Test: Bihar Specific (Role of Bihar in Freedom Struggle) - Software Development MCQ

The correct answer is Kunwar Singh.Key Points

• Kunwar Singh was the leader of the revolt of 1857 in Jagdishpur (Bihar).
  • ​Veer Kunwar Singh belonged to the Ujjainiya clan of the Parmar Rajputs of Jagdispur (Bhojpur district) Bihar.
  • In the 1857 rebellion, Kunwar Singh was assisted by both his commander-in-chief, Hare Krishna Singh, and his brother, Babu Amar Singh.
  • He was an expert in guerilla warfare techniques and passed away while bravely fighting against the British forces on 26th April 1858.

Additional Information 

The correct answer is 1855.​

Key Points 

• On 30th June 1855, two years before the Great Revolt of 1857.
• Two Santhal brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu organised 10,000 Santhals and proclaimed a rebellion against the British.
• The tribals took an oath to drive away from the British from their homeland.
• The Murmu brothers’ sisters Phulo and Jhano also played an active part in the rebellion

Hence, Santhal rebellion started in 1855.

Additional Information

• The Santhal revolt (also known as the Hul revolt ) started on 30th June 1855, with the help of prominent leaders like Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand, and Bhairav, and also their two sisters Phulo and Jhano.
• The depressed and anguished Santhals engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Britishers and formed their own troops which included the farmers, villagers, and the women.
• In this quest, they were able to capture large parts of land including Rajmahal Hills, Bhagalpur district, and Birbhum.

The correct answer is William Taylor

Key Points

• William Tayler (1808–1892) was a civil servant of the East India Company who lived in India from 1829 until 1867.
• He became commissioner of Patna in 1855 and in 1857 was involved in the suppression of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.

The correct answer is 29 November 1917.

Based on the Champaran Agrarian Enquiry Committee 

• W. Maude introduced the Champaran Agrarian Bill in the Legislative Council on 29th November 1917 and also delivered a remarkable speech on the very same day.
• In 1918, ultimately, the Bill was passed and it became the Champaran Agrarian Act.
• “The tinkathia system which had been in existence for about a century was thus abolished and with it, the planters' raj came to an end,” wrote Gandhi in his autobiography.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points 

Champaran Satyagraha:

• The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi in India.
• There was a general discontent among the ryots around indigo cultivation in Bihar.
• The core reason for this was the low remuneration they received for the crop. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• They also suffered harassment and oppression at the hands of factory servants.
• All this resulted in demonstrations against indigo cultivation in Champaran 
• At that time Gandhi had recently returned from South Africa after a successful Satyagraha against the Apartheid system.
• Thus, he had assumed the status of an emancipator.
• The resentment surrounding indigo cultivation compelled Raj Kumar Shukla, a well-off agriculturist to persuade Mahatma Gandhi to visit Champaran and work for the oppressed peasants. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The Champaran Agrarian Act abolished the tinkathia system which had been in existence for about a century.

Important Points

Tinkathia system: 

• The predominant system of Indigo cultivation in Champaran was the tinkathia system. Hence statement 3 is correct.
• In this, the ryot was under an obligation to cultivate three kathas per beegha of his land with indigo i.e. 3/20th of his landholding ( 1 beegha= 20 kathas).
• There were no legal grounds for this. It was done solely at the wishes of the indigo factory owners (planters).  

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• By 1832 the Santhals had settled in Damin-i-Koh area. Their settlement expanded rapidly.
• Forests were cleared to accommodate them.
• The Company also benefitted as it got more and more land revenue.
• However, the Santhals too got dissatisfied. They rebelled against the British rule. Following are the main causes for their rebellion.
  • Santhals were not happy with the tax regime of the company. They thought that the land revenue rates were high and exploitative. Hence, option 3 is not correct.
  • The Zamindars began to exercise greater control on the areas brought under cultivation by Santhals, apparently it was a part of the British Policy. But Santhals resented that. Hence, option 1 is correct.
  •  Moneylenders in the rural areas were seen as villain and agent of Company rule by the Santhals. Moneylenders could auction the land of Santhals in case of defaulter. All this was not liked by the Santhals. Hence, option 2 is correct.
• The British took steps to placate the Santhals later on. A separate district of Santhal Pargana was carved out and law was enacted to protect the santhals.
• On 30 June 1855, two Santal rebel leaders, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, mobilized roughly 60,000 Santhals and declared a rebellion against the East India Company.

The correct answer is 2 only.

Key Points

• Champaran Satyagraha
  • Champaran Satyagraha was launched on 19 April 1917. Hence, Statement 1 is incorrect.
  • This was Gandhi’s first Satyagraha movement and a farmer’s revolt in Bihar against the indigo crop production. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
  • It was undertaken after Mahatma Gandhi learned about the abuses suffered by farmers, who were forced into growing indigo by British planters and estate owners.
  • The tenants from Champaran were forced under the law to plant three out of every twenty parts of his land with indigo for his landlord under the so-called Tinkathia system.
  • Initially, Gandhiji was reluctant to commit himself to the task but he was so persuaded by indigo cultivator Rajkumar Shukla that he decided to investigate the matter.
  • Gandhiji planned to carry out an extensive inquiry in the district and demand action based on its findings.
  • However, local authorities did not find his visit welcoming and they unsuccessfully tried to dissuade him.
  • But Gandhi began his work from the house of Babu Gorakh Prasad in Motihari, headquarters of the then Champaran district.
  • During this time, Gandhiji was served with a court summon while he was making a spot visit to the village.
  • Gandhiji was charged with violating the law and was told to leave Champaran, but he refused to leave.
  • On April 18, 1917, when Gandhi appeared in Motihari Court and was accompanied by nearly 2000 local people.
  • The then Lieutenant Governor of Bihar ordered the withdrawal of the case against Gandhi, and the Collector wrote to Gandhi saying he was free to conduct the inquiry.
  • This small step in the form of passive protest was a giant leap forward in the history of the freedom struggle and heralded the advent of the Gandhian era.
  • His protest led to abolishing of the exploitative tinkathia system.
  • The victory at Champaran established Gandhiji in India’s struggle against the British raj.

The Correct Answer is A - 2, B - 3, C - 1, D - 4.

Key Points

• Pabna movement
  • Pabna Peasant Uprising (1873–76) was a resistance movement by the peasants ("Ryots") against the zamindars in Bengal in the Yusufshahi pargana (now the Sirajganj District, Bangladesh) in Pabna.
  • It was led by Ishan Chandra Roy.
  • It was supported by intellectuals such as R.C Dutt, Surendranath Banerjee, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, etc. It was overall a peaceful movement.
• The Eka Movement
  • The Eka Movement was started in 1921 in the Awadh region.
  • The initial thrust was given by the leaders of Congress and the Khilafat movement.
  • The main reason for the movement was high rent, which was generally higher than 50% of recorded rent in some areas.
• The Santhal rebellion
  • The Santhal rebellion of 1855-­56 was a major tribal rebellion by the Santhals around the Jharkhand region who started an uprising against the oppressive policies of the British.
  • The rebellion spread rapidly to the region between Rajmahal and Bhagalpur but was mercilessly suppressed by the British with people being killed and entire villages being burnt.
• Tana Bhagat Movement
  • Tana Bhagat Movement (1914-1919) was a tribal uprising of a section of the Tana Bhagats and Oraons under the leadership of Jatra Oraon occurring during the late colonial period in the Chhotanagpur region of Bihar, India.
  • The Tana Bhagats opposed the taxes imposed on them by the British and they staged a Satyagraha (civil disobedience movement) even before Gandhi's satyagraha movement.

• Munda Uprising is popularly known as Ulgulan.
• Ulgulan was considered as one of the most significant tribal uprisings in the period 1860-1920.
• The rebellion which began as a religious movement gathered a political force to fight against the introduction of feudal, zamindari tenures
• The Mundas revolt active in the Chhotanagpur area in 1879.
• British armed forces were then deployed; their leader Birsa Munda was captured and imprisoned.

The correct answer is Sanyasi Rebellion.

Key Points

•  Anand math is a Bengali fiction, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and published in 1882.
• It is inspired by and set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century, it is considered one of the most important novels in the history of Bengali and Indian literature.

Important Points

• Anandmath is a Bengali novel written by Bnakim Chandra Chattopadhyay and was published in the year 1882. It gained great importance in the history of Indian literature because it was synonymous with the Indian independence struggle.
• The national song of India 'Vande Mataram' was published in this book. 
• It was translated by Julius Lipner and was published by Oxford Press.
• The plot is about a couple during the Bengal famine who decides to leave the village and go to the nearby city. All the events that take place during and after their travel are depicted in the novel. 

Additional Information

• Sanyasi Revolt (1763 – 1800)
  • Region: Bengal
  • Reason: Pilgrim tax
  • Note Anandmath (Bankim Chandra Chatterjee): Description of the revolt of Sanyasi.
• Fakir Revolt (1776 – 77)
  • Region: Bengal
  • Leader: Majnu shah and Chirag Ali
  • Reason: Religious