Social Reform Movements in India - Question Bank

1. Who was a leading figure in the anti-untouchability campaign and the founder of the 'Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha'?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Periyar E.V. Ramasamy
C) B.R. Ambedkar
D) Jyotirao Phule
2. The 'Sadharan Brahmo Samaj' was formed as a result of a split within the original Brahmo Samaj, primarily over:
A) The role of women in the organization
B) The emphasis on monotheism versus polytheism
C) The extent of Western influence and the authority of its founder
D) The approach to social reforms like widow remarriage
3. Which organization, founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, played a pivotal role in the educational and social upliftment of Muslims in British India?
A) Anjuman-i-Taraqqi-i-Urdu
B) Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (later Aligarh Muslim University)
C) All-India Muslim League
D) Deoband School
4. The 'Aravipuram Movement' led by Sree Narayana Guru was a direct challenge to:
A) British rule
B) The caste hierarchy and temple entry restrictions
C) Religious conversion
D) The Zamindari system
5. Who established the 'Kashi Vidyapeeth' and 'Wardha Scheme of Basic Education' to promote indigenous education and vocational training?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Jawaharlal Nehru
C) Vallabhbhai Patel
D) Rajendra Prasad
6. The 'Dev Samaj' laid particular emphasis on the importance of:
A) Rituals and ceremonies
B) The guru-shishya tradition
C) Ethical conduct and divine love
D) Scriptural interpretation
7. Who authored 'Gulamgiri', a book that critiqued the caste system and drew parallels between the oppression of lower castes in India and slavery in America?
A) B.R. Ambedkar
B) Jyotirao Phule
C) Savithribai Phule
D) Mahatma Gandhi
8. The 'Social Service League' was founded in 1911 by whom, with the aim of organizing educated people for social work?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
C) N.M. Joshi
D) Narayan Murti
9. Which social reformer from Maharashtra was a prominent advocate for widow remarriage and was himself a victim of social ostracism for his reformist views?
A) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
B) Mahadev Govind Ranade
C) Vishnushastri Pandit
D) Jyotirao Phule
10. The 'Tattvabodhini Patrika' was the mouthpiece of which reform organization?
A) Brahmo Samaj
B) Tattvabodhini Sabha
C) Arya Samaj
D) Dev Samaj
11. Who is known as the 'Prophet of New India' and was a key disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa?
A) Swami Dayananda Saraswati
B) Swami Vivekananda
C) Ramana Maharshi
D) Paramahansa Yogananda
12. The 'Veda Samaj' was established in Madras in 1864, and was influenced by the principles of which other reform movement?
A) Arya Samaj
B) Prarthana Samaj
C) Brahmo Samaj
D) Satya Shodhak Samaj
13. Who founded the 'Indian Women's University' (SNDT Women's University) in 1916?
A) Savithribai Phule
B) Pandita Ramabai
C) D.K. Karve
D) Annie Besant
14. The 'Swarajya Party', though primarily political, also advocated for social reforms like:
A) Abolition of untouchability and promotion of Khadi
B) Women's suffrage and prohibition
C) Education for all and land redistribution
D) Worker's rights and factory reforms
15. Which social reformer is associated with the 'Temple Entry Movement' in Travancore, advocating for the right of lower castes to enter temples?
A) Sree Narayana Guru
B) Ayyankali
C) K.P. Kesava Menon
D) Periyar E.V. Ramasamy
16. The 'Bhoodan Movement', a voluntary land reform movement, was initiated by whom?
A) Vinoba Bhave
B) J.P. Narayan
C) Acharya Kripalani
D) Mahatma Gandhi
17. Who established the 'Shri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam' (SNDP) to uplift the Ezhava community?
A) Periyar E.V. Ramasamy
B) Sree Narayana Guru
C) K.P. Kesava Menon
D) Ayyankali
18. The 'Ahimsa' and 'Satyagraha' principles, central to Gandhi's social and political reform, were deeply influenced by:
A) The teachings of Swami Dayananda Saraswati
B) The writings of Leo Tolstoy and the Bhagavad Gita
C) The rationalism of Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D) The reformist zeal of the Brahmo Samaj
19. Which leader was instrumental in the passage of the Age of Consent Act, 1891, which raised the age of marriage for girls?
A) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
B) B.M. Malabari
C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
D) Pandita Ramabai
20. The 'Tattvabodhini Sabha', founded by Debendranath Tagore, aimed to propagate the teachings of:
A) The Quran
B) The Bible
C) The Vedas and Upanishads
D) The Bhagavad Gita
21. Who founded the 'Depressed Classes Mission Society of India' in 1901?
A) B.R. Ambedkar
B) Vitthal Ramji Shinde
C) Jyotirao Phule
D) Mahadev Govind Ranade
22. The 'Dharma Sabha' was established in 1830 as a counter-movement to the reforms advocated by:
A) Swami Vivekananda
B) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
C) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
D) Mahatma Gandhi
23. Which social reformer from Tamil Nadu was a strong advocate for widow remarriage and women's education, and also founded the 'Vedha Samaj'?
A) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
B) Kandukuri Veeresalingam
C) Sridharalu Naidu
D) Surendranath Banerjea
24. The 'Nair Service Society' (NSS) was formed in Kerala to improve the social and educational status of which community?
A) Ezhava
B) Nambudiri
C) Nair
D) Christian
25. Who established the 'Ananda Math', a novel that depicted a sanyasi rebellion and is associated with the song 'Vande Mataram'?
A) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
B) Ishwar Chandra Gupta
C) Michael Madhusudan Dutt
D) Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
26. The 'Deccan Riots' of the 1870s were primarily a protest by farmers against:
A) Land revenue policies and moneylenders
B) Government interference in social customs
C) Religious discrimination
D) Exploitation by factory owners
27. Who founded the 'Radical Democratic Party' and was a strong critic of caste and communalism?
A) M.N. Roy
B) S.A. Dange
C) E.M.S. Namboodiripad
D) Bhagat Singh
28. The 'Vaikom Satyagraha' in Kerala, a significant anti-untouchability movement, was largely inspired by the philosophy of:
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) B.R. Ambedkar
C) Periyar E.V. Ramasamy
D) Sree Narayana Guru
29. Which movement, inspired by Swami Vivekananda, aimed at serving humanity and spreading spiritual ideals?
A) Arya Samaj
B) Brahmo Samaj
C) Ramakrishna Mission
D) Servants of India Society
30. Pandita Ramabai, a prominent social reformer, is known for her work in advocating for:
A) Widow's rights and education
B) Dalit empowerment
C) Tribal welfare
D) Child labor abolition
31. The Indian Social Conference, founded in 1887, primarily aimed at:
A) Promoting Hindu-Muslim unity
B) Discussing and resolving social issues
C) Advocating for political reforms
D) Establishing educational institutions
32. Who founded the Santhal 'Hul' rebellion in 1855-56 against oppressive policies, often seen as an early form of social protest?
A) Birsa Munda
B) Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu
C) Titu Mir
D) Rani Lakshmibai
33. The practice of Sati was declared illegal and punishable by the Indian government under the influence of reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, primarily during the tenure of which Governor-General?
A) Lord Dalhousie
B) Lord William Bentinck
C) Lord Curzon
D) Lord Lytton
34. Who is considered the 'Father of Modern India' and a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance?
A) Swami Vivekananda
B) Rabindranath Tagore
C) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
35. The 'Young Bengal Movement' was inspired by the teachings of which European thinker?
A) John Stuart Mill
B) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
C) Henry Louis Vivian Derozio
D) Voltaire
36. Which social reformer is known for his work against the caste system and for advocating inter-caste marriages in Maharashtra?
A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
C) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
D) Vishnushastri Pandit
37. The Widow Remarriage Association was founded by whom in 1850?
A) Mahadev Govind Ranade
B) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
C) Vishnushastri Pandit
D) Jyotirao Phule
38. Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu was a prominent social reformer from which region of India?
A) Maharashtra
B) Bengal
C) Andhra Pradesh
D) Tamil Nadu
39. Which movement, led by Sree Narayana Guru, advocated for the equality and self-respect of the Ezhava community in Kerala?
A) Aravipuram Movement
B) Vaikom Satyagraha
C) Guruvayoor Satyagraha
D) Nair Service Society
40. Who was the founder of the Veda Samaj, also known as the Brahmo Samaj of South India?
A) Sree Narayana Guru
B) Kandukuri Veeresalingam
C) Sridharalu Naidu
D) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
41. The Theosophical Society, with prominent figures like Annie Besant, aimed to promote:
A) Western scientific education
B) Spiritual unity of religions and study of comparative religion
C) Political independence for India
D) Abolition of untouchability
42. Which social reformer is credited with establishing the first girls' school in India in 1848?
A) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
B) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
C) Jyotirao Phule
D) Savithribai Phule
43. The Dev Samaj, established by Pandit Shiv Narayan Agnihotri, emphasized which core principles?
A) Monotheism and ethical living
B) Caste system reform
C) Universal brotherhood
D) Women's emancipation
44. Who founded the Servants of India Society, dedicated to social service and upliftment of the poor?
A) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
B) Mahatma Gandhi
C) B.R. Ambedkar
D) Jawaharlal Nehru
45. The Aligarh Movement, led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, primarily focused on modernizing education for which community?
A) Hindus
B) Sikhs
C) Muslims
D) Parsis
46. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is most famously associated with which significant social reform?
A) Abolition of Sati
B) Legalization of widow remarriage
C) Prohibition of child marriage
D) Promotion of female education
47. Which movement, founded by Jyotirao Phule, aimed at uplifting the lower castes and promoting social equality?
A) Brahmo Samaj
B) Arya Samaj
C) Satya Shodhak Samaj
D) Aligarh Movement
48. Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded which important socio-religious reform movement in India?
A) Arya Samaj
B) Ramakrishna Mission
C) Theosophical Society
D) Satya Shodhak Samaj
49. The Prarthana Samaj, established in Bombay, was primarily focused on which social issue?
A) Widow remarriage
B) Caste system abolition
C) Women's education
D) Religious reform and monotheism
50. Who is widely regarded as the pioneer of the Brahmo Samaj and a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance?
A) Swami Vivekananda
B) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
C) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar