Indian National Movement (Part-I)

Total Questions: 50

41. Assertion (A): The first ever Bill to make primary education compulsory in India was rejected in 1911. [1998]

Reason (R): Discontent would have increased if every cultivator could read.

Correct Answer: (d) A is false but R is true
Solution:Ais wrong as it was in 1913 and not in 1911 that a resolution on Education Policy was moved. The government refused to take up the responsibility of compulsory education, but accepted the policy of removal of illiteracy and urged the provincial governments to take early steps to provide free elementary education to the poor and more backward sections.

The primary teacher, a handbook for teachers by NCERT states in Page no.-7 that Gokhale unsuccessfully introduced Right to education bill.

42. Assertion (A): The Congress rejected the Cripps proposals. [1998]

Reason (R): The Cripps Mission consisted solely of whites.

Correct Answer: (b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
Solution:

• The Cripps Mission was a significant British initiative during World War II aimed at addressing Indian demands for self-governance while securing their cooperation in the war effort.
• Led by Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the War Cabinet, the mission arrived in India on 22 March 1942 to negotiate with Indian leaders across political lines.
• The proposals were announced on 30 March 1942 but were ultimately rejected by major Indian political groups, marking a critical turning point in India’s struggle for independence.
• Other prominent members of the mission included Lord Privy Seal, Sir Reginald Maxwell, and officials from the British government.

43. Assertion (A): Gandhi stopped the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922. [1998]

Reason (R): Violence at Chauri-Chaura led him to stop the movement.

Correct Answer: (a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A.
Solution:

• The Non-Cooperation Movement, launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920, was a pivotal moment in India’s quest for independence.
• According to Gandhi, British rule in India thrived on Indian cooperation, and if Indians withdrew their support, the British government would lose its power over the country.
• Gandhi persuaded the Indian National Congress to adopt a campaign of non-cooperation on three key issues: the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Khilafat wrongs, and the demand for Swaraj (self-rule).
• The movement marked a shift in the Indian freedom struggle, mobilising millions to resist colonial rule nonviolently.
• In February 1922, the movement reached a turning point after the Chauri Chaura incident, where a violent clash between protesters and police resulted in the burning alive of 22 policemen by villagers.
• Disturbed by this turn of events, Gandhi called off the movement on February 12, 1922, emphasising the importance of non-violence.

44. When the Indian Muslims League was inducted into the interim government in 1946, Liyaqat Ali Khan was assigned the portfolio of: [1998]

Correct Answer: (c) finance
Solution:The Interim Government was formed on September 2, 1946. With Muslim League joining the interim government, the second highest-ranking League politician Liaquat Ali Khan became the head of the Department of Finance. Abdur Rab Nishtar headed the Departments of Posts and Air and Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar headed the Department of Commerce. The Leaguenominated a Scheduled Caste Hindu politician Jogendra Nath Mandal to lead the Department of Law.

45. The Indian National Congress agreed in 1947 to the partition of the country mainly because: [1998]

Correct Answer: (c) they wanted to avoid large-scale communal riots
Solution:Indian National Congresshad workedhardtosecurefreedom but it came at the cost of partition. They accepted partition not because of its lust for immediate power but because of prevailing dynamics in India, which made acceptance the only practical decision. Indian National Congress wanted to avoid large-scale communal riots.

46. At the time of India's Independence, Mahatma Gandhi was: [1998]

Correct Answer: (b) not a member of the Congress
Solution:At the time of India's independence, Mahatma Gandhi was not the member of the congress. Gandhi was trying hard in Calcutta to end the violence that had torn the nation apart. He even refused to participate in any festivities - along with his protege Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

47. 'Abinava Bharat' a secret society of revolutionaries was organised by: [1999]

Correct Answer: (b) V.D. Savarkar
Solution:

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar founded Abhinav Bharat in 1904. The society welcomed several hundred revolutionaries and political activists. The Savarkars were found guilty and sentenced to prison after a number of attempts to kill British officials.
The Young India Society was established in Nashik as the “Mitra Mela” while Vinayak Savarkar was still a student at Fergusson College in Pune. It eventually included several hundred revolutionaries and political activists. It even had branches throughout India, eventually expanding to London after Savarkar moved there to pursue a legal education

48. The most short-lived of all of the Britain's constitutional experiments in India was the: [1999]

Correct Answer: (c) Indian Council Act of 1909
Solution:Time span of given acts: Indian Councils Act of 1861-31 years; Indian Councils Act of 1892-17 years; Indian Councils Act of 1909-10 years; Government of India Act 1919-16 years

About Ghadar Party

  • The Ghadar Party was a revolutionary group founded by Indians in the United States with the aim of securing India’s independence from British rule.
  • Taraknath Das, a prominent Indian in the USA, established the Indian Independence League in California in 1907 and later began publishing the paper Free Hindustan.
  • In 1913, Sohan Singh Bhakna founded the Hind Association of America, which started the weekly publication Ghadar in English, Urdu, Marathi, and Gurmukhi.
  • This paper promoted revolutionary ideas and inspired the name of the Ghadar Party.
  • Lala Hardayal emerged as a key leader in the Ghadar movement, establishing a central committee with headquarters at the Yugantar Ashram in San Francisco.
  • The Ghadar Party also had notable figures such as Bhai Parmanand and Ram Chandra, and the publication Ghadar consistently encouraged armed struggle and revolt against British rule.
  • Revolutionaries Raja Mahendra Pratap and Barkatullah supported the Ghadar Party from abroad and, with the help of Germany and Russia, attempted to set up a provisional government of India in Kabul.
  • The Indian Councils Act (1909), also known as the Morley-Minto Reforms, and the Government of India Act (1919), based on the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, were two significant legislative acts aimed at introducing reforms in the administration of India under British rule.
  • While the former sought to enlarge the legislative councils and introduce separate electorates, the latter attempted to lay the foundation for responsible governance by granting more powers to the legislatures and introducing dyarchy in provinces.
  • These reforms resulted from mounting Indian discontent and political activism against colonial rule.

49. 'It made its proposals in May. It still wanted a united India. There was to be a Federal Union composed of British provinces' The above quotation is related to: [1999]

Correct Answer: (d) Cabinet Mission
Solution:Cabinet Mission reached Delhi on March 24, 1946. It put forward its own proposals in May 1946.

The Quit India Movement, launched on August 8, 1942, under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership, was a significant anti-colonial struggle. Gandhi’s slogan, “Do or Die,” marked a decisive call for ending British rule.
Initially civil disobedience movement, it soon turned violent, aiming to dismantle the colonial regime. Acknowledging the nation’s mood, Gandhi deemed resistance against state oppression morally justified, even if it led to riots.

Also called the “August Kranti Movement,” it represented a firm rejection of British rule rather than traditional Satyagraha and set the stage for transformative events in Indian history over the next five years.

• The Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946 marked a pivotal chapter in India's journey toward independence.
• The British Government’s final attempt was to transfer power to Indian hands while ensuring a peaceful exit.
• Sent by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee in February 1946, the mission arrived in March to address the complex political demands of Indian stakeholders and devise a framework for an independent India.
• The mission comprised three distinguished members: Pethick Lawrence, Secretary of State for India; Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade; and A.V. Alexander, First Lord of Admiralty.
• By this time, Britain had resolved to leave India as soon as possible, reasoning that a swift and orderly withdrawal would better serve the imperial interests.

50. Which Indian nationalist leader looked upon a war between Germany and Britain as a God-sent opportunity which would enable Indians to exploit the situation to their advantage? [1999]

Correct Answer: (c) Subhash Chandra Bose
Solution:S.C. Bose and the socialists argued that the war was an imperialist one since both sides were fighting for gaining or defending colonial territories. Therefore the question of supporting either of the two sides did not arise. Instead advantage should be taken of the situation to wrest freedom by immediately starting a Civil Disobedience Movement.
The Government of India Act 1935 was one of the most important legislative measures enacted by the British Parliament to govern British India. The Act marked a significant shift towards Indian self-government. It proposed a federal structure, granted provincial autonomy, and expanded the electoral base in response to growing demands for increased Indian participation in governance.
Despite its limitations and the British’s continuing dominance, the Act laid the groundwork for India’s constitutional development and eventual independence in 1947.