Early Nationalism & INC Formation — Set 14

Correct Answer: A. A. He was a leading moderate who represented Bombay's elite interests

Pherozeshah Mehta was one of the prominent moderate leaders of the INC, representing Bombay's Parsi and trading elite. He was a close associate of Dadabhai Naoroji and served multiple times as INC president. He was known as the 'Uncrowned King of Bombay.' He strongly opposed the extremist faction and helped expel Tilak's group at the Surat session in 1907. He represented the conservative, British-friendly wing of early Indian nationalism.

Correct Answer: A. A. Indians refused to buy British cloth, sugar, and other imports

During the Swadeshi Movement following the partition of Bengal in 1905, Indians boycotted British goods, especially Manchester cotton cloth. Public bonfires were made of British cloth. People wore homespun khadi instead. This directly hurt British commercial interests in India. The boycott had both economic effects and psychological importance — it gave ordinary Indians a way to participate in the nationalist movement through their consumer choices.

Correct Answer: A. A. Aurobindo Ghosh

Aurobindo Ghosh was sometimes called the 'Bengal Tiger' for his fierce, uncompromising nationalism. He was one of the most radical voices in the early 20th century Indian nationalist movement. He edited the newspapers 'Yugantar' and 'Karmayogin' which advocated complete independence. He was acquitted in the Alipore Bomb Case. After a spiritual experience in prison, he withdrew to Pondicherry where he became the renowned spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo.

Correct Answer: A. A. Self-government for India within the British Empire

The All India Home Rule League movement, started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant in 1916, had a key demand for self-government or 'Home Rule' for India within the British Empire. It was modeled on the Irish Home Rule movement. The leagues organized mass meetings and published literature across India. They contributed to a major increase in political awareness during World War I. The movement influenced the British August Declaration of 1917 promising progressive self-governance.

Correct Answer: A. A. It established a national political platform uniting Indians for the first time

The first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885 established a national political platform that for the first time brought together educated Indians from across the country to discuss political issues and present a unified front to the British. It laid the foundation for organized Indian nationalism. Despite its moderate demands, the founding of the INC was a landmark event in Indian political history. It began the process of creating a national political identity that transcended regional and religious differences.

Correct Answer: A. A. Bengal Gazette founded by James Hicky in 1780

The Bengal Gazette (also called Hickey's Bengal Gazette), founded by James Augustus Hicky in 1780, was the first newspaper published in India. It was British-owned but set the precedent for a free press in India. Indian-owned nationalist newspapers like 'The Hindu Patriot' (1853), 'The Bengalee' (1879), and later 'Kesari' (1881) followed in this tradition. These newspapers became crucial vehicles for spreading nationalist ideas.

Correct Answer: A. A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar

Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar co-founded the Deccan Educational Society in Pune in 1884 to promote Western education combined with Indian values. The society established Fergusson College in Pune. Tilak and Agarkar later differed on the role of social reform in nationalism. The Deccan Educational Society was part of a broader effort by Maharashtra's educated class to modernize India while preserving Indian cultural identity.

Correct Answer: A. A. An organization to lobby British Parliament for Indian rights

Dadabhai Naoroji established various organizations in London, including the London Indian Society and later the Indian Parliamentary Committee, to lobby the British Parliament for Indian political rights. These London-based activities complemented the INC's work in India. Naoroji's access to British parliamentary politics through his election as MP in 1892 gave him a unique platform to advocate for India. His work in London was crucial in internationalizing Indian political demands.

Correct Answer: A. A. Muslim agitation for Turkish Caliph that Gandhi linked to Non-Cooperation

The Khilafat Movement (1919-1924) was an agitation by Indian Muslims against the Allied treatment of the Turkish Ottoman Empire after World War I. Muslims wanted to preserve the Ottoman Caliphate (Khilafat) as the symbolic head of Sunni Islam. Mahatma Gandhi saw an opportunity for Hindu-Muslim unity and linked the Khilafat movement with his Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22). The combined movement represented the high point of Hindu-Muslim political cooperation in the independence struggle.

Correct Answer: A. A. He was the key leader who demanded swaraj through mass agitation

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the key leader of the extremist phase of the INC, alongside Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai (Lal-Bal-Pal trio). He demanded complete Swaraj through mass agitation, boycott, and swadeshi. He used newspapers ('Kesari', 'Mahratta'), the Ganesh festival, and the Shivaji festival to mobilize ordinary Indians. He was tried twice for sedition and imprisoned. His famous declaration was 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it.'