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 5 / 5
-
Q.201
Mahatma Gandhi regarded which leader as his political guru?
- A Dadabhai Naoroji
- B Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- C Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- D Pherozeshah Mehta
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gokhale, a Moderate leader and founder of the Servants of India Society (1905), advised Gandhi to spend his first year after returning from South Africa in 1915 travelling across India and observing conditions.
-
Q.202
Which British commander recaptured Jhansi and defeated Rani Lakshmibai, who died fighting near Gwalior in June 1858?
- A Colin Campbell
- B Sir Hugh Rose
- C John Nicholson
- D Henry Havelock
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Sir Hugh Rose
Hugh Rose led the Central India Field Force against Jhansi and Gwalior. Nicholson recaptured Delhi and Colin Campbell relieved Lucknow.
-
Q.203
The Bengali revolutionary weekly 'Yugantar', started in 1906, was brought out by
- A Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki
- B Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta
- C Surya Sen and Ambika Chakraborty
- D Sachindra Nath Sanyal and Jogesh Chatterjee
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta
Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Aurobindo's younger brother, and Bhupendranath Dutta, Swami Vivekananda's younger brother, ran Yugantar, which openly preached revolution; the Jugantar group of revolutionaries took its name from it.
-
Q.204
Vallabhbhai Patel received the title 'Sardar' from the women of which area, where he led a no-revenue campaign in 1928?
- A Kheda
- B Borsad
- C Champaran
- D Bardoli
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Bardoli
The Bardoli Satyagraha against a steep revenue enhancement forced an inquiry (the Maxwell-Broomfield inquiry) that scaled the increase down. Patel had earlier worked with Gandhi in the Kheda Satyagraha of 1918.
-
Q.205
Who was the last Governor-General of India and the only Indian to hold that office?
- A Lord Mountbatten
- B C. Rajagopalachari
- C Rajendra Prasad
- D Vallabhbhai Patel
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) C. Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari succeeded Mountbatten in June 1948 and held office until the Republic was inaugurated on 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad became the first President.
-
Q.206
The Swadeshi Movement was formally proclaimed, with the passing of the Boycott Resolution, on 7 August 1905 at a meeting held at
- A Town Hall, Calcutta
- B Barisal
- C Dacca
- D The Benares session of the Congress
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Town Hall, Calcutta
A mass meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall on 7 August 1905 passed the Boycott Resolution against British goods; National Handloom Day is observed on 7 August in its memory. The Benares session under Gokhale came later, in December 1905.
-
Q.207
Montagu's August Declaration of 20 August 1917 announced that the goal of British policy in India was
- A The progressive realisation of responsible government as an integral part of the British Empire
- B Complete independence soon after the First World War
- C Dominion status within ten years
- D A separate federation of the princely states
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) The progressive realisation of responsible government as an integral part of the British Empire
Edwin Montagu's statement in the House of Commons promised increasing association of Indians in administration and gradual responsible government; it led to the Government of India Act, 1919.
-
Q.208
The Khudai Khidmatgars, popularly called the 'Red Shirts', were organised in the North-West Frontier Province by
- A Hakim Ajmal Khan
- B Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- C Maulana Mohammad Ali
- D Muhammad Iqbal
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known as the 'Frontier Gandhi', built this non-violent movement among the Pathans; it was active in the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930.
-
Q.209
The Khilafat question lost its relevance in 1924 when the Caliphate itself was abolished by the Turkish government under
- A Sultan Mehmed VI
- B Enver Pasha
- C Mustafa Kemal Pasha
- D Reza Shah Pahlavi
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Mustafa Kemal Pasha
Turkey under Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) had abolished the Ottoman Sultanate in 1922 and abolished the Caliphate in March 1924. Mehmed VI was the last Ottoman Sultan.
-
Q.210
Where was Mahatma Gandhi on 15 August 1947, the day India became independent?
- A In the Constituent Assembly at New Delhi
- B At Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad
- C At Sevagram, Wardha
- D In Calcutta, working to restore communal peace
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) In Calcutta, working to restore communal peace
Gandhi stayed away from the celebrations in Delhi and spent the day in Calcutta in fasting and prayer amid communal violence. He had earlier toured riot-hit Noakhali in East Bengal.
-
Q.211
The Nehru Report (1928) was drafted by an All Parties Conference committee in answer to a challenge to Indians to produce an agreed constitution, thrown by Secretary of State
- A Edwin Montagu
- B Samuel Hoare
- C Lord Zetland
- D Lord Birkenhead
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Lord Birkenhead
Lord Birkenhead, Secretary of State for India (1924-28), doubted that Indians could agree on a constitution; the committee chaired by Motilal Nehru answered him. Edwin Montagu was Secretary of State at the time of the 1919 reforms.
-
Q.212
Which of the following statements about Tipu Sultan is correct?
- A He signed the Treaty of Madras (1769) with the English as ruler of Mysore
- B He was allied with the Marathas and the Nizam against the English in the Third Anglo-Mysore War
- C He ruled Mysore with Bangalore as his capital
- D He stopped the export of sandalwood, pepper and cardamom through the ports of his kingdom
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) He stopped the export of sandalwood, pepper and cardamom through the ports of his kingdom
In 1785 Tipu stopped the export of sandalwood, pepper and cardamom through his ports and barred local merchants from trading with the Company. The Treaty of Madras (1769) was made by his father Haidar Ali, and in the Third war the Marathas and the Nizam sided with the English.
-
Q.213
Consider the following statements about the Interim Government formed in 1946: 1. Jawaharlal Nehru was the President of the Viceroy's Executive Council. 2. After the Muslim League joined it in October 1946, Liaquat Ali Khan held the Finance portfolio. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A Only 1
- B Only 2
- C Both 1 and 2
- D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Only 2
Statement 1 is wrong: the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, remained President of the Council and Nehru was its Vice-President. Statement 2 is correct; Liaquat Ali Khan presented the budget of 1947 as Finance Member.
-
Q.214
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa served as a priest, and spent most of his adult life, at the Kali temple of
- A Kalighat
- B Belur
- C Dakshineswar
- D Tarapith
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Dakshineswar
The Dakshineswar Kali temple near Calcutta was built by Rani Rashmoni, and Ramakrishna served there from the 1850s. His original name was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay.
-
Q.215
After Gandhi's arrest in May 1930, who led the satyagrahis in the raid on the Dharasana salt works?
- A Kasturba Gandhi
- B Aruna Asaf Ali
- C Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
- D Sarojini Naidu
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Sarojini Naidu
The non-violent volunteers at Dharasana were beaten by the police, and the American journalist Webb Miller's report carried the scene worldwide. Abbas Tyabji, first chosen to lead the raid, had already been arrested.
-
Q.216
Under the Government of India Act, 1935, the residuary powers of legislation were vested in the
- A Federal Legislature
- B Provincial Legislatures
- C Federal Court
- D Governor-General
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Governor-General
The 1935 Act left residuary subjects to the Governor-General, who could empower either the Federal or a Provincial legislature to legislate on them. Under the Constitution of India, residuary powers lie with Parliament (Article 248).
-
Q.217
Who was the President of the Indian National Congress from the Ramgarh session of 1940 to 1946, a period that included the Cripps Mission, the Quit India Movement and the Simla Conference?
- A Jawaharlal Nehru
- B Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
- C Rajendra Prasad
- D Vallabhbhai Patel
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Azad presided over the Ramgarh session (1940) and remained president until 1946, when Jawaharlal Nehru succeeded him. Like other Working Committee members, he was held at Ahmednagar Fort after the Quit India resolution.
-
Q.218
When Punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie in 1849, the Sikh ruler who was deposed was
- A Maharaja Kharak Singh
- B Maharaja Sher Singh
- C Maharaja Duleep Singh
- D Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Maharaja Duleep Singh
Duleep Singh, the youngest son of Ranjit Singh, was a minor when Punjab was annexed after the Second Anglo-Sikh War; he was pensioned off and later taken to England. Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh and Sher Singh had ruled briefly after Ranjit Singh's death in 1839.
-
Q.219
Which of the following was NOT the name of a brigade (regiment) of the Indian National Army?
- A Gandhi Brigade
- B Nehru Brigade
- C Patel Brigade
- D Azad Brigade
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Patel Brigade
INA units were named the Gandhi, Nehru, Azad and Subhas brigades, besides the women's Rani of Jhansi Regiment. There was no brigade named after Patel.
-
Q.220
Which of the following battles was NOT fought during the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46)?
- A Mudki
- B Ferozeshah
- C Sobraon
- D Chillianwala
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Chillianwala
Mudki, Ferozeshah, Aliwal and Sobraon belong to the First Anglo-Sikh War. Chillianwala (January 1849) was fought in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, after which Punjab was annexed.
-
Q.221
Which of the following pairs (newspaper : founder) is NOT correctly matched?
- A Sambad Kaumudi : Rammohan Roy
- B Rast Goftar : Dadabhai Naoroji
- C Mirat-ul-Akhbar : Surendranath Banerjea
- D The Hindu : G. Subramania Iyer
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Mirat-ul-Akhbar : Surendranath Banerjea
Mirat-ul-Akhbar (1822), a Persian weekly, was started by Rammohan Roy, who had also begun the Bengali Sambad Kaumudi (1821). Naoroji started the Gujarati Rast Goftar (1851), and G. Subramania Iyer was among the founders of The Hindu (1878).
-
Q.222
India House in London, which became a centre for Indian revolutionaries abroad, was set up in 1905 by
- A V.D. Savarkar
- B Madame Bhikaji Cama
- C Shyamji Krishna Varma
- D Lala Har Dayal
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Shyamji Krishna Varma
Shyamji Krishna Varma also founded the Indian Home Rule Society and the journal 'The Indian Sociologist'. V.D. Savarkar later lived at India House and became prominent among its students.
-
Q.223
The Satyashodhak Samaj (1873), which worked for the rights of lower castes in Maharashtra, was founded by
- A Jyotiba Phule
- B B.R. Ambedkar
- C Gopal Ganesh Agarkar
- D Shahu Maharaj
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Jyotiba Phule
Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj at Poona and wrote 'Gulamgiri' (1873) attacking caste oppression. Ambedkar's organisations such as the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha came much later (1924).
-
Q.224
The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, founded in Kerala in 1903 with Sree Narayana Guru as its guiding spirit, worked mainly for the uplift of the
- A Ezhavas
- B Nairs
- C Namboodiris
- D Pulayas
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Ezhavas
Sree Narayana Guru, himself born an Ezhava, campaigned against caste discrimination with the message 'one caste, one religion, one God for man', and the SNDP Yogam carried this work forward. Ayyankali worked among the Pulayas.
-
Q.225
'Give me blood and I shall give you freedom' was the call given by
- A Bhagat Singh
- B Chandra Shekhar Azad
- C Subhas Chandra Bose
- D Lala Lajpat Rai
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Subhas Chandra Bose
Bose made this call to the INA in Burma in 1944; his other slogans were 'Dilli Chalo' and 'Jai Hind'. Gandhi's slogan of 1942 was 'Do or Die'.
-
Q.226
The Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms) introduced in the provinces
- A Provincial autonomy
- B A Federal Court
- C Dyarchy, dividing subjects into reserved and transferred
- D Separate electorates for the first time
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Dyarchy, dividing subjects into reserved and transferred
Under dyarchy, 'transferred' subjects were administered by ministers responsible to the legislature while 'reserved' subjects stayed with the Governor and his executive council. It followed Montagu's August Declaration of 1917.
-
Q.227
Which of the following statements about the Government of India Act, 1935 is NOT correct?
- A It provided for an All-India Federation of provinces and princely states
- B It introduced provincial autonomy and ended dyarchy in the provinces
- C It provided for a Federal Court
- D It introduced separate electorates for the first time
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) It introduced separate electorates for the first time
Separate electorates had been introduced in 1909 and the 1935 Act merely extended them. The Federation never came into being, but provincial autonomy was implemented after the 1937 elections.
-
Q.228
The Calcutta Madrasa (1781), set up to promote the study of Arabic, Persian and Islamic law, was founded by
- A Jonathan Duncan
- B Warren Hastings
- C Lord Wellesley
- D Lord Cornwallis
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781. Jonathan Duncan, the Resident at Benaras, set up the Sanskrit College there in 1791.
-
Q.229
Subhas Chandra Bose proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) on 21 October 1943 at
- A Tokyo
- B Rangoon
- C Berlin
- D Singapore
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Singapore
Bose headed the Provisional Government, which declared war on Britain and the USA and was recognised by Japan and its allies. Its headquarters later moved to Rangoon.
-
Q.230
Swami Vivekananda delivered his celebrated address at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893 at
- A Chicago
- B New York
- C London
- D Boston
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Chicago
Vivekananda (born Narendranath Datta) spoke at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in September 1893, opening with 'Sisters and Brothers of America'.
-
Q.231
The title of 'Raja' was conferred on Rammohan Roy by
- A Mughal emperor Shah Alam II
- B Mughal emperor Akbar II
- C Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II
- D Nawab Wajid Ali Shah
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Mughal emperor Akbar II
Akbar II gave Rammohan the title of Raja and sent him to England in 1830 to plead for a higher allowance for the emperor. Rammohan died at Bristol in 1833.
-
Q.232
The English Education Act of 1835, which made English the medium of higher education in India, followed the famous Minute written by
- A Charles Wood
- B James Mill
- C H.T. Prinsep
- D Thomas Babington Macaulay
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Thomas Babington Macaulay
Macaulay's Minute of February 1835 argued for English education, and Lord William Bentinck's government accepted it. H.T. Prinsep was among the Orientalists who opposed it.
-
Q.233
The bombs thrown in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929 by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were a protest against
- A The Rowlatt Bills
- B The Communal Award
- C The Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill
- D The Vernacular Press Act
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) The Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill
The bombs were meant to make a noise, not to kill; the two raised slogans, threw leaflets and offered themselves for arrest. The Rowlatt Bills belonged to 1919.
-
Q.234
Tantia Tope, one of the ablest military leaders of 1857, was betrayed and captured, and then hanged by the British in April 1859, at
- A Kalpi
- B Gwalior
- C Shivpuri
- D Bithur
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Shivpuri
After a long guerrilla campaign across central India, Tantia Tope was betrayed in the Paron forest and hanged at Shivpuri (Sipri) on 18 April 1859. Kalpi and Gwalior were earlier centres of his fighting alongside Rani Lakshmibai.
-
Q.235
Consider the following statements about Dadabhai Naoroji: 1. He organised the East India Association in London in 1866. 2. He was elected to the British House of Commons in 1892 as a Liberal from Central Finsbury. 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: (C) Both 1 and 2
Both are correct. The East India Association worked to place Indian grievances before the British public, and Naoroji's narrow win in Central Finsbury made him a member of the House of Commons from 1892 to 1895.
← Previous Page 5 / 5
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.