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Q51 (IAS/2015) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Constitutional plans and missions Official Key

With reference to the Cabinet Mission, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It recommended a federal government. 2. It enlarged the powers of the Indian courts. 3. It provided for more Indians in the ICS. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The Cabinet Mission proposed a two-tiered federal plan with a federation of provinces and states, where the federal centre would control only defence, foreign affairs, and communications[1], while individual provinces could form regional unions to which they could surrender some of their powers by mutual agreement[1]. This clearly indicates that statement 1 is correct – the Mission did recommend a federal government structure.

However, statements 2 and 3 are incorrect. The Cabinet Mission's primary focus was on resolving the political deadlock and proposing a framework for peaceful transfer of power from British rule to Indian hands[2]. The documents provided contain no mention of the Mission enlarging powers of Indian courts or providing for more Indians in the ICS. These issues were not part of the Cabinet Mission's constitutional recommendations, which were specifically concerned with the political structure and power-sharing arrangements for independent India.

Therefore, only statement 1 is correct, making option A the right answer.

Sources
  1. [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > Post-War Struggle > p. 304
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to the Cabinet Mission, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It recommended a federal government. 2. It en…
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 3.3/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Scope Definition' question. The Cabinet Mission is a high-yield topic found in every standard history book (Spectrum/NCERT). The trick lies in recognizing that high-level political missions focus on constitutional frameworks, not administrative (ICS) or judicial (Courts) minutiae.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India recommend the establishment of a federal government?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > Post-War Struggle > p. 304
Presence: 5/5
“transfer of power to Indians. The Cabinet Mission proposed a twotiered federal plan which was expected to maintain national unity while conceding the largest measure of regional autonomy. There was to be a federation of the provinces and the states, with the federal centre controlling only defence, foreign affairs, and communications. At the same time, individual provinces could form regional unions to which they could surrender by mutual agreement some of their powers But the elation of coming independence was marred by the largescale communal riots during and after August 1946. The Hindu and Muslim communalists blamed each other for starting the heinous killings and competed with each other in cruelty.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states the Cabinet Mission proposed a two-tiered federal plan.
  • Specifies a federation of provinces and states, with a clearly limited federal centre.
  • Names the subjects (defence, foreign affairs, communications) retained by the federal centre, which is characteristic of a federal design.
Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 4: OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF OUR CONSTITUTION > Incidents of Paramountey. > p. 51
Presence: 5/5
“When Sir Stafford Cripps came to India with his Plan, it was definitely understood that the Plan proposed by him would be confined 10 settling the political destinies of British India and that the Indian States would be left free to retain their separate status. Proposal of the Cabinet Mission. But the Cabinet Mission supposed that the Indian States would be ready to cooperate with the new development in India. So, they recommended that there should be a Union of India, embracing both British India and the States, which would deal only with Foreign Affairs, Defence and Communications, while the State would retain all powers other than these.”
Why this source?
  • Says the Cabinet Mission recommended a 'Union of India' including British India and the States.
  • Specifies the Union would deal only with foreign affairs, defence and communications — confirming a limited-centre federal arrangement.
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