CBSE Class 12 Political Science Challenges of Nation Building MCQs

Question : Which of these statements about the princely states is incorrect:
(A) Some of the princely states clearly wanted to become part of the Indian Union.
(B) The Indian government was ready to give autonomy to some regions.
(C) The ruler of Junagadh had decided not be an independent state and be part of independent India.
(D) Princely states covered one third of the land area of the British Indian Empire. U
Answer : C

Question : Which one of the following leaders played an important role in the integration of princely states with India?
(A) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(B) SardarVallabhbhai Patel
(C) C. Rajagopalchari
(D) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Answer : B

Question : What was the stand of Indian Government on partition?
(A) India did not respond at all.
(B) India wanted peace, harmony and equality of religion.
(C) India wanted to become a Hindu nation.
(D) None of the above.
Answer : B

Question : Which state was carved out of Assam from the following:
(A) Meghalaya
(B) Sikkim
(C) Manipur
(D) Tripura
Answer : A

Question : What was India’s partition plan called?
(A) Gandhi Plan
(B) Nehru Plan
(C) Mountbatten Plan
(D) Jinnah Plan
Answer : C

Question : The ‘Two-Nation Theory’ was based upon:
(A) expansion of India
(B) bifurcation of the states
(C) partition of India
(D) All of the Above K
Answer : C

Question : Reorganisation of the North-East was completed in:
(A) 1962
(B) 1972
(C) 1982
(D) 1992
Answer : B

Question : Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel faced key challenges of integration in which of the following states.
(A) Hyderabad, Moradabad, Junagarh
(B) Hyderabad, Sikandrabad, Jammu
(C) Hyderabad, Junagarh, Kashmir
(D) Jammu, Junagarh, Kashmir U
Answer : C

Question : Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, the undisputed leader of the North Western Frontier Province was known as:
(A) Frontier Gandhi
(B) Father of Pakistan
(C) Staunch Muslim
(D) Patriot of Pakistan
Answer : A

Question : What was Jawahar Lal Nehru’s first speech called?
(A) Wake of the Nation
(B) Breaking of Tyranny
(C) Tryst with Destiny
(D) None of the above
Answer : C

Question : Who was India’s Deputy Prime Minister at the time of integration of princely states?
(A) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(B) Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar
(C) Narsimha Rao Reddy
(D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Answer : D

Question : When did Mahatma Gandhi die?
(A) 30th January 1948
(B) 31st January 1948
(C) 30th December 1948
(D) 30th November 1948
Answer : A

Question : How were the boundaries of the states decided?
(A) On the basis of locality
(B) On the basis of linguistic principles
(C) On the basis of area
(D) None of the above
Answer : B

Question : What was the first among the three challenges to India while building a nation-state?
(A) building a united nation
(B) poverty
(C) communal tensions
(D) All of the above
Answer : A

Question : Which of the following were the problems faced at the time of Partition of India?
(a) There was not single territory of Muslim Majority areas in British India.
(b) Not all Muslim Majority areas wanted to join Pakistan.
(c) The minorities on both sides of the border had no option except to leave their home at very short notice.
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

Question : Writers and poets described partition of India as…………
(a) Division of properties
(b) Dvision of liabilities and assets
(c) Division of brotherhood and harmony
(d) Division of hearts

Answer : D

Question : Who propounded two-Nation theory?
(a) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
(b) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
(c) Nizam of Hyderabad
(d) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Answer : A

Question : Muslim population in India in 1951 was …………
(a) 15%
(b) 12%
(c) 10%
(d) 5%

Answer : B

Question : Which statement about the consequence of partition is correct?
(a) People of one community eliminated people of other community in the name of religion and cities like Kolkata, Amritsar and Lahore became communal zones.
(b) Around 5-10 lakh people were killed in consequence of partition
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Princely States got the power to remain autocratic

Answer : C

Question : The concept of ‘two nation theory’ was based on………… .
(a) Muslims and non-Muslims should be two separate nations
(b) there should be different countries for all the different religions
(c) Muslims should be given autonomy
(d) only Hindus should rule the country

Answer : A

Question : The rulers of most of the Princely States had agreed to become a part of the union of India
(a) on 15th of August, 1947
(b) before 15th of August, 1947
(c) on 25th of January, 1950
(d) After 26th of January, 1950

Answer : B

Question : Which of the following challenges were faced by India after independence?
(a) Accommodation and unity
(b) Establishing Democracy
(c) Development and well-being
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

Question : Who delivered the famous speech ‘Tryst with Destiny’?
(a) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
(b) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
(c) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(d) Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Answer : B

Question : What do you understand by the ‘British paramountcy or suzerainty’?
(a) Some form of control over their internal affairs was enjoyed by Princely States
(b) The British provinces were directly under the control of the British Governemnt
(c) The dominance of the British Governemnt
(d) The rules and acts passed by the British Government

Answer : A

Question : Which princely state of India was the first to announce the remain as an independent state?
(a) Mysore
(b) Ajmer
(c) Gwalior
(d) Travancore

Answer : D

Question : Which of the following states initially refused to join the Indian Union?
(a) Manipur
(b) Kashmir
(c) Punjab
(d) Both (a) and (b)

Answer : D

Question : Which group among the following options represents the three princely states that resisted their merger with India?
(a) Hyderabad, Bhopal, Jammu and Kashmir
(b) Junagarh, Gwalior, Mysore
(c) Junagarh, Hyderabad, Travancore
(d) Gwalior, Travancore, Bhopal

Answer : C

Question : What does the term ‘religious majoritites’ mean in context with the partition?
(a) That Hindu majority is to be separated with all other minority groups
(b) That only minorities will remain in India
(c) That areas where Muslims were in majority will make up the territory of Pakistan
(d) Both (a) and (b)

Answer : C

Question : Choose the one which was NOT a Princely State of British India?
(a) Mysore
(b) Hyderabad
(c) Bombay
(d) Manipur

Answer : C

Question : Which of the following linguistic states were created by Colonial India under the Madras province?
(a) Kerala
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Tamil Nadu
(d) All of these

Answer : B

Question : Which one of the following leaders played an important role in the integration of Princely States with India?
(a) JawaharlalNehru
(b)SardarVallabhbhaiPatel
(c) C Rajagopalachari
(d) B R Ambedkar

Answer : B

Question : A paramilitary force of Nizam of Hyderabad which was sent to respond people’s movement was known as …………
(a) LTTE
(b) Nizam’s Army
(c) Indian Army
(d) Razakars

Answer : D

Question : The Maharaja of Manipur at the time of independence was ………
(a) Bodhachandra Singh
(b) Krishnadatta Chamaraja
(c) Chandragupt Maurya
(d) Hari Singh

Answer : A

Question : Which among the following was not a challenge that independent India faced?
(a) Shape a nation that was united
(b) Establish autocracy
(c) Ensure the development and well-being of the entire society
(d) Establishing peace between the two religious groups

Answer : B

Question : Which one of the following statements about the Princely States is false
(a) In all there were 565 princely states at the time of independence.
(b) All the 565 Princely states were legally free to become independent countries.
(c) Hyderabad’s accession to India took place in 1948.
(d) The Nawab of Bhopal was eager to join the Constitutent Assembly.

Answer : D

Question : What does Instrument of Accession mean?
(a) State agreed to become a part of the union of India
(b) State disagreed to become a part of the union of India
(c) State with autonomy
(d) The rulers will have the autonomous powers even after becoming the part of Indian union

Answer : A

Question : The accession of which princely states was resolved after plebiscite that confirmed people’s desire to join India?
(a) Hyderabad
(b) Junagarh
(c) Manipur
(d) Kashmir

Answer : B

Question : Which one of the following from the North-East had become a state before 1972?
(a) Meghalaya
(b) Manipur
(c) Tripura
(d) Nagaland

Answer : D

Question : Choose the statements that were the basis for drawing the state boundaries during the colonial rule in India
1. On administrative convenience.
2. To ensure the security of Colonial India.
3. Simply coincided with the territories annexed by the British Government.
4. Coincided with the territories ruled by the Princely States.
Choose the correct option
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1, 3 and 4
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 2 and 4

Answer : D

ASSERTION AND REASON BASED MCQs

Directions: In the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R). Mark the correct choice as:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Question : Assertion: The British Government took the view that all these 565 states were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent if they so wished.
Reason: This was a very serious problem and could threaten the very existence of a united India.
Answer : A

Question : Assertion: The interim government took a firm stance against the possible division of India into small principalities of different sizes.
Reason: Before 15 August 1947, peaceful
negotiations had brought almost all states whose territories were contiguous to the new boundaries of India, into the Indian Union.
Answer : B

Question : Assertion: The Nizam of Hyderabad never negotiated with Sardar Patel. He was not at all agreed to accept any offer to join India.
Reason: The Nizam wanted an independent status for Hyderabad.
Answer : D

Question : Assertion: India adopted representative democracy based on the parliamentary form of government.
Reason: These features ensure that the political competition would take place in a democratic framework.
Answer : A

Question : Assertion: The Constitution also set out in the Directive Principles of State Policy the welfare goals that democratic politics must achieve.
Reason: On 14-15 August 1947, not one but two nation-states came into existence – India and Pakistan.
Answer : B

Question : Assertion: It was decided to follow the principle of religious majorities for the partition. A
Reason: The process of partition was smooth and none of the violence took place.
Answer : C

Question : Assertion: The problem was that two of the Muslim majority provinces of British India, Punjab and Bengal, had very large areas where the non-
Muslims were in majority.
Reason: It was decided that these two provinces would be bifurcated according to the religious majority at the district or even lower level.
Answer : A

Case based MCQ Chapter 1 Challenges of Nation Building Political Science

I. Study the cartoon carefully and give the answers to the question that follows: 

Question : Who propounded the ‘two nation theory’?
(A) Sardar Patel and Congress
(B) Muslim League
(C) Khan Abdul Ghaffar
(D) None of the above
Answer : B

Question : On what basis was the two-nation theory proposed?
(A) on the basis of differences among two communities, Hindu and Muslim
(B) on the basis of different political ideologies of Hindus and Muslims
(C) on the basis of communal discrimination
(D) all the above
Answer : A

Question : Which two states were undecided to be part of either of these countries, at the time of partition?
(A) Travancore and Hyderabad
(B) Gujarat and Haryana
(C) Madhya Pradesh and Bengal
(D) Assam and Bengal
Answer : A

Question : Who among the following leaders were opposed the partition?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
(C) Mohammad Ali Jinnah
(D) Both (A) and (B)
Answer : D

II. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows:

The Partition was not merely a division of properties, liabilities and assets, or a political division of the country and the administrative apparatus. What also got divided were the financial assets, and things like tables, chairs, typewriters, paper-clips, books and also musical instruments of the police band! The employees of the government and the railways were also ‘divided’. Above all, it was a violent separation of communities who had hitherto lived together as neighbours. It is estimated that the Partition forced about 80 lakh people to migrate across the new border. Between five to ten lakh people were killed in Partition related violence. Beyond the administrative concerns and financial strains, however, the Partition posed another deeper issue. The leaders of the Indian national struggle did not believe in the two-nation theory. And yet, partition on religious basis had taken place. The Muslim population in India accounted for 12 per cent of the total population in 1951. There were competing political interests behind these conflicts. The Muslim League was formed to protect the interests of the Muslims in colonial India. But most leaders of the national movement believed that India must treat persons of all religions equally and that India should not be a country that gave superior status to adherents of one faith and inferior to those who practiced another religion.

Question : What was the number of the people who had to forcefully migrate across new borders?
(A) 83 lakh
(B) 81 lakh
(C) 80.5 lakh
(D) 80 lakh
Answer : D

Question : Who did not believe in “Two-Nation Theory”?
(A) The leaders of Indian National Struggle
(B) People of Pakistan
(C) Muslim League
(D) None of the above
Answer : A

Question : What was the percentage of Muslim population in India in 1951?
(A) 12 percent
(B) 15 percent
(C) 12.5 percent
(D) 13.3 percent
Answer : A

Question : Why Muslim League was formed?
(A) To propose two-nation theory.
(B) To look after the administration in newly formed Pakistan.
(C) To prepare the constitution of Pakistan
(D) To protect the interests of the Muslims in colonial India.
Answer : D

III. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows:

Thus it was decided that what was till then known as ‘India’ would be divided into two countries, ‘India’ and ‘Pakistan’. Such a division was not only very painful, but also very difficult to decide and to implement. It was decided to follow the principle of religious majorities. This basically means that areas where the Muslims were in majority would make up the territory of Pakistan. The rest was to stay with India. The idea might appear simple, but it presented all kinds of difficulties. First of all, there was no single belt of Muslim majority areas in British India. There were two areas of concentration, one in the west and one in the east. There was no way these two parts could be joined. So it was decided that the new country, Pakistan, will comprise two territories, West and East Pakistan separated by a long expanse of Indian territory. Secondly, not all Muslim majority areas wanted to be in Pakistan. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, the undisputed leader of the North Western Frontier Province and known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’, was staunchly opposed to the two-nation theory. Eventually, his voice was simply ignored and the NWFP was made to merge with Pakistan. The third problem was that two of the Muslim majority provinces of British India, Punjab and Bengal, had very large areas where the non-Muslims were in majority. Eventually it was decided that these two provinces would be bifurcated according to the religious majority at the district or even lower level. This decision could not be made by the midnight of 14-15 August. It meant that a large number of people did not know on the day of Independence whether they were in India or in Pakistan. The Partition of these two provinces caused the deepest trauma of Partition.

Question : Which principle was followed for the division of India and Pakistan?
(A) Principal of cultural majorities
(B) Principal of ethnicity of the people
(C) Principle of religious majorities
(D) None of the above
Answer : C

Question : “There was no way these two parts could be joined.” For which of the below this sentence is meant to be:
(A) There were two areas of concentration, one in the west and one in the east.
(B) There were two belts one in north and another in west.
(C) There were two areas within the borders of modern India.
(D) There were two areas within the borders of modern Pakistan.
Answer : A

Question : Who was known as “Frontier Gandhi”?
(A) Mohammad Ali Jinnah
(B) Abdul Gaffar Khan
(C) Mahatma Gandhi
(D) None of the above
Answer : B

Question : Which two provinces of British India had very large areas where non-Muslims were in majority?
(A) Punjab and UP
(B) Bengal and Gujarat
(C) Punjab and Haryana
(D) Punjab and Bengal
Answer : D

IV. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows:

The steps for creating a new state are as follows: A bill on a new state has to be recommended by the President. In India, it is usually the Cabinet which requests the President to do that. Article 3 makes it clear that the Parliament is the sole authority on making a decision on a new state. President refers the bill to the State Assembly for its views giving it a certain period of time. Parliament is not obligated to follow on the views of State Assembly. If the State Assembly does not express its opinion within the specified period of time, the bill could be introduced in the Parliament after the expiry of the specified period. Why did the authors of the constitution put complete responsibility of creating new states ONLY with the Parliament? Why did they not provide a bigger role for a State Assembly other than expressing ‘its views’ on the topic? To understand the intentions behind a certain clause in our Constitution the legal experts refer to the discussions of the authors that preceded the formulation of these clauses referred to as Constituent Assembly Debates (CAD).
One legal expert clarifies: When the Constituent Assembly was deliberating in November 1948 on the scope and content of Article 3, there was a proposal by Prof. KT Shah that the legislation constituting a new State from any region of a State should originate from the legislature of the State concerned. Had this procedure been approved, the power to decide the statehood of a region seeking separation would have been vested with the State legislature dominated by the elite of developed regions. Opposing the same and using the then demand for an Andhra Province as an example, Shri K. Santhanam stated as under: “I wonder whether Professor Shah fully realizes the implications of his amendment. If his amendment is adopted, it would mean that no minority in any State can ask for separation of territory… unless it can get a majority in that State legislature. Take the case of Madras Province for instance. The Andhra’s want separation. They bring up a resolution in the Madras Legislature. It is defeated by a majority. There ends the matter. The way of the Andhra’s is blocked altogether. They cannot take any further step to constitute an Andhra province.” Thus Article 3 emerged in its current form.

Question : In India, who presents the bill for the formation of the new state to the President?
(A) Prime Minister
(B) Chief Ministers of the state
(C) Legislative
(D) Cabinet
Answer : D

Question : To whom does the President refer the bill after his review?
(A) Parliament
(B) State Assembly
(C) Prime Minister
(D) None of these
Answer : B

Question : “The legislation constituting a new State from any region of a State should originate from the legislature of the State concerned.” This proposal who put forth by whom in 1948?
(A) Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar
(B) Prof. KT Shah
(C) Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru
(D) Sardar Patel
Answer : B

Question : Where did the Andhra’s get resolution from?
(A) Supreme Court
(B) Madras Legislature
(C) Madras high Court
(D) Delhi
Answer : B