Welcome to the ultimate guide on the Government of India Act 1935 MCQs. The Government of India Act 1935 was the longest act passed by the British Parliament at the time and served as a major blueprint for the Constitution of independent India. For aspirants of UPSC, SSC, State PSCs, and other competitive exams, a deep understanding of this Act is crucial for the Modern Indian History and Indian Polity sections.
In this post, we have carefully curated 50 high-yield Government of India Act 1935 questions. Each MCQ features an interactive "Show Answer" button, revealing the correct option and a concise explanation to boost your retention.
Practice: 50 Most Important MCQs
1. The Government of India Act 1935 was largely based on the recommendations of which of the following?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act was the culmination of a long process that included the Simon Commission Report, the three Round Table Conferences, and the White Paper of 1933.
2. One of the most significant features of the Government of India Act 1935 was the introduction of:
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act abolished the system of dyarchy introduced in 1919 in the provinces and replaced it with 'Provincial Autonomy', giving provinces independent administrative powers.
3. The Government of India Act 1935 proposed to set up an "All-India Federation". What were to be its units?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Act provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of provinces and princely states as units. However, this federation never came into being.
4. Why did the proposed "All-India Federation" under the 1935 Act never materialize?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The federation was conditional on a specified number of princely states joining it. Since the princely states refused to join, the federation never came into existence.
5. While the Act abolished dyarchy in the provinces, it introduced dyarchy at which level?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act introduced dyarchy at the Centre. The federal subjects were divided into "Reserved" (defence, external affairs, etc.) and "Transferred" subjects.
6. Under the dyarchy at the Centre, who administered the "Reserved" subjects?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Reserved subjects (like defence, ecclesiastical affairs, external affairs, and tribal areas) were to be administered by the Governor-General with the help of up to three councilors who were not responsible to the legislature.
7. The Government of India Act 1935 divided legislative powers into how many lists?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: It divided powers into three lists: Federal List (59 items), Provincial List (54 items), and the Concurrent List (36 items).
8. According to the 1935 Act, in whom were the "Residuary Powers" vested?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Unlike the present Indian Constitution where residuary powers rest with the Parliament, the 1935 Act vested the residuary powers solely in the hands of the Viceroy (Governor-General).
9. The Act introduced bicameralism (a two-house legislature) in how many out of the 11 provinces?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Bicameralism was introduced in 6 out of 11 provinces: Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Bihar, Assam, and the United Provinces.
10. The Government of India Act 1935 provided for the establishment of which apex court?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act provided for the establishment of a Federal Court, which was set up in Delhi in 1937 to resolve disputes between the Centre and provinces.
11. Who was the first Chief Justice of the Federal Court established under the 1935 Act?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Sir Maurice Gwyer served as the first Chief Justice of the Federal Court of India, which started functioning in 1937.
12. Which financial institution was established based on the provisions of the Government of India Act 1935 to control currency and credit?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Act provided for the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to manage the currency and credit of the country. RBI was established on April 1, 1935.
13. The Government of India Act 1935 abolished which of the following institutions that was created in 1858?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Act abolished the Council of India, which was established by the Government of India Act 1858 to assist the Secretary of State for India. He was instead provided with a team of advisors.
14. Which territory was separated from India by the Government of India Act 1935?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act mandated the separation of Burma from India, which officially took effect in 1937.
15. In addition to Burma, which other territory was detached from the Indian Empire and made a separate Crown Colony?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act separated Aden from India and established it as a separate British Crown Colony.
16. The Act created two new provinces. Which were they?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act of 1935 carved out Sindh (from Bombay Presidency) and Orissa (from Bihar and Orissa Province) as two new, distinct provinces.
17. How did the Act affect the voting franchise in British India?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Act extended the franchise based on property qualifications, bringing about 10% of the total Indian population onto the electoral rolls.
18. To which new groups did the 1935 Act extend the principle of communal representation (separate electorates)?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act further extended the communal electorate system by providing separate electorates for depressed classes (scheduled castes), women, and labor.
19. Who described the Government of India Act 1935 as "a machine with strong brakes but no engine"?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru severely criticized the Act due to the extensive safeguard powers retained by the British, calling it "a machine with strong brakes but no engine."
20. Who famously rejected the Act stating it was "thoroughly rotten, fundamentally bad and totally unacceptable"?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leading the Muslim League, rejected the federal scheme of the Act, condemning it as thoroughly rotten and fundamentally bad.
21. What was the name of the document signed by a Princely State to join the proposed All-India Federation?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Rulers of princely states were required to sign an "Instrument of Accession" specifying the subjects they would surrender to the Federation.
22. The Federal Legislature established under the Act of 1935 was bicameral. What were the names of the two houses?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The two houses were the Council of States (Upper House) and the Federal Assembly (Lower House).
23. What was the tenure of the Federal Assembly under the 1935 Act?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Federal Assembly (Lower House) was to have a lifespan of 5 years, subject to earlier dissolution by the Governor-General.
24. What was the nature of the Council of States (Upper House) at the federal level?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Council of States was designed as a permanent body not subject to dissolution, with one-third of its members retiring every three years (similar to the modern Rajya Sabha, which has 1/3 retiring every 2 years).
25. Under the Act, the provincial Governor acted in three different capacities. Which of the following was NOT one of them?
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Correct Answer: D
Explanation: The Governor acted on the advice of ministers for transferred subjects, but had massive discretionary powers and "individual judgment" powers where he could override ministers. He never acted on the direct orders of the legislature.
26. Section 93 of the Government of India Act 1935 dealt with:
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Section 93 empowered the Governor to assume all powers of the provincial government if he was satisfied that the government could not be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Act (similar to President's Rule under Article 356 today).
27. For the Federal Court established in 1937, where did the final appellate authority lie?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Federal Court was not the ultimate court of appeal. Appeals against its decisions could be taken to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
28. Regarding Public Service Commissions, the 1935 Act provided for the establishment of:
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act provided not only for a Federal Public Service Commission but also a Provincial Public Service Commission and Joint Public Service Commission for two or more provinces.
29. Which schedule of the modern Indian Constitution closely resembles the three lists (Federal, Provincial, Concurrent) of the 1935 Act?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which contains the Union List, State List, and Concurrent List, is heavily borrowed from the division of powers in the 1935 Act.
30. Under the Act, the Federal Railway Authority was created. How many members were there in this authority?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: To ensure British control over Indian railways, the Act created a 7-member Federal Railway Authority, independent of ministerial control.
31. During the viceroyalty of which British official was the Government of India Act 1935 passed?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act received Royal Assent in August 1935 during the tenure of Lord Willingdon as the Viceroy of India.
32. When did the Provincial Autonomy introduced by the 1935 Act actually come into force?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Elections based on the Act were held in early 1937, and Provincial Autonomy came into effect in April 1937.
33. The provincial ministries formed under the 1935 Act resigned en masse in which year?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Congress ministries in the provinces resigned in October-November 1939 to protest the British dragging India into World War II without consulting Indian leaders.
34. Under the Act, representation in the Federal Assembly was based on:
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Paradoxically, the Act proposed indirect elections for the Lower House (Federal Assembly) by members of the Provincial Assemblies, while the Upper House (Council of States) was to have direct elections.
35. How many total members were proposed for the Federal Assembly under the Act?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Federal Assembly was to consist of 375 members (250 from British India and 125 from the Princely States).
36. How many total members were proposed for the Council of States?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Council of States was to consist of a maximum of 260 members (156 from British India and up to 104 from the Princely States).
37. Who was the British Prime Minister during the passage of the Government of India Act 1935?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: While Ramsay MacDonald was PM during the Round Table Conferences and formulation, Stanley Baldwin became the Prime Minister in June 1935 shortly before the Act received Royal Assent in August 1935.
38. The region of Berar, formally under the Nizam of Hyderabad, was attached to which province for administrative purposes under the Act?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Act provided that Berar, while remaining under the de jure sovereignty of the Nizam, would be administered together with the Central Provinces as the "Central Provinces and Berar".
39. The 1935 Act drew heavily from a 'White Paper' published by the British Government in which year?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Following the Third Round Table Conference, a White Paper was published in March 1933 detailing the proposed constitutional reforms, which formed the basis of the Act.
40. Which important principle of governance did the Act completely ignore, leading to Indian dissatisfaction?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act made no mention of granting Dominion Status (which was promised earlier) and notably lacked any declaration of Fundamental Rights for Indians.
41. Which body was tasked with examining the 1933 White Paper before the Act was drafted?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The White Paper of 1933 was scrutinized by a Joint Select Committee of both Houses of the British Parliament, chaired by Lord Linlithgow.
42. In the 1937 provincial elections held under the Act, the Indian National Congress won an absolute majority in how many provinces?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Congress won an absolute majority in 5 provinces (Madras, Bihar, Orissa, Central Provinces, and United Provinces) and formed governments in several others as the largest party.
43. Which political party praised the Act and formed governments in Punjab in 1937?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Unionist Party, led by Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, won the elections in Punjab and cooperated with the British under the new constitutional framework.
44. The provision for a 'Federal Bank' in the 1935 Act was largely a response to the recommendations of which commission?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Hilton Young Commission (Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance) originally recommended the creation of a central bank, leading to the RBI's establishment via the 1935 Act framework.
45. Which of the following leaders remarked that the Act provided a "new charter of slavery"?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru fiercely criticized the Act, describing it as a "new charter of slavery" due to the excessive veto powers retained by the British Governors and the Viceroy.
46. In the event of a conflict between Federal and Provincial laws regarding the Concurrent List, what was the provision?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Similar to the present Indian Constitution, in case of a repugnancy between a federal and a provincial law on a concurrent subject, the federal law prevailed.
47. Which British document was formally repealed by the Government of India Act 1935?
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Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Act of 1935 repealed the Government of India Act 1919, replacing its structure with the new Federal and Provincial framework.
48. According to the Act, how were the representatives of the Princely States in the Federal Legislature to be chosen?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: One major undemocratic flaw of the proposed Federation was that the representatives of the Princely States were not to be elected by their people, but nominated directly by the Princes.
49. What percentage of the modern Indian Constitution's provisions are estimated to be drawn from the Government of India Act 1935?
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: It is widely acknowledged by constitutional scholars that approximately 75% (or two-thirds) of the Indian Constitution is heavily influenced by or directly adapted from the structural framework of the 1935 Act.
50. The "Emergency Powers" provided to the President in the Indian Constitution are largely modeled after:
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Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The emergency provisions in the Indian Constitution heavily mirror the vast discretionary and emergency powers given to the Governor-General and Governors under the Government of India Act 1935.
Quick Revision Notes: Government of India Act 1935
- All India Federation: Proposed consisting of Provinces and Princely States (Failed to materialize).
- Provincial Autonomy: Abolished dyarchy in provinces and introduced responsible government.
- Dyarchy at Centre: Federal subjects divided into Reserved and Transferred subjects.
- Bicameralism: Introduced in 6 out of 11 provinces (Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Bihar, Assam, UP).
- Division of Powers: 3 Lists - Federal (59), Provincial (54), and Concurrent (36).
- Residuary Powers: Vested entirely in the Viceroy (Governor-General).
- New Territories: Burma separated from India; Sindh and Orissa created as new provinces.
- Institutions Established: Reserve Bank of India, Federal Court (1937), Federal and Provincial PSCs.
- Separate Electorates: Extended to Depressed Classes, Women, and Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is the Government of India Act 1935 important for the Indian Constitution? ▼
It formed the structural blueprint of the Indian Constitution. Features like the federal scheme, role of the governor, emergency provisions, public service commissions, and the administrative details were largely borrowed from this Act.
Did the All-India Federation proposed in the Act ever come into existence? ▼
No, the federation never came into existence because the requisite number of Princely States refused to sign the Instrument of Accession.
Who heavily criticized the Act by calling it a "machine with strong brakes but no engine"? ▼
Jawaharlal Nehru made this famous statement, criticizing the excessive veto powers and safeguards given to the British Governors and the Viceroy, which nullified the actual democratic power given to Indians.
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