National movement (1885 - 1919) MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for National movement (1885 - 1919) - Download Free PDF

Key Points

• Raja Ravi Varma was a renowned Indian painter and artist, considered one of the greatest in the history of Indian art.
• He was born as Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran in the Kilimanoor palace, located in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (modern-day Kerala).
• Famous for his works:
  • His paintings mainly revolve around ancient mythological stories from Hindu mythology, particularly the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
  • He also created numerous portraits of both Indians and British individuals during the British colonial period.
  • Notable works include Damayanti Talking to a Swan, Shakuntala Looking for Dushyanta, Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair, and Shantanu and Matsyagandha.
• Artistic Contributions:
  • Before his work, Indian art was significantly influenced by Persian and Mughal schools of painting.
  • Varma was the first Indian artist to incorporate Western techniques of perspective and composition into his work, while adapting them to Indian themes and styles.
  • He is credited with fusing European academic art with a distinctive Indian sensibility and iconography.
  • Oil paints were widely used by Varma, making him one of the pioneers in India to adopt and master the medium.
  • He also perfected the technique of lithographic reproduction of his paintings, making them more accessible to the public.
  • He was instrumental in making affordable lithographs of his works, which significantly increased his influence and reach.
  • His paintings often depicted mythological characters and Indian royalty in a realistic style, breaking away from traditional artistic conventions.
• Recognitions:
  • Varma gained widespread recognition after his exhibition at Vienna in 1873, where he won an award for his paintings.
  • His paintings were showcased at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, earning him two gold medals.
  • In 1904, Viceroy Lord Curzon awarded him the prestigious Kaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal on behalf of the King Emperor, marking the first time he was referred to as Raja Ravi Varma.

The correct answer is Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Important Points

• The Lucknow Pact was an agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at a joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916.
• The Lucknow Pact of 1916 is signed between Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• As a result of this agreement, The Muslim League leaders agreed to join the Congress movement demanding Indian independence.
• The Lucknow Pact was seen as a beacon of hope to Hindu–Muslim unity.
• Some common demands presented by both parties to the British are:
  1. The number of elected seats on the councils should be increased.
  2. Minorities in the provinces should be protected.
  3. All provinces should be granted autonomy.
  4. Separating the executive from the judiciary.

The correct answer is (i) - (c), (ii) - (b), (iii) - (a), (iv) - (d).

Key Points

• Hence, option (3) (i) - (c), (ii) - (b), (iii) - (a), (iv) - (d) is the correct sequence.

Additional Information

• Brahmo Samaj
  • Brahmo Samaj was a reformist movement within Hinduism. 
  • It was started at Calcutta in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Debendranath Tagore.​
  • Eradicate practices like the ‘Sati’ and caste system.
• Prarthana Samaj​
  • Prarthana Samaj was founded in 1867 by Dadoba Pandurang and his brother Atmaram Pandurang.​
  • The motive behind it was to make people believe in one God and worship only one God.
  • It became popular after Mahadev Govind Ranade joined. 
• Arya Samaj
  • ​The Arya Samaj is a reform movement.
  • Established in Bombay in 1875 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati.
• Ramkrishna Mission​
  • Named after and inspired by the Indian spiritual Guru Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. 
  • Founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897.

The correct answer is Option 4

Key Points

• The Home Rule Movement in Uttarakhand was inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant, who launched the All India Home Rule League around 1916. In the Kumaon region, several local leaders took this inspiration forward and actively participated in the movement.

• Key Figures:

  • Victor Mohan Joshi
    • A prominent political leader and lawyer from Kumaon.
    • Advocated for self-rule and education reforms.
  • Chiranjilal
    • Contributed to political awakening in the region.
    • Actively involved in spreading the ideals of home rule.
  • Badrinath Pandey (Badridutt Pandey)
  • Renowned historian and freedom fighter.
    • Played a crucial role in mobilizing the youth and rural masses.
    • Also wrote about the freedom struggle in Uttarakhand.

The correct answer is Tamil Nadu.

Key Points

• C Rajagopalachari led the Salt Satyagraha protest in Tamil Nadu.
• Inspired by the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi, a group of 100 men led by C Rajagopalachari marched to Vedaranyam and extracted salt from seawater in April 1930 to break the salt law imposed by the British.
• He began his march from Tiruchi on April 13 and reached Vedaranyam on April 28.
• The Salt Satyagraha was an act of civil disobedience led by Mahatma Gandhi to protest British rule in India.

Additional Information

• Salt March or Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, was started by Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1930 in the March-April period.
• It was the protest of the Indian people against Britain’s Salt Act of 1882 which prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in their diet.
• Gandhi declared resistance to British salt policies to be the unifying theme for his new campaign of “satyagraha,” or mass civil disobedience.
• First, Gandhi sent a letter on March 2, 1930, to inform the Viceroy Lord Irwin that he and the others would begin breaking the Salt Laws in 10 days. Then, on March 12, 1930, Gandhi set out from his ashram, or religious retreat, at Sabarmati near Ahmedabad with several dozen followers on a trek of some 240 miles to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea.
• In April, Gandhiji was joined with the tens of thousands of followers for their salt satyagraha.

The correct answer is Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Important Points

• The Lucknow Pact was an agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at a joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916.
• The Lucknow Pact of 1916 is signed between Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• As a result of this agreement, The Muslim League leaders agreed to join the Congress movement demanding Indian independence.
• The Lucknow Pact was seen as a beacon of hope to Hindu–Muslim unity.
• Some common demands presented by both parties to the British are:
  1. The number of elected seats on the councils should be increased.
  2. Minorities in the provinces should be protected.
  3. All provinces should be granted autonomy.
  4. Separating the executive from the judiciary.

The correct answer is Kesari.

• Kesari was written by Lokmanya Tilak during the Indian National Movement.

Key Points

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak:
  • He launched two newspapers–the Kesari (in Marathi) and the Maratha (in English).
  • He organized Ganpati Festival (1893 AD) and Shivaji Festival (1895 AD).
  • He was deported to Mandalay Jail (Burma) for writing seditious articles.
  • He started the Home Rule League in 1916 AD.
  • He wrote Gita Rahasya.
  • Tilak asserted: ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’.
  • He was awarded the title of Lokmanya.
  • He was called ‘Bal’, Lala Lajpat Rai was called ‘Lal’ and Bipin Chandra Pal was called ‘Pal’.
  • He was a part of the trio of ‘Lal-Bal- Pal’
  • He wrote the books The Arctic Home of Vedas and Gita Rahasya.

Additional Information

• Yugantar Patrika was a Bengali newspaper founded in Calcutta by Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Abhinash Bhattacharya and Bhupendranath Dutt in the year 1906.
• The Bengalee newspaper was founded by Surendra Nath Banerjee.
• Amrita Bazar Patrika was founded by Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh.

The correct answer is Dadabhai Naoroji.

Important Points

• Dadabhai Naoroji:
  • He was known as the Grand Oldman of India.
  • He was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress (INC).
  • He became the President of INC three times i.e in the 1886 Calcutta session, 1893 Lahore session, and 1906 Calcutta session.
  • He was the first Indian Member of Parliament elected to the UK House of Commons.
  • He established the London Indian Society in the year 1865 and the East India Association in the year 1867. 

Additional Information

The correct answer is Option 4. 

Key Points

•  Mahatma Gandhi organized a Satyagraha in the Kheda district of Gujarat in the year 1918.
• The Satyagraha was a non-violent resistance movement in support of the peasants who were facing immense difficulties due to the oppressive policies of the British government, particularly the high taxes they imposed on the farmers.
• The Satyagraha was successful in achieving its objectives, and it helped establish Mahatma Gandhi's leadership in the Indian independence movement.​

Additional Information

• Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) was born on October 2, 1869.
• He was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer.
• He became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India.
• He was known as the Father of the Nation.
• Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (Satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.
• He died January 30, 1948, in Delhi, and the day is celebrated as Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs' Day.
• His autobiography is titled My Experiments with Truth.
• Important movements led by Mahatma Gandhi:
  • ​Champaran Movement (1917)
  • Kheda Movement (1918)
  • Khilafat Movement (1919)
  • Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)
  • Civil Disobedience Movement: Dandi March (1930)
  • Quit India Movement (1942)

The correct answer is Chittaranjan Das.

Key Points

Subhash Chandra Bose (1897 - 1945)

• Subhash Chandra Bose was born on 23rd January 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa Division, Bengal Province.
• The birth anniversary of Netaji on 23rd January is celebrated as 'Parakram Diwas'.
• Subhash Chandra Bose is popularly known as 'Netaji'.
• He passed the Indian Civil Services Examination in 1920 in England but left it on Gandhiji's call of the Non-cooperation Movement.
• He was the first elected INC President at the Haripura Session in 1938 and Tripuri Session in 1939.
• He founded the Forward Bloc in 1939 and Kisan Sabha.
• The first division of INA was formed in September 1942 with the help of Japan.
• He took the charge of Indian Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in 1943 in Singapore.
• He addressed Mahatma Gandhiji as the 'Father of the Nation'.
• He was highly influenced by Vivekananda's teachings and considered him as his spiritual Guru.
• Chittaranjan Das was the "Political Guru of Subhash Chandra Bose".
• A .N. Mukherjee Commission enquired about the mysterious disappearance of Bose.
• "Give me blood, I will give freedom" is a famous word by Netaji.
• The famous slogan - Dilli Challo, Jai Hind.
• Autobiography - The Indian Struggle.

Additional Information

Chittaranjan Das (1870 - 1925)

• Chittaranjan Das is popularly known as 'Deshbandhu'.
• He is the first president of the Swaraj Party (1923).
• C.R. Das served as the Indian National Congress  Acting president in the Ahmedabad session (1921).
• He was actively involved in Brahmo Samaj.
• He became involved with the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
• In 1908, Das attained widespread fame when he was successfully able to defend Aurobindo Ghosh in the Alipore Bomb Case.

M. G. Ranade (1842 - 1901)

• M. G. Ranade called the 'Father of the renaissance of Western India'.
• He was the mentor and political guru of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• He established the “Widow Marriage Association” in 1861.
• Ranade founded the 'Poona Sarvajanik Sabha' in 1870, to represent the Government, the aspiration of the people.

Mahatma Gandhi 1869 -1948)

• Gandhiji is known as the Father of our Nation.
• He returned to India from South Africa on 9^th January 1915 and celebrated it as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (NRI Day).
• The first satyagraha of Gandhiji is Chamapran Satyagraha (1917) also known as the first civil disobedience movement.
• The first hunger strike of Gandhiji is Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918).
• The first non-cooperation movement of Gandhiji is Kheda Satyagraha (1918).
• He was the president of the INC session in Belgaum (1924).
• In 1931, Gandhiji participated in the Second Round Table Conference in London.
• Gandhiji was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse and observed as 'Martyrs Day'.

Gopala Krishna Gokhale (1866 - 1915)

• He is the founder of 'Servants of Indian Society' in 1905.
• The political Guru of Gokhale was M. G. Ranade.
• He was the President of the Benarus Session of INC in 1905.
• Gandhiji regarded him as the Political Guru.
• Tilak called Gokhale the 'Diamond of India'.

The correct answer is Dadabhai Naoroji.

Key Points

• Dadabhai Naoroji: 
  • He wrote the book 'Poverty and Un British Rule in India'. Hence, Option 4 is correct.
  • Dadabhai Naoroji was popularly known as the 'Grand Old Man of India'.
  • He is the first Indian to become a member of the British Parliament.
  • He helped found the London Indian Society and East India Association.
  • In 1885, Naoroji became a vice-president of the Bombay Presidency Association.
  • He was Congress president thrice, in 1886, 1893, and 1906.

Additional Information

• Major writings of Dada Bhai Naroji were as follows:
  • Poverty in India
  • The manners and customs of the Parsees
  • Condition of India
  • Admission of educated natives into the ICS
  • The wants and means of India 

The correct answer is option 3 i.e 1911.

Key Points 

• The Bengal was partitioned in 1905.
  • It was partitioned by Lord Curzon.
  • Partition was announced on 20^th July 1905.
  • The Bengal partition came into effect on 16^th October 1905.
  • Partition of Bengal was a part of executing divide and rule policy in India by the British.
  • Swadeshi movement was one of the main protests against the partition of Bengal.
• The Partition of Bengal was canceled in 1911.
  • It was canceled by Lord Hardinge II.
• Bengal was partitioned for the second time in 1947 as a part of the Partition of India.

The correct answer is Madan Mohan Malavya.

Key Points

• Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
  • National song - Vande Mataram is taken from his novel Anandmath (written in 1882).
  • He also wrote  Durgeshnandini (1865), and Kapalkundala (1866).
• Lokmanya Tilak
  • Born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak in 1856.
  • He gave the slogan "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it"
  • He was the extremist faction of the Indian National Congress.
  • He published two papers – Kesari in Marathi and Maratha in English.
  • Along with Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai, he was called the ‘Lal-Bal-Pal’ trio of extremist leaders.
  • He was one of the founders of the All India Home Rule League, along with Annie Besant and G S Khaparde.
  • He used the Ganesh Chaturthi and Shiv Jayanti (birth anniversary of Shivaji) festivals to create unity and a national spirit among the people.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri
  • Born on 2nd October 1904.
  • He gave the slogan, “Jai Jawan! Jai Kissan!”
• Madan Mohan Malavya
  • He became the editor of the Indian Opinion in 1889.
  • He started a Hindi weekly ‘Abhyudaya’, an English daily ‘Leader’, a Hindi newspaper ‘Maryada’.
  • He gave this slogan from the Mundakopanishad, ‘Satyameva Jayate’.
  • He was given the title, ‘Mahamana’.
  • In 2015, he was bestowed the Bharat Ratna posthumously.

The correct answer is the Tinkathia system.

Key PointsTinkathia system

• Champaran was an important place for indigo cultivation.
• Champaran is a district in North-Western Bihar.
• The predominant system of Indigo cultivation in Champaran was the tinkathia system.
• In this, the ryot was under an obligation to cultivate three kathas per beegha of his land with indigo i.e. 3/20th of his landholding ( 1 beegha= 20 kathas).
• A Bigha is a popular landholding in Bihar and it is little less than an acre.
• Post-1900, the indigo factories in Bihar started facing decline because of competition from the European synthetic indigo and Britishers started exploiting farmers.
• The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi Ji in India. The farmers were protesting against having to grow indigo with barely any payment for it.

The correct answer is Tamil Nadu.

Key Points

• C Rajagopalachari led the Salt Satyagraha protest in Tamil Nadu.
• Inspired by the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi, a group of 100 men led by C Rajagopalachari marched to Vedaranyam and extracted salt from seawater in April 1930 to break the salt law imposed by the British.
• He began his march from Tiruchi on April 13 and reached Vedaranyam on April 28.
• The Salt Satyagraha was an act of civil disobedience led by Mahatma Gandhi to protest British rule in India.

Additional Information

• Salt March or Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, was started by Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1930 in the March-April period.
• It was the protest of the Indian people against Britain’s Salt Act of 1882 which prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in their diet.
• Gandhi declared resistance to British salt policies to be the unifying theme for his new campaign of “satyagraha,” or mass civil disobedience.
• First, Gandhi sent a letter on March 2, 1930, to inform the Viceroy Lord Irwin that he and the others would begin breaking the Salt Laws in 10 days. Then, on March 12, 1930, Gandhi set out from his ashram, or religious retreat, at Sabarmati near Ahmedabad with several dozen followers on a trek of some 240 miles to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea.
• In April, Gandhiji was joined with the tens of thousands of followers for their salt satyagraha.