Prelims 2012 · archive
EasyConsider the following statements:
The most effective contribution made by Dadabhai Naoroji to the cause of Indian National Movement was that he-
- 1.Exposed the economic exploitation of India by the British.
- 2.Interpreted the ancient Indian texts and restored the self-confidence of Indians.
- 3.Stressed the need for eradication of all the social evils before anything else.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Dadabhai Naoroji is remembered for his 'drain of wealth' theory. He used British official figures to show how colonial rule impoverished India. This economic critique shaped early nationalist thought. Reinterpreting ancient texts and putting social reform first were not his contributions.
- ✓ 1. In 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' (1901), Naoroji compiled British reports to estimate the wealth drained out of India. This exposure of economic exploitation was his main contribution to the national movement.
- ✗ 2. Reinterpreting ancient Indian texts to restore self-confidence is linked to religious and cultural reformers such as Dayananda Saraswati and Vivekananda. Naoroji was a political and economic thinker, not a textual interpreter.
- ✗ 3. Naoroji's focus in the national movement was political and economic. He played a leading role in founding the Indian National Congress in 1885 and exposed the economic drain. He did not argue that all social evils must be removed before anything else.
Remember · Dadabhai Naoroji is the 'Grand Old Man of India'. His drain of wealth theory, set out in 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India', was a pioneering economic critique of British rule.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 2 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 4 “Dadabhai Naoroji, a respected political figure, authored in 1901 Poverty and Un-British Rule in India, in which he compiled from British reports the wealth estimated to have been drained out of India.”
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 2 “Along with Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, then a prominent advocate (whom we met in the chapter 'The Colonial Era in India'), Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, who was elected as the first president, played leading roles.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·