UPSC Prelims 2017
Modern History Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.

The Butler Committee was appointed in December 1927 under the chairmanship of Sir Harcourt Butler to examine the relations between the British Government of India and the Indian Princely States.

The committee aimed to clarify and improve the nature of paramountcy (supreme authority of the British Crown over princely states) and address grievances of the rulers.

It recommended that Indian States should deal directly with the Crown through the Viceroy, not through the Government of India.

The committee's work was significant in defining the political relationship between the paramount power and native states during the British Raj.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 1 and 3 only

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Radhakanta Deb was indeed the first President of the British Indian Association, which was formed in October 1851 in Calcutta through the merger of the Landholders' Society and the Bengal British India Society.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty founded the Madras Native Association in 1852, not the Madras Mahajana Sabha. The Madras Mahajana Sabha was established later in May 1884 by M. Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer, and P. Anandacharlu.

✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Surendranath Banerjee, along with Anandamohan Bose, founded the Indian Association (Indian National Association) in 1876. It was one of the most significant pre-Congress nationalist organizations aimed at building public opinion on political issues.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 2 only

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The Factories Act, 1881 was primarily concerned with regulating the working conditions of children in factories, not fixing wages or allowing trade unions. It prohibited the employment of children below 7 years of age, restricted working hours for children (7-12 years) to 9 hours per day, and mandated one day off per week. The Act did not address wage fixation or trade union formation—these aspects came much later in labour legislation.

✅ Statement 2 – Correct: N.M. Lokhande (Narayan Meghaji Lokhande) is recognized as a pioneer of the labour movement in British India. He founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association in 1890, one of the first labour organizations in India. He actively campaigned for workers' rights, including the abolition of the contract system, weekly holidays, and shorter working hours. His efforts led to significant improvements in working conditions for industrial workers in Bombay.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 3 — 3-2-1

The Second Round Table Conference was held in London in September 1931 to discuss constitutional reforms. The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942, demanding immediate British withdrawal from India. The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny occurred in February 1946, when Indian sailors revolted against British discrimination and poor conditions. Thus, the correct chronological order is 3-2-1.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.

Dyarchy was introduced by the Government of India Act, 1919, as a system of dual governance at the provincial level. Under this system, provincial subjects were divided into two categories: 'Reserved' subjects (controlled by the Governor and his Executive Council) and 'Transferred' subjects (controlled by Indian ministers responsible to the legislature). This was an experiment in responsible government, though it had limited success.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 3 — 2 and 3 only

The Ryotwari Settlement was a land revenue system introduced in British India where settlements were made directly with the cultivators (ryots). Alexander Read first introduced this system experimentally in the Baramahal district of Madras Presidency in 1792, and Thomas Munro later refined and expanded it across the Madras Presidency, making him the principal architect of the system.

✅ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement (Zamindari System) in Bengal and Bihar in 1793, not the Ryotwari Settlement.

✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Captain Alexander Read first introduced the Ryotwari system in the Baramahal district (Madras Presidency) in 1792 after the Third Anglo-Mysore War.

✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Thomas Munro refined and extended the Ryotwari system across most of the Madras Presidency and later became Governor of Madras (1820–1827), establishing himself as the primary architect of this land revenue system.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — a system of tribunals and a ban on strikes.

The Trade Disputes Act of 1929 was enacted by the British colonial government to regulate industrial disputes in India. It established a formal mechanism through Courts of Inquiry and Boards of Conciliation (tribunals) to investigate and mediate conflicts between employers and workers. Crucially, the Act imposed severe restrictions on strikes: it banned strikes in public utility services (railways, postal services, water supply, etc.) without 14 days' prior notice, and declared general strikes and political strikes illegal. This legislation was primarily aimed at controlling the growing trade union movement and preventing large-scale labor unrest that could challenge British authority.