Name: __________________________
Date: ________________
Section: 12.1
12.2
12.3
(circle one)
Modern World History
HW 2.8: Partition DBQ Prep
Instructions
In class tomorrow, you will write a document-based question on the following prompt:
Why did the British ultimately decide to partition India and Pakistan?
In preparation for this assignment, you will read and annotate the following documents,
found on pp. 43-45 of your coursepack:
 Document A. Muhammad Ali Jinnah on Partition, 1940
 Document B. Jawaharlal Nehru on Partition, 1946
 Document C. Lord Mountbatten on Jinnah, 1983
 Document D. Stanley Wolpert on Partition, 2006
For each of these documents, you should also answer the guiding questions below. You
should write the answers in your notebook, in complete sentences, and in your own words.
1. In Document A:
a. What does Jinnah believe about the differences between Muslims and
Hindus?
b. How do these beliefs support Jinnah’s argument about Partition?
2. In Document B:
a. Summarize Jinnah’s objection to partition on religious grounds.
b. Summarize Jinnah’s objection to partition on economic grounds.
3. In Document C:
a. How does Mountbatten characterize Jinnah? (Remember that Mountbatten is
speaking several decades after Partition.)
b. According to this account, how did Jinnah’s beliefs ultimately influence the
British decision about Partition?
4. In Document D:
a. How does Wolpert characterize Mountbatten’s approach to the British
withdrawal from India?
b. According to Wolpert, how did Mountbatten’s approach to the British
withdrawal from India affect the ultimate outcome of Partition?