British Rule and Administrative Reforms - Question Bank

1. Which of the following was a significant social reform measure implemented during British rule that aimed to improve the status of women?
A) The Vernacular Press Act
B) The Widow Remarriage Act, 1856
C) The Ilbert Bill
D) The Arms Act
2. The administrative reforms under British rule led to the development of a centralized bureaucracy primarily for:
A) Facilitating Indian self-governance
B) Ensuring efficient tax collection and maintaining law and order for British interests
C) Promoting economic development for the benefit of Indians
D) Establishing a welfare state
3. The introduction of the office of the Viceroy was a result of which Act?
A) Regulating Act, 1773
B) Pitt's India Act, 1784
C) Government of India Act, 1858
D) Indian Councils Act, 1861
4. The Government of India Act, 1935, created an All-India Federation which was to comprise:
A) British Indian Provinces and Indian Princely States
B) British Indian Provinces only
C) Indian Princely States only
D) All territories under British control
5. The Government of India Act, 1919, aimed to provide responsible government at the provincial level through:
A) The introduction of Dyarchy
B) The abolition of Dyarchy
C) The establishment of a unitary government
D) The grant of full provincial autonomy
6. The Indian Councils Act of 1909 introduced the principle of:
A) Communal representation
B) Proportional representation
C) Majority rule
D) Minority rights
7. The establishment of the Imperial Legislative Council in 1861 marked a step towards:
A) Full responsible government
B) Limited Indian participation in legislation
C) Complete British control over law-making
D) The end of British rule
8. Which Governor-General is associated with the introduction of the Wood's Despatch in 1854, which laid the foundation for modern education in India?
A) Lord Dalhousie
B) Lord Canning
C) Lord Lytton
D) Lord Curzon
9. The administrative reforms during British rule significantly impacted the Indian economy by:
A) Promoting industrialization
B) Encouraging indigenous crafts
C) Deindustrialization and transformation into a colonial market
D) Establishing a balanced trade relationship
10. The Indian Penal Code, drafted by Lord Macaulay, was enacted in which year?
A) 1833
B) 1853
C) 1860
D) 1861
11. The Regulating Act of 1773 aimed to regulate the affairs of which organization?
A) The British East India Company
B) The Royal Navy
C) The British Parliament
D) The East India Company's Army
12. The judicial reforms of Lord Cornwallis included:
A) Establishment of the Sadar Nizamat Adalat
B) Abolition of the post of the Collector
C) Granting of full civil and criminal jurisdiction to Indian judges
D) Introduction of the jury system
13. Which administrative reform under Lord Dalhousie aimed to unify the administration and improve communication?
A) Introduction of the Ryotwari system
B) Establishment of the Public Works Department
C) Annexation of Oudh
D) Introduction of the telegraph and postal system
14. The Charter Act of 1833 made the Governor-General of Bengal the:
A) Governor-General of India
B) Viceroy of India
C) President of India
D) Supreme Commander of the Indian Army
15. The Poona Pact, signed in 1932, was an agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and whom regarding the representation of depressed classes?
A) Jawaharlal Nehru
B) Sardar Patel
C) B.R. Ambedkar
D) Maulana Azad
16. The Communal Award (1932) announced by Ramsay MacDonald proposed:
A) Joint electorates for all communities
B) Separate electorates for depressed classes
C) Reservation of seats for Hindus
D) Abolition of separate electorates
17. The Round Table Conferences were held in London between 1930 and 1932 to discuss:
A) The future constitutional reforms in India
B) The economic policies of British India
C) The partition of India
D) The role of the Indian Army
18. The Simon Commission was appointed in 1927 to review the working of:
A) The Morley-Minto Reforms
B) The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
C) The Government of India Act, 1935
D) The Indian Councils Act, 1892
19. The Government of India Act, 1935, proposed a federal structure for India. Which of the following was a key feature of this proposed federation?
A) It was to be established immediately
B) It included princely states on a voluntary basis
C) It granted full sovereignty to the provinces
D) It abolished the position of the Governor-General
20. The Government of India Act, 1935, introduced a system of:
A) Dyarchy at the Centre
B) Provincial autonomy
C) Abolition of separate electorates
D) A unitary government
21. The first Indian to be appointed to the Viceroy's Executive Council was:
A) Sir P.C. Banerji
B) Satyendra Prasad Sinha
C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
D) Lord Sinha
22. Which Act made provisions for the Governor-General's Council to be called the 'Imperial Legislative Council'?
A) Indian Councils Act, 1861
B) Government of India Act, 1858
C) Indian Councils Act, 1892
D) Government of India Act, 1919
23. The creation of a separate Public Works Department in each province was a significant administrative reform under which Governor-General?
A) Lord William Bentinck
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Lord Canning
D) Lord Elgin
24. The Indian Universities Act was passed in 1904 during the viceroyalty of:
A) Lord Lytton
B) Lord Curzon
C) Lord Minto
D) Lord Hardinge
25. The policy of 'Ring Fence' in British Indian administration primarily concerned:
A) Maintaining a secure boundary around British territories
B) Economic exploitation of Indian states
C) Intervention in the affairs of neighbouring states to protect British frontiers
D) Promoting internal trade within India
26. Which Governor-General is associated with the introduction of the subsidiary alliance system?
A) Lord Cornwallis
B) Sir John Shore
C) Lord Wellesley
D) Lord Hastings
27. The Indian High Courts Act was passed in which year?
A) 1858
B) 1861
C) 1865
D) 1873
28. The post of Secretary of State for India was created by which Act?
A) Indian Councils Act, 1861
B) Government of India Act, 1858
C) Charter Act, 1833
D) Regulating Act, 1773
29. The Charter Act of 1853 introduced which significant change regarding the Indian Civil Service?
A) It was opened to all Indians
B) It was made hereditary
C) It was made elective
D) It was reserved for British nationals only
30. Which Act finally abolished the East India Company's trading rights completely?
A) Charter Act, 1813
B) Charter Act, 1833
C) Charter Act, 1853
D) Government of India Act, 1858
31. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms introduced 'Dyarchy'. What did Dyarchy mean in the context of provincial governments?
A) Rule by two separate provincial governments
B) Division of powers between the Centre and the Provinces
C) Division of subjects into reserved and transferred lists
D) Establishment of a bicameral legislature at the provincial level
32. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 are formally known as the:
A) Indian Councils Act, 1919
B) Government of India Act, 1919
C) Indian Autonomy Act, 1919
D) Indian Governance Act, 1919
33. What was a key feature of the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909)?
A) Introduction of dyarchy
B) Granting of responsible government
C) Introduction of separate electorates for Muslims
D) Establishment of a federal government
34. The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 are also known as the:
A) Government of India Act, 1909
B) Indian Councils Act, 1909
C) Indian Independence Act, 1909
D) Indian Reform Act, 1909
35. The Partition of Bengal in 1905 was announced by which Viceroy?
A) Lord Lytton
B) Lord Curzon
C) Lord Minto
D) Lord Morley
36. The Indian Councils Act of 1892 increased the number of non-official members in the legislative councils and introduced:
A) Direct elections
B) The principle of election
C) Universal suffrage
D) Nomination by elected bodies
37. The Ilbert Bill controversy, which aimed to allow Indian judges to try Europeans, occurred during the tenure of which Viceroy?
A) Lord Lytton
B) Lord Ripon
C) Lord Dufferin
D) Lord Lansdowne
38. The Vernacular Press Act of 1878, which aimed to control Indian language newspapers, was enacted during the viceroyalty of:
A) Lord Ripon
B) Lord Lytton
C) Lord Curzon
D) Lord Dufferin
39. Which Governor-General introduced the Ryotwari system in some parts of British India?
A) Lord Cornwallis
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Sir Thomas Munro
D) Lord Bentinck
40. The Ryotwari system of land revenue was primarily implemented in which presidencies?
A) Bengal and Madras
B) Bombay and Bengal
C) Madras and Bombay
D) Agra and Punjab
41. The Mahalwari system of land revenue was introduced in which regions?
A) Bengal and Bihar
B) Madras and Bombay
C) North-Western Provinces, Punjab, and Central India
D) Assam and Orissa
42. Lord William Bentinck is also known for his reforms in which area besides social reforms?
A) Judicial system
B) Economic policies
C) Foreign policy
D) Military organization
43. The Charter Act of 1813 is notable for:
A) Ending the East India Company's monopoly of trade with India
B) Granting India a representative government
C) Establishing the Indian Civil Service
D) Legalizing the introduction of Western education
44. Which of the following was a consequence of the Pitt's India Act of 1784?
A) Increased commercial powers of the East India Company
B) Direct control of the British Crown over Indian affairs
C) Establishment of the Supreme Court in Calcutta
D) Abolition of the post of Governor-General
45. The Permanent Settlement of Bengal, introduced by Lord Cornwallis, aimed to reform which sector?
A) Judiciary
B) Revenue collection
C) Education
D) Military
46. Which Act transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown?
A) Government of India Act, 1858
B) Indian Councils Act, 1861
C) Charter Act, 1833
D) Regulating Act, 1773
47. The Indian Councils Act of 1861 is significant for introducing which administrative reform?
A) Introduction of a bicameral legislature
B) Granting of provincial autonomy
C) Inclusion of Indians in legislative councils
D) Establishment of a federal system
48. The Doctrine of Lapse, a policy that led to the annexation of several Indian states, was introduced by which Governor-General?
A) Lord William Bentinck
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Lord Canning
D) Lord Lytton
49. Which British Governor-General is credited with abolishing Sati in 1829?
A) Lord Dalhousie
B) Lord William Bentinck
C) Lord Hastings
D) Lord Curzon
50. The Pitt's India Act of 1784 established a system of 'Dual Government'. What were the two bodies created by this act?
A) Board of Directors and Court of Proprietors
B) Board of Control and Board of Directors
C) Secret Committee and Board of Control
D) Court of Directors and Secret Committee