Independence with Partition FAQs

1. On which date did Clement Attlee announce the British intention of leaving the Indian subcontinent?

2. As per Attlee's statement, what was the deadline fixed for the transfer of power?

3. Who did Attlee's statement announce would replace Wavell as viceroy?

4. Consider the following statements regarding Attlee's Statement of February 20, 1947: (I) Power would be transferred to a central government or to existing provincial governments if the constituent assembly was not fully representative (II) British obligations towards princely states would lapse with transfer of power but would not pass to any successor government (III) The statement was, in essence, an extension of the Cripps Offer Which of the above is/are correct?

5. Which party launched a civil disobedience movement to overthrow the coalition government in Punjab after Attlee's statement?

6. On which date did Nehru state that the Cabinet Mission Plan was the best solution, with partition of Punjab and Bengal as the only real alternative?

7. Who was the Congress president who, in April 1947, communicated to the viceroy that Congress would accept Pakistan if Bengal and Punjab were partitioned fairly?

8. Mountbatten's task, on assuming the office of viceroy, was to explore the options of unity and division until which month?

9. Who first suggested the idea of an immediate transfer of power on the basis of dominion status with a right of secession?

10. On which date was the Mountbatten Plan announced?

11. As per the Mountbatten Plan, which province was to take its own decision regarding accession, separate from a legislative assembly vote?

12. As per the Mountbatten Plan, the fate of NWFP and which other district was to be decided by referendum?

13. Consider the following statements regarding the Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947: (I) Punjab and Bengal Legislative Assemblies would meet in Hindu and Muslim groups to vote on partition (II) A simple majority of either group voting for partition would result in partition of that province (III) Independence for Bengal as a separate country was accepted under the plan Which of the above is/are correct?

14. Whose accession to Pakistan did Mountbatten oppose, supporting the Congress position instead?

15. Which alternative plan did Mountbatten formulate between March and May 1947, before finalising the June 3 Plan?

16. Consider the following statements regarding the Congress's acceptance of dominion status: (I) It would ensure a peaceful and quick transfer of power (II) It would allow continuity in the bureaucracy and the army (III) It fulfilled the exact spirit of the Lahore Congress resolution of 1929 Which of the above is/are correct?

17. On which date did the British Parliament pass the Indian Independence Act?

18. On which date did the Indian Independence Act receive royal assent?

19. Under the Indian Independence Act, the governments of the two dominions were to be carried on, during the transitional period, in accordance with which earlier Act?

20. On which date did Pakistan become independent, a day before India?

21. Who became the first Governor-General of Pakistan?

22. Who continued as the Governor-General of India after independence, at India's own request?

23. Under whose chairmanship was the Boundary Commission constituted to demarcate the boundaries of Punjab and Bengal?

24. By which date was the Radcliffe Boundary Commission Award ready, although it was made public only after independence?

25. Consider the following statements regarding the "Problems of Early Withdrawal": (I) There were no transitional institutional structures within which partition problems could be tackled (II) Mountbatten had hoped to be the common Governor-General of both India and Pakistan, but Jinnah wanted the position for himself (III) The Boundary Commission Award was announced before August 15 to allow adequate preparation Which of the above is/are correct?

26. Who took charge of the newly formed States Department in July 1947 to handle the integration of princely states?

27. Consider the following pairs regarding the All India State People's Conference sessions presided over by Nehru: (I) Udaipur – 1945 (II) Gwalior – April 1947 Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

28. By August 15, 1947, all princely states except three had signed the instrument of accession to India. Which of the following was NOT among these three exceptions?

29. In the Phase I accession process, princely states acknowledged central authority over defence, external affairs, and which other subject?

30. Which of the following was the principal bait offered to princes during the Phase II integration of states?

31. Which of the following states retained their old boundaries for some years even after the "integration" process, unlike states merged into unions like Kathiawar or Vindhya Pradesh?

32. The rapid political unification of India after independence is regarded as the greatest achievement of which leader?

33. Consider the following statements regarding the step-by-step concessions to the Muslim League's demand for a separate Muslim state: (I) During the Cripps Mission (1942), autonomy of Muslim-majority provinces was accepted (II) During the Gandhi-Jinnah talks (1944), Gandhi accepted the right of self-determination of Muslim-majority provinces (III) The Congress Working Committee's official reference to Pakistan came in March 1947 Which of the above is/are correct?

34. In December 1946, the Congress accepted, without demur, that which aspect of the Cabinet Mission Plan was compulsory?

35. With which plan did the Congress formally accept partition?

36. Which of the following was NOT cited as a reason why the Congress ultimately accepted partition?

51. Independence with Partition