Quick Answer: Cabinet Mission & Mountbatten Plan at a Glance

Cabinet Mission and Mountbatten Plan Quiz: 12 PYQ MCQs on Partition and Transfer of Power (1946–47)

Quick Answer: The Cabinet Mission (May 1946) — comprising Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander — proposed a three-tier federal structure with provincial grouping to preserve a united India. The Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947) accepted partition: Punjab and Bengal were to be divided, princely states became free to join either dominion, and power was transferred through the Indian Independence Act 1947, which took effect on 15 August 1947, granting dominion status to India and Pakistan.

Exam Relevance: How UPSC & SSC Frame Partition Questions

Modern Indian history (1885–1947) carries heavy weight in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL/CHSL and Banking exams. PYQs repeatedly test the sequence of constitutional missions — Cripps Mission (1942), Wavell Plan (1945), Cabinet Mission (1946), Mountbatten Plan (1947) — with date traps and member-name confusion being the most common scoring areas.

Quiz Instructions and Marking Scheme

• Number of questions: 12 (PYQ-style MCQs)
• Marking: +1 for every correct answer; in UPSC Prelims pattern, −0.66 for incorrect answers (attempt carefully)
• Suggested time: 8 minutes
• Answer key with detailed explanations is provided below the quiz

MCQs 1–3: Cabinet Mission Composition and Proposals

Q1. Who among the following was NOT a member of the Cabinet Mission of 1946?
(a) Lord Pethick-Lawrence (b) Stafford Cripps (c) A.V. Alexander (d) Lord Mountbatten

Q2. The Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946 proposed:
(a) Immediate partition of India (b) A three-tier federal structure with provincial grouping (c) Complete transfer of power to the Constituent Assembly (d) A unitary form of government

Q3. Under the Cabinet Mission Plan, Group B provinces included:
(a) Bengal and Assam (b) Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan (c) Madras and Bombay (d) Bihar and Orissa

MCQs 4–6: Constituent Assembly and Grouping Controversy

Q4. Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in:
(a) July 1946 (b) August 1946 (c) September 1946 (d) December 1946

Q5. The grouping controversy between Congress and the Muslim League arose over the interpretation of:
(a) Separate electorates (b) Whether grouping of provinces was compulsory or optional (c) The number of princely states in the Union (d) The date of transfer of power

Q6. Nehru’s press statement of July 1946, which angered the Muslim League, declared that:
(a) The Congress would join the Interim Government (b) The Congress was not bound by the Cabinet Mission Plan in its entirety (c) Partition should be accepted (d) The Constituent Assembly should be dissolved

MCQ 7: Direct Action Day and Interim Government

Q7. Consider the following statements about 1946:
1. Direct Action Day was observed by the Muslim League on 16 August 1946.
2. The Interim Government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru was formed on 2 September 1946, with Liaquat Ali Khan as Finance Member after the League joined.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

MCQs 8–10: Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947)

Q8. The Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947 provided that:
(a) Punjab and Bengal would remain undivided (b) Punjab and Bengal would be partitioned if their assemblies voted for division (c) Only Punjab would be partitioned (d) Bengal would join Pakistan as a whole

Q9. Under the Mountbatten Plan, princely states were:
(a) Compelled to join India (b) Compelled to join Pakistan (c) Free to join India, Pakistan or remain independent (d) To be governed directly by the British Crown

Q10. Under the Mountbatten Plan, the decision on partition of Punjab and Bengal was to be taken by:
(a) The Viceroy alone (b) A referendum of the people (c) Voting by the members of the respective legislative assemblies (d) The British Parliament

MCQs 11–12: Indian Independence Act 1947 and Attlee’s Announcement

Q11. The Indian Independence Act 1947:
(a) Was passed by the British Parliament in July 1947 and came into effect on 15 August 1947 (b) Came into effect on 26 January 1950 (c) Was never enacted (d) Was enacted by the Constituent Assembly

Q12. Attlee’s announcement of 20 February 1947 declared that:
(a) India would be partitioned immediately (b) Britain would quit India by June 1948 (c) The princely states would merge with India (d) Dominion status would be revoked

Answer Key with Detailed Explanations

1. (d) Lord Mountbatten — The Cabinet Mission comprised Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade) and A.V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty). Mountbatten arrived only in March 1947 as Viceroy — a classic trap option.
2. (b) A three-tier federal structure with provincial grouping — The Plan proposed a weak Centre handling only defence, foreign affairs and communications, with provinces grouped into three sections and residual powers resting with the provinces. It rejected Pakistan’s outright partition and offered an alternative to the League’s demand.
3. (b) Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan — Group B comprised these Muslim-majority north-western provinces; Group C comprised Bengal and Assam; Group A comprised the remaining Hindu-majority provinces.
4. (a) July 1946 — Indirect elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946; the Congress won about 208 of 296 seats allotted to British India.
5. (b) Whether grouping was compulsory or optional — The League read grouping as compulsory; the Congress argued provinces could decide whether to join groups. This interpretational deadlock ultimately wrecked the Plan.
6. (b) Congress was not bound by the Plan in its entirety — Nehru’s statement at a press conference (10 July 1946) that the Congress would enter the Constituent Assembly “completely unfettered by agreements” alarmed the League, which withdrew acceptance, leading to Direct Action Day.
7. (c) Both 1 and 2 — The League called Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946, triggering the Great Calcutta Killings. The Interim Government was formed on 2 September 1946 under Nehru; the League joined in October 1946 with Liaquat Ali Khan as Finance Member.
8. (b) Punjab and Bengal would be partitioned if assemblies voted for division — The Plan provided that the provincial legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal would vote on whether to split the provinces; both voted for partition. Sindh and Baluchistan (and a referendum in NWFP and Sylhet district of Assam) decided Pakistan’s composition.
9. (c) Free to join India, Pakistan or remain independent — British paramountcy over princely states would lapse, leaving rulers technically free — a provision that created the integration problem Sardar Patel later resolved.
10. (c) Voting by members of the respective legislative assemblies — Existing assembly members (divided by community) voted on partition; Punjab voted on 23 June 1947 and Bengal on 20 June 1947.
11. (a) Passed by the British Parliament in July 1947, effective 15 August 1947 — The Act received royal assent on 18 July 1947, ended British rule, created two dominions with the right to secede from the Commonwealth, lapsed paramountcy and abolished the office of Secretary of State for India.
12. (b) Britain would quit India by June 1948 — Attlee announced in the House of Commons on 20 February 1947 that Britain would transfer power by June 1948, and that if no agreement was reached, power would be handed to some form of central government. Mountbatten later advanced the date to August 1947.

For primary-source verification, see the Parliament of the United Kingdom’s text of the Indian Independence Act 1947 and PIB archives on the freedom movement.

Quick Revision Table: 1946–47 Timeline

Common Mistakes Aspirants Make

• Confusing Cripps Mission (1942) with Cabinet Mission (1946): Cripps offered dominion status with provincial opt-out after the war; the Cabinet Mission offered a three-tier union immediately.
• Confusing Wavell Plan (1945) with Mountbatten Plan (1947): Wavell’s Shimla Conference sought an interim executive; the Mountbatten Plan settled partition.
• Listing Mountbatten as a Cabinet Mission member — he was Viceroy from March 1947 only.
• Remembering 15 August but forgetting 18 July 1947 (royal assent to the Independence Act) and 20 February 1947 (Attlee’s statement).

Next Practice Suggestion

Continue your revision chain with our practice sets on the Quit India Movement 1942, the Cripps Mission and its failure, and a dedicated Indian Independence Act 1947 quiz — these three cover the remaining high-yield PYQ zones from 1939–1947.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who were the members of the Cabinet Mission 1946?

Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India), Sir Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander. Lord Mountbatten was not a member — he arrived as Viceroy in March 1947, making him the most common trap option in exams.

Q: What were the three groups proposed by the Cabinet Mission?

Group A — Hindu-majority provinces (Madras, Bombay, UP, CP, Bihar, Orissa); Group B — Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan; Group C — Bengal and Assam. Groups B and C were Muslim-majority sections.

Q: When was the Mountbatten Plan announced?

On 3 June 1947. It was accepted by both the Congress and the Muslim League and formed the basis of the Indian Independence Act 1947.

Q: What did the Indian Independence Act 1947 say about princely states?

British paramountcy lapsed; princely states were free to accede to India, Pakistan, or remain independent. Most rulers eventually acceded to India through the efforts of Sardar Patel and V.P. Menon.

Q: What was Direct Action Day?

16 August 1946 — a day of hartal called by the Muslim League to press its Pakistan demand. It triggered the Great Calcutta Killings and subsequent communal riots in Noakhali, Bihar and Rawalpindi, hardening opinion towards partition.

Related reading

• Revolt of 1857: Causes, Centres and Leaders — Modern History Deep Dive for UPSC Prelims
• Modern History Rapid Quiz: 15 PYQ-Style Questions on 1857 to 1947 with Answer Explanations

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