📘 Mahatma Gandhi Movements GK – 100 Questions & Answers (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India)

🟢 Early Movements (Champaran, Kheda, Ahmedabad)

  1. Question: Which was Gandhi’s first Satyagraha in India?
    Answer: Champaran Satyagraha (1917) – Against indigo planters in Bihar, it marked Gandhi’s entry into Indian politics.

  2. Question: Who invited Gandhi to Champaran in 1917?
    Answer: Raj Kumar Shukla – A peasant who brought Gandhi to fight for indigo farmers.

  3. Question: What was the result of the Champaran Satyagraha?
    Answer: British authorities had to set up a committee, and peasants got relief from forced indigo cultivation.

  4. Question: Which was Gandhi’s second Satyagraha in India?
    Answer: Kheda Satyagraha (1918) in Gujarat, demanding remission of taxes due to crop failure.

  5. Question: Who assisted Gandhi in the Kheda Satyagraha?
    Answer: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – He played a key role in organizing peasants.

  6. Question: What was the Ahmedabad Mill Strike of 1918 about?
    Answer: Dispute between mill owners and workers over wages – Gandhi used hunger strike successfully.

  7. Question: Which technique did Gandhi introduce during the Ahmedabad Mill Strike?
    Answer: Hunger strike (fasting) as a tool of protest.

  8. Question: Why was Gandhi called “Mahatma” by the people of India?
    Answer: For his non-violent struggle and dedication to truth (Satyagraha).

  9. Question: Which was Gandhi’s first nationwide movement?
    Answer: Non-Cooperation Movement (1920).

  10. Question: What was the political aim of early Gandhi movements?
    Answer: To secure justice for peasants and build mass awareness against British exploitation.


🟢 Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922)

  1. Question: When was the Non-Cooperation Movement launched?
    Answer: 1st August 1920, after the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy and Khilafat issue.

  2. Question: Which sessions of the Congress approved the Non-Cooperation Movement?
    Answer: Calcutta Session (Sept 1920) and Nagpur Session (Dec 1920).

  3. Question: What were the main programs of the Non-Cooperation Movement?
    Answer: Boycott of schools, law courts, foreign goods, titles, and surrender of British honours.

  4. Question: Who were the leaders of the Khilafat Movement aligned with Gandhi?
    Answer: Ali Brothers – Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali.

  5. Question: What was the connection between the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement?
    Answer: Gandhi combined Hindu–Muslim unity by linking both movements.

  6. Question: Which institutions were founded during the Non-Cooperation Movement?
    Answer: National schools and colleges like Jamia Millia Islamia.

  7. Question: Why did Gandhi withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922?
    Answer: Due to the Chauri Chaura incident, where violence broke out.

  8. Question: What happened in the Chauri Chaura incident?
    Answer: Protesters set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen.

  9. Question: What was the impact of the Non-Cooperation Movement?
    Answer: It brought millions of common people into freedom struggle, though it ended abruptly.

  10. Question: Who criticized Gandhi for calling off the movement?
    Answer: Leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose and Motilal Nehru, who wanted continuation.


🟢 Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–1934)

  1. Question: When was the Civil Disobedience Movement launched?
    Answer: 12th March 1930 – Gandhi started the Dandi March.

  2. Question: What was the Dandi March?
    Answer: Gandhi walked 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi to break the Salt Law.

  3. Question: Why was salt chosen as the symbol of protest?
    Answer: Salt was a basic need of everyone, and the tax on it affected all Indians.

  4. Question: Who joined Gandhi in the Dandi March?
    Answer: 78 followers from Sabarmati Ashram.

  5. Question: What was the immediate effect of the Dandi March?
    Answer: It sparked mass civil disobedience across India against unjust British laws.

  6. Question: Which women leader actively participated in the Salt Satyagraha?
    Answer: Sarojini Naidu.

  7. Question: What was the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)?
    Answer: Gandhi agreed to suspend Civil Disobedience in return for release of political prisoners.

  8. Question: Which session of the INC approved the Gandhi-Irwin Pact?
    Answer: Karachi Session (1931).

  9. Question: What important resolution was passed in the Karachi Session (1931)?
    Answer: Fundamental Rights and National Economic Program.

  10. Question: Why did Civil Disobedience restart after 1931?
    Answer: Failure of the Second Round Table Conference in London.


🟢 Quit India Movement (1942)

  1. Question: When was the Quit India Movement launched?
    Answer: 8th August 1942 at Bombay session of INC.

  2. Question: What slogan did Gandhi give during Quit India Movement?
    Answer: “Do or Die.”

  3. Question: Which Congress leader moved the Quit India resolution?
    Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel supported it, but it was moved by Gandhi.

  4. Question: What was the British response to Quit India Movement?
    Answer: They immediately arrested Gandhi and other leaders.

  5. Question: What role did Aruna Asaf Ali play?
    Answer: She hoisted the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan during the launch of Quit India Movement.

  6. Question: How did students and youth contribute to Quit India Movement?
    Answer: They set up underground networks, spread nationalist messages, and disrupted communication.

  7. Question: What was the British wartime propaganda against Quit India?
    Answer: That it weakened India during World War II.

  8. Question: What was the impact of Quit India Movement?
    Answer: Though suppressed brutally, it made British realize they could not rule without Indian cooperation.

  9. Question: Which leader was called the “Heroine of 1942”?
    Answer: Aruna Asaf Ali.

  10. Question: When was Gandhi released after Quit India Movement?
    Answer: 1944, due to his ill health.


🟢 Gandhi’s Philosophy and Legacy

  1. Question: What principle guided all Gandhi’s movements?
    Answer: Satyagraha – non-violent resistance based on truth.

  2. Question: Which book did Gandhi write in South Africa?
    Answer: Hind Swaraj (1909).

  3. Question: What was Gandhi’s idea of Swaraj?
    Answer: Self-rule based on moral authority, village economy, and non-violence.

  4. Question: Who called Gandhi “Half-naked Fakir”?
    Answer: Winston Churchill.

  5. Question: What was Gandhi’s role in the Indian National Congress?
    Answer: He transformed it into a mass-based movement.

  6. Question: Which title did Rabindranath Tagore give to Gandhi?
    Answer: Mahatma (Great Soul).

  7. Question: Which title did Subhas Chandra Bose give Gandhi?
    Answer: Father of the Nation.

  8. Question: Which principles did Gandhi adopt from Tolstoy and Ruskin?
    Answer: Non-violence, simple living, and dignity of labour.

  9. Question: Where was Gandhi assassinated?
    Answer: New Delhi, on 30th January 1948.

  10. Question: Who assassinated Gandhi?
    Answer: Nathuram Godse.

 

🟢 Champaran to Quit India – Deep Insights

  1. Question: Why was Gandhi chosen by peasants instead of big leaders at Champaran?
    Answer: Because Gandhi lived simply, listened to them, and walked in villages. This built trust among poor peasants who felt he was one of their own.

  2. Question: What unique method did Gandhi use in Champaran?
    Answer: He collected peasants’ testimonies against planters, showing British injustice through truth instead of violence.

  3. Question: Why did the British government hesitate to arrest Gandhi in Champaran?
    Answer: His popularity was rising, and arresting him could trigger a mass movement.

  4. Question: What did Gandhi learn from the Kheda Satyagraha?
    Answer: That collective non-payment of taxes could force the British to negotiate.

  5. Question: Why was Sardar Patel called “Iron Man” during Kheda Satyagraha?
    Answer: He organized peasants with discipline, refusing to pay tax despite British threats.

  6. Question: How did the Ahmedabad Mill Strike strengthen Gandhi’s methods?
    Answer: His fasting put moral pressure on mill owners, showing non-violence could work even in industrial disputes.

  7. Question: Why was Gandhi respected by both Hindus and Muslims during Khilafat?
    Answer: He supported Muslims’ religious cause while linking it with national freedom.

  8. Question: Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement considered the first mass revolution?
    Answer: Because students, lawyers, peasants, and even women joined the freedom struggle for the first time.

  9. Question: Why did Gandhi emphasize “Swadeshi” during Non-Cooperation?
    Answer: Boycotting foreign clothes and using khadi weakened British industries and gave jobs to Indian weavers.

  10. Question: What was the biggest achievement of Non-Cooperation Movement?
    Answer: Ordinary Indians felt they could fight the British – a huge boost to national confidence.


🟢 Civil Disobedience – Salt and Beyond

  1. Question: Why was the Salt March so powerful?
    Answer: Salt was used by rich and poor alike. By breaking the Salt Law, Gandhi made every Indian a freedom fighter.

  2. Question: How did British react to the Salt March?
    Answer: They arrested over 60,000 Indians including Gandhi, shocking the world.

  3. Question: Why did world newspapers follow the Dandi March?
    Answer: Gandhi walking barefoot with masses symbolized justice vs empire – a powerful image for the world.

  4. Question: What role did women play in Salt Satyagraha?
    Answer: Thousands of women made salt, sold khadi, and went to jail, making the movement family-centered.

  5. Question: Why did Gandhi agree to Gandhi-Irwin Pact?
    Answer: He wanted political prisoners released and a chance to negotiate Swaraj peacefully.

  6. Question: What criticism did Gandhi face for the Pact?
    Answer: Leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose felt Gandhi gave too many concessions without gaining Purna Swaraj.

  7. Question: Why did the Karachi Session (1931) become historic?
    Answer: It passed resolutions on Fundamental Rights and Economic Justice – early draft of India’s Constitution.

  8. Question: Why did Gandhi attend the Second Round Table Conference?
    Answer: He went as the sole representative of Congress to demand dominion status for India.

  9. Question: Why was Gandhi disappointed with the Second Round Table Conference?
    Answer: British focused on communal divisions instead of granting self-rule.

  10. Question: Why was Civil Disobedience re-launched in 1932?
    Answer: Because British refused major demands and Gandhi wanted mass protest again.


🟢 Gandhi vs British Policies

  1. Question: What was the Poona Pact of 1932?
    Answer: An agreement between Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on separate electorates for depressed classes.

  2. Question: Why did Gandhi fast during the Poona Pact crisis?
    Answer: He opposed separate electorates, fearing it would divide Hindus.

  3. Question: What was Ambedkar’s view in the Poona Pact?
    Answer: He wanted political safeguards for Dalits but compromised under pressure to protect unity.

  4. Question: Why did Gandhi promote spinning the charkha?
    Answer: To promote self-reliance, reduce poverty, and symbolize freedom from British goods.

  5. Question: What was Gandhi’s idea of “constructive work”?
    Answer: Promoting khadi, village industry, education, cleanliness, and communal harmony.

  6. Question: Why did British arrest Gandhi so many times?
    Answer: His movements threatened their rule, and arresting him was their only way to control protests.

  7. Question: Why did Gandhi never accept violence?
    Answer: He believed violence only created more hatred, while non-violence transformed hearts.

  8. Question: What role did Gandhi play during World War II?
    Answer: He opposed unconditional Indian support to Britain, demanding freedom first.

  9. Question: Why did Gandhi resign from Congress in 1934?
    Answer: To focus on constructive village work and let others lead politics.

  10. Question: Who succeeded Gandhi as main leader in 1930s?
    Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru, who became the face of modern, socialist India.


🟢 Quit India – The Final Struggle

  1. Question: Why was Quit India called the “last mass movement”?
    Answer: Because it was the final nationwide struggle before independence.

  2. Question: What was unique about Quit India compared to earlier movements?
    Answer: It was leaderless after arrests – ordinary people carried it forward.

  3. Question: Why did British call Quit India the “August Revolution”?
    Answer: Because it shook the empire during World War II and caused chaos in India.

  4. Question: Which underground leaders emerged during Quit India?
    Answer: Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Usha Mehta (radio broadcasting).

  5. Question: Why did Subhas Chandra Bose not support Quit India?
    Answer: He had already launched the INA abroad to fight British militarily.

  6. Question: Why did Gandhi call for “Do or Die”?
    Answer: He wanted Indians to act with courage – either win freedom or sacrifice life, but never submit.

  7. Question: How did farmers participate in Quit India?
    Answer: They attacked railways, post offices, and refused to pay taxes.

  8. Question: How did students participate?
    Answer: They left schools, formed underground groups, and spread nationalist leaflets.

  9. Question: Why did British suppress Quit India so ruthlessly?
    Answer: Because they feared it would collapse their rule during wartime.

  10. Question: What was the outcome of Quit India Movement?
    Answer: Though crushed, it signaled that British rule was near its end.


🟢 Gandhi’s Legacy & Philosophy

  1. Question: What did Gandhi mean by “Swaraj is my birthright”?
    Answer: He believed freedom was not a gift but a natural right of every Indian.

  2. Question: Why was Gandhi against untouchability?
    Answer: He called Dalits “Harijans” (children of God) and worked for temple entry and social reforms.

  3. Question: What was Gandhi’s idea of education?
    Answer: Basic education with manual work (Nai Talim) for self-reliance.

  4. Question: Why did Gandhi stress on simple living?
    Answer: He believed greed caused exploitation; simplicity brought equality.

  5. Question: What did Gandhi mean by “Be the change you wish to see”?
    Answer: He wanted individuals to practice truth and non-violence in daily life.

  6. Question: Why did Gandhi oppose partition in 1947?
    Answer: He feared communal violence and wanted Hindu-Muslim unity.

  7. Question: What was Gandhi doing on 15th August 1947?
    Answer: He was in Calcutta, fasting to stop Hindu–Muslim riots, instead of celebrating.

  8. Question: Why did Nathuram Godse kill Gandhi?
    Answer: He accused Gandhi of being too soft towards Muslims after partition.

  9. Question: What was Gandhi’s last word when assassinated?
    Answer: “Hey Ram” – calling God at the moment of death.

  10. Question: What is Gandhi’s lasting contribution to the world?
    Answer: His philosophy of non-violence inspired leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and continues as a global path to justice.

Scroll to Top