Why was a mid-1950s session of the United Nations General Assembly popularly referred to as the “Menon Session” or “Menon Assembly”?

Introduction / Context:
India played an active role in early United Nations debates, particularly on issues such as colonialism, disarmament and the Kashmir dispute. V. K. Krishna Menon, a prominent Indian diplomat and politician, gained international attention for his passionate and unusually long speeches at the UN. This question asks why a particular mid-1950s session of the UN General Assembly was popularly nicknamed the “Menon Session” or “Menon Assembly”.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The setting is a United Nations General Assembly session in the mid-1950s.
• The nickname given is “Menon Session” or “Menon Assembly”.
• We must identify the reason for this informal title.
• Options offer different explanations relating to V. K. Krishna Menon's role.

Concept / Approach:
V. K. Krishna Menon became famous (and sometimes controversial) for his marathon speech at the UN, especially on the Kashmir issue. In one notable session, he spoke for many hours, presenting India's position in detail. Because his speech was so long and dominated the proceedings, that session came to be informally referred to as the “Menon Session” or “Menon Assembly”. The nickname reflects his overwhelming presence during the debates, not any official post like Secretary-General or a resolution named after him.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the key personality – V. K. Krishna Menon, India's representative at the UN.Step 2: Recall that he delivered a very long speech on the Kashmir question, widely regarded as one of the longest speeches in UN history.Step 3: Understand that this marathon speech drew so much attention that the entire session came to be informally associated with his name.Step 4: Compare this understanding with the options; one option clearly mentions a marathon speech dominating the session.Step 5: Select that option as the correct explanation.

Verification / Alternative check:
Historical accounts of Menon's UN career consistently highlight his lengthy and detailed speeches, especially on Kashmir. Newspapers and commentators of the time noted how his speech effectively overshadowed much of the session's other business. There is no record of him becoming UN Secretary-General or having a UN resolution formally named after him, which rules out the other options.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Because V. K. Krishna Menon was elected as the first Asian Secretary-General of the United Nations at that session: This is incorrect; he never served as UN Secretary-General.
• Because the Assembly passed a landmark resolution officially named after Menon: Resolutions are generally not named after individuals in this way, and no such “Menon Resolution” is part of standard UN history.
• Because most member states at the time belonged to Menon's political party: UN membership is based on sovereign states, not political parties, so this explanation is clearly unrealistic.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may not remember the details about Menon's speech and might wrongly associate the nickname with some formal post or resolution. Also, mixing up different UN personalities or roles (such as Secretary-General) can lead to further confusion. To avoid this, link “Menon Session” directly to the idea of a very long, dominant speech on Kashmir by India's representative V. K. Krishna Menon.

Final Answer:
The UN General Assembly session was popularly called the “Menon Session” because V. K. Krishna Menon delivered an extremely long, marathon speech on the Kashmir question that dominated the proceedings.