Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Mahatma Gandhi chose salt as a symbol of resistance for the following reasons:

1. Universal necessity: Salt was consumed by the rich and poor alike, making it an issue that united all classes of Indian society.
2. Oppressive taxation: The salt tax and the government's monopoly over its production revealed, as Gandhi declared, "the most oppressive face of British rule."
3. Wide appeal: Gandhi wanted demands that all social classes — industrialists, peasants, workers — could identify with, and abolishing the salt tax was the most stirring of these demands.
4. Concrete symbol: The abstract idea of freedom needed a concrete everyday issue; salt connected ordinary people directly to the struggle against colonialism.

He launched the Salt March on 12 March 1930, walking 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi, where he ceremonially manufactured salt by boiling sea water, breaking colonial law.

Source: Chapter 2, Section 3.1 – The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement

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Examiners expect you to cover: (i) universality of salt, (ii) salt tax as oppressive, and (iii) its unifying potential across classes. Mentioning the Dandi March briefly adds context. Avoid writing a long narrative — 3 marks = 3 clear points. Quoting Gandhi's phrase "most oppressive face of British rule" directly from the text earns credit.