History · Civics Polity

Modern Indian History

7,703 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 gave the slogan ' Dilli Chalo'?

  1. Lal Bahadur Shastri

  2. Jawaharlal Nehru

  3. S. C. Bose

  4. G..K. Gokhale
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Subhas Chandra Bose gave the 'Dilli Chalo' slogan during his Indian National Army (INA) march toward Delhi in 1944. This slogan became a rallying cry for India's independence movement.

Multiple choice

The original name of Swami Vivekananda was

  1. Narendranath Dutta

  2. Batukeshvar Dutta

  3. Vivek Dutta

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

Swami Vivekananda's original name was Narendranath Dutta. He was given the name 'Vivekananda' after he became a sannyasin (monk).

Multiple choice

When did India annex Goa, Daman and Diu?

  1. 1954

  2. 1962

  3. 1961

  4. 1972
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

India annexed Goa, Daman, and Diu in December 1961 through military operation ending Portuguese colonial rule. Portuguese had refused to relinquish these territories after Indian independence in 1947. They became union territories until Goa gained statehood in 1987.

Multiple choice

Haryana was created out of Punjab in

  1. 1966

  2. 1972

  3. 1956

  4. 1958
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Haryana was carved out of the state of Punjab on November 1, 1966, on the basis of linguistic distribution. The division came after the Punjab Reorganization Act. Punjab remained a primarily Punjabi-speaking state, while Haryana became a Hindi-speaking state.

Multiple choice

Gujarat was formed in

  1. 1956

  2. 1960

  3. 1952

  4. 1947
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Gujarat was formed on May 1, 1960, when the Bombay State was divided into two states along linguistic lines - Gujarat for Gujarati-speaking people and Maharashtra for Marathi-speaking people. The division came after the Mahagujarat Movement.

Multiple choice

Who was known as ''Frontier Gandhi''?

  1. T.Prakasam

  2. C Rajagopalachari

  3. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan

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

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was known as 'Frontier Gandhi' (also 'Badshah Khan') due to his close association with Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and his work in the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan). He founded the Khudai Khidmatgargar ('Servants of God') movement. T. Prakasam and Rajagopalachari were other Congress leaders, but not associated with this title.

Multiple choice

Who among the following has been bestowed with the 'Gandhi Peace Prize' by the Government of India?

  1. Pope John Paul

  2. Nelson Mandela

  3. Bill Clinton

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

Nelson Mandela received the Gandhi Peace Prize from the Government of India in 2000 for his exceptional work in promoting peace and non-violent resistance against apartheid. The prize recognizes individuals worldwide who embody Gandhi's principles of peace and non-violence.

Multiple choice

Phukan Commission is related to

  1. Reservations for minorities

  2. Tehelka defence scandal

  3. Anti-Sikh riots of 1984

  4. Reforms in Civil Services
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Phukan Commission was a one-man judicial commission headed by Justice S.N. Phukan to investigate the Tehelka defense corruption scandal. The commission was appointed in 2002 to probe the defense procurement exposures.

Multiple choice

Who said, Give me blood, I will give you freedom ?

  1. Mahatma Gandhi

  2. Subhash Chandra Bose

  3. Bhagat Singh

  4. Chandra Sekhar Azad
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Subhash Chandra Bose famously said 'Give me blood, and I will give you freedom' in 1944 to inspire Indians to join the Indian National Army for independence.

Multiple choice

The capital of India was shifted from Kolkatta to Delhi in the year

  1. 1913

  2. 1912

  3. 1911

  4. 1910
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The capital of British India was officially shifted from Kolkata (then Calcutta) to Delhi in 1911 during the reign of Emperor George V, announced at the Delhi Durbar. The actual transfer of government offices was completed in 1912, and New Delhi was formally inaugurated in 1931. The decision was driven by strategic and administrative considerations, including Delhi's more central location.

Multiple choice

Administration of India was transferred to the crown, from the East India Company in the year

  1. 1911

  2. 1857

  3. 1858

  4. 1947
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British Crown assumed direct control over India from the East India Company through the Government of India Act 1858. This marked the beginning of the British Raj period, where India was governed directly by the British government rather than through the company's commercial rule.

Multiple choice

Mahatma Gandhi launched his 'Quit India' movement on

  1. January 26, 1932

  2. August 8, 1942

  3. December 15, 1942

  4. November 26, 1942
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Quit India Movement was launched on August 8, 1942, at the All-India Congress Committee session in Bombay. Gandhi's 'Do or Die' speech marked this decisive call for immediate British withdrawal, representing the final phase of India's freedom struggle.

Multiple choice

According to the passage, what is the main contribution of Mahatma Gandhi in the field of political education?

Directions: Read the passage to answer the question given below.
Political education may be defined as the preparation of a citizen to take well informed, responsible and sustained action for participation in the national struggle for the realisation of the socio-economic objectives of the country. The overriding socio-economic objectives in India are the abolition of poverty and the creation of a modern democratic, secular and socialist society in place of the present traditional, feudal, hierarchical and inegalitarian one.

Under the British rule, the congress leaders argued that political education was an important part of education and refused to accept the official view that education and politics should not be mixed with one another. But when they came to power in 1947 they almost adopted the British policy and began to talk of education being defiled by politics. ‘Hands off education‘ was the call to political parties of that time. But in spite of it, political infiltration into the educational system has greatly increased in the sense that different parties vie with each other to capture the minds of teachers and students. The wise academicians wanted political support, without political interference. What we have actually received is infinite political interference. This interference with the educational system by political parties for their own ulterior motives is no political education at all; and with the all round growth of elitism, it is hardly surprising that real political education within the school system (which really means the creation of a commitment to social transformation) has been even weaker than in the pre-independence period.

At the same time, the freedom struggle came to an end and the major non-formal agency of political education disappeared. The press could and did provide some political education. But it did not utilise the opportunity to the fullest and the stranglehold of vested interests continued to dominate it. The same can be said about political parties as well as about other institutions and agencies outside the school system which can be expected to provide political education. All things considered, it appears that we have made no genuine progress in political education in the post independence period and even slid back in some respects. For instance, the education system has become even more elite-oriented. Patriotism has become the first casualty. Gandhiji gave us the courage to oppose the government when it was wrong, in a disciplined fashion and on basic principles. He believed the means to be as important as the ends and taught us to work among the poor people for mobilising and organising them. Today we have even lost the courage to fight on basic issues in a disciplined manner because agitation and anarchic politics for individual, group or party aggrandisement has become common. The education system of today continues to support domination of the privileged groups and domestication of the underprivileged ones. The situation will not change unless we take vigorous steps to provide genuine political education on an adequate scale. This is one of the major educational reforms we need; and if it is not carried out, mere linear expansion of the existing system of normal education will only support the status quo and hamper radical social transformation.

  1. He spread political literacy among the people through non-formal political education.

  2. He emphasised the need of keeping education free from political interference.

  3. He taught us agitational and anarchic politics in a disciplined manner.

  4. He made us believe that our political end should be compatible with the means.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states that 'he believed the means to be as important as the ends and taught us to work among the poor people for mobilising and organising them'.