Q60. Who raised the political slogan “Divide and Quit” during the final phase of British rule?
[71st BPSC Preliminary Examination, 13 September 2025]
(A) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
(B) M. A. Ansari
(C) Jawaharlal Nehru
(D) Muhammad Iqbal
Answer: (A) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Explanation: Muhammad Ali Jinnah advocated the creation of Pakistan before the British withdrawal. The slogan represented the Muslim League’s insistence on Partition as a condition of an acceptable constitutional settlement. It contrasted with Congress’s earlier demand for independence while preserving national unity.
Q59. Who announced the British Government’s acceptance of the principle of Partition on 3 June 1947?
[UPSSSC PET, 6 September 2025, Shift 1]
(A) Lord Mountbatten
(B) Lord Linlithgow
(C) C. Rajagopalachari
(D) Lord Hardinge
Answer: (A) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Mountbatten presented the June 3 Plan after negotiations with Indian political leaders. It outlined the transfer of power to separate dominions, including procedures for territorial division. The plan provided the political foundation for the Indian Independence Act passed the following month.
Q58. What was the principal reason for the Partition of India in 1947?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 20 August 2025, Shift 1]
(A) Communal tensions and political disagreements
(B) Disputes over official languages alone
(C) Agricultural backwardness alone
(D) Differences in geographical climate
Answer: (A) Communal tensions and political disagreements
Explanation: Partition followed deep disagreements between Congress and the Muslim League over political representation, constitutional safeguards and the future structure of government. Communal polarization and violence intensified these differences. British withdrawal plans eventually accepted territorial division as the negotiated political outcome.
Q57. Who was the last Viceroy of British India responsible for overseeing the Partition process?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 14 August 2025, Shift 3]
(A) Pethick-Lawrence
(B) Lord Cripps
(C) Lord Mountbatten
(D) Lord Wavell
Answer: (C) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Lord Mountbatten assumed office as Viceroy in March 1947, succeeding Lord Wavell. He negotiated the final transfer-of-power arrangements and advanced the independence timetable. After British rule ended, he served as the first Governor-General of the Dominion of India.
Q56. Which Indian leader played the most important role in the integration of princely states after independence?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 12 August 2025, Shift 1]
(A) B. R. Ambedkar
(B) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(C) Jawaharlal Nehru
(D) Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: (B) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation: Patel served as India’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of States. Working closely with V. P. Menon, he persuaded princely rulers to accede through diplomatic negotiations and political agreements. His efforts helped consolidate the territorial unity of the newly independent country.
Q55. Who wrote the novel Train to Pakistan, which portrays the human tragedy of Partition?
[SSC Selection Post, Higher Secondary Level, 29 July 2025, Shift 2]
(A) Vikram Seth
(B) Amrita Pritam
(C) Khushwant Singh
(D) Anita Desai
Answer: (C) Khushwant Singh
Explanation: Khushwant Singh published Train to Pakistan in 1956. Set in the fictional village of Mano Majra, it explores how Partition transformed relationships among ordinary people. The novel illustrates the communal violence, displacement and moral dilemmas accompanying independence.
Q54. Arrange the following events in correct chronological order:
1. Launch of the Non-Cooperation Movement
2. Passage of the Rowlatt Act
3. Launch of the Quit India Movement
4. Passage of the Indian Independence Act
[MPPSC Assistant Professor, History Paper II, 1 June 2025]
(A) 2, 1, 3, 4
(B) 2, 1, 4, 3
(C) 4, 3, 2, 1
(D) 2, 4, 1, 3
Answer: (A) 2, 1, 3, 4
Explanation: The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919, followed by the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. The Quit India Movement began in August 1942. Finally, the Indian Independence Act received Royal Assent in July 1947, providing the legal basis for independence and Partition.
Q53. Which legislation was based on the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947?
[RPF Constable, 9 March 2025, Shift 1]
(A) Indian Independence Act, 1947
(B) Government of India Act, 1919
(C) Indian Councils Act, 1909
(D) Government of India Act, 1935
Answer: (A) Indian Independence Act, 1947
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act gave legal effect to the political settlement described in the Mountbatten Plan. It established two dominions, provided for the division of provinces and ended British responsibility for governing India. It received Royal Assent on 18 July 1947.
Q52. The Indian Independence Act, 1947, created how many independent dominions?
[SSC GD Constable, 21 February 2025, Shift 1]
(A) Four
(B) Three
(C) One
(D) Two
Answer: (D) Two
Explanation: The Act established the Dominions of India and Pakistan. Pakistan initially consisted of geographically separated eastern and western territories. Although the independence ceremonies occurred on different dates, the Act specified 15 August 1947 as the appointed day for establishing both dominions.
Q51. Who was the British Prime Minister when India gained independence in August 1947?
[SSC GD Constable, 4 February 2025, Shift 2]
(A) Anthony Eden
(B) Winston Churchill
(C) Clement Attlee
(D) Ramsay MacDonald
Answer: (C) Clement Attlee
Explanation: Clement Attlee headed Britain’s Labour government from 1945 to 1951. His administration pursued the withdrawal from India and announced the transfer-of-power deadline in February 1947. It subsequently introduced the Indian Independence legislation that established the two dominions.
