When was the Rowlatt Act passed?

Appeared in: DSSSB - 29 August 2019 (Shift-2)

Explanation

The Rowlatt Act, officially the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, was passed by the British Indian government in March 1919.
The purpose of the act was to indefinitely extend the emergency powers of preventive detention, incarceration without trial, and censorship that were enacted during World War I under the Defence of India Act 1915.
This legislation was met with widespread opposition from the Indian public and was a major catalyst for the Rowlatt Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi.

Option A: This date is incorrect. No significant event directly related to the passage of the Rowlatt Act occurred in September 1919.
Option B: This date is incorrect and not associated with the timeline of the Rowlatt Act.
Option C: This is a very common distractor. April 1919 is the month when major protests against the Act occurred, including the nationwide hartal (strike) and the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 13). These were consequences of the Act, not the month it was passed.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Indian History: Rowlatt Act of 1919 as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
While not a clinical topic, understanding major historical events provides context for the social and political environment that has shaped a nation's development, including its public health systems.
Knowledge of events that involved mass casualties and civil unrest, like the protests following the Rowlatt Act, offers perspective on public health emergencies and the importance of civil rights.
What if? If the question had asked when the Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred, the correct answer would be April 1919. This highlights the importance of distinguishing between a cause (the Act) and its effect (the protest and subsequent massacre).

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key event and the specific action in the question: 'Rowlatt Act' and 'passed'.
This is a factual recall question that tests your knowledge of a specific date in modern Indian history.
Mentally reconstruct the timeline of events in early 1919. The repressive Act was the trigger for the protests that followed.
Evaluate the options. Recognize that April 1919 is a significant month related to this event, but it's associated with the consequences (protests and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre), not the passage of the law itself.
Since the protests and massacre in April were a reaction to the Act, the Act must have been passed shortly before. This points to March 1919 as the correct answer.
Eliminate the later months (August and September) as they are too far removed from the peak of the agitation.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QnqCJDDyeXIOOHrQxk_O0q

Practise the full DSSSB - 29 August 2019 (Shift-2)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.