CBSE Class 12 History HOTs Mahatma Gandhi And The Nationalist Movement

CASE-BASED MCQs

Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option:

Why the Salt Satyagraha?
Why was salt the symbol of protest? This is what Mahatma Gandhi wrote:
The volume of information being gained daily shows how wickedly the salt tax has been designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax which is at times even fourteen times its value, the Government destroys the salt it cannot sell profitably. Thus it taxes the nation’s vital necessity;
it prevents the public from manufacturing it and destroys what nature manufactures without effort.
No adjective is strong enough for characterising this wicked dog-in-the-manger policy. From various sources I hear tales of such wanton destruction of the nation’s property in all parts of India. Maunds if not tons of salt are said to be destroyed on the Konkan coast. The same tale comes from Dandi. Wherever there is likelihood of natural salt being taken away by the people living in the neighbourhood of such areas for their personal use, salt officers are posted for the sole purpose of carrying on destruction. Thus valuable national property is destroyed at national expense and salt taken out of the mouths of the people. The salt monopoly is thus a fourfold curse. It deprives the people of a valuable easy village industry, involves wanton destruction of property that nature produces in abundance, the destruction itself means more national expenditure, and fourthly, to crown this folly, an unheard-of tax of more than 1,000 per cent is exacted from a starving people. This tax has remained so long because of the apathy of the general public. Now that it is sufficiently roused, the tax has to go. How soon it will be abolished depends upon the strength the people.
—THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI (CWMG), VOL. 49

Question. When did this famous event started?
(a) March 12, 1919
(b) March 12, 1930
(c) April 6, 1930
(d) April 6, 1947
Answer : B

Question. How much tax was levied on salt?
(a) 50%
(b) 100%
(c) 500%
(d) 1000%
Answer : D

Question. What is the other name by which this event is known?
(a) Simon Go Back
(b) Quit India Movement
(c) Khilafat Movement
(d) Dandi March
Answer : D

Question. What did the British government do to the salt it could not sale profitably?
(a) Donate it
(b) Distribute it
(c) Destroy it
(d) None of these
Answer : C

Very Short Answer type Questions

Question. Who were Lal-Bal-Pal?
Answet : All three were early extremist leaders, who led the nation-wide Nationalist movement. Lal-Lala lajpat Rai, Bal- Bal Ganga dhar Tilak and Pal- Bipin Chandra Pal

Question. Name one movement launched for farmers and peasants by Mahatma Gandhi in India?
Answet : 1. Champaran Satyagraha 1917 for indigo peasants.
2.Ahmedabad mill labour movement 1918.

Question. State the significance of Gandhiji`s speech at Banaras Hindu University?
Answet : 1. Gandhiji charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor.
2. He worried about the contrast between the rich and poor. He felt salvation of India lay in the farmers.

Question. What is meant by Rowlatt Act(1919)?
Answet : Anybody could be arrested on the basis of suspicion and put in prison without trial. This Act was made by Rowlatt to suppress the freedom struggle.

Question. Why was charkha chosen as a national symbol?
Answet : 1- Symbol of self-reliance and self confidence.
2. Source of employment for thousands of poor and unemployed.

Question. What was the significance of Lahore Session of Congress?
Answet : 1- Declaration of poorna Swaraj as the main objective of Congress. 2- 26 January 1930 to be celebrated as Independence Day.

Question. Describe the Gandhi -Irwin Pact of 1931?
Answet : 1- Gandhiji postponed Civil Disobedience movement.
2- Irwin agreed to release all prisoners and allowed to make salt along the coast. 3- Gandhiji agreed to go to second round table conference.

Question. What was the attitude of the Indian National Congress towards the second world war?
Answet :1-Both Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru were against Hitler and Nazis. 2-They promised congress support to the war effort if the British in return promised grant India Independence after the war.

Short Answer type Questions

Question. Why did Gandhiji start Non-cooperation Movement? Why was it withdrawn?
Answet :To oppose Rowlatt Act.
- To undo the injustice done at Jalianwala Bagh.
- To support the Khilafat Movement.
- To attend Swaraj.
- Violence at Chauri-Chaura - He withdrew non co-operation movement because of the incident of Chauri-Chaura
- Gandhiji believed in non-violence.

Question. Explain the significance of Dandi March?
Answet : 1. Violation of Salt law- a monopoly of British and manufacturing of salt.
2. Large scale participation of women.
3. Civil law violated across large part of India.

Question. What was the problem of separate electorates? What was the disagreement between Congress and Dalits on this issue? Finally what solution to be of this issue?
Answet : Demand of separate electorates by the Dalits in which they wanted reservation in separate Electorates like muslims.
In 1931 in the second Round Table Conference Dalit leader Dr.B.R.Ambedkar said Congress does not represent the Dalits.
- He said Dalits are socially and economically backward. By separate electorate they can put demands of their rights.
- Gandhiji opposed the separate electorates.
- Finally Congress gave separate electorates to Dalits within the Congress.
8 Mark Questions

Question “Where ever Gandhiji went, rumours spread of his miraculous power.” Explain with examples.
Answet : 1-The ascetic life style,
2. Use of dhoti and charkha
3. Use of Hindi for communication made Gandhiji very pular.
4- Where ever he went rumours spread of his miraculous powers. a- Sent by King to redress the grievances of the farmers. b- Had power to overrule all local officials. c- Gandhiji was superior to the British.
5- Fight against untouchability.

Question. How was Mahatma Gandhi perceived by the peasants?
Answet : Known variously as “Gandhi baba”, “Gandhi maharaj”, or simply as “Mahatma”, Gandhiji appeared to the Indian peasant as a savior,who would rescue them from high tax and oppressive officials and restore dignity and autonomy to their lives.
Gandhiji’s appeal among the poor, and peasants in particular, was enhanced by his ascetic lifestyle, and by his shrewd use of symbols such as the dhoti and charkha.

Question. Explain the sources from which we can reconstruct the political career of Mahatma Gandhi and the history of National Movement of India.
Answet :  Auto-biographies and biographies.
- Contemporary newspapers.
- Official and police records.,
- Public speeches
- private letters.

Long Answer type Questions

Question. How did Gandhiji transform National Movement into mass movement?
Answet : 1. Simple lifestyle
2. Use of Hindi for communication
3. Role of Gandhiji in three mass movement.
4. Emphasis on Truth and non-violence
5. swadeshi, boycott and Swaraj.
6. Importance on Charkha and Khadi.
7. Upliftment of women, poor down trodden.
8. Hindu-Muslim unity
9. Abolition of untouchability.
10. Balancing each and every section of society.

Question. How was non-cooperation a form of protest?
Answet : Students stopped going to school and collages run by the government. Lawyers refused to attend court. The working class went on strike in many town and cities: according to official figures, there were 396 strike in 1921, involving 600,000 workers and a loss of 7 million workdays. The countryside was seething with discontent too. Hill tribes in northern Andhra violated the forest laws. Farmers in Awadh did not pay taxes. Peasants in Kumaun refused to carry loads for colonial official. These protest movements were sometimes carried out in defiance of the local nationalist leadership. Peasants, workers, and others interpreted and acted upon the call to “non-cooperate” with colonial rule. It entailed denial, renunciation, and self-discipline. It was training for self-rule.

Question. Source based questions:-
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Why the salt satyagraha?
Why was salt the symbol of protest? This is what Mahatma Gandhi wrote:
The volume of information being gained daily shows how wickedly the salt tax has being designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax which is at times even fourteen times its value, the Government destroys the salt it can not sell profitably. Thus it taxes the nation’s vital necessity; it prevents the public from manufacturing it and destroys what nature manufactures without effort. No adjective is strong enough for characterizing this .
wicked dog-in-the-manager policy. From various sources I hear tales of such wanton destruction of the nation’s property in all parts of India. Maunds if not tons of salt are said to be destroyed on the Konkan coast. The same tale comes from Dandi. Wherever there is likelihood of natural salt being taken away by the people living in the neighbourhood areas for their personal use, salt officers are posted for the sole purpose of carrying on destruction.
Thus valuable national property is destroyed at national expense and salt taken out of the mouths of the people.
The salt monopoly is thus a fourfold curse. It deprives the people of a valuable easy village industry, involves wanton destruction of property that nation produces in abundance, the destruction itself means more national expenditure, and fourthly, to crown his folly, and unheard-of takes of more than 1,000 per cent is exacted from a starving people. This tax has remained so long because of the apathy of the general public. Now that it is sufficiently roused, the tax has to go. How soon it will be abolished depends upon the strength the people.

Question. Why was salt the symbol of protest?
Answet : Salt was the symbol of protest because salt was used by everyone even by the poorest IndiAnswet :
In every Indian household salt was indispensable yet people were forbidden from making salt even for domestic use compelling them to buy it from shops at a high price.

Question. Why was salt destroyed by the Colonial Government?
Answet : The salt tax had been wickedly designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax which was at times even fourteen times its value, the Government destroyed the salt it could not sell profitably.

Question. Why did Mahatma Gandhi consider the salt tax more oppressive than other taxes? 2
Answet : Gandhiji considered the salt tax more oppressive than other taxes because salt tax was wickedly designed by the Government. The salt tax was at times even fourteen times its values. The Government destroyed the salt it can not sell profitably. Wherever there was likelihood of natural salt being taken away by the people salt officers were posted for destruction.