Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The White Paper proposed what form of government in the provinces?
A. Full responsible government subject to safeguards
B. Permanent dyarchy
C. Direct rule by the British Cabinet only
D. Government without legislatures
Correct Answer: A
Pakistan Studies summaries describe the proposal as full responsible provincial government.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Which statement best describes the fate of the federation proposed in the White Paper?
A. It began in 1933 and continued until 1947
B. It was rejected before any legislation
C. It became the Constitution of Pakistan
D. It was incorporated into the 1935 Act but never inaugurated
Correct Answer: D
The federal provisions entered the 1935 Act, but the required accession of states did not materialise.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
One criticism of the federal scheme was that it was:
A. Too simple to address any Indian issue
B. Based on universal adult franchise
C. Complex and dependent on numerous safeguards
D. Already fully independent
Correct Answer: C
Even supporters acknowledged that the scheme was highly complicated.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The White Paper's federation was designed as:
A. A military dictatorship
B. A federal rather than a purely unitary system
C. A municipal confederation only
D. A presidential republic
Correct Answer: B
It proposed division of authority between a federal centre and autonomous provinces.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Which element ultimately prevented the proposed federation from becoming operational?
A. Insufficient accession by princely states
B. A shortage of provincial governors
C. A ban by the Federal Court
D. The abolition of all legislatures
Correct Answer: A
The federation depended on sufficient accession by rulers, which did not occur.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The White Paper's federal scheme attempted to combine:
A. Only British officials and soldiers
B. Only elected village councils
C. Only provincial judges
D. Representatives of British India and the princely states
Correct Answer: D
The central government was intended to bring together the two major constitutional parts of India.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The Indian princes were reluctant to enter a central system controlled entirely from:
A. Lahore
B. Karachi
C. Whitehall
D. Calcutta University
Correct Answer: C
The government argued that responsibility at the centre was necessary to attract princely participation.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Why did the British Government favour a comprehensive scheme covering both centre and provinces?
A. It intended to abolish every province
B. It valued the accession of the princely states and wanted simultaneous central reform
C. It wanted to exclude Indian states permanently
D. It planned immediate partition
Correct Answer: B
The government argued that provincial reform alone would not secure the participation of the princes or Indian political goodwill.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Participation of the princely states in the federation was based on:
A. Accession by the rulers
B. Automatic election by all Indian adults
C. Compulsory merger ordered by Congress
D. A United Nations vote
Correct Answer: A
The princes would join through instruments or terms of accession.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The proposed federation was to include:
A. Only princely states
B. Only British Indian provinces
C. Only Muslim-majority provinces
D. British Indian provinces and princely states
Correct Answer: D
The federal plan depended on participation by both categories of territorial units.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The central constitutional structure proposed in the White Paper was an:
A. Independent unitary republic
B. Confederation limited to Bengal
C. All-India Federation
D. Alliance of municipalities
Correct Answer: C
The scheme proposed a federation embracing British Indian provinces and acceding Indian states.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The Joint Select Committee's recommendations were accepted as the basis for:
A. The Lahore Resolution
B. A constitutional reform bill
C. The Indian Independence Act, 1947 directly
D. The Cabinet Mission
Correct Answer: B
After the committee reported, Parliament proceeded toward the bill that became the Government of India Act, 1935.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Approximately how long did the Joint Select Committee examine the proposals?
A. More than eighteen months
B. Three days
C. One week
D. Ten years
Correct Answer: A
The 1934 parliamentary debate described the committee as working for somewhat more than eighteen months.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Who chaired the Joint Select Committee on Indian Constitutional Reform?
A. Winston Churchill
B. Lord Mountbatten
C. Ramsay MacDonald
D. Lord Linlithgow
Correct Answer: D
Lord Linlithgow chaired the committee that examined the reform proposals.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The main duty of the Joint Select Committee was to:
A. Conduct the 1937 provincial elections
B. Draft the Lahore Resolution
C. Examine and report on the White Paper proposals
D. Negotiate the Cabinet Mission Plan
Correct Answer: C
The committee scrutinised the proposals before legislation was introduced.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The Joint Select Committee was authorised to consult representatives of:
A. Only British commercial firms
B. British India and the Indian States
C. Only Congress ministries
D. Only provincial governors
Correct Answer: B
Its terms allowed consultation with representatives of both British India and the princely states.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The proposed committee was a Joint Select Committee of:
A. The House of Commons and House of Lords
B. The Congress and Muslim League
C. Provincial assemblies only
D. British and German parliaments
Correct Answer: A
It included members from both Houses of the British Parliament.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Did the British Government initially ask Parliament to approve every proposal in the White Paper?
A. Yes, without any debate
B. No, because the document was secret
C. Yes, but only in the House of Lords
D. No, it first sought appointment of a Joint Select Committee
Correct Answer: D
The government asked Parliament to establish a committee to examine and report on the proposals.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
The White Paper was presented for debate mainly in the:
A. United Nations
B. Pakistan Constituent Assembly
C. British Parliament
D. Indian Supreme Court
Correct Answer: C
The proposals were debated in both Houses of the British Parliament.
Pakistan Affairs (P.A)
1940- Constitutional Proposals - White Paper
Which British officeholder was Secretary of State for India during the White Paper debates?
A. Clement Attlee
B. Sir Samuel Hoare
C. Lord Mountbatten
D. Sir Stafford Cripps
Correct Answer: B
Sir Samuel Hoare presented and defended the constitutional reform proposals in Parliament.