Modern India: Practice Questions with Answers
British rule, Freedom Movement, and Independence. Try each question first: tap an option to check it, and the explanation appears below.
Question 1Medium
The heroic tribal uprising known as the 'Ulgulan' (Great Tumult), led by Birsa Munda against British agrarian policies and landlord exploitation, took place in the region of:
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✅ A. Chotanagpur
The Ulgulan or Great Tumult was a major tribal uprising led by Birsa Munda during the late 1890s in the Chotanagpur region against British land revenue systems and oppressive feudal landlords. This movement successfully pressured the colonial administration to enact the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, which recognized tribal land rights and prohibited illegal transfer of tribal lands. Birsa Munda remains a revered figure in Indian history for his resistance against imperialist exploitation.
Question page →Question 2Easy
Who among the following women freedom fighters from Chhattisgarh led a prominent procession of salt-makers and picketed foreign cloth shops in Raipur during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930?
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✅ A. Radhabai Deshpande
Radhabai Deshpande played a leading role in organizing women volunteers during the Salt Satyagraha and Civil Disobedience Movement in Raipur, successfully picketing liquor shops and foreign textile stores. Women's active participation marked a turning point in breaking traditional social barriers across Chhattisgarh during the freedom movement. Leaders like her sustained the momentum of agitation despite severe police crackdowns.
Question page →Question 3Easy
The famous 'Navjivan' weekly newspaper, which served as a prominent vehicle for propagating nationalist views and Gandhian thought, was published in which language initially?
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✅ B. Gujarati
Navjivan was initially launched by Mahatma Gandhi as a weekly journal in Gujarati from Ahmedabad before being translated and published in Hindi to reach a broader nationalist audience. Publications like Young India were simultaneously used for expressing his views in English. The newspaper served as an influential medium for advocating satyagraha and social reform during the freedom struggle.
Question page →Question 4Hard
Which legislative enactment passed by the British Parliament in 1849 formally annexed the Punjab kingdom into the British Indian Empire following the Second Anglo-Sikh War?
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✅ A. Proclamation of Annexation by Lord Dalhousie
Following the decisive British victory at the Battle of Gujarat in February 1849 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War Governor-General Lord Dalhousie issued the proclamation of annexation on 29 March 1849 dissolving the Sikh Empire of Lahore and establishing a Board of Administration for Punjab comprising Henry and John Lawrence. This ended independent Sikh sovereign rule in the region. The province was subsequently organized into a non-regulation administrative province.
Question page →Question 5Easy
The historic 'All India Trade Union Congress' (AITUC) held its inaugural session in Bombay in 1920 under the presidency of which prominent leader?
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✅ A. Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai presided over the inaugural session of the All India Trade Union Congress when the landmark labor organization was founded in Bombay in October 1920. Other leaders like Chittaranjan Das and Jawaharlal Nehru assumed leadership roles in later sessions as the trade union movement gained momentum across India.
Question page →Question 6Medium
Consider the following statements regarding the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25): 1. It was a heroic satyagraha launched in Travancore to secure the right of untouchables and lower castes to walk along public roads surrounding the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple. 2. Mahatma Gandhi personally visited Vaikom to negotiate with the Travancore authorities and orthodox leaders in support of the movement. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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✅ C. Both 1 and 2
The Vaikom Satyagraha was a landmark temple-entry movement in the princely state of Travancore that fought against untouchability and restrictions on using public roads near the temple. Mahatma Gandhi actively supported the campaign and visited Travancore in 1925 to hold discussions with local leaders and the Regent Queen. Options that limit the answer to only one statement ignore Gandhi's crucial role in mediating the dispute. A related fact for Indian history tests is that K. Kelappan played a pioneering leadership role in this satyagraha.
Question page →Question 7Hard
Examine the following statements concerning the anti-Hindi agitations and linguistic politics in twentieth-century Madras Presidency: 1. The introduction of compulsory Hindi teaching in secondary schools by the C. Rajagopalachari Congress ministry in 1938 triggered massive statewide protests led by the Self-Respect Movement and Justice Party. 2. Leaders such as E.V. Ramasamy and Maraimalai Adigal argued that compulsory Hindi imposition threatened the cultural autonomy and classical heritage of the Tamil language. 3. The Congress ministry successfully enforced compulsory Hindi across all schools despite widespread public resistance and protests. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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✅ A. 1 and 2 only
The 1938 anti-Hindi agitation marked a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu's political history, uniting non-Brahmin organizations against the Rajaji ministry's policy. Scholars like Maraimalai Adigal spearheaded the Pure Tamil Movement emphasizing linguistic pride. Statement three is incorrect because intense public opposition ultimately compelled the British Governor to withdraw compulsory Hindi instruction in 1939.
Question page →Question 8Easy
Which of the following nationalist leaders founded the 'Swaraj Party' in January 1923 along with Motilal Nehru after the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement?
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✅ A. Chittaranjan Das
Chittaranjan Das co-founded the Swaraj Party in January 1923 alongside Motilal Nehru after differences emerged within the Indian National Congress following the abrupt suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement. Leaders like Vallabhbhai Patel remained staunchly opposed to council entry during that political phase. The Swarajists aimed to contest legislative elections to obstruct colonial policies from within government institutions.
Question page →Question 9Hard
Who among the following nationalist leaders founded the English newspaper 'The Hindu' in Madras in 1878 to articulate progressive public opinion and critique colonial policies?
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✅ A. G. Subramania Iyer
G. Subramania Iyer, along with five founding lawyers known as the Triplicane Six, launched 'The Hindu' in 1878 as a weekly newspaper in Madras, later transforming it into a powerful daily voice for Indian nationalism. Annie Besant founded the newspaper 'New India' to propagate the Home Rule movement. B. Shiva Rao was a prominent journalist and labor activist. P. Ananda Charlu was an early president of the Indian National Congress. The newspaper played a crucial role in mobilizing public consciousness against repressive colonial legislation.
Question page →Question 10Easy
The historic Temple Entry Proclamation, which opened state-controlled temples of Travancore to all classes of Hindus, was issued in the year:
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✅ C. 1936
The historic Temple Entry Proclamation was issued on November 12, 1936, by Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, legally ending the ban preventing marginalized Hindu communities from entering state-controlled temples in Travancore. Mahatma Gandhi praised this bold social reform as a miraculous achievement. Earlier dates like 1924 correspond to regional agitations such as the Vaikom Satyagraha that paved the way for this decree.
Question page →Question 11Easy
Who among the following nationalist leaders was popularly known as 'Lokmanya'?
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✅ A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak earned the title 'Lokmanya', meaning accepted by the people, for his relentless mobilization of the masses through festivals like Ganpati and Shivaji. Lala Lajpat Rai was known as Punjab Kesari, while Gokhale was a prominent moderate leader who mentored Gandhi. Tilak famously declared that swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it, galvanizing radical nationalist resistance.
Question page →Question 12Hard
Match the following nationalist newspapers and journals of colonial Tamil Nadu with their respective founders: A. The Hindu - 1. G. Subramania Iyer B. Swadesamitran - 2. G. Subramania Iyer C. Kudi Arasu - 3. E.V. Ramasamy D. Navashakti - 4. Thiru. Vi. Kalyanasundaranar. Select the correct combination:
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✅ A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
The nationalist press in the Madras Presidency played a transformative role in propagating social reform and anti-colonial consciousness. The Hindu was co-founded in 1878 by G. Subramania Iyer alongside other nationalists to voice public opinion. Swadesamitran served as the first Tamil vernacular daily launched by G. Subramania Iyer. Kudi Arasu was founded by E.V. Ramasamy as the organ of the Self-Respect Movement. Navashakti was edited by the eminent scholar Thiru. Vi. Kalyanasundaranar.
Question page →Question 13Medium
Which fiery nationalist leader and freedom fighter, known as 'Kumaon Kesari', edited the nationalist newspaper 'Shakti' which served as the primary mouthpiece for the freedom movement and social reforms in Uttarakhand?
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✅ A. Badri Datt Pandey
Badri Datt Pandey took over the editorship of the weekly newspaper 'Shakti', founded in Almora in 1918 under the auspices of Kumaon Parishad, utilizing it to expose colonial forest exploitation and mobilize public opinion against social evils like the Kuli Begar system. Mukundi Lal was a prominent barrister who defended Garhwali soldiers during the Peshawar rebellion trials. 'Shakti' succeeded the earlier nationalist journal 'Almora Akhbar'. The publication documented every milestone of the freedom struggle in the Kumaon hills.
Question page →Question 14Medium
Who among the following was the founder of the 'Radical Democratic Party' and propounded the theory of Radical Humanism after leaving the Indian National Congress?
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✅ B. M. N. Roy
M. N. Roy founded the Radical Democratic Party and formulated the philosophy of Radical Humanism after moving away from orthodox Marxist-Leninist doctrines. His intellectual evolution shifted from early communist organizing in Tashkent and Mexico to advocating decentralization and human-centric democracy in independent India. Other figures like Jayaprakash Narayan pioneered Total Revolution and Democratic Socialism.
Question page →Question 15Easy
Who among the following British Governors-General introduced the 'Doctrine of Lapse', annexing states like Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur upon the failure of natural heirs?
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✅ B. Lord Dalhousie
Lord Dalhousie implemented the Doctrine of Lapse to annex princely states lacking a natural male heir, creating widespread discontent that culminated in the Revolt of 1857. Lord Wellesley is instead known for introducing the Subsidiary Alliance system to expand British paramountcy.
Question page →Question 16Easy
Who was the president of the Indian National Congress at the time of India's independence in August 1947?
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✅ C. J. B. Kripalani
Acharya J.B. Kripalani held the office of the Indian National Congress president when India gained independence in August 1947. Well-known figures like Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served in key governmental positions in the interim cabinet rather than leading the party organization at that exact juncture.
Question page →Question 17Hard
Which of the following conferences held in Tamil Nadu in 1927 under the presidency of S. Srinivasa Iyengar famously passed a resolution declaring complete independence (Purna Swaraj) as the goal of the Indian national movement, preceding the Lahore Congress resolution?
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✅ A. Madras Session of the Indian National Congress (1927)
The Madras Session of the Indian National Congress held in December 1927 under the presidency of S. Srinivasa Iyengar adopted a landmark resolution declaring complete independence as the ultimate goal of the national movement. Salem Provincial Conference was convened later during the Civil Disobedience movement era. Tirunelveli convention followed the arrest of nationalist leaders in 1908. Coimbatore conference focused on non-cooperation adoption in Tamil Nadu. The 1927 Madras resolution laid the ideological groundwork for the formal Purna Swaraj declaration at Lahore in 1929.
Question page →Question 18Medium
Which of the following acts introduced provincial autonomy in British India and provided for the establishment of a Federal Court?
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✅ B. Government of India Act, 1935
The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished provincial dyarchy and introduced provincial autonomy, allowing elected ministries to govern provinces. It also proposed an All-India Federation comprising British provinces and princely states, and established a Federal Court which functioned as the precursor to the Supreme Court of India. The Act of 1919 had introduced dyarchy at the provincial level for the first time.
Question page →Question 19Medium
Which of the following acts introduced the system of dyarchy at the provincial level in British India?
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✅ B. Government of India Act, 1919
The Government of India Act of 1919, commonly known as the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, introduced the dual system of governance known as dyarchy at the provincial level by dividing executive subjects into transferred and reserved lists. The preceding 1909 Morley-Minto reforms focused primarily on introducing separate electorates and expanding legislative councils without devolving power through dyarchy. The subsequent 1935 Act later abolished provincial dyarchy and introduced it at the federal level instead.
Question page →Question 20Medium
Which nationalist newspaper was founded by Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh in 1868 and converted overnight into an English publication to bypass the severe censorship and penal restrictions of the Vernacular Press Act of 1878?
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✅ B. Amrita Bazar Patrika
Amrita Bazar Patrika was originally published as a bilingual weekly in Bengali and English, but following the promulgation of the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 by Lord Lytton, it transformed overnight into an exclusively English-language newspaper to evade discriminatory state suppression. The Hindu was founded in Madras by G. Subramania Iyer and others in 1878. Somaprakasha was a Bengali weekly founded by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar that was specifically targeted by the Vernacular Press Act. Kesari was a nationalist Marathi newspaper founded by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
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