Match List - I with List - II.

List - I                                                                                                            List - II                                                                                                             
(A) The August Offer                                                                                   (I) 1945
(B) The Cripps Mission                                                                               (II) 1942
(C) The Wavell Plan                                                                                    (III) 1946
(D) The Cabinet Mission Plan                                                                    (IV) 1940

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct option is D

The August Offer was made in 1940 during World War II, offering some constitutional reforms to India.
The Cripps Mission arrived in India in 1942 to seek Indian support for the war and propose a constitutional framework.
The Wavell Plan was announced in 1945 by Lord Wavell to resolve the political crisis in British India.
The Cabinet Mission Plan was introduced in 1946 to discuss the transfer of power to India and propose a federal structure.

Information Booster:

1. The August Offer (1940)
Wartime Context: Proposed by Viceroy Lord Linlithgow on August 8, 1940, it was a desperate attempt to gain Indian cooperation in World War II following the fall of France.
The "Veto" Power: It was the first time the British explicitly promised that no future constitution would be adopted without the consent of minorities, effectively giving the Muslim League a "veto" power over constitutional progress.
Nationalist Response: Jawaharlal Nehru famously remarked that the concept of "Dominion Status" was now "as dead as a doornail". In protest, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Individual Satyagraha, with Vinoba Bhave chosen as the first satyagrahi.

2. The Cripps Mission (1942)
American Pressure: The mission, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, was partly a result of pressure from US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who urged Winston Churchill to resolve the Indian political deadlock to ensure stability against Japanese advances.
"A Post-Dated Cheque": Gandhi rejected the offer of post-war Dominion Status, calling it "a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank".
Right to Secede: For the first time, the British admitted the possibility of partition by allowing provinces to opt out of the Indian Union and form their own constitutions, a clause that deeply alarmed the Congress.

3. The Wavell Plan & Simla Conference (1945)
Equal Representation: Lord Wavell proposed an Executive Council with "balanced representation," specifically equal proportions of "Caste Hindus" and Muslims.
The Breakdown: The Plan failed at the Simla Conference because Muhammad Ali Jinnah insisted that the Muslim League should have the sole right to nominate all Muslim members, while the Congress refused to be labeled as a "Hindu-only" party.

4. The Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)
Three-Tier Structure: To avoid partition, this plan proposed a complex three-tier federal system (Union, Groups of Provinces, and Provinces) with a weak center handling only defense, foreign affairs, and communications.
Rejection of Pakistan: Notably, the mission outright rejected the demand for a separate state of Pakistan, viewing it as administratively and economically unviable.
The Aftermath: Disagreement over the "grouping clause" led Jinnah to withdraw the League's acceptance and call for "Direct Action Day" on August 16, 1946, which triggered widespread communal violence and made partition inevitable.