The Quit India Movement was the most aggressive and powerful mass movement launched during India’s freedom struggle. It was started by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, during the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session held at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay (now known as August Kranti Maidan). Gandhi gave the famous call of “Do or Die” to the Indian people. The movement demanded an immediate end to British rule in India. It came at a time when World War II was raging across the globe and the British were facing threats from Japan in Southeast Asia. The failure of the Cripps Mission in March 1942 further angered Indian leaders and pushed them towards launching this historic movement.
The Quit India Movement was also known as the August Kranti (August Revolution). The British government responded with extreme brutality and arrested all the top leaders of the Indian National Congress within hours of the resolution being passed. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, and other prominent leaders were imprisoned. Gandhi was detained at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. Despite the arrest of leaders, the movement spread like wildfire across the country. Common people took charge and organized protests, strikes, and acts of sabotage against British infrastructure. Parallel governments were established in several regions like Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, Tamluk in Bengal, and Satara in Maharashtra. Underground radio stations were operated by leaders like Usha Mehta in Bombay. The British used police and military force to crush the movement. Thousands were killed, injured, and imprisoned. Though the movement was eventually suppressed by 1944, it made it clear that the British could no longer hold on to India. The Quit India Movement marked the final and most decisive phase of the Indian independence struggle.
30 MCQs on Quit India Movement – Indian History
Q1. Who launched the Quit India Movement?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Subhas Chandra Bose
C) Mahatma Gandhi
D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Q2. In which year was the Quit India Movement launched?
A) 1940
B) 1941
C) 1942
D) 1943
Q3. On what date was the Quit India Resolution passed by the AICC?
A) August 8, 1942
B) August 9, 1942
C) August 15, 1942
D) August 20, 1942
Q4. At which location in Bombay was the Quit India Resolution passed?
A) Shivaji Park
B) Gateway of India
C) Gowalia Tank Maidan
D) Azad Maidan
Q5. What was the famous slogan given by Mahatma Gandhi during the Quit India Movement?
A) “Inquilab Zindabad”
B) “Tum Mujhe Khoon Do”
C) “Do or Die”
D) “Jai Hind”
Q6. The Quit India Movement is also known by which other name?
A) Swadeshi Movement
B) August Kranti
C) Satyagraha Movement
D) Khilafat Movement
Q7. The Gowalia Tank Maidan is now known as what?
A) Shivaji Park
B) Azad Maidan
C) August Kranti Maidan
D) Freedom Park
Q8. The failure of which mission directly led to the launch of the Quit India Movement?
A) Simon Commission
B) Cabinet Mission
C) Cripps Mission
D) Wavell Plan
Q9. Who led the Cripps Mission to India in 1942?
A) Lord Mountbatten
B) Sir Stafford Cripps
C) Clement Attlee
D) Winston Churchill
Q10. Where was Mahatma Gandhi imprisoned during the Quit India Movement?
A) Yerawada Jail
B) Aga Khan Palace, Pune
C) Ahmednagar Fort
D) Cellular Jail, Andaman
Q11. Which Congress leader was NOT arrested during the Quit India Movement?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Rajendra Prasad
C) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
D) Mahatma Gandhi
Q12. Who among the following operated an underground radio station during the Quit India Movement?
A) Aruna Asaf Ali
B) Usha Mehta
C) Sucheta Kripalani
D) Sarojini Naidu
Q13. Aruna Asaf Ali is remembered for doing what during the Quit India Movement?
A) Leading underground radio operations
B) Hoisting the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan
C) Forming a parallel government
D) Assassinating a British officer
Q14. A parallel government (Prati Sarkar) was established during the Quit India Movement in which district of Maharashtra?
A) Pune
B) Nagpur
C) Satara
D) Kolhapur
Q15. Who established the parallel government in Satara during the Quit India Movement?
A) Jayaprakash Narayan
B) Nana Patil
C) Ram Manohar Lohia
D) Achyut Patwardhan
Q16. The Tamluk Jatiya Sarkar (National Government) was established in which state during the Quit India Movement?
A) Bihar
B) Bengal (Midnapore)
C) Uttar Pradesh
D) Odisha
Q17. In Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, the parallel government was established under which leader?
A) Ram Manohar Lohia
B) Chittu Pandey
C) Jayaprakash Narayan
D) Achyut Patwardhan
Q18. Which socialist leader escaped from Hazaribagh Jail during the Quit India Movement and went underground?
A) Ram Manohar Lohia
B) Jayaprakash Narayan
C) Minoo Masani
D) Achyut Patwardhan
Q19. Who was the Viceroy of India during the Quit India Movement?
A) Lord Irwin
B) Lord Willingdon
C) Lord Linlithgow
D) Lord Wavell
Q20. The Congress Working Committee passed the “Quit India” draft resolution at which place on July 14, 1942?
A) Bombay
B) Wardha
C) Allahabad
D) Delhi
Q21. Who drafted the Quit India Resolution for the Congress Working Committee?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Jawaharlal Nehru
C) Maulana Azad
D) Sardar Patel
Q22. Which of the following leaders was associated with the underground movement during the Quit India Movement?
A) Ram Manohar Lohia
B) Aruna Asaf Ali
C) Jayaprakash Narayan
D) All of the above
Q23. Who was the President of the Indian National Congress when the Quit India Resolution was passed?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
C) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
D) Rajendra Prasad
Q24. Which wife of Mahatma Gandhi died during his imprisonment at Aga Khan Palace?
A) No one died
B) Kasturba Gandhi
C) His secretary Mahadev Desai
D) Both B and C
Q25. Mahatma Gandhi’s personal secretary who died in Aga Khan Palace during the Quit India Movement was whom?
A) Pyarelal
B) Mahadev Desai
C) J.B. Kripalani
D) Rajendra Prasad
Q26. The British government used which ordinance to suppress the Quit India Movement?
A) Rowlatt Act
B) Defence of India Rules
C) Vernacular Press Act
D) Indian Press Act
Q27. Which political party did NOT support the Quit India Movement?
A) Indian National Congress
B) Muslim League
C) Forward Bloc
D) Both B and C
Q28. The Communist Party of India did not support the Quit India Movement because of what reason?
A) They supported the British war effort against fascism
B) They wanted armed revolution
C) They disagreed with Gandhi’s leadership
D) They were banned by the British
Q29. By which year was the Quit India Movement largely suppressed by the British?
A) 1942
B) 1943
C) 1944
D) 1945
Q30. What was the long-term impact of the Quit India Movement on India’s freedom struggle?
A) It had no impact at all
B) It strengthened British control over India
C) It made clear that India could not be governed without Indian consent
D) It delayed India’s independence by several years
Correct Answers
- C) Mahatma Gandhi
- C) 1942
- A) August 8, 1942
- C) Gowalia Tank Maidan
- C) “Do or Die”
- B) August Kranti
- C) August Kranti Maidan
- C) Cripps Mission
- B) Sir Stafford Cripps
- B) Aga Khan Palace, Pune
- C) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- B) Usha Mehta
- B) Hoisting the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan
- C) Satara
- B) Nana Patil
- B) Bengal (Midnapore)
- B) Chittu Pandey
- B) Jayaprakash Narayan
- C) Lord Linlithgow
- B) Wardha
- B) Jawaharlal Nehru
- D) All of the above
- B) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
- D) Both B and C
- B) Mahadev Desai
- B) Defence of India Rules
- D) Both B and C
- A) They supported the British war effort against fascism
- C) 1944
- C) It made clear that India could not be governed without Indian consent
Conclusion
The Quit India Movement of 1942 was the last great mass movement of the Indian independence struggle. It shook the very foundations of British colonial rule and showed the world that Indians would no longer tolerate foreign domination. Despite the brutal suppression by the British and the arrest of all top leaders, the spirit of the movement remained alive among common people. The parallel governments established in Satara, Tamluk, and Ballia proved that Indians were ready to govern themselves.
For students preparing for UPSC, SSC, State PSC, Railways, and other competitive examinations, the Quit India Movement is one of the most frequently asked topics in Indian History. These 30 MCQs cover all the important facts about the movement including its leaders, events, parallel governments, and outcomes. Regular practice of these questions will help you perform better in your exams and score higher marks.