Top 25+ 3rd June Plan 1947 MCQs with Answers for CSS & PMS
1. The 3rd June Plan is also known as the _____.
Correct Answer: A. Mountbatten Plan
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan is also called the Mountbatten Plan, named after Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, who announced this plan for the partition of British India on June 3, 1947.
2. The 3rd June Plan was announced on _____.
Correct Answer: C. 3 June 1947
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan was publicly announced by Lord Mountbatten on June 3, 1947, outlining how British India would be divided and when it would receive independence. The plan was simultaneously approved by Congress, the Muslim League, and the Sikh leadership.
3. The 3rd June Plan was announced by _____.
Correct Answer: B. Lord Mountbatten
Explanation: Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of British India (appointed February 1947), announced the partition plan on 3 June 1947 after negotiations with Congress and the Muslim League. The plan had been approved by the British Cabinet and all major Indian political parties.
4. The key provision of the 3rd June Plan was _____.
Correct Answer: C. Partition of British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan’s fundamental decision was the partition of British India into two independent sovereign states – India (Hindustan) and Pakistan – both initially as Dominions within the British Commonwealth, free to leave the Commonwealth whenever they chose.
5. The 3rd June Plan gave a very short timeline for independence. The original date was _____.
Correct Answer: C. 15 August 1947 (original date moved up from June 1948)
Explanation: When Mountbatten arrived in India (March 1947), the British timetable for withdrawal was June 1948. Mountbatten accelerated the process dramatically – the 3rd June Plan set independence for mid-August 1947, just 10 weeks after the announcement, leaving little time for organized transition.
6. Under the 3rd June Plan, the provinces of Punjab and Bengal were to be _____.
Correct Answer: C. Divided between India and Pakistan (partition of Punjab and Bengal)
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan provided for the partition of both Punjab and Bengal – the two largest provinces with mixed Hindu-Muslim populations – with Muslim-majority districts going to Pakistan and Hindu-majority districts going to India. This division was worked out by the Boundary Commission headed by Sir Cyril Radcliffe.
7. The Boundary Commission that drew the partition line was headed by _____.
Correct Answer: C. Sir Cyril Radcliffe
Explanation: Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer who had never before been to India, was appointed to head the Boundary Commissions for both Punjab and Bengal. He drew the “Radcliffe Line” (the actual border between India and Pakistan) in just 5 weeks – a hasty exercise with profound humanitarian consequences.
8. The 3rd June Plan gave the princely states the option to _____.
Correct Answer: C. Accede (join) to either India or Pakistan based on their geographical location and the will of the people
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan ended paramountcy – the British Crown’s supremacy over the 565 princely states. Each state was to decide whether to accede to India or Pakistan (with geographical contiguity as the primary consideration). This led to the Kashmir dispute and other crises.
9. Sindh, Balochistan, and NWFP voted to join Pakistan under the 3rd June Plan through _____.
Correct Answer: C. Their provincial assemblies voting to join Pakistan (and NWFP through a referendum)
Explanation: Under the 3rd June Plan: Sindh’s provincial assembly voted to join Pakistan; Balochistan’s Shahi Jirga voted for Pakistan; NWFP held a referendum (July 1947) in which 99% voted for Pakistan. Bengal and Punjab held assembly votes that resulted in partition of those provinces.
10. The most controversial provision of the 3rd June Plan related to _____.
Correct Answer: C. The NWFP referendum (Congress opposed it, as NWFP Congress government was pro-Congress)
Explanation: The NWFP (North-West Frontier Province) had a Congress government led by Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (Dr. Khan Sahib). Congress wanted the NWFP to be given to India or given independence, not forced to choose between India and Pakistan. The 3rd June Plan’s referendum in NWFP was a victory for the Muslim League, with 99% voting for Pakistan.
11. The 3rd June Plan was accepted by the Muslim League because _____.
Correct Answer: C. It conceded the principal demand – a separate Muslim state (Pakistan) albeit a “moth-eaten” one
Explanation: Jinnah called the divided Pakistan a “moth-eaten” one (since Punjab and Bengal were partitioned rather than given entirely to Pakistan), but accepted the plan because it finally gave Muslims their own separate, sovereign state – the core demand since 1940. A half-Pakistan was better than no Pakistan.
12. The 3rd June Plan was accepted by Congress because _____.
Correct Answer: C. It offered a strong central government for India and was seen as the only way to end political deadlock and prevent further communal violence
Explanation: Congress (particularly Nehru and Patel) accepted partition because it offered: a strong, unitary Indian government without Muslim veto; an end to the political deadlock; and the only realistic way to achieve independence quickly given the escalating communal violence. Independence without partition seemed impossible.
13. The division of the military assets (army, navy, air force) and financial assets between India and Pakistan was called _____.
Correct Answer: C. The Partition Council’s decisions (including a 36% Pakistan / 64% India split of assets)
Explanation: The Partition Council (with representatives from both India and Pakistan) worked out the division of British India’s assets: Pakistan received about 17.5% of financial and other assets (approximately matching its revenue base), and the military was divided – with both sides claiming the process was unfair.
14. The 3rd June Plan led to one of the largest migrations in human history. This migration involved approximately _____.
Correct Answer: C. 10–15 million people crossing the new borders
Explanation: The partition of British India triggered one of history’s largest mass migrations – an estimated 10–15 million people crossed the new borders (Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan to India; Muslims from India to Pakistan), accompanied by horrific communal violence that killed approximately 200,000–2,000,000 people (estimates vary widely).
15. The “Radcliffe Award” (Radcliffe Line) was particularly controversial regarding _____.
Correct Answer: B. The Gurdaspur District allocation to India (which gave India a land route to Kashmir) and the Indian canal head allocation
Explanation: Pakistan has long alleged that the Radcliffe Line was deliberately drawn to include the Gurdaspur District (with a narrow Muslim majority) in India, giving India a land route to Kashmir. This is disputed by historians, but the Kashmir dispute that followed (and continues today) is directly related to the 3rd June Plan’s partition of Punjab.
16. Pakistan’s Independence Day is celebrated on _____, while India’s is on _____.
Correct Answer: B. 14 August / 15 August
Explanation: Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day on 14 August 1947 (when Lord Mountbatten was in Karachi to hand over power to Pakistan) and India celebrates on 15 August 1947 (when the formal transfer of power ceremony occurred in Delhi). There is historical debate about whether Pakistan’s independence was technically on the 14th or 15th, but Pakistan officially celebrates the 14th.
17. The 3rd June Plan’s announcement followed the failure of _____.
Correct Answer: C. The Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) which had tried to keep India united through a three-tier federal structure
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan came after the failure of the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) – which had proposed a complex three-tier federated united India to satisfy both Congress and the Muslim League but was rejected when Congress objected to the mandatory grouping of Muslim-majority provinces.
18. Quaid-e-Azam’s reaction to the 3rd June Plan was to call the partitioned Pakistan a _____.
Correct Answer: C. “Moth-eaten Pakistan”
Explanation: Jinnah famously called the Pakistan he received under the 3rd June Plan a “moth-eaten” one – because Punjab and Bengal were partitioned rather than given to Pakistan in their entirety, and because the princely states of Kashmir, Hyderabad, and Junagadh added further complications. Despite this, he accepted it.
19. Under the 3rd June Plan, the new Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was given the responsibility of _____.
Correct Answer: C. Framing Pakistan’s constitution and serving as the interim legislature
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan provided for a Pakistan Constituent Assembly to be formed from the Muslim League members of the existing Indian Constituent Assembly (representing Muslim-majority areas). This assembly was to frame Pakistan’s constitution and also function as Pakistan’s first legislature.
20. The 3rd June Plan’s significance for Pakistan is that it _____.
Correct Answer: C. Was the legal framework through which Pakistan came into existence as a sovereign state on 14 August 1947
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan (implemented through the Indian Independence Act 1947) was the legal mechanism through which Pakistan became a sovereign, independent state. It provided the constitutional framework, timeline, and territorial basis on which Pakistan was founded on 14 August 1947.
21. The Indian Independence Act 1947, which gave legal effect to the 3rd June Plan, was passed by _____.
Correct Answer: C. The British Parliament (Westminster)
Explanation: The Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed by the British Parliament (Westminster) on 18 July 1947 with remarkable speed. It received royal assent just 6 weeks before the actual independence date, giving legal force to the 3rd June Plan and creating the dominions of India and Pakistan.
22. The first Governor-General of Pakistan was _____.
Correct Answer: C. Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Quaid-e-Azam)
Explanation: Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah became Pakistan’s first Governor-General on 14 August 1947. He refused Lord Mountbatten’s appointment as joint Governor-General of both India and Pakistan (which Mountbatten had proposed), insisting on Pakistan having its own Governor-General from the start.
23. Lord Mountbatten’s role in the 3rd June Plan was _____.
Correct Answer: C. Mediating between Congress and Muslim League to reach the partition agreement and implementing the accelerated timeline
Explanation: Lord Mountbatten played a crucial mediating role – negotiating with Congress leaders (especially Nehru, Patel) and Jinnah to reach an agreement. However, historians debate whether his close personal friendship with Nehru and acceleration of the timeline disadvantaged Pakistan (especially regarding the hurried Radcliffe Line, which was drawn in just 5 weeks).
24. The 3rd June Plan stipulated that both India and Pakistan would initially be _____.
Correct Answer: C. Dominions of the British Commonwealth (like Canada and Australia)
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan established that both India and Pakistan would initially become Dominions within the British Commonwealth, like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Both were free to change this status later – Pakistan became a republic in 1956, India in 1950.
25. The 3rd June Plan was presented to Indian political leaders for their approval on _____.
Correct Answer: B. 2 June 1947 (the evening before the public announcement)
Explanation: Lord Mountbatten presented the partition plan to Indian leaders (including Nehru, Patel, Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, and Baldev Singh for Sikhs) on the evening of 2 June 1947 in a secret meeting at Viceroy’s House. After receiving their approval, Mountbatten publicly announced the plan the next day, 3 June 1947.
26. Mahatma Gandhi’s reaction to the 3rd June Plan was _____.
Correct Answer: C. Deep anguish – he opposed partition but was overruled by Nehru, Patel, and the Congress leadership
Explanation: Gandhi was deeply opposed to the partition of India, calling it the “vivisection of India.” However, by 1947 he was politically isolated within Congress – Nehru and Patel (the dominant Congress leaders) had accepted that partition was inevitable. Gandhi did not formally support the 3rd June Plan but could not stop it.
27. The 3rd June Plan dealt with the Bengal issue by _____.
Correct Answer: C. Dividing Bengal – East Bengal (Muslim majority) to Pakistan; West Bengal (Hindu majority) to India
Explanation: Bengal was partitioned for the second time in India’s history under the 3rd June Plan: East Bengal (with Dhaka and Chittagong, Muslim majority) joined Pakistan and became East Pakistan (now Bangladesh since 1971); West Bengal (with Calcutta, Hindu majority) remained part of India.
28. Who won the NWFP referendum held under the 3rd June Plan?
Correct Answer: B. Pakistan/Muslim League (99% voted for Pakistan)
Explanation: The NWFP referendum (July 1947) held under the 3rd June Plan resulted in 99% of voters choosing to join Pakistan. Congress and the Khudai Khidmatgar (“Red Shirts”) led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan boycotted the referendum, explaining the lopsided result. NWFP joined Pakistan.
29. The 3rd June Plan resulted in which major unresolved issue that still affects relations between India and Pakistan?
Correct Answer: C. The Kashmir dispute (the Maharaja of Kashmir delayed accession and ultimately acceded to India, which Pakistan disputed)
Explanation: The Kashmir dispute arose directly from the 3rd June Plan. Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir initially tried to remain independent, then signed the Instrument of Accession to India in October 1947 when Pakistan-backed tribal fighters invaded. Pakistan disputed this accession, leading to the first India-Pakistan war (1947–48) and the ongoing Kashmir conflict.
30. The 3rd June Plan’s legacy for Pakistan is that it created a country with a unique geographic challenge: _____.
Correct Answer: C. West and East Pakistan separated by 1,600 km of Indian territory – creating immense administrative and political challenges
Explanation: The 3rd June Plan’s partition created Pakistan as two geographically non-contiguous halves – West Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan) and East Pakistan (East Bengal) separated by 1,600 km of Indian territory. This fundamental geographic weakness ultimately contributed to the 1971 war and the creation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan.