The History of the Indian Freedom Struggle (1857–1947) encompasses nearly a century of resistance, political mobilization, and profound transformation against British colonial rule. Beginning with the widespread uprisings of the 1857 Revolt, the movement evolved through the moderate constitutionalism of the early Indian National Congress, the militant nationalism of the Swadeshi era, and the mass-mobilization campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi through civil disobedience and non-cooperation. Parallel streams of revolutionary socialism and armed resistance via the Indian National Army (INA) ultimately culminated in the hard-won independence and partition of the subcontinent in August 1947.
1. Who was the first martyr of the Revolt of 1857?
Correct Answer: b) Mangal Pandey
Explanation:
Mangal Pandey was a sepoy in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry who rebelled against the British East India Company, sparking the Revolt of 1857.
2. Who was declared the Emperor of India during the 1857 Rebellion?
Correct Answer: c) Bahadur Shah II
Explanation:
The rebellious sepoys marched to Delhi and proclaimed the aging Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) as the Emperor of Hindustan.
3. Which leader led the Revolt of 1857 in Jhansi?
Correct Answer: b) Rani Lakshmibai
Explanation:
Rani Lakshmibai famously led the rebellion in Jhansi after the British annexed her state using the Doctrine of Lapse.
4. Who authored the book 'The Indian War of Independence 1857'?
Correct Answer: a) V.D. Savarkar
Explanation:
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar published this book in 1909, describing the 1857 uprising as the first organized struggle for independence.
5. Who was the Governor-General of India during the 1857 Revolt?
Correct Answer: b) Lord Canning
Explanation:
Lord Canning was the Governor-General during the 1857 uprising and became the first Viceroy of India after the Government of India Act 1858.
6. The Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) was led by whom?
Correct Answer: b) Sidhu and Kanhu
Explanation:
The Santhal rebellion against the British and the Zamindari system was led by four brothers: Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand, and Bhairav.
7. The Sanyasi Rebellion is heavily featured in which famous novel?
Correct Answer: b) Anandamath
Explanation:
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel 'Anandamath' was set in the background of the Sanyasi Rebellion and contains the song 'Vande Mataram'.
8. The Indigo Revolt (1859) primarily took place in which region?
Correct Answer: c) Bengal
Explanation:
The Indigo Revolt was a peasant movement in Bengal where farmers refused to grow indigo under the oppressive terms of European planters.
9. Who founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828?
Correct Answer: d) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Explanation:
Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj to reform Hindu society, fighting against practices like Sati and idol worship.
10. Who was the founder of the Arya Samaj?
Correct Answer: a) Swami Dayanand Saraswati
Explanation:
Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 with the motto 'Go back to the Vedas'.
11. Who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj to secure human rights and social justice for low-caste people?
Correct Answer: b) Jyotirao Phule
Explanation:
Jyotirao Phule established the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth Seekers' Society) in 1873 in Pune to eradicate caste discrimination.
12. In which year was the Indian National Congress (INC) founded?
Correct Answer: b) 1885
Explanation:
The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 in Bombay, serving as a pivotal organization in the Indian independence movement.
13. Who was the first President of the Indian National Congress?
Correct Answer: b) W.C. Bonnerjee
Explanation:
Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided over the first session of the INC held in Bombay in 1885.
14. Who was the British civil servant that helped found the Indian National Congress?
Correct Answer: b) Allan Octavian Hume
Explanation:
A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, played a key role in founding the INC to provide a safety valve for Indian political ambitions.
15. Who was the Viceroy of India when the Indian National Congress was formed?
Correct Answer: c) Lord Dufferin
Explanation:
Lord Dufferin was the Viceroy of India from 1884 to 1888, encompassing the time when the INC was founded in 1885.
16. Who was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress?
Correct Answer: b) Badruddin Tyabji
Explanation:
Badruddin Tyabji presided over the third session of the INC held in Madras in 1887, becoming its first Muslim President.
17. Who was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress?
Correct Answer: b) Annie Besant
Explanation:
Annie Besant, a British socialist and theosophist, became the first woman President of the INC at the Calcutta session in 1917.
18. In which year did the Partition of Bengal take place?
Correct Answer: b) 1905
Explanation:
The Partition of Bengal was announced by Lord Curzon in July 1905 and implemented in October 1905, leading to widespread protests.
19. Which British Viceroy was responsible for the Partition of Bengal?
Correct Answer: c) Lord Curzon
Explanation:
Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal ostensibly for administrative efficiency, but the actual motive was to divide the nationalist movement on religious lines.
20. The Swadeshi Movement was launched as a direct reaction to which event?
Correct Answer: b) The Partition of Bengal
Explanation:
The Swadeshi Movement involved boycotting British goods and promoting domestic products in protest against the Partition of Bengal in 1905.
21. In which year did the historic 'Surat Split' of the Indian National Congress occur?
Correct Answer: b) 1907
Explanation:
The Surat Split in 1907 divided the INC into two factions: the Moderates and the Extremists, over ideological differences and methods of protest.
22. Who famously declared, 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'?
Correct Answer: c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation:
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a prominent Extremist leader, gave this famous slogan to inspire Indians to fight for self-rule.
23. Who was NOT a part of the famous 'Lal-Bal-Pal' triumvirate?
Correct Answer: d) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Explanation:
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a prominent Moderate leader, whereas Lal (Lala Lajpat Rai), Bal (Bal Gangadhar Tilak), and Pal (Bipin Chandra Pal) were Extremists.
24. Who founded the Ghadar Party in San Francisco in 1913?
Correct Answer: b) Lala Hardayal
Explanation:
Lala Hardayal, along with Sohan Singh Bhakna, founded the Ghadar Party in the USA to organize an armed rebellion against British rule in India.
25. Who launched the Home Rule League movement in India alongside Annie Besant?
Correct Answer: c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation:
In 1916, two Home Rule Leagues were launched separately by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in April and Annie Besant in September to demand self-government.
26. The Lucknow Pact of 1916 was an agreement between the INC and which other organization?
Correct Answer: b) The Muslim League
Explanation:
The Lucknow Pact was a joint agreement between the INC and the Muslim League to present a united front to the British for constitutional reforms.
27. Whom did Mahatma Gandhi consider his political guru?
Correct Answer: c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Explanation:
Gandhi regarded Gokhale as his political mentor, and on Gokhale's advice, Gandhi spent his first year in India touring the country to understand it.
28. In which year did Mahatma Gandhi return to India from South Africa?
Correct Answer: b) 1915
Explanation:
Gandhi returned to India on January 9, 1915. This date is now celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
29. What was the first Satyagraha movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in India?
Correct Answer: c) Champaran Satyagraha
Explanation:
In 1917, Gandhi led the Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar to support indigo farmers protesting against the oppressive tinkathia system.
30. During which event did Mahatma Gandhi use hunger strike as a weapon for the first time?
Correct Answer: c) Ahmedabad Mill Strike
Explanation:
In 1918, Gandhi undertook a hunger strike in support of the cotton mill workers in Ahmedabad demanding a plague bonus.
31. The infamous Rowlatt Act was passed in which year?
Correct Answer: c) 1919
Explanation:
Passed in March 1919, the Rowlatt Act allowed the British government to arrest and imprison anyone without trial, leading to nationwide protests.
32. On what date did the Jallianwala Bagh massacre take place?
Correct Answer: a) April 13, 1919
Explanation:
General Dyer ordered troops to fire upon an unarmed crowd gathered for the Baisakhi festival at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919.
33. Who renounced his knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
Correct Answer: c) Rabindranath Tagore
Explanation:
Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood, stating that 'the time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of humiliation'.
34. Who were the principal leaders of the Khilafat Movement in India?
Correct Answer: c) Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali (Ali Brothers)
Explanation:
The Ali Brothers launched the Khilafat Movement in 1919 to protest against the unjust treatment of the Ottoman Empire (the Caliph) after World War I.
35. The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in which year?
Correct Answer: b) 1920
Explanation:
Gandhi officially launched the Non-Cooperation Movement on August 1, 1920, urging Indians to boycott British goods, titles, and institutions.
36. Which violent incident prompted Mahatma Gandhi to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922?
Correct Answer: c) Chauri Chaura incident
Explanation:
In February 1922, a mob set a police station on fire in Chauri Chaura, killing 22 policemen. Distressed by the violence, Gandhi halted the movement.
37. Who were the founders of the Swaraj Party in 1923?
Correct Answer: b) C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru
Explanation:
Disappointed by the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement, C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party to contest council elections.
38. Why was the Simon Commission boycotted by Indians in 1928?
Correct Answer: b) It did not include any Indian members
Explanation:
The Simon Commission was boycotted across India because it was an all-white commission tasked with deciding India's constitutional future without any Indian representation.
39. Which prominent leader died as a result of lathi charges during a protest against the Simon Commission?
Correct Answer: c) Lala Lajpat Rai
Explanation:
Lala Lajpat Rai suffered severe head injuries during a police lathi charge while leading a peaceful protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore, leading to his death.
40. The Kakori Train Robbery took place in which year?
Correct Answer: b) 1925
Explanation:
Conducted by members of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), the train robbery occurred on August 9, 1925, near Kakori, Lucknow.
41. Who led the Chittagong Armoury Raid in 1930?
Correct Answer: c) Surya Sen
Explanation:
Surya Sen, affectionately known as 'Master Da', led a group of revolutionaries in an attack on the British armoury in Chittagong, Bengal.
42. On which date were Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru executed?
Correct Answer: a) March 23, 1931
Explanation:
The three revolutionaries were hanged in the Lahore jail on March 23, 1931, a day now observed as Martyrs' Day (Shaheed Diwas) in India.
43. Who reorganized the Hindustan Republican Association into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928?
Correct Answer: b) Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad
Explanation:
At a meeting at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, the HRA added 'Socialist' to its name to reflect its new ideological direction under Azad and Bhagat Singh.
44. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly to protest against which bills?
Correct Answer: b) Public Safety Bill and Trade Dispute Act
Explanation:
On April 8, 1929, they threw harmless smoke bombs to 'make the deaf hear' in protest against these draconian anti-labor and anti-revolutionary bills.
45. The Nehru Report of 1928, which demanded Dominion Status for India, was drafted by a committee headed by whom?
Correct Answer: b) Motilal Nehru
Explanation:
The report was an Indian response to Lord Birkenhead's challenge to draft a constitution, prepared by a committee chaired by Motilal Nehru.
46. At which session of the INC was the resolution for 'Purna Swaraj' (Complete Independence) adopted?
Correct Answer: b) Lahore Session 1929
Explanation:
Under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Lahore session declared complete independence as its ultimate goal and decided to celebrate January 26, 1930 as Independence Day.
47. On which date did Mahatma Gandhi begin his famous Dandi March?
Correct Answer: b) March 12, 1930
Explanation:
Gandhi set out from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930, with 78 followers to break the salt law, reaching Dandi on April 6.
48. Which pact led to the suspension of the Civil Disobedience Movement and INC participation in the Second Round Table Conference?
Correct Answer: c) Gandhi-Irwin Pact
Explanation:
Signed on March 5, 1931, between Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin, this pact secured the release of political prisoners not convicted of violence.
49. At which INC session in 1931 were resolutions on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme adopted?
Correct Answer: b) Karachi Session
Explanation:
Presided over by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Karachi Session adopted these historic resolutions right after the execution of Bhagat Singh.
50. Who among the following attended all the three Round Table Conferences?
Correct Answer: c) B.R. Ambedkar
Explanation:
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Tej Bahadur Sapru were among the few Indian leaders who attended all three Round Table Conferences held in London between 1930 and 1932.
51. The Communal Award of 1932, which granted separate electorates for depressed classes, was announced by which British Prime Minister?
Correct Answer: c) Ramsay MacDonald
Explanation:
Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award, triggering Mahatma Gandhi to go on a fast unto death in the Yerwada jail.
52. The Poona Pact (1932) was an agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and whom?
Correct Answer: c) B.R. Ambedkar
Explanation:
The Poona Pact replaced separate electorates for depressed classes with reserved seats within the general Hindu electorate.
53. The Government of India Act 1935 is significant because it introduced:
Correct Answer: b) Provincial Autonomy
Explanation:
The Act abolished diarchy in the provinces and replaced it with provincial autonomy, expanding Indian participation in provincial governments.
54. Who was affectionately known as 'Frontier Gandhi'?
Correct Answer: c) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Explanation:
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan led the non-violent Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants of God) movement in the North-West Frontier Province and was a close ally of Gandhi.
55. Who was elected President of the INC at the Haripura session in 1938?
Correct Answer: b) Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation:
Subhas Chandra Bose was unanimously elected President in 1938, though he later resigned in 1939 due to ideological differences with Gandhi.
56. After resigning from the INC presidency in 1939, what party did Subhas Chandra Bose form?
Correct Answer: c) Forward Bloc
Explanation:
Bose formed the All India Forward Bloc within the Congress to consolidate the political left and push for immediate independence.
57. The 'August Offer' of 1940 was proposed by which Viceroy?
Correct Answer: b) Lord Linlithgow
Explanation:
Lord Linlithgow made this offer during WWII to secure Indian cooperation, promising a representative constitution-making body after the war.
58. Who was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as the first satyagrahi to launch the Individual Satyagraha in 1940?
Correct Answer: b) Vinoba Bhave
Explanation:
Acharya Vinoba Bhave was selected as the first satyagrahi to protest against the British drawing India into WWII without consultation. Nehru was the second.
59. Which British mission came to India in 1942 to secure Indian cooperation in World War II?
Correct Answer: c) Cripps Mission
Explanation:
Led by Sir Stafford Cripps, the mission offered Dominion Status after the war, which was rejected by both the INC and the Muslim League.
60. Who referred to the Cripps Mission proposals as a 'post-dated cheque on a failing bank'?
Correct Answer: c) Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation:
Gandhi criticized the offer because it promised future Dominion Status rather than immediate independence during a time when British power was waning.
61. From which location in Bombay was the Quit India Movement launched on August 8, 1942?
Correct Answer: b) Gowalia Tank Maidan
Explanation:
Now known as August Kranti Maidan, this is where the All India Congress Committee passed the Quit India resolution.
62. Which iconic slogan did Mahatma Gandhi give during the Quit India Movement?
Correct Answer: c) Do or Die
Explanation:
Gandhi urged Indians to 'Do or Die' (Karo ya Maro) in their quest to free India from British rule.
63. Who famously ran a secret underground radio station during the Quit India Movement?
Correct Answer: c) Usha Mehta
Explanation:
Usha Mehta organized the Secret Congress Radio to broadcast messages and news while major leaders were imprisoned.
64. During the Quit India Movement, a parallel government known as 'Prati Sarkar' was established in:
Correct Answer: c) Satara
Explanation:
The Prati Sarkar in Satara, Maharashtra, led by Nana Patil, was the longest-running parallel government set up during the 1942 movement.
65. Who originally conceived the idea of the Indian National Army (INA) in Malaya?
Correct Answer: c) Captain Mohan Singh
Explanation:
Captain Mohan Singh, a former British Indian Army officer, first formed the INA with Indian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese.
66. Who famously stated, 'Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!'?
Correct Answer: c) Subhas Chandra Bose
Explanation:
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose used this slogan in a speech to Indian youths in Burma to motivate them to join the INA.
67. Who commanded the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the all-women unit of the INA?
Correct Answer: b) Captain Lakshmi Sahgal
Explanation:
Dr. Lakshmi Swaminathan (later Sahgal) led this pioneering all-female combat regiment formed by Subhas Chandra Bose.
68. Where were the famous INA Trials held in 1945-46?
Correct Answer: d) Red Fort, Delhi
Explanation:
The British held public courts-martial at the Red Fort for INA officers Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sahgal, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, sparking massive public protests.
69. The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny of 1946 began in which city?
Correct Answer: c) Bombay
Explanation:
The mutiny began on February 18, 1946, in Bombay aboard the HMIS Talwar, protesting poor food and racist behavior by British officers.
70. Which British plan proposed a three-tier administrative structure for a united India in 1946?
Correct Answer: c) Cabinet Mission Plan
Explanation:
The Cabinet Mission (Pethick-Lawrence, Cripps, Alexander) proposed a weak center and powerful provinces grouped in three sections to avoid partition.
71. The Muslim League called for 'Direct Action Day' on which date, resulting in massive communal riots?
Correct Answer: a) August 16, 1946
Explanation:
Jinnah called for Direct Action Day to demand Pakistan, triggering the Great Calcutta Killings and widespread communal violence.
72. Who headed the Interim Government formed in September 1946?
Correct Answer: b) Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation:
Jawaharlal Nehru was the Vice President of the Executive Council, effectively functioning as the Prime Minister of the Interim Government.
73. Which plan officially accepted the partition of India into two independent dominions?
Correct Answer: c) Mountbatten Plan (June 3 Plan)
Explanation:
Announced on June 3, 1947, the Mountbatten Plan outlined the framework for the partition of British India into India and Pakistan.
74. When did the British Parliament pass the Indian Independence Act?
Correct Answer: b) July 1947
Explanation:
The act was passed and received royal assent in July 1947, legally partitioning India and terminating British suzerainty over the princely states.
75. Who wrote the national song 'Vande Mataram'?
Correct Answer: b) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Explanation:
Written in Sanskritized Bengali, it featured in his 1882 novel 'Anandamath' and became the rallying cry of the freedom movement.
76. Who is the author of the book 'Hind Swaraj'?
Correct Answer: b) Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation:
Written in 1909 while traveling from London to South Africa, it outlined Gandhi's views on modern civilization, mechanization, and Swaraj.
77. Who authored the book 'The Discovery of India' while imprisoned in Ahmednagar Fort?
Correct Answer: b) Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation:
Nehru wrote this comprehensive history and cultural analysis of India during his imprisonment from 1942 to 1946.
78. Who originally coined the revolutionary slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad'?
Correct Answer: c) Hasrat Mohani
Explanation:
The Urdu poet and freedom fighter Maulana Hasrat Mohani coined the slogan in 1921, though Bhagat Singh popularized it.
79. Who wrote the famous patriotic song 'Sare Jahan Se Achha'?
Correct Answer: b) Muhammad Iqbal
Explanation:
The Urdu poet Muhammad Iqbal wrote this gazal in 1904, originally as an ode to Hindustan.
80. Who was the founder-editor of the newspapers 'Kesari' and 'Mahratta'?
Correct Answer: a) B.G. Tilak
Explanation:
Bal Gangadhar Tilak used Kesari (in Marathi) and Mahratta (in English) to aggressively critique British policies and awaken national consciousness.
81. Which English weekly journal was founded by Mahatma Gandhi to spread his philosophy of Satyagraha?
Correct Answer: c) Young India
Explanation:
Gandhi used 'Young India' (and later 'Harijan') to broadcast his ideas on non-violence and social reform.
82. Who started the Urdu weekly newspaper 'Al-Hilal' in 1912?
Correct Answer: b) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Explanation:
Azad used Al-Hilal to encourage Indian Muslims to join the freedom movement and oppose the pro-British stance of the Muslim League.
83. Who articulated the 'Drain of Wealth' theory in his book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India'?
Correct Answer: b) Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation:
Naoroji meticulously demonstrated how British colonial policies were systematically draining wealth from India, causing severe poverty.
84. Who is known as the 'Grand Old Man of India'?
Correct Answer: b) Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation:
A key founding member of the INC and the first Asian to be a British MP, Naoroji earned this title for his lifelong dedication to India.
85. Who was the first Indian to become the Governor-General of independent India?
Correct Answer: c) C. Rajagopalachari
Explanation:
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari succeeded Lord Mountbatten and served as the first and only Indian Governor-General until India became a republic in 1950.
86. Who was the first Indian woman to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly?
Correct Answer: b) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Explanation:
Sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was an active freedom fighter and diplomat who achieved this milestone in 1953.
87. Who is famously known as the 'Iron Man of India'?
Correct Answer: b) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation:
Patel earned this moniker for his uncompromising resolve and crucial role in politically integrating over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.
88. Which civil servant worked closely with Sardar Patel to integrate the princely states?
Correct Answer: a) V.P. Menon
Explanation:
Vappala Pangunni Menon was the Secretary of the Ministry of the States and played a vital role in drafting the Instruments of Accession.
89. Who was the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress?
Correct Answer: b) Sarojini Naidu
Explanation:
While Annie Besant was the first woman, Sarojini Naidu ('The Nightingale of India') was the first *Indian* woman to preside over the INC at the Kanpur session in 1925.
90. Who initiated the Bhoodan (Land Gift) Movement in 1951?
Correct Answer: c) Vinoba Bhave
Explanation:
Carrying forward Gandhian principles post-independence, Bhave walked across India asking wealthy landowners to voluntarily donate a portion of their land to the landless.
91. Who founded the 'Servants of India Society' in 1905?
Correct Answer: b) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Explanation:
Gokhale founded the society to train Indians of different ethnicities and religions in welfare work and to promote national unity.
92. Who was appointed to chair the Boundary Commission tasked with drawing the borders of India and Pakistan in 1947?
Correct Answer: b) Sir Cyril Radcliffe
Explanation:
A British lawyer who had never visited India before, Radcliffe was given a few weeks to draw the borders, resulting in a flawed line that exacerbated violence.
93. Who was the President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of India?
Correct Answer: c) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Explanation:
Dr. Rajendra Prasad served as the President of the Constituent Assembly and later became the first President of the Republic of India. (Dr. Ambedkar was Chairman of the Drafting Committee).
94. On which date did the Constitution of India come into effect, transforming India into a Republic?
Correct Answer: c) January 26, 1950
Explanation:
This date was chosen to honor the 'Purna Swaraj' declaration of 1930. The constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document.
