EXERCISE

Very short answer questions 

Q1. When was Mahatma Gandhi born?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar in Gujarat.

Q2. In which country did Gandhi first apply the technique of Satyagraha?
Answer: Gandhi first used the weapon of non-violent resistance, later known as Satyagraha, during the struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa.

Q3. Why did Rabindranath Tagore renounce his Knighthood?
Answer: Rabindranath Tagore renounced his Knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

Q4. Under whose leadership was the Khilafat movement started in India?
Answer: The Khilafat movement was started in India under the leadership of Maulana Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali.

Q5. When did the Chauri-Chaura incident take place?
Answer: The Chauri-Chaura incident took place on February 5, 1922.

Q6. Under what circumstances did Lala Lajpat Rai lose his life?
Answer: Lala Lajpat Rai lost his life after being seriously wounded in a “lathi-charge” while leading a procession against the Simon Commission in Lahore.

Q7. When and in which session of the Indian National Congress was Purna Swaraj declared to be the chief goal of the Indians?
Answer: In 1929, the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress, presided over by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, declared “Complete Independence” or “Purna Swaraj” as the chief goal of the Indians.

Q8. Gandhi started on his Salt march from Sabarmati Ashram to the sea coast at Dandi. What was the distance between Sabarmati Ashram and the sea-coast at Dandi?
Answer: The distance between Sabarmati Ashram and the sea coast at Dandi was 385 km (240 miles).

Q9. Who was known as Frontier Gandhi?
Answer: Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was popularly known as “Frontier Gandhi”.

Q10. Who was the sole Congress representative at the Second Round Table Conference in London?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi was the sole representative of the Congress at the Second Round Table Conference in London.

Q11. Name the British Prime Minister who announced the Communal Award in 1932?
Answer: British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald announced the Communal Award in August 1932.

Q12. During the course of which movement did Gandhi give the slogan “Do or Die”?
Answer: Gandhi gave the slogan “Do or Die” (Karo ya Maro) during the Quit India Movement.

Q13. Who was the founder of the Azad Hind Fauz?
Answer: The idea of the Indian National Army (INA), or the Azad Hind Fauz, was first conceived by Captain Mohan Singh. However, it was revived and formally organized under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Q14. “Give me blood and I shall give you freedom”. This famous quote is attributed to which Indian leader?
Answer: This famous quote is attributed to Subhas Chandra Bose.

Q15. What is the name of the International Boundary Line between India and Pakistan?
Answer: The international boundary line between India and Pakistan is named the Radcliffe Line.

Long Answers

Q1. What do you understand by the term Satyagraha? Briefly write about the three local disputes where Gandhi first applied the technique of Satyagraha in India?
Answer: Satyagraha is a compound of two Sanskrit words: Satya (truth) and agraha (adherence or holding fast). The literal meaning is “holding on to truth”. Gandhi explained that it was not merely passive resistance, but an intense political activity carried out by a large mass of people.

Gandhi first applied the technique of Satyagraha in India in three local disputes in 1917-18:

1. Champaran: In North Bihar, Gandhi took up the cause of the peasants against the landlords.
2. Kheda: In Gujarat, he supported the farmers who refused to pay land-revenue when their crops had failed.
3. Ahmedabad: He led the mill-workers in their protest against the mill owners. 

Q2. Why was the Khilafat movement started in India?
Answer: The Khilafat movement was started in India by Muslims who were apprehensive about the fate of the Khalifa (the Sultan of Turkey) after Turkey’s defeat in the First World War. The Muslims regarded the Sultan as their spiritual head, and they became upset when they found out he would lose control over his empire’s holy places.

A Khilafat Committee was formed in India under the leadership of Maulana Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali to demand the restoration of the Sultan of Turkey as the Caliph of Islam. Mahatma Gandhi viewed this movement as a great opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims on a national front and decided to lend his support. He successfully convinced the committee to adopt the non-violent non-cooperation movement as the means to achieve their demand.

Q3. Why did Mahatma Gandhi launch the Non cooperation movement of 1920-22? What were its programmes? What made Gandhi suspend the movement?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 because Indians were deeply dissatisfied with British rule after World War I. Despite India’s support in the war, political promises remained unfulfilled, leading to widespread disappointment. The country was suffering from severe economic hardships such as unemployment, rising prices, and poverty. The repressive Rowlatt Act of 1919 and the brutal Jallianwala Bagh massacre further angered the people. At the same time, Gandhi supported the Khilafat Movement to protect the Ottoman Caliphate, which he saw as a chance to unite Hindus and Muslims in the struggle against British rule

The Non-Cooperation Movement had both positive and negative programs:

• Positive Programmes: These included the promotion of Swadeshi especially hand-spinning and weaving, removal of untouchability, promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity, prohibition of alcohol, and collecting funds for the Tilak Swaraj Fund.
• Negative Programmes: These were collectively known as the “triple boycott” and included the boycott of legislatures, courts, and government-maintained or aided educational institutions. People were also asked to surrender titles and honors granted by the British.

Gandhi suspended the movement on February 12, 1922, after the Chauri Chaura incident. A peaceful procession of protestors in Chauri Chaura was attacked by local police, and in retaliation, the protestors burnt down the police station, killing about twenty-two policemen. Gandhi condemned the violence and called it a “Himalayan blunder”.

Q4. What was the main aim of the Civil Disobedience Movement? What were the main features of the movement?
Answer: The main aim of the Civil Disobedience Movement was to paralyse the British administration by performing specific illegal acts. The movement was launched to achieve “Purna Swaraj” or complete independence for India, a goal declared by the Indian National Congress in its Lahore session of 1929. Gandhi gave the Viceroy Lord Irwin an ultimatum with a list of demands, and when they were ignored, the movement was launched.

The main features of the movement were:

1. Salt Satyagraha (1930): Dandi March to break the Salt Law.
2. Defiance of Laws: Nationwide challenge to British laws; led by Khudai Khitmadgars in NWFP.
3. Mass Participation: Men, women, and children took part.
4. Boycott: Congress boycotted the First Round Table Conference.
5. Repression and Pact: Gandhi and thousands arrested; Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) led to temporary suspension.
6. Restart: Movement resumed in 1932; withdrawn in May 1934 due to repression.

Q6. Write a brief note on the Indian National Army.

Answer: The Indian National Army (INA), or Azad Hind Fauz, was formed during World War II to fight for India’s independence from British rule. Captain Mohan Singh first conceived it after surrendering to the Japanese in Malaya. In 1942, the Indian Independence League in Tokyo decided to raise the INA, and in 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose took over its leadership, reorganizing it with Indian POWs, civilian recruits, and the women’s Rani Jhansi regiment. Bose formed the Provisional Government of Free India in Singapore, with the slogan “Jai Hind” and motivated his followers with “give me blood and I shall give you freedom.” The INA fought alongside the Japanese in Burma, Imphal, and Kohima but surrendered after Japan’s defeat. Bose, hailed as Netaji, is remembered for his patriotism and leadership of the INA.