Basic Quiz – 26 October 2026 | Modern History

Correct Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The immediate trigger of the Revolt of 1857 was the controversy surrounding the cartridges of the new Enfield rifle. Soldiers believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat, offending Hindu and Muslim religious sentiments.

Statement 2 is correct: Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, was proclaimed the symbolic leader of the revolt by the rebels who reached Delhi.

Statement 3 is correct: Rani Lakshmibai was a prominent leader of the revolt in Jhansi. She later fought against British forces in central India.

Statement 4 is incorrect: The revolt did not establish representative government. Instead, the British Crown assumed direct control over India’s administration through the Government of India Act, 1858.

Remember for Prelims:

• Beginning of the revolt: 10 May 1857, Meerut.
• Mangal Pandey: Associated with the uprising at Barrackpore in March 1857.
• Delhi: Bahadur Shah Zafar.
• Kanpur: Nana Sahib.
• Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal.
• Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai.
• Bihar: Kunwar Singh.
• Bareilly: Khan Bahadur Khan.
• Government of India Act, 1858: Transferred power from the East India Company to the British Crown.
• Lord Canning: Governor-General during the revolt and first Viceroy of India.
• Queen Victoria’s Proclamation: Issued on 1 November 1858.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Indian National Congress was established in December 1885. It became an important platform for the development of organised Indian nationalism.

Statement 2 is correct: The first session of the INC was held in Bombay from 28 to 31 December 1885, with W.C. Bonnerjee serving as its first president.

Statement 3 is correct: Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant, played an important organisational role in establishing the Congress.

Statement 4 is incorrect: The early Congress primarily demanded constitutional and administrative reforms, greater Indian participation in government, and expansion of legislative councils. The formal demand for Purna Swaraj was adopted much later, at the Lahore Session of 1929.

Remember for Prelims:

• INC established: 1885.
• First session: Bombay.
• First president: W.C. Bonnerjee.
• A.O. Hume: Important figure in the establishment of the INC.
• First Muslim president: Badruddin Tyabji (1887).
• First English president: George Yule (1888).
• First woman president: Annie Besant (1917).
• First Indian woman president: Sarojini Naidu (1925).
• 1906 Calcutta Session: Dadabhai Naoroji; Swaraj was declared as the Congress’s goal.
• 1907 Surat Session: Split between Moderates and Extremists.
• 1929 Lahore Session: Jawaharlal Nehru; Purna Swaraj resolution.
• 26 January 1930: Observed as Independence Day following the Lahore resolution.

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Swadeshi Movement emerged as a major nationalist response to the Partition of Bengal in 1905. It encouraged economic self-reliance and resistance to colonial policies.

Statement 2 is correct: Lord Curzon was the Viceroy of India when the Partition of Bengal was implemented on 16 October 1905.

Statement 3 is correct: The movement promoted the boycott of foreign goods, especially British-manufactured products, and encouraged the use of Indian-made goods. It also supported national education and indigenous enterprises.

Statement 4 is correct: The British government announced the annulment of Bengal’s partition in 1911. In the same year, the transfer of India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi was announced.

Remember for Prelims:

• Partition of Bengal: 16 October 1905.
• Viceroy responsible: Lord Curzon.
• Annulment of partition: 1911.
• Capital shifted: From Calcutta to Delhi, announced in 1911.
• Swadeshi: Promotion of indigenous goods and industries.
• Boycott: Rejection of foreign goods and institutions.
• National education: An important feature of the Swadeshi Movement.
• Rabindranath Tagore: Associated with efforts to promote unity during the anti-partition movement.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Prominent Extremist nationalist leader.
• Bipin Chandra Pal: Important leader of the Swadeshi Movement.
• Lala Lajpat Rai: Prominent nationalist associated with the Extremist tradition.
• Lal-Bal-Pal: Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal.

Correct Answer: (c) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920 under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership. It marked an important expansion of mass participation in India’s freedom struggle.

Statement 2 is correct: The movement arose against the background of the Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Khilafat issue. These developments contributed to widespread dissatisfaction with British rule.

Statement 3 is correct: The programme included surrendering titles, boycotting government educational institutions and law courts, and promoting khadi and indigenous goods.

Statement 4 is correct: Gandhi withdrew the movement in February 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident in the Gorakhpur district of present-day Uttar Pradesh, where protesters set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen.

Remember for Prelims:

• Rowlatt Act: 1919.
• Jallianwala Bagh massacre: 13 April 1919.
• Viceroy during the massacre: Lord Chelmsford.
• Punjab Lieutenant-Governor: Michael O’Dwyer.
• Officer who ordered firing: Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer.
• Khilafat leaders: Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
• Non-Cooperation Movement: Launched in 1920.
• Calcutta Special Session, 1920: Approved Gandhi’s non-cooperation programme.
• Nagpur Session, 1920: Adopted the Non-Cooperation programme and reorganised the Congress.
• Chauri Chaura incident: 5 February 1922.
• Withdrawal of the movement: February 1922.
• Swaraj Party: Founded in 1923 by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru.

Correct Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The All India Congress Committee adopted the Quit India Resolution in Bombay on 8 August 1942. The movement began in August 1942 amid the Second World War.

Statement 2 is correct: Gandhi delivered his famous “Do or Die” call on 8 August 1942, urging Indians to struggle for independence through mass non-violent resistance.

Statement 3 is correct: The failure of the Cripps Mission in 1942 contributed to the decision to launch the movement. The mission had failed to secure agreement on its proposals for India’s constitutional future.

Statement 4 is incorrect: The British government did not immediately accept the demand for independence. Instead, major Congress leaders were arrested, and the movement faced severe repression.

Remember for Prelims:

• Cripps Mission: March 1942.
• Head of the mission: Sir Stafford Cripps.
• Quit India Resolution: 8 August 1942.
• Venue: Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay.
• Present-day name: August Kranti Maidan.
• Famous slogan: “Do or Die.”
• Gandhi and other major Congress leaders: Arrested on 9 August 1942.
• Aruna Asaf Ali: Associated with hoisting the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan.
• Usha Mehta: Associated with the underground Congress Radio.
• Ballia: Associated with Chittu Pandey and a short-lived parallel administration.
• Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar: Parallel government established in Tamluk, Bengal.
• Satara: Associated with the Prati Sarkar and Nana Patil.
• Viceroy during Quit India: Lord Linlithgow.
• Indian Independence Act: Passed in July 1947.