Some of the most important dates and events during the national movement between 1870 and 1947 are presented. The dates below are from class 8 NCERT book history chapter 8, The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947.
- Indian National Congress founded: 1885
- Partition of Bengal in 1905 that sparked Swadeshi Movement.
- Lucknow Pact: 1916 (Congress-Muslim League agreement)
- Rowlatt Act protests and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: 1919
- Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhi: 1920-22
- Simon Commission boycott: 1928
- Lahore Congress, Purna Swaraj declaration: December 1929
- Civil Disobedience Movement started with Dandi in March: 1930
- Government of India Act: 1935 (provincial autonomy)
- Quit India Movement: Launched in August 1942
- INA trials and public support for INA: 1945-46
- Cabinet Mission: 1946 (proposal of a federal solution)
- Direct Action Day, Kolkata: August 16, 1946
- Partition and Independence: August 1947
- Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: January 30, 1948
These points should be memorized. Using important dates in your answer will get you 100% marks and make them complete. Don’t forget to see our other Class 8 History MCQ questions.
20 MCQ Questions and Answers for Class 8 History Chapter 8 The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947
Question 1. Who passed the Arms Act in 1878?
a) Indian National Congress
b) British Government
c) Mahatma Gandhi
d) Muslim League
Answer:
b) British Government — The British Government passed the Arms Act in 1878.
Question 2. The Indian National Congress was founded in which year?
a) 1885
b) 1875
c) 1895
d) 1905
Answer:
a) 1885 — The Indian National Congress was established in the year 1885.
Question 3. Who was the first President of the Indian National Congress?
a) Dadabhai Naoroji
b) W.C. Bonnerji
c) Badruddin Tyabji
d) Surendranath Banerji
Answer:
b) W.C. Bonnerji — W.C. Bonnerji was the first President of the Indian National Congress.
Question 4. The Vernacular Press Act was enacted in which year?
a) 1878
b) 1883
c) 1897
d) 1901
Answer:
a) 1878 — The Vernacular Press Act was enacted in the year 1878.
Question 5. Who was the prominent leader of the Self-Respect Movement?
a) Mahatma Gandhi
b) B.R. Ambedkar
c) Pandita Ramabai
d) Periyar E.V. Ramasamy
Answer:
d) Periyar E.V. Ramasamy — Periyar E.V. Ramasamy was a prominent leader in the Self-Respect Movement.
Question 6. Which movement did Bal Gangadhar Tilak lead?
a) Non-Cooperation Movement
b) Swadeshi Movement
c) Quit India Movement
d) Civil Disobedience Movement
Answer:
b) Swadeshi Movement — Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a key figure in the Swadeshi Movement.
Question 7. The Partition of Bengal took place in which year?
a) 1905
b) 1911
c) 1921
d) 1932
Answer:
a) 1905 — The Partition of Bengal occurred in the year 1905.
Question 8. Who were the main leaders of the Khilafat Movement?
a) Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
b) Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose
c) Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali
d) Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Answer:
c) Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali — Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali were the main leaders of the Khilafat Movement.
Question 9. The Rowlatt Act was passed in which year?
a) 1915
b) 1919
c) 1923
d) 1931
Answer:
b) 1919 — The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919.
Question 10. Who renounced his knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
a) Rabindranath Tagore
b) Mahatma Gandhi
c) Jawaharlal Nehru
d) Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer:
a) Rabindranath Tagore — Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Question 11. The Partition of Bengal was annulled in which year?
a) 1905
b) 1911
c) 1921
d) 1932
Answer:
b) 1911 — The Partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911.
Question 12. Who led the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918?
a) Mahatma Gandhi
b) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
c) Jawaharlal Nehru
d) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer:
a) Mahatma Gandhi — Mahatma Gandhi led the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918.
Question 13. Which event led to the launch of the Non-Cooperation Movement?
a) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
b) Partition of Bengal
c) Simon Commission
d) Introduction of Rowlatt Act
Answer:
a) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre — The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in response to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
Question 14. The Chauri Chaura incident led to the withdrawal of which movement?
a) Quit India Movement
b) Non-Cooperation Movement
c) Civil Disobedience Movement
d) Salt Satyagraha
Answer:
b) Non-Cooperation Movement — The Chauri Chaura incident led to the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement by Mahatma Gandhi.
Question 15. Who led the Dandi March in 1930?
a) Jawaharlal Nehru
b) Mahatma Gandhi
c) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
d) Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer:
b) Mahatma Gandhi — Mahatma Gandhi led the Dandi March in 1930.
Question 16. The Poona Pact of 1932 was an agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and:
a) Jawaharlal Nehru
b) B.R. Ambedkar
c) Subhas Chandra Bose
d) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Answer:
b) B.R. Ambedkar — The Poona Pact of 1932 was an agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar.
Question 17. The Quit India Movement was launched in which year?
a) 1942
b) 1945
c) 1930
d) 1935
Answer:
a) 1942 — The Quit India Movement was launched in 1942.
Question 18. Who was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress?
a) Sarojini Naidu
b) Annie Besant
c) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
d) Sucheta Kripalani
Answer:
b) Annie Besant — Annie Besant was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress.
Question 19. The Civil Disobedience Movement was initiated with which of the following events?
a) Dandi March
b) Khilafat Movement
c) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
d) Partition of Bengal
Answer:
a) Dandi March — The Civil Disobedience Movement was initiated with the Dandi March.
Question 20. Who founded the Forward Bloc in 1939?
a) Jawaharlal Nehru
b) Subhas Chandra Bose
c) Mahatma Gandhi
d) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Answer:
b) Subhas Chandra Bose — Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Forward Bloc in 1939.
Match the columns for Class 8 History Chapter 8
Unmatched Columns (Questions)
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (i) Formation of Indian National Congress | (a) Led the Quit India Movement |
| (ii) Mahatma Gandhi’s Role | (b) 1885, by delegates from all over India |
| (iii) Swadeshi Movement | (c) Response to the partition of Bengal in 1905 |
| (iv) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre | (d) Sparked widespread outrage and criticism of British rule |
| (v) Salt Satyagraha | (e) Non-violent protest against salt tax |
| (vi) Quit India Movement | (f) 1942, demand for an end to British rule |
Matched Columns (Answers)
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (i) Formation of Indian National Congress | (b) 1885, by delegates from all over India |
| (ii) Mahatma Gandhi’s Role | (a) Led the Quit India Movement |
| (iii) Swadeshi Movement | (c) Response to the partition of Bengal in 1905 |
| (iv) Jallianwala Bagh Massacre | (d) Sparked widespread outrage and criticism of British rule |
| (v) Salt Satyagraha | (e) Non-violent protest against salt tax |
| (vi) Quit India Movement | (f) 1942, demand for an end to British rule |
Class 8 History Chapter 8 Fill in the Blanks with Answers – The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947
1. The British thought that surveys were important for ___.
Answer:
effective administration
2. The arms act was passed in 1878, disallowing Indians from possessing ___.
Answer:
arms
3. The Vernacular Press Act allowed the government to confiscate the assets of newspapers including their ___.
Answer:
printing presses
4. The Indian National Congress was established when 72 delegates from all over the country met at ___ in December 1885.
Answer:
Bombay
5. Dadabhai Naoroji’s book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India offered a scathing criticism of the ___ of British rule.
Answer:
economic impact
6. The partition of Bengal infuriated people all over India and led to the ___ movement.
Answer:
Swadeshi
7. The Congress and the Muslim League signed the historic ___ Pact in December 1915.
Answer:
Lucknow
8. Mahatma Gandhi led a successful millworkers’ strike in ___ in 1918.
Answer:
Ahmedabad
9. The Rowlatt Act curbed fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and strengthened ___.
Answer:
police powers
10. Rabindranath Tagore renounced his ___ in protest of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Answer:
knighthood
11. The ___ agitation sought to remove corrupt mahants from Sikh gurdwaras.
Answer:
Akali
12. The salt march led by Mahatma Gandhi started from ___ and ended in Dandi.
Answer:
Sabarmati
