Q65. Who founded the Home Rule League in 1916 in India?
[DSSSB Court Attendant (5 June 2026, Shift 2)]
- C. Rajagopalachari
- Subhas Chandra Bose
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak established his Home Rule League in April 1916, before Annie Besant launched a separate league in September. Both organisations campaigned for Indian self-government within the British Empire, expanding political awareness through meetings, speeches, local branches and printed material.
Q64. Which statement explains Annie Besant’s ideological role in the Indian national movement?
[UP PGT History (9 May 2026)]
- She rejected Indian traditions and promoted Western political models without adaptation.
- She supported continuation of British rule and resisted demands for political reforms.
- She linked Theosophy with nationalism, supporting Home Rule and cultural revival in India.
- She opposed political participation and confined her work to spiritual teachings alone.
Answer: (C) She linked Theosophy with nationalism, supporting Home Rule and cultural revival in India.
Explanation: Besant combined appreciation of Indian religious and philosophical traditions with political advocacy. Her Theosophical activities encouraged cultural self-confidence, while her Home Rule campaign demanded constitutional self-government. She used both educational institutions and political journalism to communicate these connected ideas.
Q63. In 1916, which two political groups came to an agreement in the Lucknow Pact?
[DSSSB MTS (8 May 2026, Shift 1)]
- Socialist Party and British Government
- Communist Party and British Government
- Bolshevik Party and Ghadar Party
- Indian National Congress and Muslim League
Answer: (D) Indian National Congress and Muslim League
Explanation: The Lucknow Pact brought the Congress and the All-India Muslim League together in December 1916. They endorsed common constitutional demands, including broader representation and self-government. Congress acceptance of separate Muslim electorates was a significant, and subsequently contested, feature of the agreement.
Q62. When did Bal Gangadhar Tilak found the Home Rule League?
[OSSSC Forester, Forest Guard & Excise Constable (27 April 2026, Shift 2)]
- 1912
- 1916
- 1908
- 1911
Answer: (B) 1916
Explanation: Tilak inaugurated his Home Rule League in April 1916 at Belgaum. His activities concentrated on Maharashtra, excluding Bombay city, along with Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar. Annie Besant established another league later that year to organise other regions.
Q61. What was the main objective behind the formation of the Home Rule Leagues by Tilak and Annie Besant?
[OSSSC Forester, Forest Guard & Excise Constable (23 April 2026, Shift 2)]
- To promote education and industrialization in India
- To launch armed rebellion against the British
- To prepare Indians for complete independence
- To spread political awareness and demand self-government
Answer: (D) To spread political awareness and demand self-government
Explanation: The two Home Rule Leagues promoted popular political education and sought Indian control over domestic affairs within the imperial constitutional framework. Their methods included lectures, newspapers, public meetings and membership drives, rather than a programme of armed insurrection against British authority.
Q60. Arrange these events in chronological order:
(a) Tilak forms a Home Rule League;
(b) Indian National Congress is founded;
(c) Surat Split;
(d) Swadeshi Movement begins.
[UPHESC Assistant Professor History (19 April 2026, Shift 1)]
- c, b, d, a
- d, b, c, a
- b, c, d, a
- b, d, c, a
Answer: (D) b, d, c, a
Explanation: The Congress was founded in 1885, followed by the anti-partition Swadeshi Movement in 1905. The Surat division between Congress moderates and extremists occurred in 1907. Tilak organised the Home Rule League in 1916, making the sequence b–d–c–a.
Q59. Arrange chronologically:
(I) foundation of the Indian National Congress;
(II) Partition of Bengal;
(III) Swadeshi Movement;
(IV) Lucknow Pact.
[UPHESC Assistant Professor Sociology (18 April 2026, Shift 1)]
- II, I, III, IV
- I, III, II, IV
- I, II, III, IV
- II, III, I, IV
Answer: (C) I, II, III, IV
Explanation: The Indian National Congress began in 1885. Bengal was partitioned in 1905, provoking the Swadeshi Movement that year. Congress and the Muslim League reached the Lucknow Pact in 1916, making the correct sequence I–II–III–IV.
Q58. Who founded the Home Rule League at Madras (Adyar) in 1916?
[OSSSC Forester, Forest Guard & Excise Constable (16 April 2026, Shift 3)]
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- Annie Besant
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- Lala Lajpat Rai
Answer: (B) Annie Besant
Explanation: Annie Besant formed the All-India Home Rule League in September 1916, centred on Madras and Adyar. Tilak had already established a separate league earlier in April. The organisations coordinated their overall objective while working largely in different geographical areas.
Q57. Which pair of leaders was closely associated with the Lucknow Pact of 1916?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (22 March 2026, Shift 3)]
- Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Annie Besant
- Dadabhai Naoroji and Surendranath Banerjee
Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Explanation: Tilak was an influential Congress advocate of cooperation, while Jinnah played a leading role in the Muslim League’s negotiations. The agreement united constitutional demands from the two organisations, although its acceptance of communal electorates remained politically controversial.
Q56. Which statement is INCORRECT about Indian socio-political movements and their leaders?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (17 March 2026, Shift 3)]
- The Self-Respect Movement was launched by E. V. Ramasamy.
- The Home Rule League was founded by Aurobindo Ghosh.
- The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was associated with Mahadev Govind Ranade.
- The Abhinav Bharat Society was founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Answer: (B) The Home Rule League was founded by Aurobindo Ghosh.
Explanation: Aurobindo Ghosh was associated with the early nationalist and revolutionary currents, not the founding of the 1916 Home Rule Leagues. Those leagues were launched separately by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant to advance demands for self-government.
Q55. Which slogan was popularised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak?
[RRB Technician Grade III (6 March 2026, Shift 2)]
- Liberty is our dream and we must attain it
- Give me blood and I will give you freedom
- Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it
- Freedom is our goal and we shall achieve it
Answer: (C) Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it
Explanation: Tilak’s famous demand linked national dignity with the claim to self-government. The slogan was especially prominent in the assertive nationalist phase and the Home Rule agitation, helping transform Swaraj from an abstract aspiration into a memorable political entitlement.
Q54. Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the Home Rule League in which year?
[DSSSB MTS (5 March 2026, Shift 3)]
- 1906
- 1916
- 1919
- 1917
Answer: (B) 1916
Explanation: The first of the two Indian Home Rule Leagues was organised by Tilak in April 1916. Its creation revived public political mobilisation after years of repression and division. Besant followed with her separate, wider-reaching league in September of the same year.
Q53. Which statements about Tej Bahadur Sapru are correct?
I. He helped Annie Besant develop the Central Hindu College.
II. He entered politics during Home Rule agitation.
III. He took part in the Round Table Conferences.
[RRB JE CBT-I, 2025 Cycle (25 February 2026, Shift 2)]
- Only I
- All I, II and III
- Only II
- Only II and III
Answer: (B) All I, II and III
Explanation: Tej Bahadur Sapru was a liberal constitutionalist linked with Besant’s educational and political activities. He became prominent during the Home Rule era and later participated in the Round Table Conferences of 1930–32, advocating negotiated constitutional progress and political compromise.