NCERT Questions & Answers + Important Extra Questions
NCERT Textbook Questions
Explain: (a) Why growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to an anti-colonial movement. (b) How the First World War helped in the growth of the National Movement in India. (c) Why Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act. (d) Why Gandhiji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer
(a) In colonies like India, nationalism grew as a response to colonial exploitation. People from different communities, regions, and classes were united by their shared experience of oppression under foreign rule. The anti-colonial struggle gave them a common enemy and a shared goal — freedom. Colonialism itself created the conditions for unity by imposing common economic hardships (drain of wealth, destruction of local industries), common political subjugation, and a common identity as "colonised people."
(b) World War I (1914-18) created new economic and political conditions that fuelled nationalism:
(i) War led to massive increase in defence expenditure, financed by war loans and increasing taxes.
(ii) Custom duties were raised and income tax was introduced.
(iii) Prices of essential goods increased dramatically — doubled between 1913 and 1918.
(iv) Forced recruitment of soldiers in rural areas caused widespread anger.
(v) Crop failures in 1918-19 and the influenza epidemic killed 12-13 million people.
(vi) The war exposed the hypocrisy of British promises of self-governance.
(c) The Rowlatt Act (1919) outraged Indians because:
(i) It gave the government enormous power to repress political activities — it allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for up to two years.
(ii) There was no right of appeal and no need for a judicial process.
(iii) Indian members of the Imperial Legislative Council had unanimously opposed the Act, but it was passed anyway, proving that Indian opinion meant nothing to the British.
(iv) It was seen as a direct attack on civil liberties and democratic principles.
(d) Gandhiji withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 because of the Chauri Chaura incident (5 February 1922). A mob of peasants set fire to a police station in Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur, UP), killing 22 policemen. Gandhiji felt the movement was turning violent, contradicting his philosophy of non-violence (ahimsa). He believed that mass movements needed discipline and training, and that satyagrahis needed to understand the limits of non-violent protest before it could be resumed.
What is meant by the idea of satyagraha?
Answer
Satyagraha was Gandhiji's unique method of mass protest based on truth and non-violence. The word combines "satya" (truth) and "agraha" (firmness/insistence). Key principles:
(i) It emphasised the power of truth — if the cause is just, physical force is unnecessary.
(ii) It was about not seeking revenge or being aggressive but appealing to the conscience of the oppressor.
(iii) A satyagrahi wins by non-violence — not by physical strength but by moral superiority.
(iv) The oppressor must be persuaded, not forced, to see the truth.
(v) Gandhiji successfully used satyagraha in South Africa and later in India — Champaran (1917), Kheda (1917), Ahmedabad mill strike (1918).
Write a newspaper report on: (a) The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (b) The Simon Commission
Answer
(a) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919): On 13 April 1919, a large crowd had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to attend a peaceful meeting and celebrate Baisakhi. Many were villagers unaware of the martial law imposed by General Dyer. Dyer entered the enclosed ground with troops, blocked the only exit, and without warning, ordered his soldiers to fire on the crowd. The firing continued for about 10 minutes until ammunition ran out. Hundreds of innocent men, women, and children were killed, and over a thousand were wounded. People jumped into a well to escape bullets. The massacre shocked the nation, turning moderate Indians into firm nationalists. Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest.
(b) The Simon Commission (1928): In 1928, the British government appointed a commission under Sir John Simon to review India's constitutional progress. All seven members were British — not a single Indian member was included. This was seen as a deliberate insult to Indian self-respect. When the commission arrived in India in 1928, it was met with massive protests and the slogan "Simon Go Back" across the country. Lala Lajpat Rai led a protest in Lahore where police brutally charged the crowd with lathis; Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured and later died. In response to the Simon Commission, Indian leaders drafted the Nehru Report demanding dominion status and a constitution made by Indians.
Compare the images of Bharat Mata in this chapter with the image of Germania in Chapter 1.
Answer
Both Bharat Mata and Germania are female allegories of their respective nations, but they reflect different contexts:
Similarities: Both were used to create emotional attachment to the nation. Both depicted women in powerful, dignified roles. Both carried national symbols (flags, weapons).
Differences: Bharat Mata was depicted in various forms — Abanindranath Tagore painted her as a calm, spiritual figure wearing a saffron robe, holding books, sheaves of grain, and a white cloth (symbolising learning, food, and purity). In contrast, Germania wore a crown of oak leaves (heroism), held a sword (power), and had a more warrior-like appearance. Bharat Mata represented spiritual and cultural strength, while Germania emphasised military and political power. Different artists depicted Bharat Mata differently — some showed her with a trident and standing on a lion, others emphasised her peaceful, nurturing qualities.
List all the different social groups which joined the Non-Cooperation Movement. Then choose any three and write about their hopes and struggles to show why they joined the movement.
Answer
Groups: Middle-class intellectuals, urban workers, plantation workers, peasants, tribals, women, students, business classes.
(i) Peasants (Awadh): Led by Baba Ramchandra, peasants in Awadh were suffering under oppressive landlords (talukdars) who demanded excessively high rents, begar (forced labour), and multiple cesses. They wanted reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and redistribution of land. They formed Oudh Kisan Sabhas. However, the peasant movement sometimes turned violent — looting bazaars and attacking landlords — going beyond what Congress leaders envisioned.
(ii) Tribal/Plantation Workers (Assam): Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not allowed to leave the tea gardens without permission. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, they saw it as a chance for freedom. Thousands left plantations and headed home, interpreting "swaraj" as freedom from plantation bondage. However, they were caught and beaten by police at railway stations.
(iii) Business classes: Indian merchants and industrialists opposed colonial policies that favoured British goods and restricted Indian business. They wanted protection from foreign imports. Leaders like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G.D. Birla supported the movement and formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress (1920) and FICCI (1927). They supported the boycott of foreign goods but later became uneasy when the movement threatened to disrupt business.
Important Extra Questions
Describe the Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer
On 31 January 1930, Gandhiji wrote to Viceroy Irwin with eleven demands, including abolition of the salt tax. When the demands were ignored, Gandhiji launched the Civil Disobedience Movement with the famous Salt March (Dandi March).
On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji and 78 followers marched from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi (about 240 miles/385 km), reaching on 6 April 1930. There he broke the salt law by picking up natural salt, symbolically defying British authority. The march electrified the nation:
(i) Thousands began manufacturing salt illegally along the coast.
(ii) Foreign cloth was boycotted and liquor shops were picketed.
(iii) Peasants refused to pay revenue and forest laws were violated.
(iv) The movement spread across India — including tribal areas.
(v) The government responded with brutal repression — over 60,000 people were arrested.
The movement was temporarily called off after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931), where Gandhiji agreed to participate in the Second Round Table Conference in London.
Explain the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer
The Khilafat issue arose after WWI when the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) was dismembered by the Treaty of Sèvres (1920). Indian Muslims were angered because the Ottoman Sultan (Khalifa) was the spiritual head of the Islamic world. Leaders like Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali started the Khilafat Movement to defend the Khalifa's authority.
Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims against the British. In 1920, the Congress launched the Non-Cooperation Movement alongside the Khilafat Movement. The programme included:
(i) Surrender of titles and honorary positions given by the British.
(ii) Boycott of civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods.
(iii) Non-payment of taxes (if the movement spread sufficiently).
Effects: Thousands of students left government schools, lawyers gave up practice (including Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das), councils were boycotted in most provinces, and foreign cloth was burnt in bonfires. The movement was withdrawn in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident.
What were the limits of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
Answer
(i) Dalits/untouchables were largely excluded — Congress had been reluctant to address their specific concerns (temple entry, access to public wells). Dr. B.R. Ambedkar led a separate movement for Dalit rights and clashed with Gandhiji at the Second Round Table Conference. The Poona Pact (1932) was a compromise.
(ii) Muslims participated in limited numbers — some Muslim leaders feared Hindu majority domination after independence. The Congress and Muslim League relationship deteriorated after the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat alliance ended.
(iii) Industrial workers seldom participated — Gandhiji did not want to alienate industrialists who funded the movement, so workers' demands (better wages, working conditions) were sidelined.
(iv) The movement was largely middle-class led and did not fully address the concerns of peasants, tribals, and the poor beyond the immediate issue of colonial rule.
What was the importance of the Lahore Session of Congress (1929)?
Answer
The Lahore Session (December 1929) under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru was historically significant because:
(i) It declared "Purna Swaraj" (complete independence) as the goal of the Congress, moving beyond the earlier demand for dominion status.
(ii) 26 January 1930 was designated as Independence Day — people across the country took the pledge of independence.
(iii) Gandhiji was authorised to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement, which began with the Dandi March in March 1930.
(iv) This session marked a radical shift in the national movement's goals and strategy.