In India, the first major public appearance of Mahatma Gandhi was in
- A.Champaran (1917)
- B.Kheda (1918)
- C.Inauguration of Banaras Hindu University (1916)
- D.Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919)
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Inauguration of Banaras Hindu University (1916). Gandhi's first major public appearance in India was his speech at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University in February 1916.
Gandhi had returned from South Africa in January 1915 and, on Gokhale's advice, spent a year travelling across India. At the BHU ceremony, founded by Madan Mohan Malaviya and attended by princes in fine jewels and by the Viceroy's party, he spoke bluntly. He criticised the Indian elite for its lack of concern for the poor, said the princes' jewels showed the wealth taken from peasants, and declared that India's salvation would come only from the farmers. The speech upset many on the stage but marked him out as a leader who spoke for ordinary Indians.
Option A is wrong because the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was his first satyagraha in India, a year after the BHU speech. Option B is wrong because Kheda came in 1918. Option D is wrong because the Rowlatt Satyagraha of 1919 was his first all-India movement.
Exam tip: BHU speech February 1916; Champaran 1917; Ahmedabad and Kheda 1918; Rowlatt 1919.
Practice Questions
View allWho was the Viceroy of India at the time of Gandhiji’s Dandi march?
- A.Lord Irwin
- B.Lord Linlithgow
- C.Lord Reading
- D.Lord Willingdon
Show answer
He was Viceroy from 1926 to 1931, which covers the Dandi March of 1930.
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- A.James Hargreaves
- B.John Kay
- C.Richard Arkwright
- D.Humphry Davy
Show answer
He patented the flying shuttle in England in 1733. The flying shuttle let a single weaver send the thread across the loom by pulling a cord, so wider cloth could be woven much faster.
Read the full explanation →Where did Gandhiji initially forge the techniques of Satyagraha?
- A.England
- B.South Africa
- C.North Africa
- D.India
Show answer
Gandhiji first used and shaped Satyagraha there while fighting racial laws against Indians. Gandhiji went to South Africa in 1893 as a lawyer and stayed about 21 years.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following does not refer to the bow (and arrow) as a weapon of war in ancient India?
- A.Sharnga
- B.Kunta
- C.Kodanda
- D.Karmuka
Show answer
A kunta is a spear or lance, a thrusting weapon, while the other three are Sanskrit names for the bow.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was not a Jain Acharya ?
- A.Bhadrabahu
- B.Khema
- C.Haribhadra
- D.Siddhasena Divakara
Show answer
Khema was a Buddhist nun, not a Jain teacher; the other three are well-known Jain acharyas. Khema was a queen of King Bimbisara of Magadha who became a disciple of the Buddha and joined the order of nuns.
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