British Policies on Education in India

British Policies on Education in India

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Explore 20 unique MCQs on British Policies on Education in India. This set covers in-depth questions with answers and explanation.

MCQs on British Policies on Education in India

Q1. Which key aspect of the Charter Act of 1813 marked the beginning of state intervention in Indian education?
a) Establishment of English-medium schools
b) Allocation of funds for promoting education
c) Introduction of missionary schools only
d) Creation of universities in Calcutta and Bombay

Answer: b) Allocation of funds for promoting education

Explanation: The Charter Act of 1813 directed the Company to allocate one lakh rupees annually for education, marking the first formal state initiative towards Indian education. This fund was initially underutilized due to conflicts over its application.

Q2. The controversy between Anglicists and Orientalists in the 1820s–30s primarily revolved around:
a) Financing of religious instruction
b) Language of instruction and curriculum
c) Establishing female schools
d) Excluding Indians from higher learning

Answer: b) Language of instruction and curriculum

Explanation: Anglicists promoted English and Western sciences, while Orientalists supported classical Indian learning in Sanskrit and Persian. This ideological conflict culminated in Macaulay’s Minute (1835), which officially promoted English education in India.

Q3. What was the main objective behind Macaulay’s “Minute on Indian Education” (1835)?
a) To promote traditional Indian sciences
b) To create a class of anglicized Indians
c) To support vernacular education at all levels
d) To establish universities immediately

Answer: b) To create a class of anglicized Indians

Explanation: Macaulay envisioned producing Indians who were “Indian in blood and colour but English in taste.” His policy aimed to create intermediaries who would assist in colonial administration and spread Western values.

Q4. Which governor-general implemented the decision of adopting English as the medium of higher education in 1835?
a) Lord Wellesley
b) Lord Bentinck
c) Lord Dalhousie
d) Lord Canning

Answer: b) Lord Bentinck

Explanation: Lord William Bentinck accepted Macaulay’s recommendations and declared English the medium of higher education in India. This policy altered the trajectory of Indian education, emphasizing Western sciences and literature.

Q5. The Wood’s Despatch (1854) is often called the “Magna Carta of English Education in India” because:
a) It only emphasized English-language education
b) It introduced the principle of state responsibility in education
c) It discouraged the spread of technical education
d) It prioritized missionary control of schools

Answer: b) It introduced the principle of state responsibility in education

Explanation: Wood’s Despatch laid a comprehensive framework for modern education, recommending universities, teacher training, and vernacular primary education. It made education a state duty, a landmark shift in policy.

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Q6. Which of the following was a direct outcome of Wood’s Despatch (1854)?
a) Founding of universities at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras
b) Establishment of the Asiatic Society
c) Appointment of Indian members to educational boards
d) The policy of compulsory primary education

Answer: a) Founding of universities at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras

Explanation: Following the Despatch, three universities were established in 1857, modeled on the University of London. They became central to shaping the modern educated elite of India.

Q7. The Hunter Commission of 1882 primarily focused on which educational level?
a) Higher education reforms
b) Primary education and its expansion
c) Professional technical education
d) Women’s education at universities

Answer: b) Primary education and its expansion

Explanation: The Hunter Commission stressed the importance of primary education for the masses. It recommended that primary education should be conducted in vernacular languages and made the responsibility of local bodies.

Q8. Which principle was emphasized in the Hunter Commission’s recommendations on primary education?
a) Compulsory and free education for all
b) Decentralization through local boards and municipalities
c) English-only medium for rural schools
d) Religious instruction by missionaries

Answer: b) Decentralization through local boards and municipalities

Explanation: The Commission suggested handing over primary education to local boards and municipalities, introducing decentralization. This allowed local authorities to finance and manage schools, though implementation varied widely.

Q9. What was the most significant feature of the Indian Universities Act (1904)?
a) Establishment of new universities across India
b) Curtailment of university autonomy and stricter government control
c) Introduction of compulsory English
d) Inclusion of vocational training programs

Answer: b) Curtailment of university autonomy and stricter government control

Explanation: The 1904 Act aimed at regulating Indian universities, giving more powers to the government in administrative matters and affiliating colleges, thereby restricting independent educational initiatives by Indians.

MCQs on British Policies on Education in India

Q10. Lord Curzon’s educational policy was criticized mainly because:
a) It promoted vocational training excessively
b) It limited Indian participation in educational administration
c) It favored only primary education
d) It abolished vernacular education entirely

Answer: b) It limited Indian participation in educational administration

Explanation: Curzon’s policies centralized control and minimized Indian influence in higher education. His University Act was perceived as a colonial attempt to stifle the intellectual freedom of Indian students and scholars.

Q11. The Sadler Commission (1917–19) recommended major reforms in:
a) Technical institutes only
b) Secondary and university education
c) Rural literacy programs
d) Female primary schools

Answer: b) Secondary and university education

Explanation: The Sadler Commission recommended a two-year intermediate stage between school and university, expansion of women’s education, and research promotion, reshaping modern Indian education’s higher structure.

Q12. Which unique feature of Sadler Commission’s recommendations differentiated it from earlier commissions?
a) Introduction of free primary schooling
b) Emphasis on research and postgraduate studies
c) State withdrawal from higher education
d) Vernacular-only higher education

Answer: b) Emphasis on research and postgraduate studies

Explanation: Unlike earlier commissions focused on administrative control, the Sadler Commission emphasized research, postgraduate studies, and a broader curriculum, laying the foundation for academic specialization.

Q13. Which British policy document officially accepted the need for female education in India?
a) Charter Act of 1813
b) Wood’s Despatch of 1854
c) Hunter Commission Report (1882)
d) Indian Universities Act (1904)

Answer: b) Wood’s Despatch of 1854

Explanation: Wood’s Despatch recognized female education as a state responsibility and encouraged its development. However, implementation was slow due to societal conservatism and inadequate funding.

Q14. The 1854 Despatch recommended vocational education mainly for:
a) Missionary institutions
b) Technical and industrial training
c) Rural artisan communities
d) British expatriates in India

Answer: b) Technical and industrial training

Explanation: The Despatch highlighted the importance of vocational and technical training to meet economic needs, though the colonial government never prioritized its effective development compared to literary education.

Q15. What was the broader socio-political implication of English education policy in the 19th century?
a) Spread of industrial revolution to India
b) Rise of an English-educated Indian elite that led nationalist movements
c) Suppression of Indian languages permanently
d) Complete rural literacy

Answer: b) Rise of an English-educated Indian elite that led nationalist movements

Explanation: English education created a new class of educated Indians who eventually spearheaded political awakening and nationalist struggles. Ironically, the colonial strategy of creating intermediaries contributed to anti-colonial resistance.

Q16. The Sargent Plan of 1944 envisaged which key educational reform?
a) Free and compulsory education for 14 years
b) Strict control of universities
c) Abolition of vernacular medium
d) Reduction of expenditure on mass literacy

Answer: a) Free and compulsory education for 14 years

Explanation: The Sargent Plan aimed at providing free, compulsory, and universal education for all children up to 14 years within four decades. It was ambitious but unachievable under colonial financial constraints.

Q17. Which education-related policy reflected the colonial goal of producing cheap clerks for administration?
a) Macaulay’s Minute (1835)
b) Hunter Commission (1882)
c) Sadler Commission (1917–19)
d) Sargent Plan (1944)

Answer: a) Macaulay’s Minute (1835)

Explanation: Macaulay’s policy aimed at creating an anglicized class capable of serving as low-cost intermediaries in colonial administration. This clerical approach neglected scientific and vocational education.

Q18. Which Act was instrumental in introducing the concept of “government grants-in-aid” to educational institutions?
a) Charter Act of 1813
b) Wood’s Despatch (1854)
c) Hunter Commission Report
d) Indian Universities Act (1904)

Answer: b) Wood’s Despatch (1854)

Explanation: Wood’s Despatch introduced the grants-in-aid system, enabling private schools to receive state support if they met certain criteria. This system helped expand education but also reinforced government supervision.

Q19. What was one long-term impact of the British policy of promoting English higher education?
a) Decline of regional literature permanently
b) Emergence of new professions like law and journalism
c) Total rejection of Western sciences
d) Strengthening of caste hierarchy

Answer: b) Emergence of new professions like law and journalism

Explanation: English education opened new career paths in law, journalism, and administration. Many leaders of India’s freedom struggle, including lawyers and writers, came from this new professional class.

Q20. Which philosophical criticism was directed against British education policy in the 19th century?
a) It was too focused on agricultural sciences
b) It created intellectual dependency and cultural alienation
c) It promoted egalitarian values excessively
d) It prioritized village crafts over modern learning

Answer: b) It created intellectual dependency and cultural alienation

Explanation: Critics argued that British education policies alienated Indians from their cultural roots by glorifying Western thought while neglecting indigenous knowledge, thereby fostering intellectual dependency. This remains a debated legacy of colonial education.

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