Early Nationalism & Indian National Congress (1885-1915) — UPSC Prelims Previous Year Questions
32 questions from UPSC CSE Prelims GS Paper 1 on Early Nationalism & Indian National Congress (1885-1915) (Modern History). Spanning from 1996 to 2023. Practice with show/hide answers and detailed explanations.
What UPSC Asks About Early Nationalism & Indian National Congress (1885-1915)
The period from 1885 to 1915 forms the foundational layer of India’s freedom struggle and is a favourite hunting ground for UPSC Prelims. Questions usually revolve around the formation and evolution of the Indian National Congress, its moderate–extremist phases, important sessions, presidents and resolutions such as Swadeshi, boycott or constitutional methods. UPSC also checks factual clarity on organisations like the East India Association, Indian Association and the Home-Rule Leagues; the Surat Split, partition of Bengal and the opinion of Viceroys or British committees. Maps, personalities and chronology dominate: match leaders with journals, year-session pairs or objectives of Gokhale’s Servants of India Society. Close reading of original INC demands, the safety-valve debate and early nationalist economic critique yields high returns.
Q: Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: 7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day.
Statement-II: It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a)Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
(b)Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
(c)Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
(d)Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Q: With reference to the book ‘Desher Katha’ written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements:
1. It alerted the Indian people to the dangers of colonial rule.
2. It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
3. The use of the term ‘desh’ by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Q: स्वदेशी आंदोलन के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :
1. इसने देसी हस्तकरघों के कारीगर तथा उद्योगों को पुनर्जीवित करने के लिए प्रोत्साहित किया।
2. स्वदेशी आंदोलन के एक अवसर के रूप में राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा परिषद की स्थापना हुई थी।
उपरोक्त में से कौन-सा/से कथन सही है/हैं?
Q: निम्नलिखित में से कौन, ब्रिटिश शासन के दौरान भारत में स्वदेशी आन्दोलन के प्रारम्भ से सम्बद्ध था/थे ?
1. लाला लाजपत राय
2. बाल गंगाधर तिलक
3. श्यामजी कृष्ण वर्मा
नीचे दिये गये कूट का प्रयोग कर सही उत्तर चुनिए :
Q: निम्नलिखित युग्मों पर विचार कीजिए :
1. राधाकांत देव — ब्रिटिश इंडियन एसोसिएशन के प्रथम अध्यक्ष
2. गजुलरामलु चेदी — मद्रास महासभा के संस्थापक
3. सुरेन्द्रनाथ बनर्जी — इंडियन एसोसिएशन के संस्थापक
उपर्युक्त युग्मों में से कौन-सा/से सही सुमेलित है/हैं?
Q: Consider the following statements :
1. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
2. The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Q: Annie Besant was
1. responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
2. the founder of the Theosophical Society
3. once the President of the Indian National Congress
Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.
Q: Four resolutions were passed at the famous Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in 1906. The question of either retention OR of rejection of these four resolutions became the cause of a split in Congress at the next Congress session held in Surat in 1907. Which one of the following was not one of those resolutions?
Q: Who among the following gave a systematic critique of the moderate politics of the Indian National Congress in a series of articles entitled New Lamps for Old?
Q: The song ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’, written during the Swadeshi Movement of India, inspired the Liberation Struggle of Bangladesh and was adopted as the National Anthem of Bangladesh. Who wrote this song?
Q: Consider the following statements:
1. The First Session of the Indian National Congress was held in Calcutta.
2. The Second Session of the Indian National Congress was held under the presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji.
3. Both Indian National Congress and Muslim League held their sessions at Lucknow in 1916 and concluded the Lucknow Pact.
Which of these statements given above is/are correct?
Q: With reference to the period of extremist nationalist movement in India with its spirit of Swadeshi, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a)Laikat Hossain led the Muslim peasants of Barisal in their agitations
(b)In 1989, the scheme of national education was formulated by Satish Chandra Mukherjee
(c)The Bengal National College was founded in 1906 with Aurobindo as the Principal
(d)Tagore preached the cult of Atmasakti, the main plank of which was social and economic regeneration of the villages
Q: Consider the following statements about the Indian National Congress:
I. Sarojini Naidu was the first woman to be the President of the Congress.
II. C. R. Das was in prison when he functioned as the President of the Congress.
III. The first Britisher to become the President of the Congress was Alan Octavian Hume.
IV. Alfred Webb was the President of the Congress in 1894.
Which of these statements are correct?
Q: Assertion (A): The basic weakness of the early nationalist movement lay in its narrow social base.
Reason (R): It fought for the narrow interests of the social groups which joined it.
(a)Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(b)Both A and R are true, but R is not a correct explanation of A
Q: Assertion (A): Partition of Bengal in 1905 brought to an end the Moderates’ role in the Indian freedom movement.
Reason (R): The Surat session of Indian National Congress separated the Extremists from the Moderates.
(a)Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(b)Both A and R are true, but R is NOT a correct explanation of A
Q: What is the correct sequence of the following events?
I. Tilak’s Home Rule League
II. Kamagatamaru Incident
III. Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival in India
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Q: Of the four forms of political protests mentioned below, which one is derived from the name of the person who used it as a political weapon for the first time?
(a)Boycott
(b)Gherao
(c)Bandh
(d)Hartal
Frequently Asked Questions
Which INC sessions are most repeatedly asked in Prelims?▼
Foundational sessions such as 1885 (Bombay), 1896 (Calcutta, first national song), 1905 (Benaras, protest against Bengal partition), 1906 (Calcutta, Swaraj resolution), 1907 (Surat Split) and 1916 (Lucknow Pact) appear frequently in match-the-following or statement-based questions.
What is the quickest way to cover early nationalist organisations for Prelims?▼
Prepare a two-column table: year of formation vs founder/aims for bodies like the East India Association (1866, Dadabhai Naoroji), Indian Association (1876, Surendranath Banerjea), Servants of India Society (1905, G.K. Gokhale) and Home-Rule Leagues (1916, Tilak & Annie Besant). Revise with flashcards and previous-year questions.
