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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper I

Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha ?

  1. A.Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement
  2. B.Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement
  3. C.Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement
  4. D.Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops

Correct answer

C. Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement

Explanation

The correct answer is C, Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement. The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was Gandhiji's first satyagraha in India, and its great significance was that it tied the grievances of peasants to the national movement. In Champaran district of Bihar, European planters forced tenants under the tinkathia system to grow indigo on three-twentieths of their land and sell it at low prices. At the request of Raj Kumar Shukla, Gandhiji went there, defied an order to leave the district, and recorded thousands of peasant statements with Rajendra Prasad, Brajkishore Prasad, J.B. Kripalani and others. The government set up an inquiry committee with Gandhiji as a member, and the Champaran Agrarian Act of 1918 abolished tinkathia. Option A is wrong because all-India participation of lawyers, students and women came later, in the Non-Cooperation Movement. Option B is wrong because Champaran was a struggle of tenant cultivators against planters, not a Dalit or tribal movement. Option D is wrong because the satyagraha did not cause a drastic fall in plantation or commercial crops; indigo was already declining because of synthetic dyes. Exam tip: Gandhi's first three satyagrahas in India were Champaran (1917), Ahmedabad mill strike (1918) and Kheda (1918).

Practice Questions

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Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKHard

With reference to the Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman, consider the following statements:

1. The script of this inscription is Kharosthi and the language is Prakrit.

2. The inscription records the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana Lake.

3. It is an undated inscription.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.1 and 2 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

The Junagadh rock inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I records how he restored the Sudarshana lake after a storm burst its dam.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

With reference to the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :

1. The Swadeshi Movement had its genesis in the Anti-Partition movement, which was started to oppose the British decision to partition Bengal.

2. Aurobindo Ghosh was in favour of extending the movement to the rest of India and carrying it beyond the programme of just Swadeshi and Boycott to a full-fledged political mass struggle.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

The Swadeshi Movement grew out of the protest against the partition of Bengal, and the Extremists, Aurobindo Ghosh among them, wanted to turn it into a nationwide mass struggle.