Indian National Movement (Part-III)

Total Questions: 50

21. Who among the following used the phrase 'UN-British' to criticize the English colonial control of India? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) Dadabhai Naoroji
Solution:He wrote a book entitled Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.
Dadabhai Naoroji, the “Grand Old Man of India,” was a trailblazing leader in the Indian independence struggle. He was a scholar, social reformer, and the first Indian elected to the British Parliament in 1892. Naoroji played a significant role in the formation of the Indian National Congress (INC) and served as its president three times, pushing for constitutional reforms and self-rule for India.
Dadabhai Naoroji’s most notable contribution was his “Drain Theory,” which highlighted how British economic policies were draining India’s wealth. Naoroji’s ideas on economic exploitation laid the foundation for India’s economic nationalism and inspired future leaders like Mahatma Gandhi to advocate for Indian self-governance and social reforms..

22. Who was the Viceroy of India when the Rowlatt Act was passed? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) Lord Chelmsford
Solution:Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921) was governor general when the Rowlatt Act was passed in March, 1919.

The repressive Rowlatt Act (Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919) shook the foundations of British imperialism and united millions of Indians across divisions of region, religion, caste and class.
The Rowlatt Satyagraha of 1919 marked a major milestone in India’s freedom struggle. It was the first large-scale organised application of Mahatma Gandhi’s pioneering technique of non-violent civil disobedience on a national level against British repression.

However, brutal suppression of protests, especially the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, led to the Rowlatt satyagraha reaching its peak, marking a turning point in India’s struggle for Independence..

23. Who among the following Gandhian followers was a teacher by profession? [2008]

Correct Answer: (c) JB Kriplani
Solution:Following his education at Fergusson College in Pune, Kriplani worked as a school teacher before joining the freedom movement following Gandhi'sreturn from South Africa. He was a professor of English and History. Kripalani came in contact with Gandhi in 1917 during Champaran Satyagraha.

24. Which one of the following was a journal brought out by Abul Kalam Azad? [2008]

Correct Answer: (a) Al-Hilal
Solution:The Al-Hilal was a newspaper established by Indian leader Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and used as a medium for criticism of the British Raj in India. The newspaper also espoused the cause of the Indian independence movement and exhorted Indian Muslims to join the movement. The newspaper was shut down under the Press Act of 1914.

25. Where was the First Session of the Indian National Congress held in December 1885? [2008]

Correct Answer: (b) Bombay
Solution:INC was formed on 28 Dec, 1885 in Bombay and its first session was held under the presidentship of W.C. Banerjee.
The Foundation of Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885, stands as a cornerstone in India’s fight for independence and has played a crucial role in shaping the country’s political landscape. Before its inception, several socio-political movements and organizations laid the groundwork for the formation of the Indian National Congress.
Till 1947, there were numerous INC sessions (annual and special INC sessions) to discuss the political situation in the country and to pass resolutions on important issues. These INC sessions served as platforms for inclusive and collective decision-making and planning for the course of India’s struggle for freedom.

26. Who among the following wrote the poem, Subh-e Azadi? [2008]

Correct Answer: (b) Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Solution:Subh-e Azadi (Dawn of freedom) was written in August, 1947 after the partition of India.
Faiz brought a new internationalism to Urdu poetry, for though the Urdu poet of the turn of the century had spoken of tremors in the Muslim world, it was only insofar as it concerned the Muslims of India. Faiz was saying it was as much his concern as anybody else’s when someone somewhere oppressed the weak, or the mighty system crushed the lone voice of dissent. When Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sent to the electric chair in 1953 on charges of being Soviet agents in America, Faiz wrote his hauntingly evocative Hum jo tareek raahon mein gaye (We who were executed in the dark lanes). Similarly, his ode to Africa, written in 1955, Aa Jao Africa (Come, Africa), is an ode to oppressed people everywhere; it was to show the way towards increasing internationalism in his range of interests.

27. Assertion (A): The Congress Ministries in all the provinces resigned in the year 1939. [2008]

Reason (R): The Congress did not accept the decision of the Viceroy to declare war against Germany in the context of the Second World War.

Correct Answer: (a) Both A are R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
Solution:Rexplains A. As in September, 1939, the viceroy unilaterally declared that India was at war with Germany without bothering to consult any Indian leader. In protest, Congress ministeries resigned in October, 1939. Muslim league declared it as the Day of Delivarance.
  • The resignation of Congress ministers had a profound effect on Indian politics and the nationalist movement.
  • It represented growing dissatisfaction with the British government's handling of Indian demands, as well as the realization that alternative methods, such as non- cooperation and civil disobedience, might be required.
  • The resignation also highlighted the growing schism between the Congress and British authorities, laying the groundwork for more confrontational approaches to the independence struggle

28. In the 'Individual Satyagraha', Vinoba Bhave was chosen as the first Satyagrahi. Who was the second? [2009]

Correct Answer: (b) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Solution:It was started in October 1940.
The Individual Satyagraha had both strategic and symbolic aims. It was a demonstration of the Indian people's dissatisfaction with British rule and their opposition to India's forced participation in World War II. Gandhi feared that a mass movement at this time might lead to violence, so he opted for a controlled individual protest. The main objectives of the Individual Satyagraha were:
To assert the fundamental right to free expression in defiance of British ordinances that restricted civil liberties.
To peacefully oppose India's participation in World War 2, without India having any say in its governance.
To show that India's patience was not a sign of weakness but a deliberate choice.
To provide the British government with a peaceful chance to accept Congress' demands.

29. Consider the following statements: [2009]

The Cripps Proposals include the provision for

1. Full independence for India.

2. Creation of constitution-making body.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:The Cripps proposals did not include the provision for full independence for India but offered an Indian union with a dominion status. The Congress objected to the provision of dominion status instead of complete independence. After the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constituion.
Cripps Mission (1942): The falling of Singapore and Rangoon in the Second World War compelled Winston Churchill and the British war cabinet to send a high-powered mission to India under the supervision of Stafford Cripps. Churchill was against his own stance while signing the Atlantic Charter, 1941, proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the then-American President. The aim of the Mission was to win the cooperation of India with Britain vis-a-vis the War. The Mission was formulated on 30 March 1942 with the offer of ‘Dominion Status’ for India.
The Mission was a complete failure, which angered the Indian nationalists, leading to the establishment of the Quit India Movement.

30. During the freedom struggle, Aruna Asaf Ali was a major woman organizer of underground activity in: [2009]

Correct Answer: (c) Quit India Movement
Solution:
  • Aruna Asaf Ali was an Indian educator, political activist, and publisher.
  • She was popularly known as the ‘Grand Old Lady’ of the Independence Movement.
  • Hoisting the Flag:
    ○ She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan, Bombay during a Quit India Movement in 1942, giving the movement one of its most long-lasting images.
    ○ This event of hoisting the flag was followed by an uproar among the people and the emergence of several young leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia, Jai Prakash Narayan, SM Joshi.
  • Contributions:
    ○ She became a member of Indian National Congress and participated in public processions during the Salt Satyagraha.
    ○ She was arrested, and not released in 1931 under the Gandhi-Irwin Pact which stipulated release of all political prisoners.
    ○ Other women co-prisoners refused to leave the premises unless she was also released and gave in only after Mahatma Gandhi intervened.
    ○ She was politically not very active after her release, until 1942. Known for her independent streak, she even disobeyed Gandhi’s request to surrender herself in 1946.