Pre 2014

1. The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until

1. the First World War when Indian troops were needed by the British and the partition was ended.
2. King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the Royal Darbar in Delhi in 1911
3. Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobedience Movement
4. the Partition of India, in 1947 when East Bengal became East Pakistan

• All other options are absolutely bogus options
• This was the 1st real victory of nationalist movement. British had to eat humble pie and annul the partition
• In 1911 King George V visited India and  A royal durbar was held @Delhi
• The capital of India is transferred from Calcutta to Delhi
• It was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911 and only the last time the sovereign attended it.

Learning – When was Queen Victoria proclaimed as empress of India? 1st Darbar and Great famine of 1876 -78 and Lord Lytton, Annulment of partition and its role in reunification of Congress

2. The 1929 Session of Indian, National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because the

1. attainment of Self-Government was declared as the objective of the Congress
2. attainment of Poorna Swaraj Was adopted as the goal of the Congress
3. Non-Cooperation Movement was launched
4. decision to participate in the Round Table Conference in London was taken

• Repeat, covered in titbits
• Poorna swaraj goal
• NCM was in 1920
• Congress did not even participate in 1st RTC. This decision was taken after Gandhi- Irwin pact

Learning – Swaraj resolution, Poorna Swaraj resolution, Dominion status v/s Independent status

3. The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a

1. Revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco.
2. nationalist organization operating from Singapore
3. militant organization with headquarters at Berlin
4. communist movement for India’s freedom with head-quarters at Tashkent

• Simple question. On the east coast of USA, San Francisco. There was a newspaper/ pamphlet by similar name
• This is a very important topic for this year as PM of Canada apologised officially for the incident

Learning – komagata maru incident, Canadian PM apology, failure of ghadar movement, name of most prominent leaders of this movement

4. What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858)?

1. To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States
2. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown
3. To regulate East India Company’s trade with India

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

• Regulation of trade had already been done. Now politically directly under crown
• The announcement reversed Lord Dalhousie’s pre-war policy of political unification through princely state annexation <doctrine of lapse>

Learning – act of 1773, 1813 and this proclamation very important, Doctrine of lapse, first state to fall under doctrine of lapse, doctrine of subsidiary alliance, first state to fall prey to doctrine of subsidiary alliance, Contribution of Lord Dalhousie to India 

5. The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to

1. solve the problem of minorities in India
2. give effect to the Independence Bill
3. delimit the boundaries between India and Pakistan
4. enquire into the riots in East Bengal

Simple – Radcliffe was the jurist hence the boundary known by his name

Learning – how was the decision to go to Pakistan or stay with India taken? McMahon line and Shimla accord, LOC v/s LAC v/s AGPL, Durand line

Prelims 2013

1. With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were:

(a) directly elected by the people of those Provinces

(b) nominated by the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League

(c) elected by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies

(d) selected by the Government for their expertise in constitutional matters

• Question repeated in CAPF 2016
• Indirect election it was <one of the criticism that members were not even elected by people. In fact even members of provincial assembly who elected them were themselves elected by jut 10% of the voting age population as the Franchise was very limited>

Learning – Imp. committees of constituent assembly, Cabinet mission plan and interim cabinet

2. The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because

1. Indians never wanted the review of the working of the Act of 1919
2. Simon Commission recommended the abolition of  Dyarchy (Diarchy) in the Provinces
3. there was no Indian member in the Simon Commission
4. the Simon Commission suggested the partition of the country

Very simple, covered in titbit

Learning – Why did Simon commission even visited India, Recommendation of Simon commission, Nehru report in response to Simon commission, Controversy on Nehru Report, J.L. Nehru’s objection to Nehru report, Jinnah’s objection to Nehru report, Gandhi- Irwin pact

3. Quit India Movement was launched in response to

1. Cabinet Mission Plan
2. Cripps Proposals
3. Simon Commission Report
4. Wavell Plan

• Quit India movement was launched in aug 1942
• Cabinet mission in 1946 -wrong
• Wavell plan or Shimla conference – 1945 – wrong
• Simon Comission report – after 1928, before 1932
• Cripps mission – March 1942, answer is obvious

Learning – Cripps proposals, proposed dominion or independent status? Why did it fail? Why was Cripps even sent to India?, Post dated cheque on failing bank?, Failure of Wavell plan?, Learn sequence o events from 2nd world war carefully, august offer, Rajgoplachari plan, Mount Baton plan and all

4. The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for

1. the reduction of the share of the landlords from one-half of the crop to one-third
2. the grant of ownership of land to peasants as they were the actual cultivators of the land
3. the uprooting of Zamindari system and the end of serfdom
4. writing off all peasant debts

• Covered in titbit
• tebhaga means 3 parts
• in 1946 the sharecroppers of Bengal began to assert that they would no longer pay a half share of their crops to Jotedars but only 1/3rd and that before division
• the crop would be stored in their khamars (Godowns) and not that of the Jotedars

Learning – important peasant revolts, working class movements, Bardoli Satyagaraha, Eka movement, Indigo revolt

5. Annie Besant was

1. responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
2. the founder of the Theosophical Society
3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress

Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

• Tilak started Home Rule league in April 1916 while Annie Besant launched her Home Rule league in September 1916
• Theosophical Society was founded by Madam Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott 1875.Annie Besant joined the team much later, in 1889
• She was in fact 1st woman president of INC. This fact has been asked many times

Learning – Theosophical society, contribution of Annie Besant

6. The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the

1. imposition restrictions the Indians of certain to carry arms by Indians
2. imposition of restrictions on newspapers and magazines published in Indian languages
3. removal of disqualifications imposed on the Indian magistrates with regard to the trial of the Europeans
4. removal of a duty on imported cotton cloth

• Earlier Indian judges could not try Europeans
• The Illbert Bill (1883) of lord Rippon sought to empower the Indian judges to try Europeans in criminal cases.

Learning – Lord Rippon v/s Lord Lytoon, Vernacular press act, arms act, first factory act, Anglo – Afghan war, reforms brought by lord Rippon, reforms brought by lord Mayo