Q20. Which autobiography was written by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad?
[SSC CHSL, 3 June 2022, Shift 3]
(A) Freedom at Midnight
(B) The Partition of India
(C) The Man Who Divided India
(D) India Wins Freedom
Answer: (D) India Wins Freedom
Explanation: India Wins Freedom contains Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s account of India’s struggle for independence and the political negotiations preceding Partition. As a senior Congress leader, Azad strongly opposed Partition and reflected critically on the decisions that led to territorial division.
Q19. On which date was the Indian Independence Act passed in 1947?
[WBCS Main Examination, 2021 Cycle, held 2022]
(A) 18 July 1947
(B) 20 July 1947
(C) 18 July 1946
(D) 20 July 1946
Answer: (A) 18 July 1947
Explanation: The Act received Royal Assent on 18 July 1947, after passage through the British Parliament. It formally ended the framework of British imperial government and authorized the creation of two dominions. The legislation was central to the constitutional process of decolonization.
Q18. Which section of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, dealt with the powers of the Constituent Assemblies regarding constitutional arrangements for the new dominions?
[SSC CGL, 19 April 2022, Shift 2]
(A) Section 6(2)
(B) Section 10(1)
(C) Section 12(2)
(D) Section 8(1)
Answer: (D) Section 8(1)
Explanation: Section 8(1) provided that each dominion would be governed under the provisions of its own Constituent Assembly’s constitutional arrangements. Pending new constitutions, transitional governance continued substantially under the adapted Government of India Act, 1935.
Q17. Which of the following Acts is NOT mentioned in Article 395 of the Indian Constitution?
[RPSC Assistant Professor, Political Science, 29 September 2021]
(A) Government of India Act, 1935
(B) Indian Independence Act, 1947
(C) Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act, 1949
(D) Government of India Act, 1919
Answer: (D) Government of India Act, 1919
Explanation: Article 395 explicitly repeals the Indian Independence Act, 1947, and Government of India Act, 1935, along with specified related enactments. It also mentions the Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act, 1949, as an exception. The 1919 Act is not expressly named.
Q16. When did the Constituent Assembly adopt the National Flag of India?
[Jharkhand Civil Services Preliminary Examination, 19 September 2021]
(A) 22 July 1947
(B) 15 August 1947
(C) 26 January 1947
(D) 10 June 1947
Answer: (A) 22 July 1947
Explanation: The Constituent Assembly adopted India’s National Flag on 22 July 1947, shortly before independence. The tricolour featured the navy-blue Ashoka Chakra in the centre. Its adoption was an important symbolic step in establishing the identity of the approaching independent Indian state.
Q15. In which year was the Indian Independence Act passed by the British Parliament?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 18 August 2021, Shift 3]
(A) 1945
(B) 1942
(C) 1947
(D) 1946
Answer: (C) 1947
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act was enacted in 1947 following the Mountbatten Plan. Its central provisions authorized the creation of India and Pakistan as independent dominions. It completed the legislative process through which Britain withdrew its governing authority from British India.
Q14. Who was the President of the Indian National Congress at the time of India’s independence in August 1947?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 9 August 2021, Shift 3]
(A) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(B) J. B. Kripalani
(C) Jawaharlal Nehru
(D) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Answer: (B) J. B. Kripalani
Explanation: Acharya J. B. Kripalani was Congress President when India attained independence. Jawaharlal Nehru headed the new government as Prime Minister, while Patel became Deputy Prime Minister. Congress accepted Partition under difficult political circumstances despite significant disagreement within the nationalist movement.
Q13. Between which years was the territory of present-day Bangladesh part of Pakistan?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 9 August 2021, Shift 1]
(A) 1947–1971
(B) 1948–1979
(C) 1947–1973
(D) 1948–1975
Answer: (A) 1947–1971
Explanation: Following Partition, most of eastern Bengal became part of Pakistan, initially designated East Bengal and later East Pakistan. Geographic separation, political disputes, linguistic tensions and unequal treatment eventually contributed to the Bangladesh Liberation War and the establishment of Bangladesh in 1971.
Q12. Where was Mahatma Gandhi on the day India gained independence in August 1947?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 12 March 2021, Shift 2]
(A) Calcutta
(B) Birla House, Delhi
(C) Varanasi
(D) Sabarmati Ashram
Answer: (A) Calcutta
Explanation: Gandhi remained in Calcutta during independence celebrations, concentrating on restoring communal peace. He did not participate in the official ceremonies in Delhi. His activities reflected his anguish over Partition and his belief that freedom should be accompanied by religious harmony.
Q11. Which of the following was NOT a constitutional change brought about by the Indian Independence Act, 1947?
[UPSC CDS (I), 3 February 2019]
(A) The Government of India Act, 1935, continued in adapted form during the transition.
(B) India ceased to be a British dependency.
(C) The British Crown continued as the ultimate source of legislative authority in India.
(D) The Governor-General became the constitutional head of the Indian Dominion.
Answer: (C) The British Crown continued as the ultimate source of legislative authority in India.
Explanation: The Act established legislative independence for the new dominions and ended the British Parliament’s power to legislate for them without their consent. Although India retained the British monarch as its formal head of state during the dominion period, legislative sovereignty had fundamentally changed.
