Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 9 of 12 · Making & Sources of the Constitution
Questioneasy
This question was previously asked in

SSC

Sir Stafford Cripps, Lord Pethick-Lawrence and A. V. Alexander were the members of the:

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option C — Cabinet Mission (1946)

Detailed Solution

Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade) and A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty) were the three members of the Cabinet Mission, which came to India in March 1946.

Purpose:

The British government sent the Cabinet Mission to discuss with Indian leaders the transfer of power and the framing of a constitution for India.

The Cabinet Mission Plan (16 May 1946):

  • It rejected the demand for a fully sovereign Pakistan.
  • It proposed a loose federation (Union of India), consisting of British Indian provinces and princely states.
  • The Union would deal only with foreign affairs, defence and communications; all other subjects would be with the provinces.

The provinces would be grouped into three sections: Group A (Hindu-majority provinces: Madras, Bombay, United Provinces, Bihar, Central Provinces and Orissa), Group B (Muslim-majority provinces in the north-west: Punjab, North-West Frontier Province and Sind), and Group C (Bengal and Assam).

A Constituent Assembly would be elected by the provincial legislatures to frame the constitution.

An interim government would be formed with the support of the major political parties.

Reactions:

  • Both the Congress and the Muslim League initially accepted the plan, but they interpreted it differently, especially regarding the grouping of provinces.
  • The Muslim League later withdrew its acceptance and called for "Direct Action" to achieve Pakistan.

Results:

  • Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946.
  • The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946.
  • The failure to reach agreement led to communal violence and finally to the partition of India.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Cripps Mission (1942) had only one member, Stafford Cripps.
  • ✗The Simon Commission had seven British members.
  • ✗The Butler Committee examined relations with the princely states.

Quick tip

Remember: Cabinet Mission (March 1946) = Pethick-Lawrence, Cripps, A. V. Alexander (plan of 16 May 1946; three groups of provinces; Constituent Assembly first met 9 December 1946).

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Making & Sources of the Constitution Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.Who was the Constitutional Adviser (legal adviser) to the Constituent Assembly of India?
  2. Q2.The original Constitution of India was handwritten in English by:
  3. Q3.The idea of the 'Rule of Law' in the Indian Constitution was adopted from the Constitution of:
  4. Q4.The structural part of the Indian Constitution is largely derived from the:
  5. Q5.Which province had the highest representation in the Constituent Assembly of India as on 31 December 1947?

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Making & Sources of the Constitution — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Making & Sources of the Constitution, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers how the Indian Constitution was made: the Constituent Assembly, its committees and members, the drafting process and key dates, and the features India borrowed from other constitutions, such as the parliamentary system from Britain and Fundamental Rights from the USA. Exams frequently ask who chaired the Drafting Committee (B. R. Ambedkar), who was President of the Constituent Assembly (Rajendra Prasad), and when the Constitution was adopted (26 November 1949) and came into force (26 January 1950). Questions on borrowed features are very common, so learn a table of features and their source countries. Practise the making of the Constitution questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Making & Sources of the Constitution questionsBrowse all topics ›