Q60. Which proposal is associated with an Indianised Viceroy’s Executive Council, covering nearly all portfolios?
[UPSC CSE Prelims, 2008]
(A) Simon Commission
(B) Simla Conference / Wavell Plan
(C) Cripps Mission
(D) Cabinet Mission
Answer: (B) Simla Conference / Wavell Plan
Explanation: Lord Wavell’s 1945 proposal called for the reconstruction of the Viceroy’s Executive Council with Indian members, apart from the Viceroy and Commander-in-Chief. Disputes over Muslim representation prevented agreement at Simla.
Q59. The 1946 Royal Indian Navy uprising began with sailors of which establishment?
[WBCS Prelims, 2008]
(A) Vikrant
(B) HMIS Talwar
(C) INS Mysore
(D) INS Vijay
Answer: (B) HMIS Talwar
Explanation: The naval ratings’ strike began at HMIS Talwar, a shore establishment in Bombay, in February 1946. Complaints about food and discrimination grew into broader anti-colonial demonstrations, spreading to other naval establishments.
Q58. Who was India’s first Governor-General after the transfer of power in 1947?
[WBCS Prelims, 2008]
(A) Jawaharlal Nehru
(B) Rajendra Prasad
(C) C. Rajagopalachari
(D) Lord Mountbatten
Answer: (D) Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Mountbatten continued as Governor-General after independence and served until 1948. He was followed by C. Rajagopalachari, who became the first Indian Governor-General and held office until India adopted a republican Constitution.
Q57. On what date did the Quit India Movement begin after the Congress resolution?
[48th–52nd BPSC Prelims, 2008]
(A) 9 August 1942
(B) 10 August 1942
(C) 15 August 1942
(D) 16 August 1942
Answer: (A) 9 August 1942
Explanation: The AICC approved its resolution on 8 August 1942. The arrests of Gandhi and major Congress leaders early on 9 August triggered protests, which is why many examinations use 9 August as the movement’s starting date.
Q56. After his arrest on 9 August 1942, to which jail was Rajendra Prasad sent?
[48th–52nd BPSC Prelims, 2008]
(A) Camp Jail
(B) Hazaribagh Jail
(C) Bhagalpur Jail
(D) Bankipur Jail
Answer: (D) Bankipur Jail
Explanation: Rajendra Prasad was arrested in Patna as the Quit India crackdown began and detained at Bankipur Jail. Many other Congress leaders were held at Ahmednagar Fort, while Gandhi was confined at Aga Khan Palace.
Q55. Who frequently spoke over the underground Congress Radio during the Quit India struggle?
[Uttar Pradesh Lower Subordinate Prelims, 2008]
(A) Jayaprakash Narayan
(B) Subhas Chandra Bose
(C) Ram Manohar Lohia
(D) Sucheta Kripalani
Answer: (C) Ram Manohar Lohia
Explanation: Ram Manohar Lohia broadcast nationalist messages through the secret radio service associated with Usha Mehta. The broadcasts helped sustain the movement’s communication network despite censorship and the arrest of prominent Congress leaders.
Q54. Louis Fischer, a biographer of Gandhi, belonged to which profession and nationality?
[UPPSC Special Mains, 2008]
(A) American journalist
(B) British journalist
(C) French journalist
(D) German journalist
Answer: (A) American journalist
Explanation: Louis Fischer was an American journalist and author whose writings on Gandhi reached international readers. He personally observed the Indian political scene during the independence struggle and later wrote a well-known Gandhi biography.
Q53. Match Simon Commission, Quit India Movement, formation of Congress and Morley–Minto Reforms with their years.
[UPPSC PCS Mains, 2008]
(A) 1885, 1942, 1927, 1909
(B) 1909, 1927, 1942, 1885
(C) 1927, 1942, 1885, 1909
(D) 1885, 1927, 1942, 1909
Answer: (C) 1927, 1942, 1885, 1909
Explanation: The Simon Commission was appointed in 1927, Quit India began in 1942, the Indian National Congress formed in 1885, and the Morley–Minto reforms date to 1909. This yields the third matching sequence.
Q52. Under which plan was India’s Constituent Assembly organised?
[UPPSC PCS Mains, 2008]
(A) Indian Independence Act
(B) Government of India Act 1935
(C) Queen’s Proclamation
(D) Cabinet Mission Plan
Answer: (D) Cabinet Mission Plan
Explanation: The Cabinet Mission proposals of 1946 supplied the institutional framework for the Constituent Assembly. Provincial legislatures elected most representatives indirectly, while seats were also envisaged for the princely states.
Q51. Who was Congress president when the Cabinet Mission arrived in India?
[UPPSC PCS Mains, 2008]
(A) Jawaharlal Nehru
(B) J. B. Kripalani
(C) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
(D) Sarojini Naidu
Answer: (C) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Explanation: Maulana Azad was president of the Congress during the Cabinet Mission negotiations in 1946. As party president he was a leading interlocutor, before J. B. Kripalani assumed that office later the same year.
