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Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year History study materials
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Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year History practice questions

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Question 1Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. Who served as its first president?

  1. Dadabhai Naoroji
  2. Pherozeshah Mehta
  3. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee Correct answer.
  4. Badruddin Tyabji

Explanation

The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in Bombay in December 1885, and Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided over it. Dadabhai Naoroji, Badruddin Tyabji and Pherozeshah Mehta were leading early Congress figures but presided over later sessions.

Question 2Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which session of the Indian National Congress saw the formal split between the Moderates and the Extremists?

  1. The Surat session of 1907 Correct answer.
  2. The Banaras session of 1905
  3. The Lahore session of 1909
  4. The Calcutta session of 1906

Explanation

The Congress session at Surat in 1907 broke up in disorder when the Extremists and Moderates could not agree on the presidency and on the resolution on Swaraj. The party formally divided, and the two wings reunited only at Lucknow in 1916.

Question 3Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The partition of Bengal announced by Lord Curzon in 1905 took effect on which date, marking the start of the Swadeshi movement?

  1. 16 October 1906
  2. 12 December 1911
  3. 1 April 1905
  4. 16 October 1905 Correct answer.

Explanation

Curzon's partition of Bengal came into force on 16 October 1905, and the day was observed as a day of mourning across Bengal. It provoked the Swadeshi and Boycott movement, which spread from Bengal to other parts of India.

Question 4Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which organisation was founded in 1916 by Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak to press for Home Rule in India?

  1. The Servants of India Society
  2. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
  3. The Madras Mahajana Sabha
  4. The Home Rule League Correct answer.

Explanation

Tilak launched his Home Rule League at Belgaum in April 1916 and Annie Besant launched hers at Madras in September 1916, both demanding self-government for India. The two leagues worked in parallel and later merged their activity under the Congress.

Question 5Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in Amritsar in April 1919. Who ordered the firing on the unarmed gathering?

  1. Lord Chelmsford
  2. Sir Michael O'Dwyer
  3. Lord Willingdon
  4. General Reginald Dyer Correct answer.

Explanation

Brigadier General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on the crowd gathered at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919. Sir Michael O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who later publicly defended the action, but he did not command the firing.

Question 6Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which session of the Indian National Congress adopted the Purna Swaraj resolution, declaring complete independence as the goal?

  1. The Karachi session of 1931
  2. The Madras session of 1927
  3. The Lahore session of 1929 Correct answer.
  4. The Calcutta session of 1928

Explanation

At the Lahore session of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted Purna Swaraj as its goal and authorised the observance of 26 January 1930 as Independence Day. The resolution ended the party's earlier acceptance of dominion status.

Question 7Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Who coined the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad', which became associated with the revolutionary nationalists?

  1. Bhagat Singh Correct answer.
  2. Subhas Chandra Bose
  3. Muhammad Iqbal
  4. Vijay Kumar Sinha

Explanation

The slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' (Long live the revolution) is attributed to Bhagat Singh, who used it during the revolutionary nationalist agitation of the late 1920s. It was later adopted widely in the freedom struggle.

Question 8Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) was reorganised in 1943 under the leadership of which figure?

  1. Rash Behari Bose
  2. Shah Nawaz Khan
  3. Subhas Chandra Bose Correct answer.
  4. Mohan Singh

Explanation

Subhas Chandra Bose took over the Indian National Army in 1943 and led it as the Azad Hind Fauj with the goal of liberating India with Japanese help. The INA trials at Red Fort in 1945-46 stirred widespread public sympathy in India.

Question 9Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Rowlatt Act of 1919 was opposed by nationalists mainly because it allowed the government to do which of the following?

  1. Ban the Congress party
  2. Partition the province of Punjab
  3. Detain suspects without trial Correct answer.
  4. Impose a tax on salt production

Explanation

The Rowlatt Act empowered the government to arrest and detain persons suspected of sedition without trial, and to try such cases before special tribunals without juries. Nationalists saw it as a permanent assault on civil liberties, and Gandhi called for a nationwide hartal against it.

Question 10Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Simon Commission, appointed in 1927, was boycotted by the Congress primarily because:

  1. it fixed the date for independence
  2. it had no Indian member on it Correct answer.
  3. it proposed to abolish the Congress
  4. it recommended the partition of Bengal

Explanation

The Simon Commission was constituted entirely of British members, with no Indian representative, so the Congress and other parties boycotted it as an insult to Indian aspirations. Wherever the commission went, it was met with the slogan 'Simon Go Back'.

Question 11Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Dandi March of 1930 was undertaken by Gandhi to protest against which specific measure?

  1. The salt tax imposed by the British government Correct answer.
  2. The Chauri Chaura incident
  3. The partition of Bengal
  4. The Rowlatt Act

Explanation

Gandhi marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in March-April 1930 and broke the salt law by making salt from sea water. The choice of salt made the movement intelligible to every household and inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Question 12Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhi in 1920 was suspended in February 1922 following which event?

  1. The failure of the Khilafat talks
  2. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre
  3. The arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru
  4. The Chauri Chaura incident Correct answer.

Explanation

At Chauri Chaura in the United Provinces a crowd set fire to a police station, killing policemen. Gandhi, committed to non-violence, withdrew the movement, a decision that disappointed many leaders but preserved its moral character.

Question 13Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Lucknow Pact of 1916 is significant in the history of the national movement because it:

  1. established the principle of separate electorates for the first time
  2. created the All India Muslim League
  3. brought the Moderates and Extremists together and secured Congress-League cooperation Correct answer.
  4. ended the partition of Bengal

Explanation

The Lucknow session of 1916 reunited the Moderate and Extremist wings of the Congress and produced an understanding with the Muslim League on representation. It was the high point of Hindu-Muslim political cooperation before the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation period.

Question 14Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Government of India Act of 1935 provided for which of the following?

  1. Provincial autonomy with elected ministries in the provinces Correct answer.
  2. Abolition of the office of the Viceroy
  3. Immediate independence for India
  4. Universal adult franchise across British India

Explanation

The Act of 1935 introduced provincial autonomy, under which elected ministries took office in the provinces, while the Governor retained special powers. It also provided for a federation that never came into being because the princely states did not join.

Question 15Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Congress ministries that took office in the provinces in 1937 resigned in 1939 in protest against:

  1. the outbreak of the Second World War without Indian consultation Correct answer.
  2. the passing of the Rowlatt Act
  3. the partition of Punjab
  4. the appointment of the Simon Commission

Explanation

When Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939 without consulting Indian leaders, the Congress ministries resigned in protest. This decision led to the 'individual satyagraha' of 1940 and later to the Quit India Movement.

Question 16Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Cripps Mission of 1942 came to India to:

  1. negotiate the release of Subhas Chandra Bose
  2. settle the boundary between India and Burma
  3. secure Indian cooperation in the war effort with a promise of dominion status after the war Correct answer.
  4. transfer power to the Congress immediately

Explanation

Sir Stafford Cripps offered India dominion status after the war in return for cooperation during the Second World War, with the right of provinces to opt out of the union. The Congress and the Muslim League both rejected the proposals, and the failure was followed by the Quit India Movement.

Question 17Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Quit India Movement was launched by Gandhi in August 1942 with which call?

  1. Inquilab Zindabad
  2. Jai Hind
  3. Swaraj is my birthright
  4. Do or die Correct answer.

Explanation

At the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee in August 1942, Gandhi gave the call 'Do or die' and demanded an immediate end to British rule. The government responded by arresting the entire Congress leadership and the movement became leaderless and spontaneous.

Question 18Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Cabinet Mission of 1946 was chiefly concerned with:

  1. the trial of the INA officers
  2. the framing of a constitution and the transfer of power in India Correct answer.
  3. the partition of Bengal and Punjab
  4. the abolition of the zamindari system

Explanation

The Cabinet Mission, composed of Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and A. V. Alexander, proposed a three-tier constitutional structure and an interim government. Its plan led to the election of the Constituent Assembly, though the League rejected it and pressed for Pakistan.

Question 19Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Who was the first Indian woman to become president of the Indian National Congress?

  1. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
  2. Kamala Nehru
  3. Sarojini Naidu Correct answer.
  4. Annie Besant

Explanation

Sarojini Naidu presided over the Congress session at Kanpur in 1925, becoming the first Indian woman to hold the office. Annie Besant had presided in 1917, but she was of British origin and not an Indian.

Question 20Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Bardoli satyagraha of 1928 was led by Vallabhbhai Patel against:

  1. the enhancement of land revenue Correct answer.
  2. the salt tax
  3. the partition of the province
  4. the forest laws

Explanation

The Bardoli satyagraha was a no-tax campaign against the enhancement of land revenue in Bardoli taluka of Gujarat. Its success earned Vallabhbhai Patel the title 'Sardar' and showed that disciplined rural agitation could bend the government.

Question 21Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The All India Muslim League's Lahore Resolution of 1940 is best described as:

  1. a call for joint electorates with the Congress
  2. a rejection of the two-nation theory
  3. a demand for a separate state for Muslims in the north-western and eastern zones Correct answer.
  4. an acceptance of the Cabinet Mission plan

Explanation

At its Lahore session in March 1940 the Muslim League demanded that the Muslim-majority areas of the north-west and east be grouped into independent states. This resolution is the basis of the demand for Pakistan and of the two-nation theory in practical politics.

Question 22Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Mountbatten Plan of June 1947 provided for:

  1. a single united India with a strong centre
  2. partition of India into two dominions with the right of provinces to decide their future Correct answer.
  3. continuation of British rule for another decade
  4. transfer of power to the princely states alone

Explanation

The Mountbatten Plan accepted the principle of partition and provided for two dominions, India and Pakistan, with the legislatures of Bengal and Punjab deciding on partition of their provinces. It formed the basis of the Indian Independence Act of 1947.

Question 23Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Poona Pact of 1932, concluded between Gandhi and Ambedkar, dealt with which issue?

  1. The representation of the Depressed Classes in provincial legislatures Correct answer.
  2. The partition of Bengal
  3. The terms of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact
  4. The composition of the Simon Commission

Explanation

The Poona Pact replaced separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, which Gandhi had opposed by fasting, with reserved seats within the general electorate. It settled the communal award controversy of 1932 while leaving the question of political representation unresolved in the long run.

Question 24Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which of the following best explains why the Moderates' method of petition and constitutional agitation was criticised by the Extremists after 1905?

  1. It sought to abolish the Congress organisation
  2. It produced limited concessions and did not press the demand for Swaraj Correct answer.
  3. It rejected the use of the English language in politics
  4. It relied on armed insurrection against the British

Explanation

The Extremists argued that decades of petitions and memorials had yielded only minor reforms while real power remained with the British. They therefore demanded direct action through boycott, Swadeshi and passive resistance, with Swaraj as the goal rather than piecemeal concessions.

Question 25Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Gandhi's Champaran satyagraha of 1917 was directed against:

  1. the land revenue settlement of Bengal
  2. the salt monopoly of the government
  3. the recruitment of Indian soldiers
  4. the indigo planters' system of forced cultivation Correct answer.

Explanation

In Champaran, Bihar, Gandhi took up the grievances of peasants forced by European planters to grow indigo on part of their land under the tinkathia system. The inquiry that followed led to the abolition of the system and established Gandhi's method of local, fact-based satyagraha.

Question 26Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in which city?

  1. Poona
  2. Calcutta
  3. Madras
  4. Bombay Correct answer.

Explanation

The first session of the Indian National Congress met in Bombay in December 1885, with W.C. Bonnerjee presiding over 72 delegates. The venue, Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, is tied to the city of Bombay, which was then the centre of western Indian political activity.

Question 27Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Who was the Viceroy of India at the time of the partition of Bengal in 1905?

  1. Lord Hardinge
  2. Lord Minto
  3. Lord Curzon Correct answer.
  4. Lord Ripon

Explanation

Lord Curzon announced and carried out the partition of Bengal in 1905, dividing the province into a Muslim-majority eastern part and a Hindu-majority western part. The measure triggered the Swadeshi and Boycott movements, which are conventionally treated as marking the rise of militant nationalism.

Question 28Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which organisation was founded in 1913 with the specific aim of securing India's freedom through revolutionary means, later becoming closely linked to the Ghadar movement?

  1. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
  2. The Ghadar Party Correct answer.
  3. The Servants of India Society
  4. The Indian National Congress

Explanation

The Ghadar Party was formed in 1913, chiefly by Indian emigrants on the west coast of North America, and published the paper Ghadar from San Francisco. It aimed at an armed uprising against British rule and inspired the Ghadar conspiracy during the First World War.

Question 29Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Home Rule Leagues founded in 1916 in India were associated with which pair of leaders?

  1. Nehru and Bose
  2. Jinnah and Naoroji
  3. Tilak and Annie Besant Correct answer.
  4. Gandhi and Gokhale

Explanation

Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the Home Rule League at Belgaum in April 1916, and Annie Besant founded a parallel league in Madras in September 1916. The two leagues demanded self-government on the model of Ireland's home rule agitation and helped revive mass political activity.

Question 30Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 are chiefly remembered in the national movement for which provision?

  1. They introduced dyarchy in the provinces
  2. They granted provincial autonomy to the provinces
  3. They abolished the Indian Councils Act of 1892
  4. They introduced separate electorates for Muslims in provincial and imperial councils Correct answer.

Explanation

The Indian Councils Act of 1909, known as the Morley-Minto Reforms, legalised separate electorates for Muslims, allowing Muslim voters to choose only Muslim representatives. Nationalists saw this as a deliberate step to divide Hindu and Muslim political opinion along communal lines.

Question 31Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which of the following best explains why the Congress split at Surat in 1907?

  1. A disagreement over the question of separate electorates for Muslims
  2. A conflict over whether to support the British in the First World War
  3. A dispute over the selection of the venue for the annual session
  4. Disagreement over the methods of agitation and the extent of the Swadeshi and boycott programme Correct answer.

Explanation

The Surat split arose from the conflict between the Moderates, who favoured petitioning and gradual constitutional advance, and the Extremists, who demanded the extension of the Swadeshi and boycott movement and more assertive methods. The dispute was over political strategy and the pace of the movement, not over a single procedural issue.

Question 32Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Komagata Maru incident of 1914 is significant in the history of Indian nationalism because it:

  1. Led directly to the repeal of the Rowlatt Act
  2. Resulted in the signing of the Lucknow Pact
  3. Exposed the racial discrimination of the British Empire and fuelled the Ghadar agitation Correct answer.
  4. Marked the first session of the Indian National Congress

Explanation

The Komagata Maru, a ship carrying Indian passengers, was refused entry into Canada in 1914, and the episode became a symbol of imperial racial discrimination. It strengthened the Ghadar movement abroad and fed the growing resentment that shaped revolutionary activity in India.

Question 33Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Under the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, the system of dyarchy in the provinces meant that:

  1. The governor was replaced by an elected chief minister in every province
  2. Legislative councils were abolished in the provinces
  3. All provincial subjects were placed under the control of the Viceroy
  4. Provincial subjects were divided into transferred and reserved categories administered by ministers and the governor respectively Correct answer.

Explanation

Dyarchy divided provincial administration into transferred subjects, handled by Indian ministers responsible to the legislature, and reserved subjects such as finance and law and order, retained by the governor. Nationalists criticised it because the governor retained decisive control over key areas.

Question 34Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919 occurred in which city, and against which background of nationalist protest?

  1. Lahore, during the Khilafat agitation
  2. Delhi, during the visit of the Simon Commission
  3. Amritsar, during protests against the arrest of leaders under the Rowlatt Act Correct answer.
  4. Bombay, during the boycott of the Prince of Wales

Explanation

General Dyer ordered firing on an unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on 13 April 1919, during the agitation against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of local leaders. The massacre discredited British rule and pushed Gandhi towards the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Question 35Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which of the following best describes the significance of the Lucknow session of the Congress in 1916?

  1. The Congress decided to boycott the Simon Commission
  2. The Extremists were readmitted into the Congress and a joint scheme with the Muslim League was agreed Correct answer.
  3. The Congress accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan
  4. The Congress adopted the Purna Swaraj resolution

Explanation

At Lucknow in 1916 the Congress readmitted the Extremists who had been excluded since the Surat split, reuniting the two wings of the party. In the same year the Congress and the Muslim League concluded the Lucknow Pact, which set out joint demands and separate electorates for Muslims.

Question 36Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Kheda satyagraha of 1918 was launched to support which demand of the peasants?

  1. Suspension of land revenue collection because of crop failure and famine conditions Correct answer.
  2. Removal of the salt tax
  3. Abolition of the zamindari system throughout India
  4. Higher wages for workers in the textile mills

Explanation

In Kheda district of Gujarat, peasants faced famine and crop failure and asked for the revenue assessment to be suspended for the year. Gandhi led the satyagraha in 1918, and the government eventually relaxed collection for the poorer cultivators, marking an early success of his method.

Question 37Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Khilafat movement in India in 1919-22 was supported by Gandhi primarily because:

  1. It demanded the immediate transfer of power to the Congress
  2. It sought the abolition of the Indian National Congress
  3. It accepted the principle of separate electorates
  4. It offered an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common anti-British agitation Correct answer.

Explanation

Gandhi saw the Khilafat grievance as a way of drawing Muslims into the nationalist struggle alongside Hindus, and he linked the issue to the Non-Cooperation Movement. The alliance, however, weakened after the movement was suspended in 1922 and after the abolition of the Caliphate by Turkey in 1924.

Question 38Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

The Swaraj Party was formed in 1923 by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru mainly in order to:

  1. Enter the legislative councils and obstruct the government from within Correct answer.
  2. Support the Simon Commission's constitutional proposals
  3. Boycott the councils completely and organise mass civil disobedience
  4. Revive the revolutionary movement through armed struggle

Explanation

After the suspension of Non-Cooperation, the Congress was divided on whether to contest elections to the councils. The Swaraj Party, formed in 1923, chose to enter the legislatures and use them as a platform to expose and obstruct colonial administration.

Question 39Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which of the following best explains why the Simon Commission was appointed in 1927?

  1. The Viceroy needed a body to enquire into the Jallianwala Bagh firing
  2. The Congress had requested a royal commission to draft a constitution for India
  3. The League of Nations had recommended a review of Indian administration
  4. The British government wanted to review the working of the 1919 reforms before framing a new constitution Correct answer.

Explanation

The Simon Commission was constituted to examine the working of the Montagu-Chelmsford system and to recommend further constitutional changes, as required by the 1919 Act. Its all-British composition, with no Indian member, made it unacceptable to nationalists, who greeted it with the slogan 'Simon Go Back'.

Question 40Rise of Nationalism and the Indian National Movement (1885–1947)

Which statement best captures the constitutional position of the Congress after the Government of India Act of 1935 and the elections of 1937?

  1. The Congress obtained full control over defence and foreign affairs
  2. The Congress accepted the Act as a complete constitution for independent India
  3. The Congress refused to contest the elections and continued mass agitation
  4. The Congress formed ministries in most provinces but found provincial autonomy limited by the governor's special powers Correct answer.

Explanation

The Congress won a majority in most provinces and took office in 1937, but the governors retained special powers and could override ministries. This experience convinced many Congress leaders that provincial autonomy under the Act was a sham and contributed to the demand for full independence.

Question 41World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the immediate spark of World War I, took place in June 1914 in which city?

  1. Sarajevo Correct answer.
  2. Vienna
  3. Berlin
  4. Belgrade

Explanation

Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was shot in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, on 28 June 1914 by Gavrilo Princip. Austria-Hungary used the killing as the pretext for its ultimatum to Serbia, setting off the July Crisis.

Question 42World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

Which military alliance did Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy form in 1882 before World War I?

  1. The League of Nations
  2. The Triple Entente
  3. The Congress of Vienna
  4. The Triple Alliance Correct answer.

Explanation

The Triple Alliance of 1882 bound Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy to support one another, forming one of the two rival blocs of pre-war Europe. Italy later left it and joined the Allied side in 1915, but the alliance name remains standard for the Central Powers bloc.

Question 43World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

Which event in 1917 brought the United States into World War I on the side of the Allies?

  1. The Battle of the Somme
  2. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
  3. The Zimmermann Telegram and unrestricted submarine warfare Correct answer.
  4. The sinking of the Lusitania

Explanation

Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare and the intercepted Zimmermann Telegram, which proposed a German-Mexican alliance, pushed President Wilson to ask Congress for a declaration of war in April 1917. The Lusitania sinking of 1915 angered Americans but did not bring entry.

Question 44World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 imposed which of the following terms on Germany?

  1. Union with Austria in a single state
  2. Retention of all its overseas colonies
  3. Permanent membership of the League Council
  4. Acceptance of sole war guilt and payment of reparations Correct answer.

Explanation

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles fixed war guilt on Germany and its allies, and the treaty required heavy reparations, territorial losses and disarmament. These terms bred resentment in Germany and are often linked to later political extremism.

Question 45World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

Which two revolutions in 1917 overthrew first the Tsarist autocracy and then the Provisional Government in Russia?

  1. The 1905 and 1917 Revolutions
  2. The February and October Revolutions Correct answer.
  3. The July Days and the Kornilov Revolt
  4. The Decembrist and Bolshevik Revolutions

Explanation

The February Revolution ended the Romanov autocracy and set up a Provisional Government; the October Revolution, led by the Bolsheviks under Lenin, overthrew that government. The two together form the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Question 46World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

Who led the Bolshevik seizure of power in Petrograd in October 1917?

  1. Leon Trotsky
  2. Alexander Kerensky
  3. Vladimir Lenin Correct answer.
  4. Joseph Stalin

Explanation

Lenin returned from exile in 1917 and pressed the Bolshevik Party to take power, which it did in October. He became head of the new Soviet government, while Trotsky organised the actual insurrection through the Military Revolutionary Committee.

Question 47World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

The slogan 'Peace, Land and Bread', which won popular support for the Bolsheviks in 1917, addressed which three grievances?

  1. Restoring the Tsar, repaying foreign debts, and expanding the empire
  2. Freeing the colonies, industrialising cities, and abolishing the army
  3. Ending the war, redistributing land to peasants, and relieving food shortages Correct answer.
  4. Ending the monarchy, forming a parliament, and writing a constitution

Explanation

The slogan condensed the Bolshevik appeal to war-weary soldiers, land-hungry peasants and hungry workers. Withdrawal from World War I, land redistribution and food supply were exactly the demands that the Provisional Government had failed to meet.

Question 48World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

Which treaty of March 1918 ended Russia's participation in World War I?

  1. The Treaty of Versailles
  2. The Treaty of Rapallo
  3. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Correct answer.
  4. The Treaty of Sevres

Explanation

Lenin's government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918 to secure peace, ceding vast western territories. The treaty was annulled after Germany's defeat later that year.

Question 49World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

In the Russian Civil War of 1918-1921, which side did the Bolsheviks lead?

  1. The Entente
  2. The Reds Correct answer.
  3. The Whites
  4. The Greens

Explanation

The Bolsheviks fought as the Red Army, organised by Trotsky, against the loose anti-Bolshevik coalition known as the Whites. Victory by the Reds consolidated the Soviet state.

Question 50World History: World War I, Russian Revolution, Rise of Fascism and World War II

How did the New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced by Lenin in 1921 differ from earlier Bolshevik policy?

  1. It allowed limited private trade and small enterprise while the state kept control of heavy industry Correct answer.
  2. It handed all factories to foreign investors
  3. It immediately collectivised all peasant farms
  4. It abolished money and introduced direct barter throughout the economy

Explanation

War Communism had requisitioned grain and banned private trade, and the NEP replaced it with a tax in kind and permission for small private trade and industry. The state retained control of large-scale industry, banking and foreign trade, so the NEP was a tactical retreat rather than a full market economy.