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General Studies 2024 GS Paper I 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Enumerate

GS Paper I — Q3

What were the events that led to the Quit India Movement? Point out its results. (Answer in 150 words) 10

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

वे कौन-सी घटनाएँ थीं जिनके कारण भारत छोड़ो आंदोलन शुरू हुआ? इसके परिणामों को स्पष्ट कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q3 of the 2024 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2024 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

Causes. The Quit India Movement arose from the failure of the Cripps Mission (March–April 1942), which offered Dominion Status but refused immediate independence, against a backdrop of World War II’s strain, inflation, food shortages and the exhaustion of constitutional methods. Gandhi’s “Do or Die” call and the AICC’s Bombay resolution of 8 August 1942 transformed this frustration into a mass non-cooperation campaign.

Results. The British responded with mass arrests of Congress leaders and brutal repression, yet the movement produced spontaneous uprisings and parallel governments in Ballia, Tamluk and Satara. Though suppressed by 1943 and not dismantling British administration, it weakened British moral authority, accelerated post-war transfer of power, and made independence seem inevitable. Socialist and communist influence rose in post-war politics, though the CPI remained isolated for supporting Britain’s war effort; the later INA trials further deepened nationalist resentment. Thus, it became a decisive turning point in the freedom struggle.

What "Enumerate" is asking you to do

Produce the complete set of items asked for, countable and correctly named. The examiner marks against a checklist, so a missing item costs and an elaborated one gains nothing — where discussion is wanted the stem asks for it as a separate sub-part.

Structure that answers it

One line naming the basis on which the set is drawn → items numbered, each in a phrase or a single line → the discussion sub-part taken up separately, after the list is complete

Where marks are lost

Treating it as an essay. Six items named in six lines score better than three items explained at length.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 History: Movements (causes, social base, methods, limits, legacy). explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Precise causes (Cripps) and results (repression/legacy) with analytical depth.

Key points expected

  • Cripps Proposals rejection as immediate cause
  • Gandhi's 'Do or Die' call
  • British repression and mass arrests
  • Movement's failure to achieve immediate independence

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Explain the specific events triggering the movement and its outcomes. 10 marks · 150 words

    explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close

    Must cover

    • Cripps Proposals rejection as immediate cause
    • Gandhi's 'Do or Die' call
    • British repression and mass arrests
    • Movement's failure to achieve immediate independence

    Loses marks

    • Narrating general history of Congress
    • Ignoring the 'results' part of the question
    • Emotive language without factual basis

    Earns more

    • Mention of 'August Krishna' (August 1942)
    • Reference to parallel Azad Hind movement
    • Note on British realization of Indian strength
    • Mention of communal violence during the movement

    Extra mark

    • Specific date of Bombay session (8 Aug 1942)
    • Reference to 'Quit India' slogan origin

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Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.

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