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

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

Which of the following sentences imparts the meaning – “special relationship” with the UK.

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

The British exercised power over their American colonies until the Revolutionary War in 1776. After or at independence, both the United States and India fought wars of succession, classified as civil or international wars depending upon which side won. The Civil War in the US in 1861 resulted in victory for the Union forces of the north and defeat for the Confederate forces of the south but it also resulted in a ½ million or more deaths. The partition of British Indian Empire in 1947 resulted in the separation of Pakistan in the west from India in the east but it also resulted in a ½ - 1 ½ million deaths and 12-14 million refugees as Hindus fled from Pakistan and as many Muslims fled from India. “The exchange of populations between the two new states took on the characteristics of what is today called ‘ethnic cleansing’”.
Britain was not involved in the Indian conflict as it was in the American Revolution 171 years earlier. Perhaps that is why India is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations whereas the US is not. Indeed, the present Secretary-General is Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat. Fifty-four sovereign states are currently members of this voluntary association. And the US should at long last consider joining the club given its “special relationship” with the UK.

  1. The United States and UK are close friends and allies.

  2. The UK and U.S. are sworn enemies.

  3. The UK rules the United States.

  4. The UK once ruled both the U.S. and India.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
  1. Correct – As used in the passage “special relationship” means that the U.S. and the UK are close friends and allies.
    2. Incorrect – This is not stated in the passage. In the passage “special relationship” means that the U.S. and UK are close friends and allies.
    3. Incorrect – At one point this was true prior to the U.S. becoming a nation, but this is not true now. Hence, this is incorrect.
    1. Incorrect – This is true, but this is not what special relationship means in the passage. In the passage, it means  that the U.S. and UK are close friends and allies.
Multiple choice

Which word means separation from?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

The British exercised power over their American colonies until the Revolutionary War in 1776. After or at independence, both the United States and India fought wars of succession, classified as civil or international wars depending upon which side won. The Civil War in the US in 1861 resulted in victory for the Union forces of the north and defeat for the Confederate forces of the south but it also resulted in a ½ million or more deaths. The partition of British Indian Empire in 1947 resulted in the separation of Pakistan in the west from India in the east but it also resulted in a ½ - 1 ½ million deaths and 12-14 million refugees as Hindus fled from Pakistan and as many Muslims fled from India. “The exchange of populations between the two new states took on the characteristics of what is today called ‘ethnic cleansing’”.
Britain was not involved in the Indian conflict as it was in the American Revolution 171 years earlier. Perhaps that is why India is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations whereas the US is not. Indeed, the present Secretary-General is Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat. Fifty-four sovereign states are currently members of this voluntary association. And the US should at long last consider joining the club given its “special relationship” with the UK.

  1. succession

  2. partition

  3. exchange

  4. between
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  1. Incorrect – Succession means to occur in a series, whereas partition means separation from.
    2. Correct – Partition means separation from.
    3. Incorrect – Exchange means to swap or trade, whereas partition means separation from.
    1. Incorrect – Between means something that connects two things or people, whereas partition means separation from.
Multiple choice

What does the passage suggest the U.S. should do?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

The British exercised power over their American colonies until the Revolutionary War in 1776. After or at independence, both the United States and India fought wars of succession, classified as civil or international wars depending upon which side won. The Civil War in the US in 1861 resulted in victory for the Union forces of the north and defeat for the Confederate forces of the south but it also resulted in a ½ million or more deaths. The partition of British Indian Empire in 1947 resulted in the separation of Pakistan in the west from India in the east but it also resulted in a ½ - 1 ½ million deaths and 12-14 million refugees as Hindus fled from Pakistan and as many Muslims fled from India. “The exchange of populations between the two new states took on the characteristics of what is today called ‘ethnic cleansing’”.
Britain was not involved in the Indian conflict as it was in the American Revolution 171 years earlier. Perhaps that is why India is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations whereas the US is not. Indeed, the present Secretary-General is Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat. Fifty-four sovereign states are currently members of this voluntary association. And the US should at long last consider joining the club given its “special relationship” with the UK.

  1. Join the club.

  2. Join the British Commonwealth of Nations.

  3. Join India.

  4. Exchange populations.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  1. Incorrect – The passage uses this to mean the British Commonwealth of Nations. Hence, this is incorrect.
    2. Correct – The passage suggests that the U.S. should join the British Commonwealth of Nations.
    3. Incorrect – This is too vague and does not describe how the U.S. should join India. Hence, this is incorrect.
    1. Incorrect – The passage states that this occurred as a result of the partition of India. This is not what the U.S. should join India in.
Multiple choice

When the writer says the separation of Pakistan in the west from India, the writer means

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

The British exercised power over their American colonies until the Revolutionary War in 1776. After or at independence, both the United States and India fought wars of succession, classified as civil or international wars depending upon which side won. The Civil War in the US in 1861 resulted in victory for the Union forces of the north and defeat for the Confederate forces of the south but it also resulted in a ½ million or more deaths. The partition of British Indian Empire in 1947 resulted in the separation of Pakistan in the west from India in the east but it also resulted in a ½ - 1 ½ million deaths and 12-14 million refugees as Hindus fled from Pakistan and as many Muslims fled from India. “The exchange of populations between the two new states took on the characteristics of what is today called ‘ethnic cleansing’”.
Britain was not involved in the Indian conflict as it was in the American Revolution 171 years earlier. Perhaps that is why India is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations whereas the US is not. Indeed, the present Secretary-General is Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat. Fifty-four sovereign states are currently members of this voluntary association. And the US should at long last consider joining the club given its “special relationship” with the UK.

  1. that both Pakistan and India were once one country

  2. that India and Pakistan were separate countries

  3. that India and Pakistan were ruled by the British

  4. that India and Pakistan exchanged populations
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
  1. Correct – The writer means that both Pakistan and India were once one greater country called India.
    2. Incorrect – This is not what the writer means. The writer means that both Pakistan and India were once one larger country.
    1. Incorrect – This is not what the writer means. The writer means that both Pakistan and India were once one larger country.
    2. Incorrect – This is not what the writer means. The writer means that both Pakistan and India were once one larger country.