Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition: RAS Prelims MCQs
47 RAS Prelims MCQs on the revolutionary and regional movements and Partition cover early armed struggle, the Bengal revolutionaries, Subhas Chandra Bose and the Azad Hind movement, the Lahore Resolution and the Mountbatten Plan. The questions ask who led what, where it happened and in which order the final events of 1947 occurred.
Practice questions based on the RPSC RAS Prelims syllabus. They follow the exam pattern but are not past-paper questions.
Showing 11–20 of 47 questions
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q11. Consider the following statements about the INA trials (Red Fort Trials) of 1945-46: I. The first trial involved three officers: Prem Kumar Sehgal, Shah Nawaz Khan, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. II. The Indian National Congress officially boycotted the trials and refused to provide any legal defense. III. The trials generated a massive wave of nationalist sentiment and public protests across India. Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
Explanation
The 1945 Red Fort trials of INA officers Prem Kumar Sehgal, Shah Nawaz Khan, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were a watershed moment in Indian history. The Indian National Congress provided a strong legal defense for the accused, contrary to any claims of a boycott. These trials ignited a massive wave of public sympathy and nationalist fervor across the entire Indian subcontinent.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q12. The following question consists of two statements -- Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Answer the question by selecting the appropriate option. Assertion (A): The British authorities were forced to remit the sentences of the convicted INA officers. Reason (R): The trial triggered unprecedented nationalist upsurge and threatened the loyalty of the British Indian armed forces.
Explanation
The British government’s decision to remit the sentences of the convicted INA officers was driven by the intense nationalist upsurge triggered by the trials. The public demonstrations across India showed that the loyalty of the British Indian armed forces was no longer guaranteed. Fearing a full-scale revolt within the military, the colonial administration was forced to concede and release the prisoners.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q13. Who among the following did NOT serve on the INA Defence Committee during the historic Red Fort trials?
Explanation
The INA Defence Committee comprised prominent legal minds who represented the officers during the Red Fort trials. Notable members included Bhulabhai Desai, who led the defense, along with Tej Bahadur Sapru and even Jawaharlal Nehru, who donned his lawyer’s robes after many years. However, B.R. Ambedkar was not part of this specific legal team tasked with defending the INA personnel.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q14. Arrange the following events in chronological order: A. INA Trials begin at the Red Fort B. Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny C. Formation of the Provisional Government of Free India by SC Bose D. Arrival of the Cabinet Mission
Explanation
The mid-1940s saw a rapid succession of events leading to Indian independence. Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Provisional Government of Free India in late 1943. After the war, the INA trials began in late 1945, followed by the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in February 1946. Finally, the Cabinet Mission arrived in India in March 1946 to negotiate the transfer of power.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q15. Which of the following ships is NOT associated with the beginning or spread of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny of 1946?
Explanation
The 1946 naval uprising began on HMIS Talwar in Bombay and spread to other vessels and shore establishments. Ships like HMIS Hindustan and HMIS Bahadur were involved as ratings protested against racial discrimination and poor conditions. However, HMIS Cornwallis is not historically recorded as one of the ships associated with the start or spread of this specific naval rebellion.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q16. Consider the following statements regarding the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny of 1946: I. It started in Bombay to protest against racial discrimination, unpalatable food, and abuse by British officers. II. The mutineers hoisted the tricolor, the crescent, and the hammer and sickle flags on the ships. III. Mahatma Gandhi enthusiastically supported the violent methods adopted by the naval ratings. IV. Vallabhbhai Patel and M.A. Jinnah eventually persuaded the ratings to surrender. Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
Explanation
The Royal Indian Navy mutiny was sparked by grievances regarding racial discrimination and poor food. The mutineers demonstrated communal unity by hoisting the flags of the Congress, Muslim League, and Communist Party together. Although Mahatma Gandhi disapproved of their violent methods, political leaders like Vallabhbhai Patel and M.A. Jinnah eventually intervened and successfully persuaded the naval ratings to surrender to the authorities.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q17. The following question consists of two statements. Statement I: The Justice Party in the Madras Presidency was founded primarily to assert the political and educational rights of the non- Brahmin communities. Statement II: The Self-Respect Movement, launched by E.V. Ramasamy Naicker, aimed to restore the dignity of non-Brahmins by rejecting Brahmanical rituals and the caste system. Which of the following is correct?
Explanation
The Justice Party was established in the Madras Presidency to advocate for the rights and political representation of non-Brahmin communities. Parallel to this, E.V.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q18. The movement for a separate Telugu-speaking state of Andhra gained immense emotional momentum following the death of which leader after a 58-day fast?
Explanation
The demand for a separate Andhra state for Telugu speakers reached a critical peak in the early 1950s. Potti Sreeramulu, a dedicated activist, undertook a fast unto death to pressure the government into fulfilling this linguistic demand. His death after fifty-eight days of fasting triggered widespread unrest, ultimately forcing the Indian government to create the first linguistic state in independent India.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q19. Match the regional leaders in List I with their respective movements or organizations in List II:
Leader
Movement/Organization
A. E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar)
i. Krishak Praja Party
B. Fazlul Huq
ii. Akali Dal
C. Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
iii. Self-Respect Movement
D. Tara Singh
iv. All India Kisan Sabha
Which of the following is the correct matching?
Explanation
Regional politics in India were shaped by various leaders and their organizations. E.V. Ramasamy, known as Periyar, led the Self-Respect Movement in the south. In Bengal, Fazlul Huq headed the Krishak Praja Party. Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was the driving force behind the All India Kisan Sabha, while Master Tara Singh was a prominent leader of the Akali Dal in Punjab.
RAS PrelimsModern Indian History · Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Q20. During the nationalist movement, the consolidation of Bengali linguistic and cultural identity was most vigorously mobilized in response to which British administrative action?
Explanation
The 1905 Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon was the primary event that solidified Bengali linguistic and cultural identity. The move was widely perceived as an attempt to divide the politically active Bengali population along religious lines. In response, a massive movement emerged, utilizing literature, songs, and public protests to assert the unity of the Bengali people against British administrative policies.
Answer key for these questions
Q
Correct answer
11
(c) I and III only
12
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
13
(c) B.R. Ambedkar
14
(a) C, A, B, D
15
(d) HMIS Cornwallis
16
(a) I, II and IV
17
(a) Both Statement I and Statement II are true
18
(d) Potti Sreeramulu
19
(a) A-iii, B-i, C-iv, D-ii
20
(c) The Partition of Bengal in 1905
Key facts from Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition
Vasudev Balwant Phadke is called the Father of the Armed Struggle; the journal Yugantar was founded by Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendranath Datta.
Subhas Chandra Bose won the Congress presidency over Pattabhi Sitaramayya in 1939 and earned the title Netaji in Germany.
The Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) had its headquarters in Singapore and Rangoon.
The Lahore Resolution of 1940 was moved by A. K. Fazlul Huq.
Under the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947, the NWFP decision was left to a referendum; Sir Cyril Radcliffe headed the boundary commissions.
On 15 August 1947 Gandhi was in Calcutta trying to stop communal violence; Potti Sreeramulu’s death spurred the Andhra movement.
Frequently asked questions
How many RAS Prelims practice MCQs are there on Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition?
This page has 47 practice MCQs on Revolutionary and Regional Movements and Partition (Modern Indian History). Each has the correct answer, and most have an explanation.
Who presented the Lahore Resolution?
A. K. Fazlul Huq, the Chief Minister of Bengal, moved the resolution at the Muslim League session in Lahore in March 1940. It is also called the Pakistan Resolution, as it demanded autonomous Muslim-majority areas.
Who headed the boundary commissions in 1947?
Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who chaired the commissions that drew the borders between India and Pakistan in Punjab and Bengal. The award was announced just after independence, and the boundaries it fixed caused great disorder.
Where were Azad Hind’s headquarters?
The Provisional Government of Free India, set up by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943, had its headquarters in Singapore and Rangoon. It was supported by the Indian National Army, which fought alongside the Japanese.
