Indian National Movement- Solved Questions - 3 | UPSC Topic Wise Previous Year Questions PDF Download

Question 1:
The leader of the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) was:   [2003]
(a) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(b) Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Vithalbhai J. Patel
(d) Mahadev Desai

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, in the state of Gujarat, was led by Vallabhbhai Patel. The women of Bardoli gave him the title of Sardar.

Question 2:
Who headed the Interim Cabinet formed in the year 1946? [2003] 
(a) Rajendra Prasad 
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru 
(c) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel 
(d) Rajagopalachari

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The interim government was formed on Sept 2, 1946, as per Cabinet's mission proposal. It was headed by Jawahar Lal Nehru.

Question 3:
The members of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution of India were: [2002] 
(a) nominated by the British Parliament 
(b) nominated by the Governor-General 
(c) elected by the Legislative Assemblies of various province 
(d) elected by the Indian National Congress and Muslim League

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The members of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution of India were to be elected by provincial assemblies under the system of proportional representation.

Question 4:
The last opportunity to avoid the partition of India was lost with the rejection of [2002] 
(a) Cripps Mission 
(b) Rajagopalachari Formula 
(c) Cabinet Mission 
(d) Wavell Plan

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Cabinet Mission (1946) was the last opportunity to avoid the partition of India with the formation of an Interim Government. But Muslim League rejected the plan even though they won 73 out of 78 seats in the interim government. They did not attend the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly on Dec 9, 1946.

Question 5:
Assertion (A): The effect of labor participation in the Indian nationalist upsurge of the early 1930s was weak. 
Reason (R): The labor leaders considered the ideology of the Indian National Congress as bourgeois and reactionary. [2002] 
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A 
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A 
(c) A is true but R is false 
(d) A is false but R is true

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The labor leaders were influenced by communist ideology and considered INC as bourgeoisie and reactionary. That's why their participation in the Indian nationalist upsurge was limited.

Question 6:
During the Indian freedom struggle, the Khudai Khidmatgars, also known as Red Shirts called for [2002] 
(a) the Union of Pakhtun tribal areas in the north-west with Afghanistan 
(b) the adoption of terrorist tactics and m eth ods for terrorizing and finally ousting the colonial rulers 
(c) the adoption of communist revolution ideology for political and social reform 
(d) the Pathan regional nationalist unity and a struggle against colonialism.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Khudai Khidmatgars were organized by Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi). Khudai Khidmatgar literally translates as the servants of God, represented a non-violent freedom struggle against the British Empire by the Pashtuns (also known as Pathans, Pakhtuns, or Afghans) of the Northwest Frontier Province.

Question 7:
The President of the Indian National Congress at the time of partition of India was: [2002]
(a) C. Rajagopalachari
(b) J. B. Kripalani
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru
(d) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Acharya J.B. Kriplani was the Indian National Congress President (Nov 1946 - Dec 1947). In 1946, the INC session was held at Merrut.

Question 8:
The real intention of the British for including the princely states in the Federal Union proposed by the India Act of 1935 was to: [2002]
(a) exercise more and direct political and administrative 
(b) involve the princes actively in the administration of the colony 
(c) finally, effect the complete political and administrative take-over of all the princely states by the British 
(d) use the princes to counter-balance the anti-imperialist doctrines of the nationalist leaders

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The real intention of the British to include the princely states in the Federal Union proposed by the India Act of 1935 was to use the princes to counterbalance the anti-imperialist doctrines of the nationalist leaders.

Question 9:
With reference to the Indian freedom struggle, which one of the following statements is not correct? [2002] 
(a) Hakim Ajmal Khan was one of the leaders to start a nationalist and militant Ahrar movement 
(b) When the Indian National Congress was formed, Syed Ahmed Khan opposed it 
(c) The All-India Muslim League which was formed in 1906 vehemently opposed the partition of Bengal and separated electorates 
(d) Maulana Barkataullah and Maulana Obeidullah Sindhi were among those who formed a provisional government of India in Kabul.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The All-India Muslim League was founded at Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh), in the Bengal Presidency, in 1906. It supported the partition of Bengal to create a majority of Muslims after the partition of the province.

Question 10:
With reference to the period of the extremist nationalist movement in India with its spirit of Swadeshi, which one of the following statements is not correct? [2002] 
(a) Liaquat Hussain led the Muslim peasants of Barisal in their agitation 
(b) In 1889, the scheme of national education was formulated by Satish Chandra Mukherjee 
(c) The Bengal National College was founded in 1906 with Aurobindo as the Principal 
(d) Tagore preached the cult of Atmasakti, the main plank of which was social and economic regeneration of the villages

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Liakat Hussain did not lead the Barisal movement of peasants. Barisal movement was for salt breaking during the civil disobedience movement.

Question 11:
Who among the following was the President of the All India States' Peoples' Conference in 1939? [2001] 
(a) Jaya Prakash Narayan 
(b) Sheikh Abdullah 
(c) Jawahar Lal Nehru 
(d) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The All India States Peoples’ Conference was a political organization in India during the British Raj. The first session of the organization was held in Bombay in December 1927. Nehru was its president between 1935–1947.

Question 12:
A London branch of the All India Muslim League was established in 1908 under the presidency of   [2001] 
(a) Aga Khan 
(b) Ameer Ali 
(c) Liaquat Ali Khan 
(d) M.A. Jinnah

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Syed Ameer Ali established a branch of the League in London in 1908, supporting the same objectives.

Question 13:
Who among the following organized the famous Chittagong Armoury raid?  [2001] 
(a) Laxmi Sehgal 
(b) Surya Sen 
(c) Batukeshwar Datta 
(d) J.M. Sengupta

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The raid was conducted in April 1930 by Surya Sen and involved 65 activists under the banner of the Indian Republican army – Chittagong Branch. Surya Sen was arrested in Feb 1933 and hanged in Jan 1934.

Question 14:
Who among the following leaders proposed to adopt Complete Independence as the goal of the Congress in the Ahmedabad session of 1920? [2001] 
(a) Abdul Kalam Azad 
(b) Hasrat Mohani 
(c) Jawahar Lal Nehru 
(d) Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Before any of the main political parties in India, CPI raised the demand for complete independence. At the 1921 session (36th) of the INC held at Ahmedabad, the party made its presence known among the delegates through the distribution of a manifesto. The manifesto, signed by M. N. Roy and Abani Mukherjee, demanded complete independence from British rule and asked the INC to sever all connections with the British Empire and offer full support to the struggles of the working class and peasantry. The manifesto was mailed to other parts of the country also. The influence that the manifesto exerted on the delegates and participants could be seen from the fact that a radical Congressman, Maulana Hazrat Mohani, moved a resolution in favor of complete Independence.

Question 15:
The Hunter Commission was appointed after the:   [2001]
(a) Black-hole incident  
(b) Jalianwalla Bagh massacre 
(c) Uprising of 1857 
(d) Partition of Bengal

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Hunter Commission was appointed after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919). A separate Hunter Commission (1882-83) emphasised on primary and secondary education.

Question 16:
Consider the following statements about the Indian National Congress: [2000]
1. Sarojini Naidu was the first woman to be the President of Congress 
2. C.R. Das was in prison when he functioned as the President of Congress 
3. The first British er to become the President of the Congress was Alan Octavian Hume 
4. Alfred Webb was the President of the Congress in 1894. 
Which of these statements are correct? 
(a) 1 and 3 
(b) 2 and 4 
(c) 2, 3 and 4 
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Sarojini Naidu was the second woman to be the President of the Congress (1925, Kanpur) first being Annie Beasant (1917, Calcutta). A.O. Hume was the founder of INC in 1885. Alfred Webb was the President of the Congress in 1894 at Madras. C.R. Das acted as the President in 1921 in the Ahmedabad session.

Question 17:
The Balkan Plan for fragmentation of India was the brainchild of: [2000] 
(a) W. Churchill 
(b) M.A. Jinnah 
(c) Lord Mountbatten 
(d) V.P. Menon

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Balkan Plan (1947) was the brainchild of Mountbatten. This plan envisaged the transfer of power to separate provinces with Punjab and Bengal given the option to vote for partition of their provinces. The partitioned units thus formed will have the choice to join India or Pakistan or remaining independent.

Question 18:
At the time of partition of India, which one of the following provinces of British India came forward with a plan for a united and independent existence? [2000] 
(a) Punjab 
(b) Assam 
(c) Bengal 
(d) Bihar

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The Partition of India was the division of British India in 1947 which accompanied the creation of two independent dominions, India and Pakistan. The partition involved the division of two provinces, Bengal and Punjab, based on district-wise Hindu or Muslim majorities. At the time of the partition of India, Punjab came forward with a plan for a united and independent existence.

Question 19:
While delivering the presidential address, the Congress President who advocated the introduction of Roman script for the Hindi language was: [2000] 
(a) Mahatma Gandhi 
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru 
(c) Abul Kalam Azad 
(d) Subhash Chandra Bose

Correct Answer is Option (d)
In 1938, Haripura session by S.C. Bose

Question 20:
Directions: The Following Items Consist of Two Statements, One Labelled As 'Assertion A' And the Other Labelled As 'Reason R', You Are to Examine these Two Statement Carefully and Decide If the Assertion 'A' And the Reason 'R' Are Individually True and If So, Whether the Reason Is a Correct Explanation of The Assertion. Select Your Answers to These Items Using the Codes Given Below and Mark Your Answer Sheet Accordingly.   [2000]
Assertion (A): Lord Linlithgo described the August Movement of 1942 as the most serious revolt after the Sepoy mutiny. 
Reason (R): Peasants joined the movement in large numbers in some places.
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A 
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A 
(c) A is true but R is false 
(d) A is false but R is true

Correct Answer is Option (a)
This movement placed the demand for independence on the immediate agenda of a national movement. After Quit India, there could be no return. In this struggle, common people displayed unparalleled heroism. That’s why Lord Linlithgow (1936-44) described the Quit India Movement as the most serious revolt after sepoy mutiny.

Question 21:
Assertion (A): The basic weakness of the early nationalist movement lay in its narrow social base 
Reason (R): If fighting for the narrow interests of the social groups which joined it. [2000]
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A 
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A 
(c) A is true but R is false 
(d) A is false but R is true

Correct Answer is Option (c)
R is incorrect as early nationalists fought for the rights of common people.

Question 22:
After returning from South Africa, Gandhiji launched his first successful satyagraha in   [2000] 
(a) Chauri-Chaura 
(b) Dandi 
(c) Champaran 
(d) Bardoli

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Gandhi ji returned from South Africa in 1915 and in 1917 he launched his first successful Satyagraha in Champaran in Bihar against the indigo planters at the request of Raj Kumar Shukla.

Question 23:
The native state of Tripura became involved in the freedom movement early in the 20th century because: [2000] 
(a) the kings of Tripura were always anti-British 
(b) the Bengal revolutionaries took shelter in Tripura 
(c) the tribes of the state were fiercely freedom-loving 
(d) there were already some groups fighting against the kingship and its protector, the British

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Tripura State, also known as Hill Tipperah was a princely state in India during the period of the British Raj and for some two years after the departure of the British. The state became involved in the freedom movement early in the 20th century because there were already some groups fighting against the Kingship and its protector, the British.

Question 24:
As an alternative to the partition of India, Gandhiji suggested to Mountbatten that he: [2000] 
(a) postponed granting of independence 
(b) invited Jinnah to form the government 
(c) invited Nehru and Jinnah to form the government together 
(d) invite the army to take over for some time

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Mountbatten Plan came into existence on June 3, 1947. Gandhi Ji suggested that he should invite Jinnah to form the government rather than partition India.

Question 25:
The Indian National Army (I.N.A.) came into existence in 1943 in: [2000] 
(a) Japan 
(b) Burma 
(c) Singapore 
(d) Malaya

Correct Answer is Option (a)
In Japan, INA came into existence in March 1942 under the leadership of Mohan Singh. The idea of INA was first conceived in Malaya.

Question 26:
Which one of the following is not a feature of the Government of India Act of 1935? [2000] 
(a) Diarchy at the Centre as well as in the provinces 
(b) a bicameral legislature 
(c) provincial autonomy 
(d) an All-India federation

Correct Answer is Option (a)
In the Act of 1935 provincial autonomy replaced diarchy. The GIA, 1919 provided for diarchy at the Centre as well as in the provinces.

Question 27:
"In this instance, we could not play off the Mohammedans against the Hindus." To which one of the following events did this remark of Aitchison relate? [2000] 
(a) Revolt of 1857 
(b) Champaran Satyagraha (1917) 
(c) Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement (1919-22) 
(d) August Movement of 1942

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Aitcheson was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, under British India. This statement was made by him. He indirectly accepted the Hindu-Muslim unity factor of revolt 1857.

Question 28:
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: [1999]

(a) A – 2; B – 3; C – 4; D – 1 
(b) A – 3; B – 2; C – 1; D – 4 
(c) A – 2; B – 3; C – 1; D – 4 
(d) A – 3; B – 2; C – 4; D – 1

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Here the best possible answer is a.

Question 29:
The Congress policy of pray and petition ultimately came to an end under the guidance of   [1999] 
(a) Aurobindo Ghosh 
(b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak 
(c) Lala Lajpat Rai 
(d) Mahatma Gandhi

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Bal Gangadhar Tilak described the method of three P’s – Prayer, petition, and protest as political mendicancy. He propagated militancy and not mendicancy.

Question 30:
The first venture of Gandhi in all-India politics was the:  [1999]
(a) Non-Cooperation Movement  
(b) Rowlatt Satyagraha 
(c) Champaran Movement 
(d) Dandi March

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The Champaran movement was the first action of Gandhi on all Indian levels. Satyagraha was to be launched on April 6, 1919. But after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Gandhiji was alarmed by the atmosphere of violence and withdrew the Movement on April 18, 1919.

Question 31:
Assertion (A): Lord Linlithgow described the August Movement of 1942 as the most serious rebellion since Sepoy Mutiny. 
Reason (R): There was a massive upsurge of the peasantry in certain areas. [1999] 
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A 
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A 
(c) A is true but R is false 
(d) A is false but R is true

Correct Answer is Option (a)
This movement placed the demand for independence on the immediate agenda of a national movement. After Quit India, there could be no going back. In this struggle, common people displayed unparalleled heroism. That’s why Lord Linlithgow (1936–44) described the Quit India Movement as the most serious revolt after the sepoy mutiny.

Question 32:
The term "imperial preference" was applied to the:   [1999] 
(a) special privileges on British imports in India 
(b) racial discrimination by the Britishers 
(c) subordination of Indian interest to that of the British 
(d) preference is given to British political agents over Indian princes

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Imperial Preference (later Commonwealth Preference) was a proposed system of reciprocally-leveled tariffs or free trade agreements between different Dominions and Colonies within the British Commonwealth of Nations. The purpose of such practices was to promote the mutual prosperity, and thus unity, of allied imperial nations. So the best answer is a.

Question 33:
Which one of the following Indian leaders was dismissed by the British from the Indian Civil Service? [1999]
(a) Satyendranath Tagore 
(b) Surendranath Banerji 
(c) R.C. Dutt 
(d) Subhash Chandra Bose

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Surendranath Banerji cleared the competitive examination in 1869 but was barred owing to a dispute over his exact age. After clearing the matter in the courts, Banerjee cleared the exam again in 1874 and was posted as an assistant magistrate in Sylhet. However, Banerjee was dismissed soon from his job owing to racial discrimination. Satyendranath Tagore in 1863 became the first Indian to qualify for the ICS.

Question 34:
Which one of the following leaders of the Congress was totally in favor of the Cabinet Mission Plan? [1999] 
(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru 
(c) Sardar Patel 
(d) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Cabinet Mission Plan came into being in May 1946. Sardar Patel was totally in favor of the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Question 35:
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]
(a) C. Rajagopalachari 
(b) M.A. Jinnah  
(c) Subhash Chandra Bose
(d) Jawaharlal Nehru

Correct Answer is Option (c)
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.

Question 36:
'It made its proposals in May. It still wanted a united India. There was to be a Federal Union composed of British provinces' [1999] 
The above quotation is related to: 
(a) Simon Commission 
(b) Gandhi-Irwin Pact 
(c) Cripps Mission 
(d) Cabinet Mission

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

Question 37:
The most short-lived of all of Britain's constitutional experiments in India was the: [1999] 
(a) Indian Council Act of 1861 
(b) Indian Council Act of 1892 
(c) Indian Council Act of 1909 
(d) Government of India Act of 1919

Correct Answer is Option (c)
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

Question 38:
'Abinava Bharat' a secret society of revolutionaries was organized by: [1999] 
(a) Khudiram Bose 
(b) V.D. Savarkar 
(c) Prafulla Chaki 
(d) Bhagat Singh

Correct Answer is Option (b)
‘Abinava Bharat’ a secret society of revolutionaries was organized in 1904 by VD Savarkar.

Question 39:
At the time of India's Independence, Mahatma Gandhi was: [1998] 
(a) a member of Congress Working Committee 
(b) not a member of the Congress 
(c) the President of the Congress 
(d) the General Secretary of the Congress

Correct Answer is Option (b)
At the time of India's independence, Mahatma Gandhi was not a 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.

Question 40:
The Indian National Congress agreed in 1947 to the partition of the country mainly because [1998] 
(a) the principle of the two-Nation theory was then acceptable to them 
(b) it was imposed by the British Government and the Congress was helpless in this regard 
(c) they wanted to avoid large-scale communal riots 
(d) India would have otherwise lost the opportunity to attain freedom

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Indian National Congress had worked hard to secure freedom 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.