Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Just before Independence, it was announced by the British the end of their rule over India, the paramountcy of the British Crown over the Princely States would also lapse. This meant that all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent. The British government took the view that all these states were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent if they so wished. This decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states. This was a very serious problem and could threaten the very existence of a united India. The problems started very soon. First of all, the ruler of Travancore announced that the state had decided on Independence. The Nizam of Hyderabad made a similar announcement the next day. Rulers like the Nawab of Bhopal were averse to joining the Constituent Assembly.

What were the choices given to the princely states by the British?

All of the above

The correct answer is option (4) - All of the above

As per the passage:

Just before Independence, it was announced by the British the end of their rule over India, the paramountcy of the British Crown over the Princely States would also lapse. This meant that all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent. The British government took the view that all these states were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent if they so wished. This decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states.