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The Gandhian Era and Independence ICSE Class 8 History

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History & CivicsICSE Class 8 · Chapter 12

The Gandhian Era and Independence ICSE Class 8: From Champaran to 1947

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Gandhian era (1917-1947) was the phase of India's freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi through satyagraha. It began with local campaigns at Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad and grew into mass movements: Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India. It ended with independence and partition under the Mountbatten Plan and the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

What The Gandhian Era and Independence is about

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915, where he had developed satyagraha: resisting injustice through truth and non-violence. Within a few years he had become the leader of the national movement and turned it from a struggle of the educated few into a movement of millions of peasants, workers, women and students.

The CISCE curriculum covers the Gandhian era (1917-1947): the early campaigns of Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad (briefly); the mass movements, beginning with the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, the Khilafat issue and the Non-Cooperation Movement (causes, withdrawal after Chauri Chaura, impact); the causes of the Civil Disobedience Movement, including the Simon Commission and the Lahore Session; the Quit India Movement; the objectives only of the Forward Bloc and the Indian National Army; and finally independence and partition through the Cabinet Mission Plan, the Mountbatten Plan and the clauses of the Indian Independence Act.

Keep two threads in view as you study: Gandhi's methods of non-violent mass action, and the growing divide between the Congress and the Muslim League that led to partition. Write about partition in a balanced, factual way.

Weightage: CISCE publishes no question paper, marking scheme or chapter weightage for Class VIII History and Civics: your school sets and marks the exam. The Gandhian Era and Independence sits in the History: India's Struggle for Freedom section of the CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII).Source: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), RDCD 2016

Key concepts

Satyagraha and the early campaigns (1917-1918)

Satyagraha means 'insistence on truth' or 'truth-force': fighting injustice through non-violent resistance, willing to suffer but never to hurt the opponent.

Champaran (Bihar, 1917): indigo planters forced peasants to grow indigo on part of their land (the tinkathia system) and sell it at low prices. Invited by local peasants, Gandhi went to Champaran, defied an order to leave, and with others recorded peasants' complaints. The government appointed an enquiry, and the system was abolished.

Kheda (Gujarat, 1918): crops had failed, but the government insisted on collecting land revenue. Gandhi supported the peasants' refusal to pay. Vallabhbhai Patel joined him. The government agreed to give relief to the poorest peasants.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat, 1918): mill workers demanded higher wages. Gandhi led them and undertook a fast, his first in India. The mill owners agreed to a wage increase.

Importance: these campaigns made Gandhi known across India, tested satyagraha in India, and linked the national movement with peasants and workers.

Worked example

(3 marks) Describe briefly Gandhi's satyagraha at Champaran.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Indigo peasants of Bihar were forced to grow indigo (tinkathia system) on unfair terms - 1 mark.
  2. Gandhi went in 1917, disobeyed an order to leave and collected peasants' statements - 1 mark.
  3. An enquiry was set up and the system was abolished; Gandhi's first satyagraha in India - 1 mark.

Answer: At Champaran in Bihar, European planters forced peasants to grow indigo on part of their land and sell it cheaply. In 1917 Gandhi went there, refused an order to leave and recorded the peasants' grievances. The government appointed an enquiry and the oppressive system was ended. It was his first satyagraha in India.

Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh and the Khilafat issue

Rowlatt Act (March 1919): it allowed the government to arrest and imprison people without trial for up to two years. Indians called it the 'Black Act'. Gandhi called for a nationwide hartal (strike) on 6 April 1919 - the Rowlatt Satyagraha.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919): in Amritsar, after two local leaders, Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal, were arrested, a large crowd gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh, a walled ground with narrow exits, on Baisakhi day. General Dyer blocked the exit and ordered his troops to fire without warning. According to the official figure, 379 people were killed; Indian estimates were much higher. Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood in protest.

Khilafat issue: after the First World War, the Ottoman Empire was broken up and the Sultan of Turkey, regarded by many Muslims as the Khalifa (religious head), lost power. Indian Muslims led by the Ali brothers (Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali) and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started the Khilafat Movement. Gandhi supported it, seeing a chance to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common struggle.

Worked example

(3 marks) What was the Rowlatt Act? How did Indians respond to it?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Passed in 1919; allowed arrest and imprisonment without trial - 1 mark.
  2. Called the 'Black Act' - 1 mark.
  3. Gandhi called a nationwide hartal on 6 April 1919; protests followed, including the gathering at Jallianwala Bagh - 1 mark.

Answer: The Rowlatt Act of 1919 allowed the government to imprison people without trial, so Indians called it the Black Act. Gandhi launched the Rowlatt Satyagraha with a nationwide hartal on 6 April 1919, and protests spread across the country, especially in Punjab.

The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922)

Causes:
1. The Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre; the Hunter Committee's report did not punish Dyer severely, and some in Britain praised him.
2. The Khilafat issue, which brought Muslims into the movement.
3. Disappointment with the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919), which gave little real power.
4. Economic hardship after the First World War: high prices and unemployment.

Programme (approved by the Congress in 1920):

  • Surrender of titles and honours.
  • Boycott of government schools and colleges, law courts, legislative councils and foreign cloth.
  • Swadeshi, khadi and spinning on the charkha.
  • National schools and colleges, such as Jamia Millia Islamia and Kashi Vidyapith.

Withdrawal: on 4 February 1922, at Chauri Chaura in the Gorakhpur district (Uttar Pradesh), an angry crowd set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen. Gandhi, committed to non-violence, called off the movement. He was arrested in March 1922.

Impact:
1. It became the first truly mass movement, involving peasants, workers, students, women and traders across India.
2. Hindu-Muslim unity reached a high point.
3. People lost their fear of British rule and jail.
4. Khadi and swadeshi spread; foreign cloth imports fell.
5. The Congress became a mass organisation.

Worked example

(2 marks) Why did Gandhi withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. At Chauri Chaura (4 February 1922) a mob burnt a police station and killed 22 policemen - 1 mark.
  2. Gandhi felt the movement had turned violent and people were not ready for non-violent struggle - 1 mark.

Answer: After a crowd at Chauri Chaura set fire to a police station on 4 February 1922, killing 22 policemen, Gandhi withdrew the movement because it had turned violent, against his principle of non-violence.

Causes of the Civil Disobedience Movement

1. Simon Commission (1927-1928): appointed in 1927 to review the working of the 1919 reforms; it had seven British members and no Indian. When it arrived in 1928, it was met with black flags and the slogan 'Simon, go back'. During a protest at Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was beaten by the police and died soon after.
2. Rejection of Indian demands: the Nehru Report (1928), an Indian plan for a constitution with dominion status, was not accepted by the British.
3. Lahore Session (December 1929): presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj (complete independence). The tricolour was hoisted on the banks of the Ravi, and 26 January 1930 was celebrated as Independence Day. The Congress authorised civil disobedience.
4. Economic depression: the world economic depression hit Indian peasants hard as crop prices fell.
5. Gandhi's demands rejected: Gandhi placed eleven demands, including the abolition of the salt tax, before the Viceroy, Lord Irwin; they were ignored.
The movement began with the Dandi March: Gandhi walked from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (12 March-6 April 1930) and broke the salt law by making salt.

Worked example

(4 marks) Explain four causes of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. All-white Simon Commission; protests and Lajpat Rai's death - 1 mark.
  2. Nehru Report's demand for dominion status not accepted - 1 mark.
  3. Lahore Session (1929): Purna Swaraj resolution and authority for civil disobedience - 1 mark.
  4. Economic depression / Gandhi's eleven demands rejected - 1 mark.

Answer: (1) The Simon Commission had no Indian member, and protests against it led to Lala Lajpat Rai's death. (2) The British did not accept the Nehru Report's demand for dominion status. (3) At the Lahore Session of 1929 the Congress declared Purna Swaraj its goal and authorised civil disobedience. (4) The economic depression hurt peasants, and Lord Irwin ignored Gandhi's eleven demands, including abolition of the salt tax.

Quit India, the Forward Bloc and the INA

Quit India Movement (1942):
Causes: failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942), which offered only dominion status after the war; the fear of a Japanese invasion and the belief that Britain could not defend India; wartime shortages and high prices.
Course: on 8 August 1942 at Bombay, the Congress passed the Quit India Resolution, and Gandhi gave the call 'Do or Die'. Early on 9 August, Gandhi and the main leaders were arrested. The people continued the struggle: strikes, demonstrations, attacks on railways and telegraph lines; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag in Bombay; leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia worked underground; parallel governments were set up in places such as Ballia, Tamluk and Satara. The movement was suppressed with great force, but it showed that India would not accept anything less than independence.

Forward Bloc (founded by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939) - objectives:

  • To unite all radical and left-wing groups within the Congress.
  • To carry on an uncompromising struggle for complete independence, without waiting for British concessions.
  • To use the opportunity of the Second World War to put pressure on Britain.

Indian National Army (INA, Azad Hind Fauj) - objectives:

  • To free India from British rule by armed struggle, with the help of Japan, from South-East Asia.
  • Bose took command in 1943 and formed the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) in Singapore. Slogans: 'Delhi Chalo' and 'Jai Hind'.

(The curriculum asks for the objectives only.)

Worked example

(3 marks) State the objectives of the Forward Bloc and the Indian National Army.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Forward Bloc: unite radical groups in the Congress - 1 mark.
  2. Forward Bloc: uncompromising struggle for complete independence, using the war to pressure Britain - 1 mark.
  3. INA: free India by armed struggle from South-East Asia ('Delhi Chalo') - 1 mark.

Answer: The Forward Bloc, founded by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939, aimed to unite all radical groups within the Congress and to carry on an uncompromising struggle for complete independence, using the Second World War to put pressure on Britain. The Indian National Army aimed to free India from British rule by an armed struggle launched from South-East Asia, with the call 'Delhi Chalo'.

Independence and partition: Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan and the Act of 1947

Cabinet Mission Plan (1946): three British cabinet ministers came to India.

  • It rejected the demand for a separate Pakistan and proposed a united India as a federation.
  • The Union would control only defence, foreign affairs and communications; other powers would remain with the provinces.
  • Provinces would be placed in three groups.
  • A Constituent Assembly would be elected by the provincial assemblies, and an interim government would be formed.

The Congress and the League disagreed over its meaning. The League called for 'Direct Action' on 16 August 1946, and communal violence followed. An interim government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru took office in September 1946.

Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947):

  • India would be partitioned into two dominions, India and Pakistan.
  • The legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal would vote on whether to partition these provinces.
  • Referendums would be held in the North-West Frontier Province and the Sylhet district of Assam.
  • A boundary commission would draw the borders.
  • The princely states would be free to join either dominion.
  • Power would be transferred on 15 August 1947.

Indian Independence Act, 1947 - main clauses:
1. Two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, would be created from 15 August 1947.
2. The British government would have no control over them after that date.
3. Each dominion would have a Governor-General.
4. The Constituent Assembly of each dominion would act as its legislature and frame its constitution.
5. British paramountcy over the princely states would lapse.
6. The office of the Secretary of State for India would be abolished.
7. Until new constitutions were made, each dominion would be governed by the Government of India Act, 1935, with changes.

Worked example

(4 marks) State four clauses of the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Two dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947 - 1 mark.
  2. Constituent Assemblies to act as legislatures and frame constitutions - 1 mark.
  3. British paramountcy over princely states to lapse - 1 mark.
  4. Office of Secretary of State for India abolished / Governor-General for each dominion - 1 mark.

Answer: (1) Two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, were created from 15 August 1947. (2) The Constituent Assembly of each would act as its legislature and frame its constitution. (3) British paramountcy over the princely states lapsed. (4) The office of the Secretary of State for India was abolished, and each dominion was to have its own Governor-General.

The Gandhian Era and Independence in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Non-violent resistance

Suppose a school suddenly bans students from using the playground without any reason. Instead of shouting or damaging property, students sit quietly in the playground, accept the detention given to them, and politely explain why the rule is unfair.

Which method of struggle does this resemble, and why can it be powerful?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Students break an unjust rule openly but without violence.
  2. They accept the punishment, showing moral strength.
  3. Others see the injustice clearly and sympathy grows; this is satyagraha.

Answer: It resembles Gandhi's satyagraha. Peacefully breaking an unjust rule and accepting the punishment wins public sympathy and puts moral pressure on those in power, as at Champaran and in the Salt March.

Memory hook: Firm in truth, gentle in action.

A symbol that unites

Imagine an everyday item that every family uses, such as salt, being taxed so that even the poorest must pay. A leader announces he will walk to the sea and make salt himself.

Why would such a simple act attract millions of supporters?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Salt is used by every person, rich or poor.
  2. A tax on it hurts everyone, especially the poor.
  3. Breaking the salt law was easy for anyone to join, so it united people.

Answer: Because salt touches everyone's life, a tax on it was a grievance that all shared. Gandhi's Dandi March in 1930 turned breaking the salt law into an act that millions could join, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Memory hook: A pinch of salt shook an empire.

Why Gandhi stopped a movement

Suppose a peaceful protest by your class to demand clean drinking water turns into a scuffle in which someone gets badly hurt. The class leader immediately calls off the protest even though the class was close to success.

Why might a leader make such a choice? Which event in the freedom struggle does this resemble?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The leader believes the method must stay non-violent.
  2. Continuing would encourage more violence and lose moral authority.
  3. Gandhi withdrew Non-Cooperation after Chauri Chaura (1922) for this reason.

Answer: The leader puts the principle of non-violence above quick success. Gandhi did the same when he withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement after the violence at Chauri Chaura in February 1922.

Memory hook: Means matter as much as ends.

Topics in this chapter

The Gandhian Era and Independence: key facts

Early campaigns
Return from South Africa 1915; Champaran 1917; Kheda and Ahmedabad 1918
1919-1922
Rowlatt Act March 1919; hartal 6 April 1919; Jallianwala Bagh 13 April 1919; Non-Cooperation 1920; Chauri Chaura 4 February 1922
Road to Civil Disobedience
1927Simon Commission appointed (arrived 1928)
1929(December) Lahore Session, Purna Swaraj
1930(26 January) Independence Day
1930(12 March-6 April) Dandi March
1939-1945
Forward Bloc 1939; Cripps Mission March 1942; Quit India 8 August 1942; Azad Hind government 1943
Freedom and partition
1946Cabinet Mission
1946(16 August) Direct Action Day
1947(3 June) Mountbatten Plan
1947(July) Indian Independence Act
1947(15 August) independence

How the school exam asks The Gandhian Era and Independence

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question typeHow it is askedMethod
Early campaigns (2-3 marks)Describe the Champaran / Kheda / Ahmedabad satyagraha briefly.Problem, Gandhi's action, result - one line each.
Mass movements (4 marks)Causes, programme, withdrawal and impact of Non-Cooperation; causes of Civil Disobedience; Quit India.Number the points; give a date or name for each.
Picture or source-based (3 marks)A picture of the Jallianwala Bagh well or the Dandi March, or the 'Do or Die' call, is given.Identify, date, explain significance.
Independence (4 marks)Terms of the Cabinet Mission Plan / Mountbatten Plan; clauses of the Indian Independence Act.List clauses precisely; do not add events not asked.

Tricks to remember The Gandhian Era and Independence

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Early campaigns: C-K-A

    'Champaran Kicks off, Kheda Keeps going, Ahmedabad Adds workers': Champaran 1917 (indigo peasants), Kheda 1918 (revenue), Ahmedabad 1918 (mill workers).

    Use it when: Order and nature of early campaigns.

  • Three mass movements, three decades apart

    '20, '30, '42: Non-Cooperation 1920, Civil Disobedience 1930, Quit India 1942.

    Use it when: Dates of mass movements.

  • Independence Act clauses: T-C-P-S

    Two dominions, Constituent Assemblies as legislatures, Paramountcy lapses, Secretary of State abolished.

    Use it when: Clauses of the 1947 Act.

The Gandhian Era and Independence: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Chauri Chaura · 1 mark · MCQExam level

The Chauri Chaura incident took place in:
(a) Punjab
(b) Bihar
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Gujarat

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Champaran: Bihar; Kheda and Ahmedabad: Gujarat; Jallianwala Bagh: Punjab.
  2. Chauri Chaura: Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

Answer: (c) Uttar Pradesh.

Example 2: Assertion and reason: Simon Commission · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder exam level

Assertion (A): Indians boycotted the Simon Commission with the slogan 'Simon, go back'.
Reason (R): The Commission had no Indian member though it was to recommend India's constitutional future.
(a) Both A and R are true and R explains A
(b) Both A and R are true but R does not explain A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Indians did boycott it: A is true.
  2. Its all-British membership was the main reason: R explains A.

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A.

Example 3: Khilafat and Non-Cooperation · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Why did Gandhi join the Khilafat issue with the Non-Cooperation Movement?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Indian Muslims were angered by the treatment of the Khalifa after the First World War.
  2. Gandhi saw a chance to bring Hindus and Muslims together in one movement.
  3. A united movement would be much stronger against British rule.

Answer: Indian Muslims were deeply upset by the harsh treatment of the Sultan of Turkey (Khalifa) after the war. Gandhi supported their cause because it offered a chance to unite Hindus and Muslims in a single, nationwide movement, making the struggle against British rule far stronger.

Example 4: Lahore Session · 3 marks · Short answerExam level

State the importance of the Lahore Session of the Congress (1929).

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru.
  2. Adopted Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as the goal.
  3. Decided to celebrate 26 January 1930 as Independence Day and authorised civil disobedience.

Answer: At the Lahore Session of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) its goal, decided to celebrate 26 January 1930 as Independence Day and authorised the launching of civil disobedience.

Example 5: Impact of Non-Cooperation · 4 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Though it was withdrawn, the Non-Cooperation Movement was a turning point. Explain.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It was the first nationwide mass movement involving many classes.
  2. It brought Hindus and Muslims together.
  3. People lost fear of British rule; thousands courted arrest.
  4. Congress became a mass organisation; khadi and swadeshi spread.

Answer: It was the first truly mass movement, drawing in peasants, workers, students, women and traders across India. It brought Hindus and Muslims together through the Khilafat alliance. Thousands went to jail, showing that people had lost their fear of British rule. The Congress became a mass organisation, and khadi and swadeshi became symbols of the struggle. So it was a turning point despite being withdrawn.

Example 6: Quit India: causes · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Why did the Congress launch the Quit India Movement in 1942?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942), which offered only dominion status after the war.
  2. Fear of a Japanese invasion; belief that the British could not defend India.
  3. Wartime shortages and rising prices caused discontent.

Answer: The Cripps Mission of 1942 offered only dominion status after the war, which the Congress rejected. With Japanese forces advancing towards India, leaders felt the British could not defend India and should leave. Wartime shortages and high prices had also increased public anger.

Example 7: Cabinet Mission versus Mountbatten Plan · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Compare the Cabinet Mission Plan and the Mountbatten Plan on two points.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Unity: Cabinet Mission proposed a united India; Mountbatten Plan partitioned India.
  2. Pakistan: Cabinet Mission rejected a separate Pakistan; Mountbatten Plan created it.
  3. Provinces: Cabinet Mission grouped provinces under a weak Union; Mountbatten Plan let Punjab and Bengal assemblies vote on partition.
  4. Outcome: Cabinet Mission plan broke down amid disagreement; Mountbatten Plan was accepted and led to the 1947 Act.

Answer: The Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) proposed a united India with a weak central Union and groups of provinces, and rejected a separate Pakistan; it broke down amid disagreement between the Congress and the League. The Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947) accepted partition, letting the Punjab and Bengal assemblies vote on dividing their provinces, and created two dominions, India and Pakistan; it was accepted and put into effect by the Indian Independence Act.

Case-study practice (Section B style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In a school exam set on the board pattern this is a 8-mark question split into 2 + 3 + 3 marks.

Source-based: a call in August 1942

Read the extract adapted from a famous speech and answer the questions.

'Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. You may imprint it on your hearts. The mantra is: Do or Die. We shall either free India or die in the attempt.'

  1. (i) · 2 marks

    Who gave this call, where and on what date?

    Answer

    Answer: Mahatma Gandhi, at Bombay, on 8 August 1942.

    1 mark for Gandhi, 1 for place and date.

  2. (ii) · 3 marks

    Name the movement launched and give two of its causes.

    Answer

    Answer: The Quit India Movement. Causes: failure of the Cripps Mission; fear of a Japanese invasion; wartime shortages and high prices (any two).

    1 mark for the movement, 1 each for two causes.

  3. (iii) · 3 marks

    How did the movement continue after the leaders were arrested?

    Answer

    Answer: People held strikes and demonstrations and attacked symbols of British authority such as railway lines and telegraph wires; leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia worked underground; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag in Bombay; parallel governments were set up at places like Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.

    1 mark each for any three points.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

What was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? (2 marks) (2 marks)

StepMarks
13 April 1919, Amritsar; peaceful crowd in an enclosed ground.1
General Dyer ordered firing without warning; hundreds killed.1

State three items of the Non-Cooperation programme. (3 marks) (3 marks)

StepMarks
Surrender of titles.1
Boycott of schools, courts, councils and foreign cloth.1
Swadeshi, khadi and national schools.1

Describe the Cabinet Mission Plan. (4 marks) (4 marks)

StepMarks
United India; separate Pakistan rejected.1
Union: defence, foreign affairs, communications.1
Provinces in three groups.1
Constituent Assembly and interim government.1

Where students lose marks in The Gandhian Era and Independence

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Writing detailed accounts of INA battles

    Students write the whole story.

    Do this: The curriculum asks for the objectives of the Forward Bloc and INA only.

    Usually costs: Time and focus.

  • Mistake: Confusing the Cabinet Mission Plan with the Mountbatten Plan

    Both are about the transfer of power.

    Do this: Cabinet Mission (1946): united India. Mountbatten Plan (1947): partition.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Writing the course of the Civil Disobedience Movement when only causes are asked

    Students write everything they know.

    Do this: The curriculum asks for causes: Simon Commission, Nehru Report, Lahore Session, depression, eleven demands.

    Usually costs: Marks for relevance.

  • Mistake: Getting the Lahore Session year wrong

    Independence Day was 26 January 1930.

    Do this: Session: December 1929; first Independence Day: 26 January 1930.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Practice questions on The Gandhian Era and Independence

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

    Who presided over the Lahore Session of 1929?
    (a) Mahatma Gandhi
    (b) Motilal Nehru
    (c) Jawaharlal Nehru
    (d) Subhas Chandra Bose

    Hint

    Purna Swaraj.

    Answer

    (c) Jawaharlal Nehru.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

    The Forward Bloc was founded in 1939 by:
    (a) Jayaprakash Narayan
    (b) Subhas Chandra Bose
    (c) Ram Manohar Lohia
    (d) Rash Behari Bose

    Hint

    Later led the INA.

    Answer

    (b) Subhas Chandra Bose.

  3. Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

    Who ordered the firing at Jallianwala Bagh?

    Hint

    A British general.

    Answer

    General Reginald Dyer.

  4. Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder exam level

    What was the tinkathia system?

    Hint

    Champaran.

    Answer

    The system under which Champaran peasants were forced to grow indigo on a part (three-twentieths) of their land and sell it to European planters at low prices.

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level

    How did Rabindranath Tagore protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

    Hint

    A title.

    Answer

    He gave up his knighthood.

  6. Q6 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder exam level

    Why did the salt tax become the focus of the Civil Disobedience Movement?

    Hint

    Everyone uses salt.

    Answer

    Salt was used by everyone, rich and poor, so the tax hurt all; breaking the salt law was a simple act that people everywhere could join.

  7. Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerExam level

    State three terms of the Mountbatten Plan.

    Hint

    Two dominions.

    Answer

    (1) India would be divided into two dominions, India and Pakistan. (2) The assemblies of Punjab and Bengal would vote on partitioning their provinces, and referendums would be held in the NWFP and Sylhet. (3) Princely states could join either dominion, and power would be transferred on 15 August 1947.

  8. Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

    What was the Cripps Mission and why did it fail?

    Hint

    1942.

    Answer

    In March 1942 Sir Stafford Cripps came to India to win Indian support in the war, offering dominion status after the war and a constitution-making body. It failed because the Congress wanted real power immediately and rejected a postponed offer, while other parties also had objections.

  9. Q9 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder exam level

    What happened to the princely states under the Indian Independence Act, 1947?

    Hint

    Paramountcy.

    Answer

    British paramountcy over them lapsed, leaving them free to join India or Pakistan.

  10. Q10 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Gandhi called off Non-Cooperation in 1922 when it was at its height. Do you think this was the right decision? Give reasons for both views.

    Hint

    Principle versus momentum.

    Answer

    For: Gandhi believed non-violence was essential; continuing after Chauri Chaura might have led to more violence, harsh repression and loss of moral authority. Against: many leaders felt the movement was close to success and that one incident should not stop a nationwide struggle; momentum and Hindu-Muslim unity were lost. A balanced view is that the decision kept the movement true to its principles, though at a heavy short-term cost.

  11. Q11 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    How did the Quit India Movement show that India would accept nothing less than independence?

    Hint

    Without leaders.

    Answer

    Even with all major leaders in jail, ordinary people carried on strikes, protests and underground activity, and set up parallel governments. Their determination under severe repression showed the British that Indians would not settle for anything less than freedom.

  12. Q12 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level

    Name the Viceroy to whom Gandhi sent his eleven demands in 1930.

    Hint

    Viceroy 1926-1931.

    Answer

    Lord Irwin.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.When did Gandhi return from South Africa?Show answer

    1915.

  2. 2.Who joined Gandhi at Kheda?Show answer

    Vallabhbhai Patel.

  3. 3.When was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?Show answer

    13 April 1919.

  4. 4.When did the Dandi March begin?Show answer

    12 March 1930.

  5. 5.What was the INA's slogan?Show answer

    'Delhi Chalo' (and 'Jai Hind').

  6. 6.When was the Mountbatten Plan announced?Show answer

    3 June 1947.

Best order to study it

  1. Learn satyagraha and the three early campaigns briefly.
  2. Learn the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh and the Khilafat issue.
  3. Learn Non-Cooperation: causes, programme, withdrawal, impact.
  4. Learn the causes of Civil Disobedience: Simon Commission, Lahore Session.
  5. Learn Quit India, and the objectives of the Forward Bloc and INA.
  6. Learn the Cabinet Mission Plan, Mountbatten Plan and clauses of the 1947 Act.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

  • Early campaigns: Champaran 1917 (indigo, tinkathia), Kheda 1918 (revenue, Patel), Ahmedabad 1918 (mill wages, fast).
  • Rowlatt Act 1919 (detention without trial); hartal 6 April; Jallianwala Bagh 13 April (Dyer; official toll 379); Tagore returns knighthood; Khilafat (Ali brothers, Azad).
  • Non-Cooperation 1920-1922: titles, boycott of schools, courts, councils, foreign cloth; swadeshi, khadi, national schools; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura 4 February 1922; first mass movement.
  • Civil Disobedience causes: Simon Commission (no Indian; Lajpat Rai's death), Nehru Report ignored, Lahore Session December 1929 (Purna Swaraj), depression, eleven demands; Dandi March 1930.
  • Quit India: 8 August 1942, 'Do or Die'; Cripps failure, Japanese threat; leaders arrested; underground work, parallel governments. Forward Bloc (1939) and INA: objectives only.
  • Cabinet Mission 1946 (united India, groups, Constituent Assembly); Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947 (partition); Independence Act: two dominions from 15 August 1947, Constituent Assemblies, paramountcy lapses, Secretary of State abolished.

The Gandhian Era and Independence: frequently asked questions

How much do I need to write on the early campaigns?

The curriculum asks for a brief description: the problem, what Gandhi did and the result, for each of Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad.

Do I need the course of the Civil Disobedience Movement?

The curriculum lists its causes, the Simon Commission and the Lahore Session. A line about the Dandi March as its start is useful context.

How should I write about partition?

Stick to facts: the Cabinet Mission's attempt to keep India united, the breakdown of agreement between the Congress and the League, the Mountbatten Plan and the clauses of the Act. Avoid blaming any community.

Based on: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), History and Civics (Class VIII); CISCE RDCD: Curriculum Pre-School to Class VIII