Question

Which of the following policies of Lord Curzon lead to the rise of Assertive Nationalism?
A) The Act of 1898 made it an offense to provoke people against the English.
B) The Calcutta Corporation act (1899) reduced the strength of elected members from India, thereby giving the British a majority.
C) The Indian Universities Act of 1904 imposed strict official control over the Indian universities because Curzon considered them as the centers of nationalism.
D) All of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: It was the spirit of Nationalism which ultimately gave India her freedom. The Assertives played a very important role in the struggle for Indian freedom. Lord Curzon was unsympathetic towards the Indians. He used all suppressive methods to restrain the activities of patriots and the nationalists. Assertiveness created national awareness among all shades of people. Thus the peoples of India were united as a nation in their struggle for freedom.

Complete answer:
In 1899, the Calcutta Corporation Act was passed; it reduced the number of Indian members in the Calcutta Corporation. Hence, British members became the majority in the Calcutta Corporation. The Indian University Act of 1904 was another measure of control over the autonomy of all the universities. Also, the Act of 1898 made an offense to provoke people against the English. All these acts of the British Government were anti-Indian. This made the Indians grow a spirit of defiance against the British Rule. Soon the National movement assumed an assertive character. Several terrorist organizations were formed, which resorted to political agitations and proclaimed complete independence of India as their ultimate aim.

So, the correct option is Option D.

Note To concede the demand of complete independence of the country, the only way for the Assertives was to put pressure upon the British. To achieve this aim, the Assertives proposed three ways: Boycott, Swadeshi, and National education. They urged the people to boycott the English goods and to use Swadeshi goods, also they appealed to the students to boycott Government colleges and schools.