Non-Cooperation & Civil Disobedience — Set 13

Correct Answer: D. 1934

Gandhi formally withdrew the Civil Disobedience Movement in April 1934. He believed the movement had weakened and that constructive work — khadi production, village development — was more productive. The Congress subsequently contested the 1934 elections and focused on legislative politics.

Correct Answer: B. Government of India Act 1935

The Government of India Act 1935, passed after the Round Table Conferences, gave provinces considerable autonomy with provincial elections and Indian ministers. Congress contested the 1937 elections and won majorities in several provinces, forming governments. However, the Act also contained controversial federal provisions that the Congress opposed.

Correct Answer: B. Britain declaring India a belligerent in World War II without consulting Indian leaders

The Congress ministries resigned in October–November 1939 because Britain declared India a belligerent in World War II without consulting Indian leaders. Viceroy Linlithgow simply announced India was at war without seeking the opinion of the elected Indian ministries. The Congress demanded a declaration of independence as the price of cooperation, which Britain refused.

Correct Answer: B. Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)

The slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' is most closely associated with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and its leaders Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru. Bhagat Singh popularised this slogan when he threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929. The HSRA represented the revolutionary socialist wing of the independence movement that differed from Gandhi's nonviolent approach.

Correct Answer: C. 1915

Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in January 1915. He had been in South Africa since 1893, where he developed and practised satyagraha for the rights of the Indian community. On his return, his mentor Gopal Krishna Gokhale advised him to travel across India and understand the country before entering politics — advice Gandhi followed for a year.

Correct Answer: C. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a moderate Congress leader and social reformer, was Gandhi's political mentor. On Gandhi's return from South Africa in 1915, Gokhale advised him to spend a year travelling across India to understand the country before entering politics. Gokhale died in February 1915 shortly after Gandhi's return, depriving the Congress of a major moderate voice.

Correct Answer: B. Drain of wealth theory — India's economic self-reliance

The boycott of foreign cloth symbolised the 'drain of wealth' theory — the idea articulated by Dadabhai Naoroji and R.C. Dutt that British rule systematically drained India's wealth. British textiles had destroyed India's indigenous handloom industry. Gandhi's promotion of khadi was an economic manifesto for Indian self-reliance as much as a political statement.

Correct Answer: B. Dual government with transferred and reserved subjects

Dyarchy, introduced by the Government of India Act 1919, meant dual government at the provincial level with subjects divided into 'transferred' (under Indian ministers responsible to legislature) and 'reserved' (under the Governor's control). The Congress considered this arrangement inadequate as important subjects like law and order, finance, and land revenue remained 'reserved.' This dissatisfaction was a key motivation for the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Correct Answer: B. A disease or bodily ailment to be rejected

In 'Hind Swaraj' (1909), Gandhi described modern industrial civilisation as a disease — morally corrupting, spiritually empty, and destroying human happiness. He argued that railways, modern medicine, and industrialisation were not signs of progress but symptoms of civilisational decline. Gandhi's critique was radical and differed sharply from Nehru's pro-industrialisation vision.

Correct Answer: B. Picketing liquor shops to discourage consumption

Picketing liquor shops — standing outside and persuading people not to buy liquor — was a common form of civil disobedience during the CDM. This targeted the British government's substantial revenue from liquor excise. Women were particularly active in picketing liquor shops in cities and towns across India.