Consider the following assertion:
The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.
Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?
- Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.
- Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.
- Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.
Select the answer using the code given below:
1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 2 only
1, 2 and 3
View Answer
Correct Answer: D — 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
The reasoning treats this as a causal-structure question, not a narrow chronology test. Statement 1 supports the assertion because separate electorates were retained and extended. Statement 2 supports it because the policy was meant to weaken unified Indian nationalism through communal fragmentation. Statement 3 is accepted as part of the later behavioral effect of that design: community-based mobilization around representational incentives.