Tamil Nadu SSLC Social Science key terms

Gandhi's method of resisting injustice through non-violent protest, truthfulness and self-suffering rather than force. It was applied in Champaran, the Salt March and the freedom movement.

The 1920-22 campaign launched by Gandhi asking Indians to withdraw cooperation from British institutions, boycott schools, courts and foreign goods, and promote swadeshi and Hindu-Muslim unity.

Gandhi's 1930 walk from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi to make salt and defy the British salt tax. It began the Civil Disobedience Movement across India.

The mass campaign from 1930 in which Indians deliberately broke unjust colonial laws, refused taxes and boycotted British goods, following the Dandi March and the Lahore Congress demand for Purna Swaraj.

The demand for complete independence from British rule, adopted by the Indian National Congress at its Lahore session in December 1929 and declared on 26 January 1930.

A movement of Indian Muslims from 1919 to protect the Ottoman Caliphate after the First World War. Gandhi supported it to build Hindu-Muslim unity against British rule.

Founded in 1885, it grew from a platform for constitutional petitions into the main organisation leading India's freedom struggle, moving to mass agitation and full independence.

The British division of Bengal in 1905, which sparked the Swadeshi and boycott movement and was reversed in 1911. It is seen as a turning point in nationalist politics.

The principle of using goods and industries produced within one's own country, used as an economic weapon against colonial rule and as a way to build national self-reliance.

The 1919 law that allowed the colonial government to detain people without trial. Its protests led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and strengthened the national movement.

The killing of hundreds of unarmed Indians at Amritsar in April 1919 when General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a crowd protesting the Rowlatt Act.

The 1942 mass movement launched by Gandhi demanding an immediate end to British rule. The slogan was 'Do or Die', and leaders were arrested in large numbers.

A 1946 British mission of three cabinet ministers sent to India to discuss transfer of power and propose a federal constitution, ahead of independence and partition.

The British law of 1947 that ended British rule, created the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, and provided for partition of Punjab and Bengal.

The opening statement of the Indian Constitution declaring the source of authority (the people) and the aims of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity in a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.

Basic rights guaranteed by Part III of the Indian Constitution, such as equality, freedom of speech, life and personal liberty, and protection against exploitation. They are enforceable in courts.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution that direct governments to promote welfare, social justice and development. They are not directly enforceable in courts.

A formal written order of a court commanding an authority to act or refrain from acting. Habeas corpus, mandamus and certiorari are writs used to protect fundamental rights.

A system where power is divided between a central government and state or provincial governments, each with its own defined sphere, as in the Indian Union.

The system of local self-government in villages, with elected panchayats at village, block and district levels. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment gave it constitutional status.

The division of government authority among the legislature, executive and judiciary so that each checks the others and no single body holds unchecked power.

The angular distance of a place north or south of the equator, measured in degrees from 0 at the equator to 90 at the poles. It largely determines climate.

The angular distance of a place east or west of the prime meridian, measured from 0 to 180 degrees. Longitude fixes time zones and local time.

The uniform time adopted across a country or zone, based on a chosen meridian, so that regions within it share one clock time instead of local solar time.

The seasonal reversal of prevailing winds that brings heavy summer rain to India when moist winds blow from the Indian Ocean, followed by a dry winter.

The dry leeward side of a mountain range, which receives little rain because moist winds have already shed their moisture on the windward slopes.

The removal of the fertile top layer of soil by wind, water or human activity. Contour ploughing, terracing and afforestation help control it.

The decline in the quality and productivity of land through erosion, salinity, deforestation, overgrazing or unsustainable farming. It threatens food security.

Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing economic growth with environmental protection and social equity.

A natural resource that is replenished by natural processes within a reasonable time, such as sunlight, wind, water and biomass, unlike coal or petroleum.

The total money value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a year. It is a common measure of the size of an economy.

A country's total income divided by its population, giving average income per person. It is used to compare living standards but hides inequality.

A sustained rise in the general price level of goods and services, which reduces the purchasing power of money and hurts people on fixed incomes.

The growing integration of economies through trade, investment, technology and migration, linking producers and consumers across national borders.

The removal or reduction of government controls on economic activity, such as licences, quotas and tariffs, to allow markets and private enterprise more freedom.

The part of the economy that extracts or produces raw materials directly from nature, including agriculture, fishing, mining and forestry.

The part of the economy that transforms raw materials into manufactured goods, covering industries such as textiles, steel, cement and food processing.

The service part of the economy, including transport, trade, banking, education, health and tourism, which supports the primary and secondary sectors.