Class 12 MCQs Part B English Medium
Politics in India Since Independence
Chp1 Challenges of Nation Building
1. What was the first and immediate challenge for
independent India?
a) Establishing a federal government
b) Shaping a united nation while accommodating diversity
c) Building an army
d) Adopting a new language
2. What principle was followed during the partition of
India?
a) Ethnic majority
b) Religious majority
c) Economic zones
d) Cultural uniformity
3. Which leader was instrumental in integrating the princely
states into India?
a) Jawaharlal Nehru
b) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
c) Subhas Chandra Bose
d) Mahatma Gandhi
4. What was the main aim of the States Reorganisation
Commission of 1953?
a) Merge all princely states
b) Redraw state boundaries based on linguistic lines
c) Introduce a new national language
d) Promote international trade
5. How many princely states were there in India before
independence?
a) 256
b) 425
c) 565
d) 612
6. What was the result of Potti Sriramulu’s fast unto death?
a) Formation of the state of Andhra
b) Adoption of Hindi as a national language
c) Abolishment of zamindari system
d) Establishment of a federal government
7. What did the Indian leadership fear about creating states
on linguistic lines?
a) Decline of economic growth
b) Disruption and disintegration of the nation
c) Overpowering influence of central government
d) Loss of cultural heritage
8. What is the term used to describe the mass displacement
during partition?
a) Voluntary migration
b) Ethnic cleansing
c) Refugee crisis
d) Division of hearts
9. Which princely state was annexed through a military
operation by India in 1948?
a) Junagadh
b) Hyderabad
c) Manipur
d) Kashmir
10. What did the ‘Instrument of Accession’ signify?
a) Freedom for princely states
b) Agreement of a princely state to join the Indian Union
c) Treaty between India and Pakistan
d) Document to form linguistic states
11. What event led to the creation of East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh)?
a) Division of Bengal
b) Religious tensions in Punjab
c) Two-Nation Theory
d) Linguistic Nationalism
12. Who opposed the Two-Nation Theory in the Northwest
Frontier Province?
a) Sardar Patel
b) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
c) Lord Mountbatten
d) Jawaharlal Nehru
13. Which was the first state to hold elections based on
universal adult franchise?
a) Hyderabad
b) Manipur
c) Punjab
d) West Bengal
14. What does a secular nation ensure?
a) Privileges to the majority religion
b) Equal treatment of all citizens irrespective of religion
c) Elimination of all religions
d) Establishment of a national religion
15. What key principle was highlighted by the creation of
linguistic states?
a) Political centralisation
b) Economic uniformity
c) Acceptance of diversity
d) Strict national identity
1. When was the first General Election in independent India
held?
a) 1950
b) 1951-52
c) 1949
d) 1953
2. Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India?
a) Sardar Patel
b) Sukumar Sen
c) Rajendra Prasad
d) C. Rajagopalachari
3. How many seats did the Congress win in the first Lok
Sabha elections?
a) 250
b) 364
c) 450
d) 489
4. What voting method was used in the first general
election?
a) Electronic Voting Machine
b) Ballot paper with candidate names
c) Separate ballot boxes for each candidate
d) Online voting
5. What was the voter literacy rate during the first General
Election?
a) 15%
b) 30%
c) 50%
d) 70%
6. What percentage of votes did the Congress receive in the
first General Election?
a) 30%
b) 45%
c) 55%
d) 70%
7. Which party emerged as the largest opposition party in
the first Lok Sabha?
a) Socialist Party
b) Communist Party of India
c) Bharatiya Jana Sangh
d) Swatantra Party
8. What is the first-past-the-post system in elections?
a) The candidate with the most votes wins, even without a
majority.
b) Voting is done in two rounds.
c) Only majority votes are considered.
d) Candidates are chosen through indirect voting.
9. Which state elected the first Communist government in
1957?
a) Bengal
b) Kerala
c) Andhra Pradesh
d) Tamil Nadu
10. Which Article of the Constitution was invoked to dismiss
the Communist government in Kerala in 1959?
a) Article 352
b) Article 356
c) Article 368
d) Article 370
11. Who was the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh?
a) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
b) Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
c) Balraj Madhok
d) A. K. Gopalan
12. What was the dominant ideology of the Socialist Party?
a) Capitalism
b) Communism
c) Democratic socialism
d) Nationalism
13. Which of the following was a primary reason for
Congress’ dominance after independence?
a) Weak opposition parties
b) Legacy of the freedom movement
c) Support from the British government
d) Economic control of the country
14. What does the term “Congress System” refer to?
a) One-party rule by Congress
b) Coalition of different ideologies within the Congress
c) A democratic coalition of multiple parties
d) Centralized power structure
15. Why was the first General Election in India called a
“landmark in democracy”?
a) It was the first election in Asia.
b) It was the first large-scale election in a poor,
illiterate country.
c) It introduced electronic voting.
d) It marked the end of colonial rule.
1. What was the primary focus of the First Five Year Plan in
India?
a)
Industrialization
b) Agriculture and
irrigation
c) Defense
expenditure
d)
Liberalization
2. Which institution replaced the Planning Commission in
2015?
a) Economic
Advisory Council
b) NITI Aayog
c) National
Development Council
d) Finance
Commission
3. The Second Five Year Plan in India emphasized on which
sector?
a) Agriculture
b) Heavy
industries
c) Tourism
d) Education
4. Who led the drafting of the Second Five Year Plan in
India?
a) Charan
Singh
b) K.N. Raj
c) P.C.
Mahalanobis
d) Verghese
Kurien
5. What was the purpose of the Bombay Plan?
a) To advocate for
free trade
b) To outline a
blueprint for India's economic development
c) To establish
liberalization policies
d) To promote
cooperative farming
6. Which type of budget focused on long-term developmental
priorities?
a) Annual
Budget
b) Plan Budget
c) Emergency
Budget
d) Defense
Budget
7. Which of the following statements is true about the
Planning Commission?
a) It was
established by the Constitution of India.
b) It was set up in
1950 by a government resolution.
c) It had the power
to enforce laws.
d) It was abolished
in 1970.
8. What was the major aim of the First Five Year Plan?
a) Alleviation of
urban poverty
b) Industrial
modernization
c) Poverty
eradication through agriculture
d) Privatization of
industries
9. Which resolution declared the Congress Party’s goal of a
'socialist pattern of society'?
a) Avadi
Resolution
b) Nagpur
Resolution
c) Bombay
Resolution
d) Delhi
Resolution
10. What caused the 'plan holiday' after the Third Five Year
Plan?
a) Acute economic
crisis
b) Political
instability
c) Failure of the
Planning Commission
d) Lack of
resources for planning
11. What does the term 'urban bias' in planning refer to?
a) Giving more
priority to urban areas over rural areas
b) Equal focus on
urban and rural areas
c) Avoiding
investments in cities
d) Ignoring urban
industries
12. The First Five Year Plan allocated funds for which major
project?
a) Green Revolution
b) Bhakra Nangal
Dam
c) Software
Parks
d) Steel
Industry
13. What was one criticism of India’s early development
plans?
a) Excessive focus
on agriculture
b) Lack of
attention to rural poverty
c) Overemphasis on
industrialization
d) Ignoring
foreign investment
14. What economic model did India draw inspiration from for
its planning process?
a) American
capitalist model
b) Soviet
socialist model
c) Japanese
industrial model
d) European mixed
economy model
15. Which of these factors was identified as an obstacle to
agricultural growth in the First Five Year Plan?
a) Land
distribution patterns
b) Lack of
education
c) Foreign
investment restrictions
d) Urban migration
Chp 4 India's External Relations
1. What was the main goal of India’s foreign policy under Nehru?
a) Territorial
expansion
b) Joining military
alliances
c) Peaceful
coexistence and sovereignty preservation
d) Supporting
colonial powers
2. Which principle formed the foundation of India’s foreign
policy?
a)
Expansionism
b)
Non-alignment
c) Military
alliances
d)
Isolationism
3. What does the term 'Panchsheel' refer to?
a) Five principles
of peaceful coexistence
b) Five-year plans
for development
c) Five permanent
UN Security Council members
d) Five wars fought
by India
4. Which conference led to the establishment of the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)?
a) Bandung
Conference
b) Geneva
Conference
c) Asian Relations
Conference
d) Belgrade
Summit
5. Who was the first Prime Minister of India and the architect
of its foreign policy?
a) Sardar
Patel
b) Subhash Chandra
Bose
c) Jawaharlal
Nehru
d) Indira
Gandhi
6. What was the main reason for India’s policy of non-alignment
during the Cold War?
a) To join
NATO
b) To gain support
from both US and USSR
c) To avoid
involvement in power blocs
d) To align with
China
7. Which country was the first to receive India’s support
for its freedom struggle?
a) South
Africa
b) Indonesia
c) Ghana
d) Egypt
8. What was the outcome of the India-China border conflict
of 1962?
a) India captured
Chinese territories
b) China withdrew
after a unilateral ceasefire
c) A treaty was
signed immediately
d) India joined a
military alliance
9. Which agreement resolved the dispute over river waters
between India and Pakistan?
a) Tashkent
Agreement
b) Indus Waters
Treaty
c) Shimla
Agreement
d) Treaty of Peace
and Friendship
10. Who led the Bandung Conference in 1955?
a) Nehru
b) Dalai Lama
c) Subhash Chandra
Bose
d) Lal Bahadur
Shastri
11. Why did India provide asylum to the Dalai Lama in 1959?
a) To oppose
British colonialism
b) To protest
against Chinese aggression in Tibet
c) To strengthen
ties with the US
d) To join the
Soviet Union bloc
12. Which treaty assured India of Soviet support during the
Bangladesh Liberation War?
a) Shimla
Agreement
b) Tashkent
Agreement
c) Treaty of Peace
and Friendship
d) Panchsheel
Agreement
13. When did India conduct its first nuclear test?
a) 1962
b) 1974
c) 1988
d) 1998
14. What was the result of the Bangladesh Liberation War in
1971?
a) India lost
territory
b) Pakistan
defeated India
c) Bangladesh
gained independence
d) India joined
NATO
15. What policy did Nehru believe was a true test of a
nation’s independence?
a) Conduct of foreign
relations
b) Economic
development
c) Military
power
d) Scientific
progress
1. Who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister of
India?
a) Morarji
Desai
b) Lal Bahadur
Shastri
c) Indira
Gandhi
d) K. Kamraj
2. What slogan is attributed to Lal Bahadur Shastri?
a) Garibi
Hatao
b) Jai Jawan, Jai
Kisan
c) Indira
Hatao
d) Bharat Mata Ki
Jai
3. What major challenge did India face during Lal Bahadur
Shastri's tenure?
a) War with
China
b) War with
Pakistan
c) Economic
liberalization
d) Environmental
crisis
4. Who became Prime Minister after Lal Bahadur Shastri?
a) Morarji
Desai
b) Indira
Gandhi
c) V.V. Giri
d) S.
Nijalingappa
5. What was the primary cause of the Congress split in 1969?
a) Ideological
differences
b) Disagreement
over presidential candidate
c) Internal
corruption
d) Leadership
dispute
6. What was Indira Gandhi’s famous slogan during the 1971
elections?
a) Jai Hind
b) Garibi
Hatao
c) Bharat Mata Ki
Jai
d) Swaraj is My
Birthright
7. What does the term "Aya Ram, Gaya Ram" refer
to?
a) Slogans during
elections
b) Frequent party
defections
c) Military
strategies
d) Economic
policies
8. Which regional party came to power in Tamil Nadu in 1967?
a) DMK
b) AIADMK
c) BJP
d) SSP
9. What did the term 'Syndicate' refer to in Congress
politics?
a) Group of
influential Congress leaders
b) Opposition
coalition
c) State-led
organizations
d) Media houses
supporting Congress
10. What event led to Indira Gandhi’s popularity after the
1971 elections?
a) Economic
reforms
b) Victory in the
Bangladesh Liberation War
c) Nationalization
of banks
d) Abolition of
privy purses
11. What policy reform did Indira Gandhi implement in 1969?
a) Land
reforms
b) Nationalization
of banks
c) Introduction of
GST
d) Privatization
of industries
12. Which phrase describes coalitions formed by non-Congress
parties in 1967?
a) Samyukt
Vidhayak Dal
b) Panchsheel
Agreement
c) Grand
Alliance
d) Federal
Bloc
13. Which event is associated with the term ‘Privy Purse’?
a) Economic
liberalization
b) Allowances
given to former princes
c) Land reform
movements
d) Industrial
nationalization
14. In which year were the Fourth General Elections held in
India?
a) 1957
b) 1962
c) 1967
d) 1971
15. What was the major outcome of the 1971 elections for the
Congress party?
a) Victory of Congress
(O) faction
b) Decline in
Congress popularity
c) Restoration of
Congress dominance under Indira Gandhi
d) Formation of a
coalition government
Chp 6 Crisis of Democratic Order
1. When was the National Emergency declared in India?
a) 1971
b) 1975
c) 1977
d) 1980
2. Which Article of the Constitution was invoked to declare
the Emergency?
a) Article 352
b) Article 356
c) Article 368
d) Article 370
3. What was the primary reason given for declaring the
Emergency in 1975?
a) External aggression
b) Internal disturbances
c) Economic crisis
d) Election disputes
4. Who was the President of India during the Emergency?
a) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
b) Zakir Husain
c) V. V. Giri
d) R. Venkataraman
5. Which court verdict declared Indira Gandhi’s election
invalid?
a) Allahabad High Court
b) Supreme Court of India
c) Bombay High Court
d) Delhi High Court
6. What was the slogan given by D.K. Barooah during the
Emergency?
a) Garibi Hatao
b) Indira is India, India is Indira
c) Total Revolution
d) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan
7. Who led the Bihar Movement in 1974?
a) George Fernandes
b) Morarji Desai
c) Jayaprakash Narayan
d) Charan Singh
8. What type of rights were suspended during the Emergency?
a) Civil rights
b) Economic rights
c) Fundamental rights
d) Social rights
9. What measure was used to censor the press during the
Emergency?
a) Arrest of journalists
b) Mandatory pre-approval for publication
c) Total shutdown of newspapers
d) Internet censorship
10. What was the Shah Commission?
a) A body to promote democracy
b) A commission to investigate abuses during the Emergency
c) A constitutional amendment committee
d) A committee for electoral reforms
11. Which political party emerged victorious in the 1977 elections?
a) Congress
b) Janata Party
c) Communist Party
d) Bharatiya Lok Dal
12. What was the result of the 42nd Amendment passed during
the Emergency?
a) It curtailed the powers of the Prime Minister.
b) It increased the term of legislatures to six years.
c) It abolished the Lok Sabha.
d) It removed Fundamental Rights.
13. What event marked the end of the Emergency?
a) Indira Gandhi’s resignation
b) Announcement of the 1977 general elections
c) Verdict of the Shah Commission
d) International intervention
14. Who became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of
India?
a) Jayaprakash Narayan
b) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
c) Morarji Desai
d) Jagjivan Ram
15. What was a major lesson from the Emergency period?
a) Democracy is easy to abolish.
b) India cannot function without a single ruling party.
c) Democratic values are deeply ingrained in Indian society.
d) Civil liberties are not important for governance.
Chp 7 Regional Aspirations
1. Which Article of the Indian Constitution granted special
status to Jammu and Kashmir?
a) Article 352
b) Article 360
c) Article 370
d) Article 371
2. What was the Anandpur Sahib Resolution primarily about?
a) Demand for a separate Sikh nation
b) Assertion of regional autonomy and federalism
c) Protest against Hindi as the national language
d) Call for national integration
3. When did the Mizoram Accord take place?
a) 1973
b) 1980
c) 1986
d) 1992
4. What led to the Assam Movement in 1979?
a) Partition of Assam
b) Demand for a separate Assamese language
c) Agitation against illegal immigrants
d) Movement for women’s rights
5. The Dravidian movement originated in which state?
a) Kerala
b) Andhra Pradesh
c) Tamil Nadu
d) Karnataka
6. What was the primary objective of Operation Blue Star in
Punjab?
a) Provide economic relief to farmers
b) Free the Golden Temple from militants
c) Demand regional autonomy for Punjab
d) Conduct state elections
7. Who signed the Mizoram Accord with Rajiv Gandhi?
a) Sheikh Abdullah
b) Sant Harchand Singh Longowal
c) Laldenga
d) Angami Zapu Phizo
8. When was Goa liberated from Portuguese rule?
a) 1947
b) 1955
c) 1961
d) 1987
9. What was a key factor behind regional aspirations in the
North-East?
a) High population density
b) Lack of linguistic diversity
c) Economic backwardness and migration issues
d) Overrepresentation in Indian politics
10. What is the primary lesson from India’s handling of
regional aspirations?
a) Suppression is the only solution.
b) Regional issues should be resolved through democratic
negotiations.
c) Regionalism must be ignored in a diverse democracy.
d) Federalism should be abolished to ensure national unity.
11. What triggered the demand for a separate Nagaland state?
a) Economic crisis
b) Tribal identity and autonomy
c) Lack of representation in Parliament
d) Demand for an official language
12. Which state became the 22nd state of India in 1975?
a) Goa
b) Mizoram
c) Nagaland
d) Sikkim
13. What was the major demand of the Assam Movement?
a) Increase in oil production
b) Preservation of Assamese culture and deportation of
immigrants
c) Promotion of agricultural industries
d) Division of Assam into smaller states
14. Which movement in Tamil Nadu opposed Hindi as the
national language?
a) The Dravidian movement
b) The Satyagraha movement
c) The Telangana movement
d) The Naxalite movement
15. What is “Kashmiriyat”?
a) The idea of Kashmiri independence
b) The cultural and regional identity of the Kashmiri people
c) A historical document related to Kashmir
d) A political party in Jammu and Kashmir
Chp 8 Indian Politics: Recent Trends and Developments
1. What marked the end of Congress dominance in Indian
politics?
a) 1984 Lok Sabha elections
b) 1989 Lok Sabha elections
c) Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
d) Implementation of Mandal Commission
2. What was the primary recommendation of the Mandal
Commission?
a) Land reforms for SC and ST communities
b) 27% reservation for OBCs in government jobs
c) Formation of coalition governments
d) Privatization of industries
3. Which event triggered the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi
movement?
a) Unlocking of the disputed site in 1986
b) Assassination of Indira Gandhi
c) Formation of BJP in 1980
d) Shah Bano case verdict
4. When was the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute
announced?
a) 1989
b) 1992
c) 2014
d) 2019
5. What is Hindutva, as popularised by Vinayak Damodar
Savarkar?
a) Promotion of Gandhian Socialism
b) A united national culture based on Indian traditions
c) Secularism in Indian politics
d) Globalisation of Indian culture
6. Who was the Prime Minister of India when the economic
reforms of 1991 were initiated?
a) Rajiv Gandhi
b) V. P. Singh
c) P. V. Narasimha Rao
d) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
7. Which party emerged as a major Dalit political force in
the 1980s?
a) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
b) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
c) Congress Party
d) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
8. What is the significance of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections?
a) Rise of coalition governments
b) Congress returned to power
c) BJP gained a single-party majority after 30 years
d) Emergence of the National Front
9. What does the term “Mandalisation” refer to?
a) Implementation of Hindutva ideology
b) Caste-based reservations in politics and governance
c) Centralisation of power under Congress
d) Coalition politics in India
10. What was a key feature of coalition politics in India
after 1989?
a) Dominance of state-level parties
b) Single-party rule
c) Abolition of regional representation
d) Emergence of military rule
11. What led to the rise of Other Backward Classes (OBC)
politics in India?
a) Implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations
b) Economic liberalisation reforms
c) Coalition governments
d) Decline of Dalit political movements
12. Who founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)?
a) Kanshi Ram
b) Mayawati
c) Karpoori Thakur
d) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
13. What was the National Front?
a) A coalition government led by V. P. Singh
b) A movement for Dalit rights
c) A Supreme Court ruling on reservation policies
d) A policy initiative on economic reforms
14. Which Prime Minister led the BJP coalition government in
1998 and 1999?
a) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
b) Lal Krishna Advani
c) Narendra Modi
d) V. P. Singh
15. What is the primary role of coalition politics in India?
a) Centralisation of power
b) Promoting regional and social diversity in governance
c) Eradication of caste politics
d) Strengthening the Congress system
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