Indigo by Louis Fischer class12
Book Flamingo
Chapter- 5
Important MCQs: Indigo by Louis Fischer class12
1. ‘Indigo’ is an excerpt from which book of the author?
a. The life of Mahatma Gandhi
b. Men and Politics
c. Life of Lenin
d. Of Men and mountain
2. Who was Rajkumar Shukla?
a. A Government of Official
b. A poor peasant
c. A lawyer
d. A politician
3. Who is the author of ‘Indigo’?
a. William Douglas
b. Alphonse Daudet
c. Khuswant Singh
d. Louis Fischer
4. When did the author visit in Sevagram ashram to meet with Gandhi?
a. In 1929
b. In 1935
c. In 1942
d. In 1947
5. Where did Rajkumar Shukla come from to meet Mahatma Gandhi?
a. Arariya
b. Champaran
c. Katihar
d. Muzaffarpur
6. Where did Gandhi decide to go first?
a. Firozabad
b. Champaran
c. Muzzafarpur
d. Patana
7. What was the Chief commercial crop of Champaran?
a. Cotton
b. Mustered
c. Indigo
d. None of these
8. How many meetings were held between Mahatma Gandhi and the Lieutenant-Governor?
a. Three
b. Four
c. Five
d. Six
9. What percentage did Gandhiji agree to compromise in?
a. 25 percentage
b. 30 percentage
c. 50 percentage
d. 75 percentage
10. Who was Kasturba Gandhi?
a. Mahatma Gandhi’s sister
b. Mahatma Gandhi’s wife
c. Mahatma Gandhi’s friend
d. Mahatma Gandhi’s daughter
Ans: 1-a, 2-b, 3-d, 4-c, 5-b, 6-a, 7-c, 8-b, 9-a, 10-b
Fill in the blanks: Indigo by Louis Fischer class12
1. Rajkumar Shukla was illiterate but . ( resolute/peasant)
2. Rajkumar Shukla accompanied Gandhiji . (everywhere/nowhere)
3. Gandhi decided to go first to to obtain more complete information. (Motihari/Muzzafarpur)
4. Sharecropper from Champaran began arriving on foot to see their . (Mahatma/Champion)
5. Gandhiji started Satyagraha in India from in 1917. (Champaran/Patna)
Ans: 1- resolute, 2-everywhere, 3-Muzzafarpur, 4- Champion, 5- Champaran
Most important questions answers: Indigo by Louis Fischer class12
1. Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to take Gandhi to Champaran?
Ans. Rajkumar Shukla was a poor sharecropper from Champaran. He was illiterate but resolute.
He wanted to solve the condition of the poor sharecroppers of Champaran. Someone guided him that Gandhiji was a great advocate and he could help him. So, he went to Gandhiji to take to Champaran.
2. How did Mahatma Gandhi teach us a lesson in self-reliance?
Ans. C.F. Andrews, a friend from South Africa days came to render help. But Gandhiji, as part of civil disobedience, refused bail offered by the Magistrate. He implored Andrew’s to leave for Fiji, which he did. Gandhiji didn’t want Indians to appear leaning on Britishers on this struggle.
3. Why do you think that the servants thought Gandhiji to be another peasant?
Ans. Gandhiji went to Rajendra prasad’s house with Rajkumar Shukla where the servants considered Gandhiji as another poor peasant as Rajkumar Shukla because Gandhiji was a simple man and dressed in a simple ‘dhoti’. The servants knew Rajkumar Shukla was a sharecropper and Gandhiji accompanied him. So, to the servants, he must have looked like just another peasant.
4. Why do you think Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?
Ans. Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life because he realized that civil disobedience, which had triumphed for the first time, could go a long way in the freedom struggle. Moreover, he had succeeded in making the peasants aware of their rights and becoming confident. This success, thus, proved the effectiveness of Gandhi’s method of non-violence and non-cooperation.
5. What was the outcome of four protracted interviews Gandhi had with Lieutenant-Governor?
In June, Gandhi was summoned to Sir Edward Gait, the Lieutenant Governor. He had four protracted interviews with him. He took up the cause of the sharecropper of Champaran with him. As a result, a commission of inquiry was set up to investigate the plight of the indigo sharecroppers; Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants.
6. Why did Gandhiji decide to go to Muzaffarpur before going to Champaran?
Ans. Rajkumar Shukla had given a lot of information to Gandhiji about the indigo sharecroppers of Champaran. However, Gandhiji wished to obtain more complete information about the conditions than Shukla had imparted. So, he decided to go to Muzaffarpur first, which was en route to Champaran.
7. How did Shukla succeed in persuading Gandhiji to visit Champaran?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to take up the cause of sharecroppers there. Gandhiji told Shukla that he had an appointment in Kanpur. He was also committed to going to other parts of India. Shukla followed Gandhiji to the ashram. He went to Calcutta when Gandhiji arrived there. Gandhiji was impressed by his tenacity and story. They boarded the train for Patna.
8. Who was Rajkumar Shukla?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was a poor sharecropper from Champaran wishing to meet Gandhiji. He wanted Gandhi to take up the cause of the poor peasants in Champaran. He was illiterate but resolute. He followed Gandhiji to various places. Gandhi was impressed by his tenacity and finally went with him to Champaran.
9. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being resolute?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was one of the illiterate sharecroppers of Champaran. He wanted Gandhi to take up the cause of the poor peasants in Champaran. They were being exploited by the English landlords. They were victims of the landlord system in Bihar. He met Gandhi in the Lucknow session of Congress. But Gandhi had many engagements in different parts of India. Shukla accompanied Gandhi everywhere. He waited till Gandhi was free. Gandhi was impressed by his tenacity and finally went with him to Bihar. No wonder Rajkumar Shukla is described as being resolute.
10. Why was Gandhiji not allowed to draw water from Rajendra Prasad’s well in Patna?
Ans: When Gandhiji arrived at Rajendra Prasad’s house, Rajendra Prasad was out of town. He was accompanying Rajkumar Shukla, a poor peasant. The servant thought Gandhi to be another peasant. They were not sure that he was not untouchable. So they did not allow him to draw water from Rajendra Prasad’s well.
11. How did Kasturba Gandhi help the people of Champaran?
Ans: Kasturba joined with Gandhi for the social upliftment of the people of Champaran. She taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation. She talks to village women about the reason behind their dirty clothes so that she could bring some improvement.
12. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers?
Ans: The landlords had illegally and deceitfully extorted money from the sharecroppers. They feared that Gandhi would demand repayment of money in full. He asked only 50 percent and there he seemed firm. Then the planters offered to refund 25 percent of the money. Gandhi agreed. 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.
Long Answer type questions: Indigo by Louis Fischer class12
1. How did Gandhiji use Satyagrah and Non-violence of Champaran to achieve his goal?
Ans: Satyagraha means “insistence on truth” or holding onto truth. It is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term Satyagraha was coined and developed by Mahatma Gandhi. He used Satyagraha in Champaran of Bihar. Champaran district was divided into estate owned by English people. Indians were only tenant farmers. Landlords compelled tenants to plant 15% of their land with indigo and surrender their entire harvest as rent. In the meantime, Germany had developed synthetic indigo. British landlords free the Indian farmers from the 15% arrangement but asked them to pay compensation for freeing their land. Mahatma Gandhi’s long and heroic struggle ended with the victory of the Civil Disobedience and Satyagrah. The English landlords were compelled to return 25% of the money they had extorted from the sharecroppers.
2. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?
Ans: The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi’s life. Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to remove the distress of large numbers of poor peasants. It was the first mass movement in India. Gandhi took up the cause of the poor peasants. He fought against the injustice of the cruel landlords. They extorted money from the poor sharecroppers. The movement grew out of Gandhi’s attempt to remove the distress of poor peasants. It was a typical Gandhian movement.
The success of Champaran meant the first victory of the Civil Disobedience in India. According to Gandhi, the amount of the refund money was less important. More important was that English landlords were forced to surrender part of the money and with it, part of their prestige. Previously they behaved as lords above the law. Now the Indian peasants saw that they have rights and defenders. They learnt to be courageous. Above all, the Champaran episode was the beginning of their liberation from fear of the British.
Gandhi himself accepts that the Champaran episode to be a tuning-point his life.
3. What did Gandhi do to improve the cultural and social backwardness of the Champaran villages? Give a reasoned answer.
Ans: No doubt, largely political and economic issues were important. But Gandhi’s approach was comprehensive. It was not enough to fight against the officials and the government. The equally important task was to do something to improve the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages. First of all, Gandhi stressed education. He appealed for teachers. Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh were two young persons. They and their wives volunteered themselves for the work. Several more came from Bombay, Poona and other parts of India. Gandhi’s son Devdas also joined them. Kasturba Gandhi too came from the ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages of Champaran. Kasturba taught the ashram rules on cleanliness and sanitation.
Health conditions in the villages were really miserable. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months. To start with, only three medicines were available, Castor oil, quinine and Sulphur ointment. He asked Kasturba to take up the cause of women and talk to them about their issues. So Gandhi tried his best to do something to improve the cultural and social backwardness of the villagers in Champaran.
Thank you very much for visiting our website to read Indigo class 12. Our aim in creating this website is to promote free education. It is not possible to do this noble work alone, so we need help from those who want to support us in this purpose. You can follow our various pages to support us, whose links are given below: