RAS question
Lord Chelmsford's viceroyalty (1916-1921) saw which of these events? 1. Rowlatt Act 2. Jallianwala Bagh 3. Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms 4. Non-Cooperation Movement
Correct answer: (A) All four.
Lord Chelmsford's viceroyalty from 1916 to 1921 covered the Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms and the launch of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Explanation
All four events fall within Chelmsford's tenure. Britannica identifies Lord Chelmsford as the viceroy who governed from 1916 to 1921 and records that Montagu's talks with him produced the 1918 Montagu-Chelmsford Report, the basis of the Government of India Act of 1919. The Rowlatt Act came in 1919, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred in April 1919 and the Non-Cooperation Movement began in 1920. Britannica's Rowlatt Act entry also treats the Act as a 1919 measure and links the agitation against it to the Amritsar violence. Since none of these dates falls outside 1916-1921, the inclusive answer is the only defensible one.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) It includes the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, but wrongly excludes the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms and the Non-Cooperation Movement, both of which fall inside Chelmsford's 1916-1921 viceroyalty.
- (C) It correctly keeps the three 1919-linked items, but omits the Non-Cooperation Movement, which began in 1920 under Chelmsford.
- (D) It is too narrow because it leaves out the Rowlatt Act of 1919 and the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920, both within Chelmsford's term.
Concept
This tests the modern Indian history habit of matching viceroys with major constitutional reforms and nationalist movements. It recurs in RAS because the same years connect repressive legislation, mass protest, constitutional change and Gandhi's national-level mobilisation.