SC Development Officer & District Manager — 2021 — Official Paper — Kerala PSC PYQ Practice with Answers

Correct answer (Option C):\nMalabar was divided into two administrative divisions (Northern and Southern) in March 1793 by the British East India Company following the Treaty of Seringapatam. The administrative headquarters for these divisions were established at Tellichery and Cherpulassery. Option C is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOptions A, B, and D name incorrect combination pairs of administrative headquarters such as Cannanore, Thamarassery, or Calicut for that specific 1793 division layout.\n\nRemember:\nThe joint commission appointed to organize Malabar affairs recommended this division to ensure smoother revenue extraction and judicial collection.

Correct answer (Option B):\nIn the administrative structure of ancient Travancore, different ministers managed specific state departments. The term 'Mulaku Madissila Karyakar' literally translates to the minister handling the pepper bag, meaning the Commerce Minister or Trade Minister, who looked after trade and commercial monopolies like pepper. Option B is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOption A refers to the military heads. Option C deals with internal security and affairs. Option D, the Dalawa, was the Prime Minister or chief administrative officer of the state.\n\nRemember:\nPepper was the most lucrative state-controlled monopoly in Travancore, which explains why the commerce minister portfolio received this unique historic title.

Correct answer (Option B):\nThis famous assessment about Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja was recorded by Thomas Harvey Baber, the Sub-Collector of Thalassery. Baber was highly impressed by the dignity, fighting spirit, and courage of Pazhassi Raja even though he led a prolonged insurrection against British authority. Option B is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOption A, Col. Macaulay, was a British Resident in Travancore. Option C, Sir Arthur Wellesley, led military operations against Pazhassi but did not pen this specific quote. Option D is the subject of the quote himself.\n\nRemember:\nThomas Harvey Baber personally witnessed the dead body of Pazhassi Raja in 1805 and ensured he was buried with full traditional customary honors.

Correct answer (Option C):\nSwathi Tirunal Rama Varma shifted the primary public offices, including the Huzur Cutchery (the administrative secretariat), from Quilon (Kollam) to Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) in 1834 to centralize governance near the royal palace. Option C is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOptions A and B represent the regent queens who governed earlier. Option D, Utram Tirunal, succeeded Swathi Tirunal and continued governance from Trivandrum but did not initiate this shift.\n\nRemember:\nSwathi Tirunal is highly revered for modernizing the administrative structure of Travancore and introducing major structural reforms alongside his musical contributions.

Correct answer (Option A):\nThe Anjarakandi Cinnamon Estate, established by the British East India Company in 1767 under Murdoch Brown, is historically celebrated for crops like Cinnamon, Coffee, and Pepper. It remains one of Asia's largest cinnamon plantations. Option A is correct.\n\nWhy others are wrong:\nOptions B, C, and D contain crop varieties like coconut, cashewnuts, tea, or tapioca, which do not reflect the core historical signature crop identity of the Anjarakandi estate.\n\nRemember:\nLocated in the Kannur district, this estate was heavily involved in trade clashes during the Anglo-Pazhassi wars.