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Q50 (IAS/2023) History & Culture ā€ŗ Modern India (Pre-1857) ā€ŗ Charter Acts and councils Official Key

By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?

Result
Your answer: ā€”  Ā·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4: The Charter Act of 1833. This Act was a landmark in the centralisation of British administration in India.

The key reasons why Option 4 is correct are:

  • Legal Transformation: The Act redesignated the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India, vesting in him all civil and military powers.
  • First Incumbent: Under this provision, Lord William Bentinck became the first Governor-General of India.
  • Centralisation: It deprived the Governors of Bombay and Madras of their legislative powers, centralising all legislative authority under the Governor-General of India.

Regarding other options:

  • The Regulating Act (1773) only created the post of Governor-General of Bengal.
  • Pittā€™s India Act (1784) and the Charter Act of 1793 focused on administrative control and commercial privileges without changing the designation of the Governor-General.
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Donā€™t just practise ā€“ reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India? [A] The Regulating Acā€¦
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 Ā· 7.5/10
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This is a 'Sitter' from the Bible of Polity (Laxmikanth, Chapter 1). It tests the absolute basics of administrative evolution. If you got this wrong, stop reading new material and fix your foundations immediately. It requires zero current affairsā€”just standard static text.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did the Regulating Act designate the Governor General of Bengal as the Governor General of India?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Regulating Act 1773 created the office with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William, or Governor-General of Bengal"
Why this source?
  • Specifies what the Regulating Act of 1773 created: the office was titled Governorā€‘General of the Presidency of Fort William, i.e. Governorā€‘General of Bengal.
  • Shows the Regulating Act established the Governorā€‘General of Bengal (not the title Governorā€‘General of India).
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"It retitled the governor-general of Bengal as the governor-general of India"
Why this source?
  • Identifies the Charter Act of 1833 as the law that retitled the governor-general of Bengal as the governor-general of India.
  • Implies the designation to 'Governorā€‘General of India' occurred in 1833, not under the Regulating Act of 1773.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The Governor-General of Bengal was, thereafter, designated as the Governor General of India"
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states that after the Charter Act of 1833 the Governor-General of Bengal 'was, thereafter, designated as the Governor General of India'.
  • Supports that the change to the title 'Governor General of India' came with the 1833 Charter Act rather than the Regulating Act.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 1: Historical Background > The features of this Act were as follows: > p. 1
Strength: 5/5
ā€œā€¢ 1. It designated the Governor of Bengal as the 'Governor-General of Bengal' and created an Executive Council of four members to assist him. The first such Governor-General was Lord Warren Hastings.ā€¢ 2. It made the Governors of Bombay and Madras presidencies subordinate to the Governor-General of Bengal, unlikeā€
Why relevant

States the Regulating Act 'designated the Governor of Bengal as the "Governor-General of Bengal"' showing the Act named the office with Bengal in its title.

How to extend

A student could contrast this exact title with later statutes or maps of administrative reach to judge whether 'of India' was used then.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 17: Effects of British Rule > 17.1Establishment of British Raj > p. 265
Strength: 5/5
ā€œWarren Hastings was appointed the Governor General of Bengal. The administrative head of East India Company was Governor (of Fort William or of Fort St. George) until 1772. Warren Hastings, who was Governor of Fort William, was made Governor-General of Bengal according to the Regulating Act of 1773. The Charter Act 1833 designated this post as Governor-General of India and William Bentinck was appointed the first Governor-General of united British India.ā€
Why relevant

Says Warren Hastings 'was made Governor-General of Bengal according to the Regulating Act of 1773' and separately notes the Charter Act 1833 designated the post as 'Governor-General of India'.

How to extend

Compare the two acts' wording or timelines to infer that 'Governor-General of India' was a later designation, not in the 1773 Act.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 1: Historical Background > The features of this Act were as follows: > p. 1
Strength: 4/5
ā€œā€¢ 1. It designated the Governor of Bengal as the 'Governor-General of Bengal' and created an Executive Council of four members to assist him. The first such Governor-General was Lord Warren Hastings.ā€¢ 2. It made the Governors of Bombay and Madras presidencies subordinate to the Governor-General of Bengal, unlikeā€
Why relevant

Repeats that the Regulating Act designated the Governor of Bengal as 'Governor-General of Bengal', reinforcing the pattern of the office being Bengal-specific under that Act.

How to extend

Use this repeated wording as a basis to check whether 'Governor-General of India' appears in other legislative reforms (e.g., Charter Acts).

Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 5: The Structure of the Government and the Economic Policies of the British Empire in India, 1757ā€”1857 > The Structure of Government > p. 91
Strength: 3/5
ā€œplaced the Governor-General at the mercy of his Council. Three of the Councillors could combine and outvote the Governor-General on any matter. In practice, Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General under the Act, and three of his Councillors quarrelled incessantly, often creating deadlocks in the administration. The Governor-General's control over the other two Presidencies also proved inadequate in practice. The defects of the Regulating Act and the exigencies of British politics necessitated the passing in 1784 of another important act known as Pitt's India Act. This Act gave the British Government supreme control over the Company's affairs and its administration in India.ā€
Why relevant

Describes the powers and limits of the Governor-General under the Regulating Act (e.g., control over presidencies proved inadequate), implying the office's authority was structured but not necessarily pan-India.

How to extend

A student could use this to reason that if the Act had intended a full 'Governor-General of India' role it would likely have granted clearer, stronger central authority.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 1: Historical Background > Act of 1786 > p. 2
Strength: 3/5
ā€œIn 1786, Lord Cornwallis was appointed as the Governor-General of Bengal. He placed two demands to accept that post, 1. He should be given power to override the decision of his council in special cases, 2. He would also be the Commander-in-Chief. Accordingly, the Act of 1786 was enacted to make both the provisions.ā€
Why relevant

Refers to appointments titled 'Governor-General of Bengal' (Lord Cornwallis in 1786), showing continued use of the Bengal title after the Regulating Act.

How to extend

Noting continued use of 'Governor-General of Bengal' after 1773 supports testing whether the 'of India' title was introduced only later.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CDS-I Ā· 2006 Ā· Q76 Relevance score: 8.60

By which one of the following Acts did the Governor-General of Bengal become the Governor-General of India ?

CAPF Ā· 2014 Ā· Q40 Relevance score: 4.95

Which one among the following was not a provision of the Regulating Act of 1773 ?

CDS-I Ā· 2006 Ā· Q77 Relevance score: 3.99

Who among the following was the first Governor-General of Bengal ?

IAS Ā· 2003 Ā· Q128 Relevance score: 3.85

Which one of the following provisions was NOT made in the Charter Act of 1833?

IAS Ā· 2005 Ā· Q86 Relevance score: 2.88

Consider the following: 1. Warren Hastings was the first Governor General who established a regular police force in India on the British pattern. 2. A Supreme Court was established at Calcutta by the Regulating Act, 1773. 3. The Indian Penal Code came into effect in the year 1860. Which of the statements is/are correct?