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Q86 (IAS/2014) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Revolutionary movement Official Key

The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The Ghadar Party was an Indian revolutionary organization formed in 1913 in San Francisco, United States, by migrant Indians[2]. It was a revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco[4]. The organization was launched formally in San Francisco in 1913 and was later smashed, with its members brutally exterminated and hanged between[6] 1914-1916. The Ghadar movement played a significant role in India's freedom struggle by mobilizing Indian immigrants, particularly in North America, against British colonial rule. The party published a revolutionary newspaper called "Ghadar" (meaning "mutiny" or "rebellion") to spread their message among Indians worldwide. Therefore, option A correctly identifies the Ghadar as a revolutionary association headquartered in San Francisco, not Singapore, Berlin, or Tashkent as suggested by the other options.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a [A] revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco [B] nationalist organization opera…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'Sitter' from standard static history books (Spectrum/NCERT), not current affairs. It tests the basic geography of the Indian freedom struggle abroad. If you missed this, your static revision of the 'Revolutionary Phase' is weak.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was the Ghadar (Ghadr) movement a revolutionary association of Indians headquartered in San Francisco?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Ans: (a) revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco."
Why this source?
  • Directly answers the quiz-style question affirming the Ghadar was a revolutionary association of Indians.
  • Specifically states the headquarters were at San Francisco.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Answer: (a) Option (a) is correct: Ghadar Party was an Indian revolutionary organization, which was formed in 1913 in San Francisco, the United States, by migrant Indians"
Why this source?
  • Explicitly identifies the Ghadar Party as an Indian revolutionary organization.
  • States it was formed in 1913 in San Francisco by migrant Indians, tying origin and headquarters to San Francisco.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The original headquarters of the Ghadar Party are in San Francisco where a new building ... preserves the Ghadar legacy."
Why this source?
  • Describes the Ghadar Party as born in San Francisco and notes the original headquarters are in San Francisco.
  • Provides historical context linking local San Francisco community and a preserved Ghadar headquarters building.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Impact of World War I on Indian Freedom Movement > Morley > p. 35
Strength: 5/5
“Lala Hardayal, who settled in San Francisco, founded Pacific Coast Hindustan Association in 1913, with Sohan Singh Bhakna as its president. This Lala Hardayal The organization was popularly called Ghadar Party. ('Ghadar' means rebellion in Urdu.) The members of this party were largely immigrant Sikhs from the US and Canada. The party published a journal called Ghadar. It began publication from San Francisco on November 1, 1913. Later it was published in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and other languages. The Ghadar Movement was an important episode in India's freedom struggle. A ship named Komagata Maru, filled with Indian immigrants, was turned back from Canada.”
Why relevant

States Lala Hardayal settled in San Francisco and founded the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association (popularly called Ghadar) and that the party published the journal Ghadar beginning publication from San Francisco.

How to extend

A student could combine this with basic geography (San Francisco on the US west coast) and the fact that a movement publishing its journal from a city suggests an organizational base there, to judge plausibility of a San Francisco headquarters.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 13: First Phase of Revolutionary Activities (1907-1917) > The Ghadr > p. 288
Strength: 4/5
“The Ghadr Party was a revolutionary group organised around a weekly newspaper The Ghadr with its headquarters at San”
Why relevant

Explicitly says the Ghadr Party was organised around a weekly newspaper with its headquarters at San (fragment continues to San Francisco in related snippet).

How to extend

Use the pattern that revolutionary diasporic movements often center where their press is located to infer that a newspaper-centred group likely had its headquarters where the paper was produced.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 13: First Phase of Revolutionary Activities (1907-1917) > p. 289
Strength: 4/5
“Francisco and branches along the US coast and in the Far East. These revolutionaries included mainly ex-soldiers and peasants who had migrated from the Punjab to the USA and Canada in search of better employment opportunities. They were based in the US and Canadian cities along the western (Pacific) coast. Pre-Ghadr revolutionary activity had been carried on by Ramdas Puri, G.D. Kumar, Taraknath Das, Sohan Singh Bhakna and Lala Hardayal who reached there in 1911. To carry out revolutionary activities, the earlier activists had set up a 'Swadesh Sevak Home' at Vancouver and 'United India House' at Seattle. Finally in 1913, the Ghadr was established.”
Why relevant

Notes branches along the US coast and Far East and that activists reached there by 1911, culminating in establishment of the Ghadr in 1913 (context implies US/West Coast base).

How to extend

A student could map the mentioned coastal branches and infer a Pacific-coast hub (San Francisco) consistent with a headquarters there.

Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 14: Nationalist Movement 1905—1918 > The Home Rule Leagues > p. 258
Strength: 3/5
“United States of America and Canada had established the Ghadar (Rebellion) Party in 1913. While most of the members of the party were Sikh peasants and soldiers, their leaders were mostly educated Hindus or Muslims. The party had active members in other countries such as Mexico, Japan, China, Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, Thailand, Indo-China, and East and South Africa. The Ghadar Party was pledged to wage revolutionary war against the British in India. As soon as the First World War broke out in 1914, the Ghadarites decided to send arms and men to India to start an uprising with the help of soldiers and local revolutionaries.”
Why relevant

Says the United States of America and Canada had established the Ghadar Party in 1913 and describes its international membership and revolutionary aims.

How to extend

Combine this rule/example (Ghadar formed in North America in 1913) with city-level evidence to assess whether San Francisco is a plausible headquarter location for a North American-based revolutionary association.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CDS-I · 2022 · Q97 Relevance score: 4.26

The headquarters of Ghadar Movement/Party were at

CDS-II · 2025 · Q53 Relevance score: 2.35

Which of the following statements about the Ghadar Movement is/are correct ? 1. The Ghadar Movement began in 1913 in San Francisco. 2. The movement was founded by Sohan Singh Bhakna. 3. The Ghadar Movement took its name from the weekly Ghadar brought out in several Indian languages. Select the answer using the code given below :

IAS · 2005 · Q133 Relevance score: 1.76

Where were the Ghadar revolutionaries, who became active during the outbreak of the World War I based?

CDS-II · 2006 · Q113 Relevance score: 1.14

Who among the following was associated with the foundation of Ghadar Party ?