The freedom struggle is a favourite area in the TNPSC General Studies paper. It is also where many aspirants lose marks, because the events look alike: Surat or Lahore? Champaran or Kheda? Poona Pact or Gandhi-Irwin Pact? This freedom struggle quiz gives you 15 original questions to find your weak spots. Every answer has a short explanation.
How to Use This Practice Set
- Set a timer for 12 minutes. That is under one minute per question, close to real exam speed.
- Mark your answers first. Do not look at the key until you finish.
- Note every wrong answer in a “confusion notebook” and revise it after three days.
The 15 Questions
Q1. Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885? (a) Dadabhai Naoroji (b) W.C. Bonnerjee (c) A.O. Hume (d) Surendranath Banerjea
Q2. The “drain of wealth” idea is most closely linked to the book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India by: (a) Gopal Krishna Gokhale (b) Romesh Chunder Dutt (c) Dadabhai Naoroji (d) Pherozeshah Mehta
Q3. The Partition of Bengal in 1905 was announced during the Viceroyalty of: (a) Lord Ripon (b) Lord Curzon (c) Lord Minto (d) Lord Hardinge
Q4. The Congress split into Moderates and Extremists at which session? (a) Calcutta 1906 (b) Surat 1907 (c) Lucknow 1916 (d) Lahore 1929
Q5. V.O. Chidambaram Pillai is remembered for starting: (a) Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (b) The Home Rule League in Madras (c) The Justice Party (d) The Vedaranyam salt march
Q6. Which leader started the Home Rule League in Madras in 1916? (a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (b) Annie Besant (c) Bipin Chandra Pal (d) Motilal Nehru
Q7. Gandhi’s first satyagraha in India, on the indigo issue, took place at: (a) Kheda (b) Ahmedabad (c) Champaran (d) Bardoli
Q8. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in: (a) 1917 (b) 1919 (c) 1922 (d) 1928
Q9. Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement after violence at: (a) Chauri Chaura (b) Kakori (c) Dandi (d) Bardoli
Q10. The Congress declared Purna Swaraj as its goal at the session held at: (a) Karachi (b) Lahore (c) Haripura (d) Tripuri
Q11. During the Civil Disobedience Movement, the salt march in Tamil Nadu started from Tiruchirappalli towards Vedaranyam under: (a) K. Kamaraj (b) C. Rajagopalachari (c) Subramania Bharati (d) T. Prakasam
Q12. The Poona Pact (1932) was signed between: (a) Gandhi and Irwin (b) Gandhi and Jinnah (c) Gandhi and Ambedkar (d) Nehru and Patel
Q13. The slogan “Do or Die” is associated with: (a) Non-Cooperation Movement (b) Civil Disobedience Movement (c) Quit India Movement (d) Swadeshi Movement
Q14. The Ghadar Party was founded in 1913 in: (a) London (b) Paris (c) San Francisco (d) Singapore
Q15. The Kakori train action of 1925 was carried out by members of the: (a) Anushilan Samiti (b) Hindustan Republican Association (c) Indian National Army (d) Swaraj Party
Answer Key with Short Explanations
- Q1 – (b). The first session was held in Bombay. Hume helped found the Congress but did not preside.
- Q2 – (c). Naoroji explained how Indian wealth flowed to Britain. This is a core Moderate idea.
- Q3 – (b). Curzon announced the partition in 1905. It was reversed in 1911.
- Q4 – (b). The Surat split was in 1907. Calcutta 1906 only adopted the Swadeshi and Swaraj resolutions.
- Q5 – (a). V.O.C. ran the Swadeshi steamship service between Tuticorin and Colombo in 1906, challenging British shipping.
- Q6 – (b). Besant led the Madras league. Tilak’s league was based in Poona. Both were set up in 1916.
- Q7 – (c). Champaran was in 1917, against the tinkathia system of forced indigo cultivation.
- Q8 – (b). It happened on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar, under General Dyer’s orders. It followed protests against the Rowlatt Act.
- Q9 – (a). The Chauri Chaura incident (February 1922) in Uttar Pradesh led to the movement being called off.
- Q10 – (b). The 1929 Lahore session was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru. 26 January 1930 was observed as Independence Day.
- Q11 – (b). Rajagopalachari led the 1930 march, the Tamil Nadu counterpart of the Dandi march.
- Q12 – (c). After the Communal Award, the Pact gave the Depressed Classes reserved seats within the general electorate, in place of separate electorates.
- Q13 – (c). Gandhi gave the call in Bombay on 8 August 1942.
- Q14 – (c). The Ghadar Party was formed by Indian emigrants on the US west coast to fight British rule.
- Q15 – (b). The Hindustan Republican Association carried out the Kakori action, a revolutionary activity of the mid-1920s.
Memory Tricks for Commonly Confused Events
- Moderates = 3 Ps: Prayers, Petitions, Protests. Extremists = Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education.
- Lal-Bal-Pal: Punjab (Lajpat Rai), Maharashtra (Tilak), Bengal (Pal). Think “P-M-B”.
- Gandhi’s 20-30-42: Non-Cooperation 1920, Civil Disobedience 1930, Quit India 1942.
- Early satyagrahas, “C-A-K”: Champaran (1917), Ahmedabad (1918), Kheda (1918). Alphabetical order matches the sequence.
- Pacts: Lucknow 1916 joined Congress and League. Gandhi-Irwin 1931 paused civil disobedience. Poona 1932 dealt with depressed class electorates.
- Place vs session: Surat is the split (1907). Lahore is Purna Swaraj (1929).
Exam Tips for History Questions
- Build a one-page timeline from 1857 to 1947. Most TNPSC questions test sequence.
- For each event, learn four things: year, place, leader, outcome.
- Give extra time to Tamil Nadu’s role: V.O.C., Subramania Bharati, Rajagopalachari, Vanchinathan and the Vellore Revolt of 1806. TNPSC regularly asks regional contributions.
- In “match the following” questions, fix the two items you are sure of first. Elimination does the rest.
- Do not rely on guesswork between close years such as 1916 and 1917. Link each date to a theme instead.
Score Yourself
- 13-15: Strong. Move to timed mixed-topic tests.
- 9-12: Fair. Revise the phase where you slipped (Moderate, Extremist, Gandhian or revolutionary).
- Below 9: Re-read standard notes on the national movement, then attempt this set again after a week.
Conclusion
Regular MCQ practice turns scattered facts into a clear storyline. Use these questions for Group 1, Group 2, 2A and other TNPSC exams, and watch tnpsc.gov.in for official syllabus and notification details. If you want guided preparation, with structured notes, topic-wise tests and doubt clearing, join Francis Xavier Academy’s TNPSC coaching or contact the Academy today.
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