Viceroys & Acts — Set 3
Indian History · वायसराय और अधिनियम · Questions 21–30 of 100
Which Act established the Board of Control to manage political affairs in India?
Correct Answer: D. Pitt’s India Act 1784
• **Pitt’s India Act 1784** established Board of Control over East India Company’s political affairs. • Created **dual government**: Court of Directors (commercial) + Board of Control (political). • Board of Control had **6 members** including 2 Cabinet ministers — direct Crown oversight. • 💡 Charter 1793 = Ring Fence era; Regulating 1773 = Supreme Court; GoI 1858 = Crown full control.
The Indian National Congress was formed during the tenure of which Viceroy?
Correct Answer: B. Lord Dufferin
• **Lord Dufferin** was Viceroy when INC founded in **1885** in Bombay. • First INC session presided by **W.C. Bonnerjee**; A.O. Hume was key organizer. • Dufferin called INC a 'microscopic minority' — later regretted encouraging its formation. • 💡 Ripon = predecessor (local self-govt); Lytton = Vernacular Press Act; Lansdowne = Durand Line 1893.
Which incident led Gandhi to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement during Lord Reading's tenure?
Correct Answer: B. Chauri Chaura incident
• **Chauri Chaura (1922)** — mob burned police station, killing **22 policemen**. • Gandhi withdrew **Non-Cooperation Movement** as it turned violent. • **Lord Reading** was Viceroy at the time; Gandhi arrested in 1922 under sedition charges. • 💡 Simon Commission protests = Lord Irwin era; Kakori = 1925 Reading era; Jallianwala = Chelmsford era.
Who was the first and only Indian Governor-General of independent India?
Correct Answer: D. C. Rajagopalachari
• **C. Rajagopalachari** (Rajaji) — first and only Indian Governor-General (**1948–1950**). • Succeeded Lord Mountbatten; post abolished when India became Republic on **Jan 26, 1950**. • Rajagopalachari also founded **Swatantra Party** in 1959 and was called 'Chakravarti'. • 💡 Rajendra Prasad = first President, not GG; Nehru = first PM; Patel = Home Minister, not GG.
Macaulay's Minute on Education, recommending English as the medium of instruction, was accepted by which Governor-General?
Correct Answer: C. Lord William Bentinck
• **Lord William Bentinck** accepted Macaulay's Minute on Education in **1835**. • Made **English** medium of instruction for higher education — replaced Oriental learning. • Aimed to create 'Indians in blood but English in taste' — Macaulay's famous phrase. • 💡 Auckland = First Afghan War; Hardinge I = First Anglo-Sikh War; Dalhousie = railways, Doctrine of Lapse.
Which Act introduced an open competition system for the recruitment of civil servants?
Correct Answer: B. Charter Act 1853
• **Charter Act 1853** introduced **open competition** for Civil Services — merit over patronage. • Deprived Court of Directors of their right to nominate civil servants. • **Macaulay Committee** appointed 1854 to design competitive. • 💡 Charter 1833 = GG of India title; ICA 1861 = Portfolio System; Charter 1813 = trade monopoly end.
Who was the only Viceroy to be murdered in office?
Correct Answer: C. Lord Mayo
• **Lord Mayo** — only Viceroy murdered in office; killed by convict in **Andaman Islands, 1872**. • Assassinated by Sher Ali Afridi, an Afghan convict, during prison visit. • Also conducted **first Census of India (1872)** and initiated financial decentralization. • 💡 Curzon = Police Commission; Hardinge = bomb attack (survived); Minto = Muslim League 1906.
During whose tenure was the Durand Line established between India and Afghanistan?
Correct Answer: C. Lord Lansdowne
• **Durand Line** demarcated during **Lord Lansdowne** (1888–1894) — India–Afghanistan border. • Agreement signed by **Sir Mortimer Durand** and Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan. • Remains the disputed border between **Pakistan and Afghanistan** today. • 💡 Elgin II = famine 1896; Curzon = Police Commission, Universities Act; Dufferin = INC 1885.
The system of 'Dyarchy' in the provinces was introduced by which Act?
Correct Answer: D. Government of India Act 1919
• **GoI Act 1919** (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms) introduced **Dyarchy** in provinces. • Subjects split: **Reserved** (Governor — law, police) and **Transferred** (Indian ministers — education). • Also bicameral central legislature; women could vote in some provinces. • 💡 GoI 1935 = abolished Dyarchy in provinces; ICA 1909 = separate electorates; ICA 1892 = indirect election.
The Cripps Mission visited India during the tenure of which Viceroy?
Correct Answer: C. Lord Linlithgow
• **Cripps Mission (1942)** during **Lord Linlithgow** — offered Dominion Status post-WWII. • Congress rejected it as a 'post-dated cheque' — Gandhi's phrase. • Failure of Cripps Mission directly triggered **Quit India Movement (August 1942)**. • 💡 Irwin = Gandhi-Irwin Pact; Wavell = Shimla 1945; Willingdon = CDM repression 1932.