12th Standard History — Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation Online Test
Unit 4 of 12th History traces Gandhi's rise from the Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda struggles to the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Swarajists, the Simon Commission, Purna Swaraj, the Dandi and Vedaranyam salt marches, the Round Table Conferences, and Ambedkar's campaign for separate electorates that ended in the Poona Pact.
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About Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation
Medium ~60 min study
Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation is the fourth unit of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 History book. It follows Gandhi from his return from South Africa in 1915 to the early 1930s, when the Congress had become a mass organisation and the demand had grown to complete independence.
The unit sets these struggles against the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms of 1919, the rise of the non-Brahmin movements, the left and revolutionary groups, and the emergence of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the leader of the depressed classes.
This page gives all fifteen one mark questions from the book exercise with answers checked against the lesson, plus additional questions on dates, persons, numbers and movements, each with a short explanation.
What you'll learn
- Describe Gandhi's Satyagraha in Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda.
- Explain Dyarchy under the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms of 1919.
- Trace the origin and two trends of the non-Brahmin movements.
- Narrate the causes, course and withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
- Distinguish the pro-changers from the No-changers.
- Explain the Communal Award and the Poona Pact.
Before you start
- The moderate and extremist phases of the Indian National Congress.
- The Swadeshi movement and the partition of Bengal.
- The First World War and its effect on India.
Topics covered in this chapter
Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation explained
What this unit covers
Gandhi's experiments of Satyagraha
Champaran (1917) freed indigo cultivators from the 3/20th system; the Ahmedabad mill strike (1918) won the workers their wage demand; the Kheda struggle (1918) fought for revenue remission under the famine code.
Montagu-Chelmsford reforms
The Indian Councils Act of 1919 introduced Dyarchy in the provinces with reserved and transferred subjects and a bicameral central legislature. The Congress called the scheme disappointing and unsatisfactory.
Non-Brahmin movement
Phule's Gulamgiri (1872), the Satyashodhak Samaj, the Namasudra, Adidharma and Dravidian movements, and the Non-Brahmin Manifesto of 1916 questioned Brahmin dominance.
Non-Cooperation Movement
The Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919 and the Khilafat issue led to non-cooperation from 1920. Chauri Chaura (5 February 1922) made Gandhi suspend it.
Swarajists to the Round Table
C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swarajya party; the Simon Commission was boycotted; the Lahore session declared Purna Swaraj; the Dandi March and Vedaranyam march broke the salt law; the Gandhi-Irwin pact and three RTCs followed.
Ambedkar and separate electorates
The Communal Award of 1932 granted separate electorates; Gandhi's fast in Yervada jail led to the Poona Pact, which kept reserved seats instead.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Naming Reginald Dyer as Lt. Governor of Punjab. Michael O'Dwyer was Lt. Governor; Dyer was the military commander.
- Placing Rajaji among the Swarajists. He led the No-changers; Satyamurti joined the Swarajists in Tamil Nadu.
- Dating the hoisting of the freedom flag to 26 January 1930. It was hoisted at Lahore on 31 December 1929.
- Thinking the Muslim League welcomed the Simon Commission. It supported the boycott.
- Saying the Poona Pact kept separate electorates. It removed them but guaranteed reserved seats.
Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Champaran important for Gandhi?
Champaran in Bihar (1917) was Gandhi's first attempt at mobilising the Indian masses. Indigo cultivators bound to grow indigo on 3/20th of their land were freed when an enquiry committee, with Gandhi as a member, had its report accepted, and the European planters gradually left the district.
What was Dyarchy?
Under the Indian Councils Act of 1919, provincial subjects were split. Reserved subjects such as law and order and finance stayed under the Governor, while transferred subjects such as health, education and local self-government went to Indian ministers. The Governor could overrule ministers with special powers.
What happened at Jallianwala Bagh?
On 13 April 1919 over two thousand people gathered at Amritsar to protest the arrest of Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew. General Dyer ordered firing on the trapped crowd till the ammunition ran out. Official figures said 379 died, but the real number was over a thousand.
Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement withdrawn?
On 5 February 1922 at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district, police fired on a Congress procession and the enraged mob burnt the police station, killing 22 policemen. Gandhi suspended the movement and the Congress Working Committee ratified it at Bardoli.
Who were the pro-changers and No-changers?
Pro-changers led by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru wanted to enter the legislatures and launched the Swarajya party. No-changers led by Rajagopalachari, Vallabhbhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad preferred Gandhi's constructive programme and mass mobilisation.
What was the Poona Pact?
The Communal Award of August 1932 granted separate electorates to untouchables. Gandhi fasted unto death in Yervada jail. After talks, Ambedkar and the Gandhians signed the Poona Pact, which removed separate electorates but guaranteed reserved seats, later built into the Constitution.
Last updated 19 October 2026