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TNPSC Tamil Nadu freedom struggle practice questions

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Tamil Nadu's role in the freedom struggle sits across two TNPSC units: the national movement unit (about 10 of the 75 General Studies questions) and the Tamil Nadu history unit (about 20). That is why this topic repays more attention than its size suggests: a question can be asked under either heading. The five questions below cover the early resistance and the nationalist phase. See TNPSC History and Indian National Movement for the bigger picture.

What this topic covers

• Early resistance (1750s to 1806): Puli Thevar, Velu Nachiyar, the Marudhu brothers, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Dheeran Chinnamalai and the Vellore Revolt.
• Nationalist phase (1900s): the Swadeshi movement, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, Subramania Bharati and the revolutionaries.
• The Gandhian era: Home Rule, Non-Cooperation, the Salt March and Quit India in the state.
• Leaders: C. Rajagopalachari, K. Kamaraj, S. Satyamurti and others.

Sample questions

Question 1

The Vellore Revolt broke out in the year:

• A. 1757
• B. 1799
• C. 1806
• D. 1857

Question 2

Veerapandiya Kattabomman was hanged by the British in 1799 at:

• A. Kayathar
• B. Panchalankurichi
• C. Sivagangai
• D. Tirunelveli

Question 3

V. O. Chidambaram Pillai started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company at:

• A. Madras
• B. Cuddalore
• C. Nagapattinam
• D. Tuticorin

Question 4

In 1930, C. Rajagopalachari led the Salt Satyagraha march in Tamil Nadu from Tiruchirappalli to:

• A. Cuddalore
• B. Vedaranyam
• C. Rameswaram
• D. Kanyakumari

Question 5

Velu Nachiyar, who led an armed struggle against the British in the 1780s, was the queen of:

• A. Ramnad
• B. Madurai
• C. Sivagangai
• D. Thanjavur

Answers and explanations

1. C. The Vellore Revolt of 10 July 1806 was a mutiny of Indian sepoys against new dress regulations that offended religious and caste feelings. It is often called a precursor of the Revolt of 1857.
2. A. Kattabomman was captured and hanged at Kayathar on 16 October 1799. Panchalankurichi was his fort, which the British attacked, so it is the usual distractor.
3. D. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 at Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) to run ships between Tuticorin and Colombo and to challenge the British monopoly.
4. B. The march in April 1930, in support of Gandhi's Dandi march, went from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam on the Nagapattinam coast, where salt was made in defiance of the law.
5. C. Velu Nachiyar of Sivagangai recovered her kingdom from the British and the Nawab of Arcot in the 1780s with help from Hyder Ali. She is remembered as one of the first Indian rulers to fight the British.

How to prepare the Tamil Nadu freedom struggle

Organise the topic by phase. The early phase is regional resistance by chiefs and poligars, the middle phase begins with the Vellore Revolt of 1806 and the relative quiet of the south during 1857, and the later phase is the organised national movement. The table above fits the first and last. For each person, remember one place, one year and one action.

Match leaders to institutions. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and the Swadeshi company at Tuticorin, Subramania Bharati and his journal India, Rajaji and the Vedaranyam march, and Kamaraj as a Congress organiser who became Chief Minister. Questions often ask "who founded" or "where", and a match list is the quickest way to learn them.

Mark the key places on a map of the state: Panchalankurichi, Kayathar, Sivagangai, Vellore, Tuticorin and Vedaranyam. A map turns a list of names into a picture, which helps with recall. The wider context is in TNPSC Indian National Movement practice, and the earlier colonial background is in TNPSC Nayaks and Europeans practice.

Take the full topic test on PrepMatic

Tamil Nadu history is a large share of the General Studies paper, so test this topic more than once. A PrepMatic topic test gives about 15 questions in 30 minutes, and Tamil-medium candidates can choose Tamil as their exam language so that names and places appear in Tamil. A study plan built from your exam date will spread such topics across the weeks you have.

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