Non-Cooperation & Civil Disobedience — Set 16

Correct Answer: B. It massively expanded Congress membership and restructured it linguistically

The Non-Cooperation Movement massively expanded Congress membership — the membership fee was reduced to four annas and Congress was restructured on linguistic lines at the 1920 Nagpur session. The Congress went from an organisation with a few thousand members meeting annually to a mass organisation with hundreds of thousands of members. This transformation was essential for future mass movements.

Correct Answer: C. Reduce civil service pay to bring them in line with Indian standards

One of Gandhi's 11 demands was to reduce the salary of civil servants, both British and Indian, to bring their pay in line with Indian standards rather than British scales. The colonial civil service pay scales were designed to be attractive to British civil servants posted overseas, making them disproportionately expensive relative to India's economy. This demand addressed the drain of wealth through inflated salaries.

Correct Answer: D. Both Dadabhai Naoroji and R.C. Dutt

The 'drain of wealth' theory was developed by both Dadabhai Naoroji (in his 1901 book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India') and R.C. Dutt (in his 'Economic History of India'). They argued that British rule systematically drained India's wealth through unrequited exports, home charges, and colonial economic policies. This economic critique provided the intellectual foundation for the Civil Disobedience Movement's economic demands.

Correct Answer: C. Constitutional petitions, resolutions, and speeches — the 'politics of prayers'

Before Gandhi, the dominant Congress strategy was the 'politics of prayers' — sending petitions and resolutions to the British government, passing resolutions at annual sessions, and making moderate constitutional demands. The 'Moderate' faction led by Gokhale favoured this approach. Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement represented a revolutionary break from this petitionary politics to active mass civil disobedience.

Correct Answer: B. Andhra Pradesh and Central Provinces

Forest satyagraha was a form of civil disobedience primarily in Andhra Pradesh and the Central Provinces, where forest communities violated British restrictions on collecting firewood, grass, and other forest produce. These violations addressed local economic grievances about British forest policies. The extension of civil disobedience to forest issues showed how the CDM adapted to regional and local conditions.

Correct Answer: B. To shame the opponent and awaken public conscience — the opponent's moral weakness is exposed

Publicity was central to Gandhi's satyagraha strategy because it exposed the moral contradiction between British claims of civilising India and the reality of brutally suppressing peaceful protest. When the world saw unarmed Indians being beaten at Dharasana, British moral authority suffered enormously. Gandhi understood that the real audience for satyagraha was not just the British government but world opinion and the conscience of the British public.

Correct Answer: D. All provincial legislatures

The Poona Pact provided reserved seats for depressed classes in all provincial legislatures, with a total of 148 reserved seats (compared to 71 offered under the Communal Award). Additionally, 18% of seats in the Central Legislature were reserved. The election was to be conducted through joint electorates with a primary election among depressed class voters to select candidates for the reserved seats.

Correct Answer: A. Simon Commission → Lahore Resolution → Dandi March → Gandhi-Irwin Pact → Poona Pact

The correct chronological sequence is: Simon Commission (1927) → Lahore Resolution declaring Purna Swaraj (December 1929) → Dandi March (March 12–April 6, 1930) → Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931) → Poona Pact (September 1932). This sequence encapsulates the key events of the Civil Disobedience era. Understanding this timeline is essential for answering chronology-based exam questions.

Correct Answer: C. Promoting disaffection through his writings in Young India

Gandhi was tried in March 1922 on the charge of 'promoting disaffection' through three articles he wrote in his journal 'Young India.' Judge Broomfield sentenced him to 6 years imprisonment but noted Gandhi's exceptional moral character. Gandhi was released in February 1924 on health grounds after an appendix operation.

Correct Answer: B. Young India

Gandhi published 'Young India' as his primary English-language weekly journal from 1919 onwards, during the Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements. He also published 'Navjivan' in Gujarati. These journals were vehicles for his political ideas, criticism of British policies, and explanation of satyagraha philosophy. The three articles in Young India were the basis for his 1922 sedition trial.