Indigo class 12, Series B


Noted by P.B.
Very short type questions: 1 Mark each
1.       Who is the author of the lesson, ‘Indigo’?
Answer: Louis Fischer is the author of the lesson, ‘Indigo’.

2.       Which book by Louis Fisher has been reviewed as one of the best books ever written on Gandhi by times Educational Supplement?
Answer: The Book named, “The Life of Mahatma Gandhi” by Louis Fisher has been reviewed as one of the best books ever written on Gandhi by times Educational Supplement.

3.       When did Gandhi decide ‘to urge the departure of the British?
Answer:  Gandhi decided ‘to urge the departure of the British in 1917.

4.       Who was Rajkumar Shukla?
Answer: Rajkumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran.

5.       Where was Rajkumar Shukla from?
Answer: Rajkumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran.

6.       What did Shukla want Gandhi to do?
Answer: Shukla wanted Gandhi to go to his district.

7.       Where was Champaran?
Answer: Champaran was in the foothills of the towering Himalayas, near the kingdom of Nepal.

8.       Where did Gandhi and Shukla board a train to?
Answer: Gandhi and Shukla boarded a train to the city of Patna in Bihar.

9.       Whom did Gandhi and Shukla want to meet at Patna?
Answer: Gandhi and Shukla wanted to meet a lawyer at Patna named Rajendra Prasad who later became the President of the Congress party and of India.

10.    Where did Gandhi decide to go first from Patna? And why? (2 Marks)
Answer: Gandhi decided to go first from Patna to Muzzafarpur, which was en route to Champaran.  Gandhi wanted to go there to obtain more complete information about the conditions than Shukla was capable of imparting.

11.    Which country had developed synthetic indigo?
Answer: Germany had developed synthetic indigo.

12.     What was the capital of Champaran?
Answer: The capital of Champaran was Motihari.

13.    What happened when Gandhi refused to furnish bail at the Muzzafarpur Court?
Answer: When Gandhi refused to furnish bail at the Muzzafarpur Court then the judge released him without bail.

14.    Where did Gandhi go to in December, 1916?
Answer: Gandhi had gone to the annual convention of the Indian National Congress party in Lucknow in December 1916.

15.    Did Gandhi know about Champaran before he met Shukla?
Answer: No, Gandhi had never heard about Champaran before he met Shukla.


16.    What is sharecropper?
Answer:  Sharecropper is a tenant farmer who gives a part of each crop as rent.

17.    Why did Shukla come to the congress season of 1916.
Answer: Shukla came to the congress season of 1916 to meet Gandhi and wanted Gandhi to go to his district.

18.    Did Gandhi give an immediate audience to Shukla?
Answer: Gandhi did not give an immediate audience to Shukla. Because, Gandhi had an appointment in
Cawnpore and was also committed to go to the other parts of India.

19.    For how long did Shukla have to wait before he was able to speak to Gandhi?
Answer:  Shukla had to wait for weeks before he was able to speak to Gandhi.

20.    Who did the servants of Rajendra Prasad take Gandhi to be?
Answer: The servants of Rajendra Prasad took Gandhi to be another peasant like Shukla, a poor yeoman.

21.    Where did Gandhi stay in Muzzafarpur?
Answer: Gandhi stayed in Muzzafarpur for two days in the home of Professor Malkani, a teacher in a government school.

22.    When did Gandhi reach Muzzafarpur? How was he grated at the station? (2 Marks)
Answer: Gandhi reached at Muzzafarpur on 15 April 1917. Kripalani grated him at the station with a large body of students.

23.    What according to Gandhi was the real relief for the peasants?
Answer: According to Gandhi, the real relief for the peasants is to be free from fear.

24.    What did Gandhi do when he received an official notice to ‘quit’ Champaran?
Answer: When he received an official notice to ‘quit’ Champaran then Gandhi signed a receipt for the notice and wrote on that he would disobey the order.

25.    Name the person who came from Bihar to Motihari to help Gandhi?
Answer: Rajendra Prasad, the person who came from Bihar to Motihari to help Gandhi.

26.    What was the gist of the conversation between Gandhi and the lawyers he wished to return home at the event of Gandhi’s imprisonment?
Answer: When Gandhi asked what the lawyers would do if he was sentenced to prison.  Then, the senior lawyer replied that they had come to advice and help him; if he went to jail there would be nobody to advice and they would go home.

27.    Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers?
Answer: Gandhi agreed to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers as / because Gandhi explained that the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been obliged to surrender part of the money and, with it, part of their prestige.

28.    What were the three medicines with which Gandhi tried to improve the health conditions of Champaran?
Answer: The three medicines with which Gandhi tried to improve the health conditions of Champaran were castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment.


29.    What was Gandhi’s politics intertwined with?
Answer: Gandhi’s politics were intertwined with the practical, day-to-day problems of the millions. His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living, human beings.

Short Answer Questions: (2 marks each )
1.        What was the incident that prompted Gandhi to raise his voice of protest against the British?
Answer: The incident of Champaran or the episode of Champaran that prompted Gandhi to raise his voice of protest against the British. Gandhi protested against the British sharecroppers for the poor farmers. (31 words)

2.        Where and when was the annual convention of the Indian National congress party held?
Answer: The annual convention of the Indian National congress party was held in Lucknow on December 1916. (16 words)

3.        What did Gandhi tell Rajkumar Shukla?
Answer: Gandhi told Rajkumar Shukla that he had an appointment in Cawnpore and was also committed to go to other parts of India. (22 words)

4.        Why was Gandhi impressed with Shukla?
Answer: Gandhi was impressed by Shukla’s tenacity and story of Champaran. Gandhi was mostly impressed for his resolute that he never left Gandhi’s side for weeks and went with him all the places until the fix date. (36 words)

5.        What did the servants at Rajendra Prasad’s house mistake Gandhi to be?
Answer:  The servants at Rajendra Prasad’s house mistook Gandhi to be a poor yeoman or another peasant like Shukla. They let Gandhi stay on the grounds with his companion, Shukla. (29 words)

6.        Why was Gandhi not allowed to draw water from the well?
Answer: Gandhi was not allowed to draw water from the well because the servants thought or suspected that Gandhi was an untouchable person. Also, they thought that some drops from his bucket pollute the entire source. (35 words)

7.        Why did he choose to go to Muzzafarpur first before going on to Champaran?
Answer: He chose to go to Muzzafarpur first to obtain more complete information about the conditions than Shukla, before going on to Champaran. Gandhi wanted to know the entire matters clearly that Shukla had already informed. (35 words)

8.        Whom did Gandhi send a telegram to in Muzzafarpur?
Answer: Gandhi sent a telegram to Professor J.B. Kripalani, of the Arts College in Muzzafarpur, whom he had seen at Tagore’s Shantiniketan school. (22 words)

9.        Where did Gandhi stay in Muzzafarpur and how long?
Answer: Gandhi stayed in Muzzafarpur in the home of Professor Malkani, a teacher in a government school for two days. (19 words)

10.     Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers?
Answer: Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fees from the sharecroppers. He also said that the peasants should stop going to law courts where the peasants are so crushed and fear-stricken.(31 words)

11.     What did the British Commissioner of the Tirhut division in Champaran district ask Gandhi to do?
Answer: The British Commissioner of the Tirhut division in Champaran district asked Gandhi to ‘proceeded to bully him and advised him forthwith to leave Tirhut. (24 words)

12.     Why was professor Malkani’s action of offering shelter to Gandhi ‘extraordinary’?
Answer: Professor Malkani’s action of offering shelter to Gandhi was ‘extraordinary’ because in smaller localities, the Indians were afraid to show sympathy for advocates of home-rule in those days. So, it was extraordinary in those days for a government professor to harbour a man like Gandhi. (45 words)

13.     What do you know of Rajkumar Shukla?
Answer: Rajkumar Shukla is a poor yeoman or a poor peasant of Champaran. He is simple and resolute person. Only for his impression, Gandhi went to Champaran on regarding the problem of sharecroppers. For his request, Gandhi raised his voice to protest against the British.  (44 words) 

14.     What did Shukla do while he waited for Gandhi to speak to him?
Answer: While Shukla waited for Gandhi to speak to him then Shukla accompanied him everywhere. Also, Shukla followed him to the ashram and for weeks he never left Gandhi’s side until the fix date. (33 words)

15.     Why did Rajendra Prasad’s servants allow Shukla to stay on the grounds with his companion?
Answer: Rajendra Prasad’s servants knew Shukla as a poor yeoman who pestered their master to help the indigo sharecroppers. So they let him stay on the grounds with his companion, Gandhi. As they knew Shukla that he was an untouchable. (39 words)

16.     Why did Gandhi write to J.B. Kripalani?
Answer: Gandhi decided to go first to Muzzafarpur to obtain more complete information about conditions than Shukla had informed. So, Gandhi wrote to J.B. Kripalani for supporting and getting other facilities like house, foods etc. from Kripalani.(36 words)

17.     Why did Gandhi think that ‘it was an extra-ordinary thing in those days to harbour a man like me (him)’?
Answer: Gandhi thought that ‘it was an extra-ordinary thing in those days to harbour a man like him because in smaller localities, the Indians were afraid to show sympathy for advocates of home-rule in those days. So, it was extraordinary in those days for a government professor to harbour a man like Gandhi.  (35 words)

18.       What had spread through Muzzafarpur and to Champaran?
Answer: The news of Gandhi’s advent and of the nature of his mission spread quickly through Muzzafarpur and to Champaran. Sharecroppers from Champaran began arriving on foot and by conveyance to see their champion. (37 words)

19.     Who was the ‘Champion’ of the share croppers?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi was the ‘Champion’ of the share croppers.

20.     What did the Muzzafarpur lawyers do?
Answer: Muzzafarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him about their frequently represented of peasant groups in court. They told him about their cases and reported the size of their fee. (30 words)

21.     Why did Gandhi decide to stop going to law court?
Answer: Gandhi decided to stop going to law court because taking such cases to the courts little good. Also, Gandhi said that the peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken by the lawyers and the law courts. (35 words)

22.     What do you know about the arable lands in the Champaran district?
Answer: Most of the arable lands in the Champaran district were divided into large estates owned by Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants. The chief commercial crop was indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant three twentieths or 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo. (46 words)

23.     Whom did Gandhi first meet after reaching Champaran? What did he say to Gandhi?
Answer: Gandhi first met the secretary of the British landlord’s association. The secretary told him that they could give no information to an outsider. Gandhi answered that he was no outsider.(30 words)

24.     Whom did Gandhi meet in the Tirhut division of the Champaran district? What did he say to Gandhi?
Answer: Gandhi met the British official commissioner in the Tirhut division of the Champaran district. He advised Gandhi to leave Tirhut.(20 words)

25.     What did the British official commissioner of the Tirhut division of the Champaran district say to Gandhi?
Answer: The British official commissioner of the Tirhut division of the Champaran district bullied Gandhi and advised him forthwith to leave Tirhut. (21 words)


26.     Where did Gandhi proceed to from Tirhut?
Answer: Gandhi proceeded from Tirhut to Motihari, the capital of Champaran. (10 words)

27.     How did Gandhi prepare himself after receiving summons to appear in court?
Answer: After receiving summons to appear in court, all night Gandhi remained awake. He telegraphed Rajendra Prasad to come from Bihar with influential friends. He sent instructions to the ashram. He wired full report to the Viceroy. (36 words)

28.     What proved to be the beginning of the liberation of the peasant of Motihari, from fear of the British ?
Answer: When Gandhi received a summons to appear in court the next day. Then next morning, it was found that the town of Motihari was black with peasants. Their spontaneous demonstration, in thousands, around the courthouse was the beginning of their liberation from fear of the British. (46 words)
               
29.     What is the ‘concrete proof’ that Gandhi gave to the British to show that they might could be challenged by Indians?
Answer: On the summons day of Gandhi, the officials felt powerless without Gandhi’s cooperation for controlling the peasants. He was giving British a concrete proof that their might, hitherto dreaded and unquestioned, could be challenged by Indians.(36 words)

                30.Why did Gandhi oppose the suggestion of his lawyer friends to let Andrews stay them ?
Answer:  Gandhi opposed the suggestion of his lawyer friends to let Andrews stay them because in that unequal fight if they had an Englishman on their side then this shows the weakness of their heart. Gandhi told them that they must rely upon themselves to win the battle. Also, he suggested not seeking a prop in Mr. Andrews because he happened to be an Englishman. (64 words)

31.why and when did Gandhi declare: “The battle of Champaran is won.”
Answer: When Gandhi asked the lawyers what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. Then, they replied negatively that they would go home. But, after their consultations, they went back to Gandhi and said that they were ready to follow him into jail. Then Gandhi exclaimed that ‘‘the battle of Champaran is won’’. (54 words)


32.Why do you think that Gandhi thought the Champaran episode to be a turning  point in his life?
 (5 Marks)
Answer: The Champaran episode was a turning-point in Gandhi’s life. Because, after the episode, he learned courage and could declare that the British could not order him about in his own country. His politics were intertwined with the practical, with a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make India free.

Also, he decided to urge the departure of the British and their liberation from fear of the British dreaded and unquestioned that could be challenged by Indians. Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India by the Champaran episode. (96 words)



5 Marks of Indigo