Edexcel IGCSE History: Colonial Rule and the Nationalist Challenge in India, 1919–47 — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board. The extracts below are entirely invented for this exercise — none is a real historian’s work, and none should be treated or cited as one.

Related: India revision notes | India study guide

These questions practise the three Depth Study question types of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1 — extract impression (6), two effects (8) and a judgement essay (16) — across all five key topics of “Colonial rule and the nationalist challenge in India, 1919–47”.

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Question 1 — 1919 and the rise of Gandhi

Extract A (invented for this exercise).

“Within a single year Britain had offered India a little power with one hand and taken away its liberties with the other. Amritsar settled the argument: for millions, the promise of 1917 now looked like a lie.”

1(a) What impression does the author give about British policy in India in 1919? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6]

1(b) Explain two effects of the Amritsar Massacre (1919). [8]

1(c) “Gandhi’s methods were the main reason for the growth of Indian nationalism in the years 1919–27.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the Non-Cooperation Movement
• the Rowlatt Acts

You must also use information of your own.

Question 2 — key developments, 1927–42

Extract B (invented for this exercise).

“The walk to Dandi achieved nothing in law and almost everything in spirit. The salt tax survived; British authority, in the eyes of the world, did not.”

2(a) What impression does the author give about the Salt March? You must use Extract B to explain your answer. [6]

2(b) Explain two effects of the Government of India Act 1935. [8]

2(c) “The Second World War was the main reason the Muslim League grew stronger in the years 1937–45.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the 1937 elections
• the Quit India campaign

You must also use information of your own.

Question 3 — independence and partition, 1945–47

3(b) Explain two effects of Direct Action Day (16 August 1946). [8]

3(c) “Mountbatten was mainly responsible for the partition of India in 1947.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the Cabinet Mission
• the demand for Pakistan

You must also use information of your own.

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Answers and mark guidance

1(a) [6]

The author presents British policy as contradictory and ultimately discredited. The image of offering power “with one hand” and taking liberties “with the other” points to the 1919 Act and the Rowlatt Acts pulling in opposite directions. “Settled the argument” and “looked like a lie” suggest Amritsar ended Indian trust in British promises. Strong answers explain the effect of these word choices; brief own knowledge (dyarchy, Rowlatt) can support the reading.

1(b) [8]

• Moderates turned against British rule: Gandhi, previously willing to cooperate, launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920; Tagore renounced his knighthood.
• Division between Britain and India widened: the Hunter Committee censured Dyer, but support for him in Britain convinced many Indians that British justice did not apply to them.

1(c) [16]

Agree: satyagraha and non-cooperation (1920–22) turned Congress into a mass movement reaching peasants; boycotts of cloth and swadeshi gave ordinary people a way to take part; the alliance with the Khilafat campaign briefly united Hindus and Muslims.

Other factors: the First World War’s sacrifices and raised expectations; the Rowlatt Acts and Amritsar; the limits of the 1919 Act; economic hardship. Gandhi’s methods also had limits — non-cooperation ended after Chauri Chaura, and Hindu–Muslim unity collapsed in the mid-1920s.

Judgement: British actions created the anger; Gandhi’s methods gave it mass form.

2(a) [6]

The author suggests the Salt March was a symbolic triumph rather than a practical one. The balanced phrasing — “nothing in law” against “almost everything in spirit” — sets limited results against huge moral impact; “in the eyes of the world” points to international publicity.

2(b) [8]

• Provincial self-government: elected Indian ministries controlled the provinces, leading to the 1937 elections and Congress governments in most provinces.
• Unresolved central question: the proposed federation depended on the princes, who did not join, so Britain kept control at the centre, leaving nationalists dissatisfied.

2(c) [16]

Agree: Congress ministries resigned in 1939 while the League cooperated with the British; the Lahore Resolution (1940) gave the League a clear goal; Congress leaders were imprisoned after Quit India (1942), leaving the League free to organise.

Other factors: the League’s poor 1937 result and Congress’s refusal to share power in provinces, which pushed Muslims towards the League; Jinnah’s leadership and the “Day of Deliverance” in 1939; fears of Hindu domination.

Judgement: the war accelerated a shift that began with the experience of Congress rule after 1937.

3(b) [8]

• Communal violence spread: the Great Calcutta Killings were followed by violence in Noakhali and Bihar, making a united India seem impossible.
• Partition became likely: British and Congress leaders increasingly accepted that the League’s demand for Pakistan could not be ignored, which shaped Mountbatten’s plan in 1947.

3(c) [16]

Agree: Mountbatten concluded quickly that partition was the only solution, persuaded Nehru and Jinnah to accept the 3 June 1947 plan and brought independence forward to August 1947, leaving little time to draw boundaries or prevent violence.

Disagree: the demand for Pakistan dated from 1940 and was confirmed by the League’s success in the 1945–46 elections; the Cabinet Mission had already failed; Direct Action and communal violence made unity unworkable; Attlee had set the deadline of June 1948; long-term causes include separate electorates and the 1937 ministries.

Judgement: Mountbatten decided the timing and method, not the fact, of partition.

Where marks are usually lost

• In (a), quoting without explaining.
• In (b), giving causes of the event instead of its effects.
• In (c), discussing only the stated factor, or listing factors without weighing them.

Source: question patterns modelled on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 1.

Frequently asked questions

How is each Paper 1 depth study question structured? Each 4HI1 Paper 1 question has three parts: (a) what impression an extract gives (6 marks), (b) explain two effects (8 marks) and (c) a ‘how far do you agree’ essay (16 marks), with bullet prompts and your own knowledge.

Which events do these questions cover? Amritsar and the rise of Gandhi in 1919, the Salt March and other developments of 1927–42, and independence and partition in 1945–47.

What is a common part (b) mistake? Giving the causes of an event when the question asks for its effects.

Are these real Edexcel past-paper questions? No. They are original questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1; use them alongside the official past papers and mark schemes.