Indian National Movement Phase-I (1885-1905) Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

Question 1. What was the main reason behind the rise of Nationalism in India?

(a) Revolt of 1857
(b) Press and Newspaper
(c) Influence of Western thought
(d) All of the above

Solution: d

Question 2. “Indian Nationalism was the child of the British Raj’’. Who made this statement? [UPPSC 2010]

(a) Bipin Chandra
(b) R Coupland
(c) RC Mazumdar
(d) PE Roberts

Solution: b

Question 3. “Nero Fiddled while Rome Burned”. In the context of which event nationalists had used this statement?

(a) On Indian Arms Act, 1878
(b) On Organisation of Delhi Durbar, 1877
(c) On Proclamation of Queen Victoria
(d) None of the above

Solution: b

Question 4. Who is remembered as the pioneer of economic nationalism?

(a) Bipin Chandra Pal
(b) Dadabhai Naoroji
(c) RC Dutt
(d) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Solution: c

Question 5. Why did the early nationalists oppose the Council Act of 1892? [Astt. Comm. 2019]

(a) The number of members of the Imperial Legislative Council was increased.
(b) The number of members of Provincial Councils was increased.
(c) The Councils were given the right to discuss the annual budgets.
(d) The Act did not give the Indians control over the public funds.

Solution: d

Question 6. Consider the following statements about an evaluation of the early nationalists.

I. They popularised modern ideas.
II. They failed to widen the scope of their demands.
III. They exposed the exploitative character of colonial rule.

Which of the above statements are correct?

(a) I and III
(b) I, II and III
(c) I and II
(d) II and III

Solution: b

Question 7. Assertion (A) The basic weakness of the early Nationalist Movement lay in its narrow social base.
Reason (R) It fought for the narrow interests of the social groups which joined it. [IAS (Pre) 2000]

Codes

(a) Both A and R are true and R is correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true

Solution: c

Question 8. Assertion (A) The early nationalists in the initial phases paid relatively little attention to the question of workers. Reason (R) The early nationalists did not wish to, in any way; weaken the common struggle against British rule, by creating any divisions within the ranks of the Indian people.

Codes

(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true

Solution: a

Question 9. Assertion (A) Indian nationalism first developed in Bengal and reharvested in the 19th century.
Reason (R) Racial discrimination was a major factor behind the growth of nationalism.

Codes

(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true

Solution: b

Question 10. Royal Asiatic Society was founded by [CDS 2003]

(a) Sir William Jones
(b) Sir John Marshall
(c) RD Banerjee
(d) Sir William Bentinck

Solution: a

Question 11. When was Indian Association of Calcutta formed? [WBCS 2009]

(a) 1876
(b) 1884
(c) 1887
(d) 1890

Solution: a

Question 12. The first political organisation established in India in 1838 was known as [UKPSC (Pre) 2010]

(a) British India Society
(b) Bengal British India Society
(c) Settlers Association
(d) Zamindari Association

Solution: d

Question 13. Name the first major voluntary association representing primarily Indian landlord interests that was set up in Calcutta in 1851? [NDA 2018]

(a) British Indian Association
(b) Landholder’s Society
(c) Madras Native Association
(d) Bombay Association

Solution: b

Question 14. The most important organisation of the pre-Congress Nationalist Organisations was the [BPSC 2008]

(a) Bengal British India Society
(b) East India Association
(c) Young Bengal Association
(d) Indian Association of Calcutta

Solution: d

Question 15. Dadabhai Naoroji organised ‘East India Association’ to serve which one of the following purposes?

(a) To promote nationalism among the peasants of India.
(b) To discuss the Indian questions and influence British public to promote Indian welfare.
(c) To unite all nationalist leader under one organisation.
(d) To start an independent organisation apart from congress.

Solution: b

Question 16. Which one of the following associations was founded in London by Dadabhai Naoroji in 1866? [NDA 2017]

(a) The Bengal British India Society
(b) The East India Association
(c) The British Indian Association
(d) The Madras Native Association

Solution: b

Question 17. Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was formed in which of the following year?

(a) 1850
(b) 1862
(c) 1865
(d) 1870

Solution: d

Question 18. Bombay Presidency Association was established by [BPSC 2019]

(a) Pherozeshah Mehta
(b) KT Telang
(c) WC Bonerjee
(d) None of the above/More than one of the above

Solution: d

Question 19. Who amongst the following was one of the founders of Bombay Presidency Association in 1885? [UPPSC (Mains) 2016]

(a) Pherozeshah Mehta
(b) P Ananda Charlu
(c) MV Raghav Cheriyar
(d) S N Banerjee

Solution: a

Question 20. The precursor of Indian National Congress was [BPSC 2019)

(a) British Indian Association
(b) Indian Association
(c) Indian League
(d) None of the above/More than one of the above

Solution: b

Question 21. Who was the founder of the Indian Association? [BPSC (Pre) 2001]

(a) Dadabhai Naoroji
(b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(c) AO Hume
(d) Surendranath Banerjee

Solution: d

Question 22. Name the organisation formed by Surendranath Banerjee which merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886. [UPPSC (Mains) 2007]

(a) East India Association
(b) London India Society
(c) Indian Association
(d) Indian National Conference

Solution: d

Question 23. Which of the following Indian leaders was dismissed by the British from the Indian Civil Service? [IAS (Pre) 1999]

(a) Satyendranath Tagore
(b) Surendranath Banerjee
(c) RC Dutt
(d) Subhas Chandra Bose

Solution: b

Question 24. Who were the main architects of the Indian National Conference?

(a) Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose
(b) Surendranath Banerjee and Dadabhai Naoroji
(c) BG Tilak and Aurbindo
(d) None of the above

Solution: a

Question 25. During the last ten days of 1885, which of the following associations did not hold its session?

(a) The Madras Mahajan Sabha
(b) Indian National Conference
(c) The Indian National Congress
(d) Poona Sarvajanik Sabha

Solution: d

Question 26. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

(a) East India Association – Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(b) Poona Sarvajanik Sabha – Ganesh Vasudev Joshi
(c) The Indian League – Sisir Kumar Ghosh
(d) All India National Conference – SN Banerjee

Solution: a

Question 27. Arrange the following chronologically.

I. Land holders society at Calcutta
II. Bengal British India Society
III. British India Association
IV. Madras Native Association
V. East India Association in London

Codes

(a) I, II, III, IV, V
(b) V, IV, III, II, I
(c) I, III, II, IV, V
(d) I, II, III, V, IV

Solution: a

Question 28. Consider the following pairs.

I. Radhakanta Deb–First President of the British Indian Association.
II. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty– Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha
III. Surendranath Banerjee–Founder of the Indian Association.

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? [IAS (Pre) 2017]

(a) Only I
(b) I and III
(c) II and III
(d) I, II and III

Solution: b

Question 29. Which of the following pairs do not match? Find your answer with the help of given code. [UP Lower Sub (Pre) 2008]

I. British India Society – London
II. East India Association – Calcutta
III. National India Association – London
IV. Indian Association – Bombay

Codes

(a) I and I
(b) III and IV
(c) I and III
(d) II and IV

Solution: d

Question 30. Arrange the establishment of the following in a chronological order (starting with the earliest).

I. The East India Association
II. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
III. The Madras Mahajan Sabha
IV. The Bombay Presidency Association

Select the correct answer using the code given below. [Astt. Comm. 2019]

(a) I, II, III, IV
(b) I, III, II, IV
(c) II, III, IV, I
(d) III, II, I, IV

Solution: b

Question 31. The correct chronological order of following organisations is [JPSC 2003]

I. Bombay Association
II. Madras Mahajan Sabha
III. Indian Association of Calcutta
IV. Indian League

Codes

(a) I, II, III, IV
(b) I, III, II, IV
(c) IV, III, II, I
(d) I, IV, III, II

Solution: b

Question 32. Consider the following organisations.

I. Bangabhasha Prakasika Sabha
II. Landholders Society
III. Bengal British India Society
IV. Indian League

Select the correct chronological order of founding of these organisations from the code given below. [UPRO/ARO (Pre) 2016]

(a) I, II, III, IV
(b) I, III, II, IV
(c) II, I, III, IV
(d) II, III, IV, I

Solution: a

Question 33. Who among the following was not present at the founding session of the Indian National Congress? [UPPSC (Pre) 1997]

(a) Dadabhai Naoroji
(b) G Subramaniya Iyer
(c) Justice Ranade
(d) Surendranath Banerjee

Solution: d

Question 34. Indian National Congress found wide acceptance initially among

(a) peasant and working class
(b) landlords
(c) businessmen
(d) educated middle class

Solution: d

Question 35. Which of the following is not considered as the objective of the Indian National Congress?

(a) Found a regional movements.
(b) Develop and propagate anticolonical nationalist ideology.
(c) Develop the feeling of national unity among the people.
(d) Create and nurture and Indian nationhood.

Solution: a

Question 36. The second session of Indian National Congress was presided over by [BPSC 2002]

(a) Ganesh Agarkar
(b) Surendranath Banerjee
(c) Dadabhai Naoroji
(d) Pherozeshah Mehta

Solution: c

Question 37. Who is called the ‘Father of Indian National Congress’? [WBCS 2020]

(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) AO Hume
(c) Lokmanya Tilak
(d) Surendra Nath Banerjee

Solution: b

Question 38. The Indian National Congress was founded by [BPSC 2019, WBCS 2005]

(a) AO Hume
(b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(c) Motilal Nehru
(d) Surendranath Banerjee

Solution: a

Question 39. The founder of the Indian National Congress was a [BPSC (Pre) 1999]

(a) Civil Servant
(b) Scientist
(c) Social worker
(d) Commander

Solution: a

Question 40. In which year was the Indian National Congress established? [WBCS 2017, UPPSC (Mains) 2010]

(a) 1883
(b) 1885
(c) 1891
(d) 1905

Solution: b

Question 41. The Indian National Congress was established during the viceroyalty of [UPPSC (Mains) 2012, 2011, 2006]

(a) Lord Ripon
(b) Lord Lytton
(c) Lord Elgin II
(d) Lord Dufferin

Solution: d

Question 42. The first session of the India National Congress in 1885 was held in the city of [WBCS 2017]

(a) Calcutta
(b) Bombay
(c) Madras
(d) Allahabad

Solution: b

Question 43. Who was the President of the first session of the Indian National Congress? [WBCS 2017]

(a) WC Bonerjee
(b) Surendranath Banerjee
(c) Pherozeshah Mehta
(d) AO Hume

Solution: a

Question 44. The first session of the Indian National Congress was shifted from Poona to Bombay almost at the eleventh hour because [CDS 2004]

(a) the leaders of Bombay Presidency Association were against holding the first meeting of the Congress at Poona. (b) the Bombay Governor agreed to AO Hume’s proposal to act as first President of the Congress.
(c) Bombay as the Capital of the Presidency would help the conference attract more attention if it was held there.
(d) an outbreak of cholera in Poona forced the organisers of the first session of the Congress to shift its venue from Poona to Bombay.

Solution: d

Question 45. The number of delegates who attended the first Session of the Indian National Congress, held in Bombay in 1885, was [BPSC (Pre) 2011]

(a) 1500
(b) 556
(c) 304
(d) 72

Solution: d

Question 46. The General Secretary of the Indian National Congress in the year 1885 was [UP UDA/LDA (Pre) 2010]

(a) AO Hume
(b) Dadabhai Naoroji
(c) WC Bonerjee
(d) Pherozeshah Mehta

Solution: a

Question 47. In 1889, a committee was set up in Britain to gain support from the Congress, who among the following was its president? [RAS/RTS (Pre) 1996]

(a) Sir W Wadderburn
(b) Mr Digby
(c) Dadabhai Naoroji
(d) WC Bonerjee

Solution: b

Question 48. Who was the First Woman Graduate of Calcutta University to address the INC Session of 1890?

(a) Kadambini Ganguly
(b) Pandit Rama Bai
(c) Vijaylakshmi Pandit
(d) Annie Besant

Solution: a

Question 49. At which session of the Indian National Congress was ‘Vande Mataram’ sung for the first time? [WBCS 2019]

(a) 1920 session
(b) 1906 session
(c) 1896 session
(d) 1922 session

Solution: c

Question 50. In which of the following session, the congress declared its policy towards states for the first time?

(a) Nagpur Session
(b) Gaya Session
(c) Calcutta Session
(d) Lucknow Session

Solution: a

Question 51. On which occasion was ‘Jana-GanaMana’ first sung?

(a) 1896 Session of INC
(b) 1905 Session of INC
(c) 1911 Session of INC
(d) 1919 Session of INC

Solution: c

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