In which year did the British East India Company establish its first trading post in India?
Answer: A
The British East India Company established its first trading post at Surat in 1608 under the leadership of Captain William Hawkins.
Q.2Easy
Which battle marked the beginning of British political dominance in India?
Answer: B
The Battle of Plassey (1757) between Robert Clive and Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah marked the beginning of British political dominance in India.
Q.3Easy
Who was the first Governor-General of India under British rule?
Answer: A
Warren Hastings served as the first Governor-General of India from 1774 to 1785 after the Regulating Act of 1773.
Q.4Easy
The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 started at which military cantonment?
Answer: B
The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 started at Meerut on May 10, 1857, when sepoys revolted against the British East India Company.
Q.5Easy
The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was enacted during whose viceroyalty?
Answer: B
The Vernacular Press Act was passed during Lord Lytton's viceroyalty (1876-1880) to suppress nationalist newspapers and vernacular press criticism.
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Q.6Easy
Which of the following was NOT a feature of the Regulating Act of 1773?
Answer: C
The Regulating Act of 1773 did not introduce dyarchy; it established the Governor-General position and Supreme Court. Dyarchy was introduced much later through the Government of India Act 1919.
Q.7Easy
The Permanent Settlement of 1793 in Bengal was implemented by which Governor-General?
Answer: B
Lord Cornwallis implemented the Permanent Settlement in Bengal in 1793, which fixed land revenue payments and created the zamindari system.
Q.8Easy
The 1857 Revolt began in which cantonment?
Answer: B
The 1857 Revolt began at Meerut cantonment on May 10, 1857, when sepoys refused to use the new cartridges believed to be greased with animal fat.
Q.9Easy
The Hunter Commission was constituted to enquire about which incident?
Answer: B
The Hunter Commission (1920) was appointed to enquire into the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of April 1919 in Amritsar.
Q.10Easy
Which act formally transferred India's administration from the East India Company to the British Crown?
Answer: B
The Government of India Act 1858 formally ended Company rule and brought India under direct Crown administration, with the Viceroy as the supreme authority.
Q.11Easy
Who among the following British officials introduced the Ryotwari system in southern India?
Answer: A
Thomas Munro introduced the Ryotwari settlement where the British directly taxed peasants (ryots) as individual landowners, creating a different revenue system from the Zamindari in North India.
Q.12Easy
The Drain of Wealth theory primarily attributable to which Indian economic historian?
Answer: A
Dadabhai Naoroji systematically documented how British policies transferred wealth from India to Britain through taxes, profits, and trade imbalances, coining the term 'Drain of Wealth'.
Q.13Easy
Which British legislative act first established clear parliamentary sovereignty over Indian administration?
Answer: B
The Government of India Act 1858 formally transferred authority from the East India Company to the British Crown and Parliament, establishing direct British sovereignty over India.
Q.14Easy
The Santhal Rebellion of 1855 is historically significant as:
Answer: B
The Santhal Hul was a massive tribal rebellion against British land policies and exploitation, representing organized indigenous resistance and inspiring later peasant and tribal movements against colonial rule.
Q.15Easy
The Regulating Act of 1773 was primarily enacted to:
Answer: A
The Regulating Act of 1773 was the first attempt by the British Parliament to control and regulate the East India Company's activities in India, establishing a Governor-General in Bengal.
Q.16Easy
What was the primary consequence of the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Lord Dalhousie?
Answer: B
The Doctrine of Lapse allowed the British to annex Indian princely states when rulers died without natural heirs, significantly expanding British territorial control and contributing to discontent that fueled the 1857 Rebellion.
Q.17Easy
The Indian Councils Act of 1861 introduced which significant administrative change?
Answer: B
The Indian Councils Act of 1861 introduced the first limited Indian representation in legislative councils, though members had minimal powers and were mostly nominated rather than elected.
Q.18Easy
The Government of India Act of 1858 resulted in which major administrative change?
Answer: B
The Government of India Act of 1858, enacted after the 1857 Rebellion, formally transferred administrative control from the East India Company to the British Crown, establishing direct imperial control.
