Spectrum Questions

Chapter 01- The Revolt of 1857

1. Explain the economic cause behind the revolt of 1857, and what conditions led
peasants, artisans, and zamindars alike to join the revolt.
2. List the political and administrative causes for the revolt. (2 + 1)
3. List the religious causes for the revolt, and an associated act. (3)
4. List 4 reasons why sepoys specifically were unhappy and revolted.
5. Indicate the broad geographical extent of the 1857 revolt. (Page 3)
6. Indicate the civilian response.
7. What was the response of modern, educated Indians?
8. What was the role of Emperor Bahadur Shah in the revolt? (Page 5)
9. Name the people who led the revolt in: Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Bihar,
Faizabad, and Jhansi.
10. What were some of the causes for the failure of the revolt? (6)
11. What was the most enduring contribution of the revolt of 1857? (Page 9)
12. List 3 changes brought in by the British after the revolt.

Chapter 02- Religious and Social Reform Movements

1. ‘The socio-cultural regeneration of the India of the 19th century was occasioned
by the colonial presence, but not created by it.’ Comment.
2. Outline some common characteristics shared by the 19th century social reform
movements, covering issues like ideological and social base, key ideas, coverage
of issues beyond religion etc. (Pages 14, 15)
3. Which GG was responsible for abolition of Sati?
4. Whose name is associated with Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act of 1856?
5. What was the ‘Wood’s Dispatch’? (Google; 6 points)
6. Write a note on Raja Rammohun Roy. (Page 24)
7. What were the twin objectives of the Tattvabodhini Sabha? Who was its leader?
8. What was the reason behind the split in Brahmo Samaj in 1865? In 1878? (Page
23)
9. What was the Prarthana Samaj? How was it different from the Brahmo Samaj?
Where was it based, and who was the founder?
10. What were the key features of the Young Bengal Movement? Why did it fail?
11. Mention positive and negative effects of the 19th century reform movements in
India.
12. What was the most harmful effect of the 19th century religious reform
movements?
13. Write short notes on:
Raja Rammohun Roy, Debendranath Tagore, Keshub Chandra Sen, Mahadev
Govind Ranade, Akshay Kumar Dutt, Jyotiba Phule, Gopal Hari Deshmukh
‘Lokahitwadi’, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Sri Narayan Guru, Ramakrishna
Paramhansa, Narendranath Dutta, Dayanand Saraswati, Ishwar Chandra
Vidyasagar, E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, Sri Narayan Guru, M. Malabari, Sri
 Narayan Guru, Raghunath Rao, Syed Ahemd Raibarelvi, Syed Ahmed Khan,
Dudu Mian

Summary of various social reform movements:

Num Name Year/ Place Founder Key idea(s)

HINDU

1. Dharma Sabha 1830 Radhakant Deb Orthodox Hindu; status-quoist

2. Paramhans Mandali 1849/ Believed in ‘one God’, caste removal,

Maharashtra women empowerment etc.

3. Prarthana Samaj 1863/ Keshub Chandra Sen/ Social reform, but don’t come into
Bombay Ranade conflict with orthodox Hindus (unlike
Brahmo Samaj)

4. Satyashodhak Samaj 1873/ Jyotiba Phule Caste consciousness; first movement

Maharashtra with leadership from low castes;
Raja Bali used as symbol

5. Arya Samaj 1875 Dayanand Saraswati “Back to the Vedas”, end priestly
(Publication: Satyarth domination, promote inter-caste and
Prakash) widow marriages, no idol worship

6. Seva Sadan 1885 M. Malabari Parsi; take care of marginalized

women

7. Ramakrishna 1897/ Narendranath Dutt Spread the universal message of

Movement Calcutta (Vivekananda) Vedanta, love all religions, service of
humans = service of god

8. Bharat Dharma 1902 Madan Mohan Orthodox Hindu; status-quoist;

Mahamandala Malviya (didn’t found formed by combination of several
it, but important state units
figure)

9. Servants of India 1905 Gopal Krishna Non-religious, aimed at raising cadres

Society Gokhale for nation-building

LOWER CASTE

10 Sri Narayan Guru 1902/ Kerala Narayan Guru Started among Ezvahas of Kerala
Dharma Paripalana (toddy-trappers, untouchables); urged
(SNDP) movement them to join schools, administration

11 Aravippuram Narayan Guru SNG installed Shiva idol at a temple

Movement in Kerala (Aravippuram) despite
being lower caste as a protest
measure

12 Justice Movement 1917/ Madras CN Mulaidar/ T. Nair/ Secure jobs for non-Brahmins in
(political party) P. Tyagaraja legislature

13 Self-respect 1920s EV Ramaswami Rejection of Brahminical religion;

movement Naicker formalizing weddings without priests

14 Temple entry Vaikom: KV Keshav 1924: Vaikom satyagraha; joined by

movement Jatthas from Panjab and Madurai
K. Kelappan
1931: After CDM, in Travancore; in
1936, Maharaja said okay, enter

MUSLIM
 15 Wahabi/ Walliullah 1840s Sayyed Ahmed Orthodox Muslim revivalist
movement (initially Raibarelvi, influenced
against by Shah Waliullah
Sikhs, later
Brits); fizzled Later, also:
out by 1870s * Shah Abdul Aziz
under Brit * Tithu Mir
repression

16 Faraizi movement 1840s Haji Shariat Allah/ Orthodox Muslim revivalist (end
Dudu Mian liberal influences)

17 Ahmadiya movement 1889 Mirza Ghulam Equivalent to Brahmo Samaj-

Ahmed universalist, against orthodoxy,
opposed to Jihad (but pro-mysticism)

18 Aligarh movement Syed Ahmed Khan Spread modern education and social
reform among Muslims, but stay true
to Islam (Aligarh university etc.)

19 Deoband School Orthodox, but mainly just opposed to

Syed Ahmed Khan, so even
supported INC; no proper philosophy

PARSI

20 Rahnumai Mazda 1851 Restore Parsi religion to its pristine

Yasnan Sabha purity

SIKH

21 Singh Sabha 1873/ Educate Sikhs, counter proselytizing

movement Amritsar by Christians and Hindu revivalists

22 Akali movement Liberate Sikh Gurudwaras from

Udasi Mahants; later won and set up
SGPC; later turned communal (why?)

WESTERN HINDU

23 Theosophical 1875 (US); Madam Blavatsky/ Study philosophy of Upanishads and

movement 1882 (Adyar, Annie Besant Vedanta; allied with Hindu
Tamil Nadu) renaissance; however, limited to a
small segment of westernized Indian
due to complex and airy ideas

Chapter 03: Moderate Phase and Early Congress (1858-1905) (Page 42-53)

1. Describe 6 factors that aided in the growth of modern nationalism in India (Page
42-45)
2. Describe the Vernacular Press Act (1878)
3. Describe the Arms Act (1878)
4. What was the Ilbert Bill controversy?
(Note: the above 3 are good examples to use as pre-INC political agitations)
5. Name the important pre-Congress organizations started by: Dadabhai Naoroji,
Surendranath Banerjee, Justice Ranade, Anand Mohan Bose, and Pherozshah
Mehta. Badruddin Tyabji

Num Name Year Place Founders / Aims

 1. British Indian 1851 Bengal Petition British government to separate executive
Association from legislature, abolish salt duty, stamp duty etc.

2. East India 1866 London Dadabhai Naoroji

Association

3. Poona Sarvajanik 1867 Poona Ranade

Sabha

4. Indian 1876 Calcutta Surendranath Banerjea, Ananda Mohan Bose

Association of
Calcutta

5. Bombay 1885 Bombay Pherozshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji

Presidency
Association

6. Who was Kadambini? (Page 47)

7. Name 5 prominent early moderates in the INC (right at the start) and their
contributions.
8. What were the methods of political work of the early moderates?
9. What were their key aims?
10. What were some of the key demands of the early moderates regarding the
economy?
11. What were the ‘3 Ps’ propounded by the early moderates? (Page 55)
12. Outline the key demands of the moderate nationalists between 1885 and 1892.
13. When did these demands start to change and why? (Page 50)
14. What was the key slogan of the moderates at this time? Who came up with it?
15. What was a key failure of the early moderates? (Apart from trusting the British)
(Page 51)

Chapter 04: National Movement- 1905 to 1918 (Page 54-80)

1. What were the reasons for the growth of militant nationalism in the late 1890s?
(Page 54; Check)
2. What was the immediate cause of the Swadeshi movement? (Page 56)
3. Why did the British want to partition Bengal in the early 1900s?
4. Who was the Viceroy then?
5. Along which two broad lines did the British want to partition Bengal?
6. When and where was the first formal proclamation of the Swadeshi movement
made? (Page 57)
7. Was the Swadeshi movement limited to Bengal? (Page 57)
8. What was the Congress position regarding the Swadeshi movement?
9. Why are the INC sessions of 1906 and 1907 important?
10. After 1905, why did the influence of extremist leaders grow in Bengal?
11. Beyond boycott, what were the extremists/ militant nationalists advocating
regarding the course of the Swadeshi movement? (Page 58)
12. What were some of the new forms of political struggle that emerged in the course
of the Swadeshi movement? (Page 58)
13. Outline the Muslim response to the Swadeshi movement, and the reasons for it.
(Page 60)