ICSE Class 10 · Chapter 13

Independence and Partition of India ICSE Class 10: Plans and the 1947 Act

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

India became independent and was partitioned in 1947 through three documents: the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947 and the Indian Independence Act of July 1947. ICSE Class 10 tests the clauses of each, and why the Congress and the Muslim League accepted the Mountbatten Plan.

What Independence and Partition of India is about

By 1946 the British had decided to leave India. The question was how: as one country or two, and with what arrangements for the provinces and the princely states.

The syllabus asks for three things. First, the clauses of the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946), which tried to keep India united as a loose federation and set up a Constituent Assembly and an interim government. Second, the clauses of the Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947), which accepted partition, and the reasons for its acceptance. Third, the clauses of the Indian Independence Act (July 1947), passed by the British Parliament, which put the plan into law.

This chapter is almost entirely about clauses, so the danger is mixing them up. CISCE examiners noted in 2024 that students who correctly named Mountbatten got the clauses about princely states wrong, and mixed the Mountbatten Plan with the Independence Act. Learn the three documents as three separate lists, and keep in mind that the Plan proposed, while the Act enacted.

Weightage: CISCE publishes no chapter weightage. History is tested in Part I (compulsory 1- and 2-mark items) and in Part II Section B, where you answer three of five 10-mark History questions, each split 3 + 3 + 4.Source: CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper 501, History & Civics (H.C.G. Paper 1)

Key concepts

Background to the plans (brief)

After the Second World War, Britain was weakened and the INA trials and the naval mutiny of 1946 showed that the loyalty of Indian forces could not be relied on. The Labour government under Clement Attlee decided to transfer power. The main obstacle was the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan, made since its Lahore Resolution of 1940, against the Congress's aim of a united India. The Cabinet Mission was sent in March 1946 to find a solution. When it broke down, the League's Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) led to terrible communal riots. In February 1947 Attlee announced that the British would leave by June 1948, and Lord Mountbatten was sent as Viceroy to arrange the transfer.

Worked example

(2 marks) Why did the British send the Cabinet Mission to India in 1946?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Britain, weakened by the war and unsure of the loyalty of Indian forces, had decided to transfer power - 1 mark.
The Mission was sent to find an agreed way of transferring power and framing a constitution, given the Congress-League deadlock over Pakistan - 1 mark.

Answer: Weakened by the war and facing unrest in India, Britain decided to transfer power. The Cabinet Mission came to work out, with Indian leaders, how power would be transferred and a constitution framed, in spite of the Congress-League deadlock over Pakistan.

Cabinet Mission Plan (1946): clauses

The Mission (Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A. V. Alexander) announced its plan on 16 May 1946.
1. The demand for a separate Pakistan was rejected; India would be a Union of the British provinces and the princely states.
2. The Union government would control defence, foreign affairs and communications, and raise the money needed for them.
3. All other subjects and residuary powers would rest with the provinces and the states.
4. The provinces would be grouped into three sections: Group A (the Hindu-majority provinces), Group B (Punjab, North-West Frontier Province and Sind) and Group C (Bengal and Assam). Each group could frame a constitution for its provinces on common subjects.
5. A Constituent Assembly of 389 members would frame the constitution: 292 from the provinces (elected by the provincial legislative assemblies), 4 from the Chief Commissioners' provinces and 93 from the princely states.
6. An interim government, with Indians holding all portfolios and the support of the major parties, would run the country until the new constitution came into force.
7. Paramountcy over the princely states would not pass to the new government; the states would negotiate their place in the Union.
8. A province could leave its group after the first general election under the new constitution.

Worked example

(3 marks) Mention any three clauses of the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

India would remain a Union of provinces and states; the demand for Pakistan was rejected - 1 mark.
The Union would control defence, foreign affairs and communications; other powers would rest with the provinces - 1 mark.
A Constituent Assembly of 389 members would frame the constitution, and an interim government of Indians would be formed - 1 mark.

Answer: (1) India was to remain one Union, and Pakistan was rejected. (2) The Union would handle defence, foreign affairs and communications, with residuary powers in the provinces. (3) A Constituent Assembly of 389 members would frame the constitution while an interim government of Indians ran the country.

Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947): clauses

1. India would be partitioned into two dominions, India and Pakistan.
2. The provincial legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal would meet in two parts, one representing Muslim-majority districts and the other the rest. If either part voted for partition, the province would be divided.
3. A referendum would be held in the North-West Frontier Province and in the Sylhet district of Assam to decide whether they would join India or Pakistan.
4. The legislative assembly of Sind would decide whether Sind would join India or Pakistan.
5. A Boundary Commission would mark the boundaries of the partitioned provinces.
6. The princely states would be free to join either India or Pakistan, or remain independent; British paramountcy would end.
7. Power would be transferred to the two dominions; the date was brought forward to 15 August 1947.
8. Each dominion would have its own Constituent Assembly to frame its constitution.

Worked example

(3 marks) Name the Viceroy who announced the plan for the transfer of power in June 1947. Mention two clauses of his plan regarding the princely states.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Lord Mountbatten - 1 mark.
British paramountcy over the princely states would lapse - 1 mark.
The princely states would be free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent - 1 mark.

Answer: Lord Mountbatten announced the plan on 3 June 1947. Regarding the princely states, British paramountcy would end, and each state would be free to accede to India or Pakistan, or to remain independent.

Why the Congress and the League accepted the Mountbatten Plan

Reasons for the Congress's acceptance:
1. Communal riots: after Direct Action Day the riots in Calcutta, Noakhali, Bihar and Punjab convinced leaders that partition was the only way to stop bloodshed.
2. Failure of the interim government: the Muslim League ministers obstructed its work, so the Congress felt a joint government was unworkable.
3. Jinnah's firm refusal to accept anything less than Pakistan left no option of a united India.
4. A smaller but strong and united India was better than a large but weak federation with a weak Centre, as in the Cabinet Mission Plan.
5. Early transfer of power: further delay might encourage the princely states to stay independent and break India into many pieces.

The Muslim League accepted because it gained Pakistan, though smaller than it had demanded, since Punjab and Bengal were divided.

Worked example

(3 marks) Mention any three reasons for the acceptance of the Mountbatten Plan by the Congress.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Large-scale communal riots convinced the Congress that partition was the only way to stop bloodshed - 1 mark.
The Muslim League's obstruction in the interim government showed that joint government would not work - 1 mark.
An early transfer of power would prevent further delay and the danger of the princely states breaking India into pieces; a smaller strong India was preferred to a weak united one - 1 mark.

Answer: The Congress accepted the plan because (1) communal riots made partition seem the only way to end bloodshed, (2) the League's obstruction in the interim government made a united government unworkable, and (3) a quick transfer of power to a smaller but strong India was better than delay that might let the princely states fragment the country.

Indian Independence Act, 1947: clauses

Passed by the British Parliament and given royal assent on 18 July 1947, the Act gave legal effect to the Mountbatten Plan.
1. Two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, would be created from 15 August 1947.
2. The territories of each were defined; Punjab and Bengal would be divided according to the Boundary Commission's award.
3. Each dominion would have a Governor-General appointed by the British Crown on the advice of the dominion's government.
4. The Constituent Assembly of each dominion would frame its constitution and act as its legislature in the meantime, with full power to make laws, including the power to repeal any Act of the British Parliament applying to it.
5. The British government would have no responsibility for the government of either dominion after 15 August 1947; the office of the Secretary of State for India was abolished.
6. British paramountcy over the princely states lapsed, along with all treaties with them.
7. Until new constitutions were framed, each dominion would be governed under the Government of India Act, 1935, with necessary changes.
8. The British Crown gave up the title 'Emperor of India'.

Worked example

(4 marks) Mention any four provisions of the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, would be set up from 15 August 1947 - 1 mark.
Each dominion would have a Governor-General appointed by the Crown on the advice of its government - 1 mark.
The Constituent Assembly of each dominion would frame its constitution and act as its legislature - 1 mark.
British paramountcy over the princely states lapsed, and the office of the Secretary of State for India was abolished - 1 mark.

Answer: The Act (1) created two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947; (2) provided a Governor-General for each; (3) gave each Constituent Assembly power to frame a constitution and make laws; and (4) ended British paramountcy over the princely states and abolished the office of Secretary of State for India.

Plan versus Act: keeping them apart

The Mountbatten Plan was a proposal announced by the Viceroy; the Indian Independence Act was a law passed by the British Parliament to carry it out.

The Plan laid down the procedures for deciding partition: voting by the divided assemblies of Punjab and Bengal, the referendums in the NWFP and Sylhet, and the Sind assembly's vote. The Act then gave legal effect to the results (CISCE's 2024 marking accepted the partition of Punjab and Bengal and the NWFP and Sylhet outcome as points under the Act too).
Only the Act contains the legal arrangements for the new states: Governors-General, powers of the Constituent Assemblies as legislatures, use of the 1935 Act as an interim constitution, abolition of the Secretary of State, and the Crown dropping the title 'Emperor of India'.
Both mention two dominions and the end of paramountcy.

Worked example

(2 marks) Give one clause found only in the Mountbatten Plan and one found only in the Indian Independence Act.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Only in the Plan: referendums in the NWFP and Sylhet (or voting by the divided assemblies of Punjab and Bengal) - 1 mark.
Only in the Act: the office of Secretary of State for India abolished (or Government of India Act, 1935, to serve as interim constitution) - 1 mark.

Answer: Only the Plan set out the procedure of the Punjab and Bengal assemblies meeting in two parts to vote on partition. Only the Act abolished the office of the Secretary of State for India (and made the 1935 Act the interim constitution).

Independence and Partition of India in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Referendum in the Mountbatten Plan

Suppose a school is being split into two campuses, and one hostel's students are allowed to vote on which campus they will join because their hostel's preference is unclear.

Which provision of the Mountbatten Plan does this resemble? Name the areas where it applied.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Where the choice of a region was uncertain, the Plan let the people vote directly.
A referendum was held in the North-West Frontier Province.
Another was held in the Sylhet district of Assam.

Answer: It resembles the Mountbatten Plan's provision for referendums, held in the North-West Frontier Province and in the Sylhet district of Assam to decide whether they would join India or Pakistan.

Memory hook: Unclear areas voted directly: NWFP and Sylhet.

Lapse of paramountcy

Imagine a large housing society where a central management has controlled smaller blocks for decades. The management announces that it is leaving and that each block may join one of two new associations or stay on its own.

Which clause about the princely states does this resemble, and what danger did it create?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

British paramountcy over the princely states lapsed in 1947.
The states were free to join India or Pakistan, or remain independent.
If many stayed independent, India could break into many pieces.

Answer: It resembles the lapse of British paramountcy, which left the princely states free to join India or Pakistan or stay independent. The danger was the break-up of India into many units, which the new government avoided by persuading the states to accede.

Memory hook: When paramountcy lapsed, every state had to choose.

Why accept partition

Suppose two partners running a business together keep blocking each other's decisions and their quarrels are turning violent among their staff.

How does this resemble the reasoning behind the Congress's acceptance of partition?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The interim government, shared by the Congress and the League, had been paralysed by obstruction.
Communal violence was spreading.
Leaders concluded that separation was better than a paralysed joint arrangement and continued bloodshed.

Answer: Like the partners, the Congress found the joint interim government with the League unworkable and saw communal violence spreading, so it accepted partition as the lesser evil to secure peace and an early, effective transfer of power.

Memory hook: A strong smaller India over a paralysed larger one.

Topics in this chapter

Cabinet Mission Plan, Mountbatten Plan and the Indian Independence Act

Independence and Partition of India: key facts

Cabinet Mission: March 1946; plan announced 16 May 1946; Pethick-Lawrence, Cripps, A. V. Alexander.
Constituent Assembly (Cabinet Mission): 389 = 292 provinces + 4 Chief Commissioners' provinces + 93 princely states
Groups of provinces: A: Hindu-majority; B: Punjab, NWFP, Sind; C: Bengal, Assam
Direct Action Day: 16 August 1946; Calcutta riots.
Mountbatten Plan: 3 June 1947; Referendums: NWFP and Sylhet.
Indian Independence Act: Royal assent 18 July 1947; effective 15 August 1947

How the board asks Independence and Partition of India

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Picture-based (Part II)	A picture of the Viceroy announcing the plan; name him and give clauses about princely states.	Mountbatten; paramountcy lapses; states free to join India or Pakistan or stay independent.
Reasons for acceptance (3 marks)	Three reasons the Congress accepted the Mountbatten Plan.	Riots, failed interim government, Jinnah's stand, strong smaller India, avoid delay.
Clauses (3 or 4 marks)	Clauses of the Cabinet Mission Plan or provisions of the Independence Act.	Use the correct document only. Number each clause.

Tricks to remember Independence and Partition of India

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Cabinet Mission: U-G-C-I
Union (no Pakistan), Groups A-B-C, Constituent Assembly of 389, Interim government.
Use it when: Cabinet Mission clauses.
Mountbatten: P-V-R-S-B
Partition into two dominions, Votes in Punjab and Bengal, Referendum in NWFP and Sylhet, States free to choose, Boundary Commission.
Use it when: Mountbatten clauses.
Act: 2-G-C-P-S
2 dominions, Governors-General, Constituent Assemblies as legislatures, Paramountcy ends, Secretary of State abolished.
Use it when: Independence Act provisions.

Independence and Partition of India: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Date of the Mountbatten Plan · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The Mountbatten Plan was announced on:
(a) 16 May 1946
(b) 16 August 1946
(c) 3 June 1947
(d) 18 July 1947

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

16 May 1946: Cabinet Mission Plan; 16 August 1946: Direct Action Day; 18 July 1947: royal assent to the Act.

Answer: (c) 3 June 1947.

Example 2: Which document? · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

Which document provided for a Constituent Assembly of 389 members?
(a) Mountbatten Plan
(b) Cabinet Mission Plan
(c) Indian Independence Act
(d) Cripps Mission

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The Cabinet Mission Plan laid down the 389-member Constituent Assembly (292 + 4 + 93).

Answer: (b) Cabinet Mission Plan.

Example 3: Assertion and reason: grouping · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): The Cabinet Mission Plan grouped the provinces into three sections.
Reason (R): The Cabinet Mission accepted the demand for a separate Pakistan.
(a) Both A and R are true and R explains A
(b) Both A and R are true but R does not explain A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The provinces were grouped into A, B and C: A is true.
The Mission rejected the demand for Pakistan: R is false.

Answer: (c) A is true but R is false.

Example 4: Two Independence Act provisions · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Mention two provisions of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, regarding the constitutions of the new dominions.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The Constituent Assembly of each dominion would frame its constitution and act as its legislature with full powers.
Until then, each dominion would be governed under the Government of India Act, 1935, with modifications.

Answer: Each dominion's Constituent Assembly would frame its constitution and work as its legislature, and until new constitutions were ready, each would be governed under the Government of India Act, 1935, suitably modified.

Example 5: Partition procedure · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain how the Mountbatten Plan provided for deciding the future of Punjab, Bengal, Sind, the NWFP and Sylhet.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Punjab and Bengal: assemblies to meet in two parts; if either part voted for partition, the province would be divided.
Sind: its legislative assembly would decide which dominion to join.
NWFP and Sylhet: referendums of the people.
A Boundary Commission would demarcate the boundaries of the divided provinces.

Answer: Punjab and Bengal assemblies would vote in two parts, and the province would be divided if either part chose partition. Sind's assembly would decide for Sind. The NWFP and Sylhet would hold referendums. A Boundary Commission would mark the new boundaries.

Example 6: Weak Centre · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Why did the Congress prefer partition to the Cabinet Mission Plan's united India? Give three reasons.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The Cabinet Mission Plan gave the Centre only defence, foreign affairs and communications, so it would be very weak.
The grouping of provinces could let Groups B and C act almost like separate states, giving the League a veto in practice.
The League's obstruction in the interim government showed a joint government would be paralysed, while riots demanded a quick solution.

Answer: (1) The Cabinet Mission's Centre, with only three subjects, would be too weak to govern. (2) Grouping could turn Groups B and C into near-independent blocs dominated by the League. (3) The League's obstruction in the interim government and spreading riots convinced the Congress that a smaller, strong India achieved quickly was better.

Example 7: Compare Plan and Act · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Distinguish between the Mountbatten Plan and the Indian Independence Act on four points.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Nature: the Plan was a proposal by the Viceroy; the Act was a law of the British Parliament.
Date: 3 June 1947 versus royal assent 18 July 1947.
Content (Plan only): voting procedures in Punjab, Bengal and Sind; referendums in NWFP and Sylhet.
Content (Act only): Governors-General, Constituent Assemblies as legislatures, the 1935 Act as interim constitution, abolition of the Secretary of State.

Answer: (1) The Plan was the Viceroy's proposal; the Act was a parliamentary law. (2) The Plan came on 3 June 1947; the Act received assent on 18 July 1947. (3) The Plan set out how partition would be decided (assembly votes, referendums). (4) The Act set up the legal framework of the new dominions (Governors-General, Constituent Assemblies, interim use of the 1935 Act, end of the Secretary of State).

Case-study practice (Section B style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 10-mark question split into 3 + 3 + 4 marks.

June 1947

Read the extract and answer the questions.

'On 3 June 1947 the Viceroy announced on the radio that the country would be divided. Some provinces would decide their fate by votes of their assemblies, and some districts by the votes of the people. A few weeks later, the British Parliament passed a law that ended two centuries of rule.'

(i) · 3 marks
Name the Viceroy and state two clauses of his plan regarding the provinces.
Answer
Answer: Lord Mountbatten. (1) The Punjab and Bengal assemblies would vote in two parts; if either part voted for partition, the province would be divided. (2) Referendums would be held in the NWFP and Sylhet (also: Sind's assembly would decide).
1 mark for the name; 1 per clause.
(ii) · 3 marks
Give three reasons why the Congress accepted the plan.
Answer
Answer: (1) Communal riots made partition seem the only way to end bloodshed. (2) The interim government with the League was unworkable. (3) A smaller but strong India achieved quickly was better than delay and possible fragmentation by the princely states.
1 mark per reason.
(iii) · 4 marks
Name the law and state four of its provisions.
Answer
Answer: The Indian Independence Act, 1947. (1) Two dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947. (2) A Governor-General for each. (3) Each Constituent Assembly to frame its constitution and act as legislature. (4) British paramountcy over the princely states ended (also: Secretary of State abolished; 1935 Act as interim constitution).
1 mark per provision.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Two provisions of the 1947 Act on constitutions. (2 marks) (2 marks)

Step	Marks
Constituent Assembly frames the constitution and acts as legislature.	1
1935 Act as interim constitution.	1

Three reasons for the Congress's acceptance of the Mountbatten Plan. (3 marks) (3 marks)

Step	Marks
Communal riots.	1
Failure of the interim government.	1
Strong smaller India / avoid delay and fragmentation.	1

Four provisions of the Indian Independence Act. (4 marks) (4 marks)

Step	Marks
Two dominions.	1
Governor-General for each.	1
Constituent Assemblies' powers.	1
Paramountcy lapses / Secretary of State abolished.	1

Where students lose marks in Independence and Partition of India

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Wrong clauses on princely states
CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates named Mountbatten correctly but erred in the clauses on the princely states.
Wrong working
Princely states would be merged into India.
Right working
Paramountcy would lapse; states were free to join India or Pakistan or remain independent.
Do this: Learn the two princely-state clauses word for word.
Usually costs: 2 marks.
Mistake: Mixing the Mountbatten Plan with the Independence Act
CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates mixed up clauses of the Mountbatten Plan with the Act.
Wrong working
Act: the provinces of Punjab and Bengal would decide by assembly votes; the Viceroy announced it on the radio on 3 June 1947.
Right working
The assembly-vote procedure and the 3 June announcement belong to the Plan; the Act created the dominions, Governors-General and the Constituent Assemblies' powers, and gave legal effect to the partition.
Do this: Plan = how to decide partition; Act = legal set-up of the dominions.
Usually costs: Up to 4 marks.
Mistake: Saying the Cabinet Mission accepted Pakistan
Students see the grouping and assume Pakistan.
Do this: The Mission rejected Pakistan and proposed a Union with three groups.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Giving general partition causes for the Congress's acceptance
Students write the British 'divide and rule' history rather than the immediate reasons.
Do this: Use the immediate 1946-47 reasons: riots, interim government, Jinnah's stand, weak Centre, delay.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

Practice questions on Independence and Partition of India

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Under the Cabinet Mission Plan, Group B consisted of:
(a) Bengal and Assam
(b) Punjab, NWFP and Sind
(c) Madras and Bombay
(d) Bihar and Orissa
Hint
North-west.
Answer
(b) Punjab, NWFP and Sind.
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level
In which two areas did the Mountbatten Plan provide for referendums?
(a) Punjab and Bengal
(b) Sind and Baluchistan
(c) NWFP and Sylhet
(d) Assam and Bengal
Hint
One province and one district.
Answer
(c) NWFP and Sylhet.
Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
What was Direct Action Day? Why did it matter?
Hint
16 August 1946.
Answer
The Muslim League observed 16 August 1946 as Direct Action Day to press for Pakistan. It led to large-scale communal riots, starting in Calcutta, which made partition appear unavoidable.
Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Mention two clauses of the Cabinet Mission Plan regarding the interim government and the princely states.
Hint
Indians in charge; paramountcy.
Answer
An interim government with all portfolios held by Indians would be formed with the support of major parties; paramountcy would not pass to the new government and the states would negotiate their entry into the Union.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Mention three clauses of the Mountbatten Plan.
Hint
Partition, voting, states.
Answer
(1) India would be divided into two dominions, India and Pakistan. (2) Punjab and Bengal assemblies would vote in two parts on partition. (3) Princely states would be free to join either dominion or remain independent (also: referendums in NWFP and Sylhet; Boundary Commission).
Q6 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Why did the Muslim League accept the Mountbatten Plan though Pakistan was smaller than it wanted?
Hint
Main aim achieved.
Answer
Because the plan conceded its main demand, a separate Pakistan. Though Punjab and Bengal were divided, giving a smaller Pakistan, the League preferred this to the uncertain alternative of a united India.
Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
State four provisions of the Indian Independence Act, 1947.
Hint
Dominions, Governor-General, Assemblies, paramountcy.
Answer
(1) Two independent dominions from 15 August 1947. (2) A Governor-General for each dominion. (3) Constituent Assemblies to frame constitutions and act as legislatures. (4) Paramountcy over princely states lapsed and the office of Secretary of State was abolished.
Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
'The lapse of paramountcy was the most dangerous clause for India's unity.' Do you agree? Give reasons.
Hint
How many states? What could they do?
Answer
Yes. Hundreds of princely states, covering a large part of India, became free to join either dominion or stay independent. If many had chosen independence, India would have been broken into fragments; this threat had to be met by persuading the states to accede.
Q9 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Why did the Cabinet Mission Plan fail?
Hint
Different readings of the grouping clause.
Answer
The Congress and the League interpreted the grouping clause differently: the League saw it as a step towards Pakistan, while the Congress held that provinces could not be forced into groups. When the Congress declared it would not be bound by the grouping, the League withdrew its acceptance and called for Direct Action, and the plan broke down.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who were the members of the Cabinet Mission?Show answer
Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A. V. Alexander.
2.How many members were proposed for the Constituent Assembly?Show answer
389.
3.Which subjects were given to the Union under the Cabinet Mission Plan?Show answer
Defence, foreign affairs and communications.
4.When did the Indian Independence Act receive royal assent?Show answer
18 July 1947.
5.Which title did the British Crown give up?Show answer
'Emperor of India'.

Best order to study it

Read the background briefly.
Learn the Cabinet Mission Plan clauses.
Learn the Mountbatten Plan clauses, especially those on provinces and princely states.
Learn the reasons for acceptance.
Learn the Independence Act provisions and compare with the Plan.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Cabinet Mission 1946: Union, no Pakistan; Centre = defence, foreign affairs, communications; Groups A, B, C; Constituent Assembly 389; interim government.
Direct Action Day 16 August 1946: riots.
Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947: two dominions; Punjab and Bengal vote in two parts; referendums in NWFP and Sylhet; Sind assembly decides; Boundary Commission; princely states free.
Acceptance: riots, unworkable interim government, Jinnah's stand, strong smaller India, avoid delay.
Independence Act 18 July 1947: dominions from 15 August; Governors-General; Constituent Assemblies as legislatures; 1935 Act interim; paramountcy ends; Secretary of State abolished; 'Emperor of India' dropped.

Independence and Partition of India: frequently asked questions

Do I need the events of partition, such as the riots and migration?

The syllabus tests the clauses of the three documents and the acceptance of the Mountbatten Plan. Know the riots only as a reason for acceptance.

Why was the date of independence brought forward to 15 August 1947?

Mountbatten felt that delay would worsen communal violence and the administrative breakdown, so he advanced the transfer from June 1948 to 15 August 1947.

Was the Cabinet Mission Plan accepted by both parties?

Both initially accepted it, but they disagreed over the grouping clause. The League withdrew its acceptance in July 1946 and called for Direct Action, so the plan failed.

Based on: CISCE ICSE 2027 History & Civics syllabus (H.C.G. Paper 1); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Marking Scheme, History & Civics (501)