Comprehension
The adoption of the Non-Cooperation Movement by the Congress gave it a new energy and from January 1921, it began to register considerable success all over the country. Gandhiji undertook a nation-wide tour during which he addressed hundreds of meetings and met a large number of political workers. In the first month, thousands of students left their educational institutions and joined more than 800 national schools and colleges that had sprung up all over the country. Gandhiji had promised Swaraj within a year, if his programme was adopted.
The Non-Cooperation Movement demonstrated that it commanded the support and sympathy of vast sections of the Indian people. Its reach among many sections of Indian peasants, workers, artisans etc., had been demonstrated. The spatial spread of the movement was also nationwide. Some areas were more active than others, but there were few that showed no signs of activity at all.
The capacity of the ‘poor dumb millions’ of India to take part in modern nationalist politics was also demonstrated. This was the first time that nationalists from the towns, students from schools and colleges or even the educated and politically aware in the villages had made a serious attempt to bring the ideology and the movement into their midst.
The tremendous participation of different communities in the movement, and the maintenance of communal unity, despite the Malabar developments, was in itself no mean achievement. There is hardly any doubt that it was minority participation that gave the movement its truly mass character in many areas. And it was, indeed, unfortunate that this most positive feature of the movement was not to be repeated in later years once communalism began to take its toll. [324 words]
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from India’s Struggle for Independence 1857-1947, by Bipin Chandra and Others, Penguin Books, 1989.]
Question: 1

From the passage it is evident that:

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Always look for explicit statements such as “vast sections,” “nationwide,” or “sympathy of people” to infer majority participation.
Updated On: Dec 8, 2025
  • The idea of Swaraj seemed futile
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement was a complete success
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement gained the sympathy of majority of the Indians
  • The Indian National Congress represented a microscopic minority
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

The passage states clearly: “The Non-Cooperation Movement demonstrated that it commanded the support and sympathy of vast sections of the Indian people.” Thus, it enjoyed widespread national support.
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Question: 2

The term “poor dumb millions” refers to:

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In historical texts, “dumb” often means “voiceless,” not literally mute.
Updated On: Dec 8, 2025
  • The vast number of common people who are impoverished
  • Large number of common people who are hearing impaired
  • Large number of people who are vulnerable
  • The vast number of people who are impoverished and uneducated
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The phrase “poor dumb millions” historically refers to the masses of India who were both impoverished and largely uneducated, implying political voicelessness rather than physical disability.
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Question: 3

Which of the statements is true?

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When identifying the correct statement, match the answer choice directly to wording found in the passage.
Updated On: Dec 8, 2025
  • The Swaraj movement happened before the Non-Cooperation Movement
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement failed due to sudden withdrawal
  • There was a fine show of communal unity in the movement
  • The rich and the educated kept themselves away from the Non-Cooperation Movement
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

The passage states: “The tremendous participation of different communities in the movement, and the maintenance of communal unity… was in itself no mean achievement.” Thus, communal unity was a key success.
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Question: 4

The main idea of the passage is:

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The main idea should capture the dominant theme—not a minor detail or concluding remark.
Updated On: Dec 8, 2025
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement did not give impetus to future movements
  • The movement made Indians realize their potential to fight the British
  • The British became fearful of Gandhiji’s leadership
  • The most positive feature of the movement was that it was repeated later
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The passage emphasizes: - nationwide participation - involvement of students, peasants, workers - realization of the “capacity of the poor dumb millions” - the movement giving “mass character” All of these show that the movement awakened Indian self-confidence.
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Question: 5

The word “Communalism” in the passage refers to:

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Historically, “communal unity” always means Hindu–Muslim unity; “communalism” means religious division.
Updated On: Dec 8, 2025
  • Religious identity
  • Caste identity
  • Regional identity
  • Secularism
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

In the context of Indian nationalist history, “communalism” refers specifically to conflict or division based on religion, not caste or region.
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