Q50. Who was appointed to replace Lord Wavell as Viceroy of India in 1947?
[SSC MTS, 1 October 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Lord Willingdon
(B) Lord Linlithgow
(C) Lord Irwin
(D) Lord Mountbatten
Answer: (D) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Attlee’s government announced Mountbatten’s appointment in February 1947. He formally assumed office in March, replacing Lord Wavell. His assignment involved arranging the transfer of power, resolving political disagreements where possible and supervising Britain’s withdrawal from the subcontinent.
Q49. Which political party formed the British government in 1945 under Clement Attlee?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 11 September 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Democratic Party
(B) Labour Party
(C) Socialist Party
(D) Liberal Party
Answer: (B) Labour Party
Explanation: The Labour Party defeated Winston Churchill’s Conservatives in the 1945 British general election. Attlee became Prime Minister and directed post-war government policy. Britain’s weakened economic position and mounting Indian nationalist pressure contributed to his administration’s decision to withdraw from India.
Q48. Who announced the British Government’s acceptance of the principle of India’s Partition in 1947?
[Bihar TRE 3.0, History, 22 July 2024]
(A) Sir Stafford Cripps
(B) Pethick-Lawrence
(C) Lord Mountbatten
(D) Lord Wavell
Answer: (C) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Mountbatten publicly announced the Partition settlement on 3 June 1947. The scheme was presented after discussions with major Indian political representatives. It established the framework for separate dominions and anticipated the division of Punjab and Bengal under specified procedures.
Q47. On which date did the Indian Independence Act, 1947, receive Royal Assent?
[Bihar TRE 3.0, History, 22 July 2024]
(A) 18 July 1947
(B) 19 July 1947
(C) 17 July 1947
(D) 15 August 1947
Answer: (A) 18 July 1947
Explanation: The Indian Independence Bill was introduced in the British Parliament on 4 July 1947 and received Royal Assent on 18 July. Its principal constitutional change, the creation of the two independent dominions, was scheduled for 15 August 1947.
Q46. Which commission was entrusted with drawing the boundary between India and Pakistan in 1947?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 11 July 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Hilton Young Commission
(B) Bretton Woods Commission
(C) Radcliffe Boundary Commission
(D) Simon Commission
Answer: (C) Radcliffe Boundary Commission
Explanation: Sir Cyril Radcliffe chaired the boundary commissions responsible for demarcating the divisions of Punjab and Bengal. Their awards were made public on 17 August 1947. The resulting borders divided districts, transport networks and communities, contributing to the crisis surrounding Partition.
Q45. Operation Polo was associated with which development after India’s independence?
[Agniveer Army GD, 24 April 2024, Shift 2, Memory-Based]
(A) Liberation of Goa
(B) Accession of Jodhpur
(C) Integration of Hyderabad
(D) Settlement with Mizoram
Answer: (C) Integration of Hyderabad
Explanation: Operation Polo was the Indian military operation against Hyderabad in September 1948. Its ruler initially sought to remain independent. After unsuccessful negotiations and escalating instability, Indian forces intervened, ending Hyderabad’s separate political position and facilitating its incorporation into India.
Q44. Who was the last Viceroy of British India?
[WBPSC Food SI, 17 March 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Lord Canning
(B) Lord Linlithgow
(C) Lord Mountbatten
(D) Lord Wavell
Answer: (C) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Mountbatten became the last Viceroy in March 1947. His tenure witnessed the June 3 Plan and the final withdrawal of British colonial authority. Following independence, he continued in a different constitutional capacity as Governor-General of the Dominion of India.
Q43. In which month and year did the Indian Independence Act receive Royal Assent?
[Karnataka Police Constable (Civil), 25 February 2024]
(A) July 1947
(B) May 1947
(C) June 1947
(D) August 1947
Answer: (A) July 1947
Explanation: Royal Assent was granted on 18 July 1947. The Act legally provided for the creation of India and Pakistan as independent dominions on 15 August. It also established the lapse of British paramountcy over the princely states and granted legislative powers to the dominions.
Q42. Which two present-day countries were territories of British India before the 1947 Partition?
[SSC GD Constable, 21 February 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Nepal and China
(B) Indonesia and Bhutan
(C) Pakistan and Bangladesh
(D) Sri Lanka and Maldives
Answer: (C) Pakistan and Bangladesh
Explanation: Pakistan emerged from the Partition of British India in 1947, initially containing West Pakistan and East Bengal, later East Pakistan. East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh in 1971. The two territories had belonged to British India’s colonial administrative system.
Q41. When was the Matsya Union merged into Greater Rajasthan?
[RPSC RAS Prelims, 2023]
(A) 18 April 1948
(B) 25 January 1950
(C) 30 March 1949
(D) 15 May 1949
Answer: (D) 15 May 1949
Explanation: Matsya Union comprised the princely states of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli. It was formed in March 1948 and merged into Greater Rajasthan on 15 May 1949. This merger was an important stage in the political integration of Rajasthan after independence.
Q40. Who became the first Rajpramukh of Greater Rajasthan in 1949?
[RPSC RAS Prelims, 2023]
(A) Maharaja Umed Singh of Jodhpur
(B) Maharaja Karni Singh of Bikaner
(C) Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur
(D) Maharana Bhagwat Singh of Udaipur
Answer: (C) Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur
Explanation: Sawai Man Singh II became Rajpramukh of Greater Rajasthan when it was inaugurated on 30 March 1949. Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur received the position of Maharaj Pramukh. These arrangements reflected the negotiated integration of Rajasthan’s princely states into independent India.
Q39. Which Act of the British Parliament provided for the division of British India into India and Pakistan?
[ITBP Constable (Animal Transport), 18 September 2023]
(A) Rowlatt Act, 1919
(B) Government of India Act, 1919
(C) Government of India Act, 1935
(D) Indian Independence Act, 1947
Answer: (D) Indian Independence Act, 1947
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament in July 1947. It established two independent dominions and provided the legal framework for the division of British India. Its provisions also terminated British paramountcy over the Indian princely states.
Q38. On which date was the Partition of India officially announced through the Mountbatten Plan?
[MP Police Constable, 4 September 2023, Shift 2]
(A) 30 June 1947
(B) 13 June 1947
(C) 23 June 1947
(D) 3 June 1947
Answer: (D) 3 June 1947
Explanation: The Mountbatten Plan was announced on 3 June 1947. It proposed dividing British India into two dominions and laid down arrangements for determining the future of Punjab, Bengal and certain other territories. It preceded the Indian Independence Act.
Q37. Which of the following statements regarding the Indian Independence Act, 1947, is NOT correct?
[UPSC CDS (II), 2023]
(A) It received Royal Assent on 18 July 1947.
(B) It laid down the basic framework of the Constitution of India adopted in 1950.
(C) It provided for the establishment of two independent dominions.
(D) It empowered the dominion legislatures to make laws.
Answer: (B) It laid down the basic framework of the Constitution of India adopted in 1950.
Explanation: The Act primarily provided the legal mechanism for independence and Partition. It did not prescribe the structure of India’s final republican Constitution. The Constituent Assembly subsequently drafted the Constitution, which was adopted in November 1949 and generally commenced in January 1950.
Q36. The province of Punjab was divided into which two parts during the Partition of British India?
[Punjab Police Constable, 19 August 2023, Shift 1]
(A) East Punjab and West Punjab
(B) Punjab and Haryana
(C) North Punjab and South Punjab
(D) Indian Punjab and Republic Punjab
Answer: (A) East Punjab and West Punjab
Explanation: Punjab was divided between the new dominions along a boundary determined by the Radcliffe Commission. East Punjab became part of India, while West Punjab joined Pakistan. The division resulted in widespread communal violence and one of history’s largest population migrations.
Q35. In which month was the Mountbatten Plan for the Partition of India announced?
[Punjab Police Constable, 18 August 2023, Shift 1]
(A) June 1947
(B) May 1947
(C) July 1947
(D) April 1947
Answer: (A) June 1947
Explanation: Mountbatten announced the plan on 3 June 1947 after negotiations with political leaders. It accelerated the transfer of power and established procedures for territorial division. The decision represented a departure from earlier attempts to preserve a united Indian political framework.
Q34. On which date did the Indian Independence Act, 1947, receive Royal Assent?
[MP Forest Guard and Jail Prahari Combined Examination, 5 June 2023, Shift 1]
(A) 18 July 1947
(B) 14 August 1947
(C) 3 June 1947
(D) 26 July 1947
Answer: (A) 18 July 1947
Explanation: The British Parliament enacted the Indian Independence legislation following acceptance of the Mountbatten Plan. Royal Assent was granted on 18 July 1947. The law authorized the establishment of independent dominions and the termination of British political authority over princely states.
Q33. Who was the last Governor-General of British India?
[SSC MTS, 11 May 2023, Shift 1]
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) Lord Auckland
(C) Lord Wellesley
(D) Lord Mountbatten
Answer: (D) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Lord Mountbatten was the final Governor-General serving under British colonial rule in India, while also holding the office of Viceroy. After 15 August 1947, he continued as Governor-General of independent India’s dominion government until June 1948.
Q32. In which district was a referendum held in 1947 to decide whether it would join Pakistan?
[UPSC NDA (I), 16 April 2023]
(A) Sylhet
(B) Goalpara
(C) Cachar
(D) Jalpaiguri
Answer: (A) Sylhet
Explanation: The Sylhet referendum took place in July 1947. The district was then part of Assam, and voters decided whether it should join East Bengal in Pakistan. Most of Sylhet joined Pakistan, while the Karimganj subdivision largely remained with India.
Q31. Which legislation passed by the British Parliament divided British India into two independent dominions?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 17 March 2023, Shift 3]
(A) Rowlatt Act
(B) Indian Independence Act
(C) Government of India Act, 1919
(D) Pitt’s India Act
Answer: (B) Indian Independence Act
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act, 1947, formally created the Dominions of India and Pakistan. It also established legislative autonomy, ended British responsibility for their governance and provided transitional arrangements until the new states could adopt their respective constitutional frameworks.
