Question

Who was the First Governor General of free India?

1. Lord Irwin
2. Lord Wavel
3. Lord Mountbatten
4. Lord Willingdon

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 3: Lord Mountbatten

Detailed Solution

The correct answer is Lord Mountbatten.

Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor-General of independent India, playing a key role in overseeing the transfer of power and the Partition in 1947.

Appointed as Last Viceroy: March 1947.
Oversaw the Partition of India and Pakistan under the Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947).
Advanced the transfer of power from June 1948 to 15 August 1947.
Served as the first Governor-General of independent India (15 August 1947 – 21 June 1948).
Worked closely with Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah during independence negotiations.
Retired from India in 1948 and later served as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff in the UK.

Latest UPSC Exam 2026 Updates

Last updated on July, 2026

→ UPSC Prelims Result 2026 is now out.

→ UPSC IFoS Prelims Result 2026 is now out.

→ Enroll in Vajiram & Ravi’s UPSC Mains Test Series 2026 for structured answer writing practice, expert evaluation, and exam-oriented feedback.

→ Join Vajiram & Ravi’s UPSC Mentorship Program 2026 for personalized guidance, strategy planning, and one-to-one support from experienced mentors.

→ Join Vajiram & Ravi’s UPSC Mentorship Program 2027 for personalized guidance, strategy planning, and one-to-one support from experienced mentors.

→ UPSC Prelims Provisional Answer Key 2026 out for GS Paper 1 and CSAT.

→ UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2026 Out, Download GS Paper 1 PDF conducted on 24th May 2026.

→ UPSC Mains 2026 will be conducted from 21st August 2026 onwards, and UPSC Prelims 2027 will be held on 23rd May 2027.

→ UPSC Final Result 2025 is now out.

→ UPSC has released UPSC Toppers List 2025 with the Civil Services final result on its official website.

→ Anuj Agnihotri secured AIR 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025.

→ UPSC Notification 2026 & UPSC IFoS Notification 2026 is now out on the official website at upsconline.nic.in.

→ UPSC Calendar 2027 has been released.

→ Check out the latest UPSC Syllabus 2026 here.

→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.

→ Shakti Dubey secures AIR 1 in UPSC CSE Exam 2024.

→ Also check Best UPSC Coaching in India

Abhishek Singh

Abhishek Singh is an SEO Specialist and content strategist with over 4.5 years of experience in driving organic growth across education and service-based industries. He specializes in on-page SEO, technical SEO, content optimization, and data-driven strategies that improve search visibility and organic traffic. His work focuses on creating accurate, well-researched, and search-optimized content that helps students, professionals, and online audiences find reliable information. By combining SEO expertise with a strong understanding of search intent and evolving search technologies, he works to build content that delivers visibility, engagement, and long-term trust.