This free modern history 1937 to 1947 quiz covers the last decade of the freedom struggle in 25 questions: the Tripuri crisis, the August Offer, individual satyagraha, Cripps, Quit India and the parallel governments, Azad Hind, the INA trials and RIN revolt, the Cabinet Mission, Direct Action Day, the Mountbatten plan and Radcliffe line, with several questions drawn straight from NCERT Class 12 Theme 11. A second section adds 15 persons-in-news questions from 2025-26, the kind of appointment and obituary items that fill the current-affairs part of the BPSC paper. Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation as soon as you choose an option, and the score bar applies BPSC-style negative marking. For more practice, see our free BPSC mock test series.
What this test covers: Bose versus Sitaramayya, the August Offer, Vinoba and Nehru as satyagrahis, the post-dated cheque, Gowalia Tank, Ballia, Tamluk and Satara, Azad Hind Sarkar, the C. R. Formula, Desai-Liaquat to Mountbatten, Red Fort trials, HMIS Talwar, Direct Action Day, Radcliffe, Attlee’s June 1948 deadline, Begum Shahnawaz, the White Paper, the chaukidari tax campaign in Bihar, and 2025-26 persons in news from the new Bihar Governor and BJP president to the 2025 Nobel laureates.
Modern History 1937–1947 & Persons in News
40 questions · NCERT Class 12 Theme 11 + current affairs · BPSC prelims pattern
How this test works
Click the option you think is right. It locks, turns green if correct or red if not, and the explanation opens underneath. Your score updates in the bar at the top as you go, and Calculate final score at the bottom gives the full breakdown. Choose (E) Not attempted when you would only be guessing, exactly as you would bubble E on the BPSC OMR sheet.
+1 mark — Correct answer
−1/3 mark — Wrong answer
0 — no penalty — (E) Not attempted, the fifth bubble on every question
−1/3 mark — Row left completely blank in the real exam
Modern history 1937–194725 questions
1. Consider the following statements regarding the Tripuri Session of the INC (1939):
- Subhas Chandra Bose defeated Pattabhi Sitaramayya to get re-elected as President.
- Mahatma Gandhi declared Sitaramayya’s defeat as his own personal defeat.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2
At Tripuri in 1939 Bose defeated Gandhi’s candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya, and Gandhi called Sitaramayya’s defeat his own. Both statements are correct.
2. Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R):
Assertion (A): The August Offer of 1940 was rejected by both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League.
Reason (R): It offered Dominion Status in an unspecified future and gave veto power to minorities regarding constitutional changes.
Select the correct option:
Show answer
Answer: (D) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
The August Offer promised dominion status at an unspecified date and a veto for minorities, which both the Congress and the League rejected. R explains A.
3. Who was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as the second Individual Satyagrahi in October 1940?
Show answer
Answer: (D) Jawaharlal Nehru
Vinoba Bhave was the first individual satyagrahi, Jawaharlal Nehru the second and Brahma Datt the third.
4. Fill in the blank:
Mahatma Gandhi described the proposals of the Cripps Mission (1942) as a “post-dated cheque on a ________ bank.”
Show answer
Answer: (B) Crashing
Gandhi dismissed the Cripps proposals of 1942 as a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank.
5. Consider the following statements regarding the Quit India Movement (1942):
- The resolution was formally passed at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay.
- Mahatma Gandhi gave the famous slogan “Do or Die” during this struggle.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
Show answer
Answer: (D) Neither 1 nor 2
The Quit India resolution was passed at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on 8 August 1942 and Gandhi gave the call Do or Die. Neither statement is incorrect.
6. Parallel governments (Prati Sarkar) were established in which of the following places during the Quit India Movement?
- Ballia (UP)
- Tamluk (Bengal)
- Satara (Maharashtra)
Select the correct code:
Show answer
Answer: (C) 1, 2 and 3
Parallel governments were set up at Ballia (Chittu Pandey), Tamluk (Jatiya Sarkar) and Satara (Prati Sarkar under Nana Patil). All three are correct.
7. Assertion (A): Subhas Chandra Bose established the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind in Singapore in October 1943.
Reason (R): He sought to launch an armed struggle against British rule with Axis support to liberate India.
Show answer
Answer: (B) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Bose proclaimed the Azad Hind government in Singapore on 21 October 1943 to fight British rule with Japanese support. R explains A.
8. What was the core purpose of the C.R. Formula proposed by C. Rajagopalachari in 1944?
Show answer
Answer: (D) To solve the political deadlock between Congress and the Muslim League regarding partition.
The C. R. Formula of 1944 tried to break the Congress-League deadlock by conceding a post-war plebiscite in Muslim-majority areas.
9. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct option:
List-I
A. Desai-Liaquat Pact
B. Wavell Plan / Shimla Conference
C. Cabinet Mission
D. Mountbatten Plan
B. Wavell Plan / Shimla Conference
C. Cabinet Mission
D. Mountbatten Plan
List-II
- January 1945
- June 1945
- March 1946
- June 1947
Show answer
Answer: (C) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
The Desai-Liaquat pact came in January 1945, the Wavell plan and Shimla conference in June 1945, the Cabinet Mission in March 1946 and the Mountbatten plan in June 1947. Code A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4.
10. Fill in the blank:
The historic INA Trials of 1945–1946, which sparked intense national unity, were conducted at the ________ in Delhi.
Show answer
Answer: (B) Red Fort
The INA officers Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sahgal and Gurbaksh Dhillon were tried at the Red Fort in Delhi in 1945-46, provoking nationwide protests.
11. Consider the following statements regarding the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny of 1946:
- The mutiny started aboard HMIS Talwar in Pune over bad food and racial discrimination.
- Ratings hoisted Congress, Muslim League, and Communist Party flags on ship masts.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
Show answer
Answer: (B) 1 only
The RIN revolt of February 1946 began on HMIS Talwar in Bombay, not Pune, so statement 1 is incorrect. The ratings did hoist Congress, League and Communist flags together.
12. Assertion (A): The Cabinet Mission Plan accepted the demand for a fully independent sovereign state of Pakistan in 1946.
Reason (R): It concluded that a separate Pakistan would solve the minority problem and would disrupt communications and defence.
Show answer
Answer: (D) (A) is false, (R) is false.
The Cabinet Mission rejected the demand for a sovereign Pakistan, arguing it would not solve the minority problem and would disrupt communications and defence. Both A and R as stated are false.
13. Which date was designated as “Direct Action Day” by the All-India Muslim League in 1946?
Show answer
Answer: (C) August 16, 1946
The Muslim League observed 16 August 1946 as Direct Action Day, which led to the Calcutta killings.
14. Who served as the Chairman of the Punjab and Bengal Boundary Commissions in 1947?
Show answer
Answer: (D) Cyril Radcliffe
Sir Cyril Radcliffe chaired both the Punjab and Bengal boundary commissions that drew the partition line.
15. Fill in the blank:
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced on February 20, 1947, that the British would transfer full power to Indians by ________ at the latest.
Show answer
Answer: (B) June 1948
On 20 February 1947 Attlee announced that Britain would leave India by June 1948 at the latest; Mountbatten later advanced the date to August 1947.
16. Consider the following statements regarding the Mountbatten Plan:
- It provided for legislative assemblies of Bengal and Punjab to vote on partition.
- A referendum was prescribed for the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Sylhet district.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
Show answer
Answer: (D) Neither 1 nor 2
The Mountbatten plan let the Bengal and Punjab assemblies vote on partition and provided referendums in the NWFP and Sylhet. Neither statement is incorrect.
17. Assertion (A): The Wavell Plan failed at the Shimla Conference of May 1945.
Reason (R): Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded that the Muslim League must have the exclusive right to nominate all Muslim members to the Executive Council.
Show answer
Answer: (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
The Shimla conference met in June-July 1945, not May, so A as stated is false. R is true: Jinnah insisted that only the League could nominate Muslim members.
18. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct option:
List-I
A. Day of Deliverance
B. Quit India Resolution
C. Azad Hind Sarkar
D. Radcliffe Line
B. Quit India Resolution
C. Azad Hind Sarkar
D. Radcliffe Line
List-II
- Dec 22, 1939, observed by the Muslim League
- Gowalia Tank, Bombay (August 1942)
- Singapore (October 1943)
- India-Pakistan International Border
Show answer
Answer: (A) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
The League’s Day of Deliverance was 22 December 1939, the Quit India resolution was passed at Gowalia Tank in August 1942, Azad Hind Sarkar was proclaimed in Singapore in October 1943 and the Radcliffe line is the India-Pakistan border. Code A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4.
19. Consider the following statements about the political developments within the Congress during the 1930s:
- Jawaharlal Nehru returned from Europe in 1928 deeply opposed to the Soviet Union.
- After his 1936 speech, conservative leaders fully supported Nehru’s radical socialist rhetoric.
- Mahatma Gandhi refused to mediate between Nehru and the conservative faction.
Which of the statements given above are incorrect?
Show answer
Answer: (D) 1, 2, and 3
Nehru returned from Europe in 1928 impressed by the Soviet Union, conservatives opposed his socialist speech of 1936, and Gandhi did mediate between the two sides. All three statements are incorrect.
Source: NCERT Class 12, theme 11
20. Which peasant community predominantly supported and dominated the prati sarkar movement in Satara alongside Dalits?
Show answer
Answer: (B) Kunbi peasants
The NCERT notes that the Satara prati sarkar was dominated by kunbi peasants and supported by dalits.
Source: NCERT Class 12, theme 11
21. In his letter to his sister regarding Mahatma Gandhi during the Second Round Table Conference, how did Lord Willingdon characterise Gandhi’s political manoeuvres?
Show answer
Answer: (C) A political manoeuvre inspired by God
In his letter Lord Willingdon called Gandhi’s actions a political manoeuvre which he believed to be inspired by God.
Source: NCERT Class 12, theme 11
22. Consider the following statements regarding Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz:
- She was a prominent Indian Muslim woman leader who represented women’s interests at the Round Table Conferences in London during the early 1930s.
- She served as the first woman President of the Indian National Congress during its Lahore session in 1929.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (A) 1 only
Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz attended the Round Table Conferences as a women’s representative. Statement 2 is wrong: the first woman Congress president was Annie Besant in 1917; Nehru presided at Lahore in 1929.
23. Consider the following statements regarding the “White Paper” compiled after the Third Round Table Conference:
- It was published in March 1933 by the Indian National Congress and contained the detailed proposals for constitutional reforms in India.
- It served as the direct foundational basis for the enactment of the Government of India Act of 1935.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (C) 2 only
The White Paper of March 1933 was issued by the British government, not the Congress, and it formed the basis of the Government of India Act 1935. Only statement 2 is correct.
24. According to the Home Department fortnightly report for the first half of March 1930 regarding Bihar and Orissa, what specific campaign was reportedly being discussed?
Show answer
Answer: (D) A campaign to withhold payment of the chaukidari tax
The Home Department report for early March 1930 noted that in Bihar and Orissa a campaign to withhold the chaukidari tax was being discussed.
Source: NCERT Class 12, theme 11
25. According to his biographer D.G. Tendulkar, what did Mahatma Gandhi do through September and October 1947?
Show answer
Answer: (C) He went around hospitals and refugee camps, offering consolation to distressed people.
D. G. Tendulkar records that in September and October 1947 Gandhi went round hospitals and refugee camps in Delhi consoling the distressed.
Source: NCERT Class 12, theme 11
Persons in news 2025–2615 questions
26. Match the following:
a. Shashi Shekhar Vempati
- Chairperson, Prasar Bharati
b. Prasoon Joshi
2. Chairperson, CBFC
2. Chairperson, CBFC
c. Hrishikesh Roy
3. Ombudsman, Bihar Cricket Association
3. Ombudsman, Bihar Cricket Association
d. D.Y. Chandrachud
4. Mediator in Sanjay Kapur family dispute.
4. Mediator in Sanjay Kapur family dispute.
Select the correct code:
Show answer
Answer: (A) a-2, b-1, c-3, d-4
Shashi Shekhar Vempati chaired the CBFC, Prasoon Joshi was named Prasar Bharati chairperson, Hrishikesh Roy became ombudsman of the Bihar Cricket Association and D. Y. Chandrachud mediated the Sanjay Kapur family dispute. Code a-2, b-1, c-3, d-4.
27. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain became the Governor of Bihar on 14 March 2026. He succeeded:
Show answer
Answer: (C) Arif Mohammad Khan
Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain took over as Governor of Bihar in March 2026, succeeding Arif Mohammad Khan.
28. Consider the following statements regarding Nitin Nabin:
- He became the National President of BJP in January 2026.
- He is the first leader from Bihar to become BJP National President.
- He became the youngest BJP President at the age of 45.
Which of the above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
Nitin Nabin became BJP national president in January 2026, the first from Bihar and, at 45, the youngest to hold the post. All three statements are correct.
29. RM Nachammai became notable because she:
Show answer
Answer: (B) Became the first woman Chief Superintendent managing operations of a functional nuclear power plant under NPCIL
R. M. Nachammai became the first woman chief superintendent to manage operations of a functioning NPCIL nuclear power plant.
30. Consider the following statements about the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC):
- It was established in 1964 through an executive Resolution.
- It was established on the recommendation of the Santhanam Committee.
- It received statutory status through the CVC Act, 2003.
Which of the above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
The CVC was set up in 1964 by an executive resolution on the Santhanam Committee’s recommendation and got statutory status under the CVC Act, 2003. All three are correct.
31. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
Show answer
Answer: (B) Sunetra Pawar — First woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Sunetra Pawar became the first woman deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. Samrat Choudhary has been Chief Minister of Bihar since 15 April 2026 (he was deputy chief minister before that), not Governor, and Syed Ata Hasnain is the Governor of Bihar, not the NSA.
32. Davinder Singh Garcha, the sportsperson who died in January 2026, was a gold medallist in the Indian hockey team at which Olympics?
Show answer
Answer: (A) 1980 Moscow Olympics
Davinder Singh Garcha was part of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
33. Queen Mother Sirikit, who died in October 2025, was the Queen of which country and known as the ‘Green Queen’ for her conservation work?
Show answer
Answer: (B) Thailand
Queen Mother Sirikit of Thailand, known as the Green Queen for her conservation work, died in October 2025.
34. Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning actress who died in October 2025, won the Best Actress Award at the 50th Academy Awards (1978) for which film?
Show answer
Answer: (C) Annie Hall
Diane Keaton won the Best Actress Oscar for Annie Hall at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978.
35. ‘X’, who passed away in December 2025 at the age of 100, was a gold medallist from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, and designed the world’s tallest statue honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He also sculpted the equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Parliament premises. Identify ‘X’.
Show answer
Answer: (A) Ram Vanji Sutar
Ram Vanji Sutar, the sculptor of the Statue of Unity and the Shivaji equestrian statue at Parliament, died in December 2025 aged 100.
36. ‘X’, born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor emeritus at an American university (UC Berkeley) when the prize was announced, and was awarded it for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit. Identify ‘X’.
Show answer
Answer: (D) John Clarke
John Clarke, born in the UK and professor emeritus at UC Berkeley, shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics with Michel Devoret and John Martinis.
37. ‘X’, who died in July 2025 at the age of 114, was the oldest person to complete a full marathon at the age of 100 and was a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics. Popularly called the ‘Turbaned Tornado’, he received the British Empire Medal in 2015. Identify ‘X’.
Show answer
Answer: (B) Fauja Singh
Fauja Singh, the Turbaned Tornado who ran a marathon at 100 and carried the 2012 Olympic torch, died in July 2025 aged 114.
38. Which International Relations scholar, who passed away in May 2025, is credited with coining the terms ‘soft power’ and ‘smart power’, and with co-founding neoliberalism alongside Robert Keohane?
Show answer
Answer: (C) Joseph S. Nye Jr.
Joseph S. Nye Jr., who coined the terms soft power and smart power and co-founded neoliberal institutionalism with Robert Keohane, died in May 2025.
39. ‘X’, who died in November 2025 at the age of 114, was a quarry labourer from Gubbi taluk in Karnataka who planted thousands of trees along a highway. Honoured with the Padma Shri in 2019, she is popularly called the ‘Tree Woman of India’. Identify ‘X’.
Show answer
Answer: (B) Saalumarada Thimmakka
Saalumarada Thimmakka of Karnataka, the Tree Woman of India and Padma Shri awardee, died in November 2025 aged 114.
40. ‘X’, who passed away in October 2025 and was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2026, joined Ogilvy India in 1982 and created iconic campaigns including Fevicol’s bus ad and Cadbury’s ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’. Known as the ‘Father of Indian Advertising’, identify ‘X’.
Show answer
Answer: (D) Piyush Pandey
Piyush Pandey of Ogilvy India, creator of the Fevicol and Cadbury campaigns, died in October 2025 and was awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2026.
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1 C · 2 D · 3 D · 4 B · 5 D · 6 C · 7 B · 8 D · 9 C · 10 B · 11 B · 12 D · 13 C · 14 D · 15 B · 16 D · 17 D · 18 A · 19 D · 20 B · 21 C · 22 A · 23 C · 24 D · 25 C · 26 A · 27 C · 28 D · 29 B · 30 D · 31 B · 32 A · 33 B · 34 C · 35 A · 36 D · 37 B · 38 C · 39 B · 40 D
Scoring: +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 for (E) Not attempted, −1/3 for a row left blank in the real exam.
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