INDIGO Question Answer 12th English

Chapter -5 

INDIGO by LOUIS FISCHER

Q1.List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.

Ans: Gandhi’s first meeting with Shukla was at Lucknow. Then he went to Cawnpore and other parts of India. He returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Later he went to Calcutta, Patna and Muzaffarpur before arriving at Champaran.

Q2. What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?

Ans: Indians peasants worked as a sharecroppers on their land.

The peasants paid the British landlords indigo as rent. Now Germany had developed synthetic indigo which was good in quality and cheap in price.The price of Indian indigo was falling down.So, the British landlords wanted money as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. The prices of natural indigo would go down due to the synthetic Indigo.

Q3.Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning- point in his life?

Ans: The Champaran episode was the first landmark victory of freedom struggle. it built up Gandhiji's confidence that  British could not order him about in his own country.Here he came to understand the common Indian people and the British rulers in a better manner. He saw that the common Indian could be taught to be brave. They had the courage to fight for their rights.Gandhiji made them fearless and bold. They followed him faithfully.

 

Q4. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?

Ans: Professor J.B. Kriplani received Gandhi at Muzaffarpur railway station at midnight. He had a large body of students with him. Sharecroppers from Champaran came on foot and by conveyance to see Gandhi. Muzaffarpur lawyers too visited him. A vast multitude greeted Gandhi when he reached Motihari railway station. Thousands of people demonstrated around the court room. This shows that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement in India.

multitude-लोग

conveyance- सवारी से

Question 5.

How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?

Answer: The Champaran episode filled the peasants with courage and self confidence. They realised their hidden potential . The peasants got the ownership of their land; They did not have to grow Indigo plants anymore.Now they had their own fundamental rights as well.it included self respect and courage in them.

The episode of Chamapran had a great effect on the peasants. They saw they had rights and defenders. They learned courage also, the British planters abandoned their estates, which were reverted to the peasants.They got back 25% amount.

abandoned- छोड़ देना

defenders-रक्षक

reverted-वापस आना

plight- दुर्दशा

Question 6.

Why did Gandhiji agree to the planters’ offer of a 25 percent refund to the farmers? 

Answer:Gandhiji had asked the indigo planters for a 50 percent refund to the farmers but they offered only 25 percent. Gandhiji still agreed to their offer. Gandhi ji believed that the amount of refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money, and with it   some of their prestige too.So, he agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers.It was the first time in Indian History that Gandhiji made them obey to him and realised them their fault.Otherwise Britishers kept themselves above the law.

Question 7..

How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers at Champaran? 

Answer:

Gandhi asked the lawyers what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. They said that they had come to advice him.if he went to jail, they would go home. Then Gandhiji asked them about  injustice to the sharecroppers. The lawyers held consultations. They came to the conclusion that it would be shameful desertion if they went home.So they told Gandhiji that they were ready to follow him into jail.Gandhiji also chided the lawyers for over-charging the poor peasants. When the peasants were so poor and crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees. 

Question 8.

How did Gandhiji help the peasants of Champaran? 

Answer:

At Champaran, the British landlords forced all the tenants to plant 15 per cent of their holding with indigo and then surrender the entire harvest as rent. This increased the misery of the poor tenants. But when synthetic indigo was developed and indigo plantation was no longer profitable, the landlords obtained fresh agreements from sharecroppers to pay them compensation for releasing them from the 15% arrangement. Gandhiji came in at this time and through non-violent civil disobedience he forced the landlords to refund 25 per cent of the compensation money to the peasants.The peasants got the ownership of their land; They did not have to grow Indigo plants anymore.Now they had their own fundamental rights as well.it included self respect and courage in them.

Question 9. 

Why did the servants think Gandhiji to be another peasant? 

Answer:

In Patna, Rajkumar Shukla led Gandhiji to the house of Rajendra Prasad who was a lawyer. The servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant  who often came to Rajendra Prasad’s house and pestered him to help indigo sharecroppers. Gandhi was also clad in a simple dhoti, therefore 

the servants mistook him to be another peasant.

Question 10-.

How were Shukla and Gandhiji received in Rajendra Prasad’s house? 

Answer:

In Patna Shukla led Gandhiji to the house of a lawyer, Rajendra Prasad. He was out of town but his servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant who pestered Rajendra Prasad (their master) to help the indigo sharecroppers. So he was allowed to stay there with his companion. But Gandhiji was not permitted to draw water from the well lest he be an untouchable and some drops of water from his bucket pollute the entire source.

Question 11.

Why is Raj Kumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’? 

Answer:

Shukla wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to help the indigo sharecroppers but Gandhiji said he had appointments in Cawnpore and other parts of India. Shukla did not leave Gandhiji’s side for weeks begging him to fix a date for Champaran. Gandhiji was impressed by his determination and resoluteness and Shukla finally managed to convince Gandhiji to accompany him to Champaran.

Q12. The qualities of a good leader.

Ans: A good leader has a mass appeal. He rises from the masses, thinks for them and works for them. He is sincere in his approach. He is a man of principles. Truth, honesty, patriotism, morality, spirit of service and sacrifice are the hallmarks of a good leader. He never mixes politics with religion . He believes in working for the welfare of the nation and does not think in the narrow terms of class, caste or region. Corruption and nepotism are two evils that surround a leader in power. The life of a good leader is an open book. There is no difference between his words and actions. Such good leaders are very rare. 

Q13. Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers? What according to him was the real relief for the sharecroppers?

Ans: Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the poor sharecroppers. He thought that taking such cases to the court did little good to the crushed and fear-stricken peasants. The relief for them, according to Gandhi, was to be free from fear.

Q14-The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhiji's method of working.Can you identify some instances of this method and link them to his idea of Satyagraha and non-violence?

Ans. Gandhi ji followed the teachings of Christ and the Buddha in several ways. He believed in forgiveness, peace and non- violence.He also fought for justice but in a non- violence way. For him, the voice of conscience was above any law of land.His salt Satyagraha at Dandi was linked to his non violence method of protesting.He never paid evil for evil.

MCQ Type Questions 

Question 1.

Health conditions in

 Champaran

Ans.miserable

Question 2.

For how long did Gandhi remain in Champaran?

Ans.7 months

Q3-.

Gandhi was summoned by ___ the Lt. Governor

Ans. Sir Edward Gait

Q4-Who were ready to follow Gandhi into jail?

Ans.lawyers

Q5-The magistrate asked Gandhi to furnish bail for __ minutes

Ans.120 minutes

Q6.After Tirhut, where did Gandhi go?

Ans.Motihari

Q7.Where is Champaran district situated?

Ans.in the foothills of the Himalayas in Bihar

Q8.Who received Gandhi at the Muzaffarpur station?

Ans.J.B Kriplani

Q9-.When did Gandhiji go to Lucknow?

Ans.December 1916

Q10.Where did Gandhiji stay for two days?

Ans.At Prof. Malkani’s house,a government teacher.

Q11. How many types of medicine were available in Champaran?

Ans. Caster oil,Quinine and sulphur ointment.

Q12- Name the youngest son of Gandhiji.

Ans.Devdas

Q13- Name two disciples of Gandhiji who helped in Champaran.

Ans.Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh

Q14.Who was Sir Edmund in the lesson Indigo?

Ans.Administrator in Indian Civil Services

Q15-Why is Champaran famous?

Ans.For the first Satyagrah movement in 1917

Q16.Why did Gandhiji decide to go to Muzaffarpur?

Ans.To have detailed information of the sharecroppers of Champaran

Q17.Why was Motihari black with peasants?

Ans.Because their champion was in trouble

Important Links 

The Enemy Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-enemy-question-answer-12th-english.html

The Interview 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-interview-question-answer.html

Going Place Questions and answers 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/going-places-question-answer-12th.html

Ch-4 The Rattrap Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-rattrap-12th-english-question-answer.html

Ch-6 On The Face Of It Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/on-face-of-it-question-answer-12th.html

Ch-3A Journey To The End Of The Earth 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-journey-to-end-of-earth-12th-eng.html

My Mother At Sixty Six Questions and answers 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/my-mother-at-sixty-six-12th-eng.html

Keeping Quiet Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/keeping-quiet-12th-eng-question-and.html

A Thing Of Beauty Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-thing-of-beauty-12th-eng-questions.html

Aunt Jennifer's Tigers Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/aunt-jennifers-tigers-12th-eng-question.html

A Roadside Stand Question Answer 

https://englishscholarhubclgautam.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-roadside-stand-12th-eng-question-and.html