Indian Freedom Struggle MCQs with Answers | 30 Important Questions with Detailed Explanations for Competitive Exams
Indian Freedom Struggle MCQs with Answers – 30 Important Questions with Detailed Explanations for Competitive Exams
The following 30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are carefully prepared for UPSC, SSC CGL, CHSL, Banking (IBPS, SBI, RBI), Railways, State PSC, CDS, CAPF, Insurance, CUET, and other competitive examinations in India. Each question includes the correct answer and an easy-to-understand, concept-clearing explanation.
1. Which event is generally regarded as the beginning of the First War of Indian Independence?
A. Partition of Bengal
B. Revolt of 1857
C. Non-Cooperation Movement
D. Quit India Movement
✅ Answer: B. Revolt of 1857
Explanation:
The Revolt of 1857 is widely regarded as the First War of Indian Independence. It began as a military mutiny at Meerut and soon spread across northern and central India, involving soldiers, rulers, peasants, and civilians.
Option Analysis
- A. Partition of Bengal (1905) – Incorrect.
- B. Revolt of 1857 – Correct.
- C. Non-Cooperation Movement (1920) – Incorrect.
- D. Quit India Movement (1942) – Incorrect.
2. Who was the last Mughal Emperor during the Revolt of 1857?
A. Akbar II
B. Bahadur Shah Zafar
C. Shah Alam II
D. Aurangzeb
✅ Answer: B. Bahadur Shah Zafar
Explanation:
Bahadur Shah Zafar became the symbolic leader of the Revolt of 1857. After its suppression, the British exiled him to Rangoon (present-day Yangon, Myanmar).
3. The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in:
A. 1857
B. 1885
C. 1905
D. 1919
✅ Answer: B. 1885
Explanation:
The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885 in Bombay by A. O. Hume, with W. C. Bonnerjee serving as its first President.
4. Who founded the Indian National Congress?
A. Dadabhai Naoroji
B. Allan Octavian (A. O.) Hume
C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
D. Surendranath Banerjee
✅ Answer: B. Allan Octavian (A. O.) Hume
Explanation:
A retired British civil servant, A. O. Hume, played a key role in establishing the Indian National Congress in 1885.
5. Which Viceroy announced the Partition of Bengal in 1905?
A. Lord Ripon
B. Lord Curzon
C. Lord Hardinge
D. Lord Canning
✅ Answer: B. Lord Curzon
Explanation:
Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal in 1905, officially for administrative reasons. It was widely opposed and led to the Swadeshi and Boycott Movements.
6. The Swadeshi Movement was launched in response to:
A. Rowlatt Act
B. Partition of Bengal
C. Simon Commission
D. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
✅ Answer: B. Partition of Bengal
Explanation:
The Swadeshi Movement encouraged Indians to boycott British goods and promote indigenous industries after the Partition of Bengal.
7. Who gave the slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it”?
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. Jawaharlal Nehru
C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
D. Bipin Chandra Pal
✅ Answer: C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation:
Bal Gangadhar Tilak inspired the freedom movement with the famous slogan demanding self-rule (Swaraj).
8. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place in:
A. Delhi
B. Lahore
C. Amritsar
D. Kanpur
✅ Answer: C. Amritsar
Explanation:
On 13 April 1919, General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
9. Which Act led to widespread protests and the Jallianwala Bagh incident?
A. Government of India Act, 1935
B. Rowlatt Act, 1919
C. Pitt’s India Act
D. Charter Act, 1833
✅ Answer: B. Rowlatt Act, 1919
Explanation:
The Rowlatt Act allowed detention without trial, leading to nationwide protests led by Mahatma Gandhi.
10. Who led the Salt March (Dandi March) in 1930?
A. Sardar Patel
B. Mahatma Gandhi
C. Subhas Chandra Bose
D. Rajendra Prasad
✅ Answer: B. Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation:
The Dandi March was a 24-day march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi to protest the British Salt Tax.
11. The Salt March marked the beginning of the:
A. Civil Disobedience Movement
B. Swadeshi Movement
C. Quit India Movement
D. Home Rule Movement
✅ Answer: A. Civil Disobedience Movement
Explanation:
The Salt March launched the Civil Disobedience Movement, encouraging Indians to openly defy unjust British laws.
12. Who founded the Home Rule League in India along with Annie Besant?
A. Bipin Chandra Pal
B. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
C. Lala Lajpat Rai
D. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
✅ Answer: B. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation:
Tilak and Annie Besant established separate Home Rule Leagues in 1916 to demand self-government.
13. Which freedom fighter founded the Forward Bloc?
A. Jawaharlal Nehru
B. Subhas Chandra Bose
C. Vallabhbhai Patel
D. Bhagat Singh
✅ Answer: B. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation:
Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Forward Bloc in 1939 after resigning from the Congress presidency.
14. “Give me blood, and I will give you freedom” was said by:
A. Bhagat Singh
B. Mahatma Gandhi
C. Subhas Chandra Bose
D. Chandrashekhar Azad
✅ Answer: C. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation:
This slogan inspired thousands to join the Indian National Army (INA) in the struggle against British rule.
15. The Indian National Army (INA) was reorganised by:
A. Rash Behari Bose
B. Mahatma Gandhi
C. Subhas Chandra Bose
D. Jawaharlal Nehru
✅ Answer: C. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation:
Although initially formed with the help of Rash Behari Bose, the INA gained prominence under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose.
16. The Quit India Movement was launched in:
A. 1930
B. 1942
C. 1945
D. 1947
✅ Answer: B. 1942
Explanation:
The Quit India Movement began on 8 August 1942, demanding an immediate end to British rule.
17. Which slogan is associated with the Quit India Movement?
A. Jai Hind
B. Vande Mataram
C. Do or Die
D. Inquilab Zindabad
✅ Answer: C. Do or Die
Explanation:
Mahatma Gandhi gave the famous “Do or Die” call during the Quit India Movement.
18. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were executed in:
A. 1928
B. 1931
C. 1935
D. 1942
✅ Answer: B. 1931
Explanation:
They were hanged on 23 March 1931, a day remembered as Shaheed Diwas.
19. Who threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929?
A. Chandrashekhar Azad and Rajguru
B. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt
C. Bose and Nehru
D. Lajpat Rai and Tilak
✅ Answer: B. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt
Explanation:
The bombs were intended as a symbolic protest, and no one was meant to be killed.
20. Which revolutionary organisation was associated with Bhagat Singh?
A. Ghadar Party
B. Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)
C. Indian National Army
D. Forward Bloc
✅ Answer: B. Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)
Explanation:
HSRA aimed to overthrow British rule through revolutionary activities.
21. The slogan “Inquilab Zindabad” became famous through:
A. Gandhi
B. Bhagat Singh
C. Tilak
D. Patel
✅ Answer: B. Bhagat Singh
Explanation:
Although coined earlier by Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Bhagat Singh popularised the slogan during the freedom movement.
22. Which leader is known as the “Iron Man of India”?
A. Jawaharlal Nehru
B. Vallabhbhai Patel
C. Rajendra Prasad
D. Lal Bahadur Shastri
✅ Answer: B. Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel earned this title for his leadership and role in integrating princely states after Independence.
23. The Simon Commission arrived in India in:
A. 1919
B. 1927
C. 1930
D. 1935
✅ Answer: B. 1927
Explanation:
The commission faced widespread protests because it had no Indian members.
24. Who said “Simon Go Back”?
A. Protesters across India
B. British officials
C. Gandhi alone
D. Nehru alone
✅ Answer: A. Protesters across India
Explanation:
The slogan symbolised nationwide opposition to the Simon Commission.
25. Lala Lajpat Rai died after injuries sustained during protests against:
A. Rowlatt Act
B. Simon Commission
C. Salt Tax
D. Partition of Bengal
✅ Answer: B. Simon Commission
Explanation:
He was injured during a police lathi charge in Lahore in 1928 and later succumbed to his injuries.
26. Which session of the Indian National Congress declared “Purna Swaraj” as its goal?
A. Bombay Session
B. Lahore Session (1929)
C. Surat Session
D. Lucknow Session
✅ Answer: B. Lahore Session (1929)
Explanation:
Under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted the goal of Complete Independence (Purna Swaraj).
27. India celebrated its first Independence Day (Purna Swaraj Day) before 1947 on:
A. 15 August 1947
B. 26 January 1930
C. 2 October 1930
D. 23 March 1931
✅ Answer: B. 26 January 1930
Explanation:
Following the Lahore Resolution, Indians observed 26 January 1930 as Purna Swaraj Day.
28. Which freedom fighter formed the Azad Hind Government?
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. Subhas Chandra Bose
C. Jawaharlal Nehru
D. Rajendra Prasad
✅ Answer: B. Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation:
The Provisional Government of Azad Hind was established in Singapore in 1943.
29. India became independent on:
A. 26 January 1950
B. 15 August 1947
C. 26 November 1949
D. 8 August 1942
✅ Answer: B. 15 August 1947
Explanation:
India gained Independence from British rule on 15 August 1947. The Constitution came into force later on 26 January 1950.
30. Which statement best describes the Indian Freedom Struggle?
A. It was fought only through armed revolution.
B. It combined constitutional methods, mass movements, social reforms, and revolutionary activities over nearly two centuries.
C. It was confined only to northern India.
D. It ended with the Revolt of 1857.
✅ Answer: B. It combined constitutional methods, mass movements, social reforms, and revolutionary activities over nearly two centuries.
Explanation:
The Indian Freedom Struggle was a broad-based national movement involving moderates, extremists, revolutionaries, peasants, workers, students, women, and tribal communities. It included constitutional agitation, non-violent civil disobedience, armed resistance, social reform, and political mobilisation, ultimately leading to India’s Independence on 15 August 1947.
Quick Revision Table
| Topic | Key Fact |
|---|---|
| Revolt of 1857 | First War of Indian Independence |
| Last Mughal Emperor | Bahadur Shah Zafar |
| Indian National Congress Founded | 1885 |
| Founder of INC | A. O. Hume |
| Partition of Bengal | 1905 |
| Swadeshi Movement | Against Partition of Bengal |
| Jallianwala Bagh Massacre | 13 April 1919 |
| Rowlatt Act | 1919 |
| Dandi (Salt) March | 1930 |
| Civil Disobedience Movement | Began with Salt March |
| Home Rule League | Tilak and Annie Besant |
| Forward Bloc | Subhas Chandra Bose (1939) |
| Indian National Army | Led by Subhas Chandra Bose |
| Quit India Movement | 8 August 1942 |
| “Do or Die” | Mahatma Gandhi |
| Bhagat Singh Executed | 23 March 1931 |
| Simon Commission | Arrived in 1927 |
| Purna Swaraj Resolution | Lahore Session, 1929 |
| First Purna Swaraj Day | 26 January 1930 |
| Independence of India | 15 August 1947 |
