21 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markWhen British paramountcy lapsed, how many princely states would become legally independent?
(A) 565(B) 552(C) 500(D) 600 - 1 markWho was known as the ‘Frontier Gandhi’?
(A) Bodhachandra Singh(B) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan(C) Potti Sriramulu(D) Mohammad Ali Jinnah - 1 markWhich princely state’s ruler was the first to announce that the state had decided on Independence?
(A) Hyderabad(B) Bhopal(C) Travancore(D) Junagadh - 1 markIn which month and year did the Nizam enter into the Standstill Agreement with India?
(A) September 1948(B) June 1948(C) September 1949(D) November 1947 - 1 markPotti Sriramulu’s indefinite fast led to his death after how many days?
(A) 21 days(B) 40 days(C) 56 days(D) 63 days - 1 markWhich was the first part of India to hold an election based on universal adult franchise?
(A) Andhra(B) Hyderabad(C) Travancore(D) Manipur
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): The partition of British India was decided on the principle of religious majorities.
Reason (R): It was decided that areas where the Muslims were in majority would make up the territory of Pakistan.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The Congress accepted the two-nation theory advanced by the Muslim League.
Reason (R): According to the two-nation theory, India consisted of not one but two ‘people’, Hindus and Muslims.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Hyderabad acceded to India after the Nizam surrendered in September 1948.
Reason (R): The Nizam had signed the Instrument of Accession with India before 15 August 1947.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): With the end of British rule, paramountcy of the British crown over the Princely States lapsed.
Reason (R): The British government took the view that all these states were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent if they so wished.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the person in List I with the description in List II.
List I: (i) Potti Sriramulu, (ii) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, (iii) Bodhachandra Singh, (iv) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
List II: (P) Maharaja of Manipur who signed the Instrument of Accession, (Q) Deputy Prime Minister and first Home Minister of independent India, (R) Leader of the North Western Frontier Province, opposed to the two-nation theory, (S) Gandhian who fasted to death for a separate Andhra state
(A) (i)-S, (ii)-Q, (iii)-P, (iv)-R(B) (i)-Q, (ii)-S, (iii)-R, (iv)-P(C) (i)-S, (ii)-P, (iii)-Q, (iv)-R(D) (i)-R, (ii)-Q, (iii)-P, (iv)-S
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) Princely States covered one-third of the land area of the British Indian Empire.
(ii) One out of four Indians lived under princely rule.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii) - 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) On 15 August 1947 Mahatma Gandhi took part in the independence day celebrations in Delhi.
(ii) On 15 August 1947 Mahatma Gandhi was in Kolkata, in the areas which were torn by gruesome riots between Hindus and Muslims.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii)
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange the following in the correct chronological order.
(i) Nehru’s Letter to Chief Ministers
(ii) Jinnah’s Presidential Address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan at Karachi
(iii) The Nizam signs the Standstill Agreement with India
(iv) India attains independence at the hour of midnight
(A) (iv), (ii), (i), (iii)(B) (ii), (iv), (i), (iii)(C) (ii), (i), (iv), (iii)(D) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii)
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 mark“This was called ________ or suzerainty of the British crown.”
(A) accession(B) paramountcy(C) sovereignty(D) federation - 1 mark“While recounting the trauma of Partition, they have often used the phrase that the survivors themselves used to describe partition — as a ‘________’.”
(A) division of hearts(B) transfer of power(C) crown of thorns(D) imagined community
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markThree of these are named by the chapter as states whose accession proved more difficult than the rest. Which is the odd one out?
(A) Junagadh(B) Hyderabad(C) Manipur(D) Travancore
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Just before Independence it was announced by the British that with the end of their rule over India, paramountcy of the British crown over Princely States would also lapse. This meant that all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent. The British government took the view that all these states were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent if they so wished. This decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states. This was a very serious problem and could threaten the very existence of a united India.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, who was to decide whether a princely state joined India, joined Pakistan or stayed independent?
(A) The people of the state, through a plebiscite(B) The princely rulers of these states(C) The Constituent Assembly of India(D) The British Parliament
Passage
One of the most important concerns in the early years was that demands for separate states would endanger the unity of the country. It was felt that linguistic states may foster separatism and create pressures on the newly founded nation. But the leadership, under popular pressure, finally made a choice in favour of linguistic states. It was hoped that if we accept the regional and linguistic claims of all regions, the threat of division and separatism would be reduced. Besides, the accommodation of regional demands and the formation of linguistic states were also seen as more democratic.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, what was feared about linguistic states in the early years?
(A) That they would slow down economic planning(B) That they would make Hindi the only national language(C) That they would be too small to govern(D) That they may foster separatism and create pressures on the newly founded nation
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 mark(i) It is estimated that the Partition forced about 80 lakh people to migrate across the new border.
(ii) Between five to ten lakh people were killed in partition related violence.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Both statements are untrue(C) (i) is true and (ii) is untrue(D) (i) is untrue and (ii) is true - 1 mark(i) Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972.
(ii) Nagaland became a state in the same year.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Both statements are untrue(C) (i) is true and (ii) is untrue(D) (i) is untrue and (ii) is true
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) The chapter gives the number exactly: with the end of British rule, paramountcy of the British crown over Princely States would also lapse, which meant that all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent.
- (B) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was the undisputed leader of the North Western Frontier Province and was known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’. He was staunchly opposed to the two-nation theory, but his voice was simply ignored and the NWFP was made to merge with Pakistan.
- (C) The chapter says the problems started very soon and names the order: first of all, the ruler of Travancore announced that the state had decided on Independence, and the Nizam of Hyderabad made a similar announcement the next day. The Nawab of Bhopal was averse to joining the Constituent Assembly.
- (D) The Nizam wanted an independent status for Hyderabad and entered into what was called the Standstill Agreement with India in November 1947 for a year, while negotiations with the Indian government were going on.
- (C) Potti Sriramulu, a Congress leader and a veteran Gandhian, went on an indefinite fast that led to his death after 56 days. His death caused great unrest and resulted in violent outbursts in the Andhra region.
- (D) Under the pressure of public opinion the Maharaja of Manipur held elections in June 1948 and the state became a constitutional monarchy. The chapter says in so many words that Manipur was thus the first part of India to hold an election based on universal adult franchise.
Assertion-Reason
- (B) Both are the chapter’s own sentences. The chapter writes that it was decided to follow the principle of religious majorities, and that this ‘basically means’ areas where the Muslims were in majority would make up the territory of Pakistan, the rest staying with India. R only spells out what the principle in A means; it gives no reason why that principle was chosen, so R does not explain A.
- (D) R is the chapter’s own definition of the theory and is true. A is false: the chapter says plainly that the Congress opposed this theory and the demand for Pakistan. Partition came about through political developments in the 1940s, the competition between the Congress and the Muslim League and the British role, not through Congress acceptance of the theory.
- (C) A is true: the Indian army moved in during September 1948, the Nizam surrendered after a few days of intermittent fighting, and this led to Hyderabad’s accession to India. R is false: the book gives no accession for Hyderabad before 15 August 1947; accession followed the army action of September 1948 and the Nizam’s surrender. His November 1947 move was the Standstill Agreement.
- (B) Both are true, but the order of cause and effect runs the other way. The lapse of paramountcy in A is what made the British view in R possible; R is the consequence, not the explanation. R therefore cannot be the reason for A.
Match the Following
- (A) Potti Sriramulu (1901-1952) was a Gandhian worker who undertook a fast unto death from 19 October 1952 demanding a separate state of Andhra and died on 15 December 1952. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950) was Deputy Prime Minister and first Home Minister. Bodhachandra Singh, the Maharaja of Manipur, signed the Instrument of Accession a few days before Independence. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan led the North Western Frontier Province and was staunchly opposed to the two-nation theory.
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Both are correct and both come from the same sentence of the chapter, which measures the princely states twice over: once by land and once by people.
- (B) Only the second is correct. The chapter’s box opens by saying that on the 15th August 1947 Mahatma Gandhi did not participate in any of the independence day celebrations, and that he was in Kolkata in the areas which were torn by gruesome riots between Hindus and Muslims.
Chronological Ordering
- (B) Jinnah spoke at Karachi on 11 August 1947, independence came at the hour of midnight on 14-15 August 1947, Nehru’s Letter to Chief Ministers is dated 15 October 1947, and the Standstill Agreement was signed in November 1947.
Fill in the Blanks
- (B) The Princely States enjoyed some form of control over their internal affairs as long as they accepted British supremacy, and the chapter calls this arrangement paramountcy or suzerainty of the British crown. Its lapse is what created the whole problem of integration.
- (A) The sentence is about the writers, poets and film-makers of India and Pakistan, and the phrase they borrowed from the survivors is ‘division of hearts’. It is worth learning as printed, because it is the phrase an examiner looks for.
Odd One Out
- (D) The chapter’s list of difficult cases has exactly four names: Junagadh, Hyderabad, Kashmir and Manipur. Travancore belongs to the earlier part of the story, where its ruler was the first to announce that the state had decided on Independence, but its accession is not counted among the difficult ones.
Passage-Based Questions
- (B) The passage is explicit that this decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states. That is the heart of the problem, because in most of these states governments were run in a non-democratic manner and the rulers were unwilling to give democratic rights to their populations.
- (D) The passage puts the fear in those words. The chapter had already given the same fear earlier, when it said that after Independence and partition our leaders felt that carving out states on the basis of language might lead to disruption and disintegration.
True / False
- (A) Both figures are the chapter’s own and they appear one after the other in the same short paragraph, so they are best learnt together.
- (C) Statement (i) is true. Statement (ii) is untrue: the chapter says Nagaland had become a state much earlier, in 1963. What did happen in 1972 alongside Meghalaya is that Manipur and Tripura too emerged as separate states.
More for this chapter