CBSE Class 12 – History

PART IV: Themes in Indian History – Part III (Modern India)

Chapter 13: Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Answers and Explanations

CBSE Board Examinations | NCERT Based

MCQs with Answers & Explanations

1. Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in

A. 1914
B. 1915
C. 1916
D. 1917

Correct Answer: B. 1915
Explanation: Gandhi returned to India in 1915 after successfully leading satyagraha movements in South Africa.

2. The term ‘satyagraha’ literally means

A. Struggle for power
B. Physical resistance
C. Holding on to truth
D. Religious protest

Correct Answer: C. Holding on to truth
Explanation: Satyagraha combined truth, non-violence, and moral force to resist injustice.

3. Gandhi’s first successful satyagraha in India was at

A. Kheda
B. Ahmedabad
C. Champaran
D. Bardoli

Correct Answer: C. Champaran
Explanation: The Champaran Satyagraha (1917) addressed the exploitation of indigo cultivators.

4. The main issue in the Champaran Satyagraha was

A. Land revenue
B. Indigo cultivation
C. Factory wages
D. Salt tax

Correct Answer: B. Indigo cultivation
Explanation: Peasants were forced to grow indigo under the tinkathia system.

5. The Ahmedabad Mill Strike of 1918 was related to

A. Farmers’ protest
B. Plantation workers
C. Textile workers
D. Railway workers

Correct Answer: C. Textile workers
Explanation: The strike involved mill workers demanding higher wages.

6. The Rowlatt Act was opposed because it

A. Increased taxes
B. Introduced censorship
C. Allowed detention without trial
D. Banned political parties

Correct Answer: C. Allowed detention without trial
Explanation: The Act violated basic civil liberties.

7. Which incident led to widespread outrage in 1919?

A. Chauri Chaura
B. Jallianwala Bagh
C. Bardoli Satyagraha
D. Simon Commission

Correct Answer: B. Jallianwala Bagh
Explanation: The massacre shattered faith in British justice.

8. The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in

A. 1919
B. 1920
C. 1921
D. 1922

Correct Answer: B. 1920
Explanation: It was launched to protest colonial injustice and demand swaraj.

9. Which of the following was NOT a programme of Non-Cooperation?

A. Boycott of schools
B. Boycott of courts
C. Armed revolt
D. Promotion of khadi

Correct Answer: C. Armed revolt
Explanation: The movement was strictly non-violent.

10. The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn due to

A. British repression
B. Failure of Khilafat
C. Chauri Chaura incident
D. Poor public response

Correct Answer: C. Chauri Chaura incident
Explanation: Violence at Chauri Chaura went against Gandhian principles.

11. According to Gandhi, Swaraj meant

A. British dominion status
B. Political freedom only
C. Self-rule with moral discipline
D. Military independence

Correct Answer: C. Self-rule with moral discipline
Explanation: Swaraj included ethical self-control and social responsibility.

12. Khadi was promoted to

A. Encourage industrialisation
B. Promote village self-reliance
C. Replace agriculture
D. Increase exports

Correct Answer: B. Promote village self-reliance
Explanation: Khadi symbolised swadeshi and economic independence.

13. The Civil Disobedience Movement began with

A. Bardoli Satyagraha
B. Quit India Movement
C. Salt Satyagraha
D. Simon Commission protest

Correct Answer: C. Salt Satyagraha
Explanation: Gandhi broke the salt law to launch civil disobedience.

14. The Salt March was from Sabarmati to

A. Surat
B. Bombay
C. Dandi
D. Ahmedabad

Correct Answer: C. Dandi
Explanation: Gandhi marched to Dandi to make salt illegally.

15. Salt was chosen as a symbol because it

A. Was exported widely
B. Was used only by peasants
C. Was a basic necessity
D. Was easy to manufacture

Correct Answer: C. Was a basic necessity
Explanation: The salt tax affected all Indians, especially the poor.

16. Which pact temporarily suspended the Civil Disobedience Movement?

A. Poona Pact
B. Lucknow Pact
C. Gandhi–Irwin Pact
D. Cripps Pact

Correct Answer: C. Gandhi–Irwin Pact
Explanation: It was signed in 1931 to reduce tensions.

17. The issue of separate electorates for Dalits arose during

A. Non-Cooperation
B. Civil Disobedience
C. Quit India
D. Home Rule

Correct Answer: B. Civil Disobedience
Explanation: It led to Gandhi’s fast and the Poona Pact.

18. The Poona Pact provided

A. Separate electorates
B. Adult franchise
C. Reserved seats within general electorate
D. Provincial autonomy

Correct Answer: C. Reserved seats within general electorate
Explanation: It avoided political separation of Dalits.

19. The Quit India Movement was launched in

A. 1939
B. 1940
C. 1942
D. 1945

Correct Answer: C. 1942
Explanation: It was launched during the Second World War.

20. Gandhi gave which slogan during Quit India?

A. Swaraj is my birthright
B. Do or Die
C. Inquilab Zindabad
D. Jai Hind

Correct Answer: B. Do or Die
Explanation: It called for complete commitment to independence.

21. The Quit India Movement was characterised by

A. Centralised leadership
B. Limited participation
C. Spontaneous action
D. Negotiated settlements

Correct Answer: C. Spontaneous action
Explanation: Leaders were arrested early, leading to decentralised protests.

22. Which social group participated actively in Gandhian movements?

A. Only elites
B. Only peasants
C. Peasants, workers, women
D. Only princes

Correct Answer: C. Peasants, workers, women
Explanation: Gandhian nationalism expanded mass participation.

23. Women participated mainly through

A. Armed struggle
B. Political office
C. Picketing and spinning khadi
D. Writing petitions

Correct Answer: C. Picketing and spinning khadi
Explanation: These activities symbolised non-violent protest.

24. Gandhi opposed violence because it

A. Was ineffective
B. Invited repression
C. Destroyed moral authority
D. Reduced participation

Correct Answer: C. Destroyed moral authority
Explanation: Moral force was central to Gandhian politics.

25. Workers participated in nationalist movements mainly through

A. Parliamentary politics
B. Strikes and protests
C. Armed rebellion
D. Tax refusal

Correct Answer: B. Strikes and protests
Explanation: Workers linked nationalism with economic demands.

26. Muslim participation was initially strengthened by the

A. Non-Cooperation Movement
B. Civil Disobedience Movement
C. Khilafat issue
D. Quit India Movement

Correct Answer: C. Khilafat issue
Explanation: It promoted Hindu–Muslim unity in the early 1920s.

27. One limitation of Gandhian movements was

A. Lack of ideology
B. Absence of leadership
C. Uneven participation
D. No public support

Correct Answer: C. Uneven participation
Explanation: Different social groups had differing interests.

28. Gandhian nationalism differed from early nationalism because it

A. Was violent
B. Was elite-based
C. Was mass-based
D. Ignored social reform

Correct Answer: C. Was mass-based
Explanation: It involved ordinary people across India.

29. The Second World War influenced Indian nationalism by

A. Weakening demands
B. Delaying movements
C. Intensifying independence demands
D. Ending British rule immediately

Correct Answer: C. Intensifying independence demands
Explanation: Britain’s war involvement exposed colonial weaknesses.

30. The overall significance of Gandhian leadership lies in

A. Military success
B. Diplomatic negotiations
C. Moral and mass mobilisation
D. Economic reforms alone

Correct Answer: C. Moral and mass mobilisation
Explanation: Gandhi reshaped nationalism into a moral, mass-based struggle.