History · Civics Polity

Modern Indian History

8,125 Questions

Modern Indian History covers the colonial period, the freedom struggle, and key political movements. It includes questions on important leaders, the Indian National Congress, and social reforms. Mastering these questions is vital for clearing competitive government exams.

Indian freedom struggleIndian National CongressFamous historical leadersSocial reform movementsColonial administration

Modern Indian History Questions

Multiple choice

Arrange chronologically the given events during Lord Linglithgow's regime. 1. Lahore Resolution

  1. Deliverance day by Muslim League
  2. 1st General Election
  3. Forward Block founded

  1. 3 4 1 2

  2. 3 2 4 1

  3. 4 3 2 1

  4. 3 4 2 1
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Chronological order of the events of Lord Linlithgow's regime (1936-1944)

i. 1st General Election (1936-37)
ii. Forward Block founded in 1939
iii. Deliverance day by Muslim League 1939 iv. Lahore Resolution, 1940

Multiple choice

Arrange the following events of Indian National Movement in chronological order:

  1. August Declaration
  2. Kheda Satyagraha
  3. Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh
  4. Cripps Mission

  1. 2 3 1 4

  2. 1 2 3 4

  3. 3 2 4 1

  4. 1 3 2 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Here a student may commit a mistake by taking August Declaration as August Offer. In such a case, he/she will mark option 1 as the correct answer. i.    August Declaration (1917) ii.   Kheda Satyagraha (1918) iii.  Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh (1919) iv.  Cripps Mission (1942)

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose appropriate meaning of the words in bold as per their contextual use.

Mahatma Gandhi gave up all possessions and lived an austere lifestyle.

  1. rebellious

  2. simple

  3. indigent

  4. deprived
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Austere means severe or strict in appearance, manner, or attitude, but can also mean plain and simple, without luxury or comfort. In Gandhi's context, it refers to his simple lifestyle without possessions. 'Simple' best captures this meaning.

Multiple choice

Which of the following changes were rendered by the advent and development of the regional press? (I) Change in the attention bestowed in the news presentation and comments on contemporary events. (II) Concentration on regional or provincial politics. (III) Change from Central to State politics.

Directions: Read the following passages and answer the question that follows:

PASSAGE – II

Any survey of the Indian press cannot but reflect the different stages of growth and development that Indian democracy has gone through since independence. When freedom came, the press was proud of its role, as the bulk of the fraternity had actively participated or contributed to the awakening of the people through different phases of the struggle against foreign rule. The press, particularly those owned by the Indians, served as an auxiliary of the freedom struggle. With each phase of the national movement, it moved forward and faced the consequences for doing so.

The phenomenal expansion of the language press was mainly due to two reasons: political and technological. An overwhelming majority of the language press had grown up along with the struggle for independence, as its active organ. The political leaders, on their part, grew up into effective communicators in the freedom struggle. When many of the leaders of the freedom struggle days took over the reins of administration, it was but natural that the leaders of the newly-recognized State Governments should try their best to establish a rapport with the press, particularly the language press of the region.

This shift in the press focus to the politics of the regional or state level has also had an effect on the content of the newspapers. One of the features of our national press during the freedom struggle was the extraordinary attention to what is called foreign news as distinct from domestic news. The ownership pattern of the press has undergone striking changes in the last 60 years. At the time of Independence, most of the Indian language newspapers which participated in the freedom struggle or stood by it were poorly financed, with primitive printing arrangements.

After Independence, two developments took place: first, the Nationalist Press, though materially weak, got a boost and the new political elite became aware of the power of the press in the running of the new edifice of freedom.The second development was that most of the British - owned newspaper establishments sold off their assets and overnight these papers became Indian - owned. The change in the pattern of ownership entailed new developments in the newspaper world. Earlier, the newspaper-owners were mostly Nationalists, with a sprinkling of them taking up a moderate, liberal approach. The rest were all ardent supporters of the British Raj.

 

 

  1. I and II

  2. II and III

  3. I and III

  4. All of the above

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

All the statements could be easily inferred from the passage

Multiple choice

The unprecedented expansion of the language press was due to (I) the political and technological reasons (II) the effective communication of the political leaders on the freedom struggle (III) the good use of the organic bond forged during the freedom struggle

Directions: Read the following passages and answer the question that follows:

PASSAGE – II

Any survey of the Indian press cannot but reflect the different stages of growth and development that Indian democracy has gone through since independence. When freedom came, the press was proud of its role, as the bulk of the fraternity had actively participated or contributed to the awakening of the people through different phases of the struggle against foreign rule. The press, particularly those owned by the Indians, served as an auxiliary of the freedom struggle. With each phase of the national movement, it moved forward and faced the consequences for doing so.

The phenomenal expansion of the language press was mainly due to two reasons: political and technological. An overwhelming majority of the language press had grown up along with the struggle for independence, as its active organ. The political leaders, on their part, grew up into effective communicators in the freedom struggle. When many of the leaders of the freedom struggle days took over the reins of administration, it was but natural that the leaders of the newly-recognized State Governments should try their best to establish a rapport with the press, particularly the language press of the region.

This shift in the press focus to the politics of the regional or state level has also had an effect on the content of the newspapers. One of the features of our national press during the freedom struggle was the extraordinary attention to what is called foreign news as distinct from domestic news. The ownership pattern of the press has undergone striking changes in the last 60 years. At the time of Independence, most of the Indian language newspapers which participated in the freedom struggle or stood by it were poorly financed, with primitive printing arrangements.

After Independence, two developments took place: first, the Nationalist Press, though materially weak, got a boost and the new political elite became aware of the power of the press in the running of the new edifice of freedom.The second development was that most of the British - owned newspaper establishments sold off their assets and overnight these papers became Indian - owned. The change in the pattern of ownership entailed new developments in the newspaper world. Earlier, the newspaper-owners were mostly Nationalists, with a sprinkling of them taking up a moderate, liberal approach. The rest were all ardent supporters of the British Raj.

 

 

  1. I and II

  2. II and III

  3. I and III

  4. I, II and III

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Statements I, II and III are verbatim in the passage. Hence, (4) is the answer.

Multiple choice

The transformation that came to the media after independence was that (I) the Nationalist Press got a boost and made its presence felt in the maintenance of the newly won freedom (II) though weak in resources, yet the press enjoyed freedom of activity and independence they had never felt before (III) new developments took place in the newspaper world

Directions: Read the following passages and answer the question that follows:

PASSAGE – II

Any survey of the Indian press cannot but reflect the different stages of growth and development that Indian democracy has gone through since independence. When freedom came, the press was proud of its role, as the bulk of the fraternity had actively participated or contributed to the awakening of the people through different phases of the struggle against foreign rule. The press, particularly those owned by the Indians, served as an auxiliary of the freedom struggle. With each phase of the national movement, it moved forward and faced the consequences for doing so.

The phenomenal expansion of the language press was mainly due to two reasons: political and technological. An overwhelming majority of the language press had grown up along with the struggle for independence, as its active organ. The political leaders, on their part, grew up into effective communicators in the freedom struggle. When many of the leaders of the freedom struggle days took over the reins of administration, it was but natural that the leaders of the newly-recognized State Governments should try their best to establish a rapport with the press, particularly the language press of the region.

This shift in the press focus to the politics of the regional or state level has also had an effect on the content of the newspapers. One of the features of our national press during the freedom struggle was the extraordinary attention to what is called foreign news as distinct from domestic news. The ownership pattern of the press has undergone striking changes in the last 60 years. At the time of Independence, most of the Indian language newspapers which participated in the freedom struggle or stood by it were poorly financed, with primitive printing arrangements.

After Independence, two developments took place: first, the Nationalist Press, though materially weak, got a boost and the new political elite became aware of the power of the press in the running of the new edifice of freedom.The second development was that most of the British - owned newspaper establishments sold off their assets and overnight these papers became Indian - owned. The change in the pattern of ownership entailed new developments in the newspaper world. Earlier, the newspaper-owners were mostly Nationalists, with a sprinkling of them taking up a moderate, liberal approach. The rest were all ardent supporters of the British Raj.

 

 

  1. I and II

  2. II and III

  3. I and III

  4. I, II and III
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

“Although still weak in terms of resources, these newspapers found a free field of activity and independence that they had never enjoyed before” proves the validity of Statement II. Last paragraph supports the evidence for the statement III. Therefore, option (2) is the answer.

Multiple choice

In the Indian freedom struggle, 'Dandi March' marked the beginning of

  1. Quit India Movement

  2. Civil Disobedience Movement

  3. Swadeshi Movement

  4. Home Rule Movement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Dandi March (1930) was Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March, a direct action campaign against the British salt monopoly. This act of civil disobedience marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement, not the Quit India Movement (1942), Swadeshi Movement (1905), or Home Rule Movement (1915-16).

Multiple choice

The term 'Hindu Rate of Growth' was propounded by

  1. P. C. Mahalanobis

  2. Raj Krishna

  3. Amartya Sen

  4. Jagdish Bhagwati
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Economist Raj Krishna coined the term Hindu Rate of Growth in 1978, referring to India's approximately 3.5% average annual GDP growth rate from 1950 to 1980. The term, meant to describe the sluggish growth under planned development, was controversial and later abandoned after economic reforms accelerated growth.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. The Constituent Assembly held its final session on 24th January 1950 after which it ended functioning.
  2. The Constituent Assembly adopted the national flag on 24th January 1950.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is wrong: The Constituent Assembly held its final session on 24th January 1950. It, however, did not end, and continued as the provisional parliament of India from January 26, 1950 to the formation of new parliament after the first general elections in 1951-52. Statement 2 is wrong: The Constituent Assembly adopted the national flag on 22nd July 1947.

Multiple choice

The Government of India Act of 1919 introduced a system of separate electorates for

  1. Muslims
  2. Sikhs
  3. Indian Christians
  4. Anglo-Indians
  5. Europeans

  1. Only 1, 2 and 3

  2. Only 1, 2, 3 and 4

  3. Only 2, 3, 4 and 5

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This is a tricky question. It should be noted that it was the Government of India Act, 1909 that introduced the system of communal electorates for the Muslims by accepting the concept of 'separate electorates'. The Government of India Act, 1919, however, extended the principle by providing separate electorates for Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians and the Europeans. It did not introduce separate electorates for the Muslims, as they were already introduced by the Government of India Act, 1909.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are true in relation to the Mountbatten Plan?

  1. It dealt with the method by which the power would be transferred from the British to responsible Indian hands.
  2. It aimed at dividing India peacefully into two equal nations.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The Mountbatten Plan or 3rd June Plan dealt with the method by which the power would be transferred from the British to responsible Indian hands. Statement 2 is wrong: The Plan aimed at dividing India, but at the same time retaining maximum unity.