Q140. Assess:
(1) Simon Commission was opposed because its membership was entirely Indian.
(2) Nehru Report demanded immediate full independence.
Which is correct?
[SSC Stenographer 2025, 7 August 2025, Shift 3]
A. Neither statement
B. Statement 1 only
C. Statement 2 only
D. Both statements
Answer: A. Neither statement
Explanation: The Simon Commission had no Indian members, making statement 1 false. The Nehru Report of 1928 sought Dominion Status, not immediate complete independence, making statement 2 false. Both propositions reverse important facts of the constitutional debate.
Q139. What happened to Lala Lajpat Rai after the anti-Simon Commission protest?
[Punjab Police Constable, 30 May 2025, Shift 1]
A. He was appointed protest chairman
B. He sustained injuries and later died
C. He was jailed for life
D. He received a British honour
Answer: B. He sustained injuries and later died
Explanation: Lala Lajpat Rai suffered injuries in a police lathi charge while leading an anti-Simon Commission demonstration in Lahore in 1928. He subsequently died, and his death inspired outrage and revolutionary retaliation.
Q138. Who provided legal defence to the people arrested in the aftermath of the Chauri Chaura incident?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2025, General Studies Paper I, 25 May 2025]
A. C. R. Das
B. Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant
C. Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Khwaja Hasan Nizami
D. M. A. Jinnah
Answer: B. Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant
Explanation: Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant provided legal defence to persons prosecuted over the Chauri Chaura violence. Malaviya argued appeals in the Allahabad High Court, helping reduce severe sentences. The incident had prompted Gandhi to discontinue Non-Cooperation in 1922.
Q137. In which year did the British enact the Rowlatt Act?
[Gujarat PSI Paper I, 13 April 2025]
A. 1916
B. 1917
C. 1918
D. 1919
Answer: D. 1919
Explanation: The Rowlatt Act was enacted in 1919 and gave the government extensive powers to curb political dissent. Indians condemned detention without trial and other restrictions, inspiring Gandhi’s anti-Rowlatt satyagraha.
Q136. In British India, which Act permitted detention without trial for up to two years?
[UPSC NDA-I 2025, General Ability Test, 13 April 2025]
A. Regulating Act, 1773
B. Rowlatt Act, 1919
C. Pitt’s India Act, 1784
D. Government of India Act, 1935
Answer: B. Rowlatt Act, 1919
Explanation: The Rowlatt Act, formally the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, permitted extraordinary detention without trial. The measure provoked strong nationalist resistance, and Gandhi organised satyagraha against it. Its curtailment of civil liberties distinguished it from the other listed Acts.
Q135. The Khilafat agitation arose primarily as a protest concerning which issue?
[RPF Sub-Inspector CBT-I, 13 December 2024, Shift 3]
A. Jallianwala Bagh massacre
B. Partition of Bengal
C. Rowlatt Act
D. Breakup of the Ottoman Empire
Answer: D. Breakup of the Ottoman Empire
Explanation: The post-First World War settlement threatened the Ottoman Empire and the political-religious institution of the Caliphate. Indian Muslim leaders organised the Khilafat agitation to defend these interests and later allied with Gandhi.
Q134. When and for what purpose was the Simon Commission appointed?
[SSC Stenographer 2024, 10 December 2024, Shift 3]
A. 1927, to examine possible constitutional reforms
B. 1924, to revise Swaraj
C. 1939, to assess war readiness
D. 1942, to improve military transport
Answer: A. 1927, to examine possible constitutional reforms
Explanation: Appointed in 1927, the Simon Commission was tasked with reviewing political arrangements introduced by the Government of India Act 1919 and recommending constitutional changes. Its entirely British membership generated wide protests after it reached India.
Q133. Which constitutional goal was advocated by the Nehru Report?
[MPSC Rajyaseva Prelims, 1 December 2024]
A. Dominion Status
B. Two separate nations
C. Home Rule League formation
D. Immediate complete independence
Answer: A. Dominion Status
Explanation: The 1928 report, chaired by Motilal Nehru, recommended Dominion Status for India. It also proposed fundamental rights and a constitutional framework, while some younger nationalists increasingly demanded complete independence.
Q132. Which commission was constituted to investigate the Amritsar massacre of 1919?
[SSC MTS, 14 November 2024, Shift 2]
A. Sadler Commission
B. Hunter Commission
C. Simon Commission
D. Peel Commission
Answer: B. Hunter Commission
Explanation: The British appointed the Hunter Commission to investigate the events in Punjab after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Nationalist critics considered the colonial response inadequate and questioned whether senior officials would face meaningful accountability.
Q131. The Swaraj Party was established within which larger political organisation?
[SSC MTS, 5 November 2024, Shift 2]
A. Indian National Congress
B. Unionist Party
C. Independent Labour Party
D. Muslim League
Answer: A. Indian National Congress
Explanation: C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru established the Swaraj Party within the Congress in 1923. They advocated entering legislative councils to oppose colonial policies from within, breaking with the No-Changers’ continued boycott strategy.
