The History and Culture of Pakistan: Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: The History and Culture of Pakistan revision notes

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Section A

1. Describe the aims of the Aligarh Movement. [4]

2. State the main provisions of the Lucknow Pact of 1916. [3]

Section B

3. Explain why Sir Syed Ahmad Khan believed Muslims should acquire Western education, giving three reasons. [7]

4. Explain the significance of the following: the partition of Bengal (1905), the formation of the Muslim League (1906), the Nehru Report (1928). [9]

5. Explain why the Lahore Resolution of 1940 was a turning point in the Pakistan Movement. [9]

6. Explain three problems faced by Pakistan immediately after independence in 1947, and how each was addressed. [10]

7. Explain why the events of 1857 mattered for Muslims in British India, giving two consequences. [6]

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Answers

1. To persuade Muslims to accept Western education while remaining faithful to Islam [1]; to remove British mistrust of Muslims following 1857 and to convince Muslims that the British were not their enemies [1]; to train Muslims for government employment, from which they had largely been excluded [1]; to promote the idea that Muslims were a separate community with distinct political interests [1].

2. The Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims [1]; weightage in representation for Muslims in provinces where they were a minority [1]; and both parties jointly demanded greater self-government from Britain [1].

3. Muslims had lost political power after 1857 and were regarded by the British as responsible for the revolt, so they were excluded from government service [1] [1]. While Hindus had accepted English education and were filling administrative and professional posts, Muslims had boycotted it and were falling far behind economically [1] [1]. Sir Syed argued that only through modern education could Muslims regain influence and compete for employment [1]; he also believed that science and Islam were not in conflict, which is why he founded the MAO College at Aligarh in 1875 [1] [1].

4. The partition of Bengal (1905) — created a Muslim-majority province of Eastern Bengal and Assam, giving Muslims better prospects in education and employment [1]; Hindu agitation and the annulment in 1911 convinced many Muslims that the British would yield to Congress pressure, so Muslims needed their own political organisation [1] [1]. The Muslim League (1906) — founded at Dhaka to protect Muslim political rights and present their case to the government [1]; it gave Muslims an organised, separate political voice for the first time [1] and secured separate electorates in the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 [1]. The Nehru Report (1928) — proposed joint electorates, a unitary structure and no reserved seats, rejecting almost every Muslim demand [1]; it convinced Muslim opinion that Congress would not protect their interests within a united India [1], and prompted Jinnah’s Fourteen Points in direct response [1].

5. The Lahore Resolution moved the demand from safeguards within a united India to the creation of separate states for Muslim-majority regions [1] [1]. It gave the Muslim League a single, clear and unmistakable objective, around which support could be mobilised, replacing years of negotiation over quotas and electorates [1] [1]. It followed the experience of Congress rule from 1937 to 1939, when Muslims felt their culture and religion were under pressure, so it had a concrete grievance behind it [1] [1]. It transformed the League into a genuine mass movement — its membership and electoral performance rose dramatically, culminating in the 1945–46 elections where it won almost all Muslim seats [1] [1]. From this point, partition rather than federation became the basis of all subsequent negotiation with Britain and Congress [1].

6. Any three, with responses. The refugee crisis — several million people crossed the border in conditions of appalling violence, needing food, shelter and employment [1] [1]; the government established a Ministry of Refugees and Rehabilitation, set up camps and allocated evacuee property, though resources were wholly inadequate [1]. Division of assets — Pakistan was allocated 17.5% of undivided India’s financial assets but initially received only a fraction; India withheld Rs. 550 million [1] [1]; the amount was eventually released after Gandhi’s intervention and fasting, though the delay crippled the early administration [1]. Absence of administrative machinery — Pakistan had no capital infrastructure, few trained civil servants and almost no industry, since most industrial areas remained in India [1] [1]; Karachi was made the temporary capital and offices were improvised, with officials working without furniture or files while a new administration was built from scratch [1]. Princely states and Kashmir — the accession of Junagadh, Hyderabad and above all Kashmir led to the first war with India in 1947–48 [1] [1]; a UN-brokered ceasefire in January 1949 left the state divided and the dispute unresolved [1].

7. Any two: the East India Company was replaced by direct Crown rule, ending Company government entirely [1] [1]. The Mughal emperor was deposed, formally ending the last symbol of Muslim political authority in India [1] [1]. Muslims were blamed disproportionately for the uprising, even though Hindus had also taken part, and were excluded from government service and education as a result — the position Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s later reform movement was a direct response to [1] [1].

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Where marks are usually lost

• Describing the Aligarh Movement without linking it to the position of Muslims after 1857.
• Narrating the Lahore Resolution without explaining why it was a turning point.
• Listing post-independence problems without saying how they were addressed.
• Confusing the Nehru Report with Jinnah’s Fourteen Points.