UPSC Prelims Mock Test – Modern History 5

Here are 25 Questions, a part of our series on UPSC Prelims Mock Test.

Q1. Gandhiji’s “Champaran Movement” was for

(a) The security of rights of Harijans
(b) to support the textile mill strike
(c) Maintaining the unity of Hindu society
(d) Solving the problem of the Indigo workers

Answer – D

• The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi in India and is considered a historically important revolt in the Indian Independence Movement. It was an Indigo farmer’s uprising that took place in the Champaran district of Bihar, India, during the British colonial period.

Q2. Consider the following pairs:

Name of the Paper Name of the Founder

1. East Indian: Rammohan Roy
2. The Hindu : G.S Aiyar
3. National Paper: Devendranath Tagore

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer – A

• It was a political party formed in India on 1 January 1923 after the Gaya annual conference in December 1922 of the National Congress, which sought greater self-government and political freedom for the Indian people from the British Raj. Enter the Legislative Councils by contesting elections in order to wreck the legislatures from within

Q3. The “Khilafat” movement subsided because of the

(a) Concessions given to Muslims by the British
(b) Amity achieved between Congress and the Muslim League
(c) Accession of Kamal Pasha on the throne of Turkey
(d) None of the above

Answer – C

• It was a protest against the sanctions placed on the caliph and the Ottoman Empire after the First World War by the Treaty of Sèvres. The movement collapsed by late 1922 when Turkey gained a more favorable diplomatic position and moved towards secularism. By 1924 Turkey simply abolished the role of caliph. Accession of Kamal Pasha on the throne of Turkey

Q4. Which of the following was not the outcome of the Jallianwalah Bagh massacre?

(a) Suspension of Gen. Dyer
(b) Change in Gandhiji’s outlook toward Britishers
(c) Temporary peace in Punjab
(d) Renunciation of British titles and positions by many Indians

Answer – C

• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of General Dyer fired rifles into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh. The massacre marked a turning point in the history of the struggle for freedom.
• Impacts of the massacre:
• About 21 years later, on 13 March 1940, Udham Singh, an Indian revolutionary, shot Michael O’Dwyer who was the Lt. Governor of Punjab at the time of the Jalliawala Bagh massacre People in Punjab were made to crawl on the streets. They were put in open cages and flogged Newspapers were banned and their editors were put behind bars or deported
• Rabindranath Tagore, who had been knighted by the British, renounced his knighthood It was clear that the brutalities had only added fuel to the fire and made the people’s determination stronger to fight for their freedom and against oppression

Q5. Which important event immediately preceded the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

(a) Rowlatt Act enactment
(b) Communal award
(c) Coming of Simon Commission
(d) Quit India Movement

Answer – A

• Despite much opposition, the Rowlatt Act was passed in March 1919. The purpose of the act was to curb the growing nationalist upsurge in the country. It gave the government enormous power to repress political activities and allowed the detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws

Q6. The DYARCHY as introduced by the Government of India Act, of 1919 postulated which of the following?

(a) A system of dual government in Bengal
(b) Backward classes were entitled to vote
(c) A few subjects were transferred to the Provincial Ministries and the rest were retained by the Executive Council
(d) Hindus and Muslims could vote separately

Answer – C

• Under the Government of India Act, of 1919, the spheres of the central and provincial governments were demarcated by a division of subjects into “central” and “provincial”. The Dyarchy was for the Provincial Governments. The provincial subjects were divided into two categories viz. reserved and transferred.

Q7. Which of the following periods can be considered the era of mass revolution?

(a) 1856-1885 A.D.
(b) 1757-1857 A.D.
(c) 920-1947 A.D.
(d) 1901-1919 A.D.

Answer- C

• The period between 1920-1947 considered as the era of mass revolution

Q8. The Indian National Movement refers to the

(a) The movement started by Subhash Chandra Bose through I.N.A.
(b) Struggle by the Indians to gain freedom from British colonial rule in India
(c) Struggle by Indians to gain dominion status under British rule
(d) Struggle by Indians to stop British trade in India

Answer – B

• Struggle by the Indians to gain freedom from British colonial rule in India. The Indian National Movement was an organized mass movement concerned with the interests of the people of India and was affected by both internal and external factors. It led to the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 and several revolts broke out across the country. Formation of the Muslim League in 1906, Swadeshi Movement 1905, etc. which spearheaded the freedom struggle in India from 1885 to 1947.

Q9. Who among the following was not a moderate?

(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) W. C. Bannerjee
(c) G. K. Gokhale
(d) B. G. Tilak

Answer – D

• The Early Nationalists, also known as the Moderates were a group of political leaders in India active between 1885 and 1907. Their emergence marked the beginning of the organized national movement in India. Some of the important moderate leaders were Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji, G.K Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi, W.C. Banerjee. B.G Tilak was the extremist leader.

Q10. Arrange the following in chronological order

I. Home Rule League
II. Swadeshi Movement
III. Bardoli Movement
IV. Round Table Conference

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) I, II, III, IV
(b) II, I, III, IV
(c) III, I, IV, II
(d) IV, II, I, III

Answer – B

• The Indian Home Rule movement was a movement in British India along the lines of the Irish Home Rule movement and other home rule movements in 1916. When Lord Curzon announced the partition of Bengal in July 1905, Indian National Congress, initiated the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. The Swadeshi movement was launched as a protest movement which also led to the Boycott movement in the country. Gandhi with Sardar Patel started Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928. The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–32 were a series of peace conferences organized by the British Government and the Indian National Congress participants to discuss constitutional reforms in India

Q11. The wrongly matched pair among the following is

(a) Gandhiji—Dandi March
(b) Mohammed Ali Jinnah—Khilafat movement
(c) Sir Syed Ahmed Khan—Aligarh
(d) Subhash Chandra Bose—Forward Bloc

Answer – B

• The Khilafat movement, also known as the Indian Muslim movement (1919–24), was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Abul Kalam Azad to restore the caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate.

Q12. Swaraj Party was established to

(a) Share power in the Government
(b) Ask the British to leave India
(c) To enter the Councils and wreck the Government from within
(d) Ask the people to fight against the British

Answer – C

• The party was established to enter the councils and wreck the government from within the Swaraj Party was established as the Congress-Khilafat Swaraj Party. It was a political party formed in India on 1 January 1923 after the Gaya annual conference in December 1922 of the National Congress, which sought greater self-government and political freedom for the Indian people from the British Raj.

Q13. Which of the following pairs is not correct?

(a) Lal, Bal, Pal—Extremist Group
(b) Annie Besant—Home Rule movement
(c) Gandhi—Dandi March
(d) None of these

Answer – D

• Extremist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal were pushing for resolutions on Swaraj, Boycott, and national education while moderate leaders like Surendranath Banerjea and Gopal Krishna Gokhale were advocating a softer approach. The Home Rule Movement lasted around two years between 1916 and 1918 and is believed to have set the stage for the independence movement under the leadership of Annie Besant all over India whereas B.
• G. In 1921 All India Home Rule League changed its name to Swarajya Sabha.

Q14. The supremacy and sovereignty of the ‘Khalifa’ of Baghdad was strictly observed by Muslim kings in India because

(a) ‘Khalifa’ was treated as a religious head of the Muslim community
(b) ‘Khalifa’ was treated as the legal head the Muslim community
(c) All the Muslim States in the world used to pay tributes to him
(d) He used to decide all the cases efficiently

Answer – A

• KHALIFAH is an Arabic word literally meaning “one who replaces someone else who left or died”. In the context of Islam, however, the word acquires a narrower meaning. The Muslim Khalifa is the successor to Prophet Muhammad’s position as the political, military, and administrative leader of the Muslims. The prophetic role of Muhammad is strictly not included in this definition, as the Qur’an and Hadith clearly state that Muhammad was the last of the prophets. Khilafa is a related Arabic word which, in the context of Islam, is used to denote the government of the Muslim state, of which the Khalifa is the head

Q15. Which of the following pairs is/are correct?

1. The Indian Councils Act, 1909 — Provincial Autonomy
2. The Government of Act, 1919 — Introduction of India Dyarchy
3. The Government Act, 1935 — Proposal for India Federation of India
4. The Indian Act, 1947 — Provincial Independence Legislature

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 4
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 4

Answer – B

• With regard to the provinces, the act of 1935 was an improvement on the existing position. It introduced what is known as provincial autonomy. On August 1935, the Government of India passed the longest act i.e. Government of India Act 1935 under the British Act of Parliament. This act also included the Government of Burma Act of 1935. According to this act, India would become a federation if 50% of Indian states decided to join it

Q16. With reference to the Socio-religious movement, consider the following statements:

1. Raja Rammohan Roy believed in the modern scientific approach and principle of human dignity and social equality.
2. The aim of the Servants of India Society was to train national missionaries for the service of India.
3. The first Arya Samaj unit was formally set up in Lahore and later established
   in Bombay.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer – A

• The civil disobedience movement was started by Gandhi Ji after the Rowlatt act of 1919

Q17. Which one of the following was the most immediate factor for the spread of Swadeshi and Boycott agitation during the first decade of the present century?

(a) Curzon’s attempt to control the Universities
(b) Curzon’s design to curtail the sphere of local self-government
(c) Curzon’s partition of Bengal
(d) Curzon’s plan to curb the growing popularity of the Indian National Congress

Answer – C

• A sentence of 18 months of rigorous imprisonment was imposed on Lokmanya Tilak and then the partition of Bengal was done by Lord Curzon. It started the Swadeshi and Boycott agitation.

Q18. Which of the following were the main objectives of the Khilafat movement?

1. To rouse anti-British feelings among the Muslims of India
2. To reform the Muslim society
3. To demand separate electorates and preserve the Khilafat save the Ottoman empire and preserve the Khilafat.
4. To save the Ottoman Empire and preserve the Khilafat.

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1 and 4 only

Answer – D

• The Khilafat movement was an agitation by Indian Muslims allied with Indian nationalism in the years following World War I. Its purpose was to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war. In 1920, they published the Khilafat Manifesto, which called upon the British to protect the caliphate and for Indian Muslims to unite and hold the British accountable for this purpose.

Q19. Those who joined Mahatma Gandhi during the Champaran struggle included

(a) Vallabhbhai Patel and Vinobha Bhave
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajendra Prasad
(c) Rajendra Prasad and Anugraha Narayan Sinha
(d) Mahadev Desai and Maniben Patel

Answer – C

• The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first Satyagraha movement inspired by Gandhi. The Champaran Satyagraha gave direction to India\’s youth and freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi during the Champaran struggle was joined by Rajendra Prasad and Anugraha Narayan Sinha.

Q20. With reference to the Non-Cooperation Movement, consider the following statements:

1. Gandhi along with Ali-brothers made extensive tours to preach the message of national unity and non-cooperation with the government.
2. Congress and Khilafat Volunteer Organizations were declared unlawful and illegal.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer – B

• Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat The movement were launched in 1920. The two movements emerged from separate issues, but they adopted a common program of action that was nonviolent and non-cooperation. There was increasing Hindu-Muslim unity against the British.

Q21. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:

List-I List-II
A. Butler
Committee Jallianwala Bagh Report massacre
B. Hurtog Committee Relationship between Report the Indian State and the Paramount Power
C. Hunter Inquiry Working of Dyarchy as Committee Report laid down in the Montague ChelmsfordReforms
D. Muddiman The growth of education Committee Report in British India and the potentialities of its further progress

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) A – 3; B – 2; C – 1; D – 4
(b) A – 1; B – 4; C – 2; D – 3
(c) A – 2; B – 1; C – 3; D – 4
(d) A – 2; B – 4; C – 1; D – 3

Answer – D

• Butler Committee – Relation between Indian states & paramount power Hurtog Committee – Growth of British India education-its effects Hunter Commission – Jallianwalabagh massacre Muddiman Committee – Working of Diarchy as in Montague Chelmsford reforms

Q22. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:

List-I List-II
A. Surat Split 1. 1929
B. Communal Award 2. 1928
C. All Party Convention 3. 1932
D. Poorna Swaraj 4. 1907
Resolution 5. 1905

Answer – B

• Surat split in 1907 session of INC was presided by Ras Behari Ghosh;
• The Communal Award was announced by Ramsay McDonald’s in August 1932;
• Poorna Swarajaya resolution was passed in the 1929 session of INC at Lahore presided over by Nehru.
• All Party Convention – 1928

Q23. Consider the following statements about ‘the Charter Act of 1833’:

1. The Governor-General of Bengal became the Governor-General of India with exclusive legislative powers.
2. The Indian Law Commission was established in 1833 and Lord Macaulay was made its first chairman.
3. The Act provided to freely admit Indians into administration in the country.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer – A

• All 7 members of the Simon Commission were whites.

Q24. Which one of the following events, was characterized by Montague as ‘Preventive Murder’?

(a) Killing of INA activities
(b) Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh
(c) Shooting of the Mahatma
(d) Shooting of Curzon-Wythe

Answer – B

• The Jalianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, at Amritsar. This event is characterized by Montague as ‘Preventive Murder

Q25. Assertion (A): The Khilafat movement did bring the urban Muslims into the fold of the National Movement.
Reason (R): There was a predominant element of anti-imperialism in both the National and Khilafat Movement.

(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true

Answer – A

• The Khilafat movement did bring the urban Muslims into the fold of the National Movement. There was a predominant element of anti-imperialism in both the National and Khilafat Movement.

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