This Gandhi Jayanti quiz has 30 questions with answers, sorted into three rounds: easy (ages 7 to 9), medium (ages 10 to 12) and hard (ages 13 and up). Every answer has been checked against the Sabarmati Ashram chronology, Britannica, the United Nations and the Nobel Prize archive, and the class guide below shows how to run the whole quiz in a 40-minute lesson.
Gandhi Jayanti falls on Friday 2 October 2026, the 157th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth in 1869. It is a national holiday in India, so many schools hold their assembly, speech or quiz on the last school day before it.
Gandhi Jayanti quiz at a glance
Use this table to pick the right rounds for your group. Each round builds on the one before, so older students can play all three.
| Round | Questions | Best for | Topics | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1: Easy | 1 to 10 | Ages 7 to 9 (Classes 2 to 4) | Birthday, family, charkha, salt, non-violence | 8 minutes |
| Round 2: Medium | 11 to 20 | Ages 10 to 12 (Classes 5 to 7) | South Africa, Champaran, Salt March, Quit India | 10 minutes |
| Round 3: Hard | 21 to 30 | Ages 13 and up (Class 8 and above) | Newspapers, books, pacts, exact dates, the UN | 12 minutes |
With younger children, read the questions aloud and accept any sensible wording of the answer. With older students, ask for exact names and years, because that is where the hard round earns its points.
Round 1: Easy Gandhi Jayanti quiz questions for ages 7 to 9
Start here. These Gandhi Jayanti quiz questions cover the facts that most primary school children hear in assembly: when and where Gandhi was born, his family, the spinning wheel and the idea of non-violence.
- On which date is Gandhi Jayanti celebrated every year?
Answer: 2 October - In which year was Mahatma Gandhi born?
Answer: 1869 - In which coastal town in Gujarat was Gandhi born?
Answer: Porbandar - What was Gandhi’s full name?
Answer: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - What was the name of Gandhi’s wife?
Answer: Kasturba Gandhi (also written Kasturbai) - What does the word ahimsa mean?
Answer: Non-violence - Which everyday item, needed in every kitchen, did Gandhi march to the sea to make in 1930?
Answer: Salt - What is the name of the hand spinning wheel that Gandhi used to make thread for khadi cloth?
Answer: The charkha - Which international day does the United Nations observe on 2 October?
Answer: The International Day of Non-Violence - Which Prime Minister of India was also born on 2 October?
Answer: Lal Bahadur Shastri, born on 2 October 1904
Teaching tip: after question 6, ask the class for one example of solving a playground argument without hitting or shouting. It turns a single-word answer into a two-minute discussion about what ahimsa means in daily life.
Round 2: Medium questions for ages 10 to 12
This round follows Gandhi from London and South Africa back to India, and through the big campaigns that students meet in their history lessons. The timeline chart below gives the answers in order, so it doubles as a revision sheet.
- To which country did Gandhi go in 1893 to work as a lawyer?
Answer: South Africa (he reached Durban, in Natal, in May 1893) - At which Inn of Court in London did Gandhi study law?
Answer: The Inner Temple. He was called to the Bar in 1891. - At which South African railway station was Gandhi thrown off a first-class carriage in 1893?
Answer: Pietermaritzburg - In which year did Gandhi come back from South Africa to live in India?
Answer: 1915 - In 1917 Gandhi went to Champaran in Bihar. Which farmers was he helping?
Answer: Indigo farmers - The Salt March of 1930 started at which ashram and ended at which village by the sea?
Answer: It started at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, and ended at Dandi, on the Gujarat coast - What slogan did Gandhi give when the Quit India resolution was passed on 8 August 1942?
Answer: “Do or Die” - What is the title of Gandhi’s autobiography?
Answer: The Story of My Experiments with Truth - Who shot Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948?
Answer: Nathuram Godse - The day Gandhi died, 30 January, is remembered in India as what?
Answer: Martyrs’ Day
Question 16 has two parts. Give half a point for Sabarmati and half for Dandi, so a half-right team still scores. Treat question 27 the same way.
Round 3: Hard questions for ages 13 and up
The hard round asks for exact titles, dates and numbers. It suits a senior assembly, an inter-house final or a tie-breaker, and several answers are good starting points for a longer history project.
- Which newspaper, first published in June 1903, did Gandhi run in South Africa?
Answer: Indian Opinion - Gandhi named a settlement near Johannesburg, set up in 1910, after which Russian writer?
Answer: Leo Tolstoy (Tolstoy Farm) - Which short book did Gandhi write aboard a ship in November 1909?
Answer: Hind Swaraj (in English, Indian Home Rule) - Which violent event in February 1922 made Gandhi call off the Non-Cooperation Movement?
Answer: The Chauri Chaura incident, in which a mob killed police officers - About how far did the Salt March marchers walk?
Answer: About 240 miles (385 km), from 12 March to 5 April 1930 - On which date did Gandhi break the salt law at Dandi?
Answer: 6 April 1930 - Which Round Table Conference in London did Gandhi attend, and in which year?
Answer: The Second Round Table Conference, in 1931 - Which agreement, signed on 24 September 1932, led Gandhi to end his fast against the Communal Award?
Answer: The Poona Pact - How many times was Gandhi nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: Five times (1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948). He never received it. - In which year did the UN General Assembly create the International Day of Non-Violence?
Answer: 2007 (resolution A/RES/61/271, adopted on 15 June 2007)
For question 25, accept any answer between 230 and 250 miles, or between 370 and 400 km. The marchers reached Dandi on 5 April and Gandhi picked up salt on the morning of 6 April, which is why question 26 asks for the date the law was broken.
Key dates behind the answers
Many questions in this Gandhi Jayanti quiz turn on a date. Keep this table on the board or print it as the answer sheet for the timeline questions.
| Date | Event | Quiz question |
|---|---|---|
| 2 October 1869 | Gandhi born at Porbandar | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1888 to 1891 | Studies law at the Inner Temple, London; called to the Bar in 1891 | 12 |
| May 1893 | Arrives in Durban, South Africa | 11, 13 |
| June 1903 | First issue of Indian Opinion | 21 |
| 1909 to 1910 | Writes Hind Swaraj; sets up Tolstoy Farm | 22, 23 |
| 1915 | Returns to live in India | 14 |
| 1917 | Champaran campaign for indigo farmers; Sabarmati Ashram set up | 15 |
| February 1922 | Chauri Chaura; Non-Cooperation Movement called off | 24 |
| 12 March to 6 April 1930 | Salt March from Sabarmati to Dandi | 7, 16, 25, 26 |
| 1931 | Second Round Table Conference, London | 27 |
| 24 September 1932 | Poona Pact | 28 |
| 8 August 1942 | Quit India resolution; “Do or Die” | 17 |
| 30 January 1948 | Gandhi assassinated in Delhi; now Martyrs’ Day | 19, 20 |
| 15 June 2007 | UN creates the International Day of Non-Violence | 9, 30 |
The dates come from the brief life chronology kept by the Sabarmati Ashram trust, which also runs the Gandhi Heritage Portal day-to-day chronology, and from the Britannica entry on the Salt March for the distance and the dates of the march.
Mahatma Gandhi quiz with answers: how old was he at each event?
Several questions in the quiz depend on a date, so a timeline helps, and students often find it easier to remember events when they know how old Gandhi was. We calculated his age from his birth on 2 October 1869 for six events in the quiz. The last column counts the years from each event to 2026:
| Event | Date | Gandhi’s age | Years before 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gandhi born in Porbandar | 2 October 1869 | born | 157 |
| Arrives in Durban, South Africa (May 1893) | 1 May 1893 | 23 years 6 months | 133 |
| Salt March sets out from Sabarmati | 12 March 1930 | 60 years 5 months | 96 |
| Breaks the salt law at Dandi | 6 April 1930 | 60 years 6 months | 96 |
| Quit India resolution | 8 August 1942 | 72 years 10 months | 84 |
| Assassinated in Delhi | 30 January 1948 | 78 years 3 months | 78 |
Gandhi was 23 when he arrived in South Africa, 60 when the Salt March began and 72 at the Quit India resolution. He died at 78 years and 3 months, which is the answer to the tie-breaker question. The Salt March took 24 days, from 12 March to 5 April 1930, so the marchers covered about 385 km at roughly 16 km (10 miles) a day.
Gandhi’s age at those events also makes a new kind of question for a Mahatma Gandhi quiz with answers: ask how old Gandhi was at the Salt March (60) and let students work out the sum from 1930 minus 1869, remembering that his birthday falls in October.
How to run the quiz in class
A Gandhi Jayanti quiz works best as a team game, not a written test. This plan fits a 40-minute lesson for a class of 30 to 40 students.
- Set up (3 minutes). Split the class into teams of four or five and give each team a name linked to the day, such as Team Sabarmati, Team Dandi or Team Charkha. Each team needs one answer sheet and one scribe.
- Round 1 (8 minutes). Read each easy question twice. Teams whisper and the scribe writes the answer. One point each.
- Round 2 (10 minutes). Show the medium questions on the board one at a time. Give 45 seconds per question. One point each, with half points on the two-part questions.
- Swap and mark (4 minutes). Teams swap answer sheets while you read out the answers from Rounds 1 and 2. Swapping keeps the marking quick and honest.
- Round 3 (12 minutes). Play the hard round for double points. With a mixed-age group, let younger teams skip three questions of their choice.
- Tie-breaker and results (3 minutes). If two teams are level, ask a closest-answer question: “How old was Gandhi when he died on 30 January 1948?” (78; he was born on 2 October 1869).
For a school assembly, run only Round 1 with volunteers on stage and Round 3 as a final between two house teams. For online classes, type each question into the chat and ask students to answer by private message, so the fastest typist does not give the answer away.
Round the day off with printable certificates for the winning team from our free award certificate templates, and use a quick picture round for younger students: show a charkha, a pair of round spectacles and a handful of salt, and ask how each links to Gandhi.
Scoring and timing, worked out
Teachers often ask how the 40-minute plan adds up, so here it is as a table. It shows the time and the most points for each part of a Gandhi Jayanti quiz for students, using one point for Rounds 1 and 2 and double points for Round 3:
| Part of the lesson | Questions | Time | Time per question | Points per question | Most points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up and team names | – | 3 min | – | – | – |
| Round 1: easy | 10 | 8 min | 48 seconds | 1 | 10 |
| Round 2: medium | 10 | 10 min | 60 seconds | 1 | 10 |
| Swap and mark | – | 4 min | – | – | – |
| Round 3: hard (double points) | 10 | 12 min | 72 seconds | 2 | 20 |
| Tie-breaker and results | – | 3 min | – | – | – |
| Total | 30 | 40 min | 40 |
The best score a team can reach is 40 points: 10 from Round 1, 10 from Round 2 and 20 from Round 3. The quiz itself fills 30 of the 40 minutes, and the hard round gets about 72 seconds a question against 48 seconds for the easy round, which leaves enough time to think about exact names and dates.
Because Round 3 is worth half of all points, a team that is behind after two rounds can still win, which keeps younger teams interested to the end. If you drop the tie-breaker, the plan still fits in 37 minutes.
Which rounds suit which age or class
| Age or class | Rounds to use | How to adapt |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 5 to 6 (KG to Class 1) | Questions 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9 only | Ask orally; show pictures; accept pointing or drawing |
| Ages 7 to 9 (Classes 2 to 4) | Round 1 | Read aloud twice; offer three choices for harder items |
| Ages 10 to 12 (Classes 5 to 7) | Rounds 1 and 2 | Written answers in teams; timeline chart as a clue sheet |
| Ages 13 and up (Class 8 and above) | All three rounds | Exact names and years; double points for Round 3 |
Common mistakes when writing a Gandhi quiz
Many Gandhi quizzes online repeat claims that are wrong or disputed. We left these out of our Gandhi Jayanti quiz on purpose, and you may want to check any other quiz you use for them.
- Misquoted sayings. “Be the change you wish to see in the world” is widely credited to Gandhi, but it is a later paraphrase. A 1913 article of his makes a similar point in different words. Do not use the short version as a quiz answer.
- Who first called him Mahatma. The title is often credited to Rabindranath Tagore, but a welcome letter from Jetpur in Gujarat used it in January 1915, earlier than Tagore’s usage, so it makes a poor quiz question with one right answer.
- The date of the Pietermaritzburg train incident. Sources give different days in 1893. Our question asks for the station, which every source agrees on.
- Salt March dates. The march began on 12 March 1930 and reached Dandi on 5 April. The salt law was broken on 6 April. Quizzes that give only one date often mix these up.
- “Gandhi won the Nobel Peace Prize.” He was nominated five times but never won, as the Nobel Prize article on Gandhi, the missing laureate explains.
Printable and online practice after the quiz
Once the class quiz is over, a quiz on Gandhi Jayanti can carry on at home, and these free resources keep the history learning going:
- Our India GK quiz checks answers instantly and covers national symbols, geography and history, so it makes a good follow-up homework.
- The Indian states and capitals quiz links well to question 3 (Porbandar is in Gujarat) and question 15 (Champaran is in Bihar).
- Turn the quiz words (Porbandar, Sabarmati, Dandi, charkha, ahimsa, satyagraha) into a puzzle with the free word search maker.
- Make revision cards with a date on one side and the event on the other using the flash card maker.
- Browse all our online quizzes for kids, from flags to the solar system.
- Planning more festival quizzes this term? Our Diwali quiz questions guide uses the same easy, medium and hard format.
Sources
Dates and events were checked against the brief life chronology of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust and the Gandhi Heritage Portal; Britannica’s entries on the Salt March and the noncooperation movement; the United Nations page on the International Day of Non-Violence (resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007); and the Nobel Prize archive for the five nominations.
Frequently asked questions
9 quick answers
Why is Gandhi Jayanti celebrated on 2 October?
Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. Gandhi Jayanti marks his birth anniversary and is a national holiday in India.
Which birth anniversary of Gandhi is Gandhi Jayanti 2026?
Gandhi Jayanti on Friday 2 October 2026 is his 157th birth anniversary, because he was born in 1869.
How many questions should a Gandhi Jayanti quiz for students have?
About 10 questions per round works well. Ten easy questions suit ages 7 to 9, and 20 to 30 questions over two or three rounds suit older students in a 40-minute lesson.
What are some easy Gandhi Jayanti quiz questions for kids?
Ask when Gandhi Jayanti is (2 October), where Gandhi was born (Porbandar), what his wife was called (Kasturba), what ahimsa means (non-violence) and what he marched to the sea to make (salt).
Why is 2 October also the International Day of Non-Violence?
In 2007 the UN General Assembly chose Gandhi’s birthday for the day, to spread the message of non-violence through education and public awareness.
Can I use this Gandhi Jayanti quiz in a school assembly?
Yes. Use Round 1 with volunteers on stage, then Round 3 as a final between two house teams. The whole set takes about 15 minutes that way.
Did Mahatma Gandhi win the Nobel Peace Prize?
No. He was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948 but never received the prize.
How old was Mahatma Gandhi when he died?
He was 78 years and 3 months old when he was assassinated on 30 January 1948, having been born on 2 October 1869. In the class plan that is the tie-breaker answer.
What is the highest score in this Gandhi Jayanti quiz?
A team can score at most 40 points: 10 for the easy round, 10 for the medium round and 20 for the hard round, which is worth double.