Question 1

Consider the following statements regarding the ideological positions in the 1920s after the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement:
1. The 'Swarajists' argued that parliamentary work would inevitably lead to the neglect of constructive work and a loss of revolutionary zeal.
2. The 'No-Changers' advocated for concentrating on constructive work and preparing for the resumption of the suspended civil disobedience programme.
3. A key objective of the 'Swarajists' was to use the legislative councils as organs for the gradual transformation of colonial rule.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. This was the argument of the 'No-Changers', not the 'Swarajists'. The No-Changers feared that parliamentary work would lead to political corruption and neglect of constructive work. Statement 2 is correct. The 'No-Changers', led by figures like C. Rajagopalachari and Vallabhbhai Patel, advocated for focusing on constructive work to prepare the masses for the next phase of civil disobedience. Statement 3 is incorrect. The Swarajist manifesto and arguments explicitly stated that there was no intention to use the councils for gradual transformation. Their stated aim was to 'end or mend' the councils and use them as an arena for political struggle to obstruct government business if their demands were not met.

Question 2

Consider the following two statements:
Statement-I: C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru resigned from their respective posts in the Congress and announced the formation of the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party.
Statement-II: A compromise was reached at a meeting in Delhi in September 1923 where the Swarajists were allowed to contest elections as a group within the Congress.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct but Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.. Both statements are factually correct as standalone events. However, Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. The formation of the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party (Statement-I) was a direct consequence of the defeat of the Swarajists' proposal for council entry at the Gaya session of the Congress in December 1922. The compromise reached in Delhi in September 1923 (Statement-II) was a later development, which occurred after the party had already been formed, in order to prevent a permanent split in the Congress and present a united front.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the younger nationalists like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose during the 1920s:
1. They were critical of the political programmes of both the Swarajists and the No-Changers.
2. They advocated for 'purna swarajya' and were influenced by an awareness of international currents.
3. They stressed the need to combine nationalism with social justice, but deliberately avoided raising the issue of internal class oppression to maintain a united front against imperialism.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 3 is incorrect. The younger nationalists, influenced by socialist ideas, did not avoid the issue of internal class oppression. They simultaneously raised the question of internal class oppression by capitalists and landlords, linking the anti-imperialist struggle with the fight for social justice. Statements 1 and 2 are correct. These nationalists were dissatisfied with Gandhian ideas and the existing political programmes, leading to their criticism of both Swarajist and No-Changer factions. They also consistently pushed for complete independence (purna swarajya) and were shaped by international events like the Soviet Revolution.

Question 4

Consider the following pairs:
1. Dewan Chaman Lal : First President of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)
2. M.N. Roy : A founder of the CPI at the Indian Communist Conference in Kanpur
3. Bhaskar Rao Jadhav : Associated with caste movements in Maharashtra
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Only one pair. Let's analyze each pair:

1.  **Pair 1 is incorrectly matched.** The first President of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), founded in 1920, was Lala Lajpat Rai. Dewan Chaman Lal was its first General Secretary.
2.  **Pair 2 is incorrectly matched.** M.N. Roy was a key figure in the founding of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Tashkent (now in Uzbekistan) in 1920. He was not present at the Indian Communist Conference held in Kanpur in 1925, which was an independent attempt to form a communist party within India.
3.  **Pair 3 is correctly matched.** Bhaskar Rao Jadhav was a prominent leader of the non-Brahmin movement in Maharashtra and was closely associated with the Satyashodhak Samaj, a social reform society founded by Jyotirao Phule.

Therefore, only one pair (Pair 3) is correctly matched.

Question 5

With reference to the rise of socialist and communist forces in the 1920s, consider the following statements:
1. The Communist Party of India (CPI) was formally founded at a conference in Tashkent in 1925.
2. The Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case of 1924 preceded the Meerut conspiracy case of 1929.
3. The first May Day was celebrated in India in Madras after the formal foundation of the CPI at the Kanpur conference.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The CPI was formed in Tashkent in 1920 by M.N. Roy and others. The conference that formalised its foundation took place in Kanpur in 1925. Statement 3 is incorrect. The first May Day was celebrated in Madras in 1923, which was two years before the Kanpur conference of 1925. Statement 2 is correct. The Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case occurred in 1924, and the government crackdown leading to the Meerut conspiracy case happened in 1929.

Question 6

Consider the following statements regarding revolutionary organisations in the 1920s:
1. The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was founded with the declared aim of establishing a Federal Republic of United States of India based on adult franchise.
2. The adoption of socialism as an official goal for the organisation occurred at its founding meeting in Kanpur in 1924.
3. Ramprasad Bismil and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee were key participants in the historic meeting at Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi, where the organisation was reorganised.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is correct. The HRA was founded in October 1924 with the aim to overthrow colonial rule and establish a Federal Republic of United States of India whose basic principle would be adult franchise. Statement 2 is incorrect. Socialism was adopted as the official goal only in September 1928 at the Ferozshah Kotla meeting, when the HRA was renamed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). The original HRA, founded in 1924, did not have socialism as its declared goal. Statement 3 is incorrect. The Ferozshah Kotla meeting led to the formation of the HSRA. Its participants included Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, and Sukhdev. Ramprasad Bismil and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee were founders of the original HRA in 1924. Furthermore, Ramprasad Bismil was executed in 1927 following the Kakori conspiracy and could not have attended the 1928 meeting.

Question 7

Given below are two statements:
Statement-I: The early 1920s witnessed a significant revival of revolutionary activity, with many former participants of the Non-Cooperation Movement being drawn to it.
Statement-II: These young nationalists were disillusioned by the abrupt withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement and found the alternatives of parliamentary politics or gradual constructive work unappealing.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.. Statement-I is correct. Many revolutionaries, who had suspended their activities to participate in the Non-Cooperation Movement, revived their methods in the early 1920s. Statement-II is also correct. The sudden withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement caused widespread disillusionment among younger nationalists. They questioned the strategy of non-violence and were not attracted to the Swarajists' parliamentary work or the No-Changers' constructive programmes. This disillusionment and lack of appealing alternatives directly led them to embrace revolutionary violence, thus providing the correct explanation for the revival mentioned in Statement-I.

Question 8

Consider the following pairs regarding literary works that influenced revolutionaries in the 1920s:
1. Bandi Jiwan : Sharatchandra Chatterjee
2. Pather Dabi : Sachin Sanyal
3. Atmasakti : A revolutionary journal
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Only one pair. Pair 1 is incorrectly matched. The book *Bandi Jiwan* was written by Sachin Sanyal. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched. The novel *Pather Dabi* was written by Sharatchandra Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay). Pair 3 is correctly matched. *Atmasakti*, along with *Sarathi* and *Bijoli*, was a journal that published memoirs and articles extolling the self-sacrifice of revolutionaries, thereby influencing the youth. Therefore, only one pair is correctly matched.

Question 9

Consider the following statements regarding the new phase of the revolutionary movement in Bengal in the late 1920s and early 1930s:
1. The strategic focus shifted from group actions against state organs to acts of individual heroism.
2. There was a marked decline in the participation of women in revolutionary activities compared to earlier phases.
3. A conscious effort was made to shed Hindu religious overtones, facilitating the inclusion of Muslims in revolutionary groups.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The new phase was characterized by an emphasis on group action aimed at organs of the colonial state, rather than individual action. Statement 2 is incorrect. This phase saw large-scale participation of young women, especially under Surya Sen, who took on diverse roles from providing shelter to fighting with guns. Pritilata Waddedar and Kalpana Dutt are prominent examples. Statement 3 is correct. The movement consciously shed earlier tendencies towards Hindu religiosity, and rituals like oath-taking were no longer practiced, which facilitated the participation of Muslims like Satar and Mir Ahmed in Surya Sen's group.

Question 10

Consider the following pairs:
1. Pritilata Waddedar : Died conducting a raid on an armoury.
2. Bina Das : Shot dead a district magistrate in Comilla.
3. Kalpana Dutt : Was given a life sentence after being tried with Surya Sen.
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Only two pairs. Pair 1 is correctly matched. Pritilata Waddedar died while conducting a raid. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched. Bina Das fired at the governor during her convocation. It was Santi Ghosh and Suniti Chandheri, two schoolgirls, who shot dead the district magistrate of Comilla. Pair 3 is correctly matched. Kalpana Dutt was arrested and tried alongside Surya Sen and was subsequently given a sentence of life imprisonment.

Question 11

Statement-I: Following the death of C.R. Das in 1925, the Bengal Congress experienced a significant factional split.
Statement-II: The split was driven by the Anushilan group aligning with Subhash Bose, while the Yugantar group backed J.M. Sengupta.

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect.. Statement-I is correct. After C.R. Das's death in 1925, the Bengal Congress did break up into two factions. Statement-II is incorrect. The factional alignment is reversed. The Anushilan group joined forces with the faction led by J.M. Sengupta, whereas the Yugantar group backed the faction led by Subhash Bose.

Question 12

Consider the following statements regarding the ideological evolution of Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s:
1. The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) Manifesto of 1925 proposed the nationalization of railways and other heavy industries.
2. In his last days, Ram Prasad Bismil appealed to the youth to abandon revolutionary conspiracies and instead work for Hindu-Muslim unity under the leadership of the Congress.
3. Bhagat Singh, in his court statements, consistently equated revolution with the 'cult of bomb and pistol' and sanguinary strife.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. The HRA's main organ, *Revolutionary*, proposed the nationalization of railways, other means of transport, and heavy industries like shipbuilding and steel. Statement 2 is correct. Ram Prasad Bismil, during his last days, appealed to the youth to give up pistols and revolvers, not to work in revolutionary conspiracies, and to unite all political groups under the leadership of the Congress, strengthening Hindu-Muslim unity. Statement 3 is incorrect. Bhagat Singh explicitly stated the opposite in court: 'Revolution does not necessarily involve sanguinary strife... It is not the cult of bomb and pistol. By revolution we mean the present order of things, which is based on manifest injustice, must change.'

Question 13

Consider the following two statements:
Statement-I: Bhagat Singh helped establish the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Lahore Students’ Union.
Statement-II: He believed that a revolution could only be achieved through 'propaganda by deed', which prioritized individual heroic action over the slower process of mass mobilization.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect.. Statement-I is correct. Bhagat Singh was instrumental in establishing the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 and also organized the Lahore Students’ Union. Statement-II is incorrect. Bhagat Singh established these organizations precisely because he had moved *away* from a belief in individual heroic action and towards Marxism. He believed that a popular, broad-based movement was essential for a successful revolution, which could only be 'by the masses, for the masses'. The organizations were intended as open wings to carry out political work among youth, peasants, and workers, not as vehicles for individual action.

Question 14

Consider the following statements regarding the ideology and activities of the revolutionaries:
1. The famous statement of the revolutionary position, the book *The Philosophy of the Bomb*, was written by Ram Prasad Bismil.
2. Bhagat Singh was consciously secular, and two of the rules he drafted for the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha mandated that its members would have nothing to do with communal bodies and would promote tolerance.
3. Bhagat Singh's scientific definition of socialism was limited to the abolition of capitalism and did not extend to the concept of class domination.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The book *The Philosophy of the Bomb* was written by Bhagwati Charan Vohra, not Ram Prasad Bismil. Statement 2 is correct. Bhagat Singh was fully and consciously secular, and two of the six rules for the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha were that its members would have nothing to do with communal bodies and would create a spirit of tolerance. Statement 3 is incorrect. Bhagat Singh defined socialism scientifically as the abolition of capitalism *and* class domination.

Emergence of Swarajists Socialist Ideas and Other New Forces

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