60. Which two leaders are associated with the agreement reached after the 1932 Communal Award?
[SSC Selection Post (26 June 2024)]
A. Gandhi and Ambedkar
B. Gandhi and Jinnah
C. Jinnah and Nehru
D. Ambedkar and C. R. Das
Answer: A. Gandhi and Ambedkar
Explanation: The Poona Pact, negotiated after the Communal Award, altered the system proposed for the Depressed Classes while preserving legislative reservations. Madan Mohan Malaviya was a signatory for caste-Hindu interests and Ambedkar signed for the Depressed Classes. The number and structure of reserved constituencies were central issues.
59. From where did Gandhi begin the historical Salt March?
[SSC Selection Post (25 June 2024, Shift 1)]
A. Sabarmati Ashram
B. Dandi
C. Kheda
D. Gandhinagar
Answer: A. Sabarmati Ashram
Explanation: The Salt March began near Ahmedabad at Sabarmati Ashram on 12 March 1930 and proceeded toward the Gujarat coast. The government salt monopoly made producing ordinary salt a politically significant act of nonviolent defiance. Regional leaders reproduced the method in other parts of the country.
58. Which event inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement in India?
[DSSSB Jail Warder (15 June 2024)]
A. First Round Table Conference
B. Poona Pact
C. Dandi March
D. Quit India Movement
Answer: C. Dandi March
Explanation: The Salt March was the opening symbolic campaign of civil disobedience, culminating in deliberate violation of the salt law in April 1930. The 1929 Purna Swaraj resolution supplied the movement’s political goal of complete independence. Its political aim was considerably broader than the particular law challenged.
57. Who signed the Poona Pact on behalf of the Depressed Classes?
[DSSSB Jail Warder (11 June 2024)]
A. Lord Irwin
B. Annie Besant
C. Mahatma Gandhi
D. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Answer: D. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Explanation: Ambedkar bargained for stronger safeguards and reserved seats, accepting joint electorates after negotiating with caste-Hindu leaders. The agreement was finalized in September 1932 after the British Communal Award became intensely contested. Its implications for political representation continued to attract debate.
56. On what date was the Gandhi–Irwin Pact signed?
[OSSSC Forest Guard (29 April 2024, Shift 1)]
A. 5 March 1935
B. 5 March 1931
C. 5 March 1930
D. 5 March 1937
Answer: B. 5 March 1931
Explanation: 5 March 1931 is the accepted date of the accord that temporarily halted civil disobedience and enabled political talks. The Salt Satyagraha had already brought international attention to the nationalist campaign before the agreement. The agreement was nevertheless criticized for leaving major demands unresolved.
55. The Gandhi–Irwin Pact is directly associated with which movement?
[Chandigarh JBT (28 April 2024)]
A. Jallianwala Bagh protest
B. Chauri Chaura
C. Simon Commission report
D. Civil Disobedience Movement
Answer: D. Civil Disobedience Movement
Explanation: The 1931 truce dealt with the 1930 movement’s suspension and the status of many participants arrested in the campaign. Congress later ratified the pact at the Karachi session, presided over by Vallabhbhai Patel. It represented a negotiated pause rather than the achievement of independence.
54. Which statement regarding Gandhi’s political activities is incorrect?
[WBPSC Food Sub-Inspector (17 March 2024)]
A. He supported separate electorates for the Depressed Classes
B. He led the Dandi March
C. He launched Non-Cooperation
D. He attended a Round Table Conference
Answer: A. He supported separate electorates for the Depressed Classes
Explanation: Gandhi opposed the separate-electorate provision for the Depressed Classes, which became a point of disagreement with Ambedkar in 1932. Reserved seats were retained, but the Depressed Classes would vote within joint rather than separate electorates. The number and structure of reserved constituencies were central issues.
53. Which option places these events in the correct sequence?
[CGPSC State Services Prelims General Studies (11 February 2024)]
A. Morley–Minto Reforms, Gandhi–Irwin Pact, August Offer, Jallianwala Bagh
B. August Offer, Morley–Minto Reforms, Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi–Irwin Pact
C. Morley–Minto Reforms, Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi–Irwin Pact, August Offer
D. Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi–Irwin Pact, August Offer, Morley–Minto Reforms
Answer: C. Morley–Minto Reforms, Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi–Irwin Pact, August Offer
Explanation: The dates are 1909 for the Morley–Minto reforms, 1919 for Jallianwala Bagh, 1931 for the Gandhi–Irwin agreement and 1940 for the August Offer. Political agreements and nationalist movements had distinct purposes, even when their dates lie close together.
52. Which statements about the Gandhi–Irwin Pact are correct?
1. Another Round Table Conference was envisaged;
2. Congress would suspend civil disobedience;
3. Boycott of British goods was withdrawn;
4. All salt-law violations remained forbidden without exception.
[IB ACIO (18 January 2024)]
A. 1, 2 and 3
B. 2, 3 and 4
C. 1 only
D. 3 and 4
Answer: A. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: The agreement provided for Congress participation in talks and a pause in civil disobedience, alongside limited concessions relating to salt and peaceful protest. Release provisions excluded people convicted of violence, which formed part of contemporary criticism of the settlement.
51. The 1932 Communal Award followed political disputes arising from which conference?
[UPSSSC PET (29 October 2023, Shift 2)]
A. Second Round Table Conference
B. First Round Table Conference
C. Government of India Act, 1919
D. Poona Pact
Answer: A. Second Round Table Conference
Explanation: Disagreement over representation at the second conference was followed by MacDonald’s 1932 award; the Poona Pact came afterward. The award followed debates that had failed to reach a satisfactory minority settlement in London. Disagreements over these safeguards shaped constitutional politics during the 1930s.
50. In which year did Congress provincial ministries resign in protest against British war policy?
[UPSSSC PET (29 October 2023)]
A. 1938
B. 1939
C. 1941
D. 1940
Answer: B. 1939
Explanation: The elected Congress ministries resigned in 1939 after India was drawn into World War II without consulting Indian political leaders. Congress ultimately formed ministries in eight provinces, while Bengal, Punjab and Sind followed other arrangements. The elections were conducted under the colonial constitutional framework.
49. Which movement began with Gandhi’s march to Dandi?
[SSC MTS (8 September 2023)]
A. Civil Disobedience Movement
B. Non-Cooperation Movement
C. Quit India Movement
D. Kheda Satyagraha
Answer: A. Civil Disobedience Movement
Explanation: The march introduced a new phase of nonviolent resistance in which participants deliberately broke unjust laws rather than merely withdrawing cooperation. Women, students, peasants and sections of the commercial classes joined to varying degrees across India. The protest was suspended, revived, and finally ended before independence.
48. On what date did the Muslim League observe the Day of Deliverance after Congress ministries resigned?
[Bihar Secondary Teacher (26 August 2023)]
A. 22 December 1939
B. 17 October 1939
C. 22 December 1940
D. More than one answer
Answer: A. 22 December 1939
Explanation: Jinnah called for the Day of Deliverance on 22 December 1939 after Congress ministers left office amid the World War II dispute. Franchise remained limited, so these elections were not conducted on the principle of universal adult voting.
47. Which leader is associated with the Poona Pact alongside Gandhi?
[SSC CGL (20 July 2023)]
A. Ali brothers
B. C. R. Das
C. Jyotiba Phule
D. B. R. Ambedkar
Answer: D. B. R. Ambedkar
Explanation: Ambedkar secured reservations for the Depressed Classes through negotiations that replaced separate electorates with joint electorates. The pact reflected a difficult compromise between Gandhi and Ambedkar over electoral safeguards and social unity. Its implications for political representation continued to attract debate.
46. In which year was the Gandhi–Irwin Pact signed?
[SSC MTS (14 June 2023)]
A. 1928
B. 1935
C. 1931
D. 1929
Answer: C. 1931
Explanation: The 1931 agreement between Gandhi and the viceroy followed the major public protests of the preceding year. The government made concessions concerning nonviolent prisoners, confiscated property and limited salt production. The agreement was nevertheless criticized for leaving major demands unresolved.
45. In the 1937 provincial elections, Congress failed to emerge as the largest party in which pair of provinces?
[UPSC CDS-I GK (16 April 2023)]
A. Punjab and Sind
B. Assam and NWFP
C. Punjab and Assam
D. Assam and Madras
Answer: A. Punjab and Sind
Explanation: Congress secured power in several provinces, but complex local alignments prevented it from leading Punjab and Sind after the 1937 polls. The ministers’ resignations in 1939 were linked to Britain’s unilateral wartime decision regarding India. Regional political coalitions made provincial outcomes far from uniform.
44. In which year did Gandhi and Irwin sign their pact?
[SSC GD Constable (11 January 2023)]
A. 1931
B. 1929
C. 1935
D. 1932
Answer: A. 1931
Explanation: The 1931 settlement ended the first active phase of civil disobedience and provided a route back to constitutional discussions. One major outcome was Congress participation in the Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931. It represented a negotiated pause rather than the achievement of independence.
43. Which event–year combination is incorrectly matched?
[RRB Group D CBT (11 October 2022)]
A. Non-Cooperation Movement—1920
B. Quit India Movement—1942
C. Khilafat Movement—1919
D. Dandi March—1910
Answer: D. Dandi March—1910
Explanation: Dandi March took place in 1930, not 1910. Gandhi broke the salt law on reaching the coast, initiating civil disobedience. Chronological PYQs test whether candidates distinguish early Congress phases from the later mass satyagraha period. These dates connect constitutional developments with major phases of public mobilization.
42. Which movement was also called the Salt Satyagraha?
[RRB Group D CBT (29 August 2022)]
A. Non-Cooperation Movement
B. Quit India Movement
C. Indian Self-Rule Movement
D. Civil Disobedience Movement
Answer: D. Civil Disobedience Movement
Explanation: The Salt Satyagraha was the opening campaign of the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement, named for deliberate violation of colonial salt restrictions. The broader campaign included boycotts, refusal of certain taxes and breaches of restrictive colonial regulations. Its political aim was considerably broader than the particular law challenged.
41. Which protest specifically challenged Britain’s monopoly over salt?
[RRB Group D CBT (17 August 2022)]
A. Kheda Satyagraha
B. Civil Disobedience policy
C. Dandi March
D. Khilafat Movement
Answer: C. Dandi March
Explanation: The Dandi March focused attention on the Salt Act and the burden of taxes on an essential everyday commodity. The campaign drew considerable public attention and involved local leaders well beyond Gandhi’s original route. It remains one of the clearest examples of symbolic nonviolent resistance.
