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Quiz on Gandhi

20 questions · June 19, 2026

Mohandas Gandhi's life spanned continents, ideologies, and one of history's most consequential independence movements. From his early years in South Africa to leading India toward freedom, he developed a philosophy of nonviolent resistance that would inspire civil rights movements worldwide. Understanding Gandhi means grappling with both his towering legacy and the complexities of his personal beliefs—a figure whose influence extends far beyond the independence he helped secure. See how well you know the man behind the movement.

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Question 1

Easy

What philosophy of nonviolent resistance is Gandhi most associated with?

Source: Satyagraha, meaning 'truth-force,' was Gandhi's signature method of peaceful protest.

Question 2

Easy

In which country did Gandhi lead the independence movement?

Source: Gandhi led India to independence from British rule in 1947, the year of his greatest triumph.

Question 3

Easy

What affectionate title meaning 'great soul' is given to Gandhi?

Source: The poet Rabindranath Tagore is often credited with popularizing the honorific 'Mahatma' for Gandhi.

Question 4

Easy

Which simple cloth garment did Gandhi famously wear?

Source: Gandhi adopted the dhoti to identify with India's poorest, calling himself a 'half-naked fakir.'

Question 5

Easy

Gandhi led a famous 1930 march to protest a tax on which everyday item?

Source: The Salt March covered 240 miles to defy Britain's monopoly on this kitchen staple.

Question 6

Easy

What handmade textile did Gandhi promote as a symbol of self-reliance?

Source: Spinning khadi on a wheel became Gandhi's emblem of economic independence from British cloth.

Question 7

Easy

Before India, in which country did Gandhi first develop his activism?

Source: Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa, where being thrown off a train sparked his fight against injustice.

Question 8

Easy

What profession did Gandhi train for in London?

Source: Gandhi qualified as a barrister, though he was famously too shy to speak in his first courtroom case.

Question 9

Easy

Which dietary practice did Gandhi strictly observe throughout his life?

Source: Gandhi was a lifelong vegetarian and even wrote essays defending the diet while studying in London.

Question 10

Easy

Gandhi often used hunger strikes; what were these protests called?

Source: Gandhi's fasts 'unto death' pressured both the British and rival Indian factions to negotiate.

Question 11

Medium

At which coastal village did the Salt March end?

Source: At Dandi, Gandhi raised a lump of natural salt from the mud, signaling mass civil disobedience.

Question 12

Medium

Which Indian political party did Gandhi help lead?

Source: Gandhi transformed the Congress into a mass movement, though he never held formal office in it.

Question 13

Medium

Whose ideas on civil disobedience strongly influenced Gandhi?

Source: Thoreau's essay on refusing unjust taxes helped shape Gandhi's theory of nonviolent resistance.

Question 14

Medium

Who was Gandhi's main political successor as India's first prime minister?

Source: Nehru, Gandhi's chosen heir, led India for 17 years after independence.

Question 15

Medium

Gandhi launched a 1942 campaign demanding the British do what?

Source: The 'Quit India' movement was Gandhi's boldest call, landing him and most Congress leaders in jail.

Question 16

Medium

What word did Gandhi use for India's so-called untouchables?

Source: Gandhi renamed the untouchables 'Harijan,' meaning 'children of God,' to combat caste discrimination.

Question 17

Medium

Which world leader corresponded with Gandhi about nonviolence late in life?

Source: Gandhi exchanged letters with Tolstoy and even named a South African settlement 'Tolstoy Farm.'

Question 18

Hard

In what year was Gandhi assassinated?

Source: Gandhi was shot in January 1948, just months after India won the independence he had fought for.

Question 19

Hard

What was the name of the ashram Gandhi founded near Ahmedabad?

Source: The Salt March began at Sabarmati Ashram, Gandhi's spiritual and organizational headquarters.

Question 20

Hard

Which prize was Gandhi nominated for five times but never won?

Source: Gandhi was nominated five times; the Nobel committee later called the omission its greatest regret.

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