24 extra multiple-choice questions for Impact of World War I on Indian Freedom Movement (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
Annie Besant started the daily newspaper New India on
- A. 14 July 1915Correct
- B. 28 September 1915
- C. 23 July 1916
- D. 20 August 1917
Explanation. After her tour of England, Besant returned and started the daily New India on 14 July 1915. She declared the Home Rule League plan on 28 September 1915.
Q2
Tilak's Home Rule League was set up at
- A. Madras in September 1916
- B. the Lucknow session of the Congress in December 1916
- C. the Bombay Provincial Conference held at Belgaum in April 1916Correct
- D. the AICC meeting of 28 July 1917
Explanation. Tilak's League was set up at the Bombay Provincial Conference held at Belgaum in April 1916. Besant herself inaugurated her own League at Madras in September 1916.
Q3
Which of the following statements about Tilak's Home Rule League are correct?
1. It worked in Maharashtra, Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar.
2. It was organised into six branches.
3. Its membership rose from 14,000 in April 1917 to 32,000 by early 1918.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation. All three are correct. Tilak's League worked in Maharashtra (including Bombay city), Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar in six branches, and grew from 14,000 members in April 1917 to 32,000 by early 1918.
Q4
Tilak was arrested on his 60th birthday, 23 July 1916, for
- A. propagating the idea of Home RuleCorrect
- B. publishing the journal Ghadar
- C. opposing the Rowlatt Act
- D. leading the Khilafat Movement
Explanation. Tilak popularised the demand for Home Rule through his lectures, and on 23 July 1916, his 60th birthday, he was arrested for propagating the idea of Home Rule.
Q5
In June 1917 Annie Besant and her associates B.P. Wadia and George Arundale were interned in
- A. Adyar
- B. OotacamundCorrect
- C. Benaras
- D. Mandalay
Explanation. As Besant's League grew popular, the Government of Madras decided to suppress it and in June 1917 interned Besant, B.P. Wadia and George Arundale in Ootacamund.
Q6
Who renounced his knighthood in support of Annie Besant when she was interned?
- A. Madan Mohan Malaviya
- B. Surendranath Banerjea
- C. Sir S. SubramaniamCorrect
- D. Jamnadas Dwarkadas
Explanation. Government repression only strengthened Home Rule supporters. To support the interned Besant, Sir S. Subramaniam renounced his knighthood, and Malaviya and Surendranath Banerjea joined the movement.
Q7
Assertion (A): Montagu's announcement of 20 August 1917 turned Annie Besant into a near-loyalist.
Reason (R): Montagu declared that self-governing institutions and responsible government were the goal of British rule in India.
- A. A is wrong but R is correct
- B. Both A and R are correct but R does not explain A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. Both A and R are correct and R explains ACorrect
Explanation. On 20 August 1917 Secretary of State Montagu declared self-governing institutions and responsible government to be the goal of British rule. Almost overnight this statement made Besant a near-loyalist, so R explains A.
Q8
Which of the following led to the decline of the Home Rule Movement?
1. Besant accepted the proposed Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.
2. Tilak went to Britain in September 1918 to pursue his libel case against Valentine Chirol.
3. The Lucknow Pact merged the Home Rule Leagues into the Muslim League.
- A. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. The movement declined after Besant accepted the proposed Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and Tilak left for Britain in September 1918 for the libel case against Chirol. No merger with the League took place.
Q9
Who was the president of the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association founded in 1913?
- A. Lala Hardayal
- B. Sohan Singh BhaknaCorrect
- C. Lala Lajpat Rai
- D. A.C. Mazumdar
Explanation. Lala Hardayal founded the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association in San Francisco in 1913 with Sohan Singh Bhakna as its president. It was popularly called the Ghadar Party.
Q10
The word 'Ghadar' in Urdu means
- A. unity
- B. freedom
- C. rebellionCorrect
- D. self-rule
Explanation. Ghadar means rebellion in Urdu. The party's journal Ghadar began publication from San Francisco on 1 November 1913 and later appeared in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and other languages.
Q11
The ship Komagatamaru, filled with Indian immigrants, was turned back from
- A. Britain
- B. the United States
- C. South Africa
- D. CanadaCorrect
Explanation. The Komagatamaru was turned back from Canada. When it returned to India several passengers were killed or arrested in a clash with the British police, an incident that left a deep mark on the nationalist movement.
Q12
Who was the Congress president who welcomed the extremists back into the Congress at the Lucknow session of 1916?
- A. Ambika Charan MazumdarCorrect
- B. Annie Besant
- C. Madan Mohan Malaviya
- D. Surendranath Banerjea
Explanation. At Lucknow in 1916 Congress president Ambika Charan Mazumdar welcomed the extremists after ten years of painful separation, and the Congress got back its old vigour.
Q13
Under the Lucknow Pact, what proportion of the Central and Provincial Legislative Councils was to be elected?
- A. One-half
- B. Four-fifthsCorrect
- C. Two-thirds
- D. Three-fourths
Explanation. The Lucknow Pact provided that four-fifths of the Central and Provincial Legislative Councils should be elected and one-fifth nominated, on as broad a franchise as possible.
Q14
Under the Lucknow Pact, the Congress agreed to separate electorates for Muslims and preferences in their favour in all provinces except
- A. Bengal and Bihar
- B. Bombay and Madras
- C. Punjab and BengalCorrect
- D. Punjab and the United Provinces
Explanation. The Congress accepted separate electorates and weightage for Muslims in all provinces except Punjab and Bengal, where some ground was given to the Hindu and Sikh minorities.
Q15
Arrange the following repressive measures in chronological order:
1. Indian Press Act
2. Creation of the Criminal Intelligence Department
3. Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act
4. Explosives Substances Act
- A. 2, 4, 1, 3Correct
- B. 4, 2, 1, 3
- C. 2, 1, 4, 3
- D. 2, 4, 3, 1
Explanation. Lord Curzon created the CID in 1903. The Explosives Substances Act came in 1908, the Indian Press Act in 1910 and the Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act in 1911.
Q16
Which law of 1914 restricted the entry of foreigners into India?
- A. Foreigners OrdinanceCorrect
- B. Defence of India Act
- C. Indian Press Act
- D. Rowlatt Act
Explanation. The British suspected that some nationalists were in contact with revolutionaries abroad, so the Foreigners Ordinance was promulgated in 1914 to restrict the entry of foreigners.
Q17
Which of the following statements about the Defence of India Act, 1915 are correct?
1. Suspects were tried by special tribunals of three Commissioners appointed by the Local Government.
2. Trials were held in camera and decisions were not subject to appeal.
3. After the War it formed the basis of the Rowlatt Act.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation. All three are correct. The emergency criminal law set up three-member tribunals that could award death, transportation for life or ten years' prison, held trials in camera without appeal, and later formed the basis of the Rowlatt Act.
Q18
The Defence of India Act was later applied during the
- A. libel case against Valentine Chirol
- B. Komagatamaru incident
- C. First Lahore Conspiracy trialCorrect
- D. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
Explanation. The Defence of India Act, an emergency criminal law to curb nationalist and revolutionary activity during the First World War, was later applied during the First Lahore Conspiracy trial.
Q19
By the Treaty of Sevres, Syria and Lebanon in the eastern part of the Turkish Empire were mandated to
- A. Italy
- B. Britain
- C. Russia
- D. FranceCorrect
Explanation. After the War Britain decided to weaken Turkey. Under the Treaty of Sevres, Syria and Lebanon were mandated to France while Palestine and Jordan became British protectorates.
Q20
The Khilafat Movement in India was led by
- A. the Ali brothers, Maulana Muhammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat AliCorrect
- B. Lala Hardayal and Sohan Singh Bhakna
- C. Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Annie Besant
- D. Tilak and Jamnadas Dwarkadas
Explanation. Indian Muslims organised themselves under the Ali brothers, Maulana Muhammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali, to support the Ottoman Empire and protest against British rule. Azad and M.A. Ansari also joined.
Q21
Which of the following was NOT one of the Khilafat demands presented by Mohammad Ali in Paris in March 1920?
- A. The Sultan's position as Caliph should not be disturbed
- B. Turkey must be given a seat in the League of NationsCorrect
- C. The Muslim sacred places must be handed over to and controlled by the Sultan
- D. The Jazirat-ul-Arab must remain under the Sultan's sovereignty
Explanation. The four demands were: the Caliph's position undisturbed, sacred places under the Sultan, enough territory to defend the faith, and Jazirat-ul-Arab (Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Palestine) under his sovereignty. A League of Nations seat was not demanded.
Q22
Which medal did Gandhi receive for his services as an officer of the Indian volunteer ambulance corps in 1906?
- A. Boer War silver medal
- B. Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal
- C. Zulu War silver medalCorrect
- D. Victoria Cross
Explanation. Gandhi got the Zulu War silver medal for the ambulance corps in 1906, the Boer War silver medal for the stretcher-bearer corps in 1899-1900 and the Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal for humanitarian work. He returned them all over Khilafat.
Q23
The first trade union in India in the modern sense, the Madras Labour Union, was formed in 1918 by
- A. Sasipada Banerjee
- B. Lala Lajpat Rai
- C. N.M. Lokhanday
- D. B.P. WadiaCorrect
Explanation. The Madras Labour Union was formed by B.P. Wadia in 1918, mainly due to the ill-treatment of Indian workers in the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills, Perambur.
Q24
Which of the following is the odd one out?
- A. Valentine ChirolCorrect
- B. Sorabjee Shapoorji
- C. N.M. Lokhanday
- D. Sasipada Banerjee
Explanation. Sorabjee Shapoorji and N.M. Lokhanday of Bombay and Sasipada Banerjee of Bengal raised their voice for industrial labourers. Valentine Chirol was the author of Indian Unrest, sued by Tilak for libel.
