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

Who among the following formulated the ‘Gandhi Plan’ in 1944?

  1. J. L. Nehru

  2. M. N. Rao

  3. M. Visheshvaraya

  4. Sriman Narayan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The 'Gandhi Plan' was formulated by Sriman Narayan in 1944. This was one of several plans formulated during the independence movement period, alongside the Bombay Plan (by industrialists), People's Plan (by M.N. Roy), and the Sarvodaya Plan (by Jayaprakash Narayan). Sriman Narayan's Gandhi Plan emphasized Gandhian principles of decentralized development and village industries.

Multiple choice

Who among the following introduced the concept of ‘rolling plan’?

  1. J. M. Keynes

  2. Gunnar Myrdal

  3. Harrod Domar

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

The concept of 'rolling plan' was introduced by Gunnar Myrdal, the Swedish economist and Nobel laureate. Myrdal's approach emphasized continuous planning with annual reviews and adjustments, rather than rigid five-year cycles. This approach allows for greater flexibility and responsiveness to changing economic conditions. India adopted this concept in 1978 during the Janata Party government's tenure.

Multiple choice

Which among the following events was the last to happen in the economic history of India?

  1. Publication of Sarvodaya Plan

  2. Formulation of Bombay Plan

  3. Formulation of People Plan

  4. Formation of Advisory Planning Board
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Among India's economic planning milestones, the chronological order is: Advisory Planning Board (1946-47), Bombay Plan (1944), People's Plan by M.N. Roy (1944), Sarvodaya Plan by Jayaprakash Narayan (1950). The Sarvodaya Plan was the last among these, emphasizing Gandhian principles and decentralized development. Therefore, publication of Sarvodaya Plan (A) was chronologically the last to happen among the options given.

Multiple choice

When was the Indian rupee devalued for the first time?

  1. In 1947

  2. In 1948

  3. In 1949

  4. In 1966
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Indian rupee was first devalued in 1949 when the British pound sterling was devalued, and India being part of the sterling area had to follow suit. This reduced the rupee's value from 1 shilling 6 pence to 1 shilling 4 pence per rupee. The 1966 devaluation was a later, more significant event.

Multiple choice

The Special Marriage Act was enacted in the year

  1. 1932

  2. 1947

  3. 1954

  4. 1956
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Option C is correct. The Special Marriage Act was enacted in 1954 to provide a secular form of marriage for Indians of different faiths or those wishing to marry outside religious personal laws. It came shortly after the Constitution (1950) and the Hindu Code Bills (1955-56), part of India's early post-independence legal modernization.

Multiple choice

The Preamble enshrines certain ideals that were first spelt out in

  1. the speech by J. L. Nehru on the banks of River Ravi

  2. the Nehru Report

  3. a resolution adopted by the Congress at its Karachi Session

  4. the objective Resolution adopted by the Constituent Assembly
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Preamble enshrines ideals first spelt out in the Objective Resolution adopted by the Constituent Assembly on December 13, 1946, and moved by Nehru. The Karachi Resolution (1931) dealt with fundamental rights, Nehru Report (1928) was a constitutional blueprint, and Nehru's speech on the Ravi was in 1929. The Objective Resolution specifically contained the Preamble's language and philosophy.

Multiple choice

The Constituent Assembly was an outcome of the

  1. Mountbatten Plan

  2. Cripp’s Mission

  3. Cabinet Mission Plan

  4. Government of India Act 1935
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

As a result of the partition under the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June, 1947, a separate Constituent Assembly was set up for Pakistan and representatives of some Provinces ceased to be members of the Assembly. As a result, the membership of the Assembly was reduced to 299 members.   

Multiple choice
Directions: In the following question, four statements are provided between an opening statement 1 and closing statement 6. The four statements are jumbled up and form a coherent paragraph when properly arranged. Select the alternative representing the proper and logical sequencing of these six taken together.
1. If the Indian national movement did not express the interests of the Indian people vis-a-vis imperialism, then whose interests did it represent?
A. Thus, the elite groups, and their needs and interests, provide the origin as well as the driving force of the idea, ideology and movement of nationalism.
B. But in each case, these groups had a narrow, selfish interest in opposing British rule or each other.
C. The national movement assert the writers of the imperialist school that it was not a people's movement but a product of the needs and interests of the elite groups who used it to serve either their own narrow interests or the interests of their prescriptive groups.
D. These groups were sometimes formed around religious or caste identities and sometimes through political connections built around patronage.
6. Nationalism, then, is seen primarily as a mere ideology which these elite groups used to legitimize their narrow ambitions and to mobilize public support.

  1. CADB

  2. ADCB

  3. CDAB

  4. BCDA
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

C follows statement 1 as it seeks to answer the question in 1. A follows C as A elaborates C further. 'These groups' in D refers to 'elite groups' in A, thus, D follows A. 'But' in B provides a contrary view to D, thus, B follows D. Hence, (1) is the answer

Multiple choice

The famous JVP committee was appointed in December 1948 to

  1. examine the case of establishment of secular polity in the country

  2. examine the issue of reorganization of states on linguistic basis

  3. determine the compensation to be paid to the rulers of Indian states, consequent to the merger of their states with India

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The famous JVP committee was appointed in December 1948 to examine the issue of reorganization of states on linguistic basis. Earlier in 1920, the members of the Indian National Congress had agreed on the linguistic reorganization of the Indian states as one of the party's political goals.[3] The Provincial Committees of the party were set on this basis since 1920. In 1927, the Congress declared that it was committed to "the redistribution of provinces on a linguistic basis" and reaffirmed its stance several times including in the election manifesto of 1945-46. 

Multiple choice

Arrange the following events in the correct chronological order in relation to the demand for state reorganization in post-independence India.

  1. JVP Committee appointed
  2. Jaipur Session of Congress held
  3. SK Dhar Commission appointed
  4. State Reorganization Commission formulated

  1. 2 3 1 4

  2. 4 2 3 1

  3. 3 2 1 4

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

After independence, the demand for state reorganization on linguistic basis was raised from different regions. To make an exhaustive study of the problem, the Government of India took following initiatives:

  1. SK Dhar Commission was appointed in 1947
  2. Jaipur Session of the Congress was held in 1948
  3. JVP Committee was appointed in 1948
  4. State Reorganization Commission was formulated in 1953
Multiple choice

Which of the following factors were identified by the Fazal Ali Commission that needed to be taken into account in any scheme for reorganization of states?

  1. Preservation and strengthening of unity and security of the country.
  2. Linguistic and cultural homogeneity.
  3. Financial, economic and administrative consideration.
  4. Planning and promotion of the welfare of the people in each state as well as of the nation as a whole.

  1. Only 1, 2 and 3

  2. Only 2 and 3

  3. Only 2, 3 and 4

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

The Fazal Ali Commission (States Reorganisation Commission, 1953) considered all four factors when recommending state boundaries: national unity/security (1), linguistic-cultural ties (2), financial-administrative viability (3), and welfare planning (4). The Commission's report explicitly stated these principles must be balanced together in reorganizing states, making 'All of these' the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Compulsory collective bargaining was advocated by

  1. G.L. Nanda

  2. Khandubhai Desai

  3. V.V. Giri

  4. Jagjivan Ram
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

According to Shri V.V. Giri, the late President of India, collective bargaining’s and mutual negotiations between management and labour should be used to settle industrial disputes.

Multiple choice

When did the office of the Registrar of Newspapers for India came into existence?

  1. 1958

  2. 1956

  3. 1947

  4. 1948

  5. 1949
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The office of the Registrar of Newspapers for India, popularly known as RNI came into being on 1 July 1956, on the recommendation of the First Press Commission in 1953 and by amending the Press and Registration of Books Act 1867. The Office of the Registrar of Newspapers is responsible for implementation of the Press and Registration of Books Act. The Registrar of Newspapers for India has its Headquarters at New Delhi. The Regional offices of RNI are at Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Multiple choice

When was the constituent assembly constituted?

  1. 1935

  2. 1946

  3. 1947

  4. 1940

  5. 1942
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The constituent assembly was constituted in 1946 under the provision of Cabinet Mission Plan to work as an interim legislature and to write our constitution.