Gandhian era to Independence; constitutional development: previous-year questions
54 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 13 of them came in the last five papers.
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Consider the following assertion :
The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.
Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion ?
- 1. Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.
- 2. Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.
- 3. Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (d) & explanation
All three statements support the assertion (d). Statement 1 is right: the 1919 Act kept separate electorates for Muslims and extended them to Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians and Europeans. Statement 2 is right: the British wanted them to divide the growing national movement. Statement 3 is right: groups that gained from reserved seats organised politically around those favours. So community-based alliances grew from the Act's design, and options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice the history: separate electorates began with the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) for Muslims. The 1919 Act also brought dyarchy to the provinces. The Communal Award (1932) later tried to extend them to depressed classes, leading to the Poona Pact.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The artificially fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission (1926) was adopted by the British Government for which one of the following reasons ?
Answer (a) & explanation
The rate helped remittances and India's creditworthiness (a). The Hilton-Young Commission (1926) fixed the rupee at 1s 6d, against the 1s 4d Indian business wanted. A dearer rupee made the Home Charges and other remittances to Britain cheaper to pay in rupees and kept India's credit good in London. Option (c) is wrong: Indian exporters, cotton included, lost out, since a dear rupee makes exports costly. Option (b) is wrong: helping Indian importers was not the aim. Option (d) is wrong: the issue was the sterling rate, not gold.
Notice the nationalist anger: Purshotamdas Thakurdas wrote a dissent, and the "ratio controversy" fed economic nationalism. The commission also proposed a central bank, leading to the RBI (1935).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following statements about the Eka Movement and Bardoli Satyagraha is correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Option (c) is the correct description (c). Bardoli (1928, Surat district) was Vallabhbhai Patel's no-revenue campaign against a 22% land revenue hike. The Eka (unity) movement of 1921–22 rose against rents charged above the recorded amount. Option (a) is wrong: Congress started Eka, but under Madari Pasi it moved outside Congress control. Option (b) is wrong: Eka was led by peasants against taluqdars, and Bardoli was by landholding peasants. Option (d) is wrong: Eka was in Hardoi, Bahraich and Sitapur, and Bardoli is in Gujarat, not Saurashtra.
Notice that Bardoli's women gave Patel the title "Sardar". The Maxwell-Broomfield inquiry cut the hike to 6.03%, a clear win for the peasants.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 ?
- 1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
- 2. The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
- 3. The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
- 4. The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Factors 1, 2 and 4 contributed (b). Bose beat Gandhi's choice, Pattabhi Sitaramayya, at Tripuri (1939). Factor 1 is right: Gandhi then held back, Bose could not form a Working Committee, and he resigned. Factor 2 is right: the Congress Left was split and did not back him. Factor 4 is right: CSP leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan and M.N. Roy's supporters put Congress unity first. Factor 3 is not in UPSC's key. So in May 1939 Bose founded the Forward Bloc inside Congress.
Notice what came next: Rajendra Prasad became Congress president. Bose escaped India in 1941, went to Germany and Japan, and led the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) from 1943.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following subjects with regard to Non-Cooperation Programme :
- I. Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth
- II. Observance of strict non-violence
- III. Retention of titles and honours without using them in public
- IV. Establishment of Panchayats for settling disputes
How many of the above were parts of Non-Cooperation Programme?
Answer (c) & explanation
Three of the four were part of the programme (c). The Nagpur Congress (December 1920) approved the Non-Cooperation programme. Item I is right: it asked people to boycott law-courts, schools, councils and foreign cloth. Item II is right: it demanded strict non-violence. Item IV is right: it asked people to set up panchayats to settle disputes outside British courts. Item III is wrong: people were asked to surrender titles and honours, not keep them.
Notice the positive side: national schools such as Jamia Millia Islamia and Kashi Vidyapith, khadi and the Tilak Swaraj Fund. Gandhi called off the movement after the Chauri Chaura violence in February 1922. He also returned his Kaisar-i-Hind medal.
"Retention" is the word to catch. The programme said surrender.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements in respect of the Non-Cooperation Movement :
- I. The Congress declared the attainment of ‘Swaraj’ by all legitimate and peaceful means to be its objective.
- II. It was to be implemented in stages with civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes for the next stage only if ‘Swaraj’ did not come within a year and the Government resorted to repression.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Statement I is right: at Nagpur (December 1920), the Congress changed its goal from self-government within the Empire to Swaraj by "all legitimate and peaceful means". Statement II is right: Gandhi's plan went in stages. Boycotts came first, then civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes if Swaraj did not come within a year and the government turned to repression. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the context: anger over the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh (1919) and the Khilafat issue brought Hindus and Muslims together. The Calcutta special session (September 1920) first approved the programme. The Bardoli no-tax campaign was planned, then dropped after Chauri Chaura.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
“Sedition has become my religion” was the famous statement given by Gandhiji at the time of
Answer (b) & explanation
Gandhi said it at the time of the Dandi Salt Law breach (b). Gandhi used the line during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, when he openly broke the salt law and called on Indians to break British laws. Breaking an unjust law was now a duty, so in his words sedition had become his religion. The march left Sabarmati on 12 March and reached Dandi on 6 April 1930. Options (a), (c) and (d), Champaran (1917), the Second Round Table (1931) and Quit India (1942), are wrong.
Notice Quit India's own slogan: "Do or Die". Sedition was Section 124A of the IPC. The new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023) dropped the word "sedition" but its Section 152 punishes acts endangering India's sovereignty.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Who provided legal defence to the people arrested in the aftermath of Chauri Chaura incident?
Answer (b) & explanation
Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant defended them (b). After the Chauri Chaura violence in February 1922, where a mob burnt a police station and 22 policemen died, the sessions court sentenced 172 people to death. Madan Mohan Malaviya argued the appeal in the Allahabad High Court with Krishna Kant Malaviya. The court confirmed only 19 death sentences and set aside most of the rest. Options (a), (c) and (d), C.R. Das, Kitchlew and Nizami, and Jinnah, did not lead this defence.
Notice the main result: Gandhi called off the Non-Cooperation Movement, angering many leaders. C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru then formed the Swaraj Party (1923) to contest council elections. Malaviya founded Banaras Hindu University.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Subsequent to which one of the following events, Gandhiji, who consistently opposed untouchability and appealed for its eradication from all spheres, decided to include the upliftment of ‘Harijans’ in his political and social programme?
Answer (a) & explanation
Gandhi took up Harijan upliftment after the Poona Pact (a). The Poona Pact (September 1932) ended Gandhi's fast in Yerawada jail against separate electorates for the depressed classes, agreed with B.R. Ambedkar. He then gave himself to anti-untouchability work. He founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh (1932) and the weekly Harijan (1933), and toured the country for it in 1933–34. Options (b), (c) and (d) came at other times and did not trigger this.
Notice the deal: instead of separate electorates under the Communal Award (1932), depressed classes got reserved seats within joint electorates, more seats than the Award offered. Ambedkar later criticised Gandhi's approach, writing What Congress and Gandhi Have Done to the Untouchables.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Who among the following was the founder of the ‘Self-Respect Movement’?
Answer (a) & explanation
Periyar founded the Self-Respect Movement (a). E.V. Ramaswamy, known as Periyar, left the Congress over caste discrimination and started the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu in 1925. It attacked Brahmin dominance, caste and religious ritual, and backed self-respect marriages without priests. Option (b) is wrong: Ambedkar led the Mahad Satyagraha and other movements. Options (c) and (d) are wrong: Bhaskarrao Jadhav and Dinkarrao Javalkar were non-Brahmin leaders in Maharashtra.
Notice what followed: Periyar led the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924) for temple road access, and founded the Dravidar Kazhagam (1944), the parent of Tamil Nadu's Dravidian parties. He also took over the Justice Party.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements :
- 1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.
- 2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 1 is correct (a). Statement 1 is right: the Government of India Act, 1935 planned an All-India Federation of British Indian provinces and princely states that chose to join. It never came into force because too few princes joined. Statement 2 is wrong: the Act brought dyarchy to the Centre. Defence, foreign affairs, ecclesiastical affairs and tribal areas were "reserved" subjects run by the Governor-General, outside the legislature's control.
Notice the parts that did work: provincial autonomy from 1937, when Congress formed ministries in most provinces. The Act also set up a Federal Court (1937) and the RBI framework. Much of our Constitution's structure, such as three lists of subjects, was borrowed from it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the proposals of Cripps Mission, consider the following statements :
- 1. The Constituent Assembly would have members nominated by the Provincial Assemblies as well as the Princely States.
- 2. Any Province, which is not prepared to accept the new Constitution would have the right to sign a separate agreement with Britain regarding its future status.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 2 is right: under the Cripps proposals (March 1942), any province unwilling to accept the new constitution could stay out and sign a separate agreement with Britain, with the same status as the Indian Union. Statement 1 is wrong because of one word: the constitution-making body would be elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation, while only the princely states would nominate their members.
Notice why both sides rejected it. Congress objected to the provincial opt-out, which looked like a seed of Partition, and to nominated princes; Gandhi reportedly called the offer a "post-dated cheque". The League wanted Pakistan clearly accepted. The failure of Cripps led straight to the Quit India call in August 1942.
Elected versus nominated: only the princely states nominated.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the Government of India Act 1919, the functions of Provincial Government were divided into “Reserved” and “Transferred” subjects. Which of the following were treated as “Reserved” subjects ?
- 1. Administration of Justice
- 2. Local Self-Government
- 3. Land Revenue
- 4. Police
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Justice, land revenue and police were "Reserved" (c). The Government of India Act 1919 (Montagu–Chelmsford reforms) brought dyarchy to the provinces. The Governor and his executive council kept the reserved subjects, the ones that held real power: police, law and order, administration of justice, land revenue, irrigation and finance. Indian ministers answerable to the legislature got the transferred subjects. Item 2 is wrong: local self-government was transferred, along with education, public health and agriculture. So any option with item 2, that is (a), (b) and (d), falls.
Notice the trick: the British gave Indians the departments that needed money but kept the purse and the police. Dyarchy at the provinces was later ended by the 1935 Act, which moved it to the Centre.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to 8th August, 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
The AICC adopted the Quit India Resolution (a). On 8 August 1942, the All India Congress Committee passed the Quit India resolution at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, and Gandhi gave the call "Do or Die". The top leaders were arrested early on 9 August, now marked as August Kranti Diwas. Option (b) is wrong: the Viceroy's Executive Council was expanded in 1941 under the August Offer. Option (c) is wrong: the Congress ministries resigned in October–November 1939. Option (d) is wrong: Cripps came in March 1942.
Notice Aruna Asaf Ali, who hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank, and Usha Mehta, who ran the secret Congress Radio. Parallel governments were set up at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age of 21.
- 2. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong: the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 did not give votes to all women above 21. They left women's franchise to the provincial councils. Madras went first in 1921, and only women with property or education qualified. Votes for all adult women came only with the Constitution in 1950. Statement 2 is right: the Government of India Act, 1935 reserved seats for women in the legislatures and widened their franchise.
Notice women leaders of the time: Sarojini Naidu, first Indian woman Congress president (1925), and Muthulakshmi Reddy, first woman legislator (Madras, 1927). The 106th Amendment (2023) reserves one-third of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats for women.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as
Answer (d) & explanation
They were officers of the Indian National Army (d). Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, a Muslim, a Hindu and a Sikh, were INA officers tried together for treason at the Red Fort in November 1945. Bhulabhai Desai led the defence, with Nehru and Tej Bahadur Sapru on the team. Protests across the country forced the government to remit their sentences. They were not linked with the Swadeshi movement (a), the Interim Government (b) or the Drafting Committee (c).
Notice the slogan "Lal Qila se aai awaaz, Sehgal, Dhillon, Shah Nawaz". The INA trials, along with the Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946), showed the British they could no longer rely on Indian forces.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact included which of the following ?
- 1. Invitation to Congress to participate in the Round Table Conference
- 2. Withdrawal of Ordinances promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement
- 3. Acceptance of Gandhiji’s suggestion for enquiry into police excesses
- 4. Release of only those prisoners who were not charged with violence
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
No official answer (question dropped) & notes
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation, so no answer was scored. Under the Gandhi–Irwin Pact (5 March 1931), the Congress agreed to suspend Civil Disobedience and attend the Second Round Table Conference (1). The government agreed to withdraw the ordinances issued against the movement (2) and to release political prisoners not charged with violence (4). It also allowed people near the coast to make salt for their own use and gave back confiscated land not yet sold. Statement 3 was rejected: Irwin refused Gandhi's demand for an enquiry into police excesses. So options with 1, 2 and 4 come closest, but the wording "only those prisoners" made the question unclear.
Notice the Karachi session (1931), which approved the pact and passed the Fundamental Rights resolution. Bhagat Singh was hanged that same month.
UPSC did not evaluate this question, so no official answer exists. Use it for practice only.
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation; there is no official answer.
Consider the following pairs :
| Movement/Organization | Leader
| 1. All India Anti-Untouchability League | Mahatma Gandhi
| 2. All India Kisan Sabha | Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
| 3. Self-Respect Movement | E. V. Ramaswami Naicker
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three pairs are correct (d). Gandhi founded the All India Anti-Untouchability League in September 1932, after the Poona Pact. It was soon renamed the Harijan Sevak Sangh, with G.D. Birla as president. The All India Kisan Sabha was formed at Lucknow in April 1936, with Swami Sahajanand Saraswati as president and N.G. Ranga as general secretary. E.V. Ramasamy Naicker, known as Periyar, started the Self-Respect Movement in 1925, against caste and Brahmin dominance. He later founded the Dravidar Kazhagam (1944).
Notice Periyar's earlier role in the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25) in Travancore, for temple road entry, where he was called "Vaikom Veerar". Its centenary was marked in 2024.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements :
- 1. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of ‘indentured labour’.
- 2. In Lord Chelmsford’s ‘War Conference’, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.
- 3. Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (b). Statement 1 is right because Gandhi's campaign against indentured labour, begun in South Africa and carried on in India, helped end indentured emigration in 1917. Statement 2 is wrong because, at Lord Chelmsford's War Conference in Delhi (April 1918), Gandhi supported the resolution to recruit Indians. He then toured Kheda trying to raise soldiers, and was called a "recruiting sergeant". Statement 3 is right because, during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, the government declared the Congress Working Committee illegal and arrested its leaders.
Notice the follow-up: the Gandhi–Irwin Pact (March 1931) ended the first phase, and Gandhi went to the Second Round Table Conference. Indenture was formally abolished in 1920.
Gandhi was called the "recruiting sergeant" in 1918. Statement 2 says the opposite.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs :
| Person | Position held
| 1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru | President, All India Liberal Federation
| 2. K. C. Neogy | Member, The Constituent Assembly
| 3. P. C. Joshi | General Secretary, Communist Party of India
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three pairs are correct (d). Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was a leading Liberal, a Moderate who left the Congress, and he presided over the All India Liberal Federation (1923 and 1927). He also drafted much of the Nehru Report (1928). K.C. Neogy was a member of the Constituent Assembly, later a Union minister, and chaired the First Finance Commission (1951). P.C. Joshi was the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (1935–47).
Notice the Liberals' roots: the National Liberal Federation, formed in 1918 by Moderates such as Surendranath Banerjea who backed the Montagu–Chelmsford reforms. Sapru also defended INA officers at the Red Fort trials (1945).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.