Q170. Whom did Mahatma Gandhi describe as his Rajya Guru in May 1915?
[UPSC CDS-I General Knowledge (12 April 2026)]
(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(C) G. G. Agarkar
(D) Dadabhai Naoroji
Answer: (B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Explanation: Gokhale was a senior Moderate nationalist and an important influence on Gandhi’s early Indian political outlook. His constitutional and reformist methods contrasted with the more confrontational style identified with Tilak. The question highlights the ideological diversity of the nationalist leadership.
Q169. Which leader is known as Punjab Kesari?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary (12 November 2025, Shift 2)]
(A) Sukhdev Thapar
(B) Bhagat Singh
(C) Lala Lajpat Rai
(D) Lala Har Dayal
Answer: (C) Lala Lajpat Rai
Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai, a key figure in the assertive wing of the Congress, earned the honorific Punjab Kesari. He promoted Swadeshi, public education and nationalist organization in Punjab. His opposition to the Simon Commission further cemented his status as a symbol of resistance.
Q168. Which argument was NOT advanced by Lala Lajpat Rai regarding the establishment of the Congress in Young India?
[DSSSB TGT Social Science (7 November 2025, Shift 3)]
(A) Congress was the brainchild of Lord Dufferin
(B) He invoked the safety-valve theory against liberals
(C) Indian interests were primary and British imperial interests secondary
(D) Congress was initially intended to shield British power from danger
Answer: (C) Indian interests were primary and British imperial interests secondary
Explanation: Lajpat Rai criticized the early Congress using the safety-valve explanation of its creation and questioned British motives. The statement placing Indian interests first and British imperial interests second was not one of the specific arguments cited in that historical account.
Q167. Which extremist leader emphasized boycott and Swadeshi during the 1905 Bengal partition movement?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary (8 November 2025, Shift 3)]
(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(D) Dadabhai Naoroji
Answer: (A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation: Tilak supported the Swadeshi movement and argued that national resistance required ordinary people to change economic and political behaviour. Boycott of imported products served as pressure on colonial interests, while promotion of Indian goods built confidence in indigenous industry and self-help.
Q166. Which leader declared “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it,” symbolising assertive nationalist ideology?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary (8 November 2025, Shift 1)]
(A) Lala Lajpat Rai
(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(C) Bipin Chandra Pal
(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation: This declaration is associated with Tilak, one of the principal leaders of the Extremist faction. He demanded self-government rather than incremental privileges from the Raj and spread nationalist politics through the press, public festivals and the Home Rule campaign.
Q165. Where was the headquarters of Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s Home Rule League?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (2 September 2025, Shift 2)]
(A) Ajmer
(B) Patna
(C) Surat
(D) Pune
Answer: (D) Pune
Explanation: Tilak’s Home Rule League operated from Pune and developed branches across its assigned territories. Founded in April 1916, it sought self-government within the empire through lectures, propaganda and political education. Annie Besant’s league worked across other areas of British India.
Q164. When did the Surat Split of the Indian National Congress occur?
[AP High Court Common Exam (24 August 2025, Shift 1)]
(A) 1904
(B) 1905
(C) 1911
(D) 1907
Answer: (D) 1907
Explanation: The Congress split at Surat in December 1907 amid a dispute over the chairmanship and political methods. The faction led by Tilak and other assertive nationalists pressed for a vigorous programme of boycott and Swadeshi, while Moderates sought constitutional restraint.
Q163. Lala Lajpat Rai is also known as:
[HP High Court Clerk (6 July 2025)]
(A) Sher-e-Punjab
(B) Punjab Kesari
(C) Both (1) and (2)
(D) None of these
Answer: (C) Both (1) and (2)
Explanation: Both epithets mean Lion of Punjab and refer to Lala Lajpat Rai’s public leadership. He was prominent in the Lal–Bal–Pal combination, advocated national education and self-reliance, and sustained injuries during a major 1928 demonstration against the Simon Commission.
Q162. Who was popularly known as the Father of Indian Unrest?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (24 June 2025, Shift 2)]
(A) Subhas Chandra Bose
(B) Jawaharlal Nehru
(C) Mahatma Gandhi
(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was described as the Father of Indian Unrest in the colonial commentator Valentine Chirol’s writings. The description reflected official unease about Tilak’s newspapers, festivals and vigorous campaign for Swaraj, which pushed nationalist activity beyond elite constitutional politics.
Q161. Which two leaders were associated with launching the Home Rule Movement during the First World War?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (23 June 2025, Shift 3)]
(A) Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(B) Mahatma Gandhi and Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(C) Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal
(D) Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: (A) Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Explanation: Tilak and Annie Besant launched distinct Home Rule Leagues in 1916 to campaign for Indian self-government. Their activities included public meetings, literature and local organization. The movement re-energized political activity and helped prepare the environment for the Congress reunion at Lucknow.
