40. Which agreement replaced separate electorates for Depressed Classes with reserved seats in joint electorates?
[RRB NTPC CBT-II (17 June 2022)]
A. Lucknow Pact
B. Gandhi–Irwin Pact
C. Cripps proposals
D. Poona Pact
Answer: D. Poona Pact
Explanation: The 1932 Poona Pact modified the Communal Award arrangement while reserving legislative representation for the Depressed Classes. The award had offered separate electorates, while the compromise expanded reserved representation in provincial legislatures. The number and structure of reserved constituencies were central issues.
39. With whom did Gandhi negotiate the Poona Pact?
[SSC CGL (18 April 2022)]
A. Lord Irwin
B. B. R. Ambedkar
C. Sri Aurobindo
D. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: B. B. R. Ambedkar
Explanation: Ambedkar and Gandhi differed over separate electorates, but their 1932 settlement provided seats reserved for the Depressed Classes. The debate concerned the political voice of historically excluded communities in colonial legislative institutions. Its implications for political representation continued to attract debate.
38. In which year did the Civil Disobedience Movement finally end?
[SSC CGL (12 April 2022)]
A. 1917
B. 1934
C. 1923
D. 1943
Answer: B. 1934
Explanation: After its initial 1931 suspension and subsequent resumption, the movement was ultimately withdrawn in 1934 without securing independence. Unlike simple non-cooperation, civil disobedience deliberately violated specified laws while emphasizing nonviolence. The protest was suspended, revived, and finally ended before independence.
37. Under which reform were separate electorates for Muslims originally introduced?
[UPSC CDS-I GK (10 April 2022)]
A. Morley–Minto Reforms, 1909
B. Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms, 1919
C. Communal Award, 1932
D. Government of India Act, 1935
Answer: A. Morley–Minto Reforms, 1909
Explanation: Separate Muslim electorates predated MacDonald’s Communal Award. The 1909 reforms introduced them, whereas the 1932 award expanded communal representation categories. The Poona Pact altered the scheme for the Depressed Classes without abolishing other communal electorates. Different communities contested the proposed electoral arrangements.
36. When was Dr. Radhabai arrested for leading a procession during the second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
[CGPSC State Services Prelims, 2021 cycle (13 February 2022)]
A. 12 February 1932
B. 16 March 1932
C. 19 April 1932
D. 13 June 1932
Answer: D. 13 June 1932
Explanation: Dr. Radhabai was arrested on 13 June 1932 for participating in civil disobedience. She also campaigned in Chhattisgarh for social reform, women’s participation and temperance. Participation varied across regions and social groups, a limitation relevant when assessing the movement’s reach.
35. Which demands appeared in Gandhi’s eleven-point programme before civil disobedience: (i) land-revenue reduction; (ii) ending salt tax; (iii) military-spending reduction?
[Allahabad High Court Review Officer (10 December 2021, Shift 2)]
A. (i) and (ii) only
B. (ii) only
C. (ii) and (iii) only
D. (i), (ii) and (iii)
Answer: D. (i), (ii) and (iii)
Explanation: Gandhi’s January 1930 eleven demands combined fiscal relief, economic concerns and civil liberties; non-acceptance helped precipitate the salt campaign. Its early mass phase paused in 1931; protest resumed before the movement was finally withdrawn in 1934. Its political aim was considerably broader than the particular law challenged.
34. Which woman participated in the Bijolia peasant agitation and also took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930–32?
[RPSC RAS Prelims (27 October 2021)]
A. Rama Devi
B. Ratan Shastri
C. Anjana Devi Chaudhary
D. Kishori Devi
Answer: A. Rama Devi
Explanation: Rama Devi was associated with the Bijolia movement in Rajasthan and joined nationalist satyagraha during 1930–32, for which she faced imprisonment. The 1929 Purna Swaraj resolution supplied the movement’s political goal of complete independence. The protest was suspended, revived, and finally ended before independence.
33. Put these in chronological order: Simon Commission appointed; Nehru Report; Child Marriage Restraint Act; Dandi March.
[UPPSC PCS Prelims (24 October 2021)]
A. Simon Commission, Nehru Report, Act, Dandi March
B. Nehru Report, Simon Commission, Dandi, Act
C. Act, Simon Commission, Nehru Report, Dandi
D. Dandi, Nehru Report, Simon Commission, Act
Answer: A. Simon Commission, Nehru Report, Act, Dandi March
Explanation: The dates are 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930 respectively; the Salt March followed intensifying constitutional and nationalist debates. The constitutional negotiations of 1931–32 followed the initial nationwide salt-law protests of 1930. The sequence also helps distinguish protest phases from later political settlements.
32. The Poona Pact was reached between which two national leaders?
[DSSSB TGT Hindi (18 September 2021, Shift 2)]
A. Congress and Muslim League leaders
B. Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar
C. Moderates and Extremists
D. Nehru and Subhas Bose
Answer: B. Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar
Explanation: The agreement arose from the dispute over political representation for the Depressed Classes in the British Communal Award. 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.
31. Who was the viceroy during the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
[WBCS Prelims (22 August 2021)]
A. Lord Hardinge
B. Lord Minto
C. Lord Linlithgow
D. Lord Irwin
Answer: D. Lord Irwin
Explanation: Lord Irwin served as viceroy from 1926 to 1931 and later concluded the March 1931 agreement with Gandhi. Women, students, peasants and sections of the commercial classes joined to varying degrees across India. Its political aim was considerably broader than the particular law challenged.
