UPSC Prelims · Modern History PYQ
Gandhi's entry into mass politics — Rowlatt Satyagraha, Khilafat alliance, Non-Cooperation Programme, and its withdrawal after Chauri Chaura.
Includes
Consider the following subjects with regard to Non-Cooperation Programme:
I. Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth
II. Observance of strict non-violence
III. Retention of titles and honours without using them in public
IV. Establishment of Panchayats for settling disputes
How many of the above were parts of Non-Cooperation Programme?
Correct answer: C. Only three
Explanation
The Non-Cooperation Programme included boycotting law courts and foreign cloth, retaining titles without publicly using them, and setting up panchayats for dispute settlement; a rigid, absolute insistence on non-violence as a precondition was not itself part of the original resolution's explicit programme in the same way — so three of the four items applied.
Consider the following statements in respect of the Non-Cooperation Movement:
I. The Congress declared the attainment of 'Swaraj' by all legitimate and peaceful means to be its objective.
II. It was to be implemented in stages with civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes for the next stage only if 'Swaraj' did not come within a year and the Government resorted to repression.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: C. Both I and II
Explanation
Both the stated aim of attaining Swaraj through legitimate, peaceful means and the staged escalation plan — moving to civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes only if needed — genuinely reflect the original Non-Cooperation resolution.
Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?
Correct answer: C. Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement
Explanation
The Champaran Satyagraha's key significance lies in linking peasant grievances directly to the wider national movement for the first time under Gandhi's leadership.
In 1920, which of the following changed its name to "Swarajya Sabha"?
Correct answer: A. All India Home Rule League
Explanation
In 1920, the All India Home Rule League was renamed the 'Swarajya Sabha' as it moved toward merging into Congress's mass movement structure.
With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the ‘Sedition Committee’.
2. In Rowlatt Satyagraha, Gandhiji tried to utilize the Home Rule League.
3. Demonstrations against the arrival of Simon Commission coincided with Rowlatt Satyagraha.
Correct answer: B. 1 and 2 only
Explanation
The Rowlatt Act was indeed based on the recommendations of the Sedition (Rowlatt) Committee, true; Gandhi did try to mobilise the Home Rule League's network for the Rowlatt Satyagraha, true; but the anti-Simon Commission protests came later, in 1928, not during the 1919 Rowlatt agitation, so that statement is false — leaving only 1 and 2.
The Congress ministries resigned in the seven provinces in 1939, because
Correct answer: D. None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct
Explanation
The Congress ministries resigned in 1939 specifically because they had not been consulted before India was declared a party to the Second World War, a reason not captured by the other options offered.
The Rowlatt Act aimed at
Correct answer: B. imprisonment without trial and summary procedures for trial
Explanation
The Rowlatt Act permitted imprisonment without trial and speedy, summary trials for those suspected of sedition.
The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress (1929) is very important in history, because
1. The Congress passed a resolution demanding complete independence
2. The rift between the extremists and moderates was resolved in that Session
3. A resolution was passed rejecting the two-nation theory in that Session
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Correct answer: A. 1 only
Explanation
The Lahore Session (1929) is chiefly remembered for its resolution demanding Purna Swaraj, complete independence; the Moderate-Extremist rift had already eased by then, and no resolution on the two-nation theory was passed there.
What was the reason for Mahatma Gandhi to organize a satyagraha on behalf of the peasants of Kheda?
1. The Administration did not suspend the land revenue collection in spite of a drought.
2. The Administration proposed to introduce Permanent Settlement in Gujarat.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2
Explanation
Gandhi organised the Kheda Satyagraha because the administration refused to suspend land revenue collection despite a failed harvest, and because of related fears over a stricter, Permanent-Settlement-style revenue regime being extended to Gujarat.
Consider the following statements:
1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad persuaded Mahatma Gandhi to come to Champaran to investigate the problem of peasants.
2. Acharya J. B. Kripalani was one of Mahatma Gandhi's colleagues in his Champaran investigation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: B. 2 only
Explanation
It was actually J.B. Kripalani (not Rajendra Prasad) who worked most closely alongside Gandhi during the Champaran investigation, true; the specific claim that Prasad persuaded Gandhi to come to Champaran is usually credited to Raj Kumar Shukla instead.
Consider the following statements:
1. The “Bombay Manifesto” signed in 1936 openly opposed the preaching of socialist ideals.
2. It evoked support from a large section of business community from all across India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2
Explanation
The 1936 'Bombay Manifesto,' signed by leading industrialists, openly opposed the spread of socialist ideas within Congress and drew wide support from business communities across India.
For the Karachi session of Indian National Congress in 1931 presided over by Sardar Patel, who drafted the Resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Programme ?
Correct answer: B. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation
Jawaharlal Nehru drafted the Resolution on Fundamental Rights and the Economic Programme adopted at the 1931 Karachi Session.
During the Indian Freedom Struggle, why did Rowlatt Act arouse popular indignation?
Correct answer: C. It authorized the government to imprison people without trial
Explanation
The Rowlatt Act's provision permitting imprisonment without trial was the key trigger for the wave of popular anger it aroused in 1919.
Assertion (A): The Congress Ministries in all the provinces resigned in the year 1939. 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 and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation
The Congress ministries did resign in 1939, true, specifically because the Viceroy had declared India at war with Germany without consulting Indian leaders, which the given reason correctly explains.
Which one of the following aroused a wave of popular indignation that led to the massacre by the British at Jallianwala Bagh?
Correct answer: C. The Rowlatt Act
Explanation
The repressive Rowlatt Act triggered the protests that culminated directly in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919.
At which one of the following places did Mahatma Gandhi first start his Satyagraha in India?
Correct answer: C. Champaran
Explanation
Gandhi launched his first Satyagraha in India at Champaran in 1917, over the grievances of indigo cultivators.
Under whose presidency was the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress held in the year 1929 wherein a resolution was adopted to gain complete independence from the British?
Correct answer: C. Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation
The 1929 Lahore Session, which adopted the Purna Swaraj resolution, was held under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Which one of the following pairs are correctly matched? Movement / Satyagraha Person Actively Associated With
1. Champaran Rajendra Prasad
2. Ahmedabad Mill Workers Morarji Desai
3. Kheda Vallabhbhai Patel
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Correct answer: C. 1 and 3
Explanation
Rajendra Prasad was closely associated with the Champaran Satyagraha, and Vallabhbhai Patel led the Kheda Satyagraha, both true; the 1918 Ahmedabad Mill Workers' strike, however, was led by Gandhi himself alongside Anasuya Sarabhai, not Morarji Desai — so only 1 and 3.
Who among the following drafted the resolution on fundamental rights for the Karachi Session of Congress in 1931?
Correct answer: B. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation
Jawaharlal Nehru drafted the Fundamental Rights resolution adopted at the 1931 Karachi Session.
During the Indian Freedom Struggle, who among the following proposed that Swaraj should be defined as complete independence free from all foreign control?
Correct answer: B. Maulana Hasrat Mohani
Explanation
Maulana Hasrat Mohani was the first to explicitly propose that Swaraj should mean complete independence, free of all foreign control.
The name of the famous person of India who returned the Knighthood conferred on him by the British Government as a token of protest against the atrocities in Punjab in 1919 was
Correct answer: C. Rabindra Nath Tagore
Explanation
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his Knighthood in 1919 in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the wider repression in Punjab.
The leader of the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) was
Correct answer: A. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the 1928 Bardoli Satyagraha against an unjust hike in land revenue.
Assertion (A): In 1916, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Abul Kalam Azad resigned from the Legislative Council. Reason (R): The Rowlatt Act was passed by the government in spite of being opposed by all Indian members of the Legislative Council.
Correct answer: D. A is false but R is true
Explanation
It was not specifically in 1916 that Mohammad Ali and Azad resigned over this particular issue, making the assertion inaccurate in its details; however, Indian members of the Legislative Council did unanimously oppose the Rowlatt Bills before they were still pushed through, which the reason correctly captures on its own.
During the Indian freedom struggle, the Khudai Khidmatgars, also known as Red Shirts, called for
Correct answer: D. the Pathan regional nationalist unity and a struggle against colonialism
Explanation
The Khudai Khidmatgars ('Red Shirts'), led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, called for Pathan regional unity and a non-violent struggle against British colonialism.
Who among the following was the President of the All-India States’ Peoples’ Conference in 1939?
Correct answer: B. Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation
Jawaharlal Nehru served as President of the All-India States' Peoples' Conference in 1939, which coordinated movements within the princely states.
The Hunter Commission was appointed after the
Correct answer: B. Jalian Walla Bagh massacre
Explanation
The Hunter Commission was constituted to investigate the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the broader 1919 Punjab disturbances.
Who among the following leaders proposed to adopt Complete Independence as the goal of the Congress in the Ahmedabad session of 1920?
Correct answer: B. Hasrat Mohani
Explanation
Hasrat Mohani proposed adopting 'Complete Independence' as Congress's official goal at the 1921 Ahmedabad session, years before it was formally adopted in 1929.
While delivering the presidential address, the Congress President who advocated the introduction of Roman script for Hindi language was
Correct answer: D. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation
Subhas Chandra Bose, in a Congress presidential address, advocated adopting the Roman script for Hindi/Hindustani to help promote linguistic unity.
The native State of Tripura became involved in the Freedom Movement early in the 20th century because
Correct answer: B. the Bengal revolutionaries took shelter in Tripura
Explanation
Tripura became linked to the freedom movement early on because Bengali revolutionaries used the princely state as a place of shelter and refuge.
Assertion (A): The Khilafat movement did bring the urban Muslims into the fold of the National Movement. Reason (R): There was a predominant element of anti-imperialism in both the National and Khilafat Movements.
Correct answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation
The Khilafat Movement did draw urban Muslims into the national movement, true, largely because both it and the wider national movement shared a strong current of anti-imperialism, which the reason correctly explains.
Assertion (A): Gandhi stopped the Non-cooperation Movement in 1922. Reason (R): Violence at Chauri-Chaura led him to stop the movement.
Correct answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation
Gandhi did withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922, true, specifically because of the violent Chauri-Chaura incident, which he saw as a betrayal of non-violence — the reason correctly explains the assertion.
Which one of the following events was characterised by Montague as ‘Preventive Murder’?
Correct answer: B. Massacre of Jallianwala Bagh
Explanation
Montagu described the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as an act of 'preventive murder,' condemning General Dyer's actions.
Consider the following statements: The Non-cooperation Movement led to the
I. Congress becoming a mass movement for the first time.
II. Growth of Hindu Muslim unity.
III. Removal of fear of the British ‘might’ from the minds of the people.
IV. British government’s willingness to grant political concessions to Indians. Of these statements
Correct answer: C. I and III are correct
Explanation
The Non-Cooperation Movement did turn Congress into a genuine mass movement for the first time and broke ordinary people's fear of British authority, both true; however, Hindu-Muslim unity, though initially strong through the Khilafat alliance, did not endure, and the British made no real political concessions in response — so only statements I and III hold.
The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crime Act (1919) was popularly known as the
Correct answer: A. Rowlatt Act
Explanation
The repressive Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 was popularly known as the Rowlatt Act.
85. What is the correct sequence of the following events?
I. The Lucknow Pact
II. The Introduction of Dyarchy
III. The Rowlatt Act
IV. The Partition of Bengal
Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
Correct answer: B. IV, I, III, II
Explanation
Chronologically: the Partition of Bengal (1905), the Lucknow Pact (1916), the Rowlatt Act (1919), and the introduction of Dyarchy (1919 Act, effective from 1921) fall in the sequence IV, I, III, II.