Indian National Movement (Part-III)

Total Questions: 50

31. Who of the following Prime Ministers sent Cripps Mission to India? [2009]

Correct Answer: (d) Winston Churchill
Solution:In March 1942, a mission headed by Stafford Cripps was sent to India with constitutional proposals to seek Indian support for the war by British PM, Winston Churchill.
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.

32. During the Indian Freedom Struggle, why did Rowlatt Act arouse popular indignation? [2009]

Correct Answer: (c) It authorized the government to imprison people without trial
Solution:It was passed in March 1919, even though every single Indian member of the Central legislative council opposed it. It became a reason for Jallianwala Bagh tragedy of Amritsar on 13 April, 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..

33. Which one of the following began with the Dandi March? [2009]

Correct Answer: (c) Civil Disobedience Movement
Solution:Gandhi, on March 12, 1930 started March his from the Sabarmati Ashram with 72 people and reached Dandi (coastal Gujarat) on April 6, 1930, and broke the salt law by picking up a handful of salt at Dandi and announced the commencement of Civil Disobedience Movement,
The Civil Disobedience Movement was initially withdrawn in 1931 after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. However, following the Second Round Table Conference’s failure, Gandhi resumed the movement. Arrested in January 1932, he faced severe repression, including confiscation of Congress funds and occupation of buildings.
Despite initial momentum, the movement began to decline due to intense government repression.
By late 1932, it was tapering off but continued in some form until 1934.
Gandhi, still in jail, suspended the movement in May 1933 and formally withdrew it in April 1934..

34. With which one of the following movements is the slogan "Do or die" associated? [2009]

Correct Answer: (d) Quit India Movement
Solution:Gandhiji gave a call for do or die in 1942 during Quit India Movement. He said we shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.
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 a 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.

35. Who founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association? [2009]

Correct Answer: (a) Mahatma Gandhi
Solution:Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association was founded in 1918 by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Ahmedabad Mill Strike of 1918 holds immense significance in the history of India’s struggle for independence despite being a small-scale endeavour. Its importance can be summarised as follows:
Boost to the labour movement in India:
Its success catalysed the growth of strong trade unions like the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association, which adhered to Gandhian ideals of nonviolence, self-reliance, and employer-employee harmony.
Introduction of the working class into the national movement:
The Gandhian era of the national movement is marked by the mobilisation that involved almost all quarters of the Indian population at that time.
Just as the Champaran Satyagraha marked the inclusion of the peasant class, the Ahmedabad strike introduced the working class into the national movement.

36. In the context of the Indian freedom struggle, 16th October 1905 is well known for ? [2009]

Correct Answer: (b) Partition of Bengal took effect
Solution:
  • The decision to partition Bengal was made public in December 1903. According to the British, the decision to partition the large province of Bengal (undivided Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and Bihar) was based on administrative convenience.
  • However, as nationalist leaders rightly suspected, Lord Curzon had some ulterior motives behind this decision.
  • The argument of ‘administrative convenience’ had an element of truth. Still, by dividing the Bengali-speaking areas, the government’s real intention was to weaken the nationalist movement, which was gaining strength daily.
  • It is important to note that Bengal was the prominent centre from which the nationalist ideas radiated to other parts of British India. Curzon hoped that the partition would separate Muslim-majority areas of Assam and eastern Bengal from the rest of the province, which was largely Hindu.
  • After the partition, the western half became a Hindu-majority area, and the eastern half became a Muslim-majority area.
  • There was also an intention to divide them on a language basis by reducing Bengalis to a minority in Bengal since, in the partition scheme, it was decided that Bengal proper was to have 17 million Bengalis and 37 million Hindi and Oriya speakers.
  • Curzon proposed to make Dacca the capital of a new Muslim-majority province to get the confidence of the Muslims of Bengal.
  • The government was essentially subscribing to its time-tested policy of pitting Muslim communalists against Congress nationalists to weaken the national movement.

37. The "Instrument of Instructions" contained in the Government of India Act, 1935 have been incorporated in the Constitution of India in the year 1950 as: [2010]

Correct Answer: (b) Directive Principles of State Policy
Solution:Instrument of instructions under Government of India Act 1935 were instructions issued to Governors of the colonies or Governor in general by British government. Under the draft constitution these instructions were proposed to issue directives to state and central governments and adopted under Directive Principles of State policies.

38. With reference to Simon Commission's recommendations, which one of the following statements is correct? [2010]

Correct Answer: (a) Itrecommended the replacement of diarchy with responsible government in the provinces
Solution:Simon Commision came in 1927. Diarchy was proposed in the GOI Act, 1919. And it was replaced with the Provincial Autonomy in the GOI Act, 1935
The Simon Commission (Indian Statutory Commission), formed by the British in 1927 to review the Government of India Act 1919, sparked widespread protests due to its all-British composition. Arriving in India in 1928, it was met with protests, including the iconic “Simon Go Back” demonstrations. The commission aimed to evaluate the Act, recommend reforms and address communal representation and law and order.
However, its lack of Indian representation led to its boycott, driving nationalist sentiment. The protests influenced key developments like the Nehru Report, and intensified demands for Indian self-governance, fostering new leaders and strengthening the independence movement.

39. Four resolutions were passed at the famous Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in 1906. The question of either retention OR of rejection of these four resolutions became the cause of a split in Congress at the next Congress session held in Surat in 1907. Which one of the following was not one of those resolutions ? [2010]

Correct Answer: (a) Annulment of partition of Bengal
Solution:Dada Bhai Naoroji presided over the INC session at Calcutta in 1906 in which a resolution supporting the programme of swadeshi, boycott and national education was passed. Ras Behari Ghosh presided over the Surat session in 1907 in which congress was split into moderates and extremists.
Surat Split was the division of the Indian National Congress (INC) into two groups i.e. Moderates and Extremists at the Surat session in 1907. Surat Split was the result of deep ideological divisions between the Moderates, led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and the Extremists, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The Moderates preferred gradual reforms through constitutional means, while the Extremists advocated for direct action, including the Swadeshi movement and boycotts against British rule.
Surat Split reflected growing differences between Moderates and Extremists over British colonial policies, particularly after the Partition of Bengal in 1905. The split had a significant impact on the future course of Indian nationalism, delaying coordinated efforts for self-rule..

40. After Quit India Movement, C. Rajagopalachari issued a pamphlet entitled "The Way Out". Which one of the following was proposed in this pamphlet? [2010]

Correct Answer: (d) A solution for the constitutional deadlock.
Solution:"Inthelastyearsofthewar, Rajagopalachariwasinstrumental in negotiations between Gandhi and Jinnah. In 1944, he proposed a solution to the Indian Constitutional tangle. He prepared a formula for Congress-League cooperation. It was a tacit acceptance of the League's demand for Pakistan. Gandhi supported the formula. But Jinnah was in favour of two-nation theory only.