10. Rise of nationalism and formation of the INC

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 with A.O. Hume playing an organising role; W.C. Bonnerjee was its first president. Early nationalists, later called Moderates, used petitions, speeches, constitutional agitation and economic critique. Dadabhai Naoroji’s Drain Theory argued that colonial rule transferred Indian wealth abroad through several channels. The early movement built political vocabulary, public associations and an all-India platform.

Exact associations

Worked understanding

Read this chapter as a connected chain: Rise of nationalism and formation of the INC is linked to the institutions, people, dates and consequences above. On a direct SSC question, retrieve the exact association; on a higher-level question, add the reason or consequence rather than listing names.

Solved examples from this chapter

What an examiner is testing

The options around Rise of nationalism and formation of the INC are usually built from a nearby date, person, place or organisation. Read the stem for its anchor word, eliminate options from the wrong period, and then use the table to confirm the exact pair. A one-line explanation is the best protection against a lucky guess.

Step-by-step answer construction

Example 1: The first INC session was held at: Start by locating the question in the chapter’s period and association table. Eliminate the options belonging to another movement, Act, person or region. The supported answer is Bombay, because The first session met in Bombay in 1885.

Example 2: Drain Theory was associated with: Start by locating the question in the chapter’s period and association table. Eliminate the options belonging to another movement, Act, person or region. The supported answer is Naoroji, because Dadabhai Naoroji developed the argument.

Example 3: The first president of INC was: Start by locating the question in the chapter’s period and association table. Eliminate the options belonging to another movement, Act, person or region. The supported answer is W.C. Bonnerjee, because Bonnerjee presided over the first session.

Chapter practice

1. The first INC session was held at:

(A) Bombay (B) Calcutta (C) Madras (D) Allahabad

Answer: A. Bombay | Explanation: The first session met in Bombay in 1885.

2. Drain Theory was associated with:

(A) Naoroji (B) Tilak (C) Gandhi (D) Curzon

Answer: A. Naoroji | Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji developed the argument.

3. The first president of INC was:

(A) W.C. Bonnerjee (B) Hume (C) Gokhale (D) Mehta

Answer: A. W.C. Bonnerjee | Explanation: Bonnerjee presided over the first session.

Chronology and causation drill

For Rise of nationalism and formation of the INC, write the five-link chain: period or date → place → person or organisation → immediate issue → consequence. Then add the nearest confusing event and one precise difference. This is the format that turns static history into reliable SSC CGL recall.