Which one of the following is not a characteristic feature of the Indian Independence Act, 1947?
- A.The Dominion of India got the residuary territory of India, excluding the provinces of Sind, Baluchistan, West Punjab, East Bengal and NWFP.
- B.The Act sought to lay down a Constitution by the Legislative will of the British Parliament.
- C.The Act proposed to set up two independent Dominions.
- D.The Constituent Assembly of each Dominion was to have unlimited power to frame and adopt any Constitution.
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B. The Indian Independence Act did not lay down any Constitution for India; it left the making of the Constitution entirely to the Constituent Assemblies of the new Dominions.
Passed by the British Parliament in July 1947 on the basis of the Mountbatten Plan, the Act ended British rule from 15 August 1947 and created two independent Dominions, India and Pakistan. Pakistan received Sind, Baluchistan, West Punjab, East Bengal and the North-West Frontier Province, and India got the rest of British India. Each Constituent Assembly could frame and adopt any Constitution, and even repeal Acts of the British Parliament, including this one. Until new constitutions came, each Dominion was governed under the Government of India Act, 1935, as adapted.
A is a correct feature because India received all the remaining territory. C is correct because the Act created the Dominions of India and Pakistan. D is correct because the Constituent Assemblies were given unlimited constitution-making power.
Exam tip: Indian Independence Act 1947 = Mountbatten Plan, two Dominions, sovereign Constituent Assemblies, no constitution of its own.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following statements about the Law Commission headed by Lord Macaulay is/are correct? 1. It attempted to codify the laws. 2. It was opposed to uniform system of Courts. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The Law Commission under Macaulay set out to codify Indian law, and it was not opposed to a uniform system of courts.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the Unionist Party is/are correct? 1. It was a political party representing the interests of landholders in Punjab. 2. It was opposed to the idea of the partition of India as India and Pakistan. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The Unionist Party spoke for the landholders of Punjab and was against the partition of India. Founded in 1923 by Sir Fazl-i-Husain and Sir Chhotu Ram, the Unionist Party brought together Muslim, Hindu and Sikh landowners and peasants of Punjab on a platform of rural interests rather than religion.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements are correct? 1. British 'trade surplus' with India in the nineteenth century meant that the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India. 2. India played a crucial role in the late-nineteenth-century world economy by helping Britain balance its deficits. 3. Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China and, therefore, for a while after the 1820s, opium became India's single largest export. 4. The nineteenth century saw export of Indian raw materials decline, and that of manufactured goods increase. Select the answer using the code given below :
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.3 and 4 only
- C.1, 2, 3 and 4
- D.1,2 and 3 only
Show answer
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct; statement 4 reverses what actually happened. In the nineteenth century Britain sold far more to India, above all machine-made cotton cloth, than it bought from it, so it had a trade surplus with India.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following Sikh Gurus laid the foundation of the Khalsa Panth ?
- A.Guru Nanak
- B.Guru Arjan
- C.Guru Hargobind
- D.Guru Gobind Singh
Show answer
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, founded the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib on Baisakhi day in 1699. At that gathering he initiated the first five Sikhs, the Panj Pyare, with amrit, a baptism of sweetened water stirred with a double-edged sword.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements pertaining to the Satavahanas : 1. Satavahana rulers were identified through metronymics 2. Satavahana succession to the throne was generally patrilineal Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Satavahana kings carried names taken from their mothers, yet the throne usually passed from father to son. A metronymic is a name derived from the mother.
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