The Civil Disobedience Movement was one of the most defining mass movements in India’s struggle for independence. Launched by Mahatma Gandhi on March 12, 1930, with the historic Dandi March, this movement called upon Indians to deliberately break unjust British laws. The movement was a direct challenge to the colonial authority and its oppressive policies. Gandhi chose to violate the Salt Law as a symbol of resistance because salt was a basic necessity used by every Indian. The march covered a distance of 241 miles (about 390 km) from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on the Gujarat coast. It took 24 days to complete and Gandhi reached Dandi on April 6, 1930.
The roots of the Civil Disobedience Movement can be traced back to the failure of the Simon Commission and the rejection of the Nehru Report by the British government. At the Lahore Session of 1929, the Indian National Congress under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru declared Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) as its goal. January 26, 1930, was celebrated as the first Independence Day across India. Following this declaration, Gandhi presented Eleven Demands to Viceroy Lord Irwin through a letter on January 31, 1930. When the British refused to accept these demands, Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement. The movement saw massive participation from all sections of society. Women came out in large numbers for the first time. The British responded with harsh repression and arrested thousands of Indians including Gandhi himself. The movement was eventually suspended twice — first after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact of 1931 and finally withdrawn in 1934.
30 MCQs on Civil Disobedience Movement – Indian History
Q1. Who launched the Civil Disobedience Movement in India?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Mahatma Gandhi
C) Subhas Chandra Bose
D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Q2. The Civil Disobedience Movement began with which famous event?
A) Quit India Resolution
B) Non-Cooperation Movement
C) Dandi March (Salt March)
D) Champaran Satyagraha
Q3. On what date did Mahatma Gandhi begin the Dandi March?
A) January 26, 1930
B) March 12, 1930
C) April 6, 1930
D) August 15, 1930
Q4. The Dandi March started from which location?
A) Wardha Ashram
B) Sevagram Ashram
C) Sabarmati Ashram
D) Phoenix Settlement
Q5. How many miles did the Dandi March cover?
A) 150 miles
B) 200 miles
C) 241 miles
D) 300 miles
Q6. On which date did Mahatma Gandhi reach Dandi and break the Salt Law?
A) March 12, 1930
B) March 31, 1930
C) April 6, 1930
D) April 13, 1930
Q7. How many days did the Dandi March take to complete?
A) 15 days
B) 20 days
C) 24 days
D) 30 days
Q8. How many followers accompanied Gandhi at the start of the Dandi March?
A) 56
B) 68
C) 78
D) 100
Q9. Which session of the Indian National Congress declared Purna Swaraj as its goal?
A) Calcutta Session, 1928
B) Lahore Session, 1929
C) Karachi Session, 1931
D) Bombay Session, 1934
Q10. Who presided over the Lahore Session of 1929?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Motilal Nehru
C) Jawaharlal Nehru
D) Subhas Chandra Bose
Q11. When was the first Independence Day (Purna Swaraj Day) celebrated in India?
A) August 15, 1930
B) January 26, 1930
C) March 12, 1930
D) April 6, 1930
Q12. Who was the Viceroy of India during the Civil Disobedience Movement?
A) Lord Chelmsford
B) Lord Reading
C) Lord Irwin
D) Lord Willingdon
Q13. How many demands did Mahatma Gandhi present to Viceroy Lord Irwin before launching the movement?
A) 7
B) 9
C) 11
D) 14
Q14. Which British law did Gandhi choose to break during the Civil Disobedience Movement?
A) Rowlatt Act
B) Salt Law
C) Vernacular Press Act
D) Arms Act
Q15. The Dharasana Salt Works raid was led by which leader after Gandhi’s arrest?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Sardar Patel
C) Abbas Tyabji and Sarojini Naidu
D) Rajendra Prasad
Q16. In which region did Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan lead the Civil Disobedience Movement?
A) Punjab
B) Bengal
C) North-West Frontier Province
D) Sindh
Q17. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan organized which group of volunteers?
A) Hindustan Socialist Republican Army
B) Khudai Khidmatgar (Red Shirts)
C) Indian National Army
D) Azad Hind Fauj
Q18. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on which date?
A) January 26, 1931
B) March 5, 1931
C) August 15, 1931
D) December 31, 1931
Q19. What was the main outcome of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact?
A) British granted complete independence
B) Gandhi agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference
C) Salt tax was permanently abolished
D) All political prisoners were released unconditionally
Q20. Gandhi attended which Round Table Conference in London?
A) First Round Table Conference
B) Second Round Table Conference
C) Third Round Table Conference
D) None of the above
Q21. In which year was the Civil Disobedience Movement finally withdrawn?
A) 1931
B) 1932
C) 1933
D) 1934
Q22. The Karachi Session of the Indian National Congress in 1931 was presided over by whom?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Jawaharlal Nehru
C) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
D) Rajendra Prasad
Q23. The Karachi Session of 1931 is remembered for adopting which resolution?
A) Quit India Resolution
B) Resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy
C) Purna Swaraj Resolution
D) Non-Cooperation Resolution
Q24. Which female leader played a prominent role in the Dharasana Satyagraha?
A) Kasturba Gandhi
B) Sarojini Naidu
C) Annie Besant
D) Kamala Nehru
Q25. During the Civil Disobedience Movement, who led the movement in Peshawar?
A) Maulana Azad
B) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
C) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
D) Syed Ahmad Khan
Q26. The Peshawar incident during the Civil Disobedience Movement involved the refusal of which regiment to fire on unarmed protesters?
A) Madras Regiment
B) Garhwal Regiment
C) Sikh Regiment
D) Gurkha Regiment
Q27. Which Viceroy adopted a harsh policy of repression during the second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
A) Lord Irwin
B) Lord Willingdon
C) Lord Linlithgow
D) Lord Wavell
Q28. C. Rajagopalachari led the Salt March in South India from Trichinopoly to which place?
A) Madras
B) Vedaranyam
C) Pondicherry
D) Thanjavur
Q29. The Civil Disobedience Movement was different from the Non-Cooperation Movement because it involved what?
A) Cooperation with the British government
B) Armed resistance against the British
C) Deliberate breaking of specific laws
D) Boycott of all Indian goods
Q30. Which famous American journalist covered the Dharasana Salt Works raid and reported it to the world?
A) Louis Fischer
B) Webb Miller
C) William Shirer
D) Edgar Snow
Correct Answers
- B) Mahatma Gandhi
- C) Dandi March (Salt March)
- B) March 12, 1930
- C) Sabarmati Ashram
- C) 241 miles
- C) April 6, 1930
- C) 24 days
- C) 78
- B) Lahore Session, 1929
- C) Jawaharlal Nehru
- B) January 26, 1930
- C) Lord Irwin
- C) 11
- B) Salt Law
- C) Abbas Tyabji and Sarojini Naidu
- C) North-West Frontier Province
- B) Khudai Khidmatgar (Red Shirts)
- B) March 5, 1931
- B) Gandhi agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference
- B) Second Round Table Conference
- D) 1934
- C) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- B) Resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy
- B) Sarojini Naidu
- B) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- B) Garhwal Regiment
- B) Lord Willingdon
- B) Vedaranyam
- C) Deliberate breaking of specific laws
- B) Webb Miller
Conclusion
The Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930-1934 was a turning point in the Indian independence struggle. It demonstrated the power of peaceful resistance against colonial rule and mobilized millions of ordinary Indians. The Dandi March became a global symbol of non-violent protest. The movement also brought women into the national movement on an unprecedented scale. Leaders like Sarojini Naidu, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and C. Rajagopalachari inspired people across different regions of India to stand up against British oppression.
For students preparing for UPSC, SSC, State PSC, Railways, and other competitive examinations, the Civil Disobedience Movement is a heavily tested topic in Indian History. These 30 MCQs cover all the important facts including the Dandi March, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Round Table Conference, and the Karachi Session. Practicing these questions regularly will strengthen your preparation and improve your performance in exams.