In British India, which one among the following Acts permitted detention without trial for up to two years?
- A.Regulating Act, 1773
- B.Rowlatt Act, 1919
- C.Pitt's India Act, 1784
- D.Government of India Act, 1935
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Rowlatt Act, 1919. This law let the government imprison people suspected of political activity without trial for up to two years.
Officially the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, it was passed in March 1919 on the advice of the Sedition Committee headed by Justice S.A.T. Rowlatt. It allowed arrest without warrant, trial without jury and detention without trial, which Indians summed up as "no vakil, no dalil, no appeal". Gandhi answered with the Rowlatt Satyagraha, his first all-India protest, and the anger it caused led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April 1919.
A is wrong: the Regulating Act, 1773 began parliamentary control over the East India Company and created the Governor-General of Bengal.
C is wrong: Pitt's India Act, 1784 set up the Board of Control and dual government.
D is wrong: the Government of India Act, 1935 brought provincial autonomy and a proposed federation.
Exam tip: Rowlatt Act, March 1919, then Rowlatt Satyagraha in April and Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following statements about the Shvetambara Sect of Jainism is not correct?
- A.It refers to monks, who wear white clothes.
- B.It refers to monks, who migrated to the south of Vindhyas in 4th century BCE.
- C.They recognized the existence canonical texts including the 12 Angas.
- D.They believed that women can also attain salvation.
Show answer
The monks who went south were the followers of Bhadrabahu, who later became the Digambaras, not the Shvetambaras.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is the language of the famous political treatise Amuktmalyada ?
- A.Sanskrit
- B.Tamil
- C.Kannada
- D.Telugu
Show answer
Amuktamalyada was written in Telugu by Krishnadevaraya, the greatest ruler of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara. Krishnadevaraya ruled from 1509 to 1529.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was the founder of 'Sikkim Praja Mandal' ?
- A.Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa
- B.Angami Zapu Phizo
- C.Laldenga
- D.Nar Bahadur Bhandari
Show answer
He founded the Sikkim Praja Mandal in 1945 to oppose the feudal landlord system and the absolute rule of the Chogyal.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the 'Amara-Nayaka' system is not correct?
- A.The Amara-Nayaka system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire.
- B.The Amara-Nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the Raya.
- C.The Amara-Nayakas collected taxes and retained part of the revenue for personal use and for maintaining their contingents.
- D.The territories held by the Amara-Nayakas were hereditary and were therefore non-transferrable.
Show answer
The territories of the amara-nayakas were not hereditary; the Vijayanagara kings transferred them from one place to another from time to time.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the history of India, "Ulgulan" or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events?
- A.The Revolt of 1857
- B.The Mappila Rebellion of 1921
- C.The Indigo Revolt of 1859 - 60
- D.Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899 - 1900
Show answer
Ulgulan, meaning "the great tumult", is the name given to the Munda uprising led by Birsa Munda in the Ranchi region.
Read the full explanation →