Quiz of the Day
Gandhi & the Road to Indian Independence
Friday, 2 October 2026
Marking Gandhi's birthday and the International Day of Non-Violence (Oct 2, 1869) — explore his life, the freedom struggle, and modern India
1. In which year was Mohandas Gandhi born?
- 1849
- 1901
- 1889
- 1869
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, in present-day Gujarat. His birthday is celebrated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday. In 2007 the United Nations designated October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence in his honour.
2. By what honorific title, meaning 'great soul,' is Gandhi widely known?
- Pandit
- Mahatma
- Netaji
- Sardar
The Sanskrit-derived title 'Mahatma' means 'great soul.' It is often attributed to the poet Rabindranath Tagore, who helped popularise it for Gandhi. Gandhi himself said he was unworthy of the honorific and found it embarrassing.
3. From which colonial power did India gain independence in 1947?
- Spain
- Britain
- Portugal
- France
India became independent from Britain at midnight on August 15, 1947, ending nearly 90 years of direct British Crown rule that began in 1858. The British Raj had governed the vast subcontinent as the 'jewel in the crown' of its empire. Independence was accompanied by the partition of the territory into India and Pakistan.
4. In which country did Gandhi first develop and practice his methods of nonviolent protest as a young lawyer?
- South Africa
- Kenya
- England
- Fiji
Gandhi spent about 21 years in South Africa, from 1893 to 1914, where he fought discrimination against the Indian community. It was there that he developed his philosophy of 'satyagraha,' or nonviolent resistance. A famous turning point was his being thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg for refusing to leave a first-class carriage.
5. What Sanskrit-derived term did Gandhi use for his philosophy of nonviolent resistance, meaning roughly 'holding firmly to truth'?
- Ahimsa
- Swadeshi
- Swaraj
- Satyagraha
Satyagraha combines the Sanskrit words 'satya' (truth) and 'agraha' (holding firmly). Gandhi coined the term to distinguish his active, principled resistance from mere passive resistance. The concept later influenced civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
6. The 1930 Salt March was a protest against the British monopoly and tax on what commodity?
- Salt
- Tea
- Cotton
- Opium
In March and April 1930, Gandhi led followers on a roughly 240-mile (about 385 km) march to the coastal village of Dandi to make salt from seawater, defying the British salt monopoly. The 24-day march galvanized the independence movement and drew worldwide attention. It sparked a wave of civil disobedience across India.
7. What was the simple hand-operated spinning wheel that became a symbol of Gandhi's self-reliance movement?
- Chakra
- Dhoti
- Charkha
- Tabla
The charkha, a spinning wheel, symbolized Gandhi's call for Indians to make their own homespun cloth, known as 'khadi,' rather than buy British textiles. He believed economic self-reliance was key to independence and spun thread daily himself. A stylized spinning wheel featured at the center of an early flag of the Indian National Congress.
8. Which major Indian political party did Gandhi lead during much of the independence struggle?
- Indian National Congress
- Bharatiya Janata Party
- Communist Party of India
- Muslim League
The Indian National Congress, founded in 1885, became the main vehicle of the independence movement under Gandhi's moral leadership. Though he often held no formal office, Gandhi shaped its strategy of mass nonviolent action. After independence the Congress became one of India's dominant political parties.
9. Who became independent India's first Prime Minister in 1947?
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Subhas Chandra Bose
- Rajendra Prasad
Jawaharlal Nehru, a close associate of Gandhi, served as India's first Prime Minister from 1947 until his death in 1964. He delivered the famous 'Tryst with Destiny' speech on the eve of independence. His daughter Indira Gandhi (no relation to Mahatma Gandhi) later also became Prime Minister.
10. The 1947 partition of British India created India and which new nation?
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
- Nepal
- Pakistan
The partition of 1947 divided British India into the secular-majority-Hindu India and the Muslim-majority Pakistan. It triggered one of the largest mass migrations in history, with millions crossing the new borders. The upheaval was accompanied by widespread communal violence that deeply grieved Gandhi.
11. In which Indian city was Gandhi assassinated on January 30, 1948?
- Kolkata
- New Delhi
- Ahmedabad
- Mumbai
Gandhi was shot and killed in the garden of Birla House in New Delhi while walking to a prayer meeting. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist who opposed Gandhi's stance toward Muslims and Pakistan. The site is now a memorial known as Gandhi Smriti.
12. In 1942, Gandhi launched a mass campaign demanding an immediate end to British rule, known by what name?
- Quit India Movement
- Home Rule Movement
- Non-Cooperation Movement
- Khilafat Movement
The Quit India Movement, launched in August 1942 during World War II, demanded an immediate end to British rule with the slogan 'Do or Die.' The British responded by arresting Gandhi and most Congress leaders, jailing them for much of the rest of the war. Despite the crackdown, it marked a decisive stage in the push toward independence.
13. The Hindi and Urdu word 'Swaraj,' a central goal of Gandhi's movement, translates roughly to what?
- Homespun cloth
- Self-rule
- Civil disobedience
- Non-violence
'Swaraj' means self-rule or self-governance, and it was a rallying cry for the Indian independence movement. For Gandhi it meant not just political freedom from Britain but also individual self-discipline and village-level self-sufficiency. He wrote a book titled 'Hind Swaraj' in 1909 outlining his vision.
14. In Richard Attenborough's acclaimed 1982 film 'Gandhi,' which actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor playing the title role?
- Naseeruddin Shah
- Ben Kingsley
- Om Puri
- Roshan Seth
Ben Kingsley, whose father was of Indian Gujarati heritage, won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Gandhi. The film won eight Oscars in total, including Best Picture and Best Director. Kingsley's real birth name is Krishna Pandit Bhanji.
15. The Indian city of Ahmedabad is home to which ashram, established by Gandhi on the banks of the Sabarmati River?
- Phoenix Settlement
- Tolstoy Farm
- Sabarmati Ashram
- Sevagram Ashram
Gandhi established the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad around 1917, and it served as one of the nerve centers of the independence movement. It was from this ashram that he set out on the famous Salt March in 1930. Today the site is a museum and memorial preserving his living quarters and belongings.