti Puraskar is a national award conferred by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for service to the cause of women's empowerment. The 2018 awards were presented by the President of India on International Women's Day, 8 March 2019.

An award is named by its year, which can differ from the ceremony date. Ruma Devi is listed among the recipients of the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018, presented on 8 March 2019.

RPSC's 2021 Prelims syllabus lists "Leading Personalities of Rajasthan" under the history, art and culture of Rajasthan. The same head also lists "Various schools of paintings and handicrafts".

Barmer's embroidery and appliqué work link a living personality to the state's craft tradition. A dated profile helps keep facts about a person tied to the right place and the right year.

Key facts

BusinessLine (30 August 2019): Ruma Devi grew up in Rawsar, a hamlet in Barmer district, and moved in 2006 to Mangla ki Bedi village.
The Times of India (26 February 2019) reported her selection for the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018.
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Nari Shakti Puraskar at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 8 March 2019 (The Tribune).
She joined Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan, Barmer, in 2008 and became its president in 2010 (The Times of India, 2019).
Both 2019 reports credit her with work involving 22,000 women.

Ruma Devi: the four statements

(1) Known in handicrafts→True — Barmeri patchwork, appliqué and embroidery

(2) Brought up in Jasrapur (Khetri)→Not true — grew up in Barmer district

(3) Nari Shakti Award, 2018→True — Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018, presented 8 March 2019

(4) Employment to thousands of women→True — 22,000 women in 2019 reports

Three true statements and one false one; the false one, option (2), is the answer. Sources: The Times of India and The Hindu BusinessLine, 2019.

Study next

Nari Shakti Puraskar recipients from RajasthanBarmer's embroidery and appliqué craftsHandicrafts of western Rajasthan and their districtsSelf-help groups and rural women's livelihoods in RajasthanPadma awards to personalities from Rajasthan

Common traps

The stem asks for the statement that is not true, so the three true statements are the distractors.
An award's year and its ceremony date can differ: the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018 was presented on 8 March 2019.
A village name with a real place in brackets can sound exact. Check the place against the person's district before accepting it.

A question can give four statements about one personality and ask which is not true, as this one does.

A question can also ask a personality's home district, the field of work behind an award, or the year of an award.

Related PYQs

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2013 here once that paper is published on this site.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Ruma Devi, selected for the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018, grew up in which district of Rajasthan ?
- (a)Jhunjhunu
- (b)Sikar
- (c)Barmer
- (d)Churu
Answer(3) — The Hindu BusinessLine (2019) says she grew up in Rawsar, a hamlet in Barmer district, and The Times of India (2019) places her at Mangla ki Beri village in Barmer. Option (1), option (2) and option (4) name districts that these profiles do not connect with her.
practice — not a real PYQ
On which date did the President of India present the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018 ?
- (a)26 January 2019
- (b)8 March 2018
- (c)8 March 2019
- (d)15 August 2018
Answer(3) — The Times of India (26 February 2019) reported that the 2018 awardees would receive the award on 8 March, and The Tribune reported the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 8 March 2019. Option (2) has the right day but the award's year instead of the ceremony's year. Option (1) and option (4) are not the ceremony date.