Freedom Fighters of India and Their Contribution

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Q250. Whom did Mahatma Gandhi describe as his Rajya Guru or political mentor?

[UPSC CDS-I General Knowledge (12 April 2026)]

1. A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
2. B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
3. C. G. G. Agarkar
4. D. Dadabhai Naoroji

Answer: B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gopal Krishna Gokhale was Gandhi’s political mentor. Following his return from South Africa in 1915, Gandhi valued Gokhale’s advocacy of constitutional methods and public service. Gokhale’s advice influenced Gandhi’s initial approach to understanding Indian politics.

Q249. At the Lahore Congress of 1929, chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru, which objective was adopted?

[DSSSB MTS (11 April 2026, Shift 3)]

1. A. Purna Swaraj or complete independence
2. B. Separate communal electorates
3. C. Only provincial autonomy
4. D. Dominion Status as final objective

Answer: A. Purna Swaraj or complete independence

Explanation: The Lahore session of December 1929 formally endorsed Purna Swaraj as the national goal. With Nehru presiding, the Congress rejected limited dominion status as insufficient, and 26 January 1930 was observed as Independence Day.

Q248. Who founded the Indian National Association in 1876?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (27 March 2026, Shift 1)]

1. A. Naoroji and Gokhale
2. B. Naoroji and Debendranath Tagore
3. C. Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose
4. D. Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal

Answer: C. Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose

Explanation: The Indian National Association was founded in Calcutta in July 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose. It promoted broader political organization and constitutional reform before the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885.

Q247. When did Jawaharlal Nehru first become general secretary of the All India Congress Committee?

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

1. A. 1909
2. B. 1911
3. C. 1925
4. D. 1923

Answer: D. 1923

Explanation: Nehru first served as general secretary of the All India Congress Committee in 1923. That responsibility deepened his connections with Congress organizers and enlarged his involvement in national politics before his presidency at the Lahore session of 1929.

Q246. Which associate of Gandhi organized a salt protest in the Madras Presidency during the Civil Disobedience Movement?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (24 March 2026, Shift 2)]

1. A. C. Rajagopalachari
2. B. K. Kamaraj
3. C. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
4. D. Sarojini Naidu

Answer: A. C. Rajagopalachari

Explanation: C. Rajagopalachari led the Vedaranyam Salt March in April 1930 in the Madras Presidency. The campaign complemented Gandhi’s Dandi movement and mobilized southern India against the British salt monopoly through organized civil disobedience and nationalist participation.

Q245. Who created the Servants of India Society for education and social reform?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (22 March 2026, Shift 1)]

1. A. Bipin Chandra Pal
2. B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
3. C. Lala Lajpat Rai
4. D. Dadabhai Naoroji

Answer: B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Explanation: Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 with the aim of preparing dedicated public servants. Its members pursued educational and humanitarian programmes, expressing the constitutional and reformist strand of the early nationalist movement.

Q244. Which theory was advanced in Dadabhai Naoroji’s Poverty and Un-British Rule in India?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (19 March 2026, Shift 3)]

1. A. Drain of Wealth Theory
2. B. Subsidiary Alliance
3. C. Doctrine of Lapse
4. D. Two-Nation Theory

Answer: A. Drain of Wealth Theory

Explanation: The drain theory described how Indian resources and income flowed to Britain without equivalent returns. Naoroji supported the argument with economic evidence, making criticism of colonial financial extraction a defining feature of moderate nationalism.

Q243. What did Jawaharlal Nehru famously call the temples of modern India?

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

1. A. Hospitals
2. B. Dams
3. C. Schools
4. D. Parliament

Answer: B. Dams

Explanation: Nehru used this description for large multipurpose dams and development works, treating them as symbols of scientific progress and national reconstruction. Such projects were intended to support irrigation, electricity generation and industrial development in independent India.

Q242. Who authored Poverty and Un-British Rule in India?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (18 March 2026, Shift 1)]

1. A. Dadabhai Naoroji
2. B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
3. C. R. C. Dutt
4. D. M. G. Ranade

Answer: A. Dadabhai Naoroji

Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji published the work in 1901. It brought together evidence of colonial economic extraction and advanced the argument that official remittances and other outflows deprived India of capital needed for domestic development.

Q241. Who led Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928?

[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (16 March 2026, Shift 1)]

1. A. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
2. B. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
3. C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
4. D. C. Rajagopalachari

Answer: B. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Explanation: The Bardoli campaign opposed an increase in land assessment in Gujarat. Patel organized disciplined resistance, bringing together farmers who refused the new demand. The successful struggle strengthened his standing as a mass leader and earned him the title Sardar.