SSC
'Matters of Discretion' is the autobiography of which former Prime Minister of India?
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Answer: Option D — I. K. Gujral
Detailed Solution
- Gujral. "Matters of Discretion: An Autobiography" is the autobiography of Inder Kumar Gujral, the 12th Prime Minister of India. It was published in 2011.
About the book:
It describes Gujral's childhood in Jhelum (now in Pakistan), his student days in Lahore, his participation in the freedom movement, and his migration to India after Partition.
It covers his work as Minister of Information and Broadcasting during the Emergency (1975), when he differed with Sanjay Gandhi; his years as India's Ambassador to the Soviet Union; and his terms as Minister of External Affairs and Prime Minister.
About I. K. Gujral (1919-2012):
He was Prime Minister from April 1997 to March 1998, heading a United Front coalition government supported from outside by the Congress.
He is best known for the "Gujral Doctrine", a foreign policy principle that India, as the largest country in South Asia, should offer friendly concessions to its smaller neighbours (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) without expecting anything in return, and should settle disputes through bilateral talks.
His government signed the Ganga water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh (1996, when he was Foreign Minister).
He was a Rajya Sabha member when he became Prime Minister.
Autobiographies of other Prime Ministers and leaders:
- Chandra Shekhar: "Meri Jail Diary".
- V. Narasimha Rao: the novel "The Insider".
- Manmohan Singh: "Changing India".
- Morarji Desai: "The Story of My Life".
- Charan Singh: "Economic Nightmare of India".
Other political memoirs:
- Natwar Singh: "One Life Is Not Enough".
- K. Advani: "My Country My Life".
Why not the other options?
- ✗D. Deve Gowda was Prime Minister (1996-97) just before Gujral.
- ✗Chandra Shekhar wrote "Meri Jail Diary".
- ✗P. Singh is known for implementing the Mandal Commission report (1990).
Quick tip
Remember: "Matters of Discretion" = I. K. Gujral (2011; PM 1997-98; "Gujral Doctrine" of friendly ties with neighbours); "The Story of My Life" = Morarji Desai; "The Insider" = P. V. Narasimha Rao.
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.