Q20. Which of the following were former French possessions later incorporated into India: Yanam, Mahé and Karaikal?
[Bihar CET B.Ed, 10 Mar 2019]
(a) Only Yanam
(b) Only Mahé
(c) Only Karaikal
(d) All three
Answer: (d) All three
Explanation: Yanam, Mahé and Karaikal all belonged to the geographically dispersed French settlements in India. Their de facto transfer occurred in 1954 along with Pondicherry; French political and commercial involvement in India had begun centuries earlier.
Q19. The Dutch East India Company opened its Patna factory in what year?
[65th BPSC Prelims, 2019]
(a) 1601
(b) 1632
(c) 1774
(d) 1813
Answer: (b) 1632
Explanation: The Dutch Patna factory dates to 1632 and was part of the Company’s eastern Indian trading network. Dutch establishments also included Masulipatnam, Pulicat, Surat and Chinsurah, linking textiles and other goods to ocean commerce.
Q18. Which two chartered European companies fought the Carnatic Wars?
[WBCS Prelims, 2019]
(a) French and English
(b) French and Dutch
(c) Dutch and Portuguese
(d) English and Dutch
Answer: (a) French and English
Explanation: The English and French East India Companies fought three Carnatic Wars from 1746 to 1763. Rival Indian alliances, European wars and military contests culminated in British supremacy after Wandiwash and the Treaty of Paris.
Q17. Who ruled Calicut when Vasco da Gama arrived in 1498?
[Bihar STET, 2019]
(a) Jai Singh
(b) Zamorin
(c) Ratan Singh
(d) Raja Man Singh
Answer: (b) Zamorin
Explanation: Da Gama arrived at the port of Calicut during the rule of its Zamorin, the hereditary title of the local ruler. The visit exposed rivalries in Malabar’s trading world, where Indian and Arab merchant networks were influential.
Q16. When did Vasco da Gama reach India by the sea route?
[HP JBT TET, 2019]
(a) 1600
(b) 1498
(c) 1857
(d) 1945
Answer: (b) 1498
Explanation: The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama reached the port of Calicut in May 1498. His journey rounded the Cape of Good Hope, opening a direct maritime trade link between Europe and the spice-producing regions of Asia.
Q15. Which European nations fought each other during the Carnatic Wars?
[DSSSB TGT Social Studies, 14 Nov 2018]
(a) British and Marathas
(b) British and French
(c) Mughals and British
(d) French and Portuguese
Answer: (b) British and French
Explanation: The English and French East India Companies competed for trading, military and political advantages in southern India. Their three Carnatic Wars were shaped by European conflicts and Indian succession disputes and concluded with British pre-eminence.
Q14. In what year did the Portuguese capture Goa?
[RRC Group D, 18 Sep 2018, Shift 2]
(a) 1515
(b) 1516
(c) 1510
(d) 1512
Answer: (c) 1510
Explanation: Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510. The harbour became a powerful maritime base for Portugal, eventually replacing Cochin as headquarters and remaining under Portuguese rule until 1961.
Q13. From which political authority did the French East India Company obtain Pondicherry?
[SSC CHSL, 28 Mar 2018, Shift 3]
(a) Portuguese
(b) Golconda ruler
(c) Bijapur Sultanate
(d) English Company
Answer: (c) Bijapur Sultanate
Explanation: The French acquired their original foothold in Pondicherry through a local governor under the Bijapur Sultanate. François Martin developed it into the chief French trading settlement, which later became the administrative centre of French India.
Q12. Who introduced the Dual Government system in Bengal?
[SSC JE, 29 Jan 2018, Evening]
(a) Robert Clive
(b) Warren Hastings
(c) Lord Wellesley
(d) John Adams
Answer: (a) Robert Clive
Explanation: Robert Clive established Dual Government in Bengal in 1765, separating Company fiscal authority from nominal Nawabi administration. The arrangement persisted until Warren Hastings abolished it in 1772 amid mounting problems with responsibility and governance.
Q11. Which local official is associated with the grant of Pondicherry to the French?
[TNPSC Group 4, 2018]
(a) Bahlul Khan Lodi
(b) Ibrahim Lodi
(c) Sher Khan Lodi
(d) Iltutmish
Answer: (c) Sher Khan Lodi
Explanation: Sher Khan Lodi, an official associated with the Bijapur administration, facilitated the French acquisition of a site at Pondicherry in the 1670s. François Martin subsequently developed the settlement into an important French trading headquarters.
