15 extra multiple-choice questions for Communalism in Nationalist Politics (12th Standard History, Samacheer Kalvi), beyond the ones printed in the textbook — each with the correct option highlighted and a clear, worked explanation. Free to read in English and Tamil.
Q1
According to Sarvepalli Gopal, Hindu revivalism found its voice in politics through the Arya Samaj, which was founded in
- A. 1875Correct
- B. 1885
- C. 1906
- D. 1915
Explanation. The lesson quotes Sarvepalli Gopal: Hindu revivalism entered politics through the Arya Samaj, founded in 1875, which asserted the superior qualities of Hinduism. The Congress came in 1885 and the Hindu Mahasabha in 1915.
Q2
Which Governor of Bombay wrote, 'Divide et Impera was the old Roman motto and it should be ours'?
- A. Linlithgow
- B. Minto
- C. ElphinstoneCorrect
- D. Crosthwaite
Explanation. Bombay Governor Elphinstone wrote these words, summing up the British policy of Divide and Rule meant to check a composite Indian identity. Crosthwaite was a District Magistrate in Allahabad; Minto and Linlithgow were Viceroys.
Q3
The 35-member Muslim delegation that met Viceroy Lord Minto at Simla on 1 October 1906 was led by
- A. Syed Ameer Ali
- B. Aga KhanCorrect
- C. Sir Wazir Hasan
- D. Rahmat Ali
Explanation. Muslim nobles and professionals, mostly linked to the Aligarh movement, met Lord Minto at Simla under Aga Khan. The deputation won no promise, but it led to the founding of the All India Muslim League.
Q4
Under the Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909, how many seats in the Imperial Legislative Council, out of the 27 non-officials to be elected, were given to Muslims?
- A. Four
- B. Five
- C. EightCorrect
- D. Twelve
Explanation. The 1909 reforms gave Muslims eight of the 27 elected non-official seats in the Imperial Legislative Council. In the provinces the reserved Muslim seats were Madras 4, Bombay 4 and Bengal 5.
Q5
Of the seventy-two delegates who attended the first session of the Indian National Congress, how many were Muslims?
- A. TwoCorrect
- B. Seven
- C. Twelve
- D. Thirty-five
Explanation. Only two of the 72 delegates at the first Congress session were Muslims. Syed Ahmed Khan and Syed Ameer Ali projected the Congress as a body representing only the Hindus.
Q6
The All India Hindu Mahasabha was started at the first all-India conference of Hindus at Haridwar in 1915. Where were its headquarters?
- A. Haridwar
- B. Allahabad
- C. Dehra DunCorrect
- D. Ambala
Explanation. Following resolutions of the Punjab Hindu conferences at Ambala and Ferozepur, the Mahasabha was started at Haridwar in 1915 with headquarters at Dehra Dun. Allahabad was the headquarters of the UP Hindu Sabha.
Q7
Who tried to revive the Hindu Mahasabha through cow-protection propaganda while drawing Hindus into the boycott of the Prince of Wales' visit in 1921?
- A. Lal Chand
- B. Swami ShradhanandaCorrect
- C. Madan Mohan Malaviya
- D. V.D. Savarkar
Explanation. In the post-Khilafat period the Suddhi movement gained new importance, and in 1921 Swami Shradhananda organised cow-protection propaganda to revive the Mahasabha during the boycott of the Prince of Wales' visit.
Q8
Assertion (A): Gandhi viewed the Malabar rebellion of 1921 as a Hindu-Muslim conflict.
Reason (R): Though the outbreak was basically an agrarian revolt, communal passion ran high during it.
- A. A is correct and R is the correct explanation of ACorrect
- B. A is correct but R is not the correct explanation of A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong but R is correct
Explanation. In Malabar, Muslim peasants rose against British rulers and Hindu landlords. Because communal passion ran high in this agrarian revolt, Gandhi saw it as a Hindu-Muslim conflict and asked Muslim leaders to apologise publicly.
Q9
In Allahabad, after the municipal elections of 1923, the faction of Motilal Nehru was opposed by the faction of
- A. Madan Mohan MalaviyaCorrect
- B. Lala Lajpat Rai
- C. Swami Shradhananda
- D. S. Srinivasan
Explanation. Motilal Nehru and Madan Mohan Malaviya confronted each other in Allahabad. When Nehru's faction won the 1923 municipal elections, Malaviya's faction began to exploit religious passions, as Magistrate Crosthwaite reported.
Q10
The Conference of Muslims at Delhi on 20 March 1927 offered to give up separate electorates if four proposals were accepted. Which of the following was NOT one of them?
- A. Separation of Sind from Bombay
- B. Reforms for the Frontier and Baluchistan
- C. Thirty-three per cent seats for Muslims in the Central Legislature
- D. Partition of the Punjab into Hindu and Muslim provincesCorrect
Explanation. The four proposals were separating Sind from Bombay, reforms for the Frontier and Baluchistan, representation by population in Punjab and Bengal, and 33% Muslim seats in the Central Legislature. Partitioning the Punjab was Lajpat Rai's 1924 idea.
Q11
After the failure of the Round Table Conferences, the Communal Award was announced by the British Prime Minister
- A. Ramsay MacDonaldCorrect
- B. Pethick-Lawrence
- C. Linlithgow
- D. Wavell
Explanation. British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award after the Round Table Conferences failed, which further vitiated the political climate. Even the delegates to the second conference had been chosen on communal lines.
Q12
At the Muslim League's annual conference at Allahabad in 1930, who expressed the wish to see a consolidated North-west Indian Muslim State?
- A. Rahmat Ali
- B. Mohammad IqbalCorrect
- C. Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- D. Sir Wazir Hasan
Explanation. The poet-scholar Mohammad Iqbal conceived the idea at Allahabad in 1930, ten years before the League's 1940 resolution. Rahmat Ali, a Cambridge student, later articulated it forcefully.
Q13
Who was hailed by Sarojini as the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, and felt let down when Hindu Mahasabha members rejected all amendments at the All Parties Convention in Calcutta in 1928?
- A. Motilal Nehru
- B. Muhammad Ali JinnahCorrect
- C. Syed Ameer Ali
- D. Badruddin Tyabji
Explanation. Jinnah had taken the initiative to narrow the breach and was hailed by Sarojini as the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. The Mahasabha's rejection of all amendments in 1928 destroyed any chance of unity.
Q14
Under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, which provinces were to make up Group C?
- A. Punjab and Sind
- B. Bengal and AssamCorrect
- C. Bihar and Orissa
- D. North-West Frontier and Baluchistan
Explanation. Group C was to include Muslim-majority Bengal and Hindu-majority Assam. Group B held Punjab, Sind, the North-West Frontier and Baluchistan, while Group A held the Hindu-majority provinces such as Bihar and Orissa.
Q15
Arrange the following in chronological order:
(i) Conference of Muslims at Delhi
(ii) Direct Action Day
(iii) Simla deputation to Lord Minto
(iv) First all-India conference of Hindus at Haridwar
- A. (iii), (iv), (i), (ii)Correct
- B. (iv), (iii), (i), (ii)
- C. (iii), (i), (iv), (ii)
- D. (i), (iii), (iv), (ii)
Explanation. The Simla deputation met Lord Minto in 1906, the Hindus' all-India conference at Haridwar started the Mahasabha in 1915, the Delhi Conference of Muslims met in 1927 and Direct Action Day was observed in 1946.
