Social Movements MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Social Movements - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Bhoodan Movement.

Key Points

• The Bhoodan Movement, also known as the "Land Gift Movement," was initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1951.
• It began in Pochampally village in Telangana, India, with the aim to persuade wealthy landowners to voluntarily donate a portion of their land to landless farmers.
• The movement was deeply inspired by Gandhian principles of non-violence and social equity.
• Acharya Vinoba Bhave traveled across India, convincing landlords to contribute land for redistribution to the landless, fostering self-reliance and rural development.
• By the mid-1950s, the movement had achieved significant success, with millions of acres of land pledged for redistribution, although not all of it was effectively distributed.

Additional Information

• Vinoba Bhave:
  • He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and is regarded as the spiritual successor of Gandhi's leadership in India.
  • Vinoba Bhave aimed to address land inequality and promote rural self-reliance through non-violent means.
• Gramdan Movement:
  • Following the Bhoodan Movement, Vinoba Bhave launched the Gramdan Movement, where entire villages would voluntarily donate land for collective ownership and management.
  • It sought to create a model of village-level economic self-sufficiency and social equity.
• Sarvodaya Movement:
  • Both the Bhoodan and Gramdan movements were part of the larger Sarvodaya Movement, which emphasized the welfare of all (Sarvodaya means "progress for all").
  • It was rooted in Gandhian values of justice, non-violence, and equality.
• Challenges Faced by the Movement:
  • Despite initial success, the Bhoodan Movement faced challenges such as lack of proper land distribution mechanisms and reluctance of some landowners to part with productive land.
  • Additionally, the donated land often included barren or unproductive plots, limiting its utility for the landless.
• Legacy:
  • The Bhoodan Movement is considered one of the largest voluntary land reform initiatives in modern history.
  • It highlighted the need for equitable land distribution and inspired future land reform efforts in India.

The correct answer is Vinoba Bhave.

Key Points

• Vinoba Bhave was the pioneer of the Bhoodan Movement, which started in 1951 in Pochampally, Telangana.
• The Bhoodan Movement aimed at persuading wealthy landowners to voluntarily donate a portion of their land to landless farmers.
• Vinoba Bhave, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, was deeply influenced by Gandhian principles of non-violence and social justice.
• The movement was part of a larger initiative to address issues of land redistribution and rural poverty in India.
• Through his efforts, millions of acres of land were donated to benefit the landless and marginalized communities.

Additional Information

• Bhoodan Movement:
  • The term "Bhoodan" translates to "land gift" in Hindi.
  • It was a voluntary land reform movement initiated to bridge the gap between the wealthy landowners and the landless poor.
  • The movement was inspired by Gandhian philosophy and sought to create a more equitable rural society.
• Vinoba Bhave:
  • Born on 11th September 1895, Vinoba Bhave was a social reformer and spiritual leader.
  • He was the first recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1958.
  • He is also known for his contributions to Sarvodaya (universal upliftment) and promoting non-violent activism.
• Gramdan Movement:
  • The Gramdan Movement was an extension of the Bhoodan Movement, where entire villages voluntarily donated their land for equitable redistribution.
  • This movement aimed to foster collective ownership and reduce economic disparity.
• Challenges of the Bhoodan Movement:
  • Many land donations were either unsuitable for cultivation or encumbered with legal disputes.
  • The implementation of land redistribution faced bureaucratic hurdles and resistance from landowners.

The correct answer is Sunderlal Bahuguna.

Explanation-

The Chipko movement, an ecological movement where people embraced trees to prevent them from being cut down, originated in India in the 1970s. The movement in its modern form began in 1973 in the Uttarakhand region of India. It was primarily a forest conservation movement in India that sought to prevent deforestation that threatened local ecosystems.

Though Gaura Devi is often associated with the starting of the action-part of the movement in 1974 when she led a group of women in Reni village, Chamoli, Uttarakhand, to prevent the cutting down of trees, it was really an effort of groups of villagers across the region.

Sunderlal Bahuguna, an environmentalist and Chipko movement leader, played a crucial role in promoting the movement and giving it a philosophical direction. His appeals for implementing forest conservation policies were very significant to the momentum and success of the movement.

The correct answer is Feminist movement.

Key Points

• In India, the women's movement started in the 19th century as a social reform movement.
• Women's movements in India during the colonial era emerged from the same historical circumstances and social environment as the earlier social reform movements of the 19th century, which led to new ideas about various social institutions, practises, and social reform laws. 
• In India, women's movements have their roots in deeply ingrained antiquated customs like sati, child marriage, or the mistreatment of widows in the 19th century, and in more recent times, issues like rape, dowry, domestic violence, unequal pay at work, sexual harassment at work, an unequal division of labour, and a low representation of women in politics.
• The middle-class social reform movements of the early 19th century gave rise to the women's question in contemporary India.
• These problems vary by area, religion, and social class. The problems are always changing, and the lessons we've learned from dealing with earlier problems remain ingrained in them.
• The demands made in this campaign for equal access to education and the vote served as the foundation for later women's movements. 
• In the 20th century, movements for women were primarily led by educated, middle-class women beginning in the 1970s.
  • The problems of women's sovereignty over their own bodies, equal rights in social institutions like marriage and the family, and recognition of the worth of their identities were at the centre of the movements.
  • In addition, women led initiatives like the Chipko movement addressed broader issues like environmental concerns. 
  • Legislative changes were required in the following areas:
    • Equal pay for equal work, reducing workplace harassment, and Work Opportunities.
    • Seats are reserved for political involvement at all levels of government.
    • Health facilities: access to abortion, maternity leave, and childcare at work
    • Resources are distributed according to inheritance rights.
    • Against social ills including dowries, female genital mutilation, and domestic abuse. 
• In the 21st century, women's movements have evolved beyond the binary of man and woman and have become more inclusive. The movements have evolved into a place where people of all gender identities, not only women, demand dignity. 
  • The expansion of the definitions of "violence" and "rape" in the legal framework, as well as the inclusion of marital rape in the category of rape, are concerns brought up by technological innovation and globalisation, which have created new arenas for power struggles.
    • Protection from online crime.
    • Radical changes in the way that marriage and parenthood are viewed and practised, as well as the school system.
    • As an illustration, consider the calls for increased paternity leave and the recognition of women as family heads.
    • Reforms in the governance structure that includes the fair distribution of resources and planning that takes gender into account, such as gender budgeting.

The correct answer is Sunderlal Bahuguna.

Explanation-

The Chipko movement, an ecological movement where people embraced trees to prevent them from being cut down, originated in India in the 1970s. The movement in its modern form began in 1973 in the Uttarakhand region of India. It was primarily a forest conservation movement in India that sought to prevent deforestation that threatened local ecosystems.

Though Gaura Devi is often associated with the starting of the action-part of the movement in 1974 when she led a group of women in Reni village, Chamoli, Uttarakhand, to prevent the cutting down of trees, it was really an effort of groups of villagers across the region.

Sunderlal Bahuguna, an environmentalist and Chipko movement leader, played a crucial role in promoting the movement and giving it a philosophical direction. His appeals for implementing forest conservation policies were very significant to the momentum and success of the movement.

Modern environmental politics did arise in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Key Points

• Many people believe that the concepts of modern green ideology or ecologism owe a lot to ancient pagan religions that emphasized the concept of an Earth Mother, as well as eastern faiths like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism.
• In 1960, the Green ideology has grown in popularity owing to the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, as well as the advent of post-material.
• The idea that economic expansion is harming both the human race's survival and the earth on which it lives has heightened environmental concern.
• A rising body of literature has voiced such concerns.
• The Silent Spring (1962) written by Rachel Carson is a critique of the harm done to animals and the human world by excessive use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
• It is widely regarded as the first book to raise awareness of an emerging ecological disaster. 
• Some other writing also raises the concern about the environment such as:
  • Ehrlich and Harriman’s How to Be a Survivor (1971)
  • Goldsmith et al.’s Blueprint for Survival (1972)
  • The unofficial UN report Only One Earth (1972) 
  • The Club of Rome’s The Limits to Growth (1972)

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Kitto-Hachchiko Movement is a non-violent movement in Karnataka that took place in 1987.
• The government of Karnataka gave away a vast land for setting up a paper pulp industry for just a nominal lease.
• The industry planted a large number of Eucalyptus plants in the area.
• The people and farmers residing in the surrounding areas plucked away eucalyptus plants and planted other useful plants instead.

​Hence the statement I is wrong and the statement II is correct.

The correct answer is 1867.

Key Points

Prarthana Samaj

• Prarthana Samaj was a movement for religious and social reforms in Bombay, India.
• It was founded by Dadoba Pandurang and his brother Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 to make people believe in one God.
• After some time, Mahadev Govind Ranade also joined it and from then it became popular.
• Based on past reform movements, the Prarthana Samaj movement, often known as the "Prayer Society," was a religious and social reform movement in Bombay, India.

Additional InformationBrahmo Samaj

• The Brahmo Samaj was a monotheistic sect of Hinduism.
• The movement began through meetings of Bengalis in Calcutta in 1828.
• One of the leading figures was Ram Mohun Roy.
• The chief aim of the Brahmo Samaj was the worship of the eternal God.
• It was against priesthood, rituals and sacrifices.
• It focused on prayers, meditation and reading of the scriptures.
• The samaj has had considerable success with its programs of social reform but has never had a significant popular following.

The correct answer is Uttarakhand.

Key Points

• In the 1970s, rural Indian peasants, especially women, launched the nonviolent Chipko movement, also known as Chipko andolan.
• The movement began in 1973 in the Indian Himalayan area of Uttar Pradesh, which would later become Uttarakhand.
• It was launched to save forests and trees that were being cut down for government-sponsored logging.
• It swiftly expanded throughout the Himalayas.
• The demonstrators' main strategy of embracing the trees to obstruct the loggers is reflected in the Hindi word chipko, which means "to hug" or "to cling to."  

Additional Information

• Leader of Chipko Movement sundarlal Bahuguna.
• Bahuguna famously fasted for two weeks in 1974 to protest forest policy.
• It is estimated that over 150 communities participated in the  Chipko movement between 1972 and 1979.
• Another important Leader was Dhoom Singh Negi who also fasted to protest the auctioning of the forest.
• Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi banned on commercial felling in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, for 15-year.

The correct answer is Sunderlal Bahuguna

Key Points

Chipko Movement

• The Chipko movement was a famous movement to protect trees. 
• It started in 1973 in Uttarakhand, then a part of Uttar Pradesh. 
• The proper direction to this movement was given by Sundar Lal Bahuguna. 
• The Chipko movement was a turning point in the forest conservation efforts in India.
• During the 1970s, when the reckless cutting of trees started affecting people's livelihoods, the villagers from Uttarakhand's Chamoli started hugging trees to prevent them from cutting.
• This movement, where women participated in large numbers, came to be known as Chipko Andolan, with the word "Chipko" signifying a hug or embrace.
• The champions of the Chipko movement were local women - Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, and Bachni Devi.

Additional Information Medha Patkar

• Medha Patkar is an Indian social activist and former Politician working on various crucial political and economic issues raised by tribals, dalits, farmers, labourers and women facing injustice in India.
• She is an alumnus of TISS, a premier institute of social science research in India.
• Patkar is the founder member of the 32 years old people's movement called Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in three states: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Arundhati Roy

• Arundhati Roy is an Indian author best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author.
• She is also a political activist involved in human rights and environmental causes.

The correct answer is Samp Sabha.

Key Points

• Govind Giri established the 'Samp Sabha' in 1883 and created a social and political awakening among the Bhils.
  • Govind Giri was born in a Banjara family in Bassian village of Dungarpur.
  • He formed the Bhagat Movement to keep the follwers within the boundaries of Hinduism.
  • The administration was concerned about the social renaissance sponsored by the Samp Sabha among the Bhils from Mewar, Vijaynagar and Malwa
  • ​In order to unite the tribals, he started yagnas and havans on the Mangarh hill.
• He held the first session of  Samp Sabha in 1903 in Mangarh Hills.
  • After this session, it was held every year on " Ashwin Shukla Purnima".
  • A major event took place during the session of November 6, 1913.
    • The British Army open fire on the group of people.
    • Approximately, 1500 people of the Bhil community were killed during this fire.

The correct answer is Bhoodan Movement.

Key Points

• The Bhoodan Movement, also known as the "Land Gift Movement," was initiated by Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1951.
• It began in Pochampally village in Telangana, India, with the aim to persuade wealthy landowners to voluntarily donate a portion of their land to landless farmers.
• The movement was deeply inspired by Gandhian principles of non-violence and social equity.
• Acharya Vinoba Bhave traveled across India, convincing landlords to contribute land for redistribution to the landless, fostering self-reliance and rural development.
• By the mid-1950s, the movement had achieved significant success, with millions of acres of land pledged for redistribution, although not all of it was effectively distributed.

Additional Information

• Vinoba Bhave:
  • He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and is regarded as the spiritual successor of Gandhi's leadership in India.
  • Vinoba Bhave aimed to address land inequality and promote rural self-reliance through non-violent means.
• Gramdan Movement:
  • Following the Bhoodan Movement, Vinoba Bhave launched the Gramdan Movement, where entire villages would voluntarily donate land for collective ownership and management.
  • It sought to create a model of village-level economic self-sufficiency and social equity.
• Sarvodaya Movement:
  • Both the Bhoodan and Gramdan movements were part of the larger Sarvodaya Movement, which emphasized the welfare of all (Sarvodaya means "progress for all").
  • It was rooted in Gandhian values of justice, non-violence, and equality.
• Challenges Faced by the Movement:
  • Despite initial success, the Bhoodan Movement faced challenges such as lack of proper land distribution mechanisms and reluctance of some landowners to part with productive land.
  • Additionally, the donated land often included barren or unproductive plots, limiting its utility for the landless.
• Legacy:
  • The Bhoodan Movement is considered one of the largest voluntary land reform initiatives in modern history.
  • It highlighted the need for equitable land distribution and inspired future land reform efforts in India.

The correct answer is I only.

Key Points

• Prarthana Samaj was established in 1867.
  • It was established on 31 March 1867 in Bombay.
  • It was founded by Atmaram Pandurang.
  • This Samaj was greatly influenced by the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj.
• The main aim of the society-
  • promulgation of theistic worship and social reform
  • opposition to the caste system
  •  the introduction of widow remarriage
  • the encouragement of female education
  • the abolition of child marriage
• Important members of the Samaj - Mahadev Govind Ranade, Sanskrit scholar Sir Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, and political leader Sir Narayan Chandavarkar, etc. 

Additional Information

• Atmaram Pandurang
  • He was an Indian physician and social reformer.
  • He was a theistic reformer who opposed many Hindu traditions including child marriage.
  • He believed and openly supported the idea that the minimum age for marriage of girls should be 20. 
  • He was one of the two Indian co-founders (the other being Sakharam Arjun) of the Bombay Natural History Society.
• Syed Ahmad Khan established Aligarh Muslim University
• Aligarh Muslim University was established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College.
• It was renamed in 1920 as the Aligarh Muslim University.
• It is located in the city of Aligarh and offers more than 300 courses in both modern and traditional branches of education.

Modern environmental politics did arise in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Key Points

• Many people believe that the concepts of modern green ideology or ecologism owe a lot to ancient pagan religions that emphasized the concept of an Earth Mother, as well as eastern faiths like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism.
• In 1960, the Green ideology has grown in popularity owing to the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, as well as the advent of post-material.
• The idea that economic expansion is harming both the human race's survival and the earth on which it lives has heightened environmental concern.
• A rising body of literature has voiced such concerns.
• The Silent Spring (1962) written by Rachel Carson is a critique of the harm done to animals and the human world by excessive use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
• It is widely regarded as the first book to raise awareness of an emerging ecological disaster. 
• Some other writing also raises the concern about the environment such as:
  • Ehrlich and Harriman’s How to Be a Survivor (1971)
  • Goldsmith et al.’s Blueprint for Survival (1972)
  • The unofficial UN report Only One Earth (1972) 
  • The Club of Rome’s The Limits to Growth (1972)

The correct answer is option 3.

Key Points

• Kitto-Hachchiko Movement is a non-violent movement in Karnataka that took place in 1987.
• The government of Karnataka gave away a vast land for setting up a paper pulp industry for just a nominal lease.
• The industry planted a large number of Eucalyptus plants in the area.
• The people and farmers residing in the surrounding areas plucked away eucalyptus plants and planted other useful plants instead.

​Hence the statement I is wrong and the statement II is correct.