1.Wood’s dispatch sent by the Court of Directors of the East India Company in 1854 was related to ___________.
A. Famine
B. Military
C. Textiles
D. Education
Solution
The correct answer is Education.
Key Points
- The Wood’s Despatch was introduced by the President of the Board of Control of the British East India Company, Charles Wood in 1854.
- It is known as the Magna Carta of English Education in India.
- The Wood’s Despatch was a formal dispatch to Lord Dalhousie the then Governor-General of India from Charles Wood, suggesting a huge shift to English language use within India.
- It paved the way for using vernacular languages in primary education and the English language in higher education in India.
Additional Information Some Important committees of the British
| Commission Name | Purpose | Chairman |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Commission | To review the political situation in India and suggest constitutional reforms. | Sir John Simon |
| Indian Railway Enquiry Committee | To assess and propose recommendations for the development of railways in India. | Sir William Acworth |
| Whitley Commission | To address issues related to labor and suggest measures to stimulate industrial growth in India. | Whitley |
2. Wood’s Despatch is related with ______.
A. Education
B. Famine
C. Trade
D. Military
Solution
The correct answer is Education.
Key Points:
- Charles Wood was the President of the Board of Control(Introduced through Pitt’s India Act, 1784) of English East India Company.
- He had also been the Secretary of the state of India.
- In 1854 he sent a despatch to Lord Dalhousie(the Governor-General of India at that time).
- Wood’s despatch suggested that primary schools must Adopt vernacular languages.
- Through the despatch, he also suggested that high schools use anglo-vernacular medium and that English should be the medium for college-level education.
- Hence, Wood’s Despatch is considered as ‘Magna-Carta’ of English Education in India.
3. _______ served as the summer capital of British India between 1864 and 1939.
A. Kalimpong
B. Shimla
C. Mount Abu
D. Gangtok
Solution
The correct answer is Shimla.
Key Points
- Shimla was formally designated as the British Empire’s summer capital by Sir John Lawrence in 1864.
- Within three miles of the well-known Christ Church in the Shimla Bazaar, the capital was located.
- It quickly transformed into a tiny English town with a variety of structures, including the Home Department of the Government of British India, the Armed Forces Headquarters, and others.
- Between April and October of each year, the British relocated from Calcutta to Shimla.
- The whole colonial bureaucracy, including the armed forces, participated in the annual move to Simla, in addition to the Viceroy and his council.
- After Independence, Shimla became the capital of Punjab and was later named the capital of Himachal Pradesh.
- So Shimla served as the summer capital of British India between 1864 and 1939.
- In 1903 a rail line was constructed between Kalka and Shimla.
4. Which of the following Indian states was the first state to sign a subsidiary alliance with the British?
A. Hyderabad
B. Cochin
C. Travancore
D. Maratha
Solution
The correct answer is Hyderabad.
Key Points
- The first subsidiary treaty was signed by the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1798.
- The Subsidiary Alliance System was a “Non-Intervention Policy” used by Lord Wellesley who was the Governor-General (1798-1805) to establish British Empire in India.
- The Nizam of Hyderabad’ was the first to sign this policy in 1798 AD.
- The Second state to sign this policy was Mysore in 1799 AD.
So we conclude that the correct answer is Hyderabad.
Additional Information
- The Subsidiary Alliance System was a “Non-Intervention Policy”.
- It was introduced by Lord Wellesley who was the Governor-General from 1798 to 1805. Hence option 1 is correct.
- It was a treaty between the British East India Company and therefore the Indian princely states, by virtue of which the Indian kingdoms lost their sovereignty to the English.
- It was Marquis Dupleix, the French Governor-General who actually used it for the first time.
- The Nawab of Awadh was the primary ruler to enter into the subsidiary alliance with the British after the Battle of Buxar.
- The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first who simply to accept a well-framed subsidiary alliance.
- An Indian ruler who was getting into Subsidiary Alliance with the British had to dissolve his own army and accept British forces in his territory.
- Indian rulers also had to pay for the British army’s maintenance. If he did not make the payment, a portion of his territory would be taken away and ceded to the British.
- In return, the British would protect the Indian state against any foreign attack or internal revolt.
- The Indian ruler, thus, lost all powers in respect of foreign affairs and therefore the military.
- India state virtually lost all its independence and became a British ‘protectorate.
5. In which of the following years was Goa conquered by the Portuguese?
A. 1510
B. 1579
C. 1526
D. 1590
Solution
The correct answer is 1510.
Key Points
- Conquest of Goa by the Portuguese
- With the aid of Krishnadev Raya (ruler of the Vijaynagar empire), Afonso de Albuquerque defeated Ismail Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur, and captured Goa in 1510 AD.
- He is also credited with ending the Sati tradition in Goa.
- Goa was officially taken over by the Portuguese and Albuquerque on February 17, 1510, with no resistance
- Under penalty of death, Albuquerque reaffirmed that the city was not to be taken over and that its citizens were not to be injured.
- Timoji’s intelligence of the enemy’s preparations was confirmed when the Portuguese discovered more than 100 horses belonging to the ruler of Bijapur, 25 elephants, and partially finished new ships within the city.
- Goa served as the principal Portuguese base in the East for four and a half centuries and eventually became the capital of the Portuguese East Indies and Portuguese Indian territories.
Additional Information
- History of Goa
- Despite being the geographically smallest state in India, Goa has a lengthy and varied history.
- With regard to colonial influences and a multicultural aesthetic, it has many similarities to Indian history.
- During the Iron Age, Goa was governed by the Mauryan and Satavahana Empires.
- The Kadamba dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Bijapur Sultanate all ruled over Goa during the Middle Ages.
- After a 36-hour fight, India conquered Goa in 1961 and seized it.
- In 1987, Goa received statehood as a result of the Konkani language agitation.
- Among the Indian states, Goa has one of the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita.
6. Which of the following events took place in the year 1856?
A. Tantya Tope was captured, tried to escape and was put to death.
B. Awadh was captured by the British East India Company.
C. Mangal Pandey was hanged.
D. Bahadur Shah Zafar was sent to Rangoon jail.
Solution
The correct answer is Awadh was captured by the British East India Company.
Key Points
- The Company annexed the state of Awadh in 1856 on the charges of misgovernance by the Nawab of Awadh.
- It was captured on the order of Lord Dalhousie under the Doctrine of lapse.
- Wajid Ali Shah was the ruler of Awadh during the annexation and was later deported to Garden Reach in Metiabruz, Kolkata.
Additional Information
- About the Doctrine of lapse
- It is an annexation policy, that a princely state in which the ruler did not have a legal male heir would be annexed by the company.
- It was started by Lord Dalhousie, then Governor General of India.
- Annexed state- Satara (1848), Jaitpur (1849), Sambalpur (1849), Bhagat 1850, Udaipur (1852), Jhansi (1853) and Nagpur (1854).
Important Points
- Events in 1856
- Passing of Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856.
- Charles Canning became the Governor General of India.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on 23 July 1856.
7. Robert Clive, who was one of the founders of the establishment of British supremacy in India, came to India in the year ________.
A. 1543
B. 1733
C. 1743
D. 1643
Solution
The correct answer is 1743.
Key Points
- Robert Clive, who was one of the founders of the establishment of British supremacy in India, came to India in the year 1743.
- Robert Clive was the First Governor of Bengal at the time of the company’s rule who took office in 1758 after the assassination of the Nawab in Murshidabad in 1757.
- Dual Administration was introduced in the year 1765 by Robert Clive.
- Dual Administration divided the administration of Bengal into two parts.
- Diwani: It meant to Right to collect revenue (lay in the hands of the British).
- Nizamat: means Administration, which will be administered by Nawab of Bengal.
Additional Information
- Robert Clive the first English Governor of Bengal presidency made a settlement with the Nawab of Awadh in 1765, this settlement was also referred to as the First Treaty of Allahabad.
- The treaty was signed between Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, and Robert Clive.
- Shuja-ud-Daula was the Nawab of Awadh from 1754 to 1775. He was the successor of Safdar Jang.
- According to the treaty the Nawab paid 50 lakhs to the English as war indemnity (protection/insurance).
- Nawab also surrendered Allahabad and Kora to the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
- Robert Clive was the First British Governor of the Bengal Presidency.
- The Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Siraj Ud Daulah and Robert Clive.
- He is also known as Babar of British India.
8. In ______, the East India Company acquired a charter from the ruler of England, Queen Elizabeth I, granting it the sole right to trade with the East.
A. 1600
B. 1610
C. 1620
D. 1580
Solution
The correct answer is 1600.
Key Points:
- In 1600, the East India Company acquired a charter from the ruler of England, Queen Elizabeth I, granting it the sole right to trade with the East, without competition from other British traders.
- But that royal charter could not stop other European powers such as the Portuguese, Dutch, and French.
- And all those European companies wanted to buy the same things from India – fine qualities of cloth and spices.
- As competition grew, profits fell, and the European trading companies started building forts and fighting each other.
- With more business came more conflicts with Indian rulers, and it became difficult for European traders to keep their business separate from Indian politics.
Additional Information:
- Portuguese (1498) were 1st company that came to India with Vasco da Gama who had discovered the sea route to India via Cape of Good Hope(Africa).
- Dutch East India Company came in 1595.
- English East India Company came to India in 1600.
- Danish East India Company came to India in 1616.
- French East India Company was the last company came to India in 1664.
9. Who was the Governor General of Bengal when the Permanent Settlement was introduced there in 1793?
A. Charles Cornwallis
B. Lord William Bentinck
C. Lord Mountbatten
D. Lord Ripon
Solution
The correct answer is Charles Cornwallis.
Key Points
- Lord Cornwallis
- Lord Cornwallis was the Governor-General of Bengal when the Permanent Settlement was introduced there in 1793.
- The permanent settlement is also known as the Permanent Settlement of Bengal.
- It was an agreement between the British East India Company and the Landlords of Bengal to fix the land revenue.
- Land revenue was the major source of income for the British in India.
- Permanent Settlement was one such land revenue system.
- It was first introduced in Bengal and Bihar and later it was introduced in Madras and Varanasi.
- This system was also known as the Zamindari system.
- He is known as the ‘Father of Civil Services in India’.
- He created the post of District Judge.
- he was the first person to codify laws in 1793.
Additional Information
- Warren Hastings
- First Governor-General of Bengal.
- He abolished the dual system of administration.
- Regulating Act of 1773 and Pitt’s India Act of 1784.
- Rohilla war in 1774.
- He established Supreme Court in Calcutta.
- He founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
- First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782) ended with the Treaty of Salbai.
- The second Anglo-Mysore war (1780-1784) ended with the Treaty of Mangalore.
- Sir John Macpherson
- Sir John Macpherson was a British administrator in India.
- He was the acting Governor-General of Bengal from 1785 to 1786.
- Sir John Shore
- He introduced the first Charter act of 1793.
10. On 12 August ______, the Mughal emperor appointed the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal.
A. 1765
B. 1768
C. 1772
D. 1760
Solution
The correct answer is 1765.
Key Points
- East India Company:-
- It was a privately owned company that was established to create profitable trade with countries in the region of Asia called the “East Indies”.
- It was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth in 1600.
- The company was formed to own a stake in the East Indian spice business.
- That trade was a monopoly of Spain and Portugal until the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588) by England gave the British a chance to break the monopoly.
- By 1612 the company made separate trips, subscribing separately.
- There were temporary joint stocks until 1657 when a permanent joint stock was raised.
- On 12 August 1765 the Mughal emperor appointed the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal.
