UPSC Static Quiz – Modern India : 30 August 2024

Solution: c)

• The Simon Commission was indeed linked to the reforms process but was not formed as a result of the Government of India Act of 1935; it was constituted under the Government of India Act of 1919 to review the progress of reforms after ten years.
• The Commission was sent to India in 1928, not to implement or establish any particular constitutional act, but to assess the effectiveness of the 1919 Act.
• The commission was entirely composed of British members, and no Indian was included, which led to widespread protests across India.
• The recommendation to grant Dominion Status to Burma and provide it with its own constitution was among the Commission’s conclusions. Therefore, only the third statement is correct.

Solution: a)

Only Statement 3 is correct.

• The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress in 1929 was indeed historic, but it was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, not Mahatma Gandhi.
• The session is significant because it formally adopted the goal of “Purna Swaraj” or complete independence from British rule. This declaration marked a significant shift in the Congress’s objectives, from seeking dominion status to demanding full independence.
• The Congress Working Committee was authorized to launch a program of civil disobedience, but the Civil Disobedience Movement itself was launched later, after the Dandi March in 1930.
• The declaration of January 26, 1930, as Independence Day was a symbolic act to assert India’s right to complete independence. Therefore, only the third statement is correct.

Solution: c)

• Before launching the Civil Disobedience Movement, Mahatma Gandhi put forth a list of eleven demands, which he hoped would be met by the British government to avoid the need for agitation.
• Among these demands, one of the key economic demands was the reduction of land revenue by half and making it subject to legislative control, reflecting Gandhi’s concern for the agrarian distress in India.
• The second statement is incorrect because Gandhi’s demand for the release of political prisoners was specific to those not involved in violent activities; he did not seek the release of those involved in violence.
• The third statement is also incorrect; Gandhi actually demanded that the rupee-Sterling ratio be reduced, not increased, to alleviate the economic burden on India. Hence, only the first statement is correct.

Solution: a)

Only Statement 2 is correct.

• Jinnah’s Fourteen Points called for a federal form of government, not a unitary one, with residuary powers vested in the provinces (thus making statement 1 incorrect).
• The demand for separate electorates was a key aspect of the Fourteen Points, and while it emphasized separate electorates, it also allowed any community to abandon this system in favor of joint electorates if they chose to do so (making statement 2 correct).
• Statement 3 is incorrect because the Fourteen Points did not emphasize proportional representation in the way the statement suggests, but rather ensured a one-third representation for Muslims in the Central Legislature and both central and provincial cabinets.

Solution: b)

• The Gandhi-Irwin Pact of 1931 was a significant agreement that brought an end to the Civil Disobedience Movement temporarily.
• Under the pact, Lord Irwin agreed to the immediate release of all political prisoners not convicted of violence, and the government allowed the making of salt in coastal villages for personal consumption. Gandhi, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and participate in the Second Round Table Conference.
• However, one of Gandhi’s demands, which was a public inquiry into police excesses during the Civil Disobedience Movement, was not accepted by Lord Irwin.