Static Quiz 07 May 2026 (Modern History)

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Khilafat Committee’s stance during the early 1920s:

1. It initially focused on constitutional representation for Muslims in the 1919 Act.
2. It accepted Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership for the Non-Cooperation program at the Delhi Conference in November 1919.
3. The Committee viewed non-violence (Ahimsa) as an absolute religious creed similar to Gandhi’s philosophy.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 2 and 3 only
B. 1, 2, and 3
C. 1 and 2 only
D. 2 only

Correct Answer: D. 2 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect:
  • The Khilafat Committee was primarily formed to protest against the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire and protect the position of the Turkish Caliph after World War I.
  • Constitutional representation in the Government of India Act, 1919 was not its central objective.
• Statement 2 is correct:
  • At the Delhi Khilafat Conference (November 1919), the Khilafat leaders accepted Mahatma Gandhi’s proposal of Non-Cooperation against British rule.
  • This marked the convergence of the Khilafat Movement and the Indian National Movement.
• Statement 3 is incorrect:
  • Gandhi treated Ahimsa as a moral and spiritual creed.
  • However, most Khilafat leaders accepted non-violence only as a political strategy, not as an absolute principle.

Q2. Arrange the following events related to the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement in the correct chronological order:

1. Abolition of the Caliphate by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
2. The launch of the Khilafat Manifesto
3. The Chauri Chaura incident
4. The Nagpur Session of the Indian National Congress

Select the correct answer using the code below:

A. 1-2-4-3
B. 4-2-1-3
C. 2-3-4-1
D. 2-4-3-1

Correct Answer: D. 2-4-3-1

Explanation:

Correct chronology:

• Khilafat Manifesto launched — 1920
• Nagpur Session of INC — December 1920
  • Congress adopted the Non-Cooperation program formally.
• Chauri Chaura incident — February 1922
  • Led Gandhi to withdraw the movement.
• Abolition of Caliphate by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk — 1924

Thus, the correct sequence is: 2 → 4 → 3 → 1

Q3. Which of the following was a significant ‘internal’ challenge that contributed to the fracturing of the Hindu-Muslim unity established during the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation era?

A. The Simon Commission’s arrival
B. The signing of the Lucknow Pact
C. The establishment of the Banaras Hindu University
D. The Moplah Rebellion of 1921

Correct Answer: D. The Moplah Rebellion of 1921

Explanation:

• The Moplah Rebellion occurred in Malabar (Kerala) in 1921 among Muslim peasants (Moplahs).
• Though initially anti-landlord and anti-British in character, it later acquired communal overtones.
• The violence weakened Hindu-Muslim unity forged during the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movements.

Why others are incorrect:

• Simon Commission (1927) came later.
• Lucknow Pact (1916) actually promoted Hindu-Muslim cooperation.
• BHU establishment was unrelated to the collapse of Khilafat-era unity.

Q4. What was the core rationale behind the ‘Hijrat’ movement launched by a section of Khilafatists during the agitation?

A. To move from British India (Dar-ul-Harb) to Afghanistan (Dar-ul-Islam) as a mark of religious protest.
B. To migrate to Turkey to fight in the Turkish War of Independence.
C. To establish a new capital for the Caliphate in the North-West Frontier Province.
D. To boycott British schools and move to indigenous ‘Gurukuls’.

Correct Answer: A. To move from British India (Dar-ul-Harb) to Afghanistan (Dar-ul-Islam) as a mark of religious protest.

Explanation:

• Some radical Khilafat supporters declared British India as Dar-ul-Harb (land of war/non-Islamic rule).
• They argued that Muslims should migrate to Afghanistan, considered Dar-ul-Islam (land under Islamic rule).
• This migration movement came to be known as the Hijrat Movement (1920).

Why others are incorrect:

• There was no organized migration to Turkey.
• No attempt was made to create a Caliphate capital in NWFP.
• Boycott of schools was part of Non-Cooperation, not Hijrat.

Q5. Consider the impact of the Khilafat Movement on Indian Nationalism. Which of the following statements is ANALYTICALLY correct?

A. It led to the immediate dissolution of the All India Muslim League.
B. It localized the freedom struggle to only the urban centers of Northern India.
C. It demonstrated that pan-Islamic identity could be successfully synthesized with Indian anti-colonialism for mass mobilization.
D. It permanently secularized the Indian National Congress by removing religious symbols.

Correct Answer: C. It demonstrated that pan-Islamic identity could be successfully synthesized with Indian anti-colonialism for mass mobilization.

Explanation:

• The Khilafat Movement represented a rare phase where:
  • Pan-Islamic concerns,
  • Anti-colonial nationalism,
  • Gandhian mass politics
    came together.
• Gandhi strategically linked the Khilafat issue with Swaraj to mobilize Muslims into the national movement on an unprecedented scale.

Why others are incorrect:

• Muslim League did not dissolve.
• The movement spread beyond urban North India into rural and regional areas.
• Congress did not become permanently secularized; religion continued to influence nationalist politics.

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