How India won independence

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to D. Card A, a summary in our words, written today (from the Imperial War Museums): In 1940 the Muslim League called for a separate state for Muslims; it believed British plans would not help Muslims unless Muslim-majority areas formed independent states. When independence came in 1947, Pakistan had two parts, West Pakistan and East Pakistan, with India lying between them. In 1971 East Pakistan became a separate nation, Bangladesh. Several wars have been fought over the India–Pakistan border since 1947. Card B, an invented editorial, written for this sheet, July 1947: "A country in two halves, with a large foreign land between them, will find it hard to hold together." Card C, a summary in our words, written today (from Britannica): Mohammed Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League demanded a separate nation where Muslims would not be a minority under Hindu authority. About 15 million people were displaced. Card D, Reading Z (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): The split of 1971 shows that a shared religion alone did not hold Pakistan together; language, politics and distance also mattered.

2. 1.

   Card B (invented, July 1947) warned that a split country would struggle. A student says Card A's 1971 event proves it right. What is the best reply, Bo asks?

   • 1971 fits the worry, but Card A gives no cause and Card D lists other factors too
   • Agree: distance alone explains the split, since nothing else is named on Card A
   • Agree: the split came as the editorial warned, so its reasoning is proved right
   • Disagree: an editorial from 1947 cannot be compared with events in 1971
3. 2.

   Card C reports about 15 million displaced, and Card A mentions wars since 1947. A student says these show partition "solved nothing." What is the best response, Esme asks?

   • Agree: 15 million moved and wars followed, so partition plainly solved nothing for either country
   • Disagree: two independent countries appeared, so the problem was solved
   • Say the wars came from the 1947 border alone, since Card A dates them after 1947 and names no other cause
   • The cards show costs and conflict, but "solved nothing" is a judgment they do not test

4. Use this

   Cards A to E. Card A, facts in date order, a summary in our words, written today: In May 1946 a British Cabinet Mission proposed keeping India together as a loose union of provinces with a weak central government. The talks over it broke down within months. In 1940 the Muslim League called for a separate state for Muslims. In August 1942 Gandhi demanded immediate independence in his 'Quit India' speech. In 1945 Britain's new government pledged to end colonial rule. On June 3, 1947 Lord Mountbatten announced a plan for two states. Independence took effect on August 15, 1947. The border was announced on August 17. Card B, Reading X (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): Partition came mainly because the Muslim League's demand for a separate state, made in 1940, grew until the Congress and Britain had to accept it. Card C, Reading Y (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): Partition came mainly because Britain, worn out by the Second World War and in a hurry to leave, set a short timetable and left the border to a commission. Card D, Reading Z (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): Partition came mainly because talks in 1946 over a loose union of provinces failed, and after that no plan except two states could win agreement. Card E, a summary in our words, written today (from the Imperial War Museums): Britain's 1945 government pledged to end colonial rule, and Mountbatten arrived in March 1947 to oversee the handover.

5. 3.

   Reading Z says the failed 1946 talks were the main cause. Which fact on Cards A and E supports Z over Y, Jun asks?

   • In May 1946 a plan to keep India together as a loose union failed within months
   • The plan of June 3, 1947 and independence on August 15, about ten weeks apart
   • Mountbatten's arrival in March 1947 to oversee the handover
   • The Muslim League's 1940 call for a separate state for Muslims
6. 4.

   A student says X, Y and Z all use facts from Card A, so all three are right. What is the best reply, Kira asks?

   • Agree: each uses facts from the card, so the three explain partition equally well and no ranking is needed
   • Each can use true facts, but each ranks causes differently, so the three still compete
   • They cannot be compared, since each names a different cause and the card does not rank them
   • The reading using the earliest fact is right, since earlier causes outrank later ones
7. 5.

   Which new evidence would best help someone choose among Readings X, Y and Z, Luz asks?

   • A longer list of dates, since more dates show which cause came first and so which mattered
   • A bigger estimate of people displaced, since a larger human cost shows which cause was strongest
   • Another modern summary, since agreement among summaries settles the matter
   • Records of how British and Indian leaders explained their choices at the time
8. 6.

   A student claims: "Gandhi's campaigns alone brought independence." Which evidence tests that claim best, Milo asks?

   • Card A alone, since Gandhi's Quit India demand of 1942 came before the pledge and the plan
   • The readings, since the three accept that Gandhi's campaigns caused the 1945 pledge
   • Card A with the readings: each names another main cause, so "alone" needs evidence ruling them out
   • Card E alone, since it names the 1945 pledge and Mountbatten as the makers of the handover

9. Use this

   Cards A to D. Card A, a summary in our words, written today (from the Imperial War Museums): In 1940 the Muslim League called for a separate state for Muslims; it believed British plans would not help Muslims unless Muslim-majority areas formed independent states. When independence came in 1947, Pakistan had two parts, West Pakistan and East Pakistan, with India lying between them. In 1971 East Pakistan became a separate nation, Bangladesh. Several wars have been fought over the India–Pakistan border since 1947. Card B, an invented editorial, written for this sheet, July 1947: "A country in two halves, with a large foreign land between them, will find it hard to hold together." Card C, a summary in our words, written today (from Britannica): Mohammed Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League demanded a separate nation where Muslims would not be a minority under Hindu authority. About 15 million people were displaced. Card D, Reading Z (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): The split of 1971 shows that a shared religion alone did not hold Pakistan together; language, politics and distance also mattered.

10. 7.

    A student claims: "1971 shows religion cannot make a nation." What do the cards allow, Noah asks?

    • The claim is contradicted, since the League's 1940 demand led to a nation in 1947
    • The claim is fully supported, since East Pakistan left Pakistan in 1971 despite a shared religion
    • The claim cannot be tested, since Card D is invented and Card A is too short
    • A shared religion did not prevent a split here, but Card D also names language and politics
11. 8.

    Card A lists wars since 1947, and Card B (1947) predicted trouble. What is a fair statement about continuity, Ren asks?

    • Tension fell after 1971, since fewer parts of Pakistan shared a border with India
    • The 1947 border caused each later conflict, since each of those conflicts followed the drawing of the border
    • The wars ended the tension, since Card A lists no conflict after them
    • Tension continued for decades, but the cards do not show the 1947 line alone caused it
12. 9.

    East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971. Which statement is best supported by Card A, Tala asks?

    • The loss in 1971 shows the division of 1947 was bound to fail
    • A state formed in two parts in 1947 lost one in 1971; the cards give no reasons
    • India took over East Pakistan in 1971, since India lay between the two parts of Pakistan
    • Pakistan lost about half its people in 1971, since it lost one of its two parts

13. Use this

    Cards A to E. Card A, facts in date order, a summary in our words, written today: In May 1946 a British Cabinet Mission proposed keeping India together as a loose union of provinces with a weak central government. The talks over it broke down within months. In 1940 the Muslim League called for a separate state for Muslims. In August 1942 Gandhi demanded immediate independence in his 'Quit India' speech. In 1945 Britain's new government pledged to end colonial rule. On June 3, 1947 Lord Mountbatten announced a plan for two states. Independence took effect on August 15, 1947. The border was announced on August 17. Card B, Reading X (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): Partition came mainly because the Muslim League's demand for a separate state, made in 1940, grew until the Congress and Britain had to accept it. Card C, Reading Y (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): Partition came mainly because Britain, worn out by the Second World War and in a hurry to leave, set a short timetable and left the border to a commission. Card D, Reading Z (invented for this sheet, not a historian's words): Partition came mainly because talks in 1946 over a loose union of provinces failed, and after that no plan except two states could win agreement. Card E, a summary in our words, written today (from the Imperial War Museums): Britain's 1945 government pledged to end colonial rule, and Mountbatten arrived in March 1947 to oversee the handover.

14. 10.

    Looking at all five cards, what is the strongest limit on any claim about why India was divided, Zee asks?

    • The cards disagree about the dates, so no timeline can be built from the evidence they give
    • The readings are invented, so nothing on the other cards can be trusted
    • They are summaries and labeled readings; the leaders' own words are missing
    • The cards describe just British decisions, so Indian choices cannot be judged from them