Q1. [1] medium thorough-understanding
[mcq] Which of the following best explains why the industrial working class largely stayed away from the Civil Disobedience Movement as an organised force?
(A) Workers were ideologically opposed to Gandhi's methods of non-violence.
(B) Congress's economic programme did not address workers' demands such as better wages and working conditions, making alliance with industrialists difficult.
(C) The British government had successfully suppressed all trade union activity before 1930.
(D) Workers were more loyal to the Muslim League and refused to join a Hindu-dominated movement.
- A Workers were prohibited by law from joining any political movement under the colonial government.
- B As industrialists drew closer to the Congress, workers felt the Congress would not champion their demands for better wages and conditions, keeping them at a distance from the movement.
- C Workers were satisfied with their wages and working conditions and had no reason to protest against British rule.
- D The Congress actively discouraged worker participation because it feared a violent uprising in industrial centres.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 14:59 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Option B is correct. As industrialists drew closer to the Congress, workers felt the Congress would not champion their demands for better wages and conditions, keeping them at a distance from the movement.
Explanation
The textbook explicitly states: "As the industrialists came closer to the Congress, workers stayed aloof" and "the Congress was reluctant to include workers' demands as part of its programme of struggle. It felt that this would alienate industrialists." This is the direct textual reason — not legal prohibition, worker satisfaction, or communal loyalty.