Important Revolts and Movements

Rani Lakshmibai was a major woman leader of 1857. Exam tip: remember the match of Jhansi and leadership.

The Indigo Revolt in Bengal was a peasant resistance against European planters who compelled cultivators to grow indigo, often through coercive contracts and advances. Indigo cultivation reduced the land available for food crops and left peasants facing unfair prices, debt and exploitation. Option A therefore gives the relevant cause; the other options concern forests, military recruitment or salt legislation, not the revolt.

Nil Darpan increased social understanding of the Indigo Revolt. Exam tip: remember the link between literature and movement.

The Deccan Riots of 1875 were chiefly caused by growing peasant indebtedness and exploitation by moneylenders. Crop failures and heavy revenue demands forced peasants to borrow, while high interest and harsh recovery practices deepened their debt. Therefore, option A is correct. Forest control and the impact of imported textiles refer to different colonial economic issues. Exam tip: link the Deccan Riots with 1875, indebted peasants, and moneylenders.

The Pabna Movement was linked with rights of tenant peasants. Exam tip: remember peasant movements of Bengal.

The Faraizi Movement was linked with Haji Shariatullah and Dudu Miyan. Exam tip: remember region and leaders together.

The Wahabi Movement stressed religious purification, reform in Islamic practices, and opposition to practices regarded by its followers as un-Islamic. Associated with Syed Ahmad Barelvi, its political strand developed resistance first against Sikh authority and later against British rule. Therefore, option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because the movement was not limited to social reform alone. Exam tip: remember Patna as an important centre of the Wahabi Movement.

The Kuka Movement was associated with the Namdhari Sikh tradition in Punjab. The Namdharis followed a disciplined religious and social way of life and developed a strong sense of community. Their tradition encouraged reform, moral discipline, opposition to certain colonial practices, and collective resistance. This social and religious foundation helped the movement gain identity and support among sections of people in Punjab.

Choice A is correct because the Namdhari tradition provided the social setting from which reformist and resistant activity could grow. The Dandi March belongs to Gandhi’s salt protest, the Indigo Revolt was a peasant movement in Bengal, and the Radcliffe Line was drawn during the partition process. None of those events explains the importance of the Namdhari tradition in the Kuka Movement. Ram Singh is commonly remembered as the leading figure connected with this movement.

The Moplah Rebellion was linked with social and economic context of Malabar. Exam tip: do not understand it through only one cause.

Raj Kumar Shukla motivated Gandhi to come to Champaran. Exam tip: remember local leadership.

Ahmedabad Satyagraha was linked with workers' wages. Exam tip: remember differences among Gandhi's early movements.

Patel received the title Sardar after Bardoli Satyagraha. Exam tip: remember Bardoli and 1928.

The Rowlatt Act was considered against civil rights. Exam tip: remember events of 1919 in sequence.

On 13 April 1919, General Dyer ordered firing on an unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. The massacre exposed the repressive character of British rule and greatly increased Indian anger and distrust. It strengthened popular support for the national movement and helped create the background for the Non-Cooperation Movement. India did not gain immediate independence or complete self-rule. Exam tip: remember Jallianwala Bagh with Amritsar, 13 April 1919, and General Dyer.

Boycotting foreign cloth was a form of economic resistance during the Non-Cooperation Movement. It aimed to reduce the sale of British mill-made cloth and encourage khadi, spinning and indigenous industries. Raising funds for the British army was not an objective of the movement. Exam tip: link the Non-Cooperation Movement with khadi, the charkha and the boycott of foreign cloth.

After violence occurred in the Chauri Chaura incident in February 1922, Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement. This showed that non-violence was the foundation of his satyagraha, and that political success could not justify violence. Option B is the opposite of Gandhi’s principle. Exam tip: Remember the sequence: Chauri Chaura—1922—withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement—non-violence.

Swaraj Party adopted the policy of council entry. Exam tip: remember C R Das and Motilal Nehru.

The Simon Commission had no Indian representation. Exam tip: remember the slogan Simon Go Back.

Saunders' killing was linked after Lajpat Rai's death. Exam tip: remember the sequence of events.

The Kakori incident was carried out on 9 August 1925 by revolutionaries associated with the Hindustan Republican Association. They targeted government money carried by train to obtain funds for revolutionary organisation, propaganda and weapons. Redistributing land to peasants was not the immediate purpose of the action. Exam tip: link the Kakori incident with 1925 and the Hindustan Republican Association.