Class 10 Nationalism in India Mock Test (CBSE)

Topics in Nationalism in India

• First World War, Khilafat and Non-Cooperation
• Idea of satyagraha
• Rowlatt Act
• Non-Cooperation in towns, countryside and plantations
• Salt March and Civil Disobedience
• Participants and limits of Civil Disobedience
• The sense of collective belonging

Nationalism in India practice questions with answers

1. Q1Multiple choice·1 mark
   Why was the 'Salt March' considered an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism?

   1. (a)Salt was consumed by rich and poor alike, and it was essential to food.
   2. (b)It was a luxury item heavily taxed by the British.
   3. (c)It was produced exclusively in urban factories.
   4. (d)It symbolized the unity between industrialists and workers.
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Correct option: (a) Salt was consumed by rich and poor alike, and it was essential to food.+1

   Answer: (a)
2. Q2Multiple choice·1 mark
   Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers in Assam were not permitted to do which of the following?

   1. (a)Leave the tea gardens without permission
   2. (b)Participate in nationalist meetings
   3. (c)Form trade unions
   4. (d)Wear foreign clothes
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Correct option: (a) Leave the tea gardens without permission+1

   Answer: (a)
3. Q3Short answer·2 marks
   Explain why Gandhiji believed that satyagraha could bring about change without the use of violence.
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Satyagraha is based on truth (satya) and firmness in it, so it seeks to change the opponent's conscience and win moral support rather than to defeat or destroy the opponent.+1
   2. Nonviolent protest exposes the injustice of the rulers, as violence against peaceful protesters would provoke repression, lose public sympathy and expose the government's brutality, which weakens its moral authority.+1

   Answer: Satyagraha relied on truth and moral persuasion, so it aimed to convert the opponent's conscience; nonviolent suffering exposed the injustice of colonial rule and drew public sympathy, whereas violence would have justified repression and weakened the movement.
4. Q4Long answer·5 marks
   Analyse the different strands of the Non-Cooperation Movement that unfolded in towns, the countryside, and the plantations. How did various social groups interpret the meaning of 'Swaraj'?
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Non-Cooperation in towns: The movement started with middle-class participation: thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices; foreign goods were boycotted, foreign cloth burnt and liquor shops picketed.+1
   2. Peasant movement in the countryside: In Awadh, peasants led by Baba Ramchandra fought against talukdars and landlords demanding exorbitantly high rents and a variety of other cesses, alongside begar; for them Swaraj meant an end to these rents, begar and landlord oppression.+1
   3. Tribal guerrilla movement: In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, a militant guerrilla movement spread under Alluri Sitaram Raju against colonial forest laws that closed forest areas and livelihood sources; for them Swaraj meant freedom to use the forests again.+1
   4. Plantation workers in Assam: For plantation workers under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, Swaraj meant the freedom to move out of the confined spaces in which they were enclosed and retaining a link with their native villages.+1
   5. Diverse interpretations of Swaraj: Although people interpreted Swaraj in their own terms, imagining it as a time when all suffering and troubles would cease, the term came to mean action that tied all these different groups into a pan-Indian anti-colonial struggle.+1

   Answer: Towns: middle-class students left government schools and colleges, teachers resigned, lawyers gave up practice, and foreign cloth was boycotted and burnt. Awadh: peasants under Baba Ramchandra fought talukdars over high rents, cesses and begar; Swaraj meant an end to these. Gudem Hills (Andhra Pradesh): tribals under Alluri Sitaram Raju waged guerrilla war against forest laws; Swaraj meant freedom to use the forests. Assam plantations: Swaraj meant freedom to leave the plantations, which the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 forbade, and keep links with their villages. Each group read Swaraj in its own terms as an end to its suffering, yet it united them in one anti-colonial struggle.
5. Q5Long answer·5 marks
   Explain how the Salt March became an effective tool of resistance against colonialism. Discuss the course and significance of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Mahatma Gandhi chose salt as a powerful symbol to unite the nation because it was consumed by rich and poor alike, making the salt tax oppressive.+1
   2. The historic Dandi March began from Sabarmati Ashram on 12 March $1930$; after walking about 240 miles in 24 days, Gandhi reached Dandi and formally violated the salt law by making salt from sea water on 6 April $1930$.+1
   3. The movement spread rapidly across the country with people breaking colonial laws, boycotting foreign goods, and refusing to pay land revenue and chaukidari taxes.+1
   4. The colonial government responded with brutal repression, arresting thousands of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.+1
   5. The movement demonstrated massive public participation across different social groups, leading to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact and participation in the Second Round Table Conference.+1

   Answer: Salt was eaten by rich and poor alike, so the salt tax became a symbol of British oppression that could unite all Indians. Gandhi marched from Sabarmati Ashram (12 March 1930) to Dandi and broke the salt law on 6 April 1930. Course: the movement spread across the country as people broke the salt law, boycotted foreign cloth and goods, refused to pay land revenue and chaukidari taxes and violated forest laws; the government replied with brutal repression and arrested thousands, including Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Significance: it drew mass participation from many social groups and forced the British to negotiate, leading to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) and Gandhi's attendance at the Second Round Table Conference.

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