Q11. Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding colonial urban planning and racial segregation in British India?
British Political and Administrative Policies: RAS Prelims MCQs
64 RAS Prelims MCQs on British political and administrative policies cover the constitutional Acts, the civil services, the police and the judiciary, press laws, sedition and divide and rule. The Government of India Act 1858, the Councils Acts of 1861 and 1892, the 1909 and 1919 reforms and the Partition of Bengal are asked with their provisions and dates.
Practice questions based on the RPSC RAS Prelims syllabus. They follow the exam pattern but are not past-paper questions.
Showing 11–20 of 64 questions
Q12. Consider the following statements regarding the role of the Census in colonial administration:
I. The first synchronous and comprehensive census of India was conducted in 1881.
II. Census operations were purely statistical and played no role in solidifying caste or religious identities.
III. The colonial government used census data to classify martial and non-martial races, aiding their divide and rule policy.
Which of the given statements is/are correct?
I. The first synchronous and comprehensive census of India was conducted in 1881.
II. Census operations were purely statistical and played no role in solidifying caste or religious identities.
III. The colonial government used census data to classify martial and non-martial races, aiding their divide and rule policy.
Which of the given statements is/are correct?
Explanation
The first synchronous census of India was in 1881, and the colonial government used census data to classify castes and martial races for divide and rule. Census operations did shape caste and religious identities, so II is wrong.
Q13. Which of the following best describes the core mechanism of the British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ in India during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
Explanation
Divide and Rule meant favouring one community to prevent a united opposition to British rule.
Q14. Which of the following pairs of judicial milestones and their primary features is incorrectly matched?
Explanation
The Regulating Act of 1773 set up the Supreme Court at Calcutta, the Indian High Courts Act of 1861 abolished the Supreme Courts and Sadar Adalats and Macaulay’s Law Commission drafted the Indian Penal Code. The Government of India Act 1935 set up the Federal Court, not the Privy Council, so B is the incorrect pair.
Q15. The Government of India Act 1858 replaced the Board of Control and the Court of Directors with a new entity to oversee Indian administration. What was this new entity?
Explanation
The Government of India Act 1858 replaced the Board of Control and Court of Directors with the Secretary of State for India, advised by the India Council.
Q16. Which of the following was NOT a feature of the Indian Councils Act of 1861?
Explanation
The Indian Councils Act of 1861 allowed the nomination of non-officials, gave the Viceroy power to issue ordinances and recognised the portfolio system. It did not introduce direct election, so A is not a feature.
Q17. Match List I with List II:
| British Official | Police/Administrative Reform |
|---|---|
| A. Lord Cornwallis | i. Abolished the office of SP and transferred duties to Collector |
| B. Lord Curzon | ii. Appointed the Frazer Police Commission |
| C. Lord William Bentinck | iii. Enacted the Indian Police Act of 1861 |
| D. Lord Canning | iv. Created the Thana and Daroga system |
Explanation
Cornwallis created the Thana and Daroga system, Curzon appointed the Frazer Police Commission, Bentinck abolished the office of the SP and gave its duties to the Collector, and Canning enacted the Police Act of 1861. This gives A-iv, B-ii, C-i, D-iii.
Q18. In which year was Section 124A (Sedition) formally inserted into the Indian Penal Code (IPC) through an amendment to curb political dissent?
Explanation
Section 124A was inserted into the Indian Penal Code in 1870 through an amendment, to curb political dissent.
Q19. Consider the following statements:
Statement I: The colonial census required individuals to rigidly define their caste and religious identities, often hardening previously fluid social boundaries.
Statement II: Herbert Hope Risley used the 1901 census to officially rank castes in an order of social precedence, which was widely accepted without protest by Indian social groups.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
Statement I: The colonial census required individuals to rigidly define their caste and religious identities, often hardening previously fluid social boundaries.
Statement II: Herbert Hope Risley used the 1901 census to officially rank castes in an order of social precedence, which was widely accepted without protest by Indian social groups.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
Explanation
The colonial census made people state their caste and religion, which hardened social boundaries, so Statement I is true. Risley’s caste ranking in 1901 was not accepted without protest, so Statement II is false.
Q20. Given below are two statements, one labelled as
Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R):
Assertion (A): The lowering of the maximum age limit for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination from 21 to 19 years by Lord Lytton was a deliberate policy of racial discrimination.
Reason (R): The primary intention was to make it virtually impossible for Indian candidates to travel to England and compete successfully against British candidates.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R):
Assertion (A): The lowering of the maximum age limit for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination from 21 to 19 years by Lord Lytton was a deliberate policy of racial discrimination.
Reason (R): The primary intention was to make it virtually impossible for Indian candidates to travel to England and compete successfully against British candidates.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Explanation
Lord Lytton lowered the ICS age limit from 21 to 19, which made it very hard for Indians to travel to England and compete. This was a deliberate act of racial discrimination, so R explains A.Answer key for these questions
| Q | Correct answer |
|---|---|
| 11 | (c) Hill stations were established primarily as strategic military outposts and never had any residential or administrative functions. |
| 12 | (c) I and III only |
| 13 | (c) Systematically favoring one community to prevent unified opposition against British colonial rule |
| 14 | (b) Government of India Act 1935 - Establishment of the Privy Council in London |
| 15 | (d) The Secretary of State for India and his advisory body, the India Council |
| 16 | (a) It formally introduced the principle of direct election for provincial councils. |
| 17 | (c) A-iv, B-ii, C-i, D-iii |
| 18 | (b) 1870 |
| 19 | (c) Statement I is true but Statement II is false. |
| 20 | (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. |
Key facts from British Political and Administrative Policies
- The Government of India Act 1858 transferred power from the Company to the Crown and created the Secretary of State and the India Council.
- Section 124A (sedition) was inserted into the IPC in 1870; the Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 under Lytton and repealed by Ripon.
- The Indian Councils Act 1861 introduced the portfolio system; the Act of 1892 let members discuss the budget and ask questions.
- The Morley-Minto Reforms 1909 introduced communal electorates; Dyarchy came with the 1919 Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.
- The Frazer Commission (1902) reviewed police; the Indian Police Act of 1861 placed the police under the District Magistrate.
- Curzon’s 1905 Partition of Bengal aimed at weakening nationalism and was annulled in 1911.
Frequently asked questions
How many RAS Prelims practice MCQs are there on British Political and Administrative Policies?
This page has 64 practice MCQs on British Political and Administrative Policies (Modern Indian History). Each has the correct answer, and most have an explanation.
What did the Government of India Act 1858 do?
It transferred the government of India from the East India Company to the British Crown, abolished the Board of Control and the Court of Directors and created the Secretary of State for India, helped by a Council of India.
What did the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 introduce?
Separate (communal) electorates for Muslims in the legislative councils, along with some expansion of Indian representation. The communal electorate hardened religious identities in politics and is seen as a key step in divide and rule.
Who was the first Indian to clear the ICS?
Satyendranath Tagore, in 1863. The ICS examination was held in England, and the Lytton-era reduction of the age limit to 19 later made it even harder for Indians to compete.