12th Standard History — Last Phase of Indian National Movement Online Test

About Last Phase of Indian National Movement

Medium ~60 min study

Last Phase of Indian National Movement is the seventh unit of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 History book. It opens with the Second World War, when Britain dragged India into the war without consulting the Congress ministries, and closes with independence and partition in August 1947.

The unit follows two threads side by side. One is the mass struggle: Gandhi's Individual Satyagraha, the 'Do or Die' call of 1942, the INA of Subhas Chandra Bose and the naval ratings' revolt of 1946. The other is negotiation: the August Offer, the Cripps proposals, the Rajaji formula, the Simla Conference, the Cabinet Mission and the Mountbatten Plan, all shadowed by the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan.

This page gives all twenty 'choose the correct answer' questions of the book exercise with answers checked against the lesson, plus additional questions on dates, persons, resolutions and the sequence of events, each with a short explanation.

What you'll learn

• Explain why the Congress launched the Individual Satyagraha in response to the August Offer.
• State the Cripps proposals and the reasons for their rejection.
• Describe the course, spread and suppression of the Quit India Movement.
• Trace the formation of the INA and the impact of the INA trials.
• Explain the causes and course of the Royal Indian Navy revolt of 1946.
• Outline the Rajaji formula, the Wavell Plan, the Cabinet Mission and the Mountbatten Plan.

Before you start

• The Government of India Act of 1935 and the Congress ministries of 1937.
• Gandhi's earlier mass movements: Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience.
• The outbreak of the Second World War and the Axis and Allied powers.

Last Phase of Indian National Movement explained

What this lesson covers

1940: Individual Satyagraha and the August Offer

Linlithgow's August Offer of 8 August 1940 promised dominion status at some unspecified future date. The Congress replied with the Individual Satyagraha, begun by Vinoba Bhave on 17 October 1940. Bose, removed from all Congress posts in August 1939, founded the Forward Bloc. The Muslim League's Lahore resolution of 23 March 1940 demanded separate Muslim states.

7.1 Cripps Mission

With Japan advancing through South-East Asia, Churchill sent Sir Stafford Cripps in March 1942. His offer of dominion status after the war, nominated members from the Princely States and a right for provinces to stay out was rejected by the Congress.

7.2 Quit India Movement

The Working Committee met at Wardha on 14 July 1942. Gandhi gave the call 'Do or Die'; all leaders were arrested on 9 August 1942. Strikes, sabotage, parallel governments at Tamluk and Satara and Usha Mehta's secret radio followed, met by brutal repression.

7.3 Netaji and the INA

Mohan Singh raised the INA from prisoners of war with Japanese help. Bose reached Singapore in July 1943, formed the Provisional Government of Free India on 21 October 1943 and the Rani of Jhansi regiment. The Red Fort trials of Shah Nawaz Khan, P.K. Sehgal and G.S. Dhillon roused the nation.

7.4 Royal Indian Navy Revolt

The arrest of B.C. Dutt of HMIS Talwar sparked a revolt on 18 February 1946 that spread to 78 ships and 20 shore establishments.

7.5 Rajaji Proposals and the Wavell Plan

Rajaji's formula of April 1944 led to Gandhi-Jinnah talks that went nowhere, and Wavell's Simla Conference of June-July 1945 broke down over the League's demand for an exclusive right to nominate Muslims.

7.6 Cabinet Mission and Mountbatten Plan

The Cabinet Mission of March 1946 proposed a Constituent Assembly. Direct Action Day, the interim government under Nehru, Attlee's statement of 20 February 1947 and Mountbatten's plan to divide Punjab and Bengal led to independence on 15 August 1947.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Naming Wavell as Viceroy during the Cripps Mission or Quit India. Linlithgow was Viceroy until October 1943.
• Crediting Bose with founding the INA. Mohan Singh raised it in 1942; Bose took it over after reaching Singapore in 1943.
• Placing the Provisional Government of Free India at Rangoon. Bose set it up at Singapore on 21 October 1943.
• Taking 15 August 1947 as Attlee's announced date. Attlee said June 1948; Mountbatten advanced it.
• Saying Azad moved the partition resolution in the AICC. It was Govind Ballabh Pant, on 15 June 1947.

Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.

Frequently asked questions

What was the August Offer?

On 8 August 1940 Viceroy Linlithgow offered dominion status at some unspecified future date, a larger Executive Council with more Indians, a War Advisory Council, recognition of minority rights and the right of Indians to draft a constitution after the war. It came too late, and the Congress answered with the Individual Satyagraha.

Why did the Congress reject the Cripps proposals?

The offer of dominion status was too little. The Congress also rejected nominated members from the Princely States in the constitution-making body and wanted elections there as in the provinces. Above all, the right of a province to stay out of the new constitution opened the possibility of partition.

What did Gandhi mean by 'Do or Die'?

After the failure of the Cripps Mission Gandhi called on the people to 'Do or Die' and described the Quit India Movement as a 'fight to the finish'. In May 1942 he had said, 'Leave India to God. If that is too much, then leave her to anarchy.'

How did Mohan Singh organise the INA?

Mohan Singh, an officer of the British Indian Army in Malaya, approached the Japanese, who left the Indian prisoners of war under his command. After the fall of Singapore he had 45,000 POWs, and by the end of 1942 about 40,000 of them had been drafted into the Indian National Army.

Why is the RIN revolt called a glorious chapter?

In February 1946 about 20,000 ratings from 78 ships and 20 shore establishments revolted against racist treatment and British rule, hoisting the Congress, Communist and Muslim League flags together. Workers in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras struck in support. It was perhaps the last act of rebellion in the freedom struggle.

Why did the Simla Conference break down?

The Muslim League insisted on its exclusive right to nominate all Muslim members of the Viceroy's Council and wanted Congress nominees to be only caste Hindus. Wavell found a council without the League unworkable and abandoned the talks, which had met from 25 June to 14 July 1945.

What was the Mountbatten Plan?

Mountbatten, Viceroy from 22 March 1947, planned to split Punjab and Bengal, with West Punjab and East Bengal going to Pakistan. The Congress Working Committee accepted partition on 1 May 1947, and the date of British withdrawal was advanced to 15 August 1947.