Read the passage and answer the questions:
“Tomorrow we shall break the salt tax law”
On 5 April 1930, Mahatma Gandhi spoke at Dandi:
When I left Sabarmati with my companions for this seaside hamlet of Dandi, I was not certain in my mind that we would be allowed to reach this place. Even while I was at Sabarmati there was a rumour that I might be arrested. I had thought that the Government might perhaps let my party come as far as Dandi, but not me certainly. If someone says that this betrays imperfect faith on my part, I shall not deny the charge. That I have reached here is in no small measure due to the power of peace and non-violence: that power is universally felt. The Government may, if it wishes, congratulate itself on acting as it has done, for it could have arrested every one of us. In saying that it did not have the courage to arrest this army of peace, we praise it. It felt ashamed to arrest such an army. He is a civilised man who feels ashamed to do anything which his neighbours would disapprove of. The Government deserves to be congratulated on not arresting us, even if it desisted only from fear of world opinion.
Tomorrow we shall break the salt tax law. Whether the Government will tolerate that is a different question. It may not tolerate it, but it deserves congratulations on the patience and forbearance it has displayed in regard to this party…
What if I and all the eminent leaders in Gujarat and in the rest of the country are arrested? This movement is based on the faith that when a whole nation is roused and on the march no leader is necessary.
[CWMG, VOL. 49]
The Salt March was notable for various reasons. Identify the correct ones:
A. It brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention.
B. It was the first nationalist activity in which Muslims participated in large numbers.
C. It made the British to realise that their rule was not forever.
D. It made the British to realise that they would have to devolve some power to the Indians.
E. Salt March was widely covered by European and American press.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, C, D, E only
The Salt March was notable for three reasons: it brought Gandhiji to world attention, it was the first nationalist activity in which women took part in large numbers, and it made the British realise that their Raj would not last for ever.
A. It brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention. Correct. It was this event that first brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention.
B. It was the first nationalist activity in which Muslims participated in large numbers. Incorrect. It was the first nationalist activity in which women, not Muslims, participated in large numbers. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay had persuaded Gandhiji not to restrict the protests to men alone.
C. It made the British to realise that their rule was not forever. Correct. The Salt March forced upon the British the realisation that their Raj would not last forever.
D. It made the British to realise that they would have to devolve some power to the Indians. Correct. It also made them see that they would have to devolve some power to the Indians; the Round Table Conferences in London followed.
E. Salt March was widely covered by European and American press. Correct. The march was widely covered by the European and American press.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 Dialogues … The Salt March was notable for at least three reasons. First, it was this event that first brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention. The march was widely covered by the European and American press. Second, it was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large numbers. The socialist activist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay had persuaded Gandhiji not to restrict the protests to men alone. Kamaladevi was herself one of numerous women who courted arrest by breaking the salt or liquor laws. Third, and perhaps most significant, it was the Salt March which forced upon the British the realisation that their Raj would not last forever, and that they would have to devolve some power to the Indians.…” |