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.
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Q.151
The defence of the INA officers in the Red Fort trials of 1945-46 was led by the lawyer
- A B.R. Ambedkar
- B Bhulabhai Desai
- C Rajendra Prasad
- D Vallabhbhai Patel
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Bhulabhai Desai
Bhulabhai Desai led a defence team that included Jawaharlal Nehru, Tej Bahadur Sapru and Asaf Ali. The trials set off protests across the country.
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Q.152
Which two new provinces were created in 1936 under the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1935?
- A Sind and Orissa
- B Assam and North-West Frontier Province
- C Orissa and Assam
- D North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Sind and Orissa
On 1 April 1936 Orissa was separated from the province of Bihar and Orissa, and Sind from the Bombay Presidency. Burma was separated from British India in 1937.
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Q.153
During the Quit India Movement, parallel governments were set up in some areas. Which of the following was NOT one of them?
- A Ballia (United Provinces)
- B Tamluk (Midnapore, Bengal)
- C Satara (Bombay Presidency)
- D Champaran (Bihar)
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Champaran (Bihar)
Chittu Pandey headed a short-lived parallel government at Ballia in August 1942, the Jatiya Sarkar functioned at Tamluk and the Prati Sarkar at Satara. Champaran is linked with Gandhi's satyagraha of 1917.
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Q.154
The campaign to suppress the Thugs during Lord William Bentinck's time was led by the officer
- A Charles Metcalfe
- B Thomas Munro
- C John Malcolm
- D William Sleeman
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) William Sleeman
William Henry Sleeman organised the campaign against Thuggee from the 1830s, using captured Thugs who turned approvers to break up the gangs; a Thuggee and Dacoity Department was later formed.
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Q.155
In the Morley-Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act, 1909), John Morley held the office of
- A Viceroy of India
- B British Prime Minister
- C Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal
- D Secretary of State for India
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Secretary of State for India
Morley was Secretary of State for India in London while Lord Minto II was Viceroy; the reforms enlarged the legislative councils and introduced separate electorates for Muslims.
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Q.156
During the Civil Disobedience Movement, the salt march to Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu was led by
- A Sarojini Naidu
- B K. Kelappan
- C Abbas Tyabji
- D C. Rajagopalachari
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) C. Rajagopalachari
Rajagopalachari marched from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam. Sarojini Naidu led the raid on the Dharasana salt works, and K. Kelappan led the march in Malabar.
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Q.157
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar, ordered by General Dyer, took place on
- A 10 May 1919
- B 26 January 1919
- C 13 April 1919
- D 23 March 1919
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 13 April 1919
On Baisakhi day, 13 April 1919, Dyer's troops fired on an unarmed crowd protesting the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal. Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest, and the Hunter Commission later inquired into the firing.
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Q.158
Which of the following pairs (Governor-General : event) is correctly matched?
- A Lord Amherst : Annexation of Sindh
- B Lord Ellenborough : First Anglo-Burmese War
- C Lord Hastings : Treaty of Amritsar (1809)
- D Lord Auckland : First Anglo-Afghan War
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Lord Auckland : First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42) was launched under Lord Auckland. Sindh was annexed (1843) under Ellenborough, the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26) was fought under Amherst, and the Treaty of Amritsar was signed under Minto I.
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Q.159
The Chittagong Armoury Raid of April 1930 was led by
- A Jatin Das
- B Bhagat Singh
- C Chandra Shekhar Azad
- D Surya Sen
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Surya Sen
Surya Sen ('Masterda') and his Indian Republican Army seized the armouries at Chittagong; Pritilata Waddedar and Kalpana Datta were among his associates. He was hanged in January 1934.
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Q.160
The impeachment of Warren Hastings in the British Parliament (trial 1788-1795) was led by
- A Edmund Burke
- B William Pitt the Younger
- C Lord North
- D Lord Cornwallis
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke led the impeachment, charging Hastings with corruption and oppression in India. The long trial ended with Hastings' acquittal in 1795.
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Q.161
Which of the following was introduced at the Centre for the first time by the Government of India Act, 1919?
- A Dyarchy at the Centre
- B A Federal Court
- C A bicameral legislature (Council of State and Legislative Assembly)
- D Separate electorates for Muslims
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) A bicameral legislature (Council of State and Legislative Assembly)
The 1919 Act created two houses at the Centre, with members elected directly on a limited, property-based franchise alongside nominated ones. Dyarchy at the Centre and the Federal Court came with the 1935 Act; separate electorates came in 1909.
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Q.162
After the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-18), Peshwa Baji Rao II was pensioned off and sent to live at
- A Satara
- B Bithur, near Kanpur
- C Pune
- D Gwalior
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Bithur, near Kanpur
The Peshwaship was abolished and Baji Rao II was settled at Bithur near Kanpur on a pension. The Company created a small kingdom of Satara for Pratap Singh, a descendant of Shivaji.
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Q.163
At whose initiative was the Indian National Congress founded in 1885?
- A William Wedderburn
- B George Yule
- C Henry Cotton
- D A.O. Hume
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Correct answer: (D) A.O. Hume
Allan Octavian Hume, a retired ICS officer, brought together educated Indians from different provinces to form the Congress. Wedderburn, Yule and Cotton later served as Congress presidents.
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Q.164
The Prarthana Samaj was founded in Bombay in 1867 by
- A Dadoba Pandurang
- B Atmaram Pandurang
- C Gopal Hari Deshmukh
- D Jyotiba Phule
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Atmaram Pandurang
Inspired by Keshab Chandra Sen's visit to Bombay, Dr Atmaram Pandurang founded the Prarthana Samaj; M.G. Ranade and R.G. Bhandarkar joined it later. His brother Dadoba Pandurang had earlier been one of the founders of the Paramahansa Mandali (1849).
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Q.165
The Battle of Wandiwash (1760), in which Sir Eyre Coote defeated the French under Count de Lally, was fought during the
- A First Carnatic War
- B Second Carnatic War
- C Third Carnatic War
- D Battle of Buxar campaign
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Third Carnatic War
Wandiwash was the decisive battle of the Third Carnatic War (1758-63), which ended French political ambitions in India; the war was closed by the Treaty of Paris, 1763. The First Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748).
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Q.166
Muhammad Ali Jinnah put forward his 'Fourteen Points' in March 1929 mainly as a response to
- A The Communal Award
- B The Cripps proposals
- C The Government of India Act, 1935
- D The Nehru Report
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) The Nehru Report
The Muslim League rejected the Nehru Report's plan of joint electorates with reserved seats; Jinnah's Fourteen Points set out the League's minimum demands, including separate electorates.
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Q.167
The first session of the Indian National Congress (December 1885) was held at Bombay and presided over by
- A Dadabhai Naoroji
- B A.O. Hume
- C Badruddin Tyabji
- D W.C. Bonnerjee
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) W.C. Bonnerjee
W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the first session at the Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay, attended by 72 delegates. A.O. Hume was the founder and general secretary but never president.
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Q.168
The 'August Offer' of 1940, which promised an expanded Executive Council and a post-war body of Indians to frame a constitution, was made by Viceroy
- A Lord Wavell
- B Lord Irwin
- C Lord Willingdon
- D Lord Linlithgow
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Lord Linlithgow
Lord Linlithgow (Viceroy 1936-43) made the offer to win Indian support for the war; the Congress rejected it, and the Individual Satyagraha followed.
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Q.169
The Brahmo Samaj was founded at Calcutta in 1828 by
- A Debendranath Tagore
- B Raja Rammohan Roy
- C Keshab Chandra Sen
- D Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Raja Rammohan Roy
Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj (earlier called Brahmo Sabha) to promote monotheism and social reform. Debendranath Tagore joined and reorganised it in 1843, and Keshab Chandra Sen's group split away in 1866.
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Q.170
Consider the following statements about Lord Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance: 1. The Indian ruler had to accept a British force in his territory and pay for its maintenance. 2. The Indian ruler remained free to employ other Europeans in his service without the Company's approval. 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 ruler paid for a British force stationed in his state, often by ceding territory. Statement 2 is wrong: he had to expel other Europeans, could employ none without British approval, and had to accept a British Resident.
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Q.171
The 'Ulgulan' (Great Tumult) of 1899-1900 among the Mundas of Chotanagpur was led by
- A Sidhu Murmu
- B Birsa Munda
- C Tilka Manjhi
- D Alluri Sitarama Raju
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Birsa Munda
Birsa Munda led the Mundas against landlords and missionaries and died in Ranchi jail in 1900; the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908 followed. Alluri Sitarama Raju led the Rampa rebellion in Andhra in the 1920s.
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Q.172
Who was the President of the Indian National Congress when India became independent on 15 August 1947?
- A J.B. Kripalani
- B Jawaharlal Nehru
- C Rajendra Prasad
- D Pattabhi Sitaramayya
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) J.B. Kripalani
Acharya J.B. Kripalani became Congress president at the Meerut session of November 1946 and held the post at independence. Pattabhi Sitaramayya presided over the Jaipur session of 1948.
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Q.173
The Simon Commission (1927-28) was boycotted by all major Indian parties mainly because
- A It recommended the creation of Pakistan
- B It proposed dyarchy at the centre
- C It was headed by Lord Irwin
- D It had no Indian member
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) It had no Indian member
All seven members of the Commission were British members of Parliament. During the protest at Lahore in October 1928 Lala Lajpat Rai was injured in a lathi charge and died the next month.
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Q.174
By the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), the East India Company obtained the Diwani (revenue collection rights) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa from
- A Shuja-ud-Daulah
- B Shah Alam II
- C Mir Jafar
- D The Nizam of Hyderabad
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Correct answer: (B) Shah Alam II
Mughal emperor Shah Alam II granted the Diwani to the Company in return for Allahabad, Kara and an annual payment of 26 lakh rupees. Shuja-ud-Daulah signed a separate treaty paying 50 lakh rupees as war indemnity.
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Q.175
The Delhi Durbar of 1 January 1877, at which Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India (Kaisar-i-Hind), was held during the viceroyalty of
- A Lord Lytton
- B Lord Mayo
- C Lord Northbrook
- D Lord Ripon
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Lord Lytton
Lord Lytton held the grand Durbar after the Royal Titles Act of 1876, at a time when famine was affecting large parts of southern and western India. Ripon succeeded him in 1880.
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Q.176
Which of the following was NOT a provision of the Indian Independence Act, 1947?
- A Creation of two independent dominions, India and Pakistan
- B Direct election of a new Constituent Assembly by adult franchise
- C Lapse of British paramountcy over the princely states
- D Abolition of the office of the Secretary of State for India
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Direct election of a new Constituent Assembly by adult franchise
The Act empowered the existing, indirectly elected Constituent Assemblies to frame constitutions and act as legislatures; it ordered no fresh direct election. It received royal assent on 18 July 1947.
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Q.177
Mahatma Gandhi presided over only one session of the Indian National Congress. It was held in 1924 at
- A Kanpur
- B Gaya
- C Kakinada
- D Belgaum
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Belgaum
Gandhi presided over the Belgaum session of December 1924. The Gaya session (1922) was presided over by C.R. Das and the Kakinada session (1923) by Maulana Mohammad Ali.
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Q.178
The Simla Conference of June-July 1945, called to reconstitute the Viceroy's Executive Council with Indian members, was convened by Viceroy
- A Lord Wavell
- B Lord Linlithgow
- C Lord Mountbatten
- D Lord Willingdon
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Lord Wavell
Lord Wavell's conference broke down when Jinnah insisted that the Muslim League alone should nominate all the Muslim members of the Council.
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Q.179
Gandhi started the Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram on 12 March 1930 and broke the salt law at Dandi on
- A 26 January 1930
- B 12 April 1930
- C 6 April 1930
- D 5 March 1930
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 6 April 1930
With 78 volunteers Gandhi walked about 385 km in 24 days and picked up salt at Dandi on 6 April 1930, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.
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Q.180
The Darul Uloom at Deoband (1866) was founded by Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi together with
- A Rashid Ahmad Gangohi
- B Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
- C Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
- D Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Rashid Ahmad Gangohi
Nanautawi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi set up the Deoband seminary to revive classical Islamic learning; unlike the Aligarh movement of Sir Syed, Deoband scholars later supported the Congress. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya movement.
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Q.181
Kunwar Singh, the elderly leader of the Revolt in the Arrah region of Bihar, was the zamindar of
- A Bettiah
- B Darbhanga
- C Jagdishpur
- D Hathwa
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Jagdishpur
Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur, nearly eighty years old in 1857, led the sepoys from Danapur and fought across Bihar and central India before returning to Jagdishpur, where he died in April 1858.
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Q.182
'Gulamgiri' (1873), a sharp critique of caste oppression, was written by
- A Gopal Hari Deshmukh
- B Sree Narayana Guru
- C Jyotiba Phule
- D Pandita Ramabai
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Jyotiba Phule
Jyotiba Phule wrote Gulamgiri (Slavery) in 1873, the year he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. With his wife Savitribai he had opened a school for girls in Pune in 1848.
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Q.183
Which acting Governor-General repealed John Adam's press Licensing Regulations of 1823 through the Press Act of 1835 and came to be called the 'liberator of the Indian press'?
- A Lord William Bentinck
- B Charles Metcalfe
- C Lord Auckland
- D Lord Amherst
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Charles Metcalfe
Sir Charles Metcalfe, acting Governor-General in 1835-36, freed the press from licensing; printers and publishers now had only to declare their premises. John Adam had imposed the licensing rules in 1823.
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Q.184
The Treaty of Salbai (1782) ended the
- A First Anglo-Sikh War
- B First Anglo-Maratha War
- C Second Anglo-Maratha War
- D Third Anglo-Maratha War
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) First Anglo-Maratha War
The Treaty of Salbai, signed during Warren Hastings's tenure, closed the First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82) and gave the Company about twenty years of peace with the Marathas.
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Q.185
Who presided over the 1887 Madras session and became the first Muslim president of the Indian National Congress?
- A Badruddin Tyabji
- B Rahimtulla M. Sayani
- C Syed Ameer Ali
- D Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Badruddin Tyabji
Badruddin Tyabji, a Bombay lawyer, presided in 1887. Rahimtulla Sayani presided in 1896 and Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur in 1913.
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Q.186
After the Battle of Plassey (1757), whom did the English place on the throne of Bengal as Nawab?
- A Mir Qasim
- B Najm-ud-Daulah
- C Mir Jafar
- D Alivardi Khan
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Mir Jafar
Mir Jafar, the commander who had secretly joined the English before Plassey, was made Nawab. He was replaced in 1760 by his son-in-law Mir Qasim; Alivardi Khan was Siraj-ud-Daulah's grandfather and predecessor.
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Q.187
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was formed in September 1928 at a meeting held at
- A Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
- B Kanpur
- C Lahore
- D Allahabad
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
At Feroz Shah Kotla the HRA was reorganised as the HSRA with Chandra Shekhar Azad as commander-in-chief and Bhagat Singh among its leaders. The original HRA had been founded at Kanpur in 1924.
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Q.188
The Congress adopted its resolution on Fundamental Rights and the National Economic Programme at the 1931 session, presided over by Vallabhbhai Patel, held at
- A Lahore
- B Karachi
- C Haripura
- D Lucknow
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Karachi
The Karachi session of March 1931 also endorsed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. The Haripura session (1938) was presided over by Subhas Chandra Bose.
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Q.189
Which woman revolutionary of Surya Sen's group died while leading the attack on the Pahartali European Club in Chittagong in September 1932?
- A Pritilata Waddedar
- B Kalpana Dutt
- C Bina Das
- D Matangini Hazra
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar took cyanide to avoid capture after the raid. Bina Das fired at the Governor of Bengal, Stanley Jackson, at a Calcutta University convocation in 1932.
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Q.190
The Indian Councils Act of 1892 allowed members of the legislative councils to
- A Vote on the budget and reject it
- B Be elected directly by voters on a property franchise
- C Discuss the budget and ask questions, but not vote on the budget
- D Form ministries responsible to the provincial councils
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Discuss the budget and ask questions, but not vote on the budget
The 1892 Act, passed under Lord Lansdowne, enlarged the councils, allowed discussion of the budget and questions on public matters without a vote, and added an indirect, nomination-based element of election. Direct election came much later.
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Q.191
The Indian Councils Act of 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms) is chiefly remembered for
- A Introducing dyarchy in the provinces
- B Introducing separate electorates for Muslims
- C Granting provincial autonomy
- D Creating a bicameral central legislature
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Introducing separate electorates for Muslims
The 1909 Act introduced communal (separate) electorates for Muslims, for which Minto is called the 'father of communal electorates'. Dyarchy came in 1919 and provincial autonomy in 1935.
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Q.192
The Treaty of Mangalore (1784) brought to an end the
- A First Anglo-Mysore War
- B Third Anglo-Mysore War
- C Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
- D Second Anglo-Mysore War
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Second Anglo-Mysore War
Tipu Sultan signed the Treaty of Mangalore with the English in 1784 after Haidar Ali's death during the Second Anglo-Mysore War. The first war ended with the Treaty of Madras (1769) and the third with the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792).
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Q.193
In which year did Vasco da Gama land at Calicut, opening the direct sea route from Europe to India?
- A 1498
- B 1492
- C 1510
- D 1453
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) 1498
Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on the Malabar coast in May 1498 and was received by the Zamorin. 1492 is the year of Columbus's voyage and 1510 the year Albuquerque captured Goa.
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Q.194
The Landholders' Society (1838) of Calcutta, one of the earliest political associations of modern India, was founded by zamindars including
- A Rammohan Roy
- B Dwarkanath Tagore
- C Surendranath Banerjea
- D Dadabhai Naoroji
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Dwarkanath Tagore
Dwarkanath Tagore, Prasanna Kumar Tagore and Radhakanta Deb formed the Landholders' Society to protect the interests of zamindars. In 1851 it merged with the Bengal British India Society to form the British Indian Association.
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Q.195
Madame Bhikaji Cama unfurled a flag of Indian independence in August 1907 at the International Socialist Congress held at
- A Stuttgart
- B Paris
- C Berlin
- D Geneva
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Stuttgart
At Stuttgart in Germany, Cama raised one of the early tricolour designs of the freedom movement. She was based in Paris for most of her years in exile.
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Q.196
'Vande Mataram' was sung at a session of the Indian National Congress for the first time in 1896, at Calcutta, by
- A Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
- B Rabindranath Tagore
- C Sarojini Naidu
- D Aurobindo Ghosh
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore set the song to music and sang it at the 1896 Calcutta session. Its author, Bankim Chandra, had died in 1894.
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Q.197
The first Indian ruler to accept Lord Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance (1798) was the
- A Nizam of Hyderabad
- B Nawab of Awadh
- C Peshwa Baji Rao II
- D Raja of Mysore
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Nizam of Hyderabad
The Nizam of Hyderabad signed the first Subsidiary Alliance in 1798. Awadh accepted it in 1801 and Peshwa Baji Rao II by the Treaty of Bassein in 1802.
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Q.198
The Partition of Bengal, which came into effect on 16 October 1905 under Lord Curzon, was annulled in 1911 during the viceroyalty of
- A Lord Minto II
- B Lord Chelmsford
- C Lord Curzon
- D Lord Hardinge II
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Lord Hardinge II
The annulment was announced at the Delhi Durbar of December 1911 attended by King George V, when the capital was also shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. Lord Hardinge II was Viceroy at the time.
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Q.199
Arrange the following in chronological order: (A) Cripps Mission (B) August Offer (C) Quit India Resolution (D) Simla Conference
- A A, B, C, D
- B B, A, C, D
- C B, C, A, D
- D A, C, B, D
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) B, A, C, D
August Offer (August 1940), Cripps Mission (March 1942), Quit India Resolution (August 1942), Simla Conference (June-July 1945).
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Q.200
The Treaty of Lahore (1846) was signed at the close of the
- A Second Anglo-Sikh War
- B Anglo-Nepal War
- C First Anglo-Burmese War
- D First Anglo-Sikh War
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46), fought under Lord Hardinge I, ended with the Treaty of Lahore. After the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) Dalhousie annexed Punjab outright. The Anglo-Nepal War ended with the Treaty of Sugauli (1816).
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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.