Q20. The Muslim League fixed which day of August 1946 as Direct Action Day?
[Delhi Police Constable (3 December 2020, Shift 3)]
- (A) 13 August
- (B) 16 August
- (C) 15 August
- (D) 14 August
Answer: (B) 16 August
Explanation: The answer is “16 August”. The All-India Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, designated 16 August 1946 as Direct Action Day amid disagreements over constitutional arrangements. The call was followed by severe communal violence in Calcutta, increasing tensions before independence.
Q19. In which year did Salimullah and Aga Khan III form the All-India Muslim League?
[Rajasthan Police Constable (8 November 2020, Shift 2)]
- (A) 1906
- (B) 1910
- (C) 1916
- (D) 1915
Answer: (A) 1906
Explanation: Here “1906” is correct. The All-India Muslim League, established at Dacca in 1906, became a major participant in constitutional negotiations under British rule. Its positions evolved from political representation toward the demand articulated through the Lahore Resolution in 1940.
Q18. When and where did the Muslim League pass the Pakistan Resolution?
[Rajasthan Police Constable (8 November 2020, Shift 2)]
- (A) Lahore, 1947
- (B) Punjab, 1930
- (C) Lahore, 1940
- (D) Punjab, 1935
Answer: (C) Lahore, 1940
Explanation: The correct option is “Lahore, 1940”. At its Lahore session in March 1940, the Muslim League adopted a resolution seeking separate political arrangements for Muslim-majority regions in northwestern and eastern India. A.K. Fazlul Huq moved the resolution, a landmark in League politics.
Q17. In which year was the All-India Muslim League formed at Dhaka?
[Rajasthan Police Constable (7 November 2020, Shift 1)]
- (A) 1905
- (B) 1907
- (C) 1908
- (D) 1906
Answer: (D) 1906
Explanation: The option “1906” is right. The All-India Muslim League was established at Dacca on 30 December 1906 during a gathering associated with the Muhammadan Educational Conference. The event belongs to the broader constitutional debates that preceded Indian independence in 1947.
Q16. Which movement was known in Andhra Pradesh as the Vande Mataram Movement?
[Rajasthan Police Constable (7 November 2020, Shift 1)]
- (A) Swadeshi Movement
- (B) Quit India Movement
- (C) Civil Disobedience Movement
- (D) Khilafat Movement
Answer: (A) Swadeshi Movement
Explanation: The answer is “Swadeshi Movement”. In Andhra, Swadeshi-era mobilisation acquired the popular name Vande Mataram Movement. The patriotic song served as a rallying cry against colonial authority and Bengal’s partition; the movement also promoted indigenous products and political participation.
Q15. Regarding Desher Katha by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar: 1. It warned against the colonial state’s hypnotic conquest of the mind; 2. It inspired Swadeshi street plays and folk songs; 3. Its use of desh referred only to Bengal. Which statements are correct?
[UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination, GS Paper I (4 October 2020)]
- (A) 1 and 2 only
- (B) 2 and 3 only
- (C) 1 and 3 only
- (D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (A) 1 and 2 only
Explanation: Here “1 and 2 only” is correct. Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar criticised the mental and economic effects of colonial rule. His book influenced Swadeshi performances and popular songs. Its use of desh referred to the wider Indian homeland, so the third statement is incorrect.
Q14. Match the Swadeshi-era figures to their activities: a. Mukunda Das; b. B.G. Tilak; c. Lala Lajpat Rai; d. V.O. Chidambaram Pillai; i. Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company; ii. Protest against foreign sugar; iii. Requested affordable dhotis from Bombay mills; iv. Patriotic songs.
[MPSC State Services Preliminary Examination, Paper I (2020)]
- (A) a–iv, b–ii, c–iii, d–i
- (B) a–iv, b–iii, c–ii, d–i
- (C) a–i, b–ii, c–iii, d–iv
- (D) a–ii, b–i, c–iv, d–iii
Answer: (B) a–iv, b–iii, c–ii, d–i
Explanation: The correct option is “a–iv, b–iii, c–ii, d–i”. Mukunda Das composed patriotic songs; Tilak asked Bombay mill owners for reasonably priced dhotis; Lala Lajpat Rai opposed the use of foreign sugar; and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company.
Q13. Consider the statements: (a) Hindu Mahasabha was established in 1915; (b) its first conference was held in Delhi; (c) V.D. Savarkar chaired six consecutive conferences. Which statements are correct?
[MPSC State Services Main Examination, GS I (2020)]
- (A) (a) and (b)
- (B) (b) and (c)
- (C) (a) and (c)
- (D) All three
Answer: (C) (a) and (c)
Explanation: The option “(a) and (c)” is right. The Hindu Mahasabha emerged as an all-India body in 1915. Its foundational meetings were not confined to a first conference in Delhi. V.D. Savarkar later presided over successive organisational conferences, making the specified combination of statements correct.
Q12. During the Swadeshi Movement, a National College was started in Calcutta under the principalship of whom?
[UPSC NDA, General Ability Test (17 November 2019)]
- (A) Rabindranath Tagore
- (B) Aurobindo Ghosh
- (C) Rajani Kant Sen
- (D) Syed Abu Mohammad
Answer: (B) Aurobindo Ghosh
Explanation: The answer is “Aurobindo Ghosh”. Aurobindo Ghosh became the first principal of Bengal National College, established in 1906 amid the Swadeshi movement. The institution reflected the demand for national education independent of colonial control, alongside other indigenous educational initiatives.
Q11. The Partition of Bengal triggered a struggle that came to be known as the what?
[Telangana High Court Junior Assistant (5 November 2019, Shift 1)]
- (A) Swadeshi Movement
- (B) Non-Cooperation Movement
- (C) Reshmi Rumal Movement
- (D) Khilafat Movement
Answer: (A) Swadeshi Movement
Explanation: Here “Swadeshi Movement” is correct. The Swadeshi movement grew from opposition to the 1905 Partition of Bengal. It promoted Indian-made goods, boycotts of foreign products, self-reliance and national education. Its methods differed from exclusively petition-based politics by relying on mass participation and economic self-help.
