TEST 05: MODERN INDIAN HISTORY

Syllabus:  1905-1918

1. With reference to Morley Minto reforms, consider the following statements:

1. It introduced non-official majority in the Imperial Legislative Council

2. It provided for direct elections to the provincial legislature

3. Separate electorates were provided for the Muslims

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

A. 1 and 3 only

B. 2 only

C.  1 and 2 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Ans: C

• Explanation: The number of elected members in the Imperial Legislative Council and the Provincial Legislative Councils was increased. In the Provincial Councils, non-official majority was introduced, but since some of these non-officials were nominated and not elected, the overall non-elected majority remained. In Imperial Legislative Council, official majority was retained.

• The elected members were to be indirectly elected. The local bodies were to elect an electoral college, which in turn would elect members of provincial legislatures, who in turn would elect members of the central legislature.

• Besides separate electorates for the Muslims, representation in excess of the strength of their population was accorded to the Muslims. Also, the income qualification for Muslim voters was kept lower than that for Hindus.

2 . With reference to Ghadr programme, consider the following statements:

1. Their aim was to bring simultaneous revolt in all British colonies

2. It lacked an organized and sustained leadership

3. It preached militant nationalism with completely secular approach

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only

B.  1 and 3 only

C.  2 and 3 only

D.  1, 2 and 3

Ans: D

• Explanation:  The Ghadr programme was to organize assassinations of officials, publish revolutionary and anti-imperialist literature, work among Indian troops stationed abroad, procure arms and bring a simultaneous revolt in all British colonies.

• The achievement of the Ghadr movement lay in the realm of ideology. It peached militant nationalism with a completely secular approach.

• Militarily, Ghadr programme failed to achieve much because it lacked an organized and sustained leadership, underestimated the extent of preparation required at every level—organizational, ideological, financial and tactical strategic—and perhaps Lala Hardayal was unsuited for the job of an  organizer.

3. With reference to Home Rule League movement, consider the following statements:

1. Annie Besant set up her league before Tilak

2. Formation of linguistic state was one of the demands of the league set-up by Tilak

3. Anglo-Indians and non-brahmins from south did not join the Home Rule League

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A.  1 and 3 only

B.  2 and 3 only

C.  1 and 2 only

D.  1, 2 and 3

Ans: B

• Explanation: Tilak’s League was set up in April 1916 and was restricted to Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Provinces and Berar. Besant’s League was set up in September 1916 in Madras and covered the rest of India (including Bombay city). It had 200 branches, was loosely organized as compared to Tilak’s League and had George Arundale as the organizing secretary.

• League set-up by Tilak demanded Swarajya, formation of linguistic states and education in the vernacular languages.

• The Home Rule agitation was later joined by Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhulabhai Desai, Chittaranjan Das, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Tej Bahadur Sapru and Lala Lajpat Rai. Some of these leaders became heads of local branches. Many of the Moderate Congressmen who were disillusioned with. Congress inactivity, and some members of Gokhale’s Servants of India Society also joined the agitation. However, Anglo-Indians, most of the Muslims and nonbrahmins from South did not join as they felt Home Rule would mean rule of the Hindu majority, mainly the high caste

4. Consider the following statements regarding the Lucknow Session of Indian National Congress:

1. It was presided over by an extremist, Ambika Charan Majumdar

2. It allowed the readmission of extremists to Congress

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C.  Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: B

• Explanation:  The Lucknow session of the Indian National Congress, presided over by a Moderate, Ambika Charan Majumdar.

• Lucknow Session finally readmitted the Extremists led by Tilak to the Congress fold. Various factors facilitated this reunion:

• Old controversies had become meaningless now.

• Both the Moderates and the Extremists realised that the split had led to political inactivity.

• Annie Besant and Tilak had made vigorous efforts for the reunion. To allay Moderate suspicions, Tilak had declared that he supported a reform of administration and not an overthrow of the Government. He also denounced acts of violence.

• The death of two Moderates, Gokhale and Pherozshah Mehta, who had led the Moderate opposition to the Extremists, facilitated the reunion.

5.  Which of the following demands were put forward by the Lucknow Pact?

A. Complete independence from the British rule

B. All the members of the viceroy’s executive council should be Indians

C.  Elected majority in the legislative councils

D.  None of the above

Ans: C

• Explanation: The following demands were put forth by the Muslim League and Indian National Congress under the Lucknow Pact:

• (i) Government should declare that it would confer self-government on Indians at an early date.

• (ii) The legislative councils should be further expanded with an elected majority and more powers be given to them.

• (iii) Half the members of the viceroy’s executive council should be Indians.

6 . With reference to Montagu’s statement, 1917, consider the following statements:

1. Attainment of self-government became a government policy

2. It gave a specific time frame for advancing towards self –government

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only

B.  2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: A

• Explanation: Importance of Montagu’s Statement

• From now onwards, the demand by nationalists for self-government or Home Rule could not be termed as seditious since attainment of self-government for Indians now became a government policy, unlike Morley’s statement in 1909 that the reforms were not intended to give self-government to India.

• The objections of the Indian leaders to Montagu’s statement were twofold:

1. No specific time frame was given.

2. The Government alone was to decide the nature and the timing of advance towards a responsible government, and the Indians were resentful that the British would decide what was good and what was bad for Indians.

7. With reference to Government of India Act, 1919, consider the following statements:

1. It introduced diarchy at the centre

2. Women were given the right to vote

3. It introduce bicameralism both in the provincial as well as imperial legislature

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only

B.  2 and 3 only

C. 2 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Ans: C

• Explanation:  Government of India Act, 1919 introduced diarchy at the provincial level. Diarchy means rule of two – executives councilors and popular ministers was introduced. The governor was to be the executive head in the province.

• Government of India Act, 1919 gave women, the right to vote in the provincial legislative councils.

• A bicameral arrangement was introduced in the imperial legislature and not in the provincial legislature. The lower house or Central Legislative

• Assembly would consist of 144 members (41 nominated and 103 elected-52 General, 30 Muslims, 2 Sikhs, 20 Special) and the upper house or Council of State would have 60 members (26 nominated and 34 elected-20 General, 10 Muslims, 3 Europeans and 1 Sikh).

8. Which of the following events is regarded as the first civil disobedience movement?

A. Champaran Satyagraha

B.  Ahmedabad Mill Strike

C.  Kheda Styagraha

D. None

Ans: A

• Explanation: Champaran Satyagraha is also known as the first civil disobedience movement. Gandhi was requested by Rajkumar Shukla to look into the problems of the indigo planters of Champaran in Bihar. The European planters had been forcing peasants to grow indigo on 3/20 of the total land (called tinkathia system). When towards the end of the nineteenth century German synthetic dyes replaced indigo, the European planters demanded high rents and illegal dues from the peasants in order to maximize their profits before the peasants could shift to other crops. Besides, the peasants were forced to sell the produce at prices fixed by the Europeans. When Gandhi, joined now by Rajendra Prasad, MazharulHaq, Mahadeo Desai, Narhari Parekh, J.B. Kripalani, reached Champaran to probe into the matter, the authorities ordered him to leave the area at once. Gandhi defied the order and preferred to face the punishment. This civil disobedience of an unjust order was a novel method at that time. Finally, the authorities retreated and permitted Gandhi to make an enquiry.

• Now, the Government appointed a committee to go into the matter and nominated Gandhi as a member. Gandhi was able to convince the authorities that the tinkathia system should be abolished and that the peasants should be compensated for the illegal dues extracted from them. As a compromise with the planters, he agreed that only 25 per cent of the money taken should be compensated.

• Ahmedabad Mill Strike was the first hunger strike, while, Kheda Satyagraha was the first non-cooperation movement.

9. Who among the following was instrumental in setting up Tolstoy Farm?

A. B.G Tilak

B. Dadabhai Naoroji

C.  Subhash Chandra Bose

D.  M.K Gandhi

Ans: D

• Explanation: As it became rather difficult for Gandhiji to sustain the high pitch of the struggle against racial exploitation in South Africa, he decided to devote all his attention to the struggle.

• The Tolstoy farm was meant to house the families of the satyagrahis to give them a way to sustain themselves.

10 With reference to Non-Cooperation movement, consider the following statements:

1. Working towards Hindu-Muslim unity and removal of untouchability were a part of Non-Cooperation movement

2. Resignation from government services and non-payment of taxes formed the first phase of Non-Cooperation movement

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: B

• Explanation:  During the non-cooperation movement, the participants were supposed to work for Hindu-Muslim unity and for removal of untouchability, all the time remaining non-violent.

•  The first phase of the movement included:

• boycott of government schools and colleges;

• boycott of law courts and dispensation of justice through panchayats instead;

• boycott of Legislative Councils; (there were some differences over this as some leaders like C.R. Das were not willing to include a boycott of councils, but bowed to Congress discipline; these leaders boycotted elections held in November 1920 and the majority of the voters too stayed away)

• boycott of foreign cloth and use of khadi instead; also practice of hand-spinning to be done;

• renunciation of government honors and titles;

• The second phase could include mass civil disobedience including resignation from government service, and non-payment of taxes.

11. The Indian National Congress met in a special session at Bombay in August 1918 under the presidentship of which of the following Indian nationalists to consider the Montagu-Chelmsford Reform proposals?

A. Abul Kalam Azad

B. Hasan Imam

C. Madan Mohan Malaviya

D. Mazhar-ul-Huq

Ans: B

• Explanation: Indian nationalists had, however, advanced far beyond such halting concessions. They were no longer willing to let an alien government decide their fitness for self-government, nor would they be satisfied with the shadow of political power. The Indian National Congress met in a special session at Bombay in August 1918 under the presidentship of Hasan Imam to consider the reform proposals.

• It condemned them as “disappointing and unsatisfactory” and demanded effective self-government instead. Some of the veteran Congress leaders led by Surendranath Banerjee were in favour of accepting the government proposals and left the Congress at this time. They refused to attend the Bombay session, where they would have formed an insignificant minority, and founded the Indian Liberal Federation. They came to be known as Liberals and played a minor role in Indian politics hereafter.

12. Who amongst the following was not an extremist?

A. Bipin Chandra Pal

B. Aurbindo Ghosh

C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak

D. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Ans: D

• Explanation : Lal, Bal and Pal were popular extremists.

13. Find the correct option:

1. Swadeshi movement had its genesis in the anti- partition movement for Bengal.

2. The government decision for partition was made public in 1903.

3. The official reason of administration differed from the actual reason, that was to check the rising nationalism.

4.  The western half was Hindu dominated region and Eastern half was Muslim dominated region.

A. Only 1 and 2

B. Only 2 and 3

C.  Only 3 and 4

D. All of the above

Ans : D

14. Which amongst the following was not a propaganda through newspapers?

A.  Hitabadi

B.  Shamlee

C. Sanjibani

D.  Bengalee

Ans: B

• Explanation: These propaganda were done to educate people and pressurise government to change the decision for partition of Bengal.

15. Find the correct option:

1. On August 1905, formal proclamation of Swadehi movement was made.

2. Boycott of Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt was on agenda.

A. Only 1

B. Only 2 

C.  Both 1 and 2

D.  None

Ans: C

16. Find the correct option:

1. Extremists and Moderates wanted spread of the movement against partition should be taken beyond Bengal.

2. Surat session of India National Congress was a consequence of split due to Swadeshi movement.

A. Only 1

B. Only 2

C. Both 1 and 2 

D. None

Ans : B

• Explanation: Only extremists wanted spread of the movement against partition should be taken beyond Bengal. This became the reason for Surat Split.

17. In which session did D. Naoroji declare Swaraj or Self- government to be the goal of Congress?

A. Calcutta Session 1907

B. Lahore Session 1929

C. Karachi session 1931

D. Calcutta Session 1906

Ans: D

18. Swadeshi movement led to :

1. Boycott of foreign goods

2. Corps of Volunteers 

3. Emphasis on atma shakti or self reliance

4. Programme of Swadeshi or national education

A. Only 1 and 2

B. Only 2 and 3

C. Only 3 and 4

D. All of the above

Ans: D

19. Songs for inspiring masses during the Swadeshi movement were written by?

1. Rabindranath Tagore

2. Rajnikant Sen

3. Mukunda Das

4. Abanindranath Tagore

A. Only A, B and C

B.  Only B and C

C.  Only C and D

D. Only A and B

Ans: A

• Explanation: Abanindranath Tagore was a prolific painter, who broke the domination of Victorian paintings.

20. What among the below do you think were the reasons for fizzling out of Swadeshi movement?

1. Severe government repression

2.  Most of the leaders were either arrested or deported by 1908.

3.  Internal squabbles amongst the leaders.

4. The movement remained confined to certain classes.

A. All of the above

B. Only B and C

C. Only C and D

D. Only A and B

Ans: A