UPSC IAS Prelims 2021: Important Questions on Modern History - Topic 5 (Indian Freedom Struggle)
India’s struggle for independence is known to the masses and makes an important chapter in the evolution of India as a free nation. The British expansionist policies, economic exploitation, and administrative innovations over the years had adversely affected the masses and the fire to free the country spread across the nation. The topic is important from the Prelims perspective and aspirants should study each part in detail. Once through the preparation, you can solve mock tests and quizzes to test your preparation. Below we have provided 10 important questions from the British Conquest in India topic of Modern History. Questions are accompanied by the correct answer and an attached explanation. Aspirants can solve these topic-wise important questions to test their preparation level.
Also Check: Important Topics to Prepare from Modern History
Topic-wise Important Questions on Modern Indian History
Ques 1: Neel Darpan, which gained great fame for vividly portraying the oppression by the Indigo planters, is written by
a) Michael Madhusudan Dutt
b) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
c) Dinabandhu Mitra
d) Premendra Mitra
Ans: b
| Explanation: Dinabandhu Mitra is primarily known for his play about the plight of indigo farmers Nil Darpan. The Indigo Revolt (1858) or Nilbidraha in Bengali was the revolt of the indigo farmers against the indigo planters. It was just one year after the Sepoy Revolt Bengal saw one more important revolt in its history. Mitra stormed the social and the literary circle of Bengal with his most notable play Nildarpan in the year 1860. It was published in Dhaka and soon after its publication, it ignited a major argument in the newspapers.[1] His first-hand experience of the indigo cultivators, while on the job as the postmaster in rural Orissa and Bengal, were reflected in the drama. Michael Madhusudan Dutt translated the play into English immediately after it was published |
Ques 2: Who was the President of Lucknow Session of Indian National Congress (1916)?
a) Mohammad Ali Jinnah
b) Ambika Charan Majumdar
c) Madan Mohan Malaviya
d) Annie Besant
Ans: b
| Explanation: Ambika Charan Majumdar was the president of the Indian National Congress for the Lucknow session 1916. Check: List of Sessions of Indian National Congress before Independence |
Ques 3: Which of the following Indian activist, thinker and social reformer was famously known as Lokhitwadi?
a) Mahadev Govind Ranade
b) Jyotiba Phule
c) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
d) Akshay Kumar Dutt
Ans: c
| Explanation: Gopal Hari Deshmukh (18 February 1823 – 9 October 1892) was an Indian activist, thinker, social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His original surname was Shidhaye. Because of ‘Vatan’ (right of Tax collection) that the family had received,the family was later called Deshmukh.[2] Deshmukh is regarded as an important figure of the Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra. |
Ques 4: Winch one of the following had drafted the fundamental rights resolution at the Karachi Session, 1931?
a) Jawahar Lal Nehru
b) Acharya Narendra Deo
c) Subhash Chandra Bose
d) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Ans: a
| Explanation: The Karachi session was presided by Sardar Patel. The congress adopted a resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy which represented the Party’s Social, Economic and Political programme. It was later known as Karachi Resolution. Nehru had originally drafted it, but some Congress leaders thought it was too radical and it was redrafted. The redrafted resolution made the Karachi Session memorable because, for the first time, the resolution tried to define what would be the meaning of Swaraj for common people. |
Ques 5: Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8th April 1929 as a protest to which of the following Bill/Act?
a) Rowlatt Act
b) Public Safety Bill
c) Wood's Bill
d) None of the above
Ans: b
| Explanation: Public safety bill: Mainly to stop the Communist movement in India by cutting it off from British & foreign communist organizations. |
Ques 6: The first President of Indian National Congress was:
a) Dadabhai Naoroji
b) S.N. Banerjee
c) Omesh Chandra Banerjee
d) A.O. Hume
Ans: c
| Explanation: After the party's foundation in 1885, Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee became its first president. |
Ques 7: Many local struggles emerged during the non cooperation movement which gave definition to spirit of defiance at the regional level to the national struggle. Which of the below movement are correctly match with the given local cause?
1) Sikh agitation - For the removal of Mahants in Punjab.
2) Eka Movement – Due to oppression of ‘thekedhars’ who were entrusted to collect high rents.
3) Awadh Kisan Movement - Due to exorbitant rents, illegal levies and renewal fees that had made life tough for peasants.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
a) Only 1
b) Only 2
c) Only 2 and 3
d) All of the above
Ans: d
| Explanation: The spirit of defiance and unrest during the non cooperation programme gave rise to many local struggles such as Awadh Kisan Movement in United Province due to exorbitant rents, illegal levies, renewal fees or nazrana, and arbitrary ejectments or bedakhali had made life tough for peasants. , Eka Movement in united Province due to oppression of thekedhars who were entrusted to collect rent, Mappila Revolt in Malabar and the Sikh agitation for the removal of Mahants in Punjab. |
Ques 8: The adoption by the Congress of the non-cooperation movement initiated, earlier by the Khilafat Committee gave it a new energy. Consider the following statements that show the intensity of upsurge:
1) Foreign products were boycotted and the British imports fell by half the initial amount.
2) Tilak Swaraj Fund was oversubscribed and 100 crore rupees was collected to support non cooperation.
3) Congress volunteer corps emerged as the parallel police.:
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
a) Only 1
b) Only 3
c) 1 and 3
d) All of the above
Ans: c
| Explanation: The adoption by the Congress of the non-cooperation movement initiated, earlier by the Khilafat Committee gave it a new energy, and the years 1921 and 1922 saw an unprecedented popular upsurge. Many students left government schools and colleges and joined around 800 national schools and colleges which cropped up during this time. Many lawyers gave up their practice. Heaps of foreign cloth was burnt publicly and their imports fell by half. Picketing of shops selling foreign liquor and of toddy shops was undertaken at many places. Tilak Swaraj Fund was oversubscribed and one crore rupees collected. Congress volunteer corps emerged as the parallel police. |
Ques 9: The Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party formation as the aftermath reaction of withdrawal of non cooperation was Established by?
a) Chittaranjan Das, Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar and Jawaharlal Nehru
b) Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru
c) Chittaranjan Das, Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar and Motilal Nehru
d) None of the above
Ans: c
| Explanation: In December 1922, Chittaranjan Das, Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar and Motilal Nehru formed the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party with Das as the president and Nehru as one of the secretaries. It was inspired by the concept of Swaraj and sought for greater self-government and political freedom for the Indian people from the British Raj. The other group was the 'No-Changers', who had accepted Gandhi's decision to withdraw the movement. Now both the Swarajists and the No-Changers were engaged in a fierce political struggle, but on the advice of Gandhi, the two groups decided to remain in the Congress. |
Ques 10: Most of the nationalist leaders expressed their bewilderment at Gandhi's decision to withdraw the non cooperation movement. Match the following reactions :
1) Jawahar Lal Nehru called the withdrawal as nothing short of a National Calamity.
2) Gandhiji said “I would suffer every humiliation, every torture, absolute ostracism and death itself to prevent the movement from becoming violent”
a) Only 1
b) Only 2
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
| Explanation: “To sound the order of retreat lust when public enthusiasm was reaching the boiling point was nothing short of a national calamity.”-Subhas Chandra Bose. “I would suffer every humiliation, every torture, absolute ostracism and death itself to prevent the movement from becoming violent.”- M.K. Gandhi. The movement was called off just when the masses seemed to be taking the initiative was the Marxist Interpretation. The principal lieutenants of the Mahatma, Desnbandhu Das, Pandit Motilal Nehru and Lala Lajpat Rai, who were all in prison, shared the popular resentment. |
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