Try each question on your own first. Use the Show Answer button only after you have selected your option, then read the explanation and revise the related concept from your chapter notes.
1. When did the Indian National Congress (INC) establish its first session?
A. 1857
B. 1885
C. 1905
D. 1919
Answer: B. 1885
Explanation: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume to serve as a platform for Indian political leaders.
2. Which movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 to oppose the Rowlatt Act?
A. Non-Cooperation Movement
B. Quit India Movement
C. Civil Disobedience Movement
D. Dandi March
Answer: A. Non-Cooperation Movement
Explanation: Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 as a peaceful protest against the unjust Rowlatt Act and British rule.
3. What was the main cause of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919?
A. A peaceful protest against the Rowlatt Act
B. A religious gathering
C. A football match
D. A military exercise
Answer: A. A peaceful protest against the Rowlatt Act
Explanation: A peaceful gathering in Amritsar protesting the Rowlatt Acts was fired upon by British troops, killing hundreds of Indians.
4. Who was the British general responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
A. Lord Curzon
B. General Dyer
C. Lord Irwin
D. Winston Churchill
Answer: B. General Dyer
Explanation: General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on the unarmed crowd at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919.
5. Which event marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
A. The Salt March
B. The Quit India Resolution
C. The Chauri Chaura incident
D. The Poona Pact
Answer: A. The Salt March
Explanation: Gandhi's famous Dandi March (Salt March) in 1930 marked the inauguration of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
6. Why did Gandhi call off the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922?
A. He was arrested
B. The Chauri Chaura incident
C. He got a deal from the British
D. The movement failed
Answer: B. The Chauri Chaura incident
Explanation: Gandhi withdrew the movement after a violent clash at Chauri Chaura, where a police station was burnt, killing policemen.
7. The 'Poona Pact' of 1932 was signed between whom?
A. Gandhi and Ambedkar
B. Nehru and Jinnah
C. Gandhi and Irwin
D. Patel and Wavell
Answer: A. Gandhi and Ambedkar
Explanation: The Poona Pact was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar to reserve seats for depressed classes in the legislatures.
8. The 'Round Table Conferences' were held in which country?
A. India
B. USA
C. London
D. France
Answer: C. London
Explanation: The Round Table Conferences were held in London between 1930 and 1932 to discuss constitutional reforms in India.
9. What was the main objective of the Quit India Movement of 1942?
A. To negotiate with the British
B. To demand complete independence
C. To ask for provincial autonomy
D. To stop the World War II
Answer: B. To demand complete independence
Explanation: The Quit India Movement, launched by Gandhi in August 1942, was a mass protest demanding an immediate end to British rule.
10. The Rowlatt Act of 1919 allowed the British government to do what?
A. Arrest anyone without trial
B. Increase taxes
C. Ban newspapers
D. Stop imports
Answer: A. Arrest anyone without trial
Explanation: The Rowlatt Act allowed the British to imprison individuals for up to two years without trial, sparking mass Indian outrage.
11. Which of the following was a technique used by Gandhi to fight the British?
A. Violent uprisings
B. Non-violent non-cooperation
C. Armed rebellion
D. Burning British ships
Answer: B. Non-violent non-cooperation
Explanation: Gandhi consistently preached and practiced 'Satyagraha', a policy of non-violent, passive resistance against the colonial rulers.
12. The Dandi March was undertaken to break which British law?
A. The Salt Tax
B. The Press Act
C. The Arms Act
D. The Forest Act
Answer: A. The Salt Tax
Explanation: The Dandi March in 1930 was a direct challenge to the British monopoly on salt production and the harsh salt tax.
13. What was the immediate result of the Swadeshi Movement?
A. Ban on foreign goods
B. Growth of Indian industries
C. Partition of Bengal
D. Merger of Princely states
Answer: B. Growth of Indian industries
Explanation: The Swadeshi Movement promoted the use of Indian-made goods, significantly boosting the growth of indigenous industries and textiles.
14. The 'Partition of Bengal' in 1905 was annulled in which year?
A. 1906
B. 1911
C. 1920
D. 1925
Answer: B. 1911
Explanation: Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal in 1905. Due to massive nationalist protests, the British annulled the partition in 1911.
15. Who was the Viceroy of India during the Quit India Movement?
A. Lord Linlithgow
B. Lord Wavell
C. Lord Mountbatten
D. Lord Reading
Answer: A. Lord Linlithgow
Explanation: Lord Linlithgow was the Viceroy of India during 1936-1943 and led the British response to the Quit India Movement.
16. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) resulted in the release of whom?
A. Indian soldiers
B. Political prisoners
C. British prisoners
D. Farmers
Answer: B. Political prisoners
Explanation: The Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931 promised the release of all political prisoners arrested during the Civil Disobedience Movement.
17. Which event prompted the British to appoint the Simon Commission?
A. The 1919 Montague-Chelmsford Reforms
B. The non-cooperation movement
C. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre
D. The Dandi March
Answer: A. The 1919 Montague-Chelmsford Reforms
Explanation: The Simon Commission was appointed in 1928 to review the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, but it had no Indian members, sparking outrage.
18. Why did the Indian nationalists boycott the Simon Commission?
A. It was headed by an Indian
B. It had no Indian representatives
C. It was too costly
D. It was banned
Answer: B. It had no Indian representatives
Explanation: The Simon Commission was an all-white British delegation with no Indian members, leading to the famous slogan "Simon Go Back".
19. What was the 'Chauri Chaura Incident' about?
A. A peaceful protest
B. Burning of a police station
C. A successful rally
D. A meeting with Gandhi
Answer: B. Burning of a police station
Explanation: In 1922, a violent mob at Chauri Chaura burned down a police station, killing 22 policemen, leading Gandhi to withdraw the Non-Cooperation movement.
20. Which of the following was a direct impact of the Second World War on India?
A. Food shortages and increased prices
B. Industrial boom
C. Peace and prosperity
D. Decrease in British control
Answer: A. Food shortages and increased prices
Explanation: WWII caused severe economic distress in India due to the diversion of resources, leading to shortages and the Quit India Movement.
21. Who coined the slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright'?
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
C. Jawaharlal Nehru
D. Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: B. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a radical leader, famously declared, "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it".
22. Who led the 'Indian National Army' (INA) during World War II?
A. Bhagat Singh
B. Subhas Chandra Bose
C. Jawaharlal Nehru
D. Sardar Patel
Answer: B. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation: Subhas Chandra Bose escaped house arrest and raised the INA in Southeast Asia to fight the British with Japanese support.
23. The 'Cabinet Mission Plan' was proposed in which year?
A. 1945
B. 1946
C. 1947
D. 1948
Answer: B. 1946
Explanation: The 1946 Cabinet Mission was sent by the British to India to discuss the transfer of power and the future constitution.
24. What was the 'Delhi Chalo' slogan associated with?
A. The Red Fort trial
B. The INA's march to Delhi
C. The Dandi March
D. The Jallianwala Bagh protest
Answer: B. The INA's march to Delhi
Explanation: 'Delhi Chalo' was the rallying cry of the Indian National Army (INA) under Subhas Chandra Bose to liberate Delhi from British control.
25. The 1942 Quit India resolution was passed at which INC session?
A. The Bombay session
B. The Calcutta session
C. The Lahore session
D. The Madras session
Answer: A. The Bombay session
Explanation: The Quit India resolution was passed at the Bombay session of the Indian National Congress in August 1942.
26. Gandhi's 'Satyagraha' is best translated as what?
A. War of aggression
B. Truth and non-violence
C. Rebellion
D. Peace treaty
Answer: B. Truth and non-violence
Explanation: Satyagraha literally means "holding firmly to truth" and was Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent civil resistance against injustice.
27. What was the main significance of the 'Nagpur Session' of the INC in 1920?
A. The split of the Congress
B. The approval of the Non-Cooperation Movement
C. The announcement of Quit India
D. The formation of the Muslim League
Answer: B. The approval of the Non-Cooperation Movement
Explanation: The 1920 Nagpur session officially approved the launch of the Non-Cooperation Movement as proposed by Mahatma Gandhi.
28. The Second World War ended in which year, paving the way for Indian independence?
A. 1943
B. 1944
C. 1945
D. 1946
Answer: C. 1945
Explanation: The end of WWII in 1945 left Britain economically exhausted, making it impossible for them to hold onto their Indian colony.
29. Who was the first Governor-General of independent India?
A. Lord Mountbatten
B. C. Rajagopalachari
C. Jawaharlal Nehru
D. Lord Wavell
Answer: A. Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of British India and served as the first Governor-General of independent India.
30. The prominent slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' was raised by which revolutionary group?
A. The Ghadar Party
B. The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
C. The Indian National Congress
D. The Muslim League
Answer: B. The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
Explanation: The HSRA, led by revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad, popularized the slogan "Inquilab Zindabad" (Long Live the Revolution).
This page contains a chapter-wise objective practice set. Try the questions without checking the answer first, then use the explanation to understand the point you missed. The current page contains 30 questions, so you can practise in smaller sets when you are revising.
Quick revision tip
After the practice set, write down the question numbers you missed and revise only those concepts once more. This makes MCQ practice more useful than repeatedly attempting the same questions without reviewing mistakes.
