CAPF AC 2025 Q27: Modern History – Constitutional Developments & British Plans (1909 - 1947)
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Explanation
Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford reforms)
How to think: the Act brought dyarchy in the provinces.
It is the provincial subjects, not the central ones, that were divided into reserved and transferred.
| Statement | Fact | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Subjects divided into central and provincial | The Devolution Rules listed central and provincial subjects | Correct |
| 2. Central subjects divided into reserved and transferred | It was the provincial subjects that were divided into reserved and transferred | Wrong |
| 3. Provincial governments could make budgets and levy taxes | Provincial budgets were separated from the central budget, and provinces could levy their own taxes | Correct |
Reserved subjects (law and order, finance, land revenue) stayed with the Governor and his executive council.
Transferred subjects (education, health, local government) went to elected Indian ministers.
Bank key corrected: the stored key was (d), which accepts statement 2; the right option is (c).
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Statement 2 is wrong because reserved and transferred applied to provincial subjects.
- (b) Incorrect. It includes the wrong statement 2 and leaves out statement 1.
- (c) CORRECT. Statements 1 and 3 are right; statement 2 mixes up central and provincial.
- (d) Incorrect. Statement 2 is wrong, so not all three are correct.
Key point
GoI Act 1919: dyarchy in the provinces (provincial subjects reserved and transferred); central and provincial lists by Devolution Rules; bicameral Centre (Council of State and Legislative Assembly); provincial budgets separated; Public Service Commission provision.
Remember
1919: dyarchy in provinces; reserved/transferred = provincial subjects.
Common mistakes
- Applying dyarchy to the Centre; it was introduced only in the provinces.
- Thinking provinces had no financial powers until 1935.
- Confusing reserved and transferred subjects with the central and provincial lists.
Exam tip
Educated guess: dyarchy is always described as 'in the provinces'. A statement that gives it to the central subjects is the trap, and that removes (a), (b) and (d).
Sources
- M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity, Chapter 1: Historical Background (Government of India Act of 1919)
- Bipan Chandra, Modern India (NCERT Class XII), chapter on constitutional developments after 1909