Social Science Class 10 Important Questions History Chapter 2 Nationalism in India

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Chapter 2 Nationalism in India

Important Questions

Question 1.
What was the Rowlatt Act? (2011 OD)
Answer:
Rowlatt Act gave the government enormous powers to suppress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. In other words, the Act proposed no appeal, no vakil and no daleel.

Question 2.
Why was the Rowlatt Act imposed? (2011 D)
Answer:
The imposing of the Rowlatt Act authorized the government to imprison any person without trial and conviction in a court of law.

Question 3.
In which session of the Indian National Congress was the demand for ‘Puma Swaraj’ formalized? (2012 D)
Answer:
Lahore Session, December 1929.

Question 4.
Who composed ‘Vande Mataram’? (2012 D)
Answer:
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Question 5.
Who created the first image of Bharat Mata? (2012 D)
Answer:
Abanindranath Tagore

Question 6.
Why was the Khilafat movement started? (2012 OD)
Answer:
Khilafat movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi and the Ali Brothers, Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali in response to the harsh treatment given to the Caliph of Ottoman empire and the dismemberment of the Ottoman empire by the British.

Question 7.
What combination of colours was there in the ‘Swaraj flag’ designed by Gandhiji in 1921? (2012 OD)
Answer:
Red, Green and White.

Question 8.
What was the main reason to withdraw the Non-cooperation Movement? (2013 OD)
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi called off the Non-cooperation Movement as the movement had turned violent in many places. The Chauri Chaura incident in 1922 turned into a violent dash and 22 policemen were killed. Gandhiji felt satyagrahis were not ready for mass struggles.

Question 9.
Which Act did not permit plantation workers to leave the tea garden without permission?
Answer:
Inland Emigration Act of 1859.

Question 10.
Name two main ‘Satyagraha’ movements organized by Mahatma Gandhi successfully in favour of peasants in 1916 and 1917. (2013 D)
Answer:

1. Indigo Planters Movement in Champaran, Bihar in 1916.
2. Peasants Satyagraha Movement was organized in Kheda district in Gujarat in 1917 to support peasants in the demand for relaxation of revenue collection.

Question 11.
Who is the author of the famous book ‘Hind Swaraj’? (2014 D)
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi.

Question 12.
In which novel was the hymn ‘Vande Mataram’ included and who was the novel written by? (2014 OD)
Answer:
Novel—Aandamath
Author — Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Question 13.
In which year and place did Mahatma Gandhi organise Satyagraha for the first time in India? (2014 D)
Answer:
In 1916, in Champaran, Bihar.

Question 14.
Explain the idea of Satyagraha according to Gandhiji. (2014 D)
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 from South Africa. Gandhiji’s novel method of mass agitation is know as ‘Satyagraha’. Satyagraha emphasised truth. Gandhiji believed that if the cause is true, if the struggle is against injustice, then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor. A satyagrahi can win the battle through non-violence. People, including oppressors, had to be persuaded to see the truth. Truth was bound to ultimately triumph. Gandhiji believed that dharma of non-violence could unite all India.

Question 15.
Explain the effects of ‘worldwide economic depression’ on India, towards late 1920s. (2013 OD)
Answer:
In 19th century, colonial India had become an exporter of agricultural goods and an importer of manufactures.
The worldwide economic depression immediately affected Indian trade. India’s exports and imports nearly halved between 1928 and 1934. As international prices crashed, prices in India also plunged. Peasants producing for the world market were worst hit. Though agricultural prices fell, the colonial government refused to reduce revenue demands. Peasants indebtedness increased. For example, Jute producers of Bengal.In these depression years, India became an exporter of precious metals, notably gold.

Question 16.
Explain any three facts about the new economic situation created in India by the First World War. (2011 D)
Answer:
The First World War created a dramatically new economic situation in India:
(i) Manchester imports into India declined as the British mills were busy with war production to meet the needs of the army paving the way for the Indian mills to supply for the huge home market.

(ii) As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs. As a result new factories were set up, new workers were employed and everyone was made to work longer hours.

(iii) Cotton production collapsed and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically after the war, as it was unable to modernize and compete with US, Germany, Japan. Hence within colonies like India, local industrialists gradually consolidated their position capturing the home market.

Question 17.
How did the plantation workers understand the idea of ‘Swaraj’? Explain. (2011 OD)
Answer:
For the plantation workers of Assam, “Swaraj” meant freedom to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they all were enclosed and also to be able to keep the link with their native village intact. Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not allowed to leave their tea gardens without permission, which they were rarely given.

When they heard of the Non-cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied authorities, left the plantations and headed home.

Question 18.
Explain the circumstances under which Gandhiji decided to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931. (2012 OD)
Answer:
Gandhiji decided to call off the Civil Disobedience movement in 1931 because:

1. Political leaders like Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan were arrested. More than one lakh people were arrested.
2. Government responded with brutal repression and peaceful satyagrahis were arrested. Women and children were beaten up.
3. It resulted in an uprising in Peshawar in 1930.
4. Industrial workers in Sholapur attacked police post. In Chittagong, the revolutionaries captured the armoury and a pitched battle was fought between the government troops and the revolutionaries. (any three)

In such a situation, Gandhiji called off the movement and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed.

Question 19.
Explain the reaction of Indian people against the Rowlatt Act passed through the Imperial Legislative Council in 1919. (2012 OD)
Answer:
Reaction of Indian people against the Rowlatt Act of 1919:

1. Rallies were organized against this Act.
2. Railways, workshops and shops closed down.
3. The procession in Amritsar provoked widespread attacks on buses, post offices, railway stations, telegraphic lines, etc.
4. On 6th April Gandhiji held Hartal against this unjust law (Rowlatt Act).
5. The peaceful demonstration in Jallianwala Bagh led to a violent movement all across the country.

Question 20.
How had the First World War created a new economic situation in India? Explain with three examples. (2013 D)
Answer:
The First World War created a dramatically new economic situation in India:
(i) Manchester imports into India declined as the British mills were busy with war production to meet the needs of the army paving the way for the Indian mills to supply for the huge home market.

(ii) As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs. As a result new factories were set up, new workers were employed and everyone was made to work longer hours.

(iii) Cotton production collapsed and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically after the war, as it was unable to modernize and compete with US, Germany, Japan. Hence within colonies like India, local industrialists gradually consolidated their position capturing the home market.

Question 21.
How was Rowlatt Act opposed by the people in India? Explain with examples. (2013 D)
Answer:
Gandhiji, who had formed a Satyagraha Sabha earlier, called for a countrywide protest against the proposed Rowlatt Act. Throughout the country, 6 April 1919 was observed as a National Humiliation Day. Gandhiji wanted a non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws. Hartals (Strikes) and rallies were organized in various cities. Workers went on strike in railway workshops. Shops closed down. The movement was non-violent but proved to be effective.

Question 22.
Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919? How was it organised Explain. (2016 D, 2015 D, 2014 OD)
Answer:
The Rowlatt Act was passed despite the united opposition of the Indian members of Imperial Legislative Council.

1. The Act gave the government enormous powers to oppress political agitations.
2. It had allowed the detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. There was no provision for appeal.
   The passing of this Act aroused large scale indignation.

Gandhiji, who had formed a Satyagraha Sabha earlier, called for a countrywide protest against the proposed Rowlatt Act. Throughout the country, 6 April 1919 was observed as a National Humiliation Day. Gandhiji wanted a non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws. Hartals and rallies were organized in various cities. Workers went on strike in railway workshops. Shops were closed down. The movement was non-violent but proved to be effective.

Question 23.
Which were the two types of demands mentioned by Gandhiji in his letter to Viceroy Irwin on 31st January 1930? Why was abolition of ‘salt tax’ most stirring demand? Explain. (2013 OD)
Answer:
Some of the demands were of general interest; others were specific demands of different classes from industrialists to peasants.

1. On 31st January, 1930 Gandhiji sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands, one of which was the demand to abolish Salt Tax.
2. Salt was one of the most essential food items consumed by the rich and poor alike and a tax on it was considered an oppression on the people by the British Government.
3. Gandhiji’s letter was an ultimatum and if his demands were not fulfilled by March 11, he had threatened to launch a civil disobedience campaign.

Question 24.
Explain any three problems faced by the peasants of Awadh. (2011 D)
Answer:
Three problems faced by the peasants of Awadh were:

1. Talukdars and landlords demanded exorbitantly high rents and a variety of other taxes from the peasants.
2. Peasants had to do begar and work at the landlords’ farms without any payment.
3. As tenants they had no security of tenure and were being regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land.

Question 25.
Explain any three reasons for the lukewarm response of some Muslim organizations to the Civil Disobedience Movement. (2011 D)
Answer:
Three reasons for lukeivarm response of some Muslim organizations to Civil Disobedience Movement were:

1. After the decline of Non-cooperation-Khilafat movement, a large section of Muslims felt alienated from the Indian National Congress.
2. The visible and open association of Congress with Hindu religious nationalist groups like the Hindu Mahasabha in mid 1920s made the Muslims suspicious of Congress motives.
3. The frequent communal clashes not only deepened the distance between the two communities but also there was an important difference over the question of representation in the future assemblies that were to be elected.

Question 26.
Explain any three effects of the Non-cooperation Movement on the economy of India. (2011 OD)
Answer:
The economic sphere was affected by the Non-cooperation Movement:

1. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops were picketed and foreign cloth was burnt. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921-1922. Its value dropped from ₹ 102 crore to ₹ 57 crore.
2. Many merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.
3. People began discarding imported clothes and wearing Indian ones.
4. The production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up. Use of khadi was popularized.

Question 27.
How did the rich peasants and women take part in Civil Disobedience Movement? (2011 OD)
Answer:
Role of rich peasants:

1. Being producers of commercial crops, they were hard hit by trade-depression and falling prices.
2. As their cash income reduced, they found it impossible to pay the government’s revenue demand.
3. These rich peasants became ardent supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
4. For them fight for Swaraj was a struggle against high revenues.

Role of women:

1. Women participated in protest marches, manufactured salt and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many women went to jail.
2. Women who participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement, came from high-caste families in urban areas and rich peasant households in rural areas.

Question 28.
Why did Non-cooperation Movement gradually slow down in cities? Explain any three reasons. (2012 D, 2013 OD)
Answer:
The Non-cooperation Movement gradually slowed down in cities for a variety of reasons:

1. Khadi cloth was more expensive than mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it. As a result they could not boycott mill cloth for too long.
2. Alternative Indian institutions were not there which could be used in place of the British ones. These were slow to come up.
3. So students and teachers began trickling back to government schools and lawyers joined back work in government courts.

Question 29.
Describe the role of the peasants in Awadh in the Non-cooperation Movement. (2012 D)
Answer:
Role of the peasants in Awadh in the Non-cooperation Movement:

1. In Awadh, the peasants’ movement was led by Baba Ramchandra—a Sanyasi who had earlier worked in Fiji as indentured labour.
2. The movement was against taluqdars and landlords who demanded high rents from the peasants. Peasants had to do ‘bega/ and work at landlords’ farms without any payment. As tenants, they had no security of tenure and could be evicted without any notice.
3. The peasants’ movement demanded reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of these landlords.
4. In many places Nai-Dhobi bandits were organized to deprive landlords of the services of even washermen and barbers.
5. In 1920, Jawahar Lai Nehru began talking to the villagers and formed ‘Oudh Kisan Sabha’. Within a month 300 branches had been setup in the villages.
6. As the movement spread in 1921, the houses of taluqdars and merchants were attacked, bazaars were looted and grain hoards were taken over.

Question 30.
Describe any three major problems faced by the peasants of Awadh in the days of Non-Cooperation Movement. (2015 OD)
Answer:
The movement of Awadh peasants was led by:

1. The peasants’ movement Baba Ramchandra was against talukdars and landlords who demanded extremely high rents and a variety of other cesses from the peasants.
2. Peasants were forced to work in landlords’ farms without any payment (begar). Peasants had no security of tenure, thus being regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land.
3. The demands of the peasants were: reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of oppressive landlords.