20. Which Russian thinker strongly influenced Gandhi’s views on nonviolence?
[WBCS Prelims 2021]
A. Leo Tolstoy
B. Charles Dickens
C. Karl Marx
D. Abraham Lincoln
Answer: A. Leo Tolstoy
Explanation: Leo Tolstoy’s writings on nonviolence, morality and resistance to injustice deeply influenced Gandhi. Their correspondence included discussions of love and spiritual strength. Gandhi named Tolstoy Farm in South Africa in honour of the Russian writer.
19. Which journal did Gandhi publish in South Africa?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I 2021]
A. Indian Opinion
B. The Statesman
C. The Hindu
D. Kesari
Answer: A. Indian Opinion
Explanation: Indian Opinion began publication in 1903 and was closely associated with Gandhi’s South African work. It offered a public voice to Indian communities facing discrimination and helped explain the ideas underlying collective nonviolent resistance.
18. Which sequence correctly orders Gandhi’s return to India, Non-Cooperation, Dandi March and Quit India?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I 2021]
A. 1915, 1920, 1930, 1942
B. 1920, 1915, 1942, 1930
C. 1915, 1930, 1920, 1942
D. 1930, 1915, 1942, 1920
Answer: A. 1915, 1920, 1930, 1942
Explanation: Gandhi returned from South Africa in 1915. The Non-Cooperation Movement began in 1920, the Salt March took place in 1930 and Quit India followed in 1942. The dates mark successive stages of mass mobilization.
17. Where did Gandhi address a major gathering at the inauguration of an Indian university in 1916?
[UPSC CDS 2021 General Knowledge]
A. Banaras Hindu University
B. Aligarh Muslim University
C. University of Bombay
D. University of Madras
Answer: A. Banaras Hindu University
Explanation: Gandhi’s speech at the inaugural ceremonies of Banaras Hindu University in February 1916 drew attention to the condition of India’s poor and criticized ostentation among elites. It is remembered as an early public address after his return.
16. In which country did Gandhi first develop nonviolent noncooperation as a political method?
[WBPSC Clerkship 2019 exam, held January 2020]
A. India
B. South Africa
C. England
D. United States
Answer: B. South Africa
Explanation: Gandhi developed practical methods of satyagraha while organizing Indians against discriminatory policies in South Africa. His resistance to registration laws and other injustices preceded his later application of disciplined mass nonviolence in India.
15. Which 1918 movement involved Gandhi in a dispute between textile workers and industrialists?
[MPSC State Services 2019]
A. Champaran
B. Kheda
C. Ahmedabad Mill Strike
D. Bardoli
Answer: C. Ahmedabad Mill Strike
Explanation: The Ahmedabad dispute of 1918 arose over wages and withdrawal of a plague bonus. Gandhi supported workers’ demands, promoted arbitration and undertook a fast. It was distinct from peasant campaigns in Champaran and Kheda.
14. Under the Tinkathia system, what share of a cultivator’s land was required for indigo?
[UP PGT History 2019]
A. One-tenth
B. Three-twentieths
C. One-half
D. One-third
Answer: B. Three-twentieths
Explanation: The term Tinkathia referred to three kathas out of twenty kathas, equivalent to three-twentieths of a tenant’s holding. It was associated with the compulsory indigo cultivation opposed by Gandhi in Champaran in 1917.
13. Which Indian founded the Natal Indian Congress (NIC)?
[SSC MTS 2019, 16 August Shift 2]
A. Govind Ranade
B. Mahatma Gandhi
C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
D. Jawaharlal Nehru
Answer: B. Mahatma Gandhi
Explanation: Gandhi helped found the Natal Indian Congress in South Africa in 1894. It represented Indian settlers against discriminatory restrictions and organized petitions and public advocacy. His experience of collective organization in Natal laid foundations for later campaigns involving satyagraha.
12. When was the Natal Indian Congress founded through Gandhi’s efforts?
[SSC CGL 2019]
A. 1894
B. 1904
C. 1910
D. 1915
Answer: A. 1894
Explanation: Gandhi helped organize the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 to represent the Indian population of Natal and challenge discriminatory restrictions. The association developed petitioning and community mobilization skills later reflected in satyagraha campaigns.
11. Tolstoy Farm, the community founded by Gandhi, was located in which country?
[UPPCL Junior Engineer, 27 August 2018 Shift 1]
A. Russia
B. England
C. India
D. South Africa
Answer: D. South Africa
Explanation: Tolstoy Farm was established near Johannesburg in South Africa in 1910, with support from Gandhi’s friend Hermann Kallenbach. It provided accommodation to satyagrahis and their families and emphasized communal living, manual work, practical education and resistance to racial discrimination.
