Q30. Which Mughal emperor permitted an English Company factory at Surat in 1613?
[SSC Stenographer, 24 Dec 2020, Shift 1]
(a) Aurangzeb
(b) Jahangir
(c) Babur
(d) Akbar
Answer: (b) Jahangir
Explanation: English merchants secured permission to develop trading facilities at Surat during Jahangir’s reign. Commercial contacts and diplomacy, including envoys William Hawkins and later Sir Thomas Roe, were essential to early Company establishment in Mughal India.
Q29. Who was Portugal’s first viceroy in India?
[SSC CPO, 23 Nov 2020, Shift 2]
(a) Lopo Soares de Albergaria
(b) Francisco de Almeida
(c) Duarte de Menezes
(d) Afonso de Albuquerque
Answer: (b) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida was appointed first Portuguese viceroy in 1505. His administration emphasized naval supremacy through the Blue Water Policy, while successor Albuquerque expanded territorial and fortified positions, especially after capturing Goa in 1510.
Q28. At which place did the Dutch establish an important early settlement in Bengal?
[UKSSSC Forest Guard, 16 Feb 2020, Shift 2]
(a) Calcutta
(b) Balasore
(c) Serampore
(d) Chinsurah
Answer: (d) Chinsurah
Explanation: The Dutch developed Chinsurah on the Hooghly as a leading trading settlement in Bengal. It supported exchange of textiles and other goods while connecting Dutch factories in eastern India to wider Indian Ocean shipping routes.
Q27. In which year did English Company vessels defeat Portuguese ships off Swally near Surat?
[UPSSSC Junior Assistant, 4 Jan 2020, Shift 1]
(a) 1609
(b) 1610
(c) 1612
(d) 1618
Answer: (c) 1612
Explanation: The Battle of Swally, also called Suvali, took place off Surat in 1612. English ships defeated a Portuguese force, improving the Company’s standing with Mughal authorities and helping it secure opportunities to trade in western India.
Q26. Which Portuguese official introduced the Blue Water Policy or associated maritime control approach?
[KSP Civil SI, 2020]
(a) Afonso de Albuquerque
(b) Francisco de Almeida
(c) Nuno da Cunha
(d) João de Castro
Answer: (b) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida’s governorship prioritized Portuguese strength at sea in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. The Blue Water Policy sought maritime supremacy, while Cartaz passes were used to regulate trading vessels navigating Portuguese-controlled sea lanes.
Q25. Which Company leader introduced Dual Government in Bengal?
[BPSC 66th CCE, 2020]
(a) Warren Hastings
(b) William Bentinck
(c) Robert Clive
(d) Lord Curzon
Answer: (c) Robert Clive
Explanation: Robert Clive introduced Dual Government in Bengal in 1765 after the Company’s acquisition of Diwani rights. It divided fiscal and nominal administrative responsibilities, creating major accountability problems until Warren Hastings abolished it in 1772.
Q24. The British fought which European rival at Wandiwash in 1760?
[BPSC 66th CCE, 2020]
(a) French
(b) Spanish
(c) Dutch
(d) Danish
Answer: (a) French
Explanation: Wandiwash was a major Anglo-French battle during the Third Carnatic War. Eyre Coote’s British troops defeated the French under Count de Lally in 1760, paving the way for the occupation of Pondicherry in 1761.
Q23. Which Bengal Nawab joined the anti-Company coalition at Buxar in 1764?
[ACC Exam, Aug 2020]
(a) Saadat Ali Khan II
(b) Mir Qasim
(c) Alivardi Khan
(d) Siraj-ud-Daulah
Answer: (b) Mir Qasim
Explanation: Mir Qasim, the displaced Nawab of Bengal, allied with Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh and Mughal emperor Shah Alam II against the English Company. Their defeat at Buxar made the Company the region’s dominant military power.
Q22. Which year marks the creation of France’s chartered East India Company?
[RRB JE CBT II, 1 Sep 2019, Shift 1]
(a) 1665
(b) 1667
(c) 1664
(d) 1666
Answer: (c) 1664
Explanation: French finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert promoted the East India Company in 1664 under Louis XIV. The venture sought to challenge Dutch and English trading influence, eventually establishing important Indian stations at Surat, Masulipatnam and Pondicherry.
Q21. Which European power brought the first printing press to India?
[DSSSB Librarian, 1 Sep 2019]
(a) French
(b) Portuguese
(c) Dutch
(d) British
Answer: (b) Portuguese
Explanation: Portuguese Jesuit missionaries introduced printing at Goa in 1556. It stimulated early religious and linguistic publications on the western coast, becoming a lasting cultural consequence of the early Portuguese presence beyond maritime trade and fortifications.
