18 extra multiple-choice questions for Period of Radicalism in Anti-imperialist Struggles (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
Where was the Communist Party of India first formed in October 1920 by M.N. Roy, Abani Mukherji and others?
- A. Peshawar
- B. TashkentCorrect
- C. Bombay
- D. Kanpur
Explanation. M.N. Roy, Abani Mukherji, M.P.T. Acharya, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Shafiq formed the CPI at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, then in the Soviet Union, in October 1920.
Q2
Under which section of the Indian Penal Code were the accused in the Kanpur and Meerut Conspiracy Cases charged?
- A. Section 124-A
- B. Section 302
- C. Section 121-ACorrect
- D. Section 144
Explanation. The accused in both cases were charged under Section 121-A of the IPC, for seeking to deprive the King Emperor of his sovereignty over British India by a violent revolution.
Q3
Sessions Judge H.E. Holmes, who heard the Kanpur Conspiracy Case, had earlier become notorious for
- A. sentencing 172 peasants to death in the Chauri Chaura caseCorrect
- B. ordering the firing at Jallianwala Bagh
- C. sentencing Bhagat Singh to death
- D. conducting the Meerut trial without a jury
Explanation. As Sessions Judge of Gorakhpur, H.E. Holmes had awarded the death sentence to 172 peasants for their involvement in the Chauri Chaura case.
Q4
Who organised the first ever celebration of May Day in India on 1 May 1923?
- A. S.A. Dange
- B. Muzaffar Ahmad
- C. M. SingaravelarCorrect
- D. Shaukat Usmani
Explanation. M. Singaravelar of Madras, who organised many trade unions in South India with Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram, organised the country's first May Day celebration on 1 May 1923.
Q5
Who among the following was NOT one of the three British communists arrested in the Meerut Conspiracy Case?
- A. Philip Spratt
- B. Ban Bradley
- C. Lester Hutchinson
- D. Shaukat UsmaniCorrect
Explanation. Philip Spratt, Ban Bradley and Lester Hutchinson were sent by the Communist Party of Great Britain. Shaukat Usmani was an Indian accused in the earlier Kanpur case.
Q6
Assertion (A): The British government held the Meerut Conspiracy trial at Meerut and not at Bombay, where many of the accused came from.
Reason (R): The government wanted to avoid a jury trial, which it feared could create sympathy for the accused.
- A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of ACorrect
- B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- C. A is true but R is false
- D. A is false but R is true
Explanation. The lesson says the trial was held in Meerut so that the government could escape the obligations of a jury trial, which it feared would create sympathy for the accused.
Q7
On which date did the Sessions Court in Meerut deliver its sentences in the Meerut Conspiracy Case, convicting 27 accused?
- A. 8 April 1929
- B. 7 October 1930
- C. 16 January 1933Correct
- D. 23 March 1931
Explanation. The Meerut Sessions Court awarded stringent sentences on 16 January 1933, four years after the arrests of 1929. Under pressure, the sentences were reduced on appeal in July 1933.
Q8
Which of the following statements are correct?
1. The Hindustan Republican Association was founded by Sachin Sanyal and Jogesh Chatterji.
2. It was reorganised as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in September 1928.
3. Surya Sen was one of the leaders of the H.S.R.A. along with Bhagat Singh.
- A. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. Sachin Sanyal and Jogesh Chatterji founded the H.R.A., which Bhagat Singh and his comrades reorganised as the H.S.R.A. in September 1928. Its leaders included Azad, Rajguru and Sukhdev; Surya Sen led the Indian Republican Army.
Q9
Bhagat Singh threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929, the day on which which bill was introduced?
- A. Public Safety Bill
- B. Trade Disputes BillCorrect
- C. Rowlatt Bill
- D. Ilbert Bill
Explanation. The bombs, meant only as a demonstrative protest, were thrown on the day the Trade Disputes Bill, an anti-labour legislation, was introduced in the Assembly. Nobody was killed.
Q10
In the Lahore action of the H.S.R.A., Saunders was killed because he was mistaken for
- A. Lord Irwin
- B. Captain Cameron
- C. James A. ScottCorrect
- D. H.E. Holmes
Explanation. Saunders was mistaken for James A. Scott, the Superintendent of Police, Lahore, who was responsible for the assault on Lajpat Rai in December 1928 and his subsequent death.
Q11
Arrange the following events in chronological order.
1. Hanging of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev
2. Bomb thrown in the Central Legislative Assembly
3. Death sentence in the Lahore Conspiracy Case
4. Raid on the Chittagong armouries
- A. 2, 4, 3, 1Correct
- B. 2, 3, 4, 1
- C. 4, 2, 3, 1
- D. 2, 4, 1, 3
Explanation. The bomb was thrown on 8 April 1929, Chittagong was raided on 18 April 1930, the death sentence came on 7 October 1930, and the hanging took place on 23 March 1931.
Q12
Which of the following statements about the Chittagong Armoury Raid is NOT correct?
- A. Surya Sen's group, the Indian Republican Army, was named after the Irish Republican Army.
- B. The armouries were raided on the night of 18 April 1930.
- C. Surya Sen was arrested in February 1933 and hanged on 12 January 1934.
- D. Kalpana Dutt was sentenced to death along with Surya Sen.Correct
Explanation. Kalpana Dutt, tried along with Surya Sen, was sentenced to transportation for life, not to death. The other three statements match the lesson.
Q13
Who presided over the Karachi Session of the Indian National Congress held in March 1931?
- A. Jawaharlal Nehru
- B. Mahatma Gandhi
- C. Sardar Vallabhbhai PatelCorrect
- D. K.F. Nariman
Explanation. The Karachi Session of March 1931, presided over by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, adopted the resolution on Fundamental Rights and Duties and outlined the economic policy of free India.
Q14
According to the lesson, how did the Great Depression affect the value of India's exports?
- A. It rose from Rs. 132 crores to Rs. 311 crores
- B. It fell from Rs. 311 crores in 1929-30 to Rs. 132 crores in 1932-33Correct
- C. It fell from Rs. 311 crores to Rs. 271 crores
- D. It stayed steady at about Rs. 311 crores
Explanation. Prices of export crops such as jute and raw cotton fell steeply, so the value of Indian exports dropped from Rs. 311 crores in 1929-30 to Rs. 132 crores in 1932-33.
Q15
Match the following:
(A) Tata Iron and Steel Company - 1. 1882, Lucknow
(B) Couper Paper Mill - 2. 1919
(C) South Indian Industries Ltd. (cement) - 3. 1907, Sakchi
(D) Scindia Steam Navigation Company - 4. 1904, Madras
- A. 3, 1, 4, 2Correct
- B. 1, 3, 2, 4
- C. 3, 4, 1, 2
- D. 4, 1, 3, 2
Explanation. TISCO was set up in 1907 at Sakchi, the Couper Paper Mill in 1882 at Lucknow, South Indian Industries Ltd. began cement making in 1904 in Madras, and Scindia Steam Navigation dates from 1919.
Q16
Who is called the father of the Indian modern industry?
- A. Dwarakanath Tagore
- B. Cowasjee Nanabhoy Davar
- C. Dorabji Tata
- D. J.N. TataCorrect
Explanation. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the first successful Indian entrepreneur, is called the father of the Indian modern industry. He named one of his mills in Kurla, Bombay, 'Swadeshi'.
Q17
In which year did a cement factory start at Madukkarai in Coimbatore district, giving a fillip to the cement industry in the state?
- A. 1896
- B. 1904
- C. 1932Correct
- D. 1936
Explanation. The Madukkarai cement factory started in 1932, during the Depression, when cheap land, cheap labour and low interest rates helped industry expand in Coimbatore.
Q18
Which statement about industrial development during the First World War is correct?
- A. Britain tightened its control over Indian industry.
- B. An industrial commission was appointed for the first time in 1916.Correct
- C. Cotton and jute industries declined during the war.
- D. Japan helped Britain protect its trade routes in the East.
Explanation. With Japan challenging Britain in the East and trade routes at risk, Britain relaxed control, the domestic market grew, cotton and jute expanded, and the first industrial commission was appointed in 1916.
