Working Class & Left Movements MCQs for UPSC Prelims

34 practice questions on Working Class & Left Movements from the Modern History section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 34 come with a written explanation and 6 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

5 Easy 13 Medium 16 Hard 6 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements : 1. The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions. 2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India. Which of the above statements is/are correct?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 only

N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer of the organised labour movement in British India and founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association, so statement 2 is correct. The Factories Act of 1881 dealt mainly with child labour and working hours, not with fixing wages or allowing trade unions, so statement 1 is wrong. Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Q2
Previous year question hard

With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs: Person : Position held 1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru : President, All India Liberal Federation 2. K. C. Neogy : Member, The Constituent Assembly 3. P. C. Joshi : General Secretary, Communist Party of India Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 1 and 2 only
  3. C 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - 1, 2 and 3

All three pairs are correct. Tej Bahadur Sapru, the eminent liberal lawyer and constitutionalist, presided over the All India Liberal Federation, the organization of the moderates after they left the Congress. K. C. Neogy sat in the Constituent Assembly, served in the first union cabinet and later chaired the first Finance Commission. P. C. Joshi was the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, holding the post from 1935 to 1947. With every pair matching, the answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Q3
Previous year question hard

The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 provided for

  1. A the participation of workers in the management of industries
  2. B arbitrary powers to the management to quell industrial disputes
  3. C an intervention by the British Court in the event of a trade dispute
  4. D a system of tribunals and a ban on strikes
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - a system of tribunals and a ban on strikes

The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 set up machinery such as Courts of Inquiry and Conciliation Boards and restricted the right to strike, especially in public utility services. It did not provide for workers' participation in management, nor did it give arbitrary powers to management or involve British courts directly. Hence the act provided for a system of tribunals and a ban on strikes.

Q4
Previous year question medium

Which of the following parties were established by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar? 1. The Peasants and Workers Party of India 2. All India Scheduled Castes Federation 3. The Independent Labour Party Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 1 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party in 1936, which contested the 1937 Bombay provincial elections, and the All India Scheduled Castes Federation in 1942 to represent Dalit interests; he later conceived the Republican Party of India. Statement 1 is wrong because the Peasants and Workers Party of India was founded in Maharashtra in 1947-48 by leaders such as Keshavrao Jedhe and Shankarrao More, not by Ambedkar. Hence (b).

Q5
Previous year question hard

With reference to Congress Socialist Party, consider the following statements : 1. It advocated the boycott of British goods and evasion of taxes. 2. It wanted to establish the dictatorship of proletariat. 3. It advocated separate electorate for minorities and oppressed classes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 3 only
  3. C 1, 2 and 3
  4. D None
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - None

The Congress Socialist Party, founded in 1934 by Acharya Narendra Dev and Jayaprakash Narayan, worked within the Congress to push it towards democratic socialism. Boycott of British goods and tax evasion were tactics of the Gandhian mass movements, not planks of the CSP programme, so statement 1 is wrong. The dictatorship of the proletariat was the position of the Communist Party of India; the CSP explicitly favoured democratic and decentralised socialism, so statement 2 is wrong. The CSP also opposed separate electorates, viewing them as a divisive imperial device that fragmented the national movement, so statement 3 is wrong. The correct answer is None.

Q6
Previous year question hard

Who among the following were the founders of the "Hind Mazdoor Sabha" established in 1948 ?

  1. A B. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George
  2. B Jayaprakash Narayan, De Dayal Upadhyay and M.N. Roy
  3. C C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu
  4. D Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta

The Hind Mazdoor Sabha was founded in 1948 by socialist leaders, with Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta among its founders, making (d) correct. Option (a) lists early communist leaders of Kerala associated with other organisations, (b) mixes figures like Jayaprakash Narayan with Deendayal Upadhyaya and M.N. Roy who were not its joint founders, and (c) names administrators and reformers unconnected with this trade union. The HMS emerged from socialist and non-communist labour streams, distinguishing it from AITUC and INTUC.

Q7
hard

Consider the following statements regarding the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC): 1. It was founded in 1920. 2. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected its first president. 3. It was the first all-India organisation of trade unions in the country. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 1, 2 and 3
  4. D 1 and 3 only
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - 1, 2 and 3

All three statements are correct. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was founded in 1920, making it the first all-India trade union federation. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected its first president. Hence all three statements are correct.

Q8
medium

The 'Indian National Trade Union Congress' (INTUC), founded in 1947, was sponsored primarily by which political tendency?

  1. A The Indian National Congress
  2. B The Communist Party of India
  3. C The Socialist Party led by Jayaprakash Narayan
  4. D The Hindu Mahasabha
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - The Indian National Congress

INTUC was established in 1947 under Congress sponsorship as a counterweight to the communist-led All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). It reflected the Congress effort to build a labour wing aligned with its national outlook, distinct from the CPI-controlled AITUC and the later socialist-led Hind Mazdoor Sabha (1948).

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More Modern History topics

Economic Impact of Colonial Rule 64 Gandhian Mass Movements 57 Peasant & Tribal Movements 52 Socio-Religious Reform Movements 51 Press, Education & Institutions 48 Constitutional Developments & Acts 47 Rise of Nationalism & Early Congress 39 Revolutionary Movements 38 British Expansion & Conquests 33 Moderates & Extremists 31 Revolt of 1857 30 Advent of Europeans 29