Which major constitutional feature was first introduced by the Government of India Act, 1935 and later adopted in the Indian Constitution?

Correct — B. The Government of India Act, 1935 planned an All-India Federation of provinces and princely states, and split powers into Federal, Provincial and Concurrent lists.

It also ended dyarchy in the provinces and gave them provincial autonomy, which began in 1937. The Constitution kept the three-list scheme as the Union, State and Concurrent Lists: option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Fundamental Duties — Fundamental Duties came in 1976, through the 42nd Amendment, which added Article 51A. Neither the 1935 Act nor the original Constitution had them.
• (c)
  Parliamentary Sovereignty — Parliamentary sovereignty is a British idea, not a 1935 innovation. India's Parliament works under a written Constitution and judicial review, and Kesavananda Bharati (1973) barred it from amending the basic structure.
• (d)
  Universal Adult Franchise — The 1935 Act kept a property-based franchise. It widened the vote without making it universal. Universal adult franchise came with the Constitution, under Article 326.

The Government of India Act, 1935 had two halves. The federal half, an All-India Federation of provinces and princely states, never came into operation because the princes did not join.

The provincial half did. Dyarchy in the provinces was abolished, and provincial portfolios went to ministers enjoying the support of the provincial legislatures.

The Constitution drew on the Act's three-list division of powers, which survives in the Seventh Schedule.

Key facts

• The Government of India Act, 1935 abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced provincial autonomy, in force from 1937.
• The Act divided powers into three lists: Federal, Provincial and Concurrent.
• The All-India Federation it proposed never came into being because the princely states did not join.
• Fundamental Duties were added by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, as Article 51A.

Common traps

• Picking Universal Adult Franchise because the 1935 Act extended the vote: it widened a property-based franchise without making it universal.
• Crediting the 1935 Act with a working federation: its federal part never came into operation.

No directly related past PYQ was found.