Indian Modern History Test 2

Solution: c)

The integration of the Princely States was preceded by an assurance that after the

dissolution of princely rule, the then rulers’ families would be allowed to retain certain private

property, and given a grant in heredity or government allowance, measured on the basis of the

extent, revenue and potential of the merging state. This grant was called the privy purse.

Solution: d)

Kandh Uprising (1837 – 56) – The Kandhs retaliated under Chakra Bisoi against the british efforts to put an end to the Kandh’s practice of human sacrifice (Mariah).

Kol Mutiny( 1831) – This covered Ranchi, Singhbhum, Hazaribagh, Palamau and the western parts of Manbhum. The trouble in 1831 started with large-scale transfers of land from Kol headmen to outsiders like Hindu, Sikh and Muslim farmers and money-lenders who were oppressive and demanded heavy taxes. The Kols resented this and in 1831, under the leadership of Buddho Bhagat, the Kol rebels killed or burnt about a thousand outsiders. Only after large-scale military operations could order be restored.

Santhal Rising – Santhals, an agricultural people, who had fled to settle in the plains of the Rajmahal hills led to the Santhal rebellion against the zamindars. The money-lenders who had the support of the police among others had joined the zamindars to subject the peasants to oppressive exactions and dispossession of lands. The rebellion turned into an anti-British movement. Under Sidhu and Kanhu, two brothers, the Santhals proclaimed an end to Company rule, and declared the area between Bhagalpur and Rajmahal as autonomous. The rebellion was suppressed by 1856.

Solution: d)

Bhagawati charan vohra is the writer of book philosophy of the bomb.

Solution: d)

Within India, social reformers from Punjab and Bengal exchanged ideas with reformers from Madras and Maharashtra. Keshav Chandra Sen of Bengal visited Madras in 1864. Pandita Ramabai travelled to different corners of the country. Some of them went to other countries. Modern social organisations like the Brahmo Samaj in Bengal and Arya Samaj in Punjab were set up. The All-India Muslim Ladies Conference (Anjuman-E-Khawatn-E-Islam) was founded in 1914. Indian reformers debated not just in public meetings but through public media like newspapers and journals. Translations of writings of social reformers from one Indian language to another took place.

Solution: c)

In introducing the Permanent Settlement, British officials hoped to resolve the problems they had been facing since the conquest of Bengal. By the 1770s, the rural economy in Bengal was in crisis, with recurrent famines and declining agricultural output. Officials felt that agriculture, trade and the revenue resources of the state could all be developed by encouraging investment in agriculture. This could be done by securing rights of property and permanently fixing the rates of revenue demand. If the revenue demand of the state was permanently fixed, then the Company could look forward to a regular flow of revenue, while entrepreneurs could feel sure of earning a profit from their investment, since the state would not siphon it off by increasing its claim. The process, officials hoped, would lead to the emergence of a class of yeomen farmers and rich landowners who would have the capital and enterprise to improve agriculture. Nurtured by the British, this class would also be loyal to the Company.

Solution: b)

• Gandhi was so thoroughly persuaded by Rajkumar Shukla, an indigo cultivator from Champaran that he decided to investigate into the matter.
• Gandhi’s method of inquiry at Champaran was based on surveys by the volunteers. The respondents who willingly gave statements should sign the papers or give thumb impressions.
• For those unwilling to participate, the reasons must be recorded by the volunteers. The principal volunteers in this survey were mostly lawyers like Babu Rajendra Prasad, Dharnidhar Prasad, Gorakh Prasad, Ramnawami Prasad, Sambhusaran and Anugraha Narain Sinha.

Solution: a)

In 1923, the first May day was celebrated in India in Madras.

1928 – Nehru Report

Dandi March – March 12-April 6, 1930

First Round Table Conference – November 1930 – January 1931

Solution: d)

The main proposals of the mission were as follows.

1. An Indian Union with a dominion status would be set up; it would be free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth and free to participate in the United Nations and other international bodies.
2. After the end of the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution. Members of this assembly would be partly elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation and partly nominated by the princes.
3. The British government would accept the new constitution subject to two conditions: (i) any province not willing to join the Union could have a separate constitution and form a separate Union, and (ii) the new constitution making body and the British government would negotiate a treaty to effect the transfer of power and to safeguard racial and religious minorities.
4. In the meantime, defence of India would remain in British hands and the governor-general’s powers would remain intact.

Solution: c)

Delhi – General Bakht Khan

Bihar – Kunwar Singh

Solution: a)

Sir John Shore followed a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of the native states and adopted a policy of strict neutrality.

Answer – c

Among the numerous tribal revolts, the Santhal hool or uprising was the most massive. The Santhals, who live in the area between Bhagalpur and Rajmahal, known as Daman-i-koh, rose in revolt; made a determined attempt to expel the outsiders — the dikus — and proclaimed the complete ‘annihilation’ of the alien regime. Sido and Kanhu, the principal rebel leaders, claimed that Thakur (God) had communicated with them and told them to take up arms and fight for independence.

Source – Chapter 2, India’s struggle for independence

Answer – a

The answer is obivious

Source – Chapter 6, Bipan Chandra

GS 1 – Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues

• The above excerpt represents the direction of socio-religious movement. At the core of the movement, there was underlying patriotic feeling to unite the people on the modern plane of nationalism and strive ofr common good, which in turn laid the foundation for nationalist struggle.
• British conquest and the consequent dissemination of colonial culture and ideology had led to an inevitable introspection about the strengths and weaknesses of indigenous culture and institutions. This can also be asked to probe.

Answer – b

• It was the more active members of the Home Rule League in U.P. who initiated the process of the organization of the peasants of the province on modern lines into kisan sabhas.
• The U.P. Kisan Sabha was set up in February 1918 through the efforts of Gauri Shankar Misra and Indra Narain Dwivedi, and with the support of Madan Mohan Malaviya. The U.P. Kisan Sabha demonstrated considerable activity, and by June 1919 had established at least 450 branches in 173 tehsils of the province.

Source – Chapter 16, Bipan Chandra

GS 1 – Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues

• Peasant movement is a critical component of Indian national movement for many reasons, one being radicalising the movement under Gandhi by broadening the base. Therefore questions on its evolution are on the anvil always.
• Appreciating the linkage between kisan movement, which is generally considered leftist, and personalities like Madan Mohan Malviya, Gandhi etc who were not leftists is important to have the good picture of modern history of India and its complexities.

GS 3 – Land reforms

• As an administrator, a public servant is supposed to understand the nuances of the farming community which is vulnerable, of which history plays a major part. They can be invoked in answers here on land reforms.

Answer – d

• After a few months’ tussle with the Government, the Congress Working Committee decided to accept office under the Act of 1935.
• During July, it formed Ministries in six provinces: Madras, Bombay, Central Provinces, Orissa, Bihar and U.P..
• Later, Congress Ministries were also formed in the NorthWest Frontier Province and Assam.
• Bengal and Punjab were not ruled by Congress

Source – Chapter 16, Bipan Chandra

GS 1 – Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues

• Congress has formed the governments for the first time and therefore there can be question on its significance on the politics of the country from 1940s till 1960s when Congress remained dominant. One is expected to cover all aspects, whether political ( including the fear of provincialisation of Congress and thus weakness of national unity), economic, social of the influence that 1937 had.

Answer – d

• Congress could not attempt a complete overhaul of the agrarian structure by completely eliminating the zamindari
• According to the constitutional structure of the 1935 Act, the provincial Ministries did not have enough powers to do so. They also suffered from an extreme lack of financial resources, for the lion’s share of India’s revenues was appropriated by the Government of India.
• The strategy of class adjustment also forebade it. A multi-class movement could develop only by balancing or adjusting various, mutually clashing class interests. To unite all the Indian people in their struggle against colonialism, the main enemy of the time, it was necessary to make such an adjustment
• Further, nearly all the Congress-run states (that is, U.P., Bihar, Bombay, Madras and Assam) had reactionary second chambers in the form of legislative councils, which were elected on a very narrow franchise — while the number of voters for the assemblies in these states was over 17.5 million, it was less than 70 thousand for the second chambers. These were, therefore, dominated by landlords, capitalists and moneylenders, with the Congress forming a small minority.

Source – Chapter 26, Bipan Chandra

GS 1 – Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues

• The reasons stated above have been true after independence as well.

Answer – c

• The defence of the INA prisoners was taken up by the Congress and Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru, K.N. Katju, Nehru and Asaf Ali appeared in court at the historic Red Fort trials.
• The Congress organised an INA Relief and Enquiry Committee, which provided small sums of money and food to the men on their release, and attempted, though with marginal success, to secure
  employment for these men.
• The Congress authorized the Central INA Fund Committee, the Mayor’s Fund in Bombay, the AICC and the PCC offices and Sarat Bose to collect funds,
• Source – Chapter 36, Bipan Chandra

GS 1 – Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues

• Tej Bahadur Sapru was the new generation moderate in Gandhian phase of struggle. He was a constitutionalist and was a member of Liberal Party of India. A question can be framed on the role of classic liberals in the Gandhian phase.

Answer – d

• Bombay Association and Madras Native Association had become reactionary and moribund
• Younger men of Madras — M. Viraraghavachariar, G. Subramaniya Iyer, P. Ananda Charlu and others — formed the Madras Mahajan Sabha in 1884.
• In Bombay, the more militant intellectuals like K.T. Telang and Pherozeshah Mehta broke away from older leaders like Dadabhai Framji and Dinshaw Petit on political grounds and formed the Bombay Presidency Association in 1885.

Answer – b

• Younger men of Madras — M. Viraraghavachariar, G. Subramaniya Iyer, P. Ananda Charlu and others — formed the Madras Mahajan Sabha in 1884.
• In Bombay, the more militant intellectuals like K.T. Telang and Pherozeshah Mehta broke away from older leaders like Dadabhai Framji and Dinshaw Petit on political grounds and formed the Bombay Presidency Association in 1885.
• Among the older associations only the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha carried on as before. But, then, it was already in the hands of nationalist intellectuals

Answer – d

• A sign of new political life in the country was the coming into existence during the years of 1880s when Congress was formed with nearly all the major nationalist newspapers which were to dominate the Indian scene till 1918 — The Hindu, Tribune, Bengalee, Mahratta and The one exception was the Amrita Bazar Patrikawhich was already edited by new and younger men.

Answer – a

• Gandhiji decided that for the first year he would not take a public stand on any political issue. He spent the year travelling around the country, seeing things for himself, and in organizing his ashram in Ahmedabad where he, and his devoted band of followers who had come with him from South Africa, would lead a community life. The next year as well, he continued to maintain his distance from political affairs, including the Home Rule Movement that was gathering momentum at this time.
• His faith in ‘Moderate’ methods was long eroded, nor did he agree with the Home Rulers that the best time to agitate for Home Rule was when the British were in difficulty because of the First World War.