In 1921, during which one of the following tours, Gandhiji shaved his head and began wearing loincloth in order to identify with the poor?
- A.Ahmadabad
- B.Champaran
- C.Chauri Chaura
- D.South India
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, South India. In September 1921, while touring the south during the Non-Cooperation Movement, Gandhi gave up his shirt and cap at Madurai and took to a simple loincloth.
Travelling through Tamil Nadu, Gandhi saw that many poor people could not afford enough khadi to clothe themselves. On 22 September 1921 at Madurai he shaved his head and decided to wear only a loincloth, saying he would dress like the poorest of India. He kept this dress for the rest of his life, including at the Round Table Conference in London in 1931. The decision tied the khadi campaign of Non-Cooperation to his own way of living.
Option A is wrong because Ahmedabad was the site of the 1918 mill workers' strike and of Sabarmati Ashram. Option B is wrong because Champaran, in 1917, was his first satyagraha in India, for indigo farmers. Option C is wrong because the violence at Chauri Chaura in February 1922 led him to call off the movement.
Exam tip: Madurai, 22 September 1921, Gandhi adopts the loincloth.
Practice Questions
View allSimla was founded as a hill station to use as strategic place for billeting troops, guarding frontier and launching campaign during the course of
- A.Anglo-Maratha War
- B.Anglo-Burmese War
- C.Anglo-Gurkha War
- D.Anglo-Afghan War
Show answer
Simla came under British control during the Anglo-Gurkha War of 1814-16 and grew as a military post on the hill frontier.
Read the full explanation →Harshacharita has references to various presents sent by a ruler named Bhaskara to Harshavardhana. Bhaskara belonged to
- A.Haryanka Dynasty of Magadha
- B.Varman Dynasty of Assam
- C.Nanda Dynasty of North India
- D.None of the above
Show answer
Bhaskaravarman was the king of Kamarupa, ancient Assam, and a close ally of Harsha. Harshacharita was written by Banabhatta, the court poet of Harshavardhana of Kannauj in the seventh century.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the Harappan Culture is not correct?
- A.It witnessed the first cities in the subcontinent.
- B.It marks the first use of script, written from right to left.
- C.It marks the earliest known use of iron as a medium for the art of sculpting.
- D.It marks the earliest known use of stone as a medium for the art of sculpting.
Show answer
The Harappans were a Bronze Age people and did not know iron at all. The Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation flourished from about 2600 to 1900 BCE.
Read the full explanation →Which river is praised in the fifth century Tamil epic, Silappadikaram?
- A.Cauvery
- B.Godavari
- C.Saraswati
- D.Ganges
Show answer
The Silappadikaram sings the praise of the Kaveri, the life-giving river of the Chola country, in whose delta its story begins.
Read the full explanation →Which Buddhist text contains an account of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka?
- A.Vinaya Pitaka
- B.Sutta Pitaka
- C.Abhidhamma Pitaka
- D.Mahavamsa
Show answer
The Mahavamsa, the great Pali chronicle of Sri Lanka, gives a detailed account of Ashoka, his conversion to Buddhism and his missions abroad.
Read the full explanation →