Modern History: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)

Explanation

Minto-Morley Reforms (1909) were constitutional reforms introduced by the British government to expand the legislative councils and include elected Indian representatives. The recommendations of the Montagu-Chelmsford Report (1919) led to the Government of India Act, 1919, and introduced dyarchy in the provinces. Chauri-Chaura Outrage (1922) occurred during the Non-Cooperation Movement. It was a violent incident where a police station was attacked by a mob, leading to a significant shift in Gandhi’s strategy. Gandhi called off the Non-Cooperation Movement across the country, as he felt that it had deviated from its non-violent goal. Dandi March (1930) led by Mahatma Gandhi, this was a major event in the Civil Disobedience Movement, aimed at protesting the British salt tax.

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct:

Act Provided for abolition of diarchy in the Governor’s provinces, transferring more power to the provincial governments. The Act granted the Governors the power to veto legislative action and allowed them to enact laws without the consent of the legislative bodies in certain circumstances.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Government of India Act, 1935 retained separate electorates based on communal representation, allowing distinct voting rights for communities like Muslims, Sikhs, and other minorities.

Explanation

The Constituent Assembly of India was a group formed to write the Indian Constitution. It was set up in 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Option (a) is correct: The Constituent Assembly of India was elected by the Provincial Assemblies in the year 1946. Members were chosen by the Provincial Assemblies, with seats given to represent different communities. However, it is important to note that the Princely States were represented through nominees rather than elected members. Options (b), (c) and (d) are incorrect:

M.A. Jinnah was not a member of the Constituent Assembly as he chose to focus on the creation of Pakistan. Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel were members. The first session of the Constituent Assembly took place on 9th December 1946, not in January 1947. The Constitution was adopted on 26th November 1949, but came into effect on 26th January 1950.

Explanation

Pair (a) is correctly matched: Pitt’s India Act (1784) was introduced during Warren Hastings’ tenure as the Governor-General of India. Pair (b) is correctly matched: The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie, the British Governor-General of India, as a policy to annex Indian states whose rulers died without a male heir. Pair (c) is incorrectly matched: The Vernacular Press Act (1878) was passed by Lord Lytton, not Lord Curzon. It was aimed at curbing nationalist sentiments expressed in vernacular language newspapers. Pair (d) is correctly matched: The Ilbert Bill (1883), introduced by Lord Ripon, was an attempt to allow Indian judges to try European criminals in India. It faced strong opposition from the British community in India and was later modified, but marked a significant step towards equality in the judicial system.

Explanation

Lord Curzon served as Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905. He is known for Partition of Bengal, 1905 - divided Bengal into two provinces, igniting widespread nationalist protests and the Swadeshi Movement. Lord Hardinge served as the Viceroy from 1910 to 1916. He was responsible for the shift of the British Indian capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, symbolizing British imperial authority. Lord Chelmsford was the Viceroy from 1916 to 1921. He is known for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, 1919 happening during his tenure - British troops fired on unarmed civilians in Amritsar, leading to national outrage and intensified independence demands. Lord Irwin’s tenure as Viceroy lasted from 1926 to 1931. He is known for Gandhi-Irwin Pact(1931), which was an agreement between Gandhi and Irwin that ended the Civil Disobedience Movement’s first phase and facilitated Gandhi’s participation in the Round Table Conference.

Explanation

Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate and poet was knighted by the British Crown in 1915. However, in 1919 following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the repressive Rowlatt Act he renounced his Knighthood in a letter to the Viceroy, Lord Chelmsford as an act of powerful protest against British atrocities. His act was widely celebrated as a bold statement of defiance.

Explanation

Maulana Hasrat Mohani, a prominent figure in the Indian freedom movement, was a strong advocate for complete independence from British rule. He was one of the key leaders who pushed for the idea that Swaraj, or self-rule, should be interpreted as absolute freedom, devoid of any foreign influence or control. His stance was a significant departure from the moderate demands for self-governance and paved the way for more radical calls for full sovereignty during the independence struggle. Hasrat Mohani started bringing out a magazine in the name of ‘Urdu-e-Mualla’ in 1903.

Explanation

The entry of European powers into India marked a pivotal era in Indian history, characterized by trade, colonial expansion, and rivalry among European nations. These powers established factories, forts, and settlements to dominate trade routes and resources in India. Statement (a) is incorrect: The Portuguese, led by Afonso de Albuquerque, captured Goa in 1510, not 1499. The capture of Goa marked the establishment of Portuguese colonial rule in India and made Goa their stronghold for over four centuries. Statement (b) is correct: The English East India Company opened its first factory in South India at Masulipatam (modern-day Machilipatnam) in 1611. This marked the beginning of English trade in South India. Statement (c) is correct: The English established their first factory in Eastern India at Hariharpur, near Balasore in Orissa, in 1633. This was a strategic move to expand their trading operations in Eastern India. Statement (d) is correct: Under the leadership of Joseph François Dupleix, the French occupied Madras (modern-day Chennai) in 1746 during the First Carnatic War. However, Madras was later returned to the British by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.

Explanation

The Dutch established factories on the Coromandel coast, in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and Bihar. Amongst the above, they opened their earliest factory at Pulicat in 1609. Their other principal factories in India were at Surat (1616), Bimlipatam (1641), Karaikal (1645), Chinsura (1653), Kasimbazar (near Murshidabad), Balasore, Patna, Nagapatam (1658) and Cochin (1663).

Explanation

The Charter Act of 1833 marked a significant milestone in British India’s administrative history. It centralized governance, abolished the East India Company’s trading activities, and initiated legislative reforms to consolidate British rule. Statement (a) is correct: The Charter Act of 1833 ended the trading activities of the East India Company. The company was transformed into a purely administrative body, and its commercial functions were abolished. Statement (b) is correct The act changed the title of the supreme authority in India to Governor-General of India in Council. William Bentinck became the first Governor-General of India under this provision. Statement (c) is correct: The Charter Act of 1833 conferred all law-making powers on the Governor-General in Council, making it the sole legislative authority for all British territories in India. Statement (d) is incorrect:. The first Indian to be appointed as a Law Member in the Governor-General’s Council was Satyendra Prasad Sinha, but this happened much later under the Indian Councils Act of 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms). The Charter Act of 1833 only created the post of a Law Member which was filled by British officials, such as Lord Macaulay.