Extremists – Rise of Extremism in Indian National Movement

VidyaarOctober 10, 20260212 views

Q200. Which English newspaper, edited by Sri Aurobindo, was described as almost unique in its influence in preparing the people for revolution?

[OSSC CGLRE 2025 Mains (held 8 July 2026)]

(A) Kesari

(B) Bande Mataram

(D) Bombay Chronicle

Answer: (B) Bande Mataram

Explanation: Bande Mataram began in Calcutta in 1906 under Bipin Chandra Pal. Sri Aurobindo subsequently became a leading editorial voice. The English-language newspaper advanced militant nationalism, self-rule and resistance to colonial authority through political commentary rather than the constitutional appeals favoured by Moderates.

Q199. The split between Moderates and Extremists in the Indian National Congress took place at the 1907 session held at:

[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (19 June 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Bombay

(B) Lahore

(D) Surat

Answer: (D) Surat

Explanation: The Surat session in December 1907 witnessed an organizational rupture between the two groups. Disagreements over the leadership and the methods of Swadeshi agitation intensified. The Moderates retained control of the organization, while assertive nationalists operated outside its framework for several years.

Q198. Who among the following was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and one-third of the ‘Lal Bal Pal’ triumvirate?

[DSSSB Court Attendant (5 June 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Vishnu Chandra Pal

(B) Ramesh Chandra Pal

(D) Ravindra Chandra Pal

Answer: (C) Bipin Chandra Pal

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal represented Bengal in the Lal–Bal–Pal leadership, alongside Lala Lajpat Rai of Punjab and Tilak of Maharashtra. He championed boycott, national education and self-reliance in the Swadeshi years, also spreading his ideas through speeches and nationalist journalism.

Q197. Why did Bal Gangadhar Tilak oppose the Age of Consent Bill (1891)?

[DSSSB MTS (9 May 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) It supported British education

(B) It interfered in social customs

(D) It increased taxes on Indians

Answer: (B) It interfered in social customs

Explanation: Tilak opposed colonial interference in Indian religious and social customs, while reformers supported protecting young girls through legislation. The Age of Consent Act raised the relevant age from ten to twelve. His position reflected debates over social reform and the legitimacy of imperial lawmaking.

Q196. Which of the following methods was preferred by extremist leaders to achieve their demands?

[DSSSB MTS (9 May 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Seeking reforms through dialogue

(B) Submitting petitions to authorities

(D) Open agitation and mass pressure

Answer: (D) Open agitation and mass pressure

Explanation: Extremist nationalists emphasized public mobilization, boycott, self-reliance and direct political pressure instead of relying solely on petitions or appeals to imperial justice. Their methods broadened participation in the freedom struggle, especially around the Swadeshi agitation against Bengal’s partition in 1905.

Q195. What was the fundamental change introduced by the Extremist leaders in Indian nationalism?

[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (9 May 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) Emphasis on gradual constitutional reforms

(B) Support for cooperative political dialogue

(D) Articulation of Swaraj with radical methods

Answer: (D) Articulation of Swaraj with radical methods

Explanation: Leaders of the Extremist phase placed Swaraj at the centre of political demands and favoured more assertive action. Boycott, Swadeshi, national education and passive resistance were intended to build self-confidence and public involvement beyond the limited constitutional lobbying of early Congress Moderates.

Q194. What is the significance of Integral Yoga in Sri Aurobindo’s thought?

[UP PGT History (9 May 2026)]

(A) It rejects spirituality and centres material progress

(B) It confines practice to ritual observance

(D) It insists on renouncing worldly life completely

Answer: (C) It integrates spiritual realization with action to transform consciousness and collective life

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo developed Integral Yoga after moving away from active political leadership. He proposed transformation of the whole human being and life through spiritual evolution. It did not demand a simple retreat from action, but envisaged higher consciousness expressed in individual and collective living.

Q193. How did Aurobindo Ghosh contribute to the extremist phase of the Indian national movement?

[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (8 May 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Promoting petitions and legislative reforms

(B) Linking passive resistance and boycott with spiritual nationalism

(D) Leading agrarian tax-reduction campaigns

Answer: (B) Linking passive resistance and boycott with spiritual nationalism

Explanation: Aurobindo advocated passive resistance and boycott during the anti-partition movement and defended the demand for complete national self-rule. Through Bande Mataram and other writings he connected patriotism with a deeper spiritual conception of the nation, distinguishing his politics from petition-based moderation.

Q192. Which extremist leader authored the famous work Gita Rahasya?

[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (7 May 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak wrote Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Rahasya while imprisoned at Mandalay following his 1908 sedition conviction. Its interpretation emphasizes the Bhagavad Gita’s teaching of selfless action, or Karma Yoga. The Marathi original appeared in 1915 and became an influential nationalist-era work.

Q191. Which contribution is correctly associated with Lala Lajpat Rai during the freedom struggle?

[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (7 May 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Leading anti-Simon Commission protests and suffering fatal injuries

(B) Commanding volunteers on the Salt March

(D) Drafting the Nehru Report

Answer: (A) Leading anti-Simon Commission protests and suffering fatal injuries

Explanation: Lajpat Rai led a demonstration against the all-British Simon Commission in Lahore in October 1928. He suffered injuries following a police lathi charge and died in November. His death provoked national outrage and became an enduring symbol of resistance to colonial repression.

Q190. Which organisation was founded by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1921 at Lahore for social, educational, cultural and economic reform?

[DSSSB MTS (3 May 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Servants of the People Society

(B) National Social Service League

(D) Arya Samaj Reform Sabha

Answer: (A) Servants of the People Society

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai established the Servants of the People Society at Lahore in 1921. The organization aimed to train dedicated workers for national service and constructive activity. Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated it, and the society continued work in education, public welfare and social development.

Q189. When did Bal Gangadhar Tilak found the Home Rule League?

[OSSSC Forester/Forest Guard (27 April 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) 1912

(B) 1916

(D) 1911

Answer: (B) 1916

Explanation: Tilak founded his Home Rule League in April 1916, shortly before Annie Besant developed her parallel league. His organization worked principally in Maharashtra outside Bombay city, Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar, spreading political education and demanding Indian self-government.

Q188. Who among the following nationalist leaders was arrested in connection with the Alipore Bomb Conspiracy Case of 1908?

[DSSSB MTS (20 April 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Subhas Chandra Bose

(D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Answer: (D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo and his brother Barindra Kumar Ghosh were arrested after police investigations uncovered revolutionary activities at Maniktala. The sensational Alipore trial followed the failed attempt on Magistrate Kingsford at Muzaffarpur. Aurobindo was acquitted, while several associates received sentences.

Q187. Arrange these events chronologically: (a) Tilak’s Home Rule League, (b) establishment of INC, (c) Surat Split, (d) Swadeshi launch after Bengal partition.

[UPHESC Assistant Professor History (19 April 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) c, b, d, a

(B) d, b, c, a

(D) b, d, c, a

Answer: (D) b, d, c, a

Explanation: Congress was established in 1885. Swadeshi agitation developed in 1905 against the partition of Bengal. The Surat rupture followed in 1907, while Tilak founded a Home Rule League in 1916. Thus the correct chronological sequence is b, d, c, a.

Q186. In 1908, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was arrested and tried on what charges related to his writings and political activities?

[DSSSB MTS (19 April 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Inciting labour strikes

(B) Treason against the British government

(D) Conspiracy to wage war against the British government

Answer: (B) Treason against the British government

Explanation: Tilak was prosecuted for sedition, particularly in connection with articles appearing in Kesari amid revolutionary unrest. The colonial authorities treated such political writings as disloyal to the Crown. In 1908 he received a six-year sentence and was imprisoned at Mandalay in Burma.

Q185. Which newspaper did Bal Gangadhar Tilak use to influence public opinion and promote extremist nationalist ideas?

[DSSSB MTS (18 April 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Kesari

(B) Indian Opinion

(D) Awaj-e-Hind

Answer: (A) Kesari

Explanation: Kesari, the Marathi newspaper associated with Tilak, became a powerful platform for political criticism and demands for self-rule. Along with his English paper Mahratta, it helped communicate nationalist ideas to different audiences. His writings also became grounds for British sedition prosecutions.

Q184. Which pair of leaders was closely associated with signing the Lucknow Pact of 1916?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (22 March 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah

(D) Dadabhai Naoroji and Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Explanation: The 1916 Lucknow Pact marked agreement between the Congress and Muslim League on constitutional demands. Tilak was a prominent Congress participant, while Jinnah played an important bridging role. The Congress factions also reunited at the Lucknow session, strengthening organized nationalism.

Q183. Which nationalist leader emerged as a prominent figure of the extremist phase, emphasizing direct action and mass mobilisation?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (19 March 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(B) Surendranath Banerjee

(D) Dadabhai Naoroji

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak challenged the limited methods of early Congress Moderates and mobilized people through festivals, newspapers and public campaigns. His political message centred on Swaraj and organized pressure. Gokhale, Banerjee and Naoroji were principally associated with the earlier constitutional or Moderate tradition.

Q182. Which principle was most emphasized by Bal Gangadhar Tilak during the Extremist Phase?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (17 March 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) Complete armed revolution

(B) Communal representation

(D) Swaraj as every Indian’s birthright

Answer: (D) Swaraj as every Indian’s birthright

Explanation: Tilak popularized the declaration that Swaraj was his birthright. He argued that self-government had to be demanded through active participation rather than passively awaited. His nationalism combined political mobilization with Swadeshi and boycott, but should not be equated with advocating indiscriminate armed revolt.

Q181. Which statement is incorrect regarding socio-political movements and their leaders?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (17 March 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) Self-Respect Movement was launched by E. V. Ramasamy

(B) Home Rule League was founded by Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) Abhinav Bharat was founded by V. D. Savarkar

Answer: (B) Home Rule League was founded by Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: The Home Rule Leagues were launched by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant in 1916, not by Aurobindo Ghosh. Aurobindo had shifted from direct nationalist politics to spiritual work at Pondicherry. The other three leader-organization associations are historically valid.

Q180. At which session of the Indian National Congress did the party formally split into Moderates and Extremists?

[RRB Technician Grade III (9 March 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Surat session, 1907

(B) Bombay session, 1910

(D) Calcutta session, 1906

Answer: (A) Surat session, 1907

Explanation: The Surat session of 1907 saw the Congress divide after disputes over its president and methods of agitation. Extremist leaders wanted vigorous use of Swadeshi and boycott, whereas Moderates advocated restraint. The two wings were later reunited at Lucknow in 1916.

Q179. Which slogan was popularised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak?

[RRB Technician Grade III (6 March 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Liberty is our dream

(B) Give me blood and I will give you freedom

(D) Freedom is our goal

Answer: (C) Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it

Explanation: Tilak’s celebrated declaration asserted self-government as a right rather than a favour from the colonial authorities. It encapsulated the assertive outlook associated with the Extremist movement. Subhas Chandra Bose, by contrast, is associated with the distinct appeal about giving blood for freedom.

Q178. The Alipore Bomb Conspiracy Case happened in which year?

[DSSSB MTS (6 March 2026, Shift 1)]

(A) 1929

(B) 1921

(D) 1908

Answer: (D) 1908

Explanation: The Alipore conspiracy prosecution originated in 1908 after the Muzaffarpur bomb attempt against Magistrate Kingsford. Investigators discovered bomb-making materials and revolutionary networks around Maniktala. The trial became a landmark episode in Bengal’s revolutionary nationalist phase and involved Aurobindo and Barindra Ghosh.

Q177. Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the Home Rule League in which year?

[DSSSB MTS (5 March 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) 1906

(B) 1916

(D) 1917

Answer: (B) 1916

Explanation: Tilak launched his Home Rule organization in April 1916, seeking Indian self-government through sustained public campaigning. Annie Besant organized another league later that year. These initiatives revived nationalist politics after the earlier Congress split and wartime restrictions on political activity.

Q176. The Extremist phase in the Indian freedom struggle began around which year?

[DSSSB MTS (25 February 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) 1885

(B) 1857

(D) 1942

Explanation: Militant or assertive nationalist politics gained strength around 1905 when Bengal’s partition generated mass protest. Leaders such as Tilak, Pal and Lajpat Rai rejected exclusive dependence on petitions and sought boycott, Swadeshi and political mobilization to achieve Swaraj.

Q175. During his imprisonment at Mandalay after 1908, Bal Gangadhar Tilak authored which work?

[DSSSB PRT (18 February 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) Gita-Sar

(B) Gita-Darshan

(D) Gita-Gyan

Answer: (C) Gita-Rahasya

Explanation: While serving the six-year sentence imposed in 1908, Tilak composed Gita Rahasya, an interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita highlighting the importance of action and duty. He wrote it in Marathi, and publication followed after his release, in 1915.

Q174. Who wrote Unhappy India as a reply to the views expressed in Katherine Mayo’s Mother India?

[SSC MTS 2025 paper (held 18 February 2026, Shift 3)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Rajendra Prasad

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (A) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai wrote Unhappy India in response to Katherine Mayo’s controversial Mother India. The book challenged sweeping portrayals of India as inherently unfit for self-rule. His response combined political criticism of imperialism with concern about how colonial discourse represented Indian society.

Q173. Which freedom fighter was injured during a demonstration against the Simon Commission and later died?

[DSSSB PRT (17 February 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Motilal Nehru

(B) Lala Lajpat Rai

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (B) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lajpat Rai led opposition to the Simon Commission in Lahore in October 1928. Police used batons against demonstrators, and he subsequently died in November. The episode became a major rallying point for anti-colonial protest because the commission contained no Indian members.

Q172. Lala Lajpat Rai was popularly known by which title?

[RRB Group D (9 January 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Netaji

(B) Lokmanya Tilak

(D) Deshbandhu

Answer: (C) Punjab Kesari

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai was celebrated as Punjab Kesari, or Lion of Punjab, for assertive nationalist leadership. He joined Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal in the famous Lal–Bal–Pal grouping. The title reflects his particular political prominence in Punjab and beyond.

Q171. Who declared “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it,” emphasizing assertive nationalism?

[Delhi Police Constable (6 January 2026, Shift 2)]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Lala Lajpat Rai

(D) Subhas Chandra Bose

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave the freedom movement one of its most famous political declarations. It expressed the conviction that Indians possessed an inherent right to govern themselves. Tilak’s approach contrasted with moderate reliance on appeals for incremental concessions from the British.

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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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.

Q160. Which leader was NOT associated with extremist ideology in the 1905–1917 phase?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (17 June 2025, Shift 3)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Answer: (D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gopal Krishna Gokhale was an important Moderate and supported gradual reforms through constitutional action. Lajpat Rai, Pal and Tilak are associated with assertive nationalism and are remembered together as Lal–Bal–Pal. Their differences concerned political methods and the urgency of attaining Swaraj.

Q159. In which language was Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s newspaper Mahratta published?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (13 June 2025, Shift 3)]

(A) Bengali

(B) Hindi

(D) Marathi

Answer: (C) English

Explanation: Mahratta was Tilak’s English-language publication, whereas Kesari appeared in Marathi. The two newspapers addressed different readerships and criticized colonial policy. The press became a central means of developing nationalist opinion and communication during the rise of assertive politics.

Q158. Who among the following laid the foundation of Punjab National Bank?

[Punjab Police Constable (10 June 2025, Shift 1)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Udham Singh

(D) Sohan Singh Bhakna

Answer: (A) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lajpat Rai was closely associated with the early development of Punjab National Bank, established in Lahore in the 1890s as an Indian-managed institution. Such ventures exemplified economic self-reliance and the nationalist desire to reduce dependence on colonial commercial structures.

Q157. What was the outcome of the Simon Commission protest for Lajpat Rai?

[Punjab Police Constable (30 May 2025, Shift 1)]

(A) He became the protest leader

(B) He was injured and later died

(D) He received an award

Answer: (B) He was injured and later died

Explanation: After a police lathi charge on protesters opposing the Simon Commission in Lahore, Lajpat Rai suffered injuries and died on 17 November 1928. The commission contained no Indian members, leading to widespread protest; his death gave the agitation additional emotional force.

Q156. Which freedom fighter was popularly known as Punjab Kesari, the Lion of Punjab?

[Telangana High Court Field Assistant (20 April 2025)]

(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(B) Lala Lajpat Rai

(D) Chandra Shekhar Azad

Answer: (B) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: The nickname Punjab Kesari is associated with Lala Lajpat Rai. He combined national agitation with educational and social work and was one of three leaders named in Lal–Bal–Pal. His protest against the Simon Commission in 1928 is particularly remembered.

Q155. All of the following were Extremist leaders EXCEPT:

[RPF Constable 2024 paper (12 March 2025, Shift 2)]

(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(B) Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (D) Surendranath Banerjee

Explanation: Surendranath Banerjee belonged primarily to the Moderate tradition of Congress politics, advocating constitutional reform and organized public petitioning. Tilak, Aurobindo and Pal represented assertive nationalist politics, especially during the boycott and Swadeshi campaigns beginning in 1905.

Q154. Tilak believed political rights could be achieved through:

[RPF Constable 2024 paper (11 March 2025, Shift 1)]

(A) Persuasion

(B) Courageous action and strong pressure

(D) Diplomatic discussions

Answer: (B) Courageous action and strong pressure

Explanation: Tilak challenged the belief that political reform could be secured by polite entreaty alone. He favoured broad-based public pressure, national self-help and courageous agitation for rights. These ideas made him a symbol of the Extremist reaction against the limitations of early Congress methods.

Q153. British police attacked Lala Lajpat Rai during a demonstration against which institution in 1928?

[RPF Constable 2024 paper (9 March 2025, Shift 3)]

(A) Hindu casteism

(B) Simon Commission

(D) British salt monopoly

Answer: (B) Simon Commission

Explanation: The Simon Commission visited India to review constitutional developments but included no Indian members. Lajpat Rai helped organize protest in Lahore and was struck in a police lathi charge. He died weeks later, intensifying anger toward the colonial state.

Q152. Who was NOT associated with the Moderate phase of the Indian National Congress?

[RPF Constable 2024 paper (9 March 2025, Shift 1)]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (A) Bipin Chandra Pal

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal emerged as an influential Extremist and spokesman of the Bengal Swadeshi movement. The remaining leaders are widely associated with the Moderate phase, which emphasized constitutional methods, petitions and reforms, especially before the rise of assertive nationalism in 1905.

Q151. Which festival did Tilak introduce as a public national gathering in 1893?

[RPF Constable 2024 paper (6 March 2025, Shift 2)]

(A) Holi Festival

(B) Ganpati Festival

(D) Diwali Festival

Answer: (B) Ganpati Festival

Explanation: Tilak transformed Ganesh celebrations into public festivals beginning in 1893. Large gatherings facilitated patriotic speeches and collective participation under colonial restrictions on political activity. His use of popular culture helped bring political awareness beyond small circles of educated elites.

Q150. Which event was the decisive turning point in the conflict between Moderate and Extremist Congress factions?

[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (7 August 2025, Shift 1)]

(A) Jallianwala Bagh massacre

(B) Champaran Satyagraha

(D) Partition of Bengal

Answer: (C) Surat Split

Explanation: The Surat Split in December 1907 made the dispute over Congress leadership and methods explicit. Moderates prioritized constitutional reforms, while assertive nationalists preferred boycott and mass agitation. The confrontation caused a prolonged separation until the Lucknow reunion of 1916.

Q149. Which event triggered the first widespread use of Swadeshi and boycott as political instruments?

[IB Security Assistant (29 September 2025, Shift 2)]

(A) Surat Split

(B) Rowlatt Act protests

(D) Partition of Bengal

Answer: (D) Partition of Bengal

Explanation: The 1905 partition of Bengal sparked popular campaigns to reject imported goods and promote Indian-made products. Swadeshi and boycott connected economic self-reliance with political resistance. These methods shaped the assertive nationalism of leaders such as Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal.

Q148. In what year did the Indian National Congress undergo the Surat Split?

[AP High Court Common Recruitment Exam (24 August 2025, Shift 1)]

(A) 1904

(B) 1905

(D) 1907

Answer: (D) 1907

Explanation: The Congress fractured at Surat in 1907 after disagreement over who should lead the session and whether nationalist boycott should be widened. The episode followed the expansion of the Swadeshi movement and separated Moderates and Extremists for several years.

Q147. Who among the following led Garam Dal, the group of radical nationalists?

[SSC MTS (28 October 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) Dadabhai Naoroji

(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (C) Bipin Chandra Pal

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal belonged to the assertive nationalist wing of Congress, popularly described as Garam Dal. He championed Swadeshi, boycott and national education and was an influential journalist. The other three choices are primarily identified with constitutional or Moderate politics.

Q146. Match the Congress session with its president:
Bombay – 1885;
Calcutta – 1896;
Surat – 1907;
Kanpur – 1925.

[SSC MTS (17 October 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) 1-d, 2-a, 3-c, 4-b

(B) 1-d, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c

(D) 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-c

Answer: (D) 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-c

Explanation: The matching presidents are Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee for Bombay 1885, Rahimtulla Sayani for Calcutta 1896, Rash Behari Ghosh for Surat 1907 and Sarojini Naidu for Kanpur 1925. Surat is especially remembered for the organizational rupture between Congress factions.

Q145. Which organisation, divided into two branches, was established by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant?

[SSC CGL Tier I (11 September 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) Indian Association

(B) Theosophical Society

(D) Home Rule League

Answer: (D) Home Rule League

Explanation: Tilak and Besant launched separate Home Rule Leagues in 1916 with agreed spheres of operation. They mobilized public opinion around the demand for Indian self-government while using meetings and pamphlets. The movement also encouraged renewed Congress unity at Lucknow.

Q144. The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga and Savitri are works of which Extremist freedom fighter?

[SSC CHSL Tier I (10 July 2024, Shift 4)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Answer: (D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo moved from active nationalist politics to philosophical and spiritual writing at Pondicherry. The Life Divine explores spiritual evolution, The Synthesis of Yoga discusses yogic disciplines, and Savitri is an epic poem. Earlier, he was involved with militant nationalism in Bengal.

Q143. Tilak’s Home Rule League operated in Maharashtra and Karnataka, but did not cover which city?

[SSC MTS (14 November 2024, Shift 2)]

(A) Nagpur

(B) Pune

(D) Bombay

Answer: (D) Bombay

Explanation: Tilak founded a Home Rule League in April 1916 with an agreed regional sphere, including Maharashtra outside Bombay city, Karnataka, and the Central Provinces. Annie Besant organized a separate league elsewhere. Both campaigned for greater Indian self-government within the empire.

Q142. In which region was Tilak’s Home Rule movement primarily active?

[SSC MTS (29 October 2024, Shift 2)]

(A) Bihar

(B) Maharashtra

(D) Punjab

Answer: (B) Maharashtra

Explanation: Tilak’s main political base was Maharashtra, though his Home Rule League also worked in Karnataka, Berar and the Central Provinces. His 1916 campaign sought to educate and organize supporters of Indian self-government, using public lectures and printed material.

Q141. Which nationalist died after being injured in police action during a demonstration against the Simon Commission?

[SSC MTS (23 October 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Chandrashekhar Azad

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lajpat Rai led a protest in Lahore when the Simon Commission visited in October 1928. Police used lathis against demonstrators and he died the following month. The incident became a symbol of colonial repression and radicalized many nationalist activists.

Q140. Who authored the epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol?

[SSC MTS (23 October 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(B) Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) B. R. Ambedkar

Answer: (B) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo wrote Savitri, a long philosophical epic with spiritual themes. Before settling in Pondicherry, he had been a forceful nationalist voice in Bengal. His later literary and philosophical works reflected his ideas of consciousness and human spiritual evolution.

Q139. Which Congress session saw the organization divide into Moderates and Extremists?

[RPF Sub-Inspector CBT-I (3 December 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Lahore

(B) Calcutta

(D) Surat

Answer: (D) Surat

Explanation: The split occurred at the Surat session of 1907 after escalating differences over the Congress presidency, boycott and nationalist strategy. The Extremists preferred stronger popular action, while Moderates advocated constitutional methods. The main factions reunited in 1916.

Q138. Which leader was known as Punjab Kesari?

[Maharashtra Police Constable (7 July 2024)]

(A) Bhagat Singh

(B) Rajguru

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Punjab Kesari, meaning Lion of Punjab, was Lala Lajpat Rai’s popular epithet. He played a major role in the Swadeshi movement, Arya Samaj and educational work. His death after an anti-Simon Commission protest heightened nationalist anger in 1928.

Q137. Which freedom-fighter and region pairs are correct: I. Bipin Chandra Pal–Bengal; II. Bal Gangadhar Tilak–Maharashtra?

[DSSSB Jail Warder (12 June 2024, Shift 2)]

(A) Only II

(B) Both I and II

(D) Neither I nor II

Answer: (B) Both I and II

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal became a prominent voice of Swadeshi nationalism in Bengal, while Tilak led assertive politics in Maharashtra. Together with Lala Lajpat Rai of Punjab, they were collectively known as Lal–Bal–Pal and challenged the limits of Moderate politics.

Q136. Who raised the slogan “Freedom is my birthright and I shall have it”?

[SSC JE Electrical (5 June 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Swami Vivekananda

(B) Sachindra Nath Sanyal

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: The statement is attributed to Lokmanya Tilak and captured his insistence that Indians possessed an inherent right to Swaraj. Tilak emphasized newspapers, popular festivals and political education. His ideas significantly influenced the rise of assertive nationalism.

Q135. Against which event were Swadeshi and boycott first widely deployed together as a political protest?

[SSC MTS (5 November 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Rowlatt Act

(B) Partition of Bengal

(D) Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Answer: (B) Partition of Bengal

Explanation: Swadeshi and boycott became central to popular resistance against the partition of Bengal in 1905. The campaign urged Indians to support indigenous products and refuse British imports. It accelerated the rise of assertive nationalism and a mass political consciousness.

Q134. What was a principal aim of the Swadeshi agitation supported by the Congress?

[DSSSB Jail Warder (14 June 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Promoting British industries

(B) Boycotting British-made goods

(D) Ending all social associations

Answer: (B) Boycotting British-made goods

Explanation: The Swadeshi programme encouraged Indians to refuse imported British goods and use indigenous products. It accompanied protests against Bengal’s partition, beginning in 1905. Alongside national education, boycott and self-reliance distinguished the rising Extremist approach from purely constitutional petitions.

Q133. By what other name was the Swadeshi agitation known?

[OSSSC LSI/Forester/Forest Guard (30 April 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) Society Movement

(B) Vande Mataram Movement

(D) Jai Bharat Movement

Answer: (B) Vande Mataram Movement

Explanation: Vande Mataram became a major slogan of the 1905 anti-partition mobilization. The movement combined political protest with support for indigenous goods, public assemblies and national education. It contributed to the growth of assertive Indian nationalism in several provinces.

Q132. In which year was the nationalist and philosopher Sri Aurobindo born?

[Indian Navy Tradesman Mate (3 February 2024)]

(A) 1872

(B) 1982

(D) 1892

Answer: (A) 1872

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo was born on 15 August 1872 in Calcutta. He participated in the Swadeshi-era nationalist movement and was tried and acquitted in the Alipore Bomb Case. He later moved to Pondicherry, developing his philosophical system of Integral Yoga.

Q131. Who presided over the 1905 Banaras Congress session that formally supported Swadeshi?

[SSC CPO Paper I (29 June 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(B) Jawaharlal Nehru

(D) Motilal Nehru

Answer: (A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gopal Krishna Gokhale presided over the Banaras Congress session in 1905. Swadeshi was endorsed in response to Bengal’s partition. Although Gokhale was a Moderate, the movement drew together leaders of differing political tendencies before Congress factional differences deepened.

Q130. What significantly stimulated Indian cotton textile production during the colonial period?

[SSC CGL Tier I (26 September 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Partition of India in 1947

(B) Export of raw cotton to England

(D) Expansion of the railway network

Answer: (C) Swadeshi Movement

Explanation: The Swadeshi movement urged consumers to buy Indian-made cloth instead of imported textiles. The resulting demand helped indigenous mills and weaving industries. Economic self-reliance was part of the assertive nationalist response to the 1905 partition of Bengal.

Q129. Which occurred during the broad Extremist phase: I. Swadeshi movement, II. Surat Split, III. Lucknow Pact, IV. Home Rule Movement?

[APPSC Group 1 Prelims (17 March 2024)]

(A) I, II and III

(B) I and II only

(D) All four

Answer: (D) All four

Explanation: Swadeshi began in 1905, the Surat Split occurred in 1907, and the Home Rule Leagues and Lucknow Pact developed in 1916. These events collectively chart the expansion, fragmentation and renewed coordination of assertive nationalism in the period.

Q128. Which movement associated with Indian nationalism began in 1905?

[NCL Assistant Foreman Trainee (4 March 2024, Shift 1)]

(A) Non-Cooperation Movement

(B) Home Rule Movement

(D) Kheda Satyagraha

Answer: (C) Swadeshi Movement

Explanation: Swadeshi mobilization gained force in 1905 as a response to Lord Curzon’s partition of Bengal. It stressed boycott of foreign products and support for indigenous goods and institutions. The campaign gave new momentum to assertive nationalist politics in India.

Q127. Who painted the famous image of Bharat Mata in 1905, inspired by the Swadeshi movement?

[RPF Sub-Inspector (12 December 2024, Shift 3)]

(A) Ananda Mohan Bose

(B) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (C) Abanindranath Tagore

Explanation: Abanindranath Tagore’s Bharat Mata portrayed India as a spiritual mother figure during the Swadeshi period. The image was part of a broader cultural response to Bengal’s partition. Art, patriotic songs and national education helped circulate nationalist ideas.

Q126. Surat Split took place in which year?

[WBCS Mains History 2023]

(A) 1900

(B) 1907

(D) 1919

Answer: (B) 1907

Explanation: Surat is remembered for the 1907 breakdown between Congress Moderates and Extremists. Disputes over the session president and the extent of boycott and agitation caused the confrontation. The factions subsequently reunited at Lucknow in 1916, as political circumstances changed.

Q125. Which British magistrate was the target of the Muzaffarpur assassination attempt connected with the Alipore Conspiracy Case?

[Delhi Police Constable (22 November 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Robert Lytton

(B) J. P. Saunders

(D) Lord Irwin

Answer: (C) Douglas Kingsford

Explanation: Douglas Kingsford, formerly a magistrate in Calcutta, was targeted by revolutionaries at Muzaffarpur in 1908. The bomb struck a different carriage, killing two British women. The ensuing investigation exposed a revolutionary network and led to the Alipore Bomb Case.

Q124. Which organization was responsible for the conspiracy connected with the Alipore Bomb Case?

[MPTET Varg-2 Social Science (16 May 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Anushilan Samiti

(B) Bengal Royal Tigers

(D) Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev

Answer: (A) Anushilan Samiti

Explanation: Anushilan Samiti was an influential revolutionary organization in Bengal. The 1908 Alipore proceedings involved a secret network, bomb-making facilities and attempts to strike colonial officials. Barindra Kumar Ghosh and others were implicated; Sri Aurobindo was ultimately acquitted of the charges.

Q123. Who organized the Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav to develop nationalist sentiment among the people?

[SSC CHSL Tier I (9 August 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Lokmanya Tilak

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (A) Lokmanya Tilak

Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak popularized community Ganapati celebrations in Maharashtra beginning in 1893. He used public festivals for collective identity, education and political awakening. Along with Shivaji commemorations, they became a means of reaching people beyond the small audiences of constitutional politics.

Q122. Which of these freedom fighters was a member of the celebrated Lal–Bal–Pal group?

[SSC GD Constable (6 February 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Chittaranjan Das

(B) Lala Lajpat Rai

(D) Jawaharlal Nehru

Answer: (B) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai represented Punjab in the nationalist trio Lal–Bal–Pal. Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra and Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal were the other members. Their support for Swadeshi and boycott helped energize the assertive phase of the Indian freedom struggle.

Q121. Identify the odd person out from the group of names associated with Lal–Bal–Pal.

[SSC GD Constable (13 January 2023, Shift 3)]

(A) Dadabhai Naoroji

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (A) Dadabhai Naoroji

Explanation: Naoroji was an important Moderate Congress leader and early critic of the economic drain under British rule. The other three constituted the Lal–Bal–Pal nationalist triumvirate and were associated with more assertive methods during the anti-partition and Swadeshi period.

Q120. Lala Lajpat Rai was an active member of which reform association?

[SSC MTS (16 May 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Arya Samaj

(B) Brahmo Samaj

(D) Prarthana Samaj

Answer: (A) Arya Samaj

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai was strongly influenced by Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj. His activities connected religious and social reform with education and nationalism. The association also helped shape public initiatives in Punjab, including schools and programmes promoting self-reliance.

Q119. Which freedom fighter was among the founders of Fergusson College at Pune in 1885?

[SSC MTS (10 May 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Subhas Chandra Bose

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak helped build the Deccan Education Society and institutions for national education in western India. Fergusson College was established in Pune in 1885 by members of the society. Education, social awakening and journalism provided important foundations for his later political career.

Q118. Who proclaimed that freedom was his birthright and that he would secure it?

[SSC MTS (10 May 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Badruddin Tyabji

(B) Lala Lajpat Rai

(D) Bipin Chandra Pal

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: The phrase is identified with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, popularly called Lokmanya. His demand for Swaraj challenged the limitations of colonial constitutional concessions. The slogan became a widely remembered expression of assertive nationalist politics and the right of Indians to govern themselves.

Q117. Who was the Viceroy of India when Lala Lajpat Rai died in 1928?

[MP Patwari Group-2 (24 April 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Lord Irwin

(B) Lord Wellingdon

(D) Lord Reading

Answer: (A) Lord Irwin

Explanation: Lord Irwin served as Viceroy from 1926 until 1931. Lajpat Rai died on 17 November 1928 after being injured during anti-Simon Commission protests at Lahore. The incident intensified opposition to colonial rule and inspired a younger generation of revolutionaries.

Q116. Who described the Montagu–Chelmsford reforms as a disappointing or sunless dawn?

[RPSC 2nd Grade General Knowledge (12 February 2023)]

(A) Annie Besant

(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak criticized the limited concessions of the 1919 reforms, which extended elected representation but retained decisive imperial control. He and other nationalists sought meaningful self-government. The criticism reflects the distance between colonial constitutional change and the demand for Swaraj.

Q115. Consider Bipin Chandra Pal: 1. He was associated with the Brahmo Samaj and social reform. 2. He published the weekly New India. Which statements are correct?

[UPPSC RO/ARO Preliminary Examination 2023]

(A) 1 only

(B) 2 only

(D) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal combined reformist interests with vigorous anti-colonial nationalism. He had connections to the Brahmo Samaj and was associated with the periodical New India. The press and social reform helped circulate his ideas on Swadeshi and political self-reliance.

Q114. At which city was Annie Besant’s Home Rule League based?

[SSC Stenographer (13 October 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Bombay

(B) Banaras

(D) Madras

Answer: (D) Madras

Explanation: Annie Besant based her Home Rule League at Madras and organized branches across large parts of India. Tilak operated a separate Home Rule League with a largely western Indian territorial focus. Both organizations began in 1916 and promoted self-government.

Q113. Which of these statements concerning Punjab National Bank is correct?

[CRPF Head Constable Ministerial (1 March 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) PNB began serving customers on 19 May 1897

(B) It was founded on 12 April 1895

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai opened its first account

Answer: (D) Lala Lajpat Rai opened its first account

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai had close ties with Punjab National Bank, which became a symbol of Indian-managed banking in the colonial period. He is remembered as its first account holder. Indigenous economic institutions were an important strand of nationalist self-reliance.

Q112. Who belonged to the Extremist phase of India’s national movement?

[SSC MTS (10 May 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Pherozeshah Mehta

(B) A. O. Hume

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak led the assertive nationalist wing and called for Swaraj using stronger popular methods. Mehta and Gokhale were leading Moderates, while Hume helped establish Congress. Their approaches differed most clearly over reliance on petitions versus mass political mobilization.

Q111. Who edited the Marathi newspaper Kesari?

[SSC MTS (17 May 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak used Kesari in Marathi and Mahratta in English to disseminate political ideas and criticize colonial policies. His journalism broadened public interest in Swaraj and sometimes prompted government prosecutions, notably his sedition case and imprisonment in 1908.

Q110. Who made Ganesh Chaturthi a prominent public celebration in Maharashtra?

[SSC MTS (12 September 2023, Shift 3)]

(A) Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(B) Khudiram Bose

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (A) Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak promoted Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav from 1893 to develop social solidarity and political awareness. Its public meetings and cultural activities offered opportunities for nationalist communication. This innovation helped extend his influence beyond educated elites in western India.

Q109. What was the Swadeshi movement commonly called in the Andhra region?

[SSC MTS (12 September 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Ghadar Movement

(B) Quit India Movement

(D) Vande Mataram Movement

Answer: (D) Vande Mataram Movement

Explanation: In Andhra, the wider Swadeshi upsurge was often called the Vande Mataram movement. It spread anti-colonial awareness, resistance to imported goods and commitment to indigenous production. The movement was part of the response to Bengal’s partition in 1905.

Q108. During a historical drama a character says “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it.” Which freedom fighter originally uttered this?

[SSC MTS (16 May 2023, Shift 3)]

(A) Mahatma Gandhi

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Bhagat Singh

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: The slogan is inseparable from Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s nationalist appeal for Swaraj. He opposed excessive dependence on petitions and advocated popular political action. Its widespread use illustrated the stronger ideological tone of nationalist agitation during the early twentieth century.

Q107. At which Congress session did Congress and the Muslim League agree on a joint front against British rule?

[SSC CGL Tier I (27 July 2023, Shift 3)]

(A) Bombay

(B) Allahabad

(D) Delhi

Answer: (C) Lucknow

Explanation: The 1916 Lucknow session brought two significant developments: a Congress–Muslim League agreement and reunion of Congress Moderates and Extremists. It was presided over by Ambika Charan Majumdar. The agreement illustrated attempts to coordinate demands for constitutional reform.

Q106. In which year did the Indian National Congress split into two factions?

[SSC MTS (17 May 2023, Evening)]

(A) 1901

(B) 1905

(D) 1907

Answer: (D) 1907

Explanation: The Congress split at Surat in December 1907 between Moderates and Extremists. Leadership disagreements and differences over the scope of boycott and Swaraj led to the confrontation. The factions finally reunited at the Lucknow session nine years later.

Q105. Who said that he knew, adored and worshipped his country as his mother?

[UGC NET History (16 June 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Aurobindo Ghosh

(B) Lala Lajpat Rai

(D) Rash Behari Ghosh

Answer: (A) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: The words are associated with Sri Aurobindo’s conception of India as a motherland worthy of devotion. His early nationalist writings linked the demand for freedom to cultural and spiritual ideas. He later concentrated on Integral Yoga and philosophy in Pondicherry.

Q104. Which freedom fighter was associated with the establishment of Punjab National Bank?

[MP Police Constable (17 August 2023, Shift 2)]

(A) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

(B) B. R. Ambedkar

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai was associated with the foundation and early growth of Punjab National Bank in Lahore. Indian-controlled financial institutions reflected the wider objective of economic self-reliance. Rai also supported Arya Samaj activities, national education and anti-colonial political mobilization.

Q103. Who died following injuries sustained during a 1928 protest against the Simon Commission?

[SSC CHSL Tier I (11 August 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Lala Har Dayal

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (A) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai led anti-Simon Commission demonstrators in Lahore in October 1928. The protest was met with a police lathi charge, and he died weeks afterward. His death provoked widespread outrage and influenced revolutionary resistance in Punjab.

Q102. Lala Lajpat Rai was injured during protests against which commission?

[Chandigarh Police Constable (23 July 2023)]

(A) Rowlatt Commission

(B) Simon Commission

(D) Hunter Commission

Answer: (B) Simon Commission

Explanation: Lajpat Rai opposed the Simon Commission because its members were all British and it lacked Indian representation. He led a demonstration in Lahore in 1928, sustained injuries during police action and died in November. The incident became a nationalist rallying point.

Q101. Which leader was called Punjab Kesari or Lion of Punjab?

[CRPF Constable Tradesman (12 July 2023, Shift 1)]

(A) Bhagat Singh

(B) Lala Har Dayal

(D) Ajit Singh

Answer: (C) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai earned the title Punjab Kesari through influential nationalist leadership. A member of the Lal–Bal–Pal triumvirate, he worked in education, journalism and social reform. His death following the Simon Commission protest in 1928 intensified nationalist feeling.

Q100. Under which Governor-General was the partition of Bengal announced in 1905?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2023]

(A) Lord Curzon

(B) Lord Wellesley

(D) Lord William Bentinck

Answer: (A) Lord Curzon

Explanation: Lord Curzon announced Bengal’s partition in 1905, claiming administrative convenience. Nationalists saw the decision as an effort to weaken political unity. The resulting anti-partition, Swadeshi and boycott campaigns fostered assertive nationalism and greatly intensified Congress divisions.

Q99. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the editor of:

[WBCS Mains History 2022]

(A) Hindoo Patriot

(B) Hind Swaraj

(D) Anandamath

Answer: (C) Kesari

Explanation: Kesari, published in Marathi, was one of Tilak’s best-known newspapers. He also edited the English-language Mahratta. They helped develop public support for political rights and criticize colonial policies, making journalism central to his role in assertive nationalism.

Q98. The Surat Split in the Congress happened in:

[WBCS Mains History 2022]

(A) 1906

(B) 1907

(D) 1909

Answer: (B) 1907

Explanation: The organizational split happened at Surat in December 1907, after differences intensified during the Bengal partition agitation. Extremists promoted broader boycott and direct action, while Moderates wanted restraint and constitutional methods. Congress unity was restored through the Lucknow session in 1916.

Q97. At which Congress session did the Moderate and Extremist factions reunite?

[MPSC Group C Prelims (5 November 2022)]

(A) Surat Session

(B) Lucknow Session

(D) Allahabad Session

Answer: (B) Lucknow Session

Explanation: The Lucknow session of 1916 brought the Congress factions together after the split at Surat in 1907. Ambika Charan Majumdar presided over the meeting. The same gathering is remembered for the Congress–Muslim League understanding commonly called the Lucknow Pact.

Q96. At which session did the Congress divide into two factions, Moderates and Extremists?

[SSC CPO Tier I (9 November 2022, Shift 3)]

(A) Calcutta 1907

(B) Surat 1907

(D) Chotanagpur 1908

Answer: (B) Surat 1907

Explanation: In December 1907 the Surat Congress session collapsed amid disputes over the party presidency and the boycott programme. The conflict reflected growing disagreement between constitutional moderation and assertive national agitation. The two wings ultimately reunited at Lucknow in 1916.

Q95. In what year did the Congress Surat Split occur?

[SSC CPO Tier I (10 November 2022, Shift 3)]

(A) 1907

(B) 1905

(D) 1908

Answer: (A) 1907

Explanation: Surat witnessed the organizational break between Moderates and Extremists in 1907. Tensions had sharpened since the anti-partition movement of 1905 and the 1906 Calcutta programme. The confrontation culminated in an aborted session and years of separation between factions.

Q94. In which Indian National Congress session did Moderates and Extremists split?

[Delhi Police Head Constable (14 October 2022, Shift 3)]

(A) Lucknow 1916

(B) Calcutta 1896

(D) Surat 1907

Answer: (D) Surat 1907

Explanation: The factional rupture was at Surat in 1907. Leaders differed over leadership, methods of boycott and the radical interpretation of Swaraj. The split weakened organized nationalist pressure temporarily, before changing political conditions encouraged reunion at the Lucknow session of 1916.

Q93. Which Congress session witnessed the division between the Moderate and Extremist wings?

[DSSSB Junior Secretariat Assistant (3 April 2022, Shift 2)]

(A) Lahore 1929

(B) Lucknow 1916

(D) Calcutta 1928

Answer: (C) Surat 1907

Explanation: The break occurred at the Surat Congress session in 1907. The immediate dispute concerned the presidential election and control over resolutions, while the deeper issue was the strategy of agitation. Reunion of the main factions eventually took place in 1916.

Q92. Who, besides two Chapekar brothers, was hanged in Pune in 1899 for revolutionary activity?

[MPSC Subordinate Services ASO Mains (31 July 2022)]

(A) Mahadev Ranade

(B) Rajabapu Mhaskar

(D) Bhausaheb Ghatge

Answer: (A) Mahadev Ranade

Explanation: Mahadev Vinayak Ranade participated in revolutionary actions linked to the Chapekar network. He was executed in May 1899 after the retaliatory killing of police informants. The Chapekar episode grew out of public anger over severe plague-control measures in Pune.

Q91. Who served as Mahatma Gandhi’s political mentor?

[OSSC Welfare Extension Officer (17 December 2022)]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Answer: (D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a key Moderate leader who supported gradual reforms and constitutional campaigning. Gandhi admired him and described him as his political mentor. The other choices were leading figures in the assertive nationalist tendency, especially during the Swadeshi years.

Q90. Who founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926?

[OSSC BSSO (7 November 2022, Shift 2)]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Bhagat Singh

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (B) Bhagat Singh

Explanation: Bhagat Singh helped organize Naujawan Bharat Sabha at Lahore in 1926 to mobilize young people politically. Lala Lajpat Rai belonged to an earlier assertive nationalist generation, although both were prominent in Punjab. The question distinguishes their organizations and periods.

Q89. Which statement about Lala Lajpat Rai is incorrect?

[ICAR Technician (28 February 2022, Shift 3)]

(A) He was a Punjab nationalist

(B) He was associated with Arya Samaj

(D) He was born in 1855

Answer: (D) He was born in 1855

Explanation: Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January 1865, not 1855. Associated with Arya Samaj, he became known as Punjab Kesari and joined the Lal–Bal–Pal nationalist leadership. His involvement in protests against the Simon Commission culminated in his death in 1928.

Q88. Consider the statements: I. Rash Behari Ghosh presided over the 1907 Congress session. II. Congress split into Moderates and Extremists there. III. S. P. Sinha presided over the 1916 reunion session. Which are correct?

[CGPSC Preliminary Examination (13 February 2022)]

(A) All three are true

(B) All three are false

(D) I and II false, III true

Answer: (C) I and II true, III false

Explanation: The 1907 Surat session was chaired by Rash Behari Ghosh and saw the factional rupture. The Congress factions reunited at Lucknow in 1916 under Ambika Charan Majumdar, not S. P. Sinha. Therefore the first two statements alone hold.

Q87. Which newspaper–editor combination is incorrectly matched?

[UPSC CDS-I General Knowledge (10 April 2022)]

(A) Navjivan–Mahatma Gandhi

(B) Mahratta–Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Voice of India–Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Answer: (D) Voice of India–Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Voice of India was associated with Dadabhai Naoroji rather than Gokhale. Tilak edited Mahratta in English and Kesari in Marathi, using the press to circulate nationalist views. Newspapers were central to both Moderate political argument and the growth of assertive nationalism.

Q86. Which events occurred in 1916: 1. Lucknow Congress session; 2. Congress–League Pact; 3. Formation of Home Rule Leagues?

[UPSC CDS-I General Knowledge (10 April 2022)]

(A) 1 and 3 only

(B) 2 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation: The Home Rule Leagues of Tilak and Annie Besant began in 1916. That year also saw the Lucknow Congress session, Congress–Muslim League understanding and reunion of the Moderate and Extremist Congress groups, making it a major year for nationalist coordination.

Q85. In which year did the first partition of Bengal occur?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2022]

(A) 1910

(B) 1911

(D) 1906

Explanation: The partition of Bengal was implemented in October 1905 under Lord Curzon. The measure triggered Swadeshi and boycott protests, promoted national education and encouraged new methods of political mobilization. The partition was annulled in 1911.

Q84. In which journal did Aurobindo Ghosh publish his series of critiques of Congress called New Lamps for Old?

[WBCS Mains History 2021]

(A) Induprakash

(B) Indumati

(D) Yugantar

Answer: (A) Induprakash

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo’s early political essays New Lamps for Old appeared in the journal Indu Prakash in the 1890s. They criticized the Congress leadership for timid methods and helped anticipate the later turn toward assertive nationalism and demands for genuine national self-rule.

Q83. In which Congress session did the extremist agenda first appear on the INC platform?

[WBCS Mains History 2021]

(A) Madras, 1888

(B) Amaravati, 1897

(D) Surat, 1907

Answer: (B) Amaravati, 1897

Explanation: The cited WBCS question identifies the Amaravati session of 1897 as the first Congress platform appearance of an extremist agenda. Assertive tendencies grew thereafter, culminating in the Bengal Swadeshi agitation from 1905 and the much more visible factional crisis at Surat in 1907.

Q82. Which feature characterized the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal during 1905–09?

[WBCS Mains History 2021]

(A) Boycott

(B) Revolutionary terrorism

(D) All of the above

Answer: (D) All of the above

Explanation: The Swadeshi phase included economic boycott, volunteer associations and, in some circles, revolutionary militancy. Its broader social reach distinguished it from earlier elite petitions. Different activists adopted different methods, so these activities should not all be treated as identical forms of nationalism.

Q81. Who was the editor of the journal Mahratta?

[WBCS Mains History 2021]

(A) P. S. Mehta

(B) B. G. Tilak

(D) Dinshaw Wacha

Answer: (B) B. G. Tilak

Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak edited the English paper Mahratta alongside the Marathi Kesari. Both were vehicles for anti-colonial public argument and the growing demand for self-government. Newspapers served as essential organizational instruments before mass political communication became commonplace.

Q80. What immediately triggered the launch of the Swadeshi Movement?

[Allahabad High Court ARO (15 December 2021)]

(A) Partition of Bengal by Curzon

(B) Tilak receiving eighteen months in jail

(D) Death sentence on the Chapekar Brothers

Answer: (A) Partition of Bengal by Curzon

Explanation: Lord Curzon’s partition of Bengal, implemented in October 1905, caused intense popular protest. Swadeshi and boycott developed as major forms of resistance, backed by national education and voluntary organization. This movement transformed Indian politics and strengthened assertive nationalism.

Q79. Who shot W. C. Rand, the plague commissioner at Pune?

[RRB NTPC CBT-I (7 April 2021)]

(A) Bhagat Singh

(B) Damodar Chapekar

(D) V. D. Savarkar

Answer: (B) Damodar Chapekar

Explanation: Damodar Hari Chapekar and his brother Balkrishna attacked British officers in June 1897. W. C. Rand had supervised unpopular plague measures in Pune. Their actions became a landmark of early revolutionary nationalism in western India, distinct from Congress constitutional campaigning.

Q78. Which was an early assassination of a British officer after the Revolt of 1857?

[WBCS Preliminary Examination 2021]

(A) Rand by the Chapekar brothers

(B) John Saunders by Bhagat Singh

(D) Jackson by Anant Kanhere

Answer: (A) Rand by the Chapekar brothers

Explanation: The Chapekar brothers targeted W. C. Rand at Pune in June 1897, well before the other listed revolutionary attacks. Severe measures taken during a bubonic plague epidemic fuelled local resentment. The killing was a significant episode in early anti-colonial militant activity.

Q77. How were the methods and aims of the early Indian National Congress chiefly described?

[Mizoram PSC Preliminary Examination 2021]

(A) Extremist

(B) Moderate

(D) Colonialist

Answer: (B) Moderate

Explanation: The early Congress generally sought incremental constitutional reforms through petitions, speeches and representations. This Moderate approach differed from later nationalist strategies emphasizing boycott, mass mobilization and passive resistance. Assertive nationalism became especially prominent after the 1905 partition of Bengal.

Q76. Match the cases with associated persons:
Howrah–Jatindranath Mukherjee;
Lahore–Rajguru;
Delhi–Amir Chand;
Alipore–Aurobindo.

Which coding is correct?

[RPSC RAS Preliminary Examination (27 October 2021)]

(A) A-IV, B-III, C-II, D-I

(B) A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV

(D) A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I

Answer: (C) A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

Explanation: The Alipore case involved Sri Aurobindo and revolutionary associates after the Muzaffarpur attempt. Jatindranath Mukherjee is connected with the Howrah case, Amir Chand with the Delhi conspiracy and Rajguru with the Lahore revolutionary prosecution. Thus the third code fits.

Q75. Who founded the Marathi newspaper Kesari?

[UPSC CDS-I General Knowledge (7 February 2021)]

(A) Lokmanya Tilak

(B) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

(D) Mahatma Gandhi

Answer: (A) Lokmanya Tilak

Explanation: Tilak was involved in launching Kesari in 1881 as a Marathi-language nationalist paper, alongside the English Mahratta. Early editorial colleagues included Gopal Ganesh Agarkar. Tilak’s later writing brought him influence, controversy and prosecutions under colonial sedition laws.

Q74. In what year did the Swadeshi Movement begin?

[RRB NTPC CBT-I (23 February 2021, Shift 1)]

(A) 1847

(B) 1881

(D) 1905

Answer: (D) 1905

Explanation: The Swadeshi Movement began in 1905 in response to the partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon. It supported Indian-made products and boycotted British imports. Leaders including Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Sri Aurobindo helped promote its nationalist programme.

Q73. During which national movement in Bengal was a tricolour flag designed?

[SSC GD Constable (25 November 2021, Shift 1)]

(A) Khilafat Movement

(B) Civil Disobedience Movement

(D) Quit India Movement

Answer: (C) Swadeshi Movement

Explanation: The Swadeshi phase inspired early nationalist flags and patriotic imagery during the campaign against Bengal’s partition. The visual symbols helped communities express solidarity and a shared national identity. This preceded the final design of independent India’s national flag.

Q72. Which bank founded in 1911 was described as the first truly Swadeshi bank?

[DSSSB Assistant Engineer Civil (26 September 2021)]

(A) Canara Bank

(B) Bank of Baroda

(D) Punjab National Bank

Answer: (C) Central Bank of India

Explanation: The Central Bank of India, established in 1911, promoted Indian management in banking and was described as the first truly Swadeshi bank. The broader nationalist movement supported indigenous financial and industrial enterprises as part of reducing dependence on British commercial institutions.

Q71. Which Bengali radical used the Amrita Bazar Patrika to challenge the Moderate politics of Surendranath Banerjee?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2021]

(A) Brahmabandhav Upadhyay

(B) Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) Motilal Ghosh

Answer: (D) Motilal Ghosh

Explanation: Motilal Ghosh was a leading figure at the Amrita Bazar Patrika, an important nationalist newspaper. The paper’s criticism and reporting helped form public political opinion. Its vigorous tone sometimes contrasted with the cautious constitutional strategy of Moderate nationalists.

Q70. Which of these was NOT directly involved in Curzon’s 1905 partition of Bengal?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2021]

(A) Lord Curzon

(B) H. Risley

(D) Lord Hardinge

Answer: (D) Lord Hardinge

Explanation: Curzon’s administration implemented Bengal’s partition in 1905, with Risley and Fraser connected to its planning. Lord Hardinge became Viceroy later, and the partition was annulled during his tenure in 1911. The original division triggered the Swadeshi movement.

Q69. The leaders of the Home Rule Movement borrowed the term Home Rule from:

[WBCS Mains History 2020]

(A) Ireland

(B) Scotland

(D) Canada

Answer: (A) Ireland

Explanation: The Indian Home Rule campaign drew its name from Irish demands for self-government. Tilak and Annie Besant launched leagues in 1916 that adapted this idea to colonial India. Their organizations held meetings, circulated literature and pressed for political participation and Indian autonomy.

Q68. The National Council for Education was established in which year?

[WBCS Mains History 2020]

(A) 1906

(B) 1908

(D) 1911

Answer: (A) 1906

Explanation: The National Council of Education was established in Bengal in 1906 during the Swadeshi movement. National education sought to lessen dependence on colonial institutions, promote technical and indigenous learning, and strengthen self-reliance. It formed a major plank of assertive nationalist programmes.

Q67. Who were executed for the 1897 killing of British officials W. C. Rand and Lieutenant Ayerst?

[Delhi Police Constable (28 November 2020, Shift 1)]

(A) Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan

(B) Bhagat Singh and Rajguru

(D) Chapekar brothers

Answer: (D) Chapekar brothers

Explanation: Members of the Chapekar family attacked plague administrator W. C. Rand and Lieutenant Ayerst at Pune on 22 June 1897. The colonial government later executed three brothers for their revolutionary activity. The affair followed resentment over harsh public-health enforcement during a plague epidemic.

Q66. On which date was Damodar Hari Chapekar executed?

[UPPSC ACF/RFO Mains Paper I 2020]

(A) 18 March 1898

(B) 18 April 1898

(D) 18 July 1898

Answer: (B) 18 April 1898

Explanation: Damodar Hari Chapekar was executed on 18 April 1898 after his conviction following the shooting of plague official W. C. Rand in Pune. The revolutionary attack took place in June 1897 amid public resentment over severe epidemic-control policies.

Q65. At which Congress session was Vande Mataram first sung?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2020]

(A) 1886

(B) 1892

(D) 1904

Answer: (C) 1896

Explanation: Vande Mataram was sung at the Calcutta Congress session in 1896, before becoming a central political slogan during the Swadeshi movement of 1905. Its association with the motherland inspired patriotic cultural expressions and nationalist gatherings throughout the early twentieth century.

Q64. Bal Gangadhar Tilak received the epithet Lokmanya during:

[WBCS Mains History 2019]

(A) Swadeshi Movement

(B) Revolutionary Movement

(D) His imprisonment in 1908

Answer: (C) Home Rule Movement

Explanation: This WBCS paper associates the title Lokmanya with the Home Rule Movement. Literally meaning accepted by the people, the honorific reflected Tilak’s popular standing. His league of 1916 expanded the campaign for political self-government after a period of nationalist fragmentation.

Q63. The Calcutta Congress session of 1906 was a turning point because it:

[WBCS Mains History 2019]

(A) Ended the Congress altogether

(B) Ended the Moderate phase immediately

(D) Was the final national Congress meeting

Answer: (C) Adopted boycott, Swadeshi, national education and self-government resolutions

Explanation: The 1906 Calcutta session, presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji, adopted a programme embracing Swadeshi, boycott, national education and self-government. It temporarily accommodated competing factions, but disagreements over implementation sharpened and the Surat organizational split followed the next year.

Q62. What was the immediate cause of the Surat Split in 1907?

[WBCS Mains History 2019]

(A) Boycott of Moderates by Extremists

(B) Election of the Congress president

(D) Resolutions on Swadeshi and national education

Answer: (B) Election of the Congress president

Explanation: The contest over choosing the Congress president precipitated the 1907 Surat confrontation. Beneath that dispute were deeper differences about the scope of boycott, the use of mass agitation and the Congress leadership’s commitment to more forceful nationalist methods.

Q61. Who was associated with the assassination of Rand at Poona?

[RSMSSB Women Supervisor (6 January 2019)]

(A) Bhagat Singh

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) V. D. Savarkar

Answer: (C) Chapekar brothers

Explanation: The Chapekar brothers carried out the 1897 attack on W. C. Rand, who supervised plague operations at Poona. Tilak had become a powerful nationalist voice in Maharashtra but was not the gunman. The episode is associated with the early revolutionary movement.

Q60. Who became principal of Bengal National College founded in Calcutta during the Swadeshi movement?

[UPSC NDA-II General Ability Test 2019]

(A) Rabindranath Tagore

(B) Sri Aurobindo

(D) Syed Abu Mohammad

Answer: (B) Sri Aurobindo

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo served as the first principal of Bengal National College in 1906. The institution reflected a key Swadeshi demand for national education free from colonial influence. Aurobindo also campaigned for boycott, passive resistance and political independence.

Q59. Match the epithets: Tilak, Andrews, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai with Lokmanya, Dinabandhu, Mahamana and Punjab Kesari.

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2019]

(A) Tilak–Lokmanya; Andrews–Dinabandhu; Malaviya–Mahamana; Rai–Punjab Kesari

(B) Tilak–Dinabandhu; Andrews–Lokmanya; Malaviya–Mahamana; Rai–Punjab Kesari

(D) Tilak–Punjab Kesari; Andrews–Dinabandhu; Malaviya–Mahamana; Rai–Lokmanya

Answer: (A) Tilak–Lokmanya; Andrews–Dinabandhu; Malaviya–Mahamana; Rai–Punjab Kesari

Explanation: Lokmanya was the popular honorific for Bal Gangadhar Tilak, while Lala Lajpat Rai was known as Punjab Kesari. C. F. Andrews was Dinabandhu and Malaviya was Mahamana. Such titles reflected distinct public contributions and reputations within the nationalist era.

Q58. Which freedom fighter had the honorific Lokmanya?

[RPF Constable (17 February 2019, Shift 2)]

(A) Vallabhbhai Patel

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Bhagat Singh

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Lokmanya means accepted or respected by the people and became closely associated with Tilak. Through newspapers, public celebrations and the demand for Swaraj, he developed an influential political following. British commentators sometimes called him the Father of Indian Unrest.

Q57. Who declared that freedom was the birthright of Indians?

[Allahabad High Court Review Officer 2019]

(A) Lala Lajpat Rai

(B) Mahatma Gandhi

(D) Jawaharlal Nehru

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s well-known slogan insisted that Swaraj was an inherent right. His campaigns used nationalist journalism, mass meetings and festivals to expand political mobilization. The phrase came to symbolize dissatisfaction with the Moderate politics of prayers and petitions.

Q56. Which Marathi newspaper was issued by Bal Gangadhar Tilak?

[Maharashtra Talathi (12 July 2019, Shift 1)]

(A) Kesari

(B) Darpan

(D) Sakal

Answer: (A) Kesari

Explanation: Kesari was a Marathi newspaper launched with Tilak and colleagues in 1881. Tilak also used the English newspaper Mahratta for nationalist commentary. Both publications helped expand the political audience for Swaraj and criticism of imperial administration.

Q55. Who edited the Marathi nationalist paper Kesari?

[DSSSB PRT (14 November 2019, Shift 3)]

(A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(B) B. R. Ambedkar

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak was best known for editing Kesari in Marathi and Mahratta in English. His publications challenged colonial authority and helped disseminate assertive nationalist views. He was prosecuted for sedition and underwent imprisonment, including six years at Mandalay.

Q54. Who was labelled the Father of Indian Unrest by British commentators?

[Telangana High Court Examiner (7 November 2019, Shift 1)]

(A) Mahatma Gandhi

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Dadabhai Naoroji

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: The British journalist Valentine Chirol famously associated Tilak with the phrase Father of Indian Unrest. The description responded to his popular political influence, intense criticism of colonialism and advocacy of Swaraj. It represented a colonial view of assertive nationalism.

Q53. Put these events in chronological order: I. Bengal partition, II. Banaras Congress session, III. Calcutta Congress session, IV. Muslim League foundation.

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2019]

(A) I, II, III, IV

(B) II, I, III, IV

(D) I, III, II, IV

Answer: (A) I, II, III, IV

Explanation: Bengal was partitioned in October 1905 after the Banaras Congress gathering was planned and before its December meeting. Calcutta Congress met in December 1906 and the Muslim League was founded in Dhaka that same month. The paper specifies I, II, III, IV.

Q52. Which matching of nationalist editors and newspapers is correct: Azad–Al Hilal, Mehta–Bombay Chronicle, Besant–New India, Gandhi–Young India?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2019]

(A) All four pairings

(B) Only the first two pairings

(D) None of the pairings

Answer: (A) All four pairings

Explanation: Abul Kalam Azad edited Al Hilal; Pherozeshah Mehta founded Bombay Chronicle; Annie Besant published New India; and Gandhi was associated with Young India. Political newspapers helped carry nationalist debate, including the Home Rule campaign and demands for self-government.

Q51. Who ridiculed the demand for independence in 1903 by suggesting only madmen would discuss it?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2019]

(A) Lord Curzon

(B) Lord Hardinge

(D) Pherozeshah Mehta

Answer: (D) Pherozeshah Mehta

Explanation: Pherozeshah Mehta, a leading Congress Moderate, is associated with the dismissive remark about outright independence in 1903. It reflected the limited constitutional aims of many early nationalists. Extremists soon pushed the movement toward stronger demands for Swaraj.

Q50. The Anti-Circular Society during the Swadeshi period was established by whom?

[WBCS Mains History 2018]

(A) Sachindra Prasad Basu

(B) Krishna Kumar Mitra

(D) Satish Chandra Mukhopadhyay

Answer: (A) Sachindra Prasad Basu

Explanation: Sachindra Prasad Basu organized the Anti-Circular Society in response to government attempts to discourage students from joining nationalist activities. Student mobilization formed a distinctive feature of the Swadeshi years, when educational institutions, public associations and political boycotts became closely linked.

Q49. Sandhya, a nationalist periodical of Bengal, was published by:

[WBCS Mains History 2018]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) Bhupendranath Dutta

Answer: (C) Brahmabandhav Upadhyay

Explanation: Brahmabandhav Upadhyay was associated with the Bengali newspaper Sandhya, known for sharp nationalist criticism during the Swadeshi years. The publication reflected a broader political press that questioned colonial legitimacy and helped radical public ideas reach a growing readership.

Q48. Who founded the Swadesh Bandhab Samiti during the Swadeshi movement?

[WBCS Mains History 2018]

(A) Aswini Kumar Dutta

(B) Pulin Bihari Das

(D) Barindra Ghosh

Answer: (A) Aswini Kumar Dutta

Explanation: Aswini Kumar Dutta founded the Swadesh Bandhab Samiti in the Barisal region. Volunteer associations supported national education, relief, local organization and Swadeshi activities. Their local networks helped transform the anti-partition movement from political meetings into sustained social mobilization.

Q47. He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shri Krishna, stayed in America, and was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly. Identify him.

[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018]

(A) Aurobindo Ghosh

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Motilal Nehru

Answer: (C) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai authored patriotic and biographical works about historical figures including Mazzini and Garibaldi. During the First World War he spent time in the United States and organized opinion for India. He later participated in legislative politics and nationalist agitation.

Q46. Who consistently emphasized Indian self-rule during 1904, 1905 and 1906?

[Odisha Civil Services Prelims 2018]

(A) Surendranath Banerjee

(B) Pherozeshah Mehta

(D) Dadabhai Naoroji

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak was among the earliest leading voices for Swaraj as an urgent political objective. His newspapers and public campaigns helped develop a more assertive politics during the Bengal anti-partition movement. His approach contrasted with the constitutional petitioning identified with many Moderates.

Q45. By what other name was Lala Lajpat Rai known?

[ICAR Technician 2018]

(A) Sher-e-Bengal

(B) Sher-e-Maharashtra

(D) Sher-e-Punjab

Answer: (D) Sher-e-Punjab

Explanation: Sher-e-Punjab means Lion of Punjab and refers to Lala Lajpat Rai. He helped spread nationalism, education and Arya Samaj activities across Punjab. His participation in the Swadeshi movement and later anti-Simon demonstrations made him a nationally influential figure.

Q44. Which statement about Bipin Chandra Pal is correct?

[UPSC NDA-II General Ability Test (9 September 2018)]

(A) He was a leading Congress Moderate

(B) He belonged to the Extremist group in Congress

(D) He served as Chief Minister of West Bengal

Answer: (B) He belonged to the Extremist group in Congress

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal was among the influential assertive nationalists of the Swadeshi period. Along with Tilak and Lajpat Rai he formed the Lal–Bal–Pal triumvirate. He supported boycott, national education and Swaraj, not a post-independence government office.

Q43. Who published the Bengali newspaper Sanjivani during the rise of nationalism?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2018]

(A) Motilal Ghosh

(B) Surendranath Banerjee

(D) Jogendra Chandra Bose

Answer: (C) Krishna Kumar Mitra

Explanation: Krishna Kumar Mitra published Sanjivani, a nationalist Bengali newspaper prominent in discussions of the partition of Bengal. It helped mobilize public resistance and boycott sentiment. Nationalist journalism was a significant source of awareness and organization during the Swadeshi movement.

Q42. Which period is known as the liberal or Moderate phase of the Indian National Congress?

[WBCS Mains History 2017]

(A) 1880–1885

(B) 1885–1905

(D) 1905–1925

Answer: (B) 1885–1905

Explanation: The years 1885–1905 are commonly treated as the early Moderate phase of Congress politics. Leaders pursued petitions, resolutions and constitutional reform. Assertive nationalism gained greater prominence around the Bengal partition in 1905, leading to a sharp division over political strategy.

Q41. The Safety Valve Theory relates to the foundation of which organization?

[WBCS Mains History 2017]

(A) Indian Association

(B) Indian National Conference

(D) Indian National Congress

Answer: (D) Indian National Congress

Explanation: The safety-valve interpretation portrayed the Indian National Congress as a means of channeling politically educated Indian discontent into peaceful discussion. Lala Lajpat Rai later invoked this idea critically. Historians debate the theory, which should not be confused with an undisputed founding motive.

Q40. Who killed W. C. Rand, the plague commissioner of Pune, in 1897?

[TSPSC Assistant Statistical Officer 2017]

(A) Ganesh Savarkar

(B) Chapekar Brothers

(D) Chiplunkar Brothers

Answer: (B) Chapekar Brothers

Explanation: Rand chaired Pune’s Special Plague Committee during an epidemic. The Chapekar brothers attacked him in June 1897 following outrage over invasive enforcement practices. Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudeo became associated with early revolutionary nationalist activity in Maharashtra.

Q39. Which of the following was NOT a Moderate Indian nationalist leader?

[Tripura Civil Service Preliminary Examination 2017]

(A) Pherozeshah Mehta

(B) Rash Behari Ghosh

(D) Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

Answer: (C) Bipin Chandra Pal

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal belonged to the assertive nationalist wing and promoted Swadeshi, boycott and political self-reliance. Mehta, Rash Behari Ghosh and W. C. Bonnerjee were associated primarily with Moderate constitutional politics. The distinction grew prominent before the Surat split.

Q38. Who said, “I know my country as my mother. I adore her. I worship her”?

[WBCS Mains History 2016]

(A) Swami Vivekananda

(B) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer: (C) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Aurobindo’s language of the nation as a mother expressed a spiritual dimension of his early political nationalism. His writings during the Swadeshi era sought to transform patriotic duty into an intense collective commitment, connecting ideas of national freedom with cultural and spiritual identity.

Q37. Who presided over the historic Lucknow session of Congress in 1916?

[WBCS Mains History 2016]

(A) Annie Besant

(B) R. N. Mudholkar

(D) Madan Mohan Malaviya

Answer: (C) Ambika Charan Majumdar

Explanation: Ambika Charan Majumdar presided over the Lucknow Congress of 1916. That session marked reunion between Moderates and Extremists after the Surat split and coincided with the Congress–Muslim League Lucknow Pact. The developments signalled a more united constitutional campaign.

Q36. Within ten days of which Poona festival were Rand and another British officer shot in 1897?

[MPSC State Services Prelims 2016]

(A) Shivaji festival

(B) Ganapati festival

(D) Navratri festival

Answer: (A) Shivaji festival

Explanation: The question refers to the public Shivaji celebration in Pune that preceded the June 1897 attack. Tilak had popularized Shivaji and Ganapati festivals for political awakening. The Chapekar brothers then attacked officials associated with controversial plague-control measures in the city.

Q35. Who continuously advocated granting self-rule to India from about 1904 onward?

[UPPSC Mains General Studies 2016]

(A) Surendranath Banerjee

(B) Aurobindo Ghosh

(D) Dadabhai Naoroji

Answer: (B) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Aurobindo advocated genuine Swaraj and argued for active national self-reliance rather than reliance on petitions. His writing and involvement in Bengal after 1905 contributed to the new assertive ideology. He later moved to Pondicherry after acquittal in the Alipore case.

Q34. Which of these was not a Moderate Congress leader?

[Himachal Pradesh PSC Preliminary Examination 2016]

(A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(B) M. G. Ranade

(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (C) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Aurobindo Ghosh advanced assertive nationalism and participated in Bengal’s anti-partition movement. Gokhale, Ranade and Banerjee were associated with Moderate methods such as constitutional agitation and reform. Aurobindo also faced prosecution in the 1908 Alipore Bomb Case.

Q33. Which European supporter of Indian nationalism condemned the British Empire as fundamentally corrupt and tyrannical?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2016]

(A) Sister Nivedita

(B) A. O. Hume

(D) Annie Besant

Answer: (D) Annie Besant

Explanation: Annie Besant strongly criticized imperial rule and championed Indian self-government. In 1916 she launched a Home Rule League alongside Tilak’s separate organization. Her activities and nationalist journalism helped connect demands for constitutional autonomy with broader public campaigning.

Q32. After the 1907 Surat rupture, which question contributed to another Congress disagreement around 1918?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2016]

(A) Implementation of the Lucknow Pact

(B) Annie Besant’s 1917 Congress presidency

(D) Montagu’s declaration of August 1917

Answer: (B) Annie Besant’s 1917 Congress presidency

Explanation: Annie Besant’s leadership and the question of constitutional reform exposed further differences inside nationalism during the Home Rule period. The WBCS paper links a later factional disagreement with her 1917 presidency, following the better-known split at Surat in 1907.

Q31. Who killed the British plague officer Rand?

[Maharashtra Zilla Parishad Junior Assistant Clerk 2015]

(A) Chapekar Brothers

(B) Udham Singh

(D) Madan Lal Dhingra

Answer: (A) Chapekar Brothers

Explanation: The Chapekar brothers attacked W. C. Rand at Pune in 1897 during intense resentment against intrusive plague policies. The assassination was an early instance of organized revolutionary violence against colonial officials. Udham Singh, Bhagat Singh and Dhingra acted in later decades.

Q30. Who was the first Indian journalist to be imprisoned for work in journalism?

[UPPSC Assistant Conservator of Forests Examination 2015]

(A) Surendranath Banerjee

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Pherozeshah Mehta

Answer: (A) Surendranath Banerjee

Explanation: Surendranath Banerjee was jailed for contempt of court in 1883 following writings in The Bengalee. Although Tilak became famous for later sedition prosecutions, Banerjee’s case preceded them. It was a landmark in Indian nationalist journalism and the emergence of organized public protest.

Q29. Which movement contributed to the division of Congress into Moderates and Extremists?

[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015]

(A) Swadeshi Movement

(B) Quit India Movement

(D) Civil Disobedience Movement

Answer: (A) Swadeshi Movement

Explanation: The Swadeshi movement arising from Bengal’s partition in 1905 intensified disagreement over methods and goals. Extremists promoted boycott, national education and mass action, while Moderates favoured limited constitutional approaches. The tensions produced the Surat rupture in December 1907.

Q28. Who called Bal Gangadhar Tilak the Father of Indian Unrest?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2015]

(A) Valentine Chirol

(B) Benjamin Disraeli

(D) Lord Chelmsford

Answer: (A) Valentine Chirol

Explanation: Valentine Chirol, a British journalist and imperial commentator, popularized the label Father of Indian Unrest for Tilak. The expression conveyed official unease at Tilak’s organizing power and nationalist journalism. Tilak himself called for Swaraj and stronger anti-colonial mobilization.

Q27. After Tilak’s conviction, which scholar pleaded for mercy, citing his interest in Tilak as a Sanskrit scholar?

[UPPSC Preliminary Examination 2014]

(A) Rabindranath Tagore

(B) Max Müller

(D) William Jones

Answer: (B) Max Müller

Explanation: Friedrich Max Müller was the noted Indologist who expressed concern for Tilak as a scholar of Sanskrit and Hindu texts. Tilak was known not only for nationalist agitation but also for scholarship. His political prosecutions brought international attention to British policies in India.

Q26. Who was implicated in the Alipore Bomb Case?

[Haryana PSC Preliminary Examination 2014]

(A) Surendranath Banerjee

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Answer: (D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo was arrested in 1908 after police discovered a revolutionary network linked to the Muzaffarpur bomb attempt. Chittaranjan Das defended him during the Alipore trial, and he was acquitted. Other accused revolutionaries received varying sentences for their activities.

Q25. Who was NOT an outstanding leader of extremist nationalism?

[UPPSC RO/ARO Preliminary Examination 2014]

(A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gokhale was identified with Moderate Congress politics and constitutional reform. Pal, Tilak and Lajpat Rai were the assertive Lal–Bal–Pal leaders. Their disagreement with moderate petitioning helped shape the factional conflict that became open at Surat in 1907.

Q24. Which social group remained comparatively distant from the early Swadeshi Movement of 1905?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2014]

(A) Women

(B) Peasantry

(D) Educated intelligentsia

Answer: (B) Peasantry

Explanation: The early Swadeshi movement drew considerable support from students, professionals and sections of urban society, while peasant participation was comparatively limited. This uneven social base constrained the movement despite its innovations in boycott, national education and volunteer associations.

Q23. Who founded Swadeshi Bhandar in 1897?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2014]

(A) Sarala Devi

(B) Rabindranath Tagore

(D) Bipin Chandra Pal

Answer: (B) Rabindranath Tagore

Explanation: Rabindranath Tagore was associated with establishing a Swadeshi Bhandar to encourage indigenous goods before the major 1905 boycott campaign. Such efforts reflected an earlier concern for economic self-reliance that later became central to assertive nationalism and the anti-partition movement.

Q22. Whom did Bal Gangadhar Tilak praise as the Diamond of India?

[WBCS Mains General Studies I 2014]

(A) Rabindranath Tagore

(B) Dadabhai Naoroji

(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer: (C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Tilak described Gopal Krishna Gokhale as a Diamond of India despite their differing methods. Gokhale was a major Moderate leader, while Tilak advocated stronger agitation for Swaraj. Their mutual respect illustrates that ideological disagreement did not always mean personal hostility.

Q21. In which Congress session did the Moderate and Extremist factions split?

[Manipur PSC Preliminary Examination 2013]

(A) Calcutta 1906

(B) Surat 1907

(D) Lahore 1929

Answer: (B) Surat 1907

Explanation: The Congress split in Surat in 1907 after disagreements over leadership and the political programme. The Calcutta session of 1906 had tried to reconcile different demands, while Lucknow in 1916 marked the return of organizational unity between the major factions.

Q20. Who among the following belonged to the Extremist nationalist group?

[UPPSC UDA/LDA Preliminary Examination 2013]

(A) Pherozeshah Mehta

(B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(D) None of the above

Answer: (C) Bipin Chandra Pal

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal was a prominent leader of the assertive Swadeshi phase and part of Lal–Bal–Pal. Mehta and Gokhale favoured constitutional avenues and are generally classified as Moderates. The opposing tendencies emerged clearly around the 1905 anti-partition agitation.

Q19. Which person was NOT a member of the revolutionary Jugantar circle after Bengal’s partition?

[Manipur PSC Preliminary Examination 2013]

(A) Amarendranath Chatterjee

(B) Jatindranath Mukherjee

(D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Answer: (C) Bipin Chandra Pal

Explanation: Bipin Chandra Pal was an influential Swadeshi publicist and assertive Congress leader rather than a member of the secret Jugantar revolutionary circle. The movement contained different currents, including open political boycott and clandestine militant organizations associated with revolutionaries in Bengal.

Q18. Who defended Sri Aurobindo during the Alipore Bomb Case trial?

[UPPSC Mains Examination 2012]

(A) Chittaranjan Das

(B) Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

(D) Tej Bahadur Sapru

Answer: (A) Chittaranjan Das

Explanation: Chittaranjan Das acted as defence counsel for Aurobindo during the Alipore proceedings arising from revolutionary investigations in 1908. His celebrated advocacy helped secure Aurobindo’s acquittal in 1909. Several other accused were convicted for activities connected with the revolutionary network.

Q17. Who was known as Sher-e-Punjab?

[BPSC 53rd–55th Preliminary Examination 2011]

(A) Rajguru

(B) Bhagat Singh

(D) Udham Singh

Answer: (C) Lala Lajpat Rai

Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai earned the names Punjab Kesari and Sher-e-Punjab for his nationalist leadership. He was associated with the Arya Samaj, the Swadeshi movement and national education. His death in 1928 followed police violence during an anti-Simon Commission demonstration.

Q16. Which Extremist leader received a sentence of six years’ imprisonment in 1908?

[Uttarakhand PCS Preliminary Examination 2010]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak was convicted of sedition in 1908 and sentenced to six years of transportation. He was imprisoned at Mandalay in Burma, where he wrote his major interpretation of the Gita. His imprisonment became a symbol of colonial repression of nationalist journalism.

Q15. Which of these leaders supported the Swadeshi movement?

[UPPSC Preliminary Examination 2009]

(A) Aurobindo Ghosh

(B) Pherozeshah Mehta

(D) Subhas Chandra Bose

Answer: (A) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo strongly supported Swadeshi, boycott, national education and passive resistance during the Bengal anti-partition movement. He contributed influential nationalist articles to Bande Mataram and advocated complete self-rule, helping to shape the assertive programme of early twentieth-century nationalism.

Q14. Who criticized the early Congress as a “begging institute”?

[UPPSC Lower Subordinate Preliminary Examination 2008]

(A) Bipin Chandra Pal

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) None of the above

Answer: (C) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Sri Aurobindo criticized the petitions and appeals of the early Congress, arguing that national freedom required strength and self-reliance. His essays New Lamps for Old attacked the limitations of Moderate politics and anticipated the rise of more militant nationalist methods.

Q13. Which method was chiefly associated with the early Moderate leaders of the Congress?

[BPSC 48th–52nd Preliminary Examination 2008]

(A) Constitutional agitation

(B) Revolutionary terrorism

(D) Rejection of legislative reform

Answer: (A) Constitutional agitation

Explanation: Moderates usually worked through resolutions, petitions, public meetings and legal constitutional avenues to secure change. Extremist leaders later questioned the effectiveness of this approach and stressed boycott, Swadeshi and mass pressure. The distinction was central to the 1907 Congress disagreement.

Q12. Who founded the revolutionary organization Anushilan Samiti?

[UPPSC Special Preliminary Examination 2008]

(A) P. Mitra

(B) Barindra Kumar Ghosh

(D) Narendra Gosain

Answer: (A) P. Mitra

Explanation: Pramathanath Mitra was an important founder of the Calcutta Anushilan Samiti in the early twentieth century. The organization became associated with revolutionary training and networks in Bengal. Its activities formed part of the context for the 1908 Alipore Bomb Case.

Q11. In which year was the assassination attempt made on Magistrate Kingsford at Muzaffarpur?

[BPSC 48th–52nd Preliminary Examination 2008]

(A) 1908

(B) 1909

(D) 1911

Answer: (A) 1908

Explanation: Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to bomb a carriage believed to carry Magistrate Douglas Kingsford in Muzaffarpur in April 1908. Their error killed two women instead. The investigation revealed revolutionary networks and led to the landmark Alipore conspiracy trial.

Q10. Who put forward the doctrine of Passive Resistance during the national movement?

[BPSC 47th Preliminary Examination 2005]

(A) Mahatma Gandhi

(B) Bipin Chandra Pal

(D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Answer: (D) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Aurobindo articulated passive resistance as a strategy of refusing cooperation with colonial authority. During the Swadeshi movement it involved boycott, national education and indigenous institutions. His formulation differed from later Gandhian satyagraha, although both employed methods of organized non-cooperation.

Q9. Who criticized the Indian National Congress for practising prayer, petition and protest?

[UPPSC UDA/LDA Preliminary Examination 2002]

(A) Lala Har Dayal

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Bhagat Singh

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak strongly challenged reliance on petitions and appeals to British goodwill. He pressed for Swaraj and methods such as public mobilization and boycott. The criticism helped crystallize disagreements between Moderate constitutionalism and the assertive nationalists who rose to prominence after 1905.

Q8. Who among these personalities belonged to the assertive or Extremist wing of nationalism?

[BPSC 45th Preliminary Examination 2001]

(A) Aurobindo Ghosh

(B) Dadabhai Naoroji

(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer: (A) Aurobindo Ghosh

Explanation: Aurobindo Ghosh was a prominent ideologue of assertive nationalism in Bengal. He supported the Swadeshi and boycott movements and wrote in Bande Mataram. Naoroji, Gokhale and Banerjee are better known for their earlier Moderate constitutional politics.

Q7. Who among the following was NOT known as a Moderate nationalist?

[BPSC 45th Preliminary Examination 2001]

(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(B) Dadabhai Naoroji

(D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Answer: (A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak represented assertive nationalist politics and rejected exclusive reliance on petitions and constitutional lobbying. Naoroji, Ranade and Gokhale were associated with the early Congress Moderate tradition. These ideological differences grew sharper during the Swadeshi agitation and Surat crisis.

Q6. Who was famously labelled the Father of Indian Unrest?

[UPPSC UDA/LDA Preliminary Examination 2001]

(A) A. O. Hume

(B) Dadabhai Naoroji

(D) Mahatma Gandhi

Answer: (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: British journalist Valentine Chirol applied the description Father of Indian Unrest to Tilak. Tilak’s influence came from nationalist newspapers, the Swaraj demand and public mobilization. The colonial label reflected official fears of his ability to organize resistance beyond elite politics.

Q5. Which leader was NOT associated with the Extremist school of Indian nationalism?

[BPSC 44th Preliminary Examination 2000]

(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(B) Madan Lal Dhingra

(D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Answer: (D) Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gokhale was a leading Moderate and supported constitutional approaches to self-government. Tilak championed more assertive nationalism, while Dhingra and Udham Singh were revolutionary nationalists from different periods. The contrasting political methods distinguish the Moderate from militant currents.

Q4. Under whose influence did the Congress policy of prayers and petitions ultimately give way to more assertive politics?

[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 1999]

(A) Aurobindo Ghosh

(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(D) Mahatma Gandhi

Answer: (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Explanation: Tilak consistently pressed the national movement to move beyond petitions to a stronger demand for Swaraj. Along with other assertive leaders, he promoted Swadeshi, boycott and public mobilization. This shift became particularly visible during the early twentieth-century nationalist upsurge.

Q3. After which year did the Indian National Movement become strongly influenced by the Extremist group?

[BPSC 43rd Preliminary Examination 1999]

(A) 1906

(B) 1909

(D) 1919

Answer: (A) 1906

Explanation: The years following the 1905 Bengal partition saw intensified Swadeshi agitation and the growing influence of assertive Congress leaders. The Calcutta session of 1906 brought demands for self-government into focus. The differences culminated in the Surat split of 1907.

Q2. For how many years was Bal Gangadhar Tilak imprisoned following his sedition conviction in 1908?

[BPSC 43rd Preliminary Examination 1999]

(A) Two years

(B) Four years

(D) Ten years

Answer: (C) Six years

Explanation: Tilak received a six-year sentence in 1908 and was sent to Mandalay in British Burma. He remained an influential symbol of resistance during his absence from India. In prison he wrote Gita Rahasya, later published after his release.

Q1. Which statement best represents the early Extremist nationalist ideology?

[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 1998]

(A) Preference for imported goods

(B) Direct insistence on self-rule rather than relying solely on petitions

(D) Exclusive reliance on colonial officials

Answer: (B) Direct insistence on self-rule rather than relying solely on petitions

Explanation: Assertive nationalists regarded political freedom as a right and favoured developing Indian strength through Swadeshi, boycott and mass action. This contrasted with the early Congress strategy of petitions and limited reforms. Not every Extremist leader advocated armed violence.

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