Every Book Back multiple-choice question from Imperialism and its Onslaught (12th Standard History, Samacheer Kalvi) — each with the correct option highlighted and a clear, worked explanation. Free to read in English and Tamil.
Q1
What was the battle in which the French succeeded in pushing back the advancing army of Germans?
- A. Battle of MarneCorrect
- B. Battle of Tannenberg
- C. Battle of Verdun
- D. Battle of Somme
Explanation. In the Battle of the Marne (6-13 September 1914) the French stopped the German advance and by 13 September had thrust the Germans back about fifty miles, saving Paris.
Q2
Laissez Faire is a word coined by
- A. John A. Hobson
- B. Karl Marx
- C. Fischer
- D. GournayCorrect
Explanation. The lesson says laissez-faire was a word coined by a French businessman named de Gournay, and it became the cry everywhere as the Physiocrats demanded free trade.
Q3
'An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations' was authored by
- A. Adam SmithCorrect
- B. Thomas Paine
- C. Quesnay
- D. Karl Marx
Explanation. Adam Smith, the Scottish philosopher and economist, wrote the Wealth of Nations (1776). It criticised mercantilist colonial policy and argued for free trade and a free market.
Q4
England decided on free trade policy in
- A. 1833Correct
- B. 1836
- C. 1843
- D. 1858
Explanation. Having earned huge profits from its monopoly trade, England decided on a free trade policy in 1833. Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Piedmont, Portugal, Spain and Sweden followed.
Q5
Assertion (A): In the second half of the nineteenth century many nations were faced with the problem of surplus manufactures.
Reason (R): Surplus manufactures forced nations to find new markets.
- A. A and R are correct. R explains ACorrect
- B. A and R are correct. R does not explain A
- C. A is true but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong and R is true
Explanation. The book's key gives (a). The lesson says nations with surplus manufactured goods had to find outside markets, and the answer, as England's experience showed, was the possession of colonies.
Q6
Tariff Act, 1879 was enacted by
- A. GermanyCorrect
- B. France
- C. Britain
- D. USA
Explanation. Germany precipitated a crisis by its protectionist policy: its Tariff Act of 1879 imposed tariffs on industrial and agricultural imports into Imperial Germany, and other nations followed suit.
Q7
Shimonoseki Treaty was signed after the
- A. Russo-Japanese war
- B. Second Opium War
- C. Second Anglo-Chinese War
- D. Sino-Japanese warCorrect
Explanation. The Treaty of Shimonoseki ended the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, giving Japan Formosa, Port Arthur and the Liaotung peninsula. The Russo-Japanese War ended with the Treaty of Portsmouth.
Q8
The treaty of Portsmouth was signed at the mediation of
- A. Spain
- B. Britain
- C. USACorrect
- D. France
Explanation. Japan won the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, and by the Treaty of Portsmouth, signed at the mediation of the USA, Japan got back Port Arthur.
Q9
Which country presented 21 demands to the President of the newly established Chinese Republic?
- A. France
- B. Russia
- C. JapanCorrect
- D. Britain
Explanation. In 1915 Japan presented Twenty-One Demands to Yuan Shih-kai, President of the new Chinese Republic, including German rights in Shantung and recognition of Japan's hold over Manchuria.
Q10
The new state of Albania was created based on the
- A. Treaty of Bucharest, 1913
- B. Treaty of Versailles, 1919
- C. Treaty of London, 1913Correct
- D. Treaty of St. Germaine
Explanation. After the first Balkan War, the Treaty of London signed in May 1913 created the new state of Albania and divided Macedonia. The Treaty of Bucharest ended the second Balkan War.
Q11
Which one of the following was not part of the Central Powers?
- A. Bulgaria
- B. Austria-Hungary
- C. Turkey
- D. MontenegroCorrect
Explanation. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. Montenegro joined Serbia on 7 August 1914 in fighting Austria.
Q12
With imminent attack on Paris, the French Government moved to
- A. Marseilles
- B. BordeauxCorrect
- C. Lyons
- D. Versailles
Explanation. The first German advance came within twenty miles of Paris, and the panicked French government had to move to Bordeaux.
Q13
Which one of the following was not a part of the Treaty of Versailles?
- A. Germany was required to surrender Alsace-Lorraine to France
- B. Saar valley to be given to France
- C. The Rhineland was to be occupied by the Allies
- D. Danzig was to be under the control of PolandCorrect
Explanation. Poland got a corridor to the Baltic, but the German port of Danzig was placed under the political control of the League of Nations, not Poland. The other three were treaty terms.
Q14
Which one of the following is not correctly matched?
- A. Edict of Emancipation - Alexander II
- B. Bloody Sunday - Nicholas II
- C. 500 Serf riots in Russia - Nicholas I
- D. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk - Alexander IIICorrect
Explanation. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in March 1918 by Soviet Russia under Lenin, not under Alexander III. Alexander II freed the serfs in 1861 and Bloody Sunday (1905) came under Nicholas II.
Q15
Assertion (A): The League of Nations was shown to have no teeth.
Reason (R): The principle of 'collective security' could not be applied in actual practice.
- A. A and R are correct. R explains ACorrect
- B. A and R are correct but R does not explain A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong and R is correct
Explanation. The book's key gives (a). Among the causes of failure, the lesson says collective security could not be applied in practice and the League, lacking military power of its own, had no teeth.
Q16
Assertion (A): The Great Depression which affected the entire world had made no impact on USSR.
Reason (R): Land was declared as social property and distributed among poor peasants.
- A. A and R are correct. R explains A.Correct
- B. A and R are correct but R does not explain A.
- C. A is correct but R is wrong.
- D. A is wrong. R is correct.
Explanation. The book's key gives (a). The lesson says the Great Depression made no impact on the USSR, where industry and agriculture developed fast, banks were nationalised and land was distributed among poor peasants.
Q17
The first Secretary General of the League of Nations Eric Drummond belonged to
- A. France
- B. South Africa
- C. BritainCorrect
- D. USA
Explanation. The Secretariat of the League was located at Geneva, and its first Secretary General was Sir Eric Drummond from Britain.
Q18
The League of Nations was dissolved in
- A. 1939
- B. 1941
- C. 1945
- D. 1946Correct
Explanation. The League's last decisive act was expelling Russia in December 1939 for attacking Finland. The Assembly did not meet again, and the League was finally dissolved in 1946.
Q19
Who designated Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany?
- A. General Ludendorff
- B. Von HindenburgCorrect
- C. General Smuts
- D. Alfred von Bethmann
Explanation. Industrialists, bankers and Junkers prevailed upon President Von Hindenburg to designate Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, hoping they could control him.
Q20
What was the name of journal Mussolini edited?
- A. AvantiCorrect
- B. Pravda
- C. Marxist
- D. Mein Kampf
Explanation. Mussolini, a journalist with socialist views, became editor of Avanti, the leading socialist daily. Pravda was the Soviet Communist Party's paper and Mein Kampf was Hitler's book.
