Step 1: Understanding the Question:
• This question requires us to arrange five major post-independence events of India in chronological order.
• We need to identify the years of these political, financial, scientific, and sporting milestones.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
• Let us analyze the dates of each event:
• B. Lal Bahadur Shastri becomes Prime Minister: Shastri took office as the second Prime Minister of India on June 9, 1964, following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru.
• A. Banks get nationalised: Under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 14 major commercial banks were nationalized on July 19, 1969.
• C. India does first nuclear test: Codenamed “Smiling Buddha,” India conducted its first peaceful nuclear explosion at Pokhran on May 18, 1974.
• D. India hosts Asiad with APPU as icon: The 9th Asian Games were hosted in New Delhi in November 1982. The mascot was a baby elephant named “Appu.”
• E. Manmohan Singh becomes Finance Minister: Dr. Manmohan Singh was appointed as Finance Minister by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on June 21, 1991, initiating major economic reforms (LPG policy).
• Arranging the years in order:
• 1964 (B) $\rightarrow$ 1969 (A) $\rightarrow$ 1974 (C) $\rightarrow$ 1982 (D) $\rightarrow$ 1991 (E).
• This gives the sequence: B, A, C, D, E.
• This matches Option (B).
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (B).