Correct option: (b) Military expenditure and taxes increased sharply.

During the First World War, the British government spent huge amounts on the army. To meet this, it raised taxes, customs duties and war loans. Prices of essential goods rose sharply and common people suffered. Therefore, the war created a harsh economic situation for Indians.

Correct option: (c) Forced recruitment from rural areas.

The war created a demand for soldiers, so the colonial government resorted to forced recruitment in many villages. Young men were compelled to join the army, causing resentment in rural areas. There was no decrease in recruitment and certainly no self-government as a result of the war.

Correct option: (b) Truth, non-violence and self-suffering.

Gandhiji’s idea of Satyagraha rested on truth (satya), non-violence (ahimsa) and the willingness to suffer for a just cause. The aim was to appeal to the conscience of the oppressor and not to defeat him by violence. Hence, non-violent moral force, not weapons or secret plots, was central to Satyagraha.

Correct option: (d) Champaran – indigo cultivators’ grievances.

Gandhiji’s first major Satyagraha in India was in Champaran (Bihar), where he took up the cause of indigo cultivators oppressed by the plantation system. Kheda was about revenue remission for peasants, and Ahmedabad concerned mill workers’ wages. So only option (d) correctly matches the place with the issue.

Correct option: (b) Allowed detention without trial.

The Rowlatt Act authorised the government to detain political prisoners without trial and to hold secret trials without jury. This clearly violated basic civil rights. It neither granted freedoms nor reduced taxes, and it did not introduce democracy. That is why it was called a “black law”.

Correct option: (b) Amritsar, under General Dyer.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar, where General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a peaceful crowd without warning. The other options give wrong places or wrong officials, so (b) is the only accurate answer.

Correct option: (a) Status of the Turkish Sultan as Caliph.

The Khilafat issue focused on the future of the Turkish Sultan, who was regarded as the Caliph or spiritual head of Muslims worldwide. Indian Muslims feared that harsh peace terms after the war would weaken or abolish his position. It had nothing to do with partition of Bengal, the Simon Commission or the salt tax.

Correct option: (a) Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.

Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali were known as the Ali brothers. They played a leading role in organising the Khilafat Movement in India. The other pairs are important leaders but not linked to Khilafat in this way.

Correct option: (b) Peacefully refusing to obey unjust laws and institutions.

Gandhiji believed that British rule survived because Indians cooperated with it. If that cooperation was withdrawn in a peaceful and disciplined way, the Raj would collapse. So Non-Cooperation meant non-violent refusal to obey unjust laws, not violent action or closer cooperation.

Correct option: (b) Nagpur Session.

The Non-Cooperation Programme was endorsed at the Nagpur Session of the Congress in 1920. The Lahore Session of 1929 is famous for the Purna Swaraj resolution, while the other sessions are linked with different decisions.

Correct option: (c) Complete armed struggle against the British.

The Non-Cooperation Movement was firmly based on non-violence. It included boycotts of foreign cloth and government institutions and surrender of titles, but it did not approve of armed struggle. Any use of violence went directly against Gandhiji’s principles.

Correct option: (a) Kashi Vidyapeeth.

Kashi Vidyapeeth in Varanasi, along with institutions like Jamia Millia Islamia and Gujarat Vidyapith, was established as a national alternative to government-controlled colleges during Non-Cooperation. The other institutions were under British or princely control and not founded as part of the movement.

Correct option: (a) Peasants of Awadh.

Baba Ramchandra was a leader of the peasant movement in Awadh, where tenants suffered under high rents and oppressive landlords. Tribals in Gudem Hills followed Alluri Sitarama Raju, and other areas had different leaders, so option (a) is the correct match.

Correct option: (b) End of landlordism and reduction of rents.

For Awadh peasants, Swaraj meant relief from immediate economic exploitation: lower rents, no begar and less power for landlords. They were not thinking primarily of salt, industrialisation or dominion status, but of changes that would directly improve their rural lives.

Correct option: (b) Gudem Hills in Andhra Pradesh.

Alluri Sitarama Raju was a charismatic leader of tribal peasants in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh. He led a militant movement against forest laws and colonial authority. Champaran, Awadh and Dandi are associated with other movements and leaders.

Correct option: (b) Inland Emigration Act.

The Inland Emigration Act bound plantation workers to the tea gardens and made it difficult for them to move elsewhere or go back home. This legal restriction was a key reason for their discontent and their unique participation in the national movement.

Correct option: (c) Withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement.

At Chauri Chaura in 1922, a police station was burnt and several policemen were killed by protesters. Gandhiji was shocked by this violence and immediately called off the Non-Cooperation Movement, believing that people were not yet ready for a non-violent mass struggle.

Correct option: (c) Different social groups participated with different aims.

The national movement brought together peasants, tribals, workers, students, industrialists and others. Each joined with their own expectations and grievances. They were united in opposing colonial rule, but their definitions of Swaraj and their priorities were not identical.

Correct option: (b) Had no Indian members.

The Simon Commission, appointed in 1927 to recommend constitutional reforms, consisted entirely of British members. Indians saw this as an insult, as they were excluded from deciding their own political future. This led to widespread protests and the slogan “Simon Go Back”.

Correct option: (b) Lahore Session, 1929.

At the Lahore Session in December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its ultimate goal and decided to observe 26 January 1930 as Independence Day.

Correct option: (b) The Dandi March and breaking the salt law.

The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched in 1930 when Gandhiji marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi and broke the salt law by making salt from seawater. This symbolic act encouraged people across India to openly defy colonial laws.

Correct option: (b) It was a basic necessity for all classes.

Salt is a simple, everyday item used by everyone, rich and poor. The colonial government’s monopoly and tax on salt affected all Indians, so protesting against it made the movement more inclusive and relatable to ordinary people.

Correct option: (d) Joining the British army to gain concessions.

Civil Disobedience was based on non-violent defiance of colonial laws and boycotting British goods. Joining the British army would mean supporting the colonial state, not resisting it. Therefore, option (d) does not match the spirit or methods of the movement.

Correct option: (b) Gandhi–Irwin Pact.

Under the Gandhi–Irwin Pact of 1931, the government agreed to release political prisoners and Gandhiji agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and attend the Second Round Table Conference in London. The other pacts relate to different agreements and issues.

Correct option: (b) They wanted protection from foreign competition.

Many Indian industrialists hoped that an independent India would protect its industries from cheap foreign imports and give them favourable economic policies. They supported the national movement to weaken British economic control. They did not want more British investment or oppose self-rule.

Correct option: (a) Feeling that we all belong to the same nation.

Collective belonging refers to an emotional sense of unity, where people feel they share a common identity as members of a single nation. It is about shared history, culture and future, not just living in the same place or being forced to follow one culture.

Correct option: (b) Personify the Indian nation as a mother.

In Abanindranath Tagore’s painting, Bharat Mata appears as a calm, divine and motherly figure. This helped people to imagine the nation as a mother to be loved, protected and served, strengthening emotional attachment to India.

Correct option: (b) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

“Vande Mataram” was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and later included in his novel Anandamath. It became a popular national song sung at political meetings and rallies, inspiring people to love and serve the motherland.

Correct option: (b) Highlight the richness of local traditions and build national pride.

By collecting folklore, nationalists showed that ordinary people had a rich, creative culture. This helped counter colonial stereotypes of Indians as backward and encouraged pride in a shared cultural heritage, which in turn strengthened nationalist feelings.

Correct option: (b) Highlighted India’s achievements and unity in the past.

Nationalist historians wrote about India’s achievements in science, art, architecture and philosophy, and emphasised the long-standing cultural links among different regions. This challenged colonial views of Indian inferiority and gave people confidence that they could build a strong, independent nation.