Indian National Movement III (1930-1947): UPSC Previous Year Questions (Modern History)
64 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on the national movement from 1930 to 1947 make this the largest Modern History chapter, from 1996 to 2025. UPSC asks about the Dandi March and Round Table Conferences, the Government of India Act 1935, the Cripps and Cabinet Missions, Quit India, the INA and the road to partition. The explanations give year, person and outcome for each.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 61–64 of 64 questions
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UPSC 1996Modern History · Indian National Movement III (1930-1947)
Q61. Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): British sovereignty continued to exist in free India. Reason (R): The British sovereign appointed the last Governor General of free India. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?
Explanation
The Government of India Act, 1947 was the legal framework that formalized the partition of British India into two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, marking the end of British rule. Lord Mountbatten, as the last Viceroy of India, oversaw the implementation of the Act, ensuring the transfer of power and the division of territories on August 15, 1947. A is false: British sovereignty did not continue in free India after August 15, 1947. India became a dominion within the Commonwealth, and sovereignty transferred to the Indian people. R is true: Lord Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General, was appointed for a transitional period post-independence, but this does not imply the continuation of British sovereignty.
UPSC 1996Modern History · Indian National Movement III (1930-1947)
Q62. The meeting of Indian and British political leaders during 1930-32 in London has often been referred to as the First, Second and Third Round Table Conferences. It would be incorrect to refer to them as such because:
Explanation
Referring to the 1930-32 meetings as three separate conferences is technically incorrect because they were essentially three sessions of the same conference, aiming to address the same issues, such as constitutional reforms and representation. The Indian National Congress boycotted the First and Third Conferences but participated in the Second, represented by Gandhi. The fragmented nature of Indian representation and the British Government’s control over the proceedings also reduced their significance.
UPSC 1996Modern History · Indian National Movement III (1930-1947)
Q63. Who among the following was a prominent leader of the Congress Socialist Party?
Explanation
Acharya Narendra Dev was a prominent leader of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP), formed in 1934 as a socialist wing within the Indian National Congress. He, along with leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, advocated for socialism as a means of achieving socio-economic equality in India. The CSP worked within the Congress framework to influence its policies toward socialism and economic justice.
UPSC 1996Modern History · Indian National Movement III (1930-1947)
Q64. Which one of the following is not correct about the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Explanation
The Cabinet Mission, consisting of three British Cabinet members--Lord Pethick-Lawrence(chairman), Sir Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander--arrived in India in 1946 to negotiate with Indian leaders to find out ways and means for a negotiated, peaceful transfer of power to India.
Option (c) is correct: While the Mission did propose the provincial grouping, it did not accept the demand for creation of Pakistan. Options (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect: The Mission proposals included:
Provincial Grouping: Group A(Hindu-majority provinces (e.g., Madras, Bombay, UP)), Group B: (Muslim-majority provinces (e.g., Punjab, Sind, NWFP, Baluchistan)) and Group C(Bengal and Assam). Each group could frame its own constitution. Interim Government: Interim coalition government until the Constitution was in place. The coalition included representatives from major parties (Congress and Muslim League). members (296 from provinces, 93 from princely states), elected by provincial assemblies.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
61
1996
(d) A is false but R is true
62
1996
(d) It was an instance of a conference held in three sessions and not that of three separate conference
63
1996
(d) Acharya Narendra Dev
64
1996
(c) Acceptance of Pakistan
What UPSC has tested in Indian National Movement III (1930-1947)
The Dandi March began the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930; “Do or Die” is the slogan of the Quit India Movement of 1942.
The Poona Pact (1932) was signed after Gandhi’s fast against Ramsay MacDonald’s Communal Award.
The Cripps Mission was sent by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1942; the Quit India Movement followed its failure.
The Indian National Army came into existence in Singapore in 1943.
Jawaharlal Nehru headed the Interim Government of 1946; J. B. Kripalani was Congress President at the time of partition.
The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to delimit the boundaries between India and Pakistan.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Indian National Movement III (1930-1947)?
This page covers 64 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Indian National Movement III (1930-1947) (Modern History), asked from 1996 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
What was the Poona Pact?
An agreement of September 1932 between Gandhi and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar that gave the depressed classes reserved seats in the provincial legislatures instead of separate electorates, after Gandhi’s fast unto death against the Communal Award.
Who sent the Cripps Mission to India?
Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, in March 1942. The mission offered dominion status after the war and a constituent assembly, but the Congress rejected it, and the Quit India Movement was launched in August 1942.
Where and when was the Indian National Army formed?
The INA was revived in Singapore in 1943 under Subhas Chandra Bose, who took over from Rash Behari Bose. It fought alongside Japanese forces, and the later INA trials stirred nationalist feeling across India.
What was the Cabinet Mission Plan?
A 1946 British proposal for a loose Indian Union with a weak Centre, three groups of provinces and a constituent assembly. It rejected the demand for Pakistan, and its eventual failure was seen as the last chance to avoid partition.
