Question

Which of the following is not true about the Rowlatt Act?
A. It allowed the detention of prisoners for five years without trial.
B. Gave the government powers to repress political activity.
C. It was passed despite opposition from the Indian members in the Imperial Legislative Council.
D. Led to the launch of a movement under Gandhi's leadership

Answer 1

Hint: The act mentioned in the question was also known as Anarchical and Revolutionary crimes act, passed in 1919. And as we know, it was a legislative council act.

Complete Answer:
Now that we know the other name of the act being talked about in the question and the year in which it was passed, let us have a look at some other details of the act as well, so that we can deduce which of the four options is the correct answer.
The act was passed in lieu of the expected threat from the conspiracies of national revolutionary strugglers. Moreover, it led to the ushering of Mahatma Gandhi into mainstream politics,hence beginning the Gandhian era.
The British government passed the Rowlatt Act which gave powers to the police to arrest any person without any reason whatsoever, and what we need to remember here is, this act was passed in spite of heavy resistance from the opposition.
Now, reading the above explanation, we can very clearly understand that option 'a' is the incorrect alternative, as no where the number of years of detention is mentioned.


Note: In such questions, the in depth analysis of the event is mandatory, because each option is very detailed and you should be very careful while reading them. You need to remember, most importantly the year 1919 in which this act was passed, the Governor General of India was Frederic Thesiger.