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The Indian Independence Act of 1947 served as the primary legislative instrument for the formal establishment of the Dominion of India.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act of 1947 was the pivotal legislation enacted by the British Parliament that formally created the independent Dominions of India and Pakistan.
Alongside the Dominion of India, the Indian Independence Act of 1947 also formalized the creation of the Dominion of Ceylon.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act of 1947 established the Dominions of India and Pakistan. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) gained its independence separately in 1948.
The Radcliffe Commission was responsible for creating the new constitution of India.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Radcliffe Commission's primary responsibility was to demarcate the boundaries between India and Pakistan. The drafting of the constitution was undertaken by the Constituent Assembly.
India's status as a dominion within the Commonwealth was established by the Indian Independence Act 1947.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act 1947 explicitly defined India's status as an independent dominion, retaining membership in the British Commonwealth.
Which legislative act formally established the independent Dominion of India?
Answer: The Indian Independence Act 1947
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act of 1947 was the parliamentary statute that granted India independence and established it as a dominion.
What was the primary responsibility of the Radcliffe Commission?
Answer: To demarcate the boundaries between India and Pakistan
Explanation: The Radcliffe Commission was established to draw the boundary lines dividing British India into the Dominions of India and Pakistan.
The Indian Independence Act 1947 also formalized the creation of which other dominion?
Answer: The Dominion of Pakistan
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act 1947 provided for the partition of British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan.
Mahatma Gandhi actively engaged in efforts to mitigate the widespread religious violence that erupted in the aftermath of India's partition.
Answer: True
Explanation: Mahatma Gandhi dedicated himself to pacifying communal tensions and protecting minority populations during the tumultuous period following the partition.
Scholarly estimates indicate that the Partition of India precipitated the displacement and migration of upwards of 20 million individuals, accompanied by a tragic loss of life approaching one million.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Partition of India resulted in one of the largest mass migrations in history, with estimates ranging from 14 to 18 million people displaced and up to one million fatalities.
August 16, 1946, was designated 'Direct Action Day' by the Muslim League.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Muslim League proclaimed August 16, 1946, as 'Direct Action Day' to advocate for the creation of Pakistan, a call that led to widespread communal violence.
The Indian Boundary Force proved effective in controlling the violence during the Partition.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Indian Boundary Force was largely ineffectual in managing the partition violence, partly due to the religious affiliations of its personnel within the affected regions.
Judge G. D. Khosla estimated the death toll from Partition violence to be around 1 million people.
Answer: False
Explanation: Judge G. D. Khosla, in his work 'Stern Reckoning,' estimated the death toll from the Partition violence to be approximately 500,000, a figure lower than the commonly cited upper estimates.
The Partition of India significantly improved the accuracy of demographic data collection.
Answer: False
Explanation: The massive displacement and administrative disruption caused by the Partition severely compromised the accuracy and completeness of demographic data collection.
The partition of India resulted in districts in Punjab becoming less religiously homogeneous.
Answer: False
Explanation: The partition led to large-scale population exchanges, resulting in districts becoming significantly more religiously homogeneous as communities migrated across the new borders.
What was the estimated range of people who migrated between India and Pakistan during the Partition?
Answer: Between 14 and 18 million
Explanation: Estimates for the number of people displaced and migrating across the newly drawn borders during the Partition range from 14 to 18 million.
Which organization proclaimed 'Direct Action Day' on August 16, 1946, leading to widespread riots?
Answer: All India Muslim League
Explanation: The All India Muslim League called for 'Direct Action Day' on August 16, 1946, to press for the demand for Pakistan, which resulted in severe communal violence.
What was the approximate death toll estimated by Judge G. D. Khosla resulting from the Partition violence?
Answer: Approximately 500,000
Explanation: Judge G. D. Khosla's estimate for the number of deaths during the Partition violence was approximately 500,000.
The Muslim League's call for 'Direct Action Day' was primarily aimed at:
Answer: Advocating for a separate Muslim homeland
Explanation: The 'Direct Action Day' was intended to demonstrate the Muslim League's resolve and capacity for mobilization in support of its demand for a separate Muslim state.
How did the Partition of India impact the accuracy of demographic data collection?
Answer: It severely affected accuracy due to administrative disruption.
Explanation: The massive population movements, boundary changes, and administrative chaos following Partition severely disrupted and compromised the accuracy of demographic data collection.
The official designation for India upon achieving independence in 1947 was the 'Union of India'.
Answer: True
Explanation: The official designation for India upon achieving independence in 1947 was indeed the 'Union of India,' a status maintained until the adoption of the republic constitution.
The Dominion of India existed as an independent nation from August 15, 1947, until January 26, 1952.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Dominion of India existed as an independent entity from August 15, 1947, until January 26, 1950, when it transitioned into a republic.
The establishment of the Dominion of India followed the dissolution of the Mughal Empire.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Dominion of India was established following the end of British rule (the British Raj), not the dissolution of the Mughal Empire, which occurred much earlier.
Following the establishment of the Dominion of India, the British monarch, King George VI, retained the regnal title 'Emperor of India'.
Answer: False
Explanation: Upon the establishment of the Dominion of India, King George VI relinquished the title 'Emperor of India,' signifying the end of the British monarchy's direct imperial role.
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari served as the second and final Governor-General of the Dominion of India.
Answer: True
Explanation: Chakravarti Rajagopalachari succeeded Lord Mountbatten as the Governor-General of India, serving in this capacity until the establishment of the Republic in 1950.
The Government of India Act 1935 was adopted directly as the constitution of the Republic of India.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Government of India Act 1935 served as a significant foundational document and model, but the Republic of India adopted its own unique constitution drafted by the Constituent Assembly.
The Indian constitution drew inspiration from the US Constitution for its directives and the Irish Constitution for fundamental rights.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Indian constitution drew inspiration from the US Constitution for fundamental rights and from the Irish Constitution for its Directive Principles of State Policy.
In January 1949, the Dominion of India comprised Governors' Provinces, Chief Commissioners' Provinces, and numerous princely states.
Answer: True
Explanation: By January 1949, the administrative structure of the Dominion of India included Governors' Provinces, Chief Commissioners' Provinces, and the integrated princely states.
Executive authority in the Dominion was exercised by the Governor-General, acting independently.
Answer: False
Explanation: Executive authority was vested in the Governor-General, but it was exercised on the advice of the Council of Ministers, operating under a cabinet system of responsible government.
The Constituent Assembly members were directly elected by the entire adult population of India in 1946.
Answer: False
Explanation: Members of the Constituent Assembly were indirectly elected by the provincial legislative assemblies, which had been formed based on limited franchise in 1946.
The Lion Capital of Ashoka was adopted as the national emblem and influenced the design of the national flag.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath was adopted as India's state emblem, and its motifs also informed the design principles of the national flag.
What was the official designation of India from its independence in 1947 until it became a republic in 1950?
Answer: The Dominion of India
Explanation: From August 15, 1947, to January 26, 1950, India was officially designated as the Dominion of India, a self-governing entity within the British Commonwealth.
Who served as the first Governor-General of the Dominion of India?
Answer: Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of British India, became the first Governor-General of the independent Dominion of India.
What historical document served as a significant foundational basis for the new constitution of the Republic of India?
Answer: The Government of India Act 1935
Explanation: The Government of India Act 1935, which had governed British India, provided a substantial framework and served as a key reference point for the drafting of India's constitution.
Who succeeded Lord Mountbatten as the Governor-General of India?
Answer: Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
Explanation: Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, often referred to as C. Rajagopalachari, succeeded Lord Mountbatten as the Governor-General of India.
What event marked the official transition of the Dominion of India into a republic?
Answer: January 26, 1950
Explanation: The adoption of the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950, marked the formal transition from the Dominion of India to the Republic of India.
Who served as the Prime Minister of the Dominion of India?
Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru
Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed as the first Prime Minister of the Dominion of India and continued in that role after the establishment of the Republic.
What was the status of King George VI's title related to India after the Dominion's establishment?
Answer: He abandoned the title 'Emperor of India'.
Explanation: With India's independence and transition to a dominion, King George VI ceased to hold the title 'Emperor of India'.
Which constitution heavily influenced the structure of India's new constitution, particularly regarding fundamental rights?
Answer: The Constitution of the United States
Explanation: The Indian Constitution's chapter on Fundamental Rights was significantly influenced by the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's primary post-independence role involved drafting the new Indian constitution.
Answer: False
Explanation: While influential in the Constituent Assembly, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's most critical post-independence responsibility was the integration of the princely states into the Indian union.
The princely states of Travancore and Cochin presented significant integration challenges comparable to those posed by Hyderabad and Kashmir.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Travancore and Cochin eventually acceded, the integration challenges posed by Hyderabad and Kashmir were considerably more complex and protracted.
Maharaja Hari Singh sought assistance from Lord Mountbatten due to an invasion aimed at forcing Kashmir's accession to Pakistan.
Answer: True
Explanation: Maharaja Hari Singh appealed to Lord Mountbatten for military aid following an invasion by tribal militias from Pakistan, which was intended to compel Kashmir's accession to Pakistan.
The United Nations recommended a referendum in Kashmir only after all Indian troops had withdrawn.
Answer: False
Explanation: The UN recommended a referendum to ascertain the will of the Kashmiri people, but India insisted that such a referendum could only occur after the withdrawal of all external forces, including Pakistani troops and irregulars.
Approximately 362 princely states were integrated into India, often through a combination of persuasion and coercion.
Answer: True
Explanation: The integration process involved the accession of 362 princely states, skillfully managed by Sardar Patel and V. P. Menon through diplomatic negotiation, inducements, and, when necessary, the threat of force.
Following integration, former princes were immediately stripped of all titles and privileges.
Answer: False
Explanation: While their political power was eliminated, many former princes were granted titular positions, such as 'Raj Pramukh,' and retained certain privileges for a period.
Hyderabad was incorporated into India through peaceful negotiation and accession.
Answer: False
Explanation: Hyderabad's integration into India was achieved through a military operation, termed a 'police action,' after accession negotiations failed and the Nizam's administration proved unable to control internal unrest.
V. P. Menon played a key role in negotiating the accession of princely states alongside Sardar Patel.
Answer: True
Explanation: V. P. Menon, as Secretary of the Ministry of States, was instrumental in the administrative and diplomatic efforts, working closely with Sardar Patel, to secure the accession of princely states.
Which of the following princely states presented substantial challenges during their integration into the nascent Indian union?
Answer: Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Jammu and Kashmir
Explanation: Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Jammu and Kashmir were among the princely states that posed significant diplomatic and military challenges to their integration into India.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's principal post-independence responsibility involved:
Answer: Integrating the princely states
Explanation: Sardar Patel was the driving force behind the complex and crucial task of integrating the hundreds of princely states into the Indian union.
How was the state of Hyderabad incorporated into the Indian federal structure?
Answer: Via a military 'police action'
Explanation: Hyderabad was integrated into India through a military intervention known as 'Operation Polo,' or a 'police action,' following the failure of accession negotiations.
What was the role of V. P. Menon in the integration of princely states?
Answer: He assisted Sardar Patel using negotiation and inducements.
Explanation: V. P. Menon, as Secretary of the States Ministry, was crucial in negotiating the accession of princely states, working alongside Sardar Patel and employing various diplomatic strategies.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1947 to lead the newly independent nation.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 and had been the principal political organization leading the movement for India's independence long before 1947.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah's Muslim nationalism advocated for the Indian National Congress's vision of a united India.
Answer: False
Explanation: Muhammad Ali Jinnah's advocacy for Muslim nationalism ultimately led to the demand for a separate state (Pakistan), directly challenging the Indian National Congress's vision of a united, pluralistic India.
The Labour Party's victory in the 1945 British general election signaled a shift towards supporting Indian independence.
Answer: True
Explanation: The election of the Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee, brought a government to power that was committed to decolonization and actively pursued the process of Indian independence.
Mahatma Gandhi undertook a fast in January 1948, which influenced the Indian government's decision regarding financial assets owed to Pakistan.
Answer: True
Explanation: Mahatma Gandhi's fast in January 1948, undertaken amidst the Kashmir crisis, played a role in persuading the Indian government to release financial assets due to Pakistan.
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a member of the Indian National Congress.
Answer: False
Explanation: Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist affiliated with the Hindu Mahasabha, not a member of the Indian National Congress.
Nathuram Godse's assassination of Gandhi led to an immediate surge in the popularity of Hindu nationalism.
Answer: False
Explanation: The assassination by a Hindu extremist led to a significant backlash against Hindu nationalism, causing a temporary decline in its political standing.
Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Tryst with Destiny' speech marked the beginning of British rule in India.
Answer: False
Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, delivered on the eve of independence, heralded the end of British rule, not its beginning.
The British government decided to end its rule primarily due to India's demand for immediate independence.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Indian demand was a factor, the British decision to withdraw was significantly influenced by the economic strain and diminished political will following World War II.
Nathuram Godse believed Mahatma Gandhi was too lenient towards Muslims and Pakistan.
Answer: True
Explanation: Nathuram Godse articulated his belief that Gandhi's policies were excessively accommodating towards Muslims and Pakistan, forming a key part of his motivation for the assassination.
The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was attributed to:
Answer: A Hindu fundamentalist
Explanation: Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, identified as a Hindu fundamentalist with extremist views.
The Indian National Congress emerged as the principal leader of Indian nationalism by which decade?
Answer: 1920s
Explanation: By the 1920s, under leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian National Congress had solidified its position as the dominant force in the Indian nationalist movement.
What was the primary reason cited for the British government's decision to end its rule over India after World War II?
Answer: Because of the economic and human costs of the war and waning public support for empire
Explanation: The exhaustion from World War II, coupled with growing anti-colonial sentiment and the declining economic viability of maintaining the empire, led Britain to grant independence.
The new Indian constitution explicitly aimed to abolish untouchability and derecognize caste distinctions.
Answer: True
Explanation: A cornerstone of the new constitution was its commitment to social reform, including the abolition of untouchability and the formal derecognition of caste-based discrimination.
The average annual per capita income in India during the 1949-1950 period was approximately Rs. 260, equivalent to about $55 USD.
Answer: True
Explanation: The economic data from 1949-1950 reveals a low average annual per capita income of Rs. 260, underscoring the significant poverty prevalent in the newly independent nation.
The 1951 Census indicated that over 50% of Indian women possessed literacy.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 1951 Census revealed a considerably lower literacy rate for women, standing at approximately 7.62%, compared to men's rate of 23.54%.
The Hindu Code Bills, enacted in the mid-1950s, aimed to reform laws concerning marriage and inheritance for women.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Hindu Code Bills represented significant legislative efforts to modernize personal laws, particularly concerning marriage, divorce, inheritance, and property rights for Hindu women.
Widespread poverty and establishing economic foundations were primary concerns for the new Indian government.
Answer: True
Explanation: Addressing the pervasive poverty and laying the groundwork for economic development were immediate and critical priorities for the government of independent India.
Agriculture in the 1940s was characterized by extensive use of modern technology and high fertilizer application.
Answer: False
Explanation: Indian agriculture in the 1940s was predominantly traditional, relying on subsistence farming methods with limited access to modern machinery and inputs.
The 1951 Census showed higher literacy rates in rural areas compared to urban areas.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 1951 Census data indicated that urban areas generally exhibited higher literacy rates than rural areas across India.
Patriarchal structures and social status significantly limited opportunities for women and Dalits (Untouchables).
Answer: True
Explanation: Deep-seated patriarchal norms and the historical oppression of Dalits severely constrained opportunities and access to resources for these groups, despite constitutional guarantees.
India won a gold medal in Cricket at the 1948 London Olympics.
Answer: False
Explanation: India achieved a gold medal in Field Hockey at the 1948 London Olympics, not in Cricket.
The average annual income of Rs. 260 in 1949-1950 suggests that a significant portion of the population earned considerably less.
Answer: True
Explanation: An average income figure often masks disparities; Rs. 260 suggests that many individuals and families subsisted on incomes substantially below this average, indicating widespread poverty.
According to the 1951 Census, what was the approximate literacy rate recorded for women in India?
Answer: 7.62%
Explanation: The 1951 Census indicated a literacy rate of approximately 7.62% for women in India, highlighting significant gender disparities in education.
What was the estimated average annual income per person in India during the 1949-1950 period?
Answer: Rs. 260
Explanation: The estimated average annual income per capita in India around 1949-1950 was approximately Rs. 260.
Which of the following was NOT explicitly stated as a goal of the new Indian constitution?
Answer: Establishing a parliamentary monarchy
Explanation: The constitution aimed for a parliamentary republic, not a parliamentary monarchy. Abolishing untouchability, derecognizing caste, and promoting social reform were explicit goals.
What sporting achievement did India accomplish at the 1948 London Olympics?
Answer: Field Hockey
Explanation: India secured a gold medal in Field Hockey at the 1948 London Olympics, continuing its historical dominance in the sport.
What was the approximate equivalence of Rs. 260 annual income in US dollars around 1949-1950?
Answer: $55
Explanation: The average annual income of Rs. 260 in India during 1949-1950 was roughly equivalent to $55 USD at that time.