Class 10 History Chapter 2 Nationalism in India

Here are few previous year questions from chapter Nationalism in India. Please check your preparations. Feel free to consult your book. Unqualified / unskilled students are allowed to use Google and AI.

Class 10 History Chapter 2 Nationalism in India
Previous Year Questions

1: Arrange the following events of Indian National Movement in chronological order and choose the correct option.(I) Formation of Swaraj Party(II) Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress(III) Gandhi-Irwin Pact(IV) Formation of Depressed Class Association (CBSE 2024)(a) (II), (III), (I) and (IV )(b) (I), (II), (IV ) and (III)(c) (I), (III), (II) and (IV )(d) (IV ), (III), (II) and (I)

2: “There were variety of cultural processes through which Indian Nationalism captured people’s imagination.” Explain the statement with examples.  (CBSE 2024)

3: Explain the implications of the ‘First World War’ on the economic and political situation of India. (2023, Al 2019)

4: “Mahatma Gandhi found in salt a powerful symbol that could unite the nation.” Examine the statement in the context of the Civil Disobedience Movement. (2023)

5: Examine the progress of the Civil Disobedience Movement among different strata of society. (2023)

6: Analyse the role of folklore and symbols in the revival of nationalism in India during the late 19th century. (2023)

7: Analyse the ways through which people of different communities developed a sense of collective belonging in India. (CBSE 2023)

8: Mention any two causes that led to the Civil Disobedience Movement. (Term-ll, 2021-22 C)

9: “Mahatma Gandhi launched a more broad-based movement in India by joining Khilafat Andolan.” Explain the statement with any three arguments in the context of the Non-Cooperation Movement. (Term-ll, 2021-22)

10: “The effects of the Non-Cooperation Movement on the economic front were more dramatic’’. Support the statement with examples. (Term-ll, 2021-22)

11: Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow. (Term-ll, 2021-22)
Modern nationalism in Europe came to be associated with the formation of nation-states. It also meant a change in people’s understanding of who they were and what defined their identity and sense of belonging. New symbols and icons, new songs and ideas forged new links and redefined the boundaries of communities. In most countries, the making of this new national identity was a long process. How did this consciousness emerge in India?In India and as in many other colonies, the growth of modern nationalism is intimately connected to the anti-colonial movement. People began discovering their unity in the process of their struggles with colonialism. The sense of being oppressed under colonialism provided a shared bond that tied many different groups together. But each class and group felt the effects of colonialism differently, their experiences were varied, and their notions of freedom were not always the same. The Congress under Mahatma Gandhi tried to forge these groups together within one movement. But the unity did not emerge without conflict.
(i) What was people’s understanding of the nation?  
(ii) How was the growth of modern nationalism intimately connected to the anti-colonial movement?
(iii) How did people in India develop a sense of collective belonging? Explain.

12: Describe the spread of the Non-Cooperation Movement in the countryside. (Term-ll, 2021-22 C, 2015)

13: Mention any two causes that led to the Civil Disobedience Movement. (2022)

14: Why did Mahatma Gandhi decide to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931? (Term-ll, 2021-22)

15: Read the given source below carefully and answer the questions that follow: (Term-II, 2021-22)
The Independence Day Pledge, 26 January, 1930‘We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people, as of any other people, to have freedom and to enjoy the fruits of their toil and have the necessities of life, so that they may have full opportunities of growth. We believe also that if any government deprives people of these rights and oppresses them, the people have a further right to alter it or to abolish it. The British Government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of their freedom but has based itself on the exploitation of the masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually. We believe, therefore, that India must sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj or Complete Independence.’
(i) Why was freedom considered an inalienable right of the Indian people?
(ii) Why was Purna Swaraj considered essential by the people of India?
(iii) Explain the significance of the Lahore Session of Congress (1930).

16: “It was essential to preserve folk tradition in order to discover one’s national identity and restore a sense of pride in one’s past.” Support the statement in reference to India. (Term-ll, 2021-22)

17: Read the case given below carefully and answer the questions that follow: (Term-ll, 2021-22)
The Sense of Collective BelongingThis sense of collective belonging came partly through the experience of united struggles. But there were also a variety of cultural processes through which nationalism captured people’s imagination. History and fiction, folklore and songs, and popular prints and symbols, all played a part in the making of nationalism. The identity of the nation, as you know, is most often symbolised in a figure or image. This helps create an image with which people can identify the nation. It was in the twentieth century, with the growth of nationalism, that the identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In the 1870s he wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland. Later it was included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. Moved by the Swadeshi movement, Rabindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Mata. In this painting. Bharat Mata is portrayed as an ascetic figure; she is calm, composed, diving and spiritual. In subsequent years, the image of Bharat Mata acquired many different forms, as it circulated in popular prints, and was painted by different artists. Devotion to this mother figure came to be seen as evidence of one’s nationalism.
(i) How did the ‘nation’ become a reality in the minds of people?
(ii) How did nationalism capture the people’s imagination?
(iii) How did people belonging to different groups develop a sense of collective belonging?

18: Describe any two Satyagraha movements launched by Gandhiji just after his return to India from South Africa. (2021C)

19: Why did Gandhiji support the ‘Khilafat’ issue? Write the main reason. (2020)

20: Name the two main leaders of the ‘Khilafat Committee’ formed in the year 1919. (2020)

21: Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow: (2020)
Why Non-cooperation? In his famous book Hind Swaraj (1909), Mahatma Gandhi declared that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians and had survived only because of this cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year, and Swaraj would come.How could non-cooperation become a movement? Gandhiji proposed that the movement should unfold in stages. It should begin with the surrender of titles that the government awarded and a boycott of civil services, the army, police, courts and legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods.Then, in case the government used repression, a full civil disobedience campaign would be launched. Through the summer of 1920, Mahatma Gandhi and Shaukat Ali toured extensively, mobilizing popular support for the movement.
(i) What was the weapon of Gandhiji to fight against the British Empire in India?
(ii) How did the British survive in India?
(iii) Explain Gandhiji’s idea for making non-cooperation a movement.

22: Certain events are given below. Choose the appropriate chronological order: (2020)
I. Coming of Simon Commission to India II. Demand of Purna Swaraj in Lahore Session of INC. III. Government of India Act, 1919IV. Champaran Satyagraha Choose the correct option:(a) III – II- IV – I (b) I-II- IV – III (c) II – III – I – IV (d) IV – III – I – II

23: Why was the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 troublesome for plantation workers? (2020)

24: Name the association formed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar for Dalits in 1930. (2020)

25: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (2020)
Source – Swaraj in the Plantations Workers too had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj. For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed, and it meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come. Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission, and in fact, they were rarely given such permission. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations, and headed home. They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming, and everyone would be given land in their own villages. They, however, never reached their destination. Stranded on the way by a railway and steamer strike, they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.
(i) Explain the understanding of Swaraj for plantation workers in Assam.
(ii) Explain the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 as a barrier to the freedom of plantation workers.
(iii) Explain the main outcome of the participation of workers in the Non-Cooperation Movement.

26: Identify the appropriate reason for the non-participation of industrial workers in the Civil Disobedience Movement. (2020)

27: Why did the Simon Commission come to India? Identify the correct reason . (2020)

28: Read the sources given below and answer the questions that follow:   (2020)
A. The Salt March and The Civil Disobedience Movement Mahatma Gandhi found in salt a powerful symbol that could unite the nation. On 31st January 1930, he sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands. Some of these were of general interest; while others were specific demands of different classes, from industrialists to peasants.B. In the countryside, rich peasant communities – like the Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh – were active in the movement. Being producers of commercial crops, they were very hard hit by the trade depression and falling prices.C. The limits of Civil Disobedience Movement – When the Civil Disobedience Movement started there was an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between communities.
(i) How did Gandhiji react to the Salt Law?
(ii) Why did the rich peasants become supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
(iii) Examine the limits of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

29: Who wrote the Vande Mataram? (2020)

30: Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow:
The Movement in the Towns The movement started with the participation of the middle-class in the cities. Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmins, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power something that usually only Brahmins had access to.The effects of Non-cooperation movement on the economic front were more dramatic. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs. 102 crore to Rs. 57 crore. In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. As the boycott movement spread, and people began discarding imported clothes and wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.
(i) Explain the role of the Justice Party in boycotting council elections.
(ii) How were the effects of ‘Non-cooperation movement on the economic front’ dramatic?
(iii) Explain the effect of the ‘boycott’ movement on ‘foreign textile trade’. (CBSE 2020)

31: Why did Mahatma Gandhi organise, Satyagraha in the Kheda district of Gujarat in 1917? Give the main reason. (CBSE 2020)

32: Describe the implication of the First World War on the economic and political situation of India. (CBSE 2020)

33: Explain the implications of the ‘First World War’ on the economic and political situation of India. (2023, Al 2019)

34: Who had organised the Dalits into the depressed classes association in 1930? Describe his achievements. (CBSE Delhi 2019)

35: “Plantation workers had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas and the notion of ‘Swaraj’.” Support the statement. (2019 C, Delhi 2017, Al 2016)

36: Define the term ‘Civil Disobedience Movement.’ Describe the participation of rich and poor peasant communities in the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement.’ (Delhi 2019)

37: Explain the limitations of the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’. (AI 2019)

38: Identify the appropriate reason for the formation of the Swaraj party.  (CBSE 2019)

39: Why was Congress reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation? How did women participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain. (CBSE 2018)

40: How did the Non-Cooperation Movement spread to the countryside and drew into its fold the struggles of peasants and tribal communities? Elaborate. (CBSE 2018)

41: How did Non-Cooperation Movement start with the participation of middle-class people in the cities? Explain its impact on the economic front. (CBSE 2018)

42: What is the meaning of ‘Begar’? (CBSE (AT) 2017)

43: Name the writer of the novel ‘Anandamath’ (CBSE Delhi 2017)

44: What is meant by Satyagraha? (CBSE (AI) 2017)

45: Name the famous book written by Mahatma Gandhi. (CBSE (AI) 2017)

46: Under which agreement did the Indian ‘Depressed Classes’ get reserved seats in the Provincial and Central Legislative Councils in 1932? (CBSE Delhi 2017)

47: Who wrote the song ‘Vande Mataram? (CBSE (F) 2017)

48: By what means does hand-spun khadi provide large-scale employment to weavers? (CBSE Sample Question 2017)

49: How did the First World War create a new economic situation in India? Explain with examples. (CBSE (F) 2017)

50: Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhiji? Explain any three reasons. (CBSE (Comp.) 2017)

51: “Gandhiji’s idea of Satyagraha emphasized the Power of truth and the need to search for truth.” In light of this statement assess the contribution of Gandhiji towards Satyagraha. (CBSE (Comp.) 2017)

52: How was the sense of collective belonging developed during the freedom movement? Explain. (CBSE (AI) 2017)

53: Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act 1919? Explain any three reasons. (CBSE (Delhi) 2017, 2016)

54: How had the First World War created economic problems in India? Explain. (CBSE (Comp.) 2017)

55: Why did Gandhiji relaunch the Civil Disobedience Movement after the Second Round Table Conference? Explain any three reasons. (CBSE (F) 2017)

56: Evaluate the ‘Satyagraha Movement’ of Gandhiji against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919. (CBSE (F) 2017)

57: Evaluate the contribution of folklore, songs, popular prints etc., in shaping the nationalism during freedom struggle. (CBSE Delhi 2017)

58: How did the salt Satyagraha become an effective tool of resistance against British colonialism in India during 1930? Explain. (CBSE Sample Question 2017) 

59: Evaluate the role of business classes in the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’. (CBSE (AI) 2017)

60: What action did the British government take after the famous Dandi March?OR How did the Colonial Government repress the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’? Explain. (CBSE (AI) 2017)

61: Explain the importance of the ‘Salt March’ of Gandhiji as a symbol to unite the nation. (CBSE (F) 2017)

62: Why did Gandhiji launch the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain any three reasons. (CBSE (Comp) 2017)

63: What were the effects of the Non-cooperation Movement on the economic front? (CBSE Delhi 2017)

64: Why were men from Indian villages forcefully recruited to the British army during the first world war? (CBSE 2017)

65: Trace the reason because of which Gandhiji started Satyagraha in 1919. (2016)

66: What did the British do to repress the Rowlatt Satyagrahis? (2016)

67: Who had designed the ‘Swaraj Flag’ by 1921? Explain the main features of this ‘swaraj flag’ ? (CBSE Delhi 2016)

68: “The Civil Disobedience Movement was different from the Non-Cooperation Movement.” Support the statement with examples. (CBSE Delhi 2016)

69: What type of flag was designed during the ‘Swadeshi Movement’ in Bengal? Explain its main features. (CBSE (AI) 2016)

70: Describe the participation of the industrial working class in the Civil Disobedience Movement.Or “The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of industrial workers in its programme of struggle.” Analayse. (CBSE 2016)

71: “The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj”. Support the statement with arguments. (CBSE (AI) 2016)

72: How did people belonging to different communities, regions or language groups develop a sense of collective belonging? (CBSE Sample Question 2016)

73: Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act 1919? How was it organised? Explain. (CBSE Delhi 2016)

74: Why did Mahatma Gandhi find in ’salt’ a powerful symbol that could unite the nation? Explain. (CBSE Delhi 2016)

75: How did a variety of cultural processes play an important role in the making of nationalism in India? Explain with examples. (CBSE Delhi 2016)

76: Why did Mahatma Gandhi decide to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain. (CBSE (Al) 2016)

77: Why did Mahatma Gandhi relaunch the Civil Disobedience Movement with great apprehension? Explain. (CBSE (Al) 2016)

78: How had the Non-cooperation Movement spread in cities? Explain. (CBSE (F) 2016)

79: How did the ‘First World War’ create a new economic and political situations in India? Explain with examples. (CBSE (F) 2016)
OR
How had the ‘First World War’ created economic problems in India? Explain with examples.

80: “The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the nation of Swaraj.” Support the statement with arguments. (CBSE 2016)
OR
How did the plantation workers of Assam interpret Mahatma Gandhi’s notion of Swaraj?OrWhy did plantation workers join the Non-Cooperation Movement? What were its results?

81: Simon Commission was greeted with the slogan “Go Back Simon” at arrival in India. Support this reaction of Indians with arguments. (CBSE 2016)

82: Describe the various activities that took place during the first phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Why was it withdrawn in March 1931? (CBSE 2016)

83: Why did the different social groups join the Civil Disobedience Movement? (CBSE 2016)

84: State the slogan with which Simon Commission was greeted in 1928 in India. (CBSE 2016)

85: Explain any two provisions of the Rowlatt Act and its impact. (CBSE 2016)

86: “Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of the same nation.” Support the statement. (CBSE 2015)
Or: How did people belonging to different communities, regions or language groups in India develop a sense of collective belonging ? Elucidate.

87: Evaluate the Satyagraha movement of Mahatma Gandhi against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919. (CBSE 2015, 14, 10)

Self assessment by Automated test : Class 10 History Chapter 2 Nationalism in India