Q40. In which year was the Battle of Bedara between British and Dutch forces fought?
[SSC CHSL, 11 Aug 2021, Shift 2]
(a) 1764
(b) 1760
(c) 1772
(d) 1759
Answer: (d) 1759
Explanation: The British defeated the Dutch near Chinsurah in November 1759 in the Battle of Bedara. The result reduced Dutch hopes of displacing the Company in Bengal following British ascendancy after the Battle of Plassey.
Q39. At the Battle of Swally in 1612, English ships fought against which European navy?
[SSC CHSL, 6 Aug 2021, Shift 1]
(a) Danish
(b) Portuguese
(c) Dutch
(d) French
Answer: (b) Portuguese
Explanation: The naval Battle of Swally occurred off Surat in 1612 between the English East India Company and Portuguese vessels. English success enhanced the Company’s standing with local Mughal authorities and helped it secure commercial footholds in Gujarat.
Q38. The First Carnatic War was fought principally between which European powers?
[SSC JE, 24 Mar 2021, Morning]
(a) English and French
(b) Portuguese and English
(c) French and Portuguese
(d) Dutch and English
Answer: (a) English and French
Explanation: The First Carnatic War, from 1746 to 1748, was part of the worldwide Anglo-French rivalry associated with the War of the Austrian Succession. It ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and the return of Madras.
Q37. Under the Regulating Act of 1773, who became Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William?
[SSC JE, 23 Mar 2021]
(a) Cornwallis
(b) John Shore
(c) Warren Hastings
(d) George Barlow
Answer: (c) Warren Hastings
Explanation: Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of Bengal under the framework of the Regulating Act. The office was supported by a council and marked a step toward centralizing Company government over British settlements in India.
Q36. Which European nationality first opened the all-sea Cape route to India?
[RRB NTPC CBT I, 7 Jan 2021, Shift 2]
(a) French
(b) English
(c) Portuguese
(d) Dutch
Answer: (c) Portuguese
Explanation: Portuguese navigators established a direct maritime link with India when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498. The voyage followed attempts to navigate around Africa and preceded the formation of the English, Dutch and French trading companies.
Q35. Among Broach, Chicacole and Trichinopoly, which had an English Company factory during the first quarter of the seventeenth century?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2021]
(a) Broach only
(b) Broach and Chicacole
(c) Trichinopoly only
(d) Chicacole and Trichinopoly
Answer: (a) Broach only
Explanation: Broach, now Bharuch, was an early English trading centre in Gujarat in the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Chicacole and Trichinopoly do not fit that same early period, making Broach the only correct entry.
Q34. Which town of West Bengal was formerly ruled by Denmark?
[WB Police Constable, 2021]
(a) Chuchura
(b) Chandannagar
(c) Serampore
(d) Barrackpore
Answer: (c) Serampore
Explanation: Serampore, in present-day Hooghly district, was known under Danish colonial rule as Frederiksnagore. Danish administration continued there until the settlement was sold to Britain in 1845. Chinsurah was Dutch and Chandannagar was French.
Q33. During the Battle of St. Thomé or Adyar, the Nawab’s forces were defeated under the leadership of which French governor?
[UP PGT History, 2021]
(a) Nizam-ul-Mulk
(b) La Bourdonnais
(c) Dupleix
(d) Robert Clive
Answer: (c) Dupleix
Explanation: French troops under the overall French administration of Joseph Dupleix defeated the Nawab of Carnatic’s army near the Adyar River in 1746. The encounter exposed how disciplined European formations could prevail despite smaller numbers.
Q32. At which port did the English East India Company establish its early major factory?
[HP TGT Arts TET, 2021]
(a) Ahmedabad
(b) Madras
(c) Surat
(d) Pondicherry
Answer: (c) Surat
Explanation: Surat was the Company’s early western Indian trading base under Mughal authority. After the English naval success at Swally, commercial privileges strengthened, and factories later spread to other centres such as Madras, Bombay and Calcutta.
Q31. Which Vijayanagara ruler permitted Albuquerque to build a Portuguese fort at Bhatkal?
[KPSC Group C, 2021]
(a) Virupaksha II
(b) Krishnadeva Raya
(c) Achyuta Raya
(d) Sadashiva Raya
Answer: (b) Krishnadeva Raya
Explanation: The Portuguese cultivated trading relations with Vijayanagara under Krishnadeva Raya. Permission associated with a fort at Bhatkal reflected mutual interest in commerce and military resources, particularly the profitable supply of Arabian and Persian horses.
