Answer key for the exercises in the lesson

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1 Answer key for the exercises in the lesson Exercises for Summative Assessment I. Fill in the blanks. 1. Mahatma Gandhi first used Satyagraha in the country of South Africa. 2. The massacre at Jalianwala Bagh happened in the year C R Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party. 4. The Congress adopted the resolution of purna swaraj in the session at Lahore. 5. Gandhi undertook the march against the salt laws from Sabarmati to Dandi. 6. The Quit India Movement was held in the year Subhash Chandra Bose formed the Indian National Army in The last viceroy of India was Lord Mountbatten. 9. On 26 January 1950, India became a republic. II. True or False 1. The Satyagraha Sabha was established to oppose the Rowlatt Act. (T) 2. The Nehru Report was produced by a committee headed by Jawaharlal Nehru. (F) 3. Gandhi took part in the First Round Table Conference. (F) 4. Gandhi suspended the Civil Disobedience Movement after the Gandhi-Irwin pact. (T) 5. The Congress won in most provinces in the 1937 elections. (T) 6. The interim government formed in 1946 was headed by Gandhi. (F) 7. Dr Rajendra Prasad was the chairman of the constituent assembly. (T) III. Answer in brief. 1. Name a few elements of the Constructive Programme of Gandhi. The Constructive Programme proposed by Gandhi included spinning khadi, Hindu- Muslim unity and removal of untouchability. 2. Write a short note on the non-cooperation movement. In 1920 the government launched the noncooperation movement. The goal was to undo the injustices done in Punjab and Turkey. People boycotted British goods and refused to cooperate with the British. Large quantities of foreign goods were burnt. The people adopted the wearing and spinning of khadi. Students and people with government jobs joined the Movement. The leaders publicly spoke against the service in the army and the police. The non-cooperation movement had a powerful impact in the country. 3. Why did Indians boycott the Simon Commission? The Commission constituted under Lord Simon was to take a decision on selfgovernment for India. But, a body meant to decide India s political future did not include a single Indian. Hence Indians boycotted the Commission. 4. What was the revolutionary act committed by Bhagat Singh? What was the sentence awarded to him by the British? Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary, killed Saunders, the British officer who had ordered the lathi charge at a demonstration at Lahore. Bhagat Singh was hanged on 23

2 March What was the two-nation theory? Jinnah and the Muslim League put forward the two-nation theory, according to which Hindus and Muslims were not merely separate religious communities, but were also culturally and racially different. They were, therefore, two separate nations. 6. Why did the Congress ministries resign in 1939? Britain declared that being a British colony, India would participate in the Second World War. The Congress objected to this since their consent had not been sought. They would not participate in a war, when their own freedom was denied to them. The Congress insisted on the immediate transfer of effective power to Indians in return for their cooperation in the war. When the British government gave no satisfactory reply, all Congress ministries resigned in protest. 7. Who formed the main base of Subhash Chandra Bose s Indian National Army? A large number of patriotic Indians living in South-East Asia formed the main base of the INA. 8. Why did the Simla Conference fail? Lord Wavell, the viceroy of India at the time, held the Simla Conference in He planned to give representative Indian leaders all the portfolios in his council, except that of commander-in-chief. The conference failed owing to the lack of agreement between the Congress and the Muslim League. 9. Which party called for the Direct Action Day? What was its result? It was the Muslim League that called for the Direct Action Day to be observed on 16 August 1946 and boycotted the assembly. It condemned the Congress and the British government and declared that Muslims should resort to direct action to achieve their goal of Pakistan. IV. Answer in detail. 1. Write short notes on: i) The Simon Commission. Lord Reading, the viceroy, believed that the growing national movement could be easily suppressed if further constitutional reforms were carried out. With this in view, the British government appointed a commission under Sir John Simon in 1927, to take a decision on self-government for India. But, not a single Indian member was included in the Simon Commission. Indians criticised the fact that a body meant to decide India s future did not include a single Indian. The Congress, the Muslim League and the Hindu Mahsabha decided to boycott the Commission. When the Simon Commission arrived in India, they were greeted with black flags and the slogan Simon go back. ii) The Nehru Report In response to the Simon Commission, the Indian leaders decided to draw up a constitution for India that was acceptable to all. The All Parties Conference met in 1928 and appointed a committee headed by Motilal Nehru to draft a constitution. The report, known as the Nehru Report, recommended that India be granted dominion status immediately and demanded fundamental rights for Indian citizens. This demand was not met. 2. Write an account of the Dandi March by Gandhi. The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched with the historic Dandi March in This march was undertaken by Gandhi and many of his supporters as a mark of protest against the grossly unjust salt laws imposed by the British government. According to the salt laws, the British had the sole right to manufacture salt in India. Heavy taxes were imposed on the purchase of salt. Mahatma Gandhi walked 400 km from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi and on 6 April 1930, he picked up a handful of salt that had been formed along the shore by the evaporation of sea water. This symbolic act broke the British salt laws and set the trend for the Civil Disobedience Movement that followed. 3. Describe the Non-cooperation Movement. Why did Gandhi withdraw the movement? In December 1920, the Congress adopted a new programme of struggle against the government, the goal of which was to undo

3 the injustices done to Punjab and Turkey, and the attainment of swarajya. It was called the Non-cooperation Movement. It asked the people to boycott British goods and refuse to cooperate with the British. Foreign goods were burnt at many places; many students gave up their studies, lawyers boycotted courts, and people left government jobs. The charka and khadi became symbols of this programme. The Non-Cooperation Movement had a powerful impact on the country. People and police clashed and there was bloodshed. Thousands of people were arrested. But nothing subdued the spirit of the people. However, on 5 February 1922, at Chauri Chaura, a village in Uttar Pradesh, a group of peasants were fired upon by the police. They retaliated by burning the police station and killing 22 policemen. Gandhi took a serious view of this incident. Realising that people had not fully understood the meaning of non-violence, he called off the campaign. 4. What events and differences in view caused a breach between the Congress and the Muslim League? The major differences between the Congress and the Muslim League started with the Congress sweeping the polls in the1937 assembly elections even in the Muslim dominated provinces of Punjab, Bengal, and the North-West Frontier Provinces. The Muslim League was now bitterly opposed to the Congress. It began to claim that the interests of the Muslim minority could not be protected by the Hindu majority or by the Congress, which did not represent the Muslims of India. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the president of the Muslim League, insisted that the Muslim League be recognised as the sole representative body of the Muslims in India. He put forward the two-nation theory. In 1940, the Muslim League passed a resolution demanding the partition of India and creation of an independent Muslim state to be named Pakistan. 5. Which event was the main reason for the announcement of the Quit India Movement? What were the results of the movement? The failure of the Cripps Mission was the main reason for the announcement of the Quit India Movement. It proposed starting a mass struggle on non-violent lines on the widest possible scale under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. But, before the Congress could start the movement the government started repressive measures. All the members of the Congress Working Committee along with Gandhi were arrested. This news left the country shocked. There were strikes and demonstrations all over the country. The government resorted to firings, lathi-charges and large-scale arrests. People took to violence. Against Gandhi s will the Quit India Movement turned violent. Though this movement could not force the British to leave the country, it demonstrated to them the depth of the nationalist feeling in the country and the capacity for struggle and sacrifice among the Indian people. 6. Describe the events that preceded and led to the partition of India. What were the effects of partition on India and Pakistan? When the Congress won the assembly elections in 1946 according to the Cabinet Mission Plan, the Muslim League got alarmed at the success of Congress. It decided to boycott the assembly and instead observed 16 August 1946 as Direct Action Day. The Muslim League declared that Muslims should resort to direct action to achieve their goal of Pakistan. Riots broke out, thousands of Hindus and Muslims were killed. With the Muslim League boycotting the Constituent Assembly and not joining the government, the situation became more confusing. When under Clement Atlee, the British announced that they would completely transfer power to the Indians by 1948, the Muslim League started an agitation for the partition of the country. Riots occurred in several parts of the country. On 23 March 1947, the League observed Pakistan Day. In March 1947, Lord Mountbatten came to India and presented a plan for the partition of India into two independent states--india and Pakistan. The Congress leaders agreed to the partition to avoid further bloodshed between Hindus and Muslims. Partition saw some of the worst communal riots in the history of the

4 world. Lakhs of people were killed, many more displaced, homes broken and lives destroyed. 7. Write short notes on the constituent assembly and the adoption of the constitution of India. The constituent assembly was formed under the provisions of the Cabinet Mission Plan. The main task of the assembly was to frame a constitution for India, so diverse in its culture, language and religion. India being a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-religious country, it was decided that all religions and languages would be treated with respect. To remove economic disparities, the establishment of a just social order was given importance. Dr Ambedkar was the chairman of the Drafting Committee. After three years of careful planning and discussions, the final draft was ready and passed on 26 January India was declared a sovereign democratic republic on 26 January1950. Multiple Choice Questions 1. c 2. a 3. a 4. b 5. c 6. b 7. c 8. c 9. b 10. d 11. b, c & d Value-based question Non-violence Self-control learning to control ones anger and stay calm in the face of great provocation Being determined and having the courage to fight for one s right Being passive and not reactive Answer key for the worksheet I. 1. Satyagraha 2. Rowlatt 3. Swaraj 4. Simon 5. chakra II. 1. d 2. e 3. a 4. b 5. c III. 1. c 2. c 3. c 4. a IV. 1. The year 1919 was a landmark in India s freedom struggle because it was the year the Rowlatt Act was passed. The Rowlatt Act gave the government the power to imprison anyone without a trial or to search any place without a warrant. The people opposed the Act by courting arrests. The same year Gandhi founded the Satyagraha Sabha, which encouraged the Indians to adopt a non-violent method of protest. 2. The Indian National Army (INA) with the help of Japan advanced up to the frontiers of India. But with the defeat and surrender of Japan, it lost all hope of freeing India. But

5 the patriotism of the INA was a boost to the freedom fighters in India and the British also realised that it could no longer depend on the loyalty of the Indian army. 3. The first programme of the Non-cooperation Movement ended with the Chauri Chaura incident. Twenty two policemen died in this incident. Mahatma Gandhi called off the campaign realising that the practice of non-violence had not been fully understood by the people. Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to six years of imprisonment. 4. The two Indian leaders deeply influenced by the Russian Revolution were Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose. 5. The Second World War broke out in 1939 and the British declared that India should join the war. But the Congress objected to this and insisted that Indians be given their independence in return for their cooperation in the war. The British did not accept this, so Congress ministries that had been formed in the provinces resigned in protest.