19 extra multiple-choice questions for Rise of Extremism and Swadeshi 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
Who was appointed the Governor General and Viceroy of India on 6 January 1899 and later ordered the partition of Bengal?
- A. Lord Minto
- B. Lord CurzonCorrect
- C. Lord Morley
- D. Lord Ripon
Explanation. Lord Curzon became Governor General and Viceroy on 6 January 1899. Instead of engaging the educated class he took repressive measures and finally ordered the partition of Bengal in 1905.
Q2
Consider the following measures of Lord Curzon.
1. He reduced the number of elected Indian representatives in the Calcutta Corporation.
2. The University Act of 1904 brought Calcutta University under direct government control.
3. He amended the Official Secrets Act (1904) to curb the nationalist tone of newspapers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation. All three were Curzon's repressive measures: fewer elected Indians in the Calcutta Corporation (1899), the University Act of 1904 and the amended Official Secrets Act (1904), before the 1905 partition.
Q3
Curzon's December 1903 scheme in his Minutes on Territorial Redistribution of India was later modified and published as the
- A. Morley-Minto Report
- B. Tenets of the New Party
- C. Risley PapersCorrect
- D. Calcutta Corporation Report
Explanation. The scheme was modified and published as the Risley Papers, which gave two reasons for partition: relief of Bengal and the improvement of Assam, while hiding the convenience of British officials and businessmen.
Q4
Assertion (A): Curzon rejected the proposal to divide Bengal on a linguistic basis.
Reason (R): A linguistic division would have further consolidated the position of the Bengali politicians.
- A. A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of ACorrect
- B. A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A
- C. A is correct and R is wrong
- D. A is wrong and R is correct
Explanation. Curzon wanted to create a Hindu-Muslim divide, so he rejected the civil servants' idea of a linguistic division because it would have further strengthened Bengali politicians. R explains A.
Q5
Arrange the following events in chronological order.
1. Formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement at the Calcutta Town Hall
2. Curzon's scheme in his Minutes on Territorial Redistribution of India
3. Official declaration of the partition of Bengal
4. Bengal officially partitioned and observed as a day of mourning
- A. 2, 3, 1, 4Correct
- B. 2, 1, 3, 4
- C. 3, 2, 1, 4
- D. 2, 3, 4, 1
Explanation. Curzon drew up the scheme in December 1903, the partition was officially declared on 19 July 1905, Swadeshi was proclaimed at the Town Hall on 7 August 1905, and partition took effect on 16 October 1905.
Q6
Who popularised the idea of Swadeshi through a series of lectures in Poona in 1872?
- A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- C. Mahadev Govind RanadeCorrect
- D. Surendranath Banerjee
Explanation. Mahadev Govind Ranade popularised Swadeshi in Poona lectures in 1872. He held that goods produced in one's own country should be preferred even if they proved less satisfactory.
Q7
Who outlined the constructive programme of atmashakti (self-help) and called for using melas to spread its message?
- A. Rabindranath TagoreCorrect
- B. Aurobindo Ghose
- C. Bipin Chandra Pal
- D. Aswini Kumar Dutta
Explanation. Rabindranath Tagore outlined atmashakti, called for economic self-development and education in swadeshi languages, and urged the use of melas (fairs). Swadeshi shops then sprang up all over Bengal.
Q8
The Dawn Society, which took the initiative to form the National Council of Education, was founded in 1902 by
- A. G. Subramaniam
- B. Satish Chandra MukherjeeCorrect
- C. Pulin Behari Das
- D. Rabindranath Tagore
Explanation. Satish Chandra Mukherjee founded the Dawn Society in 1902. At its initiative the National Council of Education was formed on 5 November 1905, and Bengal National College followed in August 1906.
Q9
Consider the following statements about the samitis of the Swadeshi period.
1. Samitis were corps of volunteers formed for mass mobilisation.
2. They organised indigenous arbitration courts and schools.
3. They succeeded in building a strong base among the Muslim peasantry.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. Samitis were volunteer corps that gave physical and moral training and set up arbitration courts and schools, but they failed to extend their base among the Muslim peasantry and the Depressed Classes.
Q10
Which of the following correctly states the difference between Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal on the meaning of Swaraj?
- A. For Tilak Swaraj meant complete freedom from foreign rule; for Pal it meant Indian control over the administration
- B. For Tilak Swaraj meant Indian control over the administration without total severance from Britain; for Pal it meant complete freedom from any foreign ruleCorrect
- C. Both Tilak and Pal saw Swaraj only as the annulment of the partition of Bengal
- D. Both Tilak and Pal saw Swaraj as dominion status won through prayers and petitions
Explanation. For Tilak, Swaraj meant Indian control over the administration but not total severance of relations with Britain. For Bipin Chandra Pal, Swaraj meant complete freedom from any foreign rule.
Q11
At the 1906 Calcutta session of the Congress, a split was avoided by electing whom as president?
- A. Rash Behari Ghosh
- B. Pherozeshah Mehta
- C. Dadabhai NaorojiCorrect
- D. Surendranath Banerjee
Explanation. In 1906 at Calcutta a split was avoided by accepting the moderates' demand and electing Dadabhai Naoroji as president. The militants still passed four resolutions on Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education and Self-Government.
Q12
The 1907 Congress session was originally planned at Poona. Why did the moderates shift the venue to Surat?
- A. Lala Lajpat Rai wanted the session held in Surat
- B. Plague had broken out in Poona
- C. The British government banned meetings in Poona under the Public Meetings Act
- D. Poona was considered a stronghold of the militants and they feared a repeat of the Calcutta sessionCorrect
Explanation. Poona was regarded as a militant stronghold, so the moderates, fearing a repeat of the 1906 Calcutta session, moved the venue to Surat, where the session ended in chaos and the Congress split.
Q13
Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki were entrusted with killing which British official, notorious for his cruel treatment of swadeshi agitators?
- A. Robert Ashe
- B. Douglas KingsfordCorrect
- C. Lord Minto
- D. Lord Curzon
Explanation. The plan was to kill Douglas Kingsford. On 30 April 1908 the bomb hit a carriage and killed two English women instead; Prafulla Chaki committed suicide and Khudiram Bose was hanged.
Q14
Who took up the case of Aurobindo Ghose and his comrades in the Alipore Bomb case?
- A. Pherozeshah Mehta
- B. Surendranath Banerjee
- C. Chittaranjan DasCorrect
- D. Satish Chandra Mukherjee
Explanation. Chittaranjan Das defended the accused in the Alipore Bomb case. Aurobindo Ghose was acquitted, while Barindra Ghose and Ullaskar Dutt were sentenced to death, later commuted to transportation for life.
Q15
Match the following measures with what they did.
A. Newspapers (Incitement to Offence) Act, 1908 - 1. Institutionalised communal electorates
B. Indian Press Act, 1910 - 2. Allowed summary trials and banned associations dangerous to public peace
C. Indian Criminal Law Amendment Act - 3. Empowered the magistrate to confiscate press property
D. Morley-Minto reforms - 4. Made publishers and printers deposit a security
- A. A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1Correct
- B. A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
- C. A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
- D. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
Explanation. The 1908 Newspapers Act let magistrates confiscate press property, the 1910 Press Act demanded a security deposit, the Criminal Law Amendment Act allowed summary trials, and the Morley-Minto reforms created communal electorates.
Q16
Which pair of steamships did V.O. Chidambaram purchase for the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company?
- A. S.S. India and S.S. Swadesamitran
- B. S.S. Kesari and S.S. Mahratta
- C. S.S. Yugantar and S.S. Bande Mataram
- D. S.S. Gallia and S.S. LawoeCorrect
Explanation. V.O.C. bought S.S. Gallia and S.S. Lawoe. The SSNC, registered in 1906, had a capital of Rs 10 lakh in 40,000 shares of Rs 25, open only to Indians, Ceylonese and other Asians.
Q17
Consider the following statements.
1. G. Subramaniam, with five others, founded The Hindu and Swadesamitran, the first Tamil daily.
2. Subramania Bharati became sub-editor of Swadesamitran around 1904.
3. The Tamil weekly India, edited by Bharati, became the voice of the moderates.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. G. Subramaniam co-founded The Hindu and Swadesamitran, and Bharati joined Swadesamitran as sub-editor around 1904. Statement 3 is wrong: Bharati's weekly India became the voice of the radicals, not the moderates.
Q18
In June 1911, Robert Ashe, Collector of Tirunelveli, was shot dead by Vanchinathan at which railway station?
- A. Tuticorin
- B. ManiyachiCorrect
- C. Punalur
- D. Tirunelveli
Explanation. Vanchinathan, a forest guard from Punalur and member of the Bharata Mata Association, shot Ashe at Maniyachi railway station in June 1911. He had been trained to use a revolver by V.V. Subramaniam in Pondicherry.
Q19
Consider the following statements about the trial of the Tirunelveli swadeshi leaders.
1. On 7 July 1908, V.O.C. and Subramania Siva were found guilty of sedition.
2. Subramania Siva was sentenced to 10 years of transportation for his seditious speech.
3. V.O.C. was let off with a six-month jail sentence.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. Both were convicted on 7 July 1908 and Siva got 10 years of transportation. V.O.C. received a life term (20 years) for abetting Siva and another life sentence for his own speech, so statement 3 is wrong.
