With reference to 8th August, 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) The Quit India Resolution was adopted by the AICC.
On 8 August 1942, at Bombay, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) endorsed the Quit India resolution, which called for a non-violent mass struggle across the country. The other options describe events of other dates.
- ✓ (a) The Congress Working Committee passed the 'Quit India' resolution at Wardha on 14 July 1942, and the AICC endorsed it in Bombay on 8 August 1942, the day Gandhi gave his 'Do or Die' speech.
- ✗ (c) The Congress ministries resigned in 1939, after talks with the Viceroy on India's part in the war broke down, not in 1942.
- ✗ (d) Stafford Cripps came to India in March 1942 with an offer of dominion status after the war; Indian leaders rejected it, and its failure led to Quit India.
- ✗ (b) Expanding the Viceroy's Executive Council with more Indians was the Viceroy's statement of 8 August 1940 (the August Offer), two years earlier, not an event of 8 August 1942.
Remember · 8 August 1942, Bombay: AICC endorses the Quit India resolution; Gandhi's 'Do or Die'. Cripps Mission: March 1942. Congress ministries resigned: 1939.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 10 India and the Contemporary World – II, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part III, Ch 3 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 2 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 10 · India and the Contemporary World – II, Chapter 2 “On 8 August 1942 in Bombay, the All India Congress Committee endorsed the resolution which called for a non-violent mass struggle on the widest possible scale throughout the country.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part III, Chapter 3 “When negotiations with the Viceroy broke down, the Congress ministries resigned.”
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 2 “The 'Cripps Mission' of 1942 promised to grant India dominion status once the war was over”
- UK Parliament, Hansard (Commons), India (Constitution), 8 August 1940: Viceroy's statement ↗ · reference work “They have authorised me accordingly to invite a certain number of representative Indians to join my Executive Council.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·