Read the passage and answer the questions:
In January 1915, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to his homeland after two decades of residence abroad. These years had been spent for the most part in South Africa, where he went as a lawyer, and in time became a leader of the Indian community in that territory. As the historian Chandran Devanesan has remarked, South Africa was "the making of the Mahatma". It was in South Africa that Mahatma Gandhi first forged the distinctive techniques of non-violent protest known as satyagraha, first promoted harmony between religions, and first alerted upper-caste Indians to their discriminatory treatment of low castes and women.
Who was Gandhi's political mentor after his return from South Africa?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Among the Moderates was Gandhiji’s acknowledged political mentor, Gopal Krishna Gokhale; on Gokhale’s advice, Gandhiji spent a year travelling around British India after his return.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | – | – | 13-06 S2* 18-06 S3 | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2026-27): “1. A Leader Announces Himself … Where these leaders advocated militant opposition to colonial rule, there was a group of ‘Moderates’ who preferred a more gradual and persuasive approach. Among these Moderates was Gandhiji’s acknowledged political mentor, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, as well as Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who, like Gandhiji, was a lawyer of Gujarati extraction trained in London. On Gokhale’s advice, Gandhiji spent a year travelling around British India, getting to know the land and its peoples.…” |