Consider 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?

Only statement 1 is correct. Naoroji's defining contribution was the Drain of Wealth theory, set out in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901). He argued that revenue extracted from India, through Home Charges, remittances and the export of surplus, impoverished the country. Through the East India Association (1867), the Indian National Congress (he presided over it three times) and his election to the British House of Commons in 1892, he turned economic grievance into a national argument.

• Statement 1 is correct. This is the core of his work.
• Statement 2 is wrong. Reinterpreting ancient texts and restoring cultural self-confidence is associated with Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Saraswati, Aurobindo and Bankim Chandra, not Naoroji.
• Statement 3 is wrong. Insistence that social evils be eradicated first is the position of reformers like Vidyasagar, Phule and Ranade. Naoroji's priority was economic and political.

Mains angle: the drain theory is a useful lens for GS-I (economic impact of colonialism) and GS-III (how economic nationalism shaped the case for swadeshi and fiscal autonomy).

Trap: Aspirants pick D because all three statements sound like nationalist contributions. Check which leader is linked to each idea before choosing.