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TNPSC Dravidian movement and modern Tamil Nadu: practice questions
On this page
The socio-political movements of Tamil Nadu form the final stretch of Unit VI, and the Group 2 prelims syllabus names the Justice Party, the Self-Respect Movement, the Dravidian Movement and the contributions of Periyar and Anna. Group 4 candidates should expect the same material at SSLC level. The five questions below test the milestones and people behind the political history of the state. TNPSC Tamil Nadu History, Culture and Heritage covers the subject in full.
What this topic covers
- The Justice Party era: the 1916 founding, the 1920 ministry, and its transformation into the Dravidar Kazhagam.
- The language question: the anti-Hindi agitations of 1937 to 1940 and 1965.
- The DMK and its leaders: the party's founding in 1949 and its first government in 1967.
- Renaming and identity: the demand for the name Tamil Nadu, Sankaralinganar's fast and the 1969 change.
- Kamaraj's era: the chief ministership of K. Kamaraj and the Kamaraj Plan of 1963.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1916 | South Indian Liberal Federation (Justice Party) founded |
| 1925 | Self-Respect Movement begins |
| 1937 to 1940 | First anti-Hindi agitation |
| 1944 | Justice Party renamed Dravidar Kazhagam at Salem |
| 1949 | C. N. Annadurai founds the DMK |
| 1956 | Sankaralinganar dies after a fast for the name Tamil Nadu |
| 1963 | Kamaraj Plan |
| 1967 | DMK forms its first government, with Annadurai as Chief Minister |
| 1969 | Madras State renamed Tamil Nadu |
Sample questions
Question 1
The Justice Party was renamed the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944 at a conference held in:
- A. Salem
- B. Madras
- C. Erode
- D. Madurai
Question 2
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was founded in 1949 by:
- A. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
- B. K. Kamaraj
- C. C. N. Annadurai
- D. M. Karunanidhi
Question 3
Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969 during the chief ministership of:
- A. K. Kamaraj
- B. M. Bhaktavatsalam
- C. M. Karunanidhi
- D. C. N. Annadurai
Question 4
The compulsory teaching of Hindi in schools of the Madras Presidency in 1937 to 1938, which led to the first anti-Hindi agitation, was introduced by the ministry of:
- A. the Raja of Panagal
- B. P. Subbarayan
- C. T. Prakasam
- D. C. Rajagopalachari
Question 5
The Kamaraj Plan of 1963 proposed that senior Congress leaders should:
- A. contest more elections
- B. retire from public life
- C. resign from government posts to work for the party organisation
- D. join the Planning Commission
Answers and explanations
- A. At the Salem conference of 1944, led by Periyar, the Justice Party was renamed the Dravidar Kazhagam and gave up electoral politics. Erode is Periyar's home town and is a distractor.
- C. C. N. Annadurai (Anna) left the Dravidar Kazhagam and founded the DMK in 1949 after differences with Periyar.
- D. The Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act came into effect on 14 January 1969, when C. N. Annadurai was Chief Minister. Sankaralinganar's 1956 fast had made the demand a mass cause.
- D. The Congress ministry under C. Rajagopalachari introduced Hindi as a compulsory subject in secondary schools in 1938, sparking protests in which Thalamuthu and Natarajan died. The Raja of Panagal and P. Subbarayan were earlier premiers.
- C. Under the plan, Kamaraj resigned as Chief Minister in 1963, and senior leaders were asked to leave office and work for the party. It led to his move to national politics.
How to prepare the Dravidian movement chapter
Treat the table above as the spine of the chapter and learn it as a timeline. For each row, add the main figure: Theagaraya Chetty and T. M. Nair for the Justice Party, Periyar for the Self-Respect Movement and the Dravidar Kazhagam, Annadurai for the DMK, and Kamaraj for the Congress government of the 1950s and early 1960s. This helps with questions that give a person and ask for an event.
Keep a separate note on language politics. The 1937 to 1940 and 1965 agitations are treated as distinct episodes, and the Official Languages issue of 1965 is often linked to the DMK's rise in 1967. Know what triggered each episode and who led it.
Avoid recent political events and current office-holders. TNPSC questions on this topic stay in the historical frame, and any question that depends on a current officeholder goes stale quickly. Link this chapter to TNPSC social reform movements practice and TNPSC social justice and reservation practice.
Take the full topic test on PrepMatic
After finishing the chapter, take a timed Tamil Nadu history round on PrepMatic: topic tests have about 15 questions and run for 30 minutes. If you plan your study around the Group 4 exam on 10 January 2027, the study plan spreads topics across your available days, and you can log your study time against it.
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- TN history and cultureTNPSC Tamil Nadu history, culture and heritage: the Unit VI syllabus, Sangam age to social reform, key sites and leaders, and a study order for Group 4 and Group 2.
- Group 4 syllabusThe official TNPSC Group 4 syllabus (code 496): seven Tamil units, six General Studies units and aptitude topics, with question counts and priorities.
- TNPSC mock test strategyHow to use TNPSC mock tests: when to start, how often, how to analyse a mock, keep an error log and practise OMR including option E and the blank-answer penalty.
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