Flamingo (Prose): Indigo

Topics in this chapter

• Champaran Indigo Exploitation
• Gandhian Satyagraha
• Peasant Agency and Leadership
• Fact-Finding and Agrarian Reform
• Constructive Social Reform
• Chapter Significance

Cheat sheet

Practice questions

1. Question 1Q-098481

   Under the tinkathia system in Champaran, peasants were compelled to cultivate indigo on approximately what proportion of their land?

   1. A.One-fifth
   2. B.Three-twentieths
   3. C.One-third
   4. D.One-half
   See the answer and solution
2. Question 2Q-F1EDD7

   Why was Gandhi's decision to remain in Champaran after receiving an official order to leave significant?

   1. A.He wanted to take control of the indigo factories.
   2. B.He showed that unjust authority could be challenged through peaceful civil disobedience.
   3. C.He intended to organise an armed rebellion against the British.
   4. D.He wished to become the legal representative of every peasant.
   See the answer and solution
3. Question 3Q-D7FEC7

   What was the deeper significance of the landlords agreeing to refund only 25 percent of the money they had illegally exacted from the Champaran peasants?

   1. A.The refund completely compensated the peasants for every past loss.
   2. B.The amount proved that the landlords had become generous rulers.
   3. C.The agreement broke the landlords' prestige and the peasants' fear of them.
   4. D.The settlement required the peasants to continue growing indigo indefinitely.
   See the answer and solution
4. Question 4Q-AF45C2

   How did Gandhi make the Champaran movement broader than a protest against indigo cultivation?

   See the answer and solution
5. Question 5Q-E14BED

   Why did the landlords in Champaran demand compensation from the peasants when they agreed to release them from the indigo arrangement?

   1. A.They wanted payment for the loss they expected from the growing use of synthetic indigo.
   2. B.They had built schools for the peasants and wanted to recover the cost.
   3. C.They wanted to punish the peasants for refusing to pay land revenue.
   4. D.They were legally required to collect a new tax from every tenant.
   See the answer and solution