The Making of the Constitution Test - 2

The correct answer is 1930

Key PointsThe Language of the Nation

• In the Constituent Assembly issues over national language was intensely debated over months.
• Language was an emotional issue and it was related to culture and heritage of the particular region.
• By 1930s, Congress and Mahatma Gandhi accepted Hindustani as National language.
• Hindustani language was easy to understand and was a popular language among large section of India.
• Hindustani developed with the interaction of diverse culture and language.
• Hindustani language was chiefly made up of Hindi and Urdu but it also contained words of another language.
• But unfortunately, the language also suffered from communal politics.
• Gradually, Hindi and Urdu started moving apart. Hindi started using more Sanskritise words similarly Urdu became more persianised.
• Even then, Mahatma Gandhi retained his faith in Hindustani.
• He felt that Hindustani was a composite language for all Indians.

The correct answer is Communist

Key PointsThe Aspiration of the People

• Somnath Lahiri, a communist member said ‘we Indians need to be free from British influences’.
• He further said Constituent Assembly was British-made and was working with British plan.
• Nehru said, in his response that it is true, British government played role in Assembly’s birth and attached conditions to the function of assembly. But, he also said, we have met because of strength of the people behind us and we shall go as far as people wish to go alongwith us.
• He believed that members of assembly were elected by provincial legislature and provincial legislature is elected by Indian people. So here, we represent our country men.
• The constituent assembly was expected to express the aspirations of people. Democracy, equality and justice were ideals that people of India aspires for.

The correct answer is Sardar Patel

Key PointsSeparate Electorate

• Intense debate took place in assembly on the issue of separate electorate.
  • B. Pocker Bahadur gave powerful presentation for continuation for separate electorate.
  • He said electorate will help in giving minorities representation in the political system and in governance of the country.
  • The need of Muslim could not be understood by non-Muslims-he further said.
• Many nationalist leaders saw separate electorates system as a tool to divide people on the basis of religion and they also believed that this idea was finally culminated in partition of the country. Therefore many leaders were against of it.
• Sardar Patel strongly declared that separate electorate was a poison that has entered the body of politics of our country and turned one community against other, caused blood sheds, riots and partition. So for a peace we need to remove separate electorate.

The correct answer is December 1946 to December, 1949.

Key PointsThe constitution

• The Indian Constitution is considered the supreme Indian law.
• This frames the fundamental principles of politics, practices, procedures, powers, rights, and government duties.
• Every person must have a good introduction to the Constitution of India as it imparts Constitutional supremacy instead of parliamentary supremacy.
• The Constituent Assembly and not the Parliament has created the Constitution of India.
• This gets adopted by the Indian citizens, and the Parliament can't override it.
• According to the Constitution, India is a secular, socialist, sovereign, and democratic republic, and it assures its citizens' various things, like liberty, equality, and justice. 
• The constitution was framed between December 1946 to December, 1949.

The correct answer is Urdu.

Key PointsLanguage issue

• The language issue was debated in the Constituent Assembly for many months.
• Till the decade of 1930s the Congress accepted the Hindustani out to be given the status of national language.
• Hindustani which was blend of Hindi and Urdu was a popular language among most of people of India.
• R.V. Dhulekar favoured the use of Hindi language as a language of constitution making.
  • He argued that the Hindi must be declared as a national language not as an official language.
  • He criticised that those who protested that the Hindi language was being forced on the nation.

The correct answer is All of the above.

Key PointsIndian constitution

• The Indian Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.
• It is the largest Constitution in the world.
• On 16 Jun 1946 Cabinet Mission presented a scheme for the formation of an Interim Government at the Centre.
• On 2nd September 1946, the Indian National Congress formed an Interim Government with Jawaharlal Nehru as the Vice-President.
• On 13 October 1946, Muslim League decided to join the Interim Government.  Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• A federal form of government was adopted in which political power is divided among centers and States. It means Government works at two levels. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Citizens of India have been granted Fundamental Rights. These are important for the progress and development of any individual.
• Division of power was made between the Centre and the States. There are 97 issues in the Union List, 66 issues in the State list, and 47 in the Concurrent List.
• On the subjects of the Union List, only the Centre can make laws. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• State has the power to make laws on subjects related to the State List.
• State and the Centre both have the power to make laws on the subject related to Concurrent list. But whenever there is a clash, the centre Law will prevail.
• At present there are 30 states and 7 Union territories in the Union of India.

The correct answer is both 1 and 2.

Key Points

• The Constitution will grant citizenship and rights, and in return citizens had to offer their loyalty to the state.
• Communities could be recognized as cultural entities and politically members of all communities are equal to the member of the state.

The correct answer is 22 January 1947.

Key PointsObjective Resolution to the Constitution of India

• Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the Objective Resolution to the Constitution of India on 13th December 1946 which laid down the principles of the constitution.
• The Objective Resolution provides the philosophy of the constitution.
• The Resolution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 January 1947.
• The Resolution proclaimed India as a sovereign Republic which is now independent of any external ruler.
• The Resolution stated that the citizens of India must be guaranteed justice, freedom and equality.
• It also talked about adequate safeguards for the minorities in the Indian society.
• The Objective resolution later took the form of Preamble of the Constitution of India.

The correct answer is 3

Key Points

• Draft constitution provided three lists of subject i.e.
  • Union List-union government can make laws on it.
  • State List, State government can make laws on it and
  • Concurrent List-Both Union and State government can make laws on listed items.
• More items are listed in Union list.
• In India-Union government is made more powerful so that it can ensure peace, security, and can coordinate on the matter of vital interest and to speak for whole country in the international sphere.
• However some taxes such as land and property taxes, sales tax and tax on bottled liquor could be levied and collected by the state on their own.

The correct answer is Mount Batten.

Key Points 

• Cabinet Mission (1946): 
  • ​This mission to India was launched by the British Government in March 1946 to discuss plans for the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian leadership.
  • The members of the mission were:
    • Lord Patrick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India,
    • Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade,
    • A.V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty.

Important Points

• On 22nd January 1946, the decision to send Cabinet Mission was taken and on 19th February 1946, the British PM C.R Attlee Government announced in the House of Lords about the mission and the plan to quit India.

Additional Information

• Important dates to remember:
  • 23 March-29 June: Cabinet mission visits India
  • 16 May: constitutional scheme
  • 16 June-plan for the formation of interim government)
  • 16 August-‘Direct Action Day’
  • 02 September: Congress forms interim government with Nehru as Vice-President
  • 13 October-Muslim League decides to join the interim government
  • 3-6 December: London conference of major Indian leaders aborted