The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947 – Very Short Answer Type Questions
Class 8 — Social Science (History)
Chapter 8: The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947
NCERT-alignedVery Short Q&A
Prepared for
CBSE Class VIII
CBSE Board Examinations — Quick Guide
- Section A: Objective & Very Short Answer — factual recall and timeline.
- Section B: Short Answer — explain movements, causes and outcomes.
- Section C: Long Answer — analyse strategies, leadership and legacy.
Content Bank — Chapter 8
Key themes: Origins of nationalism; formation of INC; Moderates & Extremists; Swadeshi & Boycott; Gandhi’s Satyagraha; Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India; role of peasants, workers, women; print, symbols and timeline (1885–1947).
Topic 1: Origins & Early Organisations
1. When was the Indian National Congress founded?
1885.
2. Name one organisation active before the INC.
The Indian Association (founded 1876).
3. Give one economic cause of early nationalism.
Deindustrialisation and decline of traditional handicrafts.
4. Which class benefited from English education and helped spread nationalism?
The English-educated middle class (professionals, lawyers).
5. What role did newspapers play?
They created public debate and spread nationalist ideas.
Topic 2: INC — Moderates & Extremists
6. Who were called Moderates in the INC?
Leaders who supported petitions and constitutional methods (e.g., Gopal Krishna Gokhale).
7. Name one Extremist leader.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (also Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal).
8. What method did the Moderates prefer?
Petitions, dialogues and constitutional reforms.
9. What did Extremists emphasise?
Mass agitation and more assertive politics (Swaraj demand).
10. Which event strengthened Extremist politics in Bengal?
The Partition of Bengal (1905) and Swadeshi movement.
Topic 3: Swadeshi and Boycott
11. What did 'Swadeshi' mean literally?
Use of native/local goods (own country’s goods).
12. Which year saw the Swadeshi movement gain momentum?
1905 (after Partition of Bengal).
13. Name one tactic used in the Swadeshi movement.
Boycott of British goods and promotion of indigenous products.
14. How did Swadeshi affect students?
Students organised protests and boycotted foreign-made goods and schools in some areas.
15. Give one limitation of the Swadeshi movement.
Its impact was uneven and concentrated mainly in urban and literate areas.
Topic 4: Gandhi and Non-Cooperation
16. When did Gandhi return to India from South Africa?
1915.
17. What is 'Satyagraha'?
Nonviolent resistance or truth-force promoted by Gandhi.
18. Which movement (1920–22) called for boycott of courts and schools?
The Non-Cooperation Movement.
19. Why did Gandhi call off Non-Cooperation?
Because of the Chauri Chaura incident where violence broke out (1922).
20. Name one visible symbol promoted during Non-Cooperation.
Khadi (hand-spun cloth) and wearing of native dress.
Topic 5: Civil Disobedience Movement
21. What was the Salt March (Dandi March)?
A 1930 march led by Gandhi to protest the salt laws by making salt from seawater.
22. Which law did the Salt March challenge?
The British monopoly on salt and salt tax.
23. What were common acts in Civil Disobedience?
Refusal to pay taxes, boycott of courts, picketing liquor shops.
24. How did Civil Disobedience expand the movement?
It brought rural areas and new social groups into the nationalist struggle.
25. Name one leader imprisoned during Civil Disobedience.
Many leaders including Gandhi and Nehru were imprisoned.
Topic 6: Quit India Movement & World War II
26. In which year was the Quit India Movement launched?
1942.
27. What did the slogan 'Quit India' demand?
Immediate British withdrawal from India.
28. How did the British respond to Quit India?
With mass arrests, repression and banning of the movement.
29. Give one effect of World War II on Indian nationalism.
Wartime strains and British weakening increased calls for independence and bargaining power for Indian leaders.
30. What did many leaders do after Quit India was suppressed?
Organised underground activities, protests and secret communication networks.
Topic 7: Peasants, Workers, Women & Students
31. Name one reason peasants joined protests.
High land revenue, exploitation by landlords and economic grievances.
32. Where were early industrial worker strikes common?
Bombay and Bengal (industrial towns).
33. How did women participate in movements?
Picketing, protests, making khadi, and leadership in local campaigns.
34. Why were students important for the movement?
They organised boycotts, spread nationalist literature and energised protests.
35. Give an example of a peasant movement linked to nationalist politics.
Many regional tenant movements and later peasant agitations intersected with wider nationalist demands.
Topic 8: Methods, Print and Symbols
36. Name one symbol associated with the national movement.
The spinning wheel (charkha) or the tricolour flag.
37. How did print media help nationalism?
By publishing news, editorials and pamphlets that informed and mobilised readers.
38. What was the role of songs and slogans?
They unified people emotionally and spread messages quickly.
39. Why was nonviolence strategically useful?
It gained moral authority, mass participation and made repression by the British more controversial.
40. Name one economic method used by nationalists.
Boycott of British goods and promotion of indigenous industries.
Topic 9: Outcomes, Legacy and Independence
41. When did India gain independence?
1947.
42. Name one political outcome of the national movement.
INC emerged as the leading political organisation representing Indian aspirations.
43. What does 'mixed legacy' of the movement mean?
It brought institutions and identity but social problems like communalism and inequality persisted.
44. How did the movement change Indian society?
It fostered mass political participation and new national identities across regions.
45. Give one institutional legacy from the movement.
Growth of political organisations, unions and civil society groups that influenced post-independence politics.
Topic 10: Quick Facts & Revision
46. Year: Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
1919.
47. Year: Salt March (Dandi March)?
1930.
48. Year: Non-Cooperation Movement?
1920–1922.
49. Year: Quit India Movement?
1942.
50. One exam tip for this chapter?
Mention dates, leaders, methods and a short regional example in answers for clarity and marks.
Note: These 50 very short answer questions are strictly aligned to the NCERT Class 8 Chapter 8 syllabus and ideal for quick revision for CBSE exams.