Gandhian Era & Satyagrahas — Set 2

Correct Answer: C. 35% wage increase

Ahmedabad textile mill workers demanded a 35% wage increase during the 1918 Mill Strike. The mill owners were willing to offer only a 20% increase. Gandhi supported the workers and undertook his first fast to pressure both sides toward a settlement, which was eventually reached at 35%.

Correct Answer: D. First fast as a tool of protest

The Ahmedabad Mill Strike of 1918 is notable for involving Gandhi's first fast as a political tool. Gandhi undertook the fast to strengthen the resolve of striking mill workers who were wavering. The fast pressured the mill owners to agree to arbitration, resulting in a 35% wage increase for workers.

Correct Answer: A. Black Act

The Rowlatt Act of 1919 was popularly known as the 'Black Act' because of its draconian provisions. It allowed the British government to arrest and imprison any person suspected of sedition without trial or bail. This act provoked widespread outrage and led Gandhi to call for a nationwide satyagraha.

Correct Answer: B. Arrest and detain persons without trial

The Rowlatt Act gave the British government power to arrest and detain any person suspected of revolutionary activities without trial or bail. It was based on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee set up to investigate wartime sedition. Indian political leaders unanimously opposed this act, calling it a denial of basic civil liberties.

Correct Answer: C. April 6, 1919

Gandhi called for a nationwide hartal (general strike) on April 6, 1919, to protest against the Rowlatt Act. The hartal was observed widely across India and marked a significant escalation in the freedom movement. The protests and subsequent British repression created a turning point in the relationship between Indians and the colonial government.

Correct Answer: D. April 13, 1919

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, coinciding with the Baisakhi festival. General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed crowd gathered in the enclosed garden in Amritsar. Hundreds of people were killed and over a thousand wounded in this act of colonial brutality.

Correct Answer: A. General Reginald Dyer

General Reginald Dyer ordered the firing at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. He blocked the main entrance with his troops and ordered firing without any warning into the unarmed crowd. The massacre shocked the entire world and intensified Indian opposition to British colonial rule.

Correct Answer: B. Amritsar

Jallianwala Bagh is located in Amritsar, Punjab. It is an enclosed public garden that became the site of one of the worst massacres in British India's history on April 13, 1919. Today it is a national memorial commemorating the victims of the massacre.

Correct Answer: C. Udham Singh

Udham Singh shot and killed Michael O'Dwyer in London on March 13, 1940, to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who supported General Dyer's actions in 1919. Udham Singh was hanged for the assassination and is regarded as a martyr in India.

Correct Answer: D. 1920

Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the repressive aftermath of the Rowlatt Satyagraha. The movement called on Indians to boycott British goods, institutions, and titles. It was the first mass movement of its kind and mobilized millions across India.