1. Choose the correct answer (M.C.Q.): 

(i) Who formed the Assam Association in 1903? hslc-2020

(a) Padmanath Gohain Barua 

(b) Hemchandra Goswami 

(c) Nabin Chandra Bordoloi 

(d) Manik Chandra Barua

Ans:- (d) Manik Chandra Barua

(ii) Where was the first session of the Assam Association held in 1905? hslc-2018

(a) In Sivasagar

(b) In Jorhat

(c) In Dibrugarh

(d) In Golaghat

Ans:- (c) In Dibrugarh

(iii) The first session of the All Assam Ryot Sabha was held at

(a) Tezpur

(b) Tilikiyam

(c) Biswanath Chariali 

(d) Titabar

Ans:- (b) Tilikiyam

(iv) Jorhat Sarbajanik Sabha was formed in

(a) 1884 

(b) 1882 

(c) 1886 

(d) 1883

Ans:- (c) 1886 

(v) Mahatma Gandhi visited Assam in the month of August

(a) 1926 

(b) 1942 

(c) 1921 

(d) 1945

Ans:- (c) 1921 

(vi) The association Gyan Pradayini Sabha was initiated in the year.

(a) 1867 

(b) 1837 

(c) 1869 

(d) 1857

Ans:- (d) 1857

(vii) The Assamese Literary Society was established in the year

(a) 1874 

(b) 1872 

(c) 1882 

(d) 1883

Ans:- (b) 1872

(viii) The Asomiya Bhasa Unnati Sadhan Sabha was formed in the year

(a) 1889 

(b) 1893 

(c) 1888 

(d) 1890

Ans:- (c) 1888 

(xi) The University of Gauhati was established on- 

(a) 26th December 1948

(b) 26th January 1948

(c) 26th January 1949

(d) 26th December 1949

Ans:- (b) 26th January 1948

(x) Kanaklata Baruah died in-

(a) Bajali 

(b) Nalbari

(c) Dhekiajuli 

(d) Gohpur

Ans:- (d) Gohpur

(xi) The association that took initiative in the publication of Hemkosh of Hemchandr Barua was –

(a) Gyan Pradayini Sabha

(b) Assamese Literary Society

(c) Asomiya Bhasha Unnati Sadhini Sabha 

(d) Assam Association.

Ans:- (c) Asomiya Bhasha Unnati Sadhini Sabha 

2. Very Short Answers:-

(i) Who was the first Editor of Jonaki? hslc-2023, 2019 

Ans:- Chandra Kumar Agarwala. 

(ii) The oldest and the first public university of North East India is ____. hslc-2023

Ans:- Guwahati University

(iii) Leeladhar Barua was the Assamese who participated the Dandi March of Gandhi. (True or false). hslc-2023

Ans:- True. 

(iv) Who formed Ahom Sabha? hslc-2020

Ans:- Ahom Sabha was formed by Padmanath Gohain Baruah.

(v) What was the most important activity of Ahom Sabha?

hslc-2020

Ans:- The most important activity of Ahom Sabha was an anti Opium Campaign. 

(vi)  When was the treaty of Yandaboo signed? hslc-2022

Ans:- The treaty of Yandaboo was signed on 24th February, 1826.

(vii) Who was known as Assam Keshari? 

Ans:- Ambikagiri Raychoudhury.

(viii) Who was the first Editor of Arunoday?

Ans:- Nathan Brown.

(ix) Which period is known as Company Raj in Assam?

Ans:- The period from 1826 to 1858 is known as Company Raj in Assam.

(x) Who was the first secretary of the Ahom Sabha?

Ans:- Padmanath Gohain Barua.

(xi) Who was the first Secretary of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee?

Ans:- Kuladhar Chalih. 

(xii) Who was the first President of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee?

Ans:- Nabin Chandra Bardaloi.

(xiii) What was the preface journal of Assam Chatra Sanmilan?

Ans:- Milan.

xiv) Who was the first formally elected president of the Asom Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC)? 

Ans:- Bishnu Ram Medhi. 

(xv) Who was the first Prime Minister of Assam and when was he elected? 

Ans:- The first Prime Minister of Assam was Gopinath Bardaloi. He was elected in 1946. 

(xvi) Why was Kushal Knowar hanged? 

Ans:- Kushal Knowar was hanged in connection with derailment of a train at Barpathar.

(xvii) When was Guwahati Medical College formally started?

Ans:- On 20th September, 1960.

(xviii) Who were the trimurti of Jonaki age? 

Ans:- Hemchandra Goswami, Lakshminath Bezbarua and Chandrakumar Agarwala were the trimurti of Jonaki age. 

(xix) What was the main objective of the Rayat Sabha?

Ans:- The ‘Rayat Sabha’ protested against the new revenue system and money economy introduced by the British.

(xx) Under whose leadership was the Jorhat Sarbajanik Sabha formed and when? 

Ans:- Under the leadership of Jagannath Barua in 1884.

(xxi) What was the first national institution established in Assam?

Ans:- Tilok Memorial School.

(xxii) Write the full form of A.B.U.S.S. 

Ans:- Asomiya Bhasa Unnati Sadhini Sabha. 

(xxiii) What’s the best creation of Hem Ch. Baruah?

Ans:- Dictionary named “Hemkosh”.

(xxiv) What was the main objective of the Asom Chatra Sanmilan?

Ans:- To develop the Assamese language. 

(xxv) Where was the first session of Ahom Sabha held?

Ans:- In Sivasagar. 

(xxvi) What was the foremost work of the Ahom Sabha? 

Ans:- Anti-opium movement. 

(xxvii) Name the Sabha which was renamed as the Ahom Association?

Ans:- The Ahom Sabha was renamed as the Ahom Association.

(xxviii) : What was the main objective of the Rayat Sabha?

Ans:- The main objective of the ‘Rayat Sabha’ was to protest against new revenue system and money economy introduced by the British.

(xxix) Write the main result of treaty of Yandaboo? hslc-2022

Ans:- The political annexation of Assam by the East India Company. It marked the beginning of the expansion of the British Empire in the region.

3.  Write the names of the President and the General Secretary of Assam Association who were formally elected in the First Session of the Association. HSLC-2019

Ans:- The name of the President of Assam Association who were formally elected in the First Session of the Association was “Raja Prabhat Chandra Baruah” and that of general secretary was ‘Manik Chandra Baruah’.

4. Give an account of the Jorhat Sarbojanik Sabha. hslc-2023, 2018

Ans:- The Jorhat Sarbajanik Sabha were founded in 1884 by Jagannath Barua in Jorhat. Raja Naranarayan Sinha became the founder president of the Sabha while Jagannath Barua became the secretary.

Chief objectives of the Sabha :- 

(i) To represent the aspirations of the people to the government.

(ii) To explain government policies to the people 

(iii) To ameliorate the condition of the people. 

A few issues taken up by the Sabha were:- 

(i) It raised its voice against the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act. 1886.

(ii) In 1892-93, it took up the cause of the ryots who protested against the enhancement of revenue.

(iii) In 1893, the Sabha submitted a memorandum to the Royal Commission on opium asking for gradual abolition of opium in Assam.

(iv) The Sabha demanded that the interests of the Assamese people should be protected and certain number of jobs should be reserved for them in the proposed new province.

The Sabha became weak after the death of Jagannath Barua in 1921.

5. Discuss in brief the role played by the people of Assam in the ‘Quit India Movement’. hslc-2023

Ans:- Role played by the people of Assam in the Quit India Movement are:- 

(i) The All India Congress declared ‘Quit India Movement’ on August 8, 1942 with the famous speech of Mahatma Gandhi at Gowalia Tank in Bombay. After then, the Congress was declared illegal and its leaders including Mahatma Gandhi were arrested.

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, District Congress Committee and other subsidiary bodies were declared unlawful. All the leaders were put behind bars. All forms of hartals, meetings and gatherings were banned. 

(ii) Leaders being in jail and with the growing police atrocities, the movement turned out into rebellion. The people attacked government buildings, destroyed. railway, track and sabotaged military supply lines. There were incidences of sabotage on railways near. Shahabibazar in Habiganj, Sarupathar in Golaghat etc.

(iii) The British responded to the movement by mass arrests and public flogging. Hundreds of innocent people died and the Congress. leadership was cut off from the rest of the word. Kushal Konwar was hanged in connection with derailment of train at Sarupathar. Brutal police firings took place at Patacharkuchi (Barpeta), Fakiragram (Goalpara) etc.

(iv) It was genuinely a mass movement bringing into it hundreds and thousands of ordinary people. Apart from filling up jails with rebellious leaders, the British also went ahead and abolished civil rights freedom of speech and freedom of press.

(v) Few leaders who had escaped arrest went into hiding and tried to guide the mass movement by consolidating underground networks. Among them were Jai Prakash Narayan, S M Joshi, Aruna Asaf Ali etc. During the Quir India Movement, parallel Governments were formed in a few rural areas in Assam.

Despite of active involvement of the people of Assam, the movement was snuffed out by the British.

6. How were the Ryat Sabha’s formed in different parts of Assam against the British? hslc-2019 

Or

Give an account on the objectives and role of the Ryat Sabha. hslc-2017

Ans:- By the end of 19th century, Tezpur Ryat Sabha at Darrang district and Nagaon Ryat Sabha in Nowgaon were established to resolve the problems faced by the peasants. The middle class people of Assam played a major role in formation of the Ryat Sabha.

The Ryat Sabha raised its voice against the newly introduced land settlement in Assam by the colonial state. It demanded for the abolition of grazing tax, reduction of land tax, and to ban the migration of peasants from East Bengal. However, the Sabha did not play significant role in the movement of 1893-94 which took place at Rangia, Lachima, Sarthebari and Patharughat against the enhancement of land tax.

During Civil-Disobedience movement Ryat Sabha was reestablished under the guidance of Assam Provincial Congress Committee. The Ryat Sabha of Naduar and Chayaduar were very strong between 1930 and 1939. During the period of the Civil Disobedience the most important demand of the Ryat Sabha was the reduction of land tax by 50 percent.

To direct all the Ryat Sabhas towards a common goal or objective a central Committee, the All Assam Ryat Sabha was formed and the first session was held near Tilikiyam in Jorhat on 8 April 1933 under the presidentship of Nabin Chandra Bardoloi.

By the end of 1940, the Ryat Sabhas lost their vigour and in many parts the Sabhas were included within the Provincial Congress Committees.

7. How did the people of Assam take part in the Civil Disobedience Movement? HSLC-2017

Ans:- The Civil Disobedience Movement took off with the preparation of salt by Gandhi by boiling the sea-water on 6th April, 1930 at Dandi. At the time of breaking the salt law, Liladhar Barua from Assam was among the 78 followers of Gandhi at Dandi.

* Observance of ‘Swaraj Divas’: On 26th January, 1930 the students and youths participated massively in many programmes like the observance of ‘Swaraj Divas’, the hoisting of the Congress flag and taking the pledge for freedom as in other parts of the country.

*Unfurling the Congress flag: In the programme of unfurling the Congress flag at the Jubile Park in Guwahati by Tarun Ram Phukan, President of the APCC, hundreds of students and youths participated along with the Congress leaders like Nabin Chandra Bordoloi and Siddhinath Sarma and others. The role played by the students of Cotton College was worth mentioning.

*Protests against the arrest of Nehru and Gandhi: In protest against the arrest of Nehru on 14 April and Gandhi on 5 May (1930), students participated in hartal in large numbers. On 6 and 14 May, the students of the entire Brahmaputra valley boycotted the classes.

* Reactions against ‘Cunningham Circular’: A circular issued by the Director of Public Instruction of Assam on 19th May asked the students and parents to provide a written undertaking guaranteeing that the students wouldn’t perform in any political activity. But the circulars instead of working to keep away the students from the movement, instigated them to participate in overwhelming numbers.

*Role of Assam Chatra Sanmilan: The Assam Chatra Sanmilan organised a special session at Gauhati to discuss about its plan of action. They decided to picket government institutions. Around 3,117 out of 15, 186 students left their institutions between July and August 1930.

*Rejuvenation of Congress: The Congress in Assam was rejuvenated under the leadership of Bishnuram Medhi, Mahammad Tayebullah and Ambikagiri Raychoudhury. New committees and sub-committees were formed to look into the various matters of the movement.

Role of peasants & violation of lows: Peasants got engaged in the movement by demanding reduction of land revenue by 50 percent. Forest laws were also violated in certain areas in Chapapur and Bijni. Students unrest took place in Surma Valley as well. 

8. Write on the contribution of Assam Association towards social reforms in British ruled Assam. HSLC-2017

Ans:- Assam Association: A broad based provincial forum to apprise the Government of the wishes and aspirations of the people of Assam became an urgent need. This led to the formation of Assam Association in 1903 by Manik Chandra Baruah.

The Association served as the mouthpiece of the people of Assam in presenting to the authorities their ‘needs and grievances, hopes and aspirations.’ The Association followed peaceful and constitutional methods to bring change.

Some of the issues raised by the Assam Association to improve the socio-economic and political conditions of Assam ware:

(i) It was critical of the predominance of government officials in the Municipal Committee and of the tea planters in the Local Boards.

(ii) It demanded democratisation of the local bodies.

(iii) It opposed enhancement of taxes, excise policy of the government, and demanded absolute prohibition of opium.

(iv) It was concerned about the development of the province in the field of education. Hence, it negotiated for the representation of Assam in the Calcutta University Syndicate, appointment of Assamese teachers in Cotton College, establishment of technical institutions. 

(v) It opposed the incorporation of Assam into a single province named as East Bengal and Assam in 1905.

(vi) It demanded the introduction of Montague- Chelmsford reforms of 1918 in Assam as well, 

(vii) It demanded the establishment of a University in Assam.

9. Give a brief description about the Educational Institutions established in Assam under the leadership of Bordoloi Ministry? HSLC-2018

Ans:- Under the leadership of Bordoloi Ministry, a number of educational institutions were set up.

Some of these were:

(i) Assam Agricultural University: The origin of Assam Agricultural University can be traced back to 1913 when an agricultural research station was established at Karimjanj followed by another at Titabor in 1923.

In 1948, Assam Agricultural College at Jorhat and Assam Veterinary College at Nagaon were set up. In 1969, the Assam Agricultural University was established embracing both the colleges and shifting the Veterinary college from Nagaon to the present day location of Guwahati.

(ii) Guwahati University: The Guwahati University was established on 26 January, 1948 at the suggession of Sir Michael Sedlar, Chairman of the Calcutta University Commission in 1917. The University was established under the Guwahati University Act, 1947 of the Govt. of Assam in 1948. The first court meeting was held on 26th January 1948, which is considered as foundation day of the University. It had 17 affiliated colleges and 8 Post Graduate Departments on its establishment. The University was shifted to the present day campus in 1955-56.

(iii) Assam Medical College: The Assam Medical College was first established at Dibrugarh in 1900 as the Berry White School of Medicine. After World War II, the college was shifted to the nearby hospital premises which had been used by the US Army. The college was formally renamed as Assam Medical College on 3rd November, 1947.

Following the establishment of Assam Medical College, the Guwahati Medical College and Silchar Medical College were established in September, 1960 and 1968 respectively.

10. How did the Non Co-operation Movement spread in Assam. HSLC-2020

Ans:- NON CO-OPERATION MOVEMENT AND ASSAM: The non cooperation movement was a major event in the Indian struggle for independence. The movement lasted from 1920 to 1922 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The movement also had a great impact in Assam.

ROLE OF ASSAM IN THE MOVEMENT:

i) Initially the Assam Association was not sure about joining the movement. However, as the majority felt the need of joining mainstream politics, at the seventeenth session of the Assam Association held at Tezpur in December 1920, they took the resolution of joining the “non- cooperation movement” and to follow the directives of the Congress in matters relating to the movement.

ii) The movement in Assam reached its climax with the visit of Gandhi in August 1921. The meetings of Gandhi were attended by large section of people. They organized huge bonfires of British goods.

iii) The youth of Assam participated in the movement by boycotting government educational institutions under the leadership of Chandranath Sharma, Hemchandra Barua etc. 

iv) Lawers like Nabin Chandra Bordoloi, Bishnuram Medhi etc. left their legal practices and many government officials and teachers also left their jobs to join the movement. 

v) National schools were set up in Guwahati, Nalbari, Jorhat with the first national School being set up at Guwahati in February, 1921. 

IMPACTS OF THE MOVEMENT: 

i) Due to the vigorous anti-opium campaign led by congress workers, there was sharp reduction in Opium consumption and consequently in the revenue earned by British by selling Opium.

ii) The movement also helped in popularising the use of Khadi and increasing the production of khadi.

iii) The movement also witnessed the unprecedented support of tea garden labourers.  In this way, the non-cooperation movement was widespread in Assam. 

11. Discuss the contribution of Asomiya Bhasa Unnati Sadhini Sabha in Assam. HSLC-2022

Ans:- The growth of national awareness and political consciousness was one of the signifi- cant development of the 19th century. Assam significantly enough to enrich the Assamese language and literature and the formation of an association was need of the hour. In conse- quence of this Asomiya Bhasa Unnati Sadhini Sabha was formed in 1888. Post its formation the sabha got converted into a literary organization under the initiative of students like Hemchandra Goswami, Lakshminath Bezbarua, Chandra Kumar Agarwalla etc. It aroused a sense of unity and national aware- ness amongst the Assamese. It took the initia- tive of adopting a correct and standardised grammatical system in all the vernacular School of Assam. It also decided to compile a comprehensive social history of Assam and to translate the important Sanskrit words into Assamese. It also undertook the publication of Hemkosh. It also used to hold regular discussions on various subjects like the history of Assam culture, literature and language. It published its journal ‘Jonaki’ that ushered a new era in Assamese literature.