The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947 – Case-based Questions with Answers
Class 8 — Social Science (History)
Chapter 8: The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947
NCERT-alignedCase-Based Questions
Prepared for
CBSE Class VIII
CBSE Board Examinations — Systematic order
- Section A: Objective & Case-Based Questions — test interpretation of sources and contexts.
- Section B: Short Answer Questions — explain causes, actions and effects.
- Section C: Long Answer Questions — analyse strategies, regional differences and legacy.
Topic 1: Origins of Nationalism
Case 1 — Economic Distress
1. A village artisan lost work because imported machine-made cloth became cheaper. How could such economic changes contribute to the rise of nationalist feeling?
Answer: Loss of livelihood created resentment against colonial economic policies, pushing artisans and workers towards anti-colonial ideas and local leaders who promised change.
Explanation: Economic hardship made the abstract idea of unfair colonial rule tangible, motivating participation in protests and Swadeshi activities.
Case 2 — Role of Education
2. An English-educated lawyer read about liberty and rights and began organising petitions. Why was English education important for early nationalist leadership?
Answer: English education exposed Indians to liberal ideas, law and political organisation; it created leaders who could articulate grievances and use colonial institutions to press for reform.
Explanation: Educated professionals formed the initial core of the INC and bridged local issues with national demands.
Topic 2: Indian National Congress — Moderates & Extremists
Case 3 — Petition vs Protest
3. A moderate leader organised petitions while others favoured public meetings and boycotts. Explain how both approaches helped the national movement.
Answer: Petitions legitimised political demands and engaged legal channels; public meetings and boycotts mobilised mass opinion and applied pressure. Together they expanded reach and effectiveness.
Explanation: The mix of constitutional methods and agitation allowed new kinds of politics to develop and drew wider social participation.
Case 4 — Regional Impact
4. After the Partition of Bengal, mass meetings and boycotts spread rapidly in towns. Why did regional events sometimes spark nationwide responses?
Answer: Regional policies often symbolised larger colonial strategies; news via print and networks spread outrage, making local grievances appear as national issues.
Explanation: Print, student networks and political links transmitted events, allowing solidarity and coordinated campaigns across regions.
Topic 3: Swadeshi, Boycott & Methods
Case 5 — Swadeshi Shop
5. A shopkeeper replaced British cloth with khadi to support Swadeshi. How did such local acts strengthen the national movement?
Answer: Local adoption of Swadeshi spread economic self-reliance, showed community support, and made protest part of daily life, increasing visibility of the movement.
Explanation: Small economic choices collectively undermined colonial markets and built local ownership of the struggle.
Case 6 — Student Activism
6. Students organised meetings and boycotts in response to Swadeshi calls. Why were students often at the forefront of early activism?
Answer: Students were literate, organised and mobile; they read nationalist literature, formed networks and acted quickly to public calls for protest.
Explanation: Educational institutions became incubators for political discussion and leadership training.
Topic 4: Gandhi’s Methods & Mass Mobilisation
Case 7 — Moral Authority
7. Gandhi refused to adopt violence despite provocations and emphasised moral force. How did this strategy affect British responses and Indian participation?
Answer: Nonviolence made British repression appear unjust internationally and allowed mass participation by ordinary people; it raised the moral stakes of the struggle.
Explanation: The tactic broadened the movement beyond militants to peasants, women and workers who could safely join nonviolent actions.
Case 8 — Constructive Programmes
8. Gandhi encouraged spinning and village upliftment alongside protests. Why include constructive work in political campaigns?
Answer: Constructive work built alternative institutions, reduced economic dependence and modelled a self-reliant society, strengthening long-term support for political aims.
Explanation: It linked political goals with social change and demonstrated practical alternatives to colonial economic structures.
Topic 5: Non-Cooperation Movement
Case 9 — Mass Boycott
9. During Non-Cooperation many people left government jobs and boycotted courts. How did this weaken colonial administration?
Answer: Large-scale withdrawal of cooperation disrupted administrative functions, reduced tax compliance and signalled loss of legitimacy for colonial governance.
Explanation: Administrative effectiveness depends on local support; withdrawal made routine governance difficult and costly.
Case 10 — Chauri Chaura
10. After violence at Chauri Chaura, Gandhi suspended the movement. What does this decision tell us about the movement’s priorities?
Answer: It shows the movement prioritized the principle of nonviolence over immediate political gains and sought to preserve moral integrity.
Explanation: Suspension aimed to prevent discrediting the movement and to re-train participants in disciplined nonviolent methods.
Topic 6: Civil Disobedience & Salt Satyagraha
Case 11 — Salt March
11. Gandhi’s march to make salt was a small legal act but symbolic. Why was it so effective in mobilising people?
Answer: Salt was a basic commodity taxed by the British; breaking the law on such a universal item dramatized injustice and invited widespread participation.
Explanation: The simplicity of the act made it replicable across India and easy for rural populations to join the protest.
Case 12 — Rural Spread
12. Civil Disobedience extended into villages where people refused to pay certain taxes. How did rural involvement change the nature of the movement?
Answer: Rural participation widened the social base, made protests less urban-centric, and linked independence to everyday economic issues of peasants.
Explanation: Inclusion of villages brought new grievances into national politics and complicated colonial control in countryside areas.
Topic 7: Quit India Movement (1942)
Case 13 — Mass Arrests
13. The British arrested top leaders immediately after the Quit India call. How did this affect local resistance?
Answer: With leaders jailed, local activists led underground campaigns and spontaneous protests; leadership vacuum encouraged decentralised resistance but also made coordination difficult.
Explanation: Repression disrupted national coordination but showed widespread commitment as grassroots groups kept the movement alive.
Case 14 — Wartime Context
14. World War II placed strains on Britain. How did wartime pressures influence the dynamics of the Quit India movement and post-war negotiations?
Answer: Wartime resource constraints and international pressure weakened Britain’s ability to maintain empire; combined with persistent Indian resistance, this pushed British leaders to consider transfer of power after the war.
Explanation: Global decolonisation trends and Britain's post-war exhaustion made Indian independence more feasible politically and practically.
Topic 8: Role of Peasants, Workers, Women & Students
Case 15 — Peasant Tax Protest
15. Peasants refused to pay an increased land tax and organised non-payment. Why did peasant protests sometimes succeed where petitions failed?
Answer: Direct economic pressure affected local administration immediately; collective non-payment threatened revenue flow, forcing authorities to negotiate.
Explanation: Petitions lacked immediate pressure, whereas effective economic resistance could compel concessions quickly.
Case 16 — Women Picketing
16. Women joined protests and picketed liquor shops during Civil Disobedience. What was the significance of women’s visible participation?
Answer: Women’s participation challenged gender roles, increased moral authority of movements and mobilised households into public politics.
Explanation: Involving women broadened mass support and signalled social transformation beyond political goals.
Topic 9: Methods, Print and Symbols
Case 17 — Regional Newspaper
17. A regional newspaper published accounts of peasant suffering and organised readers. How did vernacular press strengthen nationalist mobilisation?
Answer: Vernacular press made information accessible, framed local grievances in national terms and organised readers to take collective action.
Explanation: Local language reporting bridged literacy barriers and helped leaders recruit supporters from diverse communities.
Case 18 — Symbolic Action
18. A village adopted the spinning wheel as a visible symbol of resistance. Why are symbols effective in mass movements?
Answer: Symbols communicate identity simply, foster unity and provide everyday acts (like spinning) that express political allegiance and solidarity.
Explanation: Visual and daily symbols help sustain movements by embedding politics into routine life.
Topic 10: Outcomes and Historical Judgment
Case 19 — Mixed Legacy
19. Historians call the movement’s legacy 'mixed'. Cite two positive outcomes and two limitations to justify this view.
Answer: Positives — political independence, mass political participation and institutional formation. Limitations — communal tensions leading to Partition, and persistent social inequalities and economic problems.
Explanation: While the movement achieved freedom and political change, social and economic challenges required later nation-building efforts.
Case 20 — Thinking Like a Historian
20. You are asked to write an evaluative paragraph: "Was Gandhi's approach the only reason India gained independence?" Outline a balanced answer.
Answer: Balanced answer: Gandhi’s nonviolent mass mobilisation was crucial but not the sole reason. Other factors — regional leaders, peasant and worker movements, WWII weakening Britain, political negotiations, and international pressure — also played vital roles.
Explanation: Emphasise plurality of causes; cite examples (Quit India, peasant struggles, WWII) to support a nuanced conclusion.
Note: These 20 case-based questions and answers follow NCERT Class 8 Chapter 8 and are ideal for CBSE-style practice and source-based questions.