Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
Why could the British government no longer rely on the Indian army to suppress the National Movement after 1945?
Answer
Patriotic ideas had entered the ranks of the army.
Question
In which month and year did the Indian Naval ratings revolt in Mumbai?
Answer
February 1946.
Question
How long did the battle between the Mumbai Naval ratings and the British army and navy last?
Answer
Six hours.
Question
Under what condition did the Mumbai Naval ratings finally surrender in 1946?
Answer
They were asked to do so by national leaders.
Question
Apart from Mumbai, in which two other services did widespread strikes occur in 1946?
Answer
Royal Indian Air Force and Indian Signal Corps.
Question
Where did the Indian Signal Corps go on strike in 1946?
Answer
Jabalpur.
Question
Which two administrative instruments of British rule went on strike in Bihar and Delhi?
Answer
Police and Civil Service.
Question
What specific post-war struggle involved sharecroppers in Bengal demanding a larger portion of their crop?
Answer
The Tebhaga struggle.
Question
What crop-sharing ratio did the Bengal sharecroppers demand during the Tebhaga struggle?
Answer
One-third to the landlords instead of one-half.
Question
Identify two sectors that participated in all-India strikes in mid-1946.
Answer
Postal and telegraph workers and Railway workers.
Question
Name the British Prime Minister who announced the Cabinet Mission in 1946.
Answer
Clement Attlee.
Question
What was the primary aim of the Cabinet Mission sent to India in 1946?
Answer
To facilitate the transfer of power to Indian leaders.
Question
Who served as the Secretary of State in the three-member Cabinet Mission?
Answer
Pethic Lawrence.
Question
Identify the Cabinet Mission member who held the position of President of the Board of Trade.
Answer
Sir Stafford Cripps.
Question
Which Cabinet Mission member was the First Lord of Admiralty?
Answer
A.V. Alexander.
Question
The Cabinet Mission proposed a _____-tier federal plan for India.
Answer
Two.
Question
According to the Cabinet Mission Plan, which three subjects were to be handled by the Union Government?
Answer
Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Communication.
Question
What power did the Cabinet Mission Plan grant the Union Government to support its designated subjects?
Answer
The power to raise required finances.
Question
In the Cabinet Mission Plan, how were the members of the Union executive and legislature to be chosen?
Answer
Elected by all Provinces.
Question
Under the Cabinet Mission Plan, what level of authority did Provinces have over non-Union subjects?
Answer
Full autonomy.
Question
On what basis were the British Provinces divided into Groups A, B, and C in the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer
Religion.
Question
What was the intended purpose of the Constituent Assembly proposed by the Cabinet Mission?
Answer
To draw up the future Constitution of India.
Question
How many members were to form the Interim Government at the Centre under the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer
14 members.
Question
Why did the Muslim League accept the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer
It saw the grouping of Muslim-majority provinces as a step towards Pakistan.
Question
Why did the Sikhs reject the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer
Punjab was grouped in Group B with Muslim-majority states.
Question
Which plan proposed the partition of India into two independent and sovereign states on 15 August 1947?
Answer
The Mountbatten Plan.
Question
According to the Mountbatten Plan, which two provinces were to be partitioned?
Answer
Punjab and Bengal.
Question
What choice were Princely States given under the Mountbatten Plan?
Answer
To join either India or Pakistan.
Question
Why did Sardar Patel believe the demand for Pakistan had to be accepted?
Answer
He felt refusal would lead to the country being divided into many Pakistans.
Question
What convinced the Congress that a joint administration with the Muslim League was impossible?
Answer
The League's obstructionist behaviour within the Interim Government.
Question
Why did Indian leaders prefer a smaller India with a strong central authority over a larger federation?
Answer
They believed it was better than a large state with a weak centre.
Question
What did leaders fear would happen if the transfer of power was further delayed?
Answer
India would be in the midst of a Civil War.
Question
How did leaders believe Partition would affect the democratic evolution of India?
Answer
It would remove separate electorates and other undemocratic procedures.
Question
On what date was the Indian Independence Act given Royal Assent?
Answer
18 July 1947.
Question
What were the names of the two independent Dominions created on 15 August 1947?
Answer
India and Pakistan.
Question
Which five territories were designated to comprise Pakistan in the Indian Independence Act?
Answer
Sind, British Baluchistan, NWFP, West Punjab, and East Bengal.
Question
What body was responsible for determining the exact boundaries of the new Dominions?
Answer
A Boundary Commission.
Question
In the Indian Independence Act, how was the decision to divide Punjab and Bengal to be made?
Answer
By a majority vote of their respective Provincial Assemblies.
Question
In which specific district was a plebiscite held to determine its status during Partition?
Answer
Sylhet.
Question
Who delivered the 'Tryst with Destiny' speech?
Answer
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.
Question
What was the 'unending quest' mentioned in Jawaharlal Nehru's historic speech?
Answer
The struggle for freedom and the service of India.
Question
Who was the first Governor-General of independent India?
Answer
Lord Mountbatten.
Question
Who was the first Indian Governor-General of India?
Answer
C. Rajagopalachari.
Question
Which international event of 1939–1945 forced Britain to reconsider its governance of India?
Answer
World War II.
Question
The Indian Independence Act marked the end of British rule in India on _____.
Answer
15 August 1947.
Question
What was the primary reason for the 1946 police strikes in Bihar and Delhi?
Answer
They could no longer be safely used to suppress the National Movement.
Question
Concept: Provincial Autonomy (Cabinet Mission)
Answer
Definition: The provision that Provinces would have full control over all subjects except Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Communication.
Question
Term: Boundary Commission
Answer
Definition: The body tasked with defining the precise borders between the new Dominions of India and Pakistan.
Question
Which group of British Provinces in the Cabinet Mission Plan included the United Provinces?
Answer
Group A.
Question
According to the Indian Independence Act, which official had the power to bring the Act into operation?
Answer
The Governor-General.
Question
Why did the Congress reject the Wavell Plan?
Answer
It was rejected by both the Congress and the Muslim League.
Question
What was the impact of post-war peasant movements in Malabar and Hyderabad?
Answer
They acquired a fresh thrust and challenged high rents and land ownership.
Question
Which specific 1946 strike involved workers in the communications sector across India?
Answer
The all-India strike by postal and telegraph workers.
Question
The Cabinet Mission Plan's 'Federal Union' was to include British Provinces and the _____.
Answer
Princely States.
Question
What was the Congress's stance on the 'reservations' in the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer
They only accepted the part of the scheme dealing with Constitution making.
Question
Which 1947 plan is credited with maintaining national unity while conceding regional autonomy?
Answer
The Cabinet Mission Plan.
Question
The Mountbatten Plan was accepted because large-scale _____ convinced leaders that Partition was the only solution.
Answer
Communal riots.
Question
Who was the British PM when the Indian Independence Bill was introduced in the House of Commons?
Answer
Clement Attlee.
Question
What was the composition of the Constituent Assemblies regarding their legislative power?
Answer
They acted as sovereign bodies for legislative purposes with full power to make laws.
Question
How were members of the Constituent Assembly to be chosen from the Provinces?
Answer
Elected by Provincial Legislative Assemblies.