Pariksha SaathiGeneral Studies
Modern Indian History and Freedom Struggle: Practice Questions with Answers
235 practice questions on Modern Indian History and Freedom Struggle, with answers; most also have an explanation or a worked solution. Try each one before you open its answer.
Read the lesson on this topic →
← Previous Page 2 / 5 Next →
-
Q.51
Gandhi went to Champaran in 1917 on the persistent request of a local indigo cultivator named
- A Rajendra Prasad
- B J.B. Kripalani
- C Raj Kumar Shukla
- D Mahadev Desai
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Raj Kumar Shukla
Raj Kumar Shukla met Gandhi at the Lucknow Congress of 1916 and persuaded him to visit. Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kripalani and Mahadev Desai were among those who worked with Gandhi in Champaran.
-
Q.52
The Government of India Act, 1935 divided legislative powers between the Centre and the provinces through three lists. Which of the following was NOT one of them?
- A Federal List
- B Provincial List
- C Union List
- D Concurrent List
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Union List
The 1935 Act used the Federal, Provincial and Concurrent Lists. 'Union List' is the name used in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, along with the State and Concurrent Lists.
-
Q.53
Mir Qasim, who became Nawab of Bengal in 1760, shifted his capital from Murshidabad to
- A Patna
- B Dhaka
- C Munger (Monghyr)
- D Rajmahal
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Munger (Monghyr)
Mir Qasim moved his capital to Munger in Bihar to keep a safe distance from the Company at Calcutta, and built up his army and arsenal there. His conflict with the Company led to the Battle of Buxar (1764).
-
Q.54
In March 1940 Udham Singh shot dead in London the man who had been Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab at the time of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Who was he?
- A Michael O'Dwyer
- B Reginald Dyer
- C Lord Chelmsford
- D Sir William Curzon Wyllie
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Michael O'Dwyer
Udham Singh shot O'Dwyer at Caxton Hall on 13 March 1940 and was hanged that July. General Reginald Dyer, who ordered the firing, had died in 1927.
-
Q.55
Which of the following leaders attended all three Round Table Conferences held in London between 1930 and 1932?
- A Mahatma Gandhi
- B Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- C B.R. Ambedkar
- D Madan Mohan Malaviya
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) B.R. Ambedkar
Ambedkar represented the Depressed Classes at all three conferences (Tej Bahadur Sapru also attended all three). Gandhi attended only the second, as the sole representative of the Congress.
-
Q.56
Mahadev Govind Ranade is associated with which association founded in 1870?
- A Madras Mahajan Sabha
- B Bombay Presidency Association
- C British Indian Association
- D Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (1870), with which Ranade was closely associated, voiced public grievances in western India and published a quarterly journal. The Bombay Presidency Association (1885) was formed by Pherozeshah Mehta and K.T. Telang among others.
-
Q.57
The Muslim League observed 'Direct Action Day' on
- A 22 December 1939
- B 16 August 1946
- C 23 March 1940
- D 3 June 1947
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) 16 August 1946
Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946 led to the Great Calcutta Killings. 23 March 1940 is the date of the Lahore Resolution and 22 December 1939 the 'Day of Deliverance'.
-
Q.58
In the Congress presidential election of January 1939, Subhas Chandra Bose was re-elected after defeating Gandhi's candidate
- A Rajendra Prasad
- B Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
- C Pattabhi Sitaramayya
- D J.B. Kripalani
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Pattabhi Sitaramayya
Gandhi called Sitaramayya's defeat 'more mine than his'. Differences with the Gandhian leadership around the Tripuri session led Bose to resign in April 1939, and Rajendra Prasad took over as president.
-
Q.59
The immediate cause of the Revolt of 1857 was the introduction of cartridges, rumoured to be greased with cow and pig fat, for the new
- A Brown Bess musket
- B Snider rifle
- C Enfield rifle
- D Martini-Henry rifle
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Enfield rifle
The Enfield cartridge had to be bitten open before loading, which offended both Hindu and Muslim sepoys. The Snider and Martini-Henry rifles came into use only after 1857.
-
Q.60
During the Revolt of 1857, Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh proclaimed her young son as the Nawab of Awadh. He was
- A Wajid Ali Shah
- B Asaf-ud-Daulah
- C Birjis Qadr
- D Saadat Ali Khan
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Birjis Qadr
Birjis Qadr, son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal, was crowned at Lucknow in July 1857 while his father was in exile near Calcutta. Asaf-ud-Daulah and Saadat Ali Khan were earlier Nawabs.
-
Q.61
Arrange the following in chronological order: (A) Charter Act making the Governor-General of Bengal the Governor-General of India (B) Permanent Settlement of Bengal (C) Regulating Act (D) Founding of the College of Fort William
- A B, C, D, A
- B C, D, B, A
- C C, B, A, D
- D C, B, D, A
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) C, B, D, A
Regulating Act (1773), Permanent Settlement (1793), College of Fort William (1800) and the Charter Act (1833) give the order C, B, D, A.
-
Q.62
Sir Henry Lawrence, the British Chief Commissioner of Awadh, was killed in July 1857 during the siege of the Residency at
- A Kanpur
- B Lucknow
- C Delhi
- D Allahabad
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Lucknow
Lawrence was mortally wounded by a shell in the first days of the siege of the Lucknow Residency. The garrison held out until it was relieved, and Colin Campbell evacuated it in November 1857.
-
Q.63
In India the Wahabi movement was led by Syed Ahmad of Rae Bareli. Which city was its main centre?
- A Delhi
- B Patna
- C Lucknow
- D Dhaka
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Patna
Patna served as the organising centre of the Wahabi movement, which first fought the Sikh kingdom in the north-west and later turned against British rule. The British crushed it through a series of trials in the 1860s and 1870s.
-
Q.64
The split between the Moderates and the Extremists in the Congress took place at the session of 1907 held at
- A Calcutta
- B Nagpur
- C Surat
- D Lucknow
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Surat
The Surat session, presided over by Rash Behari Ghosh, broke up amid chaos and the Extremists were expelled. The two groups reunited at the Lucknow session of 1916.
-
Q.65
Who among the following was NOT a leader of the Extremist group in the Congress?
- A Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- B Lala Lajpat Rai
- C Bipin Chandra Pal
- D Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gokhale was the foremost Moderate leader and Gandhi's political guru. Tilak, Lajpat Rai and Pal (Lal-Bal-Pal) led the Extremists.
-
Q.66
Which of the following journals was NOT edited or published by Mahatma Gandhi?
- A Young India
- B Bande Mataram
- C Navajivan
- D Harijan
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Bande Mataram
Gandhi ran Young India (English) and Navajivan (Gujarati) from 1919 and started Harijan in 1933. The English daily Bande Mataram (1906) is associated with Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh.
-
Q.67
Which Charter Act ended the East India Company's monopoly of trade with India (except tea and the China trade) and set aside one lakh rupees a year for education?
- A Charter Act of 1793
- B Charter Act of 1833
- C Charter Act of 1853
- D Charter Act of 1813
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Charter Act of 1813
The Charter Act of 1813 opened Indian trade to all British merchants and made the first provision for education. The 1833 Act ended the Company's commercial functions altogether and the 1853 Act introduced open competition for the civil service.
-
Q.68
Under the Morley-Minto Reforms, who became the first Indian member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, as Law Member?
- A Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- B Tej Bahadur Sapru
- C Surendranath Banerjea
- D Satyendra Prasad Sinha
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Satyendra Prasad Sinha
S.P. Sinha was appointed Law Member in 1909, the first Indian on the Viceroy's Executive Council. Tej Bahadur Sapru held the Law Member's post later, in the early 1920s.
-
Q.69
Rani Lakshmibai's adopted son, whose right to succeed was rejected when Lord Dalhousie annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse, was
- A Gangadhar Rao
- B Ramchandra Rao
- C Narayan Rao
- D Damodar Rao
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Damodar Rao
Raja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi adopted Damodar Rao shortly before his death in 1853, but Dalhousie refused to recognise the adoption and annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse.
-
Q.70
The Cripps Mission of March 1942 was sent to India by the British government headed by Prime Minister
- A Clement Attlee
- B Winston Churchill
- C Neville Chamberlain
- D Ramsay MacDonald
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Winston Churchill
Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of Churchill's War Cabinet, was sent after Japan's advance in South-East Asia made Indian cooperation urgent. Attlee became Prime Minister only in July 1945.
-
Q.71
The Theosophical Society, founded in New York in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott, shifted its headquarters in 1882 to
- A Bombay
- B Calcutta
- C Benares
- D Adyar (Madras)
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Adyar (Madras)
The Society made Adyar near Madras its headquarters in 1882. Annie Besant, who joined it in 1889, became its president in 1907 and later founded the Central Hindu School at Benares.
-
Q.72
The English East India Company received its charter from Queen Elizabeth I in the year
- A 1600
- B 1612
- C 1664
- D 1588
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) 1600
The charter granting the Company a monopoly of eastern trade was issued on 31 December 1600. The French Company was set up in 1664, and 1588 is the year of the Spanish Armada.
-
Q.73
The slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad', popularised by Bhagat Singh, was originally coined by
- A Ram Prasad Bismil
- B Hasrat Mohani
- C Ashfaqulla Khan
- D Muhammad Iqbal
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Hasrat Mohani
The Urdu poet and Congress-Khilafat leader Hasrat Mohani coined 'Inquilab Zindabad' in 1921; Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt shouted it in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929.
-
Q.74
The call 'Go back to the Vedas' is associated with
- A Swami Vivekananda
- B Raja Rammohan Roy
- C Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- D Keshab Chandra Sen
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Dayananda Saraswati regarded the Vedas as infallible and rejected idol worship, caste by birth and child marriage; his ideas are set out in Satyarth Prakash. Vivekananda's message was spread through the Ramakrishna Mission.
-
Q.75
Which document of 1854 on education is often called the 'Magna Carta of English education in India'?
- A Macaulay's Minute
- B Sadler Commission Report
- C Indian Universities Act
- D Wood's Despatch
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Wood's Despatch
Charles Wood's Despatch of 1854 laid out a scheme from primary schools to universities, recommended vernacular primary education and grants-in-aid, and led to the founding of universities in 1857.
-
Q.76
The Quit India resolution was passed on 8 August 1942 at the All India Congress Committee session held at
- A Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay
- B Wardha
- C Calcutta
- D Allahabad
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay
Gandhi gave the call 'Do or Die' at Gowalia Tank (now August Kranti Maidan). The leaders were arrested the next morning and Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at the Maidan on 9 August.
-
Q.77
The Revolt of 1857 broke out among the sepoys at Meerut on
- A 29 March 1857
- B 1 November 1857
- C 10 May 1857
- D 23 June 1857
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 10 May 1857
The Meerut sepoys rose on 10 May 1857 and marched to Delhi to proclaim Bahadur Shah II. Mangal Pandey's attack at Barrackpore on 29 March 1857 was an earlier, isolated incident.
-
Q.78
'Jana Gana Mana', later adopted as India's national anthem, was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Congress session held at
- A Calcutta
- B Lucknow
- C Bombay
- D Lahore
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Calcutta
The song by Rabindranath Tagore was first sung at the Calcutta session of 1911. The Constituent Assembly adopted it as the national anthem on 24 January 1950.
-
Q.79
The Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, started at Tuticorin in 1906 to challenge British shipping, was founded by
- A Subramania Bharati
- B V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
- C C. Rajagopalachari
- D V.S. Srinivasa Sastri
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, remembered as 'Kappalottiya Tamizhan' (the Tamil helmsman), ran ships between Tuticorin and Colombo and was jailed for sedition in 1908. Subramania Bharati was his associate in the Swadeshi cause.
-
Q.80
The College of Fort William at Calcutta (1800), set up to train the Company's young civil servants, was founded by
- A Lord Cornwallis
- B Warren Hastings
- C Lord Minto I
- D Lord Wellesley
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Lord Wellesley
Lord Wellesley founded the College of Fort William in 1800 to train civil servants in Indian languages and laws; it also became a centre of prose writing in Indian languages such as Hindustani and Bengali.
-
Q.81
Who was chosen by Gandhi as the first satyagrahi of the Individual Satyagraha launched in October 1940?
- A Vinoba Bhave
- B Jawaharlal Nehru
- C Brahma Datt
- D Vallabhbhai Patel
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Vinoba Bhave
Vinoba Bhave began the Individual Satyagraha on 17 October 1940, followed by Jawaharlal Nehru and then Brahma Datt. It asserted the right to speak against India's participation in the war.
-
Q.82
Jatindranath Mukherjee ('Bagha Jatin'), a leader of the Jugantar group, died in September 1915 after a gunfight with police near
- A Balasore
- B Chittagong
- C Muzaffarpur
- D Midnapore
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Balasore
Bagha Jatin and his companions were awaiting German arms during the First World War when they were cornered near Balasore in Odisha. Muzaffarpur is linked with Khudiram Bose's attack of 1908.
-
Q.83
Consider the following statements about the early nationalists (Moderates) in the Congress: 1. They relied on constitutional methods such as petitions, resolutions and memorials. 2. They demanded complete independence from British rule. Which of these is/are correct?
- A Only 1
- B Only 2
- C Both 1 and 2
- D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Only 1
Statement 1 is correct: the Moderates trusted British justice and worked through constitutional agitation. Statement 2 is wrong: they sought reforms and a larger share for Indians in government; complete independence became the Congress goal only in 1929.
-
Q.84
In the Alipore Bomb Case (1908-09), Aurobindo Ghosh was successfully defended by
- A Motilal Nehru
- B Bhulabhai Desai
- C Tej Bahadur Sapru
- D Chittaranjan Das
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Chittaranjan Das
C.R. Das's defence won Aurobindo's acquittal in 1909, after which Aurobindo withdrew from politics and settled in Pondicherry (1910). His brother Barindra Kumar Ghosh was among those convicted.
-
Q.85
Which of the following statements about the Santhal Rebellion of 1855-56 is correct?
- A It was led by Birsa Munda in the Chotanagpur region
- B It was a revolt of indigo cultivators in Bengal
- C It was led by Sidhu and Kanhu against zamindars, moneylenders and British officials in the Rajmahal hills region
- D It was directed against moneylenders in the Deccan
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) It was led by Sidhu and Kanhu against zamindars, moneylenders and British officials in the Rajmahal hills region
The Santhals under the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu rose in the Rajmahal hills (Damin-i-Koh) against exploitation by outsiders (dikus) and the colonial administration. Birsa Munda led the Munda Ulgulan of 1899-1900.
-
Q.86
The Paika Rebellion of 1817 in Odisha was led by
- A Veer Surendra Sai
- B Gomdhar Konwar
- C Buddho Bhagat
- D Bakshi Jagabandhu
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Bakshi Jagabandhu
Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, military commander of the Raja of Khurda, led the Paikas (traditional militia) against the Company in 1817. Veer Surendra Sai of Sambalpur resisted the British later, around 1857.
-
Q.87
Pitt's India Act of 1784 is chiefly remembered for
- A Establishing a Board of Control to supervise the Company's political affairs
- B Ending the Company's monopoly of trade with India
- C Creating the post of Governor-General of India
- D Introducing open competition for the civil services
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Establishing a Board of Control to supervise the Company's political affairs
Pitt's India Act created a system of 'dual control': the Court of Directors managed commerce while a Board of Control appointed by the Crown supervised political and military matters. The trade monopoly ended under the Charter Act of 1813.
-
Q.88
The Komagata Maru, a ship chartered by Baba Gurdit Singh to carry Indian emigrants, was refused permission to land its passengers in 1914 at
- A San Francisco (USA)
- B Singapore
- C Durban (South Africa)
- D Vancouver (Canada)
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Vancouver (Canada)
Canadian immigration rules kept most passengers on board at Vancouver; on its return, a clash with police at Budge Budge near Calcutta in September 1914 left several passengers dead. The episode inflamed the Ghadar movement.
-
Q.89
The slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' is attributed to
- A Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- B Lala Lajpat Rai
- C Bipin Chandra Pal
- D Aurobindo Ghosh
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Tilak raised this slogan during the Home Rule agitation; he was called 'Lokmanya' and described by Valentine Chirol as the 'father of Indian unrest'.
-
Q.90
The INA officers Shah Nawaz Khan, P.K. Sahgal and G.S. Dhillon were tried in November 1945 at
- A Lahore Fort
- B Cellular Jail, Port Blair
- C Red Fort, Delhi
- D Fort William, Calcutta
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Red Fort, Delhi
The Red Fort trials provoked nationwide protests; the defence included Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru and Jawaharlal Nehru. The sentences were later remitted.
-
Q.91
The Permanent Settlement of 1793, which recognised zamindars as owners of land in return for a fixed revenue, was introduced by
- A Warren Hastings
- B Lord Cornwallis
- C Lord Wellesley
- D Lord William Bentinck
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Lord Cornwallis
Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa with the help of John Shore. The Ryotwari system (Thomas Munro) and the Mahalwari system (Holt Mackenzie) were introduced later in other regions.
-
Q.92
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged in Lahore jail on
- A 8 April 1929
- B 13 April 1931
- C 23 March 1931
- D 27 February 1931
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 23 March 1931
They were executed on 23 March 1931 in the Lahore Conspiracy Case for the killing of Saunders. 8 April 1929 is the date of the Assembly bomb, and Chandra Shekhar Azad died at Alfred Park, Allahabad, on 27 February 1931.
-
Q.93
In which battle of 1759 did the English defeat the Dutch in Bengal, ending Dutch hopes of power there?
- A Battle of Colachel
- B Battle of Ambur
- C Battle of Bedara
- D Battle of Wandiwash
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Battle of Bedara
At Bedara, near Chinsurah, the English under Colonel Francis Forde defeated a Dutch force sent from Batavia in November 1759. Colachel (1741) was a Dutch defeat by Travancore, and Wandiwash (1760) was fought against the French.
-
Q.94
The Servants of India Society, founded at Poona in 1905 to train national missionaries for the service of India, was established by
- A Mahadev Govind Ranade
- B Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- C Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- D Pherozeshah Mehta
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gokhale founded the Society in June 1905; its members took vows of simple living and lifelong public service. Gokhale regarded Ranade as his political guru, and Gandhi in turn looked upon Gokhale as his.
-
Q.95
The Communal Award of August 1932, which gave separate electorates to the Depressed Classes, was announced by British Prime Minister
- A Stanley Baldwin
- B Winston Churchill
- C Ramsay MacDonald
- D Neville Chamberlain
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald announced the Award after the Round Table Conferences failed to settle the minorities question. Gandhi's fast against it in Yerwada jail led to the Poona Pact.
-
Q.96
The Faraizi movement among the peasants of eastern Bengal was founded by
- A Haji Shariatullah
- B Titu Mir
- C Syed Ahmad of Rae Bareli
- D Karam Shah
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Haji Shariatullah
Haji Shariatullah began the Faraizi movement in the early nineteenth century as a religious reform movement; under his son Dudu Miyan it took up the cause of tenants against zamindars and indigo planters. Titu Mir led a Wahabi-inspired rising near Barasat in 1831.
-
Q.97
The Khilafat Movement (1919-20), launched to protect the position of the Ottoman Caliph, was led by
- A Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Shibli Nomani
- B Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (the Ali brothers)
- C Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan
- D Aga Khan and Nawab Salimullah
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (the Ali brothers)
The Ali brothers, with Maulana Azad and Hakim Ajmal Khan, led the Khilafat Committee; Gandhi linked it with the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. Sir Syed had died in 1898.
-
Q.98
Veerapandya Kattabomman, a palayakkarar (poligar) of the Tamil country who was hanged by the Company in 1799, ruled
- A Panchalankurichi
- B Sivaganga
- C Ramanathapuram
- D Pudukkottai
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Panchalankurichi
Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi (in present Thoothukudi district) refused to pay tribute to the Company and was captured and hanged at Kayathar in 1799. Sivaganga was the centre of the Marudu brothers' revolt (1801).
-
Q.99
Arrange the following in chronological order: (A) Poona Pact (B) Gandhi-Irwin Pact (C) Arrival of the Simon Commission in India (D) Lahore Resolution of the Muslim League
- A C, B, A, D
- B B, C, A, D
- C C, A, B, D
- D C, B, D, A
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) C, B, A, D
Arrival of the Simon Commission (February 1928), Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931), Poona Pact (September 1932), Lahore Resolution (March 1940).
-
Q.100
The Urdu weekly 'Al-Hilal' (1912) was published by
- A Mohammad Ali Jauhar
- B Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
- C Hasrat Mohani
- D Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Azad started Al-Hilal in 1912 and, after it was banned, Al-Balagh in 1915. Mohammad Ali published 'Comrade' (English) and 'Hamdard' (Urdu).
← Previous Page 2 / 5 Next →
How these questions were made
Authored by an AI assistant (Claude) from its own general knowledge of stable, well-established facts (no live lookup) - not reviewed by a subject-matter expert; verify against an official source before relying on any fact.