The First World War, Khilafat, and Non-Cooperation

The correct chronology is that the First World War took place from 1914 to 1918. The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919, and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre followed in April 1919. The Non-Cooperation Movement was formally launched in 1920 after growing anger over these developments and other issues. Therefore option A gives the correct sequence. Every other option places later events before earlier ones.

The First World War sharply increased the colonial government’s military expenditure. To meet these costs, the government raised taxes, borrowed money and increased prices through wartime economic pressures. Ordinary people therefore faced a heavier financial burden, shortages and growing hardship. Option A correctly states the major effect. Options B and C are the opposite of what happened, while D is incorrect because wartime recruitment, including forced recruitment in some areas, continued rather than ending.

The governing concept is the wartime financial burden created by the First World War. Britain needed additional resources to maintain military operations, so the colonial government increased taxes and raised war loans in India. These measures transferred much of the cost to Indian people. Therefore, option B is correct; the other choices were not methods of financing the war.

The governing concept is wartime revenue collection. The First World War greatly increased government expenditure, especially on defence and military administration. To obtain additional income, the colonial government introduced or expanded taxes such as income tax. Thus, option C is correct. Rewards for peasants, scholarships and free foreign cloth were unrelated to the purpose of this tax.

The governing concept is forced military recruitment during wartime. As the First World War continued, the colonial government needed more soldiers and increased recruitment pressure in Indian villages. Many rural people were compelled or strongly pressured to join the army. Therefore, option D is correct; the other actions were not the stated wartime recruitment policy.

The governing concept is wartime inflation and its effect on living standards. During the First World War, prices of everyday goods increased, while the earnings of ordinary people did not rise at the same rate. Families therefore found food and other necessities harder to afford. Option A is correct; the remaining choices contradict the economic hardship described in the period.

The governing concept is the combined social impact of famine-like crop failure and disease. Wartime price rises, taxes and recruitment had already placed pressure on people. When crops failed and epidemics spread, food insecurity, illness and loss of livelihood became worse. Hence option A is correct; prosperity, greater popularity of colonial rule and complete abolition of revenue did not result.

The governing concept is the Rowlatt Act as a repressive measure introduced after the First World War. The Act was passed in 1919 and authorised the colonial government to use extraordinary powers against suspected political activities. Therefore, option B is correct. The years 1920, 1922 and 1930 belong to later developments in the national movement and do not mark its passage.

The governing concept is the denial of civil liberties under the Rowlatt Act. It allowed the colonial government to arrest and detain suspected political activists without a normal trial, undermining due process and justice. This is why people opposed it, making option A correct. The Act neither distributed land nor reduced taxes, and it certainly did not grant self-rule.

The governing concept is Gandhi's first major nationwide protest against colonial repression. Mahatma Gandhi organised the Rowlatt Satyagraha in 1919 to oppose the Act and defend civil liberties through satyagraha, non-violent resistance and public mobilisation. Therefore, option B is correct. The other leaders later played important roles, but they did not lead the beginning of this particular campaign.

The governing concept is the use of a peaceful hartal as part of the Rowlatt Satyagraha. On 6 April 1919, Gandhi called for a nationwide suspension of normal activities, including fasting, prayer and closing shops, to oppose the Rowlatt Act. Thus, option A is correct. The other choices either supported colonial policy or were unrelated to this protest.

The governing concept is the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and its place in the Rowlatt protest timeline. On 13 April 1919, during the Baisakhi gathering in Amritsar, General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a peaceful crowd. Therefore, option B is correct. The other dates refer neither to this incident nor to its historical setting.

The governing concept is colonial repression during the national movement. On 13 April 1919, Brigadier-General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer ordered British troops to fire on the unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Therefore, option A is correct. Lord Curzon and Lord Mountbatten held other colonial offices, while Clive belonged to an earlier period and was not responsible for this incident.

The governing concept is identifying the place associated with a major event in India’s national movement. Jallianwala Bagh is a historic public garden in Amritsar, Punjab, where British troops fired on a large gathering on 13 April 1919. Thus, option C is correct. Delhi, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad were important political centres, but none of them was the site of this particular incident.

The governing concept is the social and political context of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. On 13 April 1919, the day of Baisakhi, many people had gathered in Amritsar for the festival and a public protest meeting against colonial restrictions. Therefore, option A is correct. The gathering was not a Diwali ceremony, military recruitment event, or tax-deposit activity.

The governing concept is how colonial violence strengthened anti-British nationalism. The firing on an unarmed crowd exposed the brutality of British rule and created widespread anger, grief, and resentment among Indians. Hence, option A is correct. The incident did not increase trust in the colonial government, affection for foreign cloth, or happiness about paying taxes; instead, it encouraged resistance and national unity.

The governing concept is the Khilafat issue after the First World War. Indian Muslim leaders were concerned about protecting the position and authority of the Ottoman Caliph, who was regarded by many Muslims as the religious head of the Islamic community. Therefore, option A is correct. The French king, Russian Tsar, and British Prime Minister were unrelated to the central demand of the Khilafat Movement.

The governing concept is leadership in the Khilafat Movement and its cooperation with the wider national struggle. The brothers Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali were the best-known leaders who organised support for the restoration of the Caliph’s position. Thus, option A is correct. Curzon, Dyer, and Clive were British colonial figures and were not leaders of the Khilafat Movement.

The governing concept is coalition-building in a mass anti-colonial movement. Gandhi supported the Khilafat cause because it could bring many Indian Muslims into a common struggle with the Congress-led Non-Cooperation Movement. This cooperation was intended to strengthen Hindu-Muslim unity and national resistance, so option A is correct. The other choices were not aims of linking the two movements.

The governing concept is non-violent resistance through withdrawal of cooperation. Gandhi argued that colonial rule depended on the participation and cooperation of Indians; therefore, people could weaken it by leaving government schools and offices, rejecting titles, boycotting foreign goods, and refusing cooperation peacefully. Option A expresses this central idea. The other choices would support or strengthen colonial rule rather than challenge it.

The governing concept is the organisational approval of the Non-Cooperation programme by the Indian National Congress. After the programme was discussed and given initial approval at Calcutta in September 1920, it was formally adopted at the Nagpur session in December 1920. Therefore, option A is correct. Surat, Lahore, and Madras were important Congress venues, but they were not the session asked about here.

The governing concept is placing the Non-Cooperation Movement in its correct historical chronology. The Indian National Congress formally accepted the programme at its Nagpur session in December 1920, after the Khilafat and national protests had created a broad political context. Thus, option A is correct. March 1930 belongs to the Civil Disobedience era, April 1919 to the Jallianwala Bagh period, and August 1947 to independence.

The governing concept was non-cooperation: Indians were asked to withdraw support from institutions that helped colonial rule function. Government schools were therefore boycotted as a political protest, not to improve foreign-cloth sales, tax collection, or army recruitment. Leaving these schools also encouraged the growth of national educational institutions and expressed opposition to colonial control over learning.

The governing idea was to withdraw cooperation from the institutions of colonial rule. Courts administered colonial law, so boycotting them challenged the authority and legitimacy of the British justice system. It did not strengthen British courts, increase cases against peasants, or promote foreign-cloth sales. Thus option A correctly describes this legal and political form of non-cooperation.

Titles and honours granted by the colonial government represented recognition and cooperation with British rule. Returning them was a public moral protest: nationalists rejected these rewards and showed that they no longer wished to legitimise colonial authority. It was not an expression of thanks, a demand for higher taxes, or acceptance of foreign education. Therefore A is correct.