Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments — UPSC Prelims Quiz
Answer all questions carefully. Read each statement precisely before selecting your answer.
Laying the Foundations: British-Era Legal and Governance Reforms•hard•11 questions•~16 min
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Question 01
hard
Consider the following statements about the Regulating Act of 1773:
1. It was the first intervention by the British government in Indian affairs and gave the British Cabinet the right to exercise control over Indian affairs for the first time.
2. It established a Governor-General and a Council of 4 for Bengal, functioning on majority rule.
3. It used the term 'British possessions' for the Company's territories in India for the first time.
4. It established a Supreme Court at Calcutta with original and appellate jurisdictions.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 02
medium
The Charter Act of 1813 is significant in Indian constitutional history because it was the first to:
Question 03
hard
Consider the following provisions and identify which Act introduced each:
1. The dual system of control through the Board of Control and the Court of Directors was ENDED.
2. The dual system of control through the Board of Control and the Court of Directors was ESTABLISHED.
3. The Governor-General was given power to combine his role with that of Commander-in-Chief.
4. The Company's territories were termed 'British possessions' for the first time.
Which of the following correctly matches each provision to its Act?
Question 04
hard
Regarding dyarchy under the British constitutional framework in India, consider the following:
1. Dyarchy was introduced in the provinces by the Government of India Act, 1919.
2. Dyarchy was introduced in the Central (Federal) Executive by the Government of India Act, 1935.
3. Dyarchy in the provinces was abolished by the Government of India Act, 1935.
4. The Simon Commission had recommended the continuation of dyarchy in the provinces.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 05
hard
Which of the following pairs regarding the evolution of civil services in India is INCORRECTLY matched?
Question 06
hard
The 'martial races' theory in British India's military reorganisation after 1857 was associated with which Commander-in-Chief and what was its primary strategic purpose?
Question 07
hard
Consider the following statements about the Cornwallis Code (judicial reforms, 1786–93):
1. District Fauzdari Courts were abolished and replaced by Circuit Courts at Calcutta, Dacca, Murshidabad and Patna, with European judges.
2. The collector was stripped of magisterial functions and made responsible only for revenue administration.
3. Government officials were made answerable to civil courts for actions done in their official capacity — establishing the principle of sovereignty of law.
4. Persian was abolished as the official language of courts and replaced by English.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Question 08
hard
Lord Ripon is called the 'Father of Local Self-Government in India.' Which of the following correctly identifies what distinguished his 1882 Resolution from Lord Mayo's 1870 Resolution on local government?
Question 09
hard
Consider the following statements about the Government of India Act, 1935:
1. It provided for an All-India Federation which was actually established and began functioning on April 1, 1937.
2. The residuary legislative powers under the Act were vested in the Governor-General's discretion.
3. Provinces derived their powers directly from the British Crown under this Act, not from the central government.
4. The Federal Court provided under this Act was established in 1937 and had both original and appellate jurisdiction.
Which statements are correct?
Question 10
medium
The Company's monopoly over trade in India was ended in stages. Which of the following correctly describes this process?
Question 11
medium
The injustice of paying the Secretary of State for India from Indian revenues — introduced by the Charter Act of 1793 — was rectified by which Act, and what replaced it?
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