Q1. [4]
Quit India Movement
The failure of the Cripps Mission and the effects of World War II created widespread discontentment in India. This led Gandhiji to launch a movement calling for complete withdrawal of the British from India. The Congress Working Committee, in its meeting in Wardha on 14 July 1942, passed the historic 'Quit India' resolution demanding the immediate transfer of power to Indians and quit India. On 8th August 1942 in Bombay, the All India Congress Committee endorsed the resolution which called for a non-violent mass struggle on the widest possible scale throughout the country. It was on this occasion that Gandhiji delivered the famous 'Do or Die' speech. The call for 'Quit India' almost brought the state machinery to a standstill in large parts of the country as people voluntarily threw themselves into the thick of the movement. People observed hartals, and demonstrations and processions were accompanied by national songs and slogans. The movement was truly a mass movement which brought into its ambit thousands of ordinary people, namely students, workers and peasants. It also saw the active participation of leaders, namely, Jayprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali and Ram Manohar Lohia and many women such as Matangini Hazra in Bengal, Kanaklata Barua in Assam and Rama Devi in Orissa. The British responded with much force, yet it took more than a year to suppress the movement.
Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow :
- 8.1 How did the failure of the Cripps Mission contribute to the launch of the Quit India Movement ? [1]
- 8.2 Why was Gandhiji's call for 'the Quit India' considered historic ? [1]
- 8.3 Explain the role of women in making the Quit India Movement more inclusive. [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2026 32/4/1 Q8
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:52 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
8.1 The failure of the Cripps Mission created widespread discontentment among Indians. This dissatisfaction, combined with the hardships of World War II, prompted Gandhiji to launch a movement demanding complete withdrawal of the British from India.
8.2 The Quit India call was historic because the Congress Working Committee passed the 'Quit India' resolution on 14 July 1942 at Wardha, demanding the immediate transfer of power to Indians. It was endorsed by the AICC on 8th August 1942, and Gandhiji delivered the famous 'Do or Die' speech on this occasion.
8.3 Women played a significant role in making the Quit India Movement truly inclusive. They actively participated alongside leaders and common people. Notable women leaders included Matangini Hazra in Bengal, Kanaklata Barua in Assam, and Rama Devi in Orissa. Their participation ensured the movement spread across different regions and sections of society, giving it a wider national character.
Source: Quit India Movement (printed extract)
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Explanation
- 8.1 is 1 mark — one line linking Cripps Mission failure → discontentment → movement launch, directly from the passage.
- 8.2 is 1 mark — focus on the resolution, its demand (immediate transfer of power), and the 'Do or Die' speech. One clear sentence suffices but two is fine for clarity.
- 8.3 is 2 marks — examiners expect you to name at least 2–3 women from the passage (Matangini Hazra, Kanaklata Barua, Rama Devi) and explain how their participation made the movement more inclusive/widespread. Do not go beyond the passage.
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