Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists: List - I
(i) V. Lenin - a) The Revolution Betrayed
(ii) Karl Marx - (b) Imperialism, the Highest Stage of capitalism
(iii) Leon Trotsky - (c) What is to Be Done?
(d) The State and Revolution
(e) The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

Question

Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists: List - I 
(i) V. Lenin - a) The Revolution Betrayed 
(ii) Karl Marx - (b) Imperialism, the Highest Stage of capitalism
(iii) Leon Trotsky - (c) What is to  Be Done?
                             (d) The State and Revolution 
                              (e) The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:

This question requires students to match the key figures of Marxist thought (Lenin, Marx, and Trotsky) with their most influential and definitive works. The correct match in Option 4 is i-(bcd), ii-(e), iii-(a). Let us break down the correct pairings for a clear understanding. V. Lenin is correctly associated with three major works in List-II: (b) *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of capitalism*, a critical analysis of modern capitalism; (c) *What is to Be Done?*, a seminal text outlining the role of the vanguard party; and (d) *The State and Revolution*, which argues for the destruction of the bourgeois state. Karl Marx is definitively matched with (e) *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte*, a profound historical and class analysis of the 1851 coup d'état in France, which introduced concepts like the 'relative autonomy' of the state. Finally, Leon Trotsky, a key leader in the Russian Revolution and later an opponent of Stalin, is correctly matched with (a) *The Revolution Betrayed*, his searing critique of the bureaucratic degeneration of the Soviet Union. Therefore, the combination of i-(bcd), ii-(e), and iii-(a) accurately reflects the established authorship in political science.

The incorrect option is 1:

Option 1 provides the match i-(bcd), ii-(a), iii-(e). This option correctly identifies Lenin's works, but incorrectly matches Karl Marx with (a) *The Revolution Betrayed*. As established, *The Revolution Betrayed* is the work of Leon Trotsky, not Karl Marx. Furthermore, this option incorrectly links Leon Trotsky with (e) *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte*, which is a work of Karl Marx. Because two of the three pairings are factually incorrect regarding the authorship of these classic texts, Option 1 cannot be the correct answer. The core error lies in swapping the major works of Marx and Trotsky.

The incorrect option is 2:

Option 2 suggests the match i-(ab), ii-(e), iii-(cd). This pairing is flawed because it only partially attributes works to V. Lenin. Specifically, it incorrectly links Lenin with (a) *The Revolution Betrayed*, a critique of Stalinism written by Leon Trotsky. While it correctly links Karl Marx with (e) *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte*, it incorrectly pairs Leon Trotsky with (c) *What is to Be Done?* and (d) *The State and Revolution*. These latter two works are fundamental texts by V. Lenin, detailing revolutionary strategy and the nature of the state, respectively. These multiple misattributions render Option 2 factually inaccurate in a political theory context.

The incorrect option is 3:

Option 3 proposes the match i-(c), ii-(bd), iii-(ae). This option is significantly inaccurate as it misattributes most of the listed works. First, it only credits V. Lenin with (c) *What is to Be Done?*, ignoring two other critical texts he authored in the list (b and d). Second, it incorrectly assigns (b) *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of capitalism* and (d) *The State and Revolution*—both works of Lenin—to Karl Marx. Third, it incorrectly assigns (e) *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte* (Marx) and (a) *The Revolution Betrayed* (Trotsky) to Leon Trotsky, contradicting the widely accepted authorship of all five political texts. Due to these fundamental errors in attributing the key texts to the respective authors, Option 3 must be rejected.