Q150. Which European rival decisively weakened Dutch power in India during the eighteenth century?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 20 Jun 2026, Shift 1]
(a) French
(b) Portuguese
(c) British
(d) Danish
Answer: (c) British
Explanation: The British defeated Dutch forces near Chinsurah in the Battle of Bedara in 1759. Although Dutch trade did not disappear immediately, the encounter curtailed their political and military ambitions in Bengal and strengthened English commercial supremacy.
Q149. Which town functioned as the principal French East India Company settlement in India?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 19 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Mahé
(b) Karaikal
(c) Chandernagore
(d) Pondicherry
Answer: (d) Pondicherry
Explanation: Pondicherry, now Puducherry, developed into the major administrative and trading centre of French India under François Martin. Chandernagore served the Bengal region, while Mahé and Karaikal were other important French possessions along the Indian coast.
Q148. Who commanded the expedition that reached Calicut by the Cape sea route in 1498?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 18 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Bartolomeu Dias
(b) Vasco da Gama
(c) Afonso de Albuquerque
(d) Pedro Álvares Cabral
Answer: (b) Vasco da Gama
Explanation: Vasco da Gama reached the Malabar coast in 1498 by sailing around southern Africa and crossing the Indian Ocean. His voyage opened a direct maritime commercial link between Portugal and India and began a new stage of European rivalry.
Q147. What major fiscal privilege did the Company secure through the settlement at Allahabad in 1765?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 17 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Free French military assistance
(b) Direct rule over Travancore
(c) Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
(d) Permanent possession of Goa
Answer: (c) Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Explanation: The Mughal emperor Shah Alam II conferred Diwani, or revenue-collection rights, on the East India Company in 1765. This transformed its financial position in eastern India and provided resources for military and political expansion beyond commercial trade.
Q146. Which event immediately intensified the Company’s conflict with Siraj-ud-Daulah before Plassey?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 17 Jun 2026, Shift 1]
(a) French conquest of Madras
(b) Seizure of Calcutta and attacks on Company positions
(c) Dutch attack on Goa
(d) British purchase of Pondicherry
Answer: (b) Seizure of Calcutta and attacks on Company positions
Explanation: Siraj-ud-Daulah occupied Calcutta in 1756 amid disputes over fortification and Company privileges. The English reconquest and escalating hostilities contributed to the confrontation of 1757, in which Robert Clive’s forces defeated the Nawab at Plassey.
Q145. Which Indian state first accepted Wellesley’s subsidiary alliance in 1798?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 14 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Travancore
(b) Jaipur
(c) Hyderabad
(d) Mysore
Answer: (c) Hyderabad
Explanation: The Nizam of Hyderabad accepted a subsidiary alliance in 1798 and agreed to maintain a British force. The arrangement also reduced French military influence at his court, demonstrating how the East India Company expanded political control through diplomacy.
Q144. What was the broad effect of the British victory at Wandiwash in 1760?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 13 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(a) End of Portuguese control of Goa
(b) Collapse of French prospects for military supremacy in India
(c) Dutch capture of Bengal
(d) French takeover of Madras permanently
Answer: (b) Collapse of French prospects for military supremacy in India
Explanation: The defeat of French troops by Eyre Coote at Wandiwash undermined French military power during the Third Carnatic War. Pondicherry fell the following year, and British superiority increasingly determined the outcome of Anglo-French rivalry in southern India.
Q143. On which date is Vasco da Gama traditionally recorded as reaching the Calicut coast?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 13 Jun 2026, Shift 2]
(a) 20 May 1498
(b) 20 May 1509
(c) 31 December 1600
(d) 22 January 1760
Answer: (a) 20 May 1498
Explanation: The commonly cited arrival date is 20 May 1498 at Kappad near Calicut, today Kozhikode. Da Gama’s route around the Cape of Good Hope connected Atlantic and Indian Ocean navigation and increased European participation in the spice trade.
Q142. Which commercial monopoly did the Charter Act of 1813 largely abolish?
[SSC GD Constable, 20 May 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Company’s China trade
(b) Company’s tea trade
(c) Company’s trade with India except tea and China trade
(d) Opium trade worldwide
Answer: (c) Company’s trade with India except tea and China trade
Explanation: The Charter Act of 1813 opened most trade with India to private British merchants, ending the Company’s general monopoly. Its exclusive privileges concerning tea and trade with China continued until subsequent reforms, especially the Charter Act of 1833.
Q141. How did the English East India Company most effectively change from a merchant body into a territorial authority?
[UP PGT History, 9 May 2026]
(a) It consistently avoided Indian politics
(b) It combined trade with warfare and alliances
(c) It immediately became sovereign through the 1600 charter
(d) It abandoned coastal trade in the seventeenth century
Answer: (b) It combined trade with warfare and alliances
Explanation: The Company used local alliances, armies, treaties and the rivalries of Indian rulers to obtain political advantages. Victories such as Plassey and Buxar converted commercial influence into revenue rights and territorial power, particularly in eighteenth-century Bengal.
Q140. Which city became the capital of the Portuguese Estado da Índia?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 7 May 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Cochin permanently
(b) Surat
(c) Goa
(d) Malacca
Answer: (c) Goa
Explanation: Goa was conquered by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510 and became the Portuguese administrative capital in 1530, replacing Cochin. Its harbour and strategic location made it a crucial centre for the Portuguese network of Indian Ocean fortresses.
Q139. Under Bengal’s dual government after 1765, which division of responsibilities broadly prevailed?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 7 May 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Company collected revenue while the Nawab retained nominal administration
(b) British and French jointly governed Bengal
(c) The Nawab commanded all Company troops
(d) Dutch authorities collected Bengal revenue
Answer: (a) Company collected revenue while the Nawab retained nominal administration
Explanation: Robert Clive’s dual government combined Company control of Diwani revenue with nominal Nawabi responsibility for administration. The separation obscured accountability and enabled the Company to exercise substantial power while shifting many obligations to Indian authorities.
Q138. Serampore College was established on the bank of which river?
[SSC GD Constable, 30 Apr 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Yamuna
(b) Hooghly
(c) Damodar
(d) Mahananda
Answer: (b) Hooghly
Explanation: Serampore College was founded in 1818 by William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward. The college stands on the Hooghly River in Bengal. At the time, Serampore was a Danish possession where the missionaries worked.
Q137. What was the principal objective of the Regulating Act of 1773?
[OSSSC Forest Guard, 29 Apr 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Abolish slavery in India
(b) Subject the East India Company to British parliamentary oversight
(c) Introduce railways across India
(d) End all taxation in Bengal
Answer: (b) Subject the East India Company to British parliamentary oversight
Explanation: Parliament passed the Regulating Act to supervise the East India Company’s political and financial affairs. It created the Governor-General of Bengal with a council and made early provision for a Supreme Court at Calcutta, strengthening metropolitan oversight.
Q136. Which matching of European powers and prominent Indian settlements is entirely correct?
[UPHESC Assistant Professor History, 19 Apr 2026]
(a) Portuguese–Goa; Dutch–Pulicat; French–Chandernagore; English–Madras
(b) Portuguese–Pulicat; Dutch–Goa; French–Madras; English–Chandernagore
(c) Portuguese–Madras; Dutch–Chandernagore; French–Goa; English–Pulicat
(d) Portuguese–Chandernagore; Dutch–Madras; French–Pulicat; English–Goa
Answer: (a) Portuguese–Goa; Dutch–Pulicat; French–Chandernagore; English–Madras
Explanation: Goa was the Portuguese headquarters, Pulicat a major Dutch centre, Chandernagore an important French trading town, and Madras a leading English settlement. The associations help distinguish companies operating simultaneously on the Coromandel and Bengal coasts.
Q135. What major administrative arrangement was established by the Regulating Act of 1773?
[UPHESC Assistant Professor History, 19 Apr 2026]
(a) Independent Bombay and Madras presidencies
(b) A federal elected parliament in India
(c) A Governor-General’s council with Madras and Bombay subordinate to Bengal
(d) Complete abolition of Company rule
Answer: (c) A Governor-General’s council with Madras and Bombay subordinate to Bengal
Explanation: The Regulating Act centralized the Company’s administration by creating a Governor-General and executive council in Bengal. The governors of Madras and Bombay became subordinate in defined matters, marking an initial statutory effort to regulate private Company government.
Q134. In which year did the Dutch establish their early factory at Masulipatnam?
[DSSSB PRT, 10 Apr 2026, Shift 1]
(a) 1616
(b) 1639
(c) 1605
(d) 1664
Answer: (c) 1605
Explanation: The Dutch established a factory at Masulipatnam on the Andhra coast in 1605, commonly described as their earliest trading factory in India. The Golconda region supplied textiles that the VOC exchanged within its wider Asian commercial network.
Q133. What constitutional change ended East India Company rule after the revolt of 1857?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 27 Mar 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Restoration of Mughal sovereignty
(b) Transfer of authority to the British Crown
(c) Transfer of power to the French company
(d) A new Dutch trading monopoly
Answer: (b) Transfer of authority to the British Crown
Explanation: The Government of India Act of 1858 transferred the administration of British territories from the East India Company to the Crown. The revolt of 1857 exposed the limits of Company governance and accelerated this major institutional transition.
Q132. At which Indian port did Vasco da Gama first arrive on his pioneering sea voyage?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 25 Mar 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Surat
(b) Goa
(c) Diu
(d) Calicut
Answer: (d) Calicut
Explanation: Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on the Malabar coast in 1498. Calicut was already an active Indian Ocean market, and its ruler, the Zamorin, encountered the new Portuguese merchants amid long-established Arab and Indian trading networks.
Q131. Which 1741 encounter saw the kingdom of Travancore defeat the Dutch?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 24 Mar 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Battle of Bedara
(b) Battle of Colachel
(c) Battle of Plassey
(d) Battle of Wandiwash
Answer: (b) Battle of Colachel
Explanation: At Colachel in 1741, forces of Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company. The outcome checked Dutch territorial ambitions in the region and became an important episode in the history of European-Indian military encounters.
Q130. Which law first introduced substantial parliamentary regulation of Company administration in Bengal?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 24 Mar 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Government of India Act 1858
(b) Charter Act 1853
(c) Regulating Act 1773
(d) Indian Councils Act 1861
Answer: (c) Regulating Act 1773
Explanation: The Regulating Act of 1773 marked Parliament’s early attempt to supervise the East India Company’s territorial administration. It created the office of Governor-General of Bengal with a council and also provided for a Supreme Court in Calcutta.
Q129. Which act led to the establishment of the Supreme Court at Calcutta in 1774?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 22 Mar 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Pitt’s India Act 1784
(b) Regulating Act 1773
(c) Charter Act 1813
(d) Government of India Act 1858
Answer: (b) Regulating Act 1773
Explanation: The Regulating Act of 1773 authorized a Supreme Court at Fort William, which began functioning in Calcutta in 1774. This development reflected growing parliamentary concern over the judicial and administrative affairs of Company-held territories in India.
Q128. Which 1622 event signalled weakening Portuguese dominance in Indian Ocean commerce?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 22 Mar 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Anglo-Persian capture of Hormuz
(b) French victory at Wandiwash
(c) Dutch capture of Madras
(d) First Battle of Panipat
Answer: (a) Anglo-Persian capture of Hormuz
Explanation: English East India Company ships assisted Safavid Persian forces in taking Hormuz from the Portuguese in 1622. The loss damaged Portugal’s control over the Persian Gulf and illustrated the rise of competing European trading and naval interests.
Q127. Which port was seized by Albuquerque in 1510 to establish a permanent Portuguese base?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 19 Mar 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Calicut
(b) Goa
(c) Surat
(d) Balasore
Answer: (b) Goa
Explanation: Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510. The territory became a durable Portuguese stronghold, anchoring an expanding network of ports, fortifications and naval operations that supported the Estado da Índia.
Q126. Which European power pioneered the early modern maritime trading presence in India?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 19 Mar 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Dutch
(b) English
(c) French
(d) Portuguese
Answer: (d) Portuguese
Explanation: The Portuguese arrived with Vasco da Gama in 1498, earlier than the Dutch, English and French chartered companies. They sought access to the spice trade through naval power and coastal bases before later European commercial competitors expanded.
Q125. Who is associated with Portugal’s ‘Blue Water Policy’ in the Indian Ocean?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 19 Mar 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Afonso de Albuquerque
(b) Francisco de Almeida
(c) Nuno da Cunha
(d) Dupleix
Answer: (b) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy in India, emphasized command of the sea and protection of naval trade routes. This strategic approach is commonly called the Blue Water Policy and differs from Albuquerque’s stronger interest in fortified bases.
Q124. Who was associated with implementing Portugal’s Blue Water Policy in India?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 19 Mar 2026, Shift 3]
(a) João de Castro
(b) Henry the Navigator
(c) Afonso de Albuquerque
(d) Francisco de Almeida
Answer: (d) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy appointed in 1505, advocated supremacy at sea to control the Indian Ocean trade routes. Blue Water Policy emphasized naval strength, whereas the Cartaz system regulated shipping through Portuguese-issued permits.
Q123. Which battle in Bengal is commonly regarded as opening the Company’s path to political dominance in 1757?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 18 Mar 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Wandiwash
(b) Colachel
(c) Plassey
(d) Buxar
Answer: (c) Plassey
Explanation: The East India Company under Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey in 1757. The outcome depended partly on conspiracies within the Nawab’s camp and enabled the Company to exercise increasing influence over Bengal’s government and finances.
Q122. Which two European rivals fought the Battle of Wandiwash?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 17 Mar 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Portuguese and Dutch
(b) English and French
(c) Dutch and Danish
(d) French and Portuguese
Answer: (b) English and French
Explanation: The Battle of Wandiwash, fought in January 1760, pitted British forces under Eyre Coote against French forces associated with Count de Lally. It proved decisive in the Third Carnatic War and diminished French prospects for political supremacy.
Q121. Which European power reached India first by the Cape route and relinquished its final Indian possessions last?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 16 Mar 2026, Shift 1]
(a) French
(b) Dutch
(c) Portuguese
(d) British
Answer: (c) Portuguese
Explanation: Portugal arrived by sea in 1498, before the major northern European companies. Goa, Daman and Diu remained under Portuguese control long after British withdrawal in 1947; Indian forces incorporated these territories in December 1961.
Q120. Which battle of 1757 initiated the Company’s major political ascendancy in Bengal?
[RRB Technician Grade III, 10 Mar 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Battle of Colachel
(b) Battle of Buxar
(c) Battle of Plassey
(d) Battle of Arcot
Answer: (c) Battle of Plassey
Explanation: At Plassey in 1757, Robert Clive’s Company force defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah after a conspiracy involving Mir Jafar. The victory provided decisive political leverage in Bengal and marked a watershed in the transition from trading privileges to territorial influence.
Q119. Around which English-built fort did colonial Madras, now Chennai, expand?
[SSC MTS (2025 exam cycle), held 11 Feb 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Fort William
(b) Fort St George
(c) Fort Aguada
(d) Fort Dansborg
Answer: (b) Fort St George
Explanation: Fort St George was developed at Madras after the English obtained land in 1639; its construction is usually dated to 1644. The fort became an administrative and mercantile focus around which the city of Madras expanded.
Q118. Which commander of Siraj-ud-Daulah withheld effective support at Plassey?
[SSC MTS (2025 exam cycle), held 9 Feb 2026, Shift 1]
(a) Mir Qasim
(b) Alivardi Khan
(c) Mir Jafar
(d) Shuja-ud-Daula
Answer: (c) Mir Jafar
Explanation: Mir Jafar had entered into a secret arrangement with Company representatives before the Battle of Plassey in 1757. His failure to support Siraj-ud-Daulah contributed to the Nawab’s defeat, after which Mir Jafar became Nawab of Bengal.
Q117. Which statements correctly describe seventeenth-century Masulipatnam: (1) Dutch and English traders competed there; (2) the Dutch were from Denmark; (3) Golconda, Persian and Telugu merchants traded there; (4) Mir Jumla played Europeans against one another?
[CTET Social Studies Paper II, 8 Feb 2026, Shift 1]
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 2 only
Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4
Explanation: Masulipatnam was a busy Coromandel port where Dutch and English companies competed with Indian and Persian merchants. Mir Jumla manoeuvred between European interests. The Dutch, however, originated in the Netherlands, not Denmark, so statement 2 is incorrect.
Q116. Which English monarch issued the Company’s original trading charter in 1600?
[SSC MTS (2025 exam cycle), held 6 Feb 2026, Shift 3]
(a) Queen Anne
(b) Queen Victoria
(c) Queen Elizabeth I
(d) Queen Mary II
Answer: (c) Queen Elizabeth I
Explanation: Elizabeth I granted the East India Company a royal charter on 31 December 1600. It authorized an English corporate monopoly in designated eastern trade, though it did not exclude existing Portuguese, Dutch or other foreign merchants from Asia.
Q115. Which battle was followed by the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765?
[MP Police SI, 16 Jan 2026, Shift 2]
(a) Battle of Plassey
(b) Battle of Wandiwash
(c) Third Battle of Panipat
(d) Battle of Buxar
Answer: (d) Battle of Buxar
Explanation: The Company’s victory at Buxar in 1764 strengthened its position against the Mughal emperor and regional rulers. The Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 then granted Diwani rights over Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, securing substantial revenue resources.
Q114. How did the Regulating Act of 1773 restructure the Company’s Indian administration?
[Delhi Police Constable Executive, 30 Dec 2025, Shift 3]
(a) By making Madras entirely independent
(b) By creating central leadership under the Governor-General of Bengal and council
(c) By abolishing the office of governor-general
(d) By assigning each presidency to France
Answer: (b) By creating central leadership under the Governor-General of Bengal and council
Explanation: The Regulating Act placed a Governor-General and council at the centre of Company governance in Bengal. It increased supervision over Madras and Bombay, initiating centralization without transferring all Indian territories to direct Crown administration.
Q113. Pitt’s India Act of 1784 introduced what form of control over Company affairs?
[MP Police Constable, 5 Dec 2025, Shift 1]
(a) Direct federal government
(b) Dual control by directors and the Board of Control
(c) Provincial self-rule
(d) Parliamentary democracy in Bengal
Answer: (b) Dual control by directors and the Board of Control
Explanation: Pitt’s India Act separated the Company’s commercial management from political supervision. The Court of Directors handled trade while a new Board of Control supervised political matters, creating dual control by the Company and British government.
Q112. Puducherry had earlier been a colony of which European country?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary, 26 Oct 2025, Shift 3]
(a) Portugal
(b) Netherlands
(c) France
(d) Denmark
Answer: (c) France
Explanation: Pondicherry developed as a major French settlement beginning in the seventeenth century. French enclaves also included Karaikal, Mahé, Yanam and Chandernagore. Most were transferred de facto to India in 1954, followed by formal legal integration.
Q111. Which nation did Vasco da Gama represent on his pioneering voyage to India?
[Bihar STET Social Science, 15 Oct 2025, Shift 1 (memory-based)]
(a) Portugal
(b) Netherlands
(c) France
(d) England
Answer: (a) Portugal
Explanation: Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese navigator who reached Calicut in 1498. His voyage connected the Atlantic to Indian Ocean sea routes around southern Africa and made Portugal an important new participant in Asian maritime trade.
Q110. Choose the correct sequence: Battle of Wandiwash, execution of Nand Kumar, Treaty of Salbai, death of Tipu Sultan.
[71st BPSC Prelims, 13 Sep 2025]
(a) Wandiwash → Nand Kumar → Salbai → Tipu
(b) Salbai → Wandiwash → Tipu → Nand Kumar
(c) Tipu → Salbai → Wandiwash → Nand Kumar
(d) Nand Kumar → Wandiwash → Salbai → Tipu
Answer: (a) Wandiwash → Nand Kumar → Salbai → Tipu
Explanation: Wandiwash occurred in 1760, Nand Kumar was executed in 1775, the Treaty of Salbai was signed in 1782, and Tipu Sultan died in 1799. Ordering events chronologically tests knowledge of eighteenth-century Company expansion.
Q109. The Regulating Act of 1773 primarily reformed which two aspects of the East India Company?
[SSC CGL, 12 Sep 2025, Shift 2]
(a) The Company’s constitution in Britain and its territorial governance in India
(b) Agricultural irrigation and village councils
(c) European naval warfare and shipbuilding
(d) Mughal succession and princely marriages
Answer: (a) The Company’s constitution in Britain and its territorial governance in India
Explanation: Parliament’s Regulating Act addressed the Company’s organization in Britain and its management of acquired Indian territories. It increased accountability of directors, established a Bengal Governor-General and council, and paved the way for centralized colonial administration.
Q108. Siraj-ud-Daulah, Mir Jafar and Mir Qasim were associated with the nawabship of which region?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 9 Sep 2025, Shift 3]
(a) Awadh
(b) Bengal
(c) Hyderabad
(d) Mysore
Answer: (b) Bengal
Explanation: All three men ruled or claimed the nawabship of Bengal during the East India Company’s rise. The succession from Siraj-ud-Daulah to Mir Jafar and later Mir Qasim reveals growing English interference in Bengal’s regional politics.
Q107. In which year did Vasco da Gama return to Calicut on his second voyage to India?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 28 Aug 2025, Shift 2]
(a) 1509
(b) 1502
(c) 1511
(d) 1505
Answer: (b) 1502
Explanation: Da Gama returned to India with a larger fleet in 1502 after his initial 1498 voyage. The second expedition attempted to force Portuguese commercial advantages in the Indian Ocean and contributed to increasing conflict with established regional traders.
Q106. Which architectural feature is least characteristic of French colonial buildings in India?
[SSC Stenographer, 8 Aug 2025, Shift 3]
(a) Tall doors and windows
(b) Wide verandas
(c) Ornate Mughal-style domes
(d) Sloping tiled roofs
Answer: (c) Ornate Mughal-style domes
Explanation: French colonial buildings, notably in Puducherry, often used high openings, verandas and climate-responsive roofs. Elaborate Mughal domes belong more clearly to another architectural tradition and are not typical identifying features of French-period townhouses.
Q105. In 1610, the Dutch factory that became their Coromandel headquarters was established where?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 23 Jun 2025, Shift 2]
(a) Pulicat
(b) Surat
(c) Bombay
(d) Cochin
Answer: (a) Pulicat
Explanation: Pulicat on the Coromandel coast served as a principal Dutch East India Company trading base. It acquired Fort Geldria and became the headquarters for Dutch operations in the region, especially textile procurement and maritime commerce.
Q104. The Dutch East India Company established a factory at Petapuli on the north Coromandel coast in which year?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 23 Jun 2025, Shift 1]
(a) 1457
(b) 1532
(c) 1606
(d) 1699
Answer: (c) 1606
Explanation: A previous-year Railway examination identified 1606 for the Dutch factory at Petapuli. Dutch activity on the Coromandel coast expanded soon afterward and Pulicat became the best-known fortified trading headquarters of the Dutch East India Company.
Q103. The Regulating Act governing Company affairs was passed in which year?
[Patna High Court Mazdoor, 22 Jun 2025]
(a) 1753
(b) 1764
(c) 1757
(d) 1773
Answer: (d) 1773
Explanation: The British Parliament enacted the Regulating Act in 1773 after concerns about the Company’s financial difficulties and political administration. Its institutions included a Governor-General of Bengal and council, strengthening central direction over East India Company possessions.
Q102. Yanam and Chandernagore were historically possessions of which European power?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 17 Jun 2025, Shift 3]
(a) Austria
(b) Germany
(c) Portugal
(d) France
Answer: (d) France
Explanation: Yanam on the Godavari coast and Chandernagore in Bengal belonged to the French colonial network. Along with Pondicherry, Karaikal and Mahé, these settlements formed geographically scattered commercial footholds before their eventual integration into India.
Q101. Which Charter Act opened the way for competitive recruitment to the Company’s civil service?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 11 Jun 2025, Shift 3]
(a) Charter Act 1813
(b) Charter Act 1793
(c) Charter Act 1853
(d) Pitt’s India Act 1784
Answer: (c) Charter Act 1853
Explanation: The Charter Act of 1853 separated the Company’s legislative and executive functions and helped establish the principle of open competitive selection for civil service appointments. The reform followed earlier debates over patronage and administrative efficiency.
Q100. François Martin established Pondicherry as a French settlement in which year?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 10 Jun 2025, Shift 3]
(a) 1794
(b) 1674
(c) 1762
(d) 1612
Answer: (b) 1674
Explanation: François Martin helped establish the French trading settlement at Pondicherry in 1674. It subsequently became the main administrative and commercial centre of French India, while other French factories functioned on both the Coromandel and Bengal coasts.
Q99. In which year did the French Company acquire Mahé on the Malabar coast, according to the examination?
[MPPKVVCL Assistant Engineer Civil, 4 Jun 2025]
(a) 1758
(b) 1721
(c) 1768
(d) 1755
Answer: (b) 1721
Explanation: The question identifies 1721 as the year associated with French acquisition of Mahé. The Malabar coastal enclave became an important French outpost for the pepper trade and complemented the Company’s principal establishments farther east.
Q98. How many of papaya, pineapple and guava were introduced into India through Portuguese-era transoceanic exchange?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2025]
(a) None
(b) Only one
(c) Only two
(d) All three
Answer: (d) All three
Explanation: Papaya, pineapple and guava originated in the Americas and reached Indian markets through early modern exchanges in which Portuguese traders played a substantial role. Their diffusion illustrates that European contact transformed agricultural crops as well as commercial and political institutions.
Q97. Consider the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: (1) It ended the First Carnatic War. (2) It restored Madras to the British. Which is correct?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims, 2025]
(a) Only statement 1
(b) Both statements
(c) Neither statement
(d) Only statement 2
Answer: (b) Both statements
Explanation: The 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the War of the Austrian Succession and the associated First Carnatic War. It returned Madras to the British East India Company while France regained Louisbourg in North America.
Q96. Whom did the British establish as Nawab of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey?
[SSC MTS, 4 Nov 2024, Shift 2]
(a) Mir Qasim
(b) Mir Jafar Ali Khan
(c) Mansur Ali Khan
(d) Murshid Quli Khan
Answer: (b) Mir Jafar Ali Khan
Explanation: After defeating Siraj-ud-Daulah in 1757, the English East India Company installed Mir Jafar as Nawab. His dependence on Company support yielded commercial advantages and political leverage to the British, helping transform trading influence into territorial power.
Q95. In which year did the East India Company fight the Battle of Plassey?
[SSC MTS, 29 Oct 2024, Shift 2]
(a) 1776
(b) 1787
(c) 1796
(d) 1757
Answer: (d) 1757
Explanation: The Battle of Plassey was fought on 23 June 1757 between the Company’s force under Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah of Bengal. Mir Jafar’s defection contributed to a victory that greatly expanded Company influence.
Q94. Which Carnatic War is correctly matched with its concluding settlement: First—Paris, Second—Pondicherry, Third—Aix-la-Chapelle?
[KEA VAO General Knowledge, 27 Oct 2024]
(a) Only one match is correct
(b) Two matches are correct
(c) All three matches are correct
(d) None is correct
Answer: (a) Only one match is correct
Explanation: Only the Second Carnatic War is correctly paired with Pondicherry. The First ended after Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, and the Third concluded with the Treaty of Paris in 1763 following the decisive British victory at Wandiwash.
Q93. In what year was the French East India Company founded?
[RPSC Assistant Professor History, 12 Sep 2024]
(a) 1660
(b) 1664
(c) 1666
(d) 1674
Answer: (b) 1664
Explanation: The French East India Company was formed in 1664 under Louis XIV with support from his finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert. It arrived after the Dutch and English chartered companies and subsequently developed bases at Surat, Masulipatnam and Pondicherry.
Q92. Which engagement in 1757 is conventionally regarded as beginning the Company’s political ascendancy in India?
[UP Police Constable Re-exam, 30 Aug 2024]
(a) Battle of Buxar
(b) Third Battle of Panipat
(c) Battle of Plassey
(d) Battle of Wandiwash
Answer: (c) Battle of Plassey
Explanation: The English East India Company’s victory at Plassey gave it decisive influence in Bengal’s political affairs. Although wider territorial consolidation came later, the 1757 conflict became a familiar marker of the transition from commerce to colonial power.
Q91. Which English ambassador visited the Mughal court of Jahangir?
[WBPSC WBCS Mains History, 18 Aug 2024]
(a) Sir Thomas Roe
(b) Ibn Battuta
(c) Nuniz
(d) Domingo Paes
Answer: (a) Sir Thomas Roe
Explanation: Sir Thomas Roe served as King James I’s ambassador at Jahangir’s court between 1615 and 1619. His diplomatic mission sought wider trading privileges for the English East India Company and recorded valuable observations about Mughal society.
Q90. Which 1773 enactment authorized the Supreme Court of Judicature at Calcutta?
[SSC CHSL, 3 Jul 2024, Shift 3]
(a) Regulating Act
(b) Pitt’s India Act
(c) Indian Councils Act
(d) Charter Act of 1833
Answer: (a) Regulating Act
Explanation: The Regulating Act was passed in 1773 and provided for establishing a Supreme Court at Calcutta, which opened in 1774. The measure also created a Governor-General of Bengal and council to oversee East India Company affairs.
Q89. Vasco da Gama, who opened the European Cape sea route to India, was from which country?
[SSC CPO, 27 Jun 2024, Shift 1]
(a) Spain
(b) Portugal
(c) England
(d) Germany
Answer: (b) Portugal
Explanation: Vasco da Gama sailed in the service of Portugal and reached Calicut in 1498. His voyage demonstrated a navigable ocean route linking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans around southern Africa, strengthening Portuguese ambitions in the spice trade.
Q88. Siraj-ud-Daulah confronted the Company’s army under Robert Clive at which battle?
[SSC Selection Post Graduate, 20 Jun 2024, Shift 3]
(a) Battle of Wandiwash
(b) Battle of Colachel
(c) Battle of Plassey
(d) Battle of Bedara
Answer: (c) Battle of Plassey
Explanation: The Company fought Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey in 1757. Robert Clive led the English force, while divisions among the Nawab’s commanders proved critical. The result paved the way for greater Company intervention in Bengal politics.
Q87. In which year did Vasco da Gama arrive at Calicut on India’s Malabar coast?
[OSSSC Forest Guard, 27 Apr 2024]
(a) 1526
(b) 1498
(c) 1600
(d) 1765
Answer: (b) 1498
Explanation: Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in May 1498 after passing around the Cape of Good Hope. His voyage was sponsored by Portugal and established a direct sea link to the Indian Ocean commercial network, transforming European maritime competition.
Q86. Who first reached India by the Cape sea route in 1498?
[OSSSC LSI Forest Guard, 24 Apr 2024, Shift 3]
(a) Sir Thomas Roe
(b) Niccolao Manucci
(c) Marco Polo
(d) Vasco da Gama
Answer: (d) Vasco da Gama
Explanation: Vasco da Gama’s Portuguese expedition rounded the Cape of Good Hope and reached the Malabar coast in 1498. This inaugurated direct oceanic commerce between Portugal and India, although older routes already connected Indian markets with Europe indirectly.
Q85. Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch in which battle?
[WBPSC Food SI, 17 Mar 2024, Shift 3]
(a) Wandiwash
(b) Panipat
(c) Pullalur
(d) Colachel
Answer: (d) Colachel
Explanation: The Battle of Colachel in 1741 pitted Travancore under Marthanda Varma against Dutch East India Company forces. Travancore’s victory sharply reduced Dutch military prestige and helped strengthen the state’s control along the southwestern Indian coast.
Q84. Which Portuguese officer is linked with the Blue Water Policy?
[WBPSC Food SI, 16 Mar 2024, Shift 3]
(a) Vasco da Gama
(b) Francisco de Almeida
(c) Afonso de Albuquerque
(d) Martim Afonso de Sousa
Answer: (b) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida, Portuguese viceroy from 1505 to 1509, prioritized control of sea lanes and naval trade rather than extensive inland conquest. The Blue Water Policy was intended to safeguard spice commerce and project Portuguese maritime authority.
Q83. Which opposing forces fought the Battle of Plassey?
[WBPSC Food SI, 16 Mar 2024, Shift 1]
(a) Mir Qasim and Mir Jafar
(b) Siraj-ud-Daulah and the English East India Company
(c) Mir Jafar and the French
(d) Shah Alam II and the English
Answer: (b) Siraj-ud-Daulah and the English East India Company
Explanation: The decisive 1757 conflict took place between Bengal’s Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah and Company soldiers commanded by Robert Clive. The outcome depended in part on the refusal of sections of the Nawab’s forces to fight effectively.
Q82. In what year was the Danish East India Company established?
[Delhi Police Constable, 29 Nov 2023, Shift 1]
(a) 1616
(b) 1650
(c) 1630
(d) 1670
Answer: (a) 1616
Explanation: King Christian IV chartered the Danish East India Company in 1616. Its earliest enduring settlement in India developed at Tranquebar on the Coromandel coast in 1620, followed much later by Danish operations around Serampore in Bengal.
Q81. Which French governor’s arrival marked the growing Anglo-French conflict in the Carnatic?
[Delhi Police Constable, 17 Nov 2023, Shift 1]
(a) Colbert
(b) Dupleix
(c) François Martin
(d) François Caron
Answer: (b) Dupleix
Explanation: Joseph François Dupleix took charge as French governor in 1742 and expanded France’s political ambitions in southern India. His support for rival Indian claimants intensified confrontations with the English East India Company during the Carnatic Wars.
Q80. Who led the English forces at the Battle of Buxar in 1764?
[Delhi Police Constable, 15 Nov 2023, Shift 1]
(a) Hector Munro
(b) Hugh Wheeler
(c) Henry Lawrence
(d) John Nicholson
Answer: (a) Hector Munro
Explanation: Major Hector Munro commanded the Company army at the Battle of Buxar on 22 October 1764. His victory against a coalition of Indian powers preceded the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad and the acquisition of Diwani rights.
Q79. The 1773 Regulating Act led to establishment of the Supreme Court in which city?
[SSC CPO, 4 Oct 2023, Shift 3]
(a) Calcutta
(b) Delhi
(c) Madras
(d) Bombay
Answer: (a) Calcutta
Explanation: A Supreme Court was established at Calcutta in 1774 under the Regulating Act of 1773. It initially exercised jurisdiction linked to the Bengal Presidency and represented an important development in the Company’s evolving legal institutions.
Q78. Which treaty followed the Company’s victory at Buxar?
[69th BPSC Prelims, 30 Sep 2023]
(a) Treaty of Sugauli
(b) Treaty of Salbai
(c) Treaty of Bassein
(d) Treaty of Allahabad
Answer: (d) Treaty of Allahabad
Explanation: The Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 followed Buxar and helped formalize the Company’s fiscal and political advantages. Most significantly, Shah Alam II recognized Company Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, enabling it to draw upon provincial revenue.
Q77. The Dutch East India Company established its factory at Patna in which year?
[69th BPSC Prelims, 30 Sep 2023]
(a) 1635
(b) 1632
(c) 1643
(d) 1648
Answer: (b) 1632
Explanation: The Dutch established their Patna factory in 1632, strengthening inland trade links with Bengal and Bihar. The Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, founded in 1602, already maintained coastal trading posts and sought Indian textiles and other merchandise.
Q76. Regarding the 1600 charter, which statements are correct: (1) English merchants received exclusive English trading rights in the East; (2) other European powers were not thereby barred from trading?
[DDA Patwari, 26 Aug 2023, Shift 1]
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation: Elizabeth I’s charter granted the Company a monopoly over specified trade for English merchants, not sovereignty over Asian markets. Portuguese and Dutch merchants retained their own trading activities, so both propositions correctly describe the scope of the charter.
Q75. Which two European trading companies faced each other at Bedara in 1759?
[MP Police Constable, 23 Aug 2023, Shift 1]
(a) British and Portuguese
(b) British and Danish
(c) British and French
(d) British and Dutch
Answer: (d) British and Dutch
Explanation: The British East India Company defeated the Dutch near Chinsurah during the Battle of Bedara in 1759. The encounter curtailed Dutch efforts to challenge British military predominance in Bengal after the earlier Battle of Plassey.
Q74. Britain fought which European country at Wandiwash in 1760?
[MP Police Constable, 17 Aug 2023]
(a) France
(b) Spain
(c) Portugal
(d) Denmark
Answer: (a) France
Explanation: At Wandiwash, British forces under Eyre Coote defeated the French army led by Count de Lally in January 1760. The defeat was decisive in the Third Carnatic War and sharply weakened France’s prospects for political supremacy.
Q73. Joseph François Dupleix was Governor-General of which European Company’s Indian establishments?
[SSC CHSL, 8 Aug 2023, Shift 2]
(a) Dutch
(b) French
(c) English
(d) Portuguese
Answer: (b) French
Explanation: Dupleix directed the French East India Company’s Indian interests from 1742 to 1754. He pursued alliances in the Deccan and Carnatic to challenge British power and was central to the early Anglo-French Carnatic conflicts.
Q72. Who commanded the Company’s troops at the Battle of Buxar?
[SSC CGL, 17 Jul 2023, Shift 2]
(a) Robert Clive
(b) William Henry Sleeman
(c) Hector Munro
(d) Eyre Coote
Answer: (c) Hector Munro
Explanation: Hector Munro led the East India Company’s troops at Buxar in October 1764. The allied forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II were defeated, strengthening the Company’s bargaining position in eastern India.
Q71. Who was primarily responsible for founding the French East India Company?
[MP Forest Guard, 19 Jun 2023, Shift 1]
(a) Jean-Baptiste Colbert
(b) Francisco de Almeida
(c) Captain James
(d) Joseph Dupleix
Answer: (a) Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Explanation: France established its East India Company in 1664 through the initiatives of Louis XIV’s minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert. The organization sought Asian trading opportunities and eventually developed French enclaves in Pondicherry and elsewhere.
Q70. Arrange chronologically: (I) First Anglo-Sikh War, (II) Second Carnatic War, (III) First Anglo-Mysore War, (IV) Battle of St. Thomé.
[PPSC Naib Tehsildar, 18 Jun 2023]
(a) I-II-III-IV
(b) II-I-III-IV
(c) IV-III-I-II
(d) IV-II-III-I
Answer: (d) IV-II-III-I
Explanation: The Battle of St. Thomé occurred in 1746, followed by the Second Carnatic War from 1749. The First Anglo-Mysore War began in 1767, and the First Anglo-Sikh War began in 1845, giving IV-II-III-I.
Q69. In which year did the British Parliament enact the Regulating Act?
[SSC MTS, 14 Jun 2023, Shift 2]
(a) 1775
(b) 1876
(c) 1877
(d) 1773
Answer: (d) 1773
Explanation: The Regulating Act was enacted in 1773 to improve oversight of East India Company government. Its creation of a Governor-General and executive council in Bengal began formal parliamentary intervention in the Company’s territorial administration.
Q68. Evaluate: (1) In 1765 the Company became Diwan of Bombay. (2) After Buxar it removed all British residents from Indian states.
[TGPSC AEE, 21 May 2023 (2022 paper)]
(a) Statement 1 only
(b) Both statements
(c) Neither statement
(d) Statement 2 only
Answer: (c) Neither statement
Explanation: The Company received Diwani rights over Bengal, Bihar and Orissa—not Bombay—in 1765. British political residents became increasingly important for influencing Indian courts, so neither of the statements accurately describes Company expansion.
Q67. In which year did the Company obtain Diwani rights over Bengal?
[SSC MTS, 10 May 2023, Shift 1]
(a) 1765
(b) 1755
(c) 1760
(d) 1770
Answer: (a) 1765
Explanation: Following the victory at Buxar, the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II granted the Company Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. These rights allowed revenue collection and funded further Company administration and military expansion.
Q66. At which Indian location did the Danish establish an important early colonial settlement?
[NDA General Ability, 16 Apr 2023]
(a) Chinsurah
(b) Karaikal
(c) Mahé
(d) Tranquebar
Answer: (d) Tranquebar
Explanation: The Danes established a settlement at Tranquebar, now Tharangambadi, on the Tamil Nadu coast in 1620. They built Fort Dansborg and later developed a second important settlement at Serampore, Bengal, under Danish colonial administration.
Q65. The English East India Company’s original royal charter dates to which year?
[SSC CHSL, 16 Mar 2023, Shift 2]
(a) 1600
(b) 1610
(c) 1620
(d) 1580
Answer: (a) 1600
Explanation: Queen Elizabeth I chartered the English East India Company on 31 December 1600. The document granted an exclusive right to conduct English trade in the East, but it did not prohibit Portuguese, Dutch or French merchants.
Q64. The Battle of Bedara was fought between which European rivals?
[MP Excise Constable, 24 Feb 2023, Shift 3]
(a) French and Portuguese
(b) British and Dutch
(c) British and Danes
(d) British and Portuguese
Answer: (b) British and Dutch
Explanation: Bedara took place near Chinsurah in Bengal in November 1759. English Company forces under Francis Forde defeated Dutch troops, contributing to the decline of Dutch political ambitions in a region increasingly controlled by the British.
Q63. Which Gujarat sultan reached an agreement that permitted a Portuguese fortress at Diu?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2023]
(a) Ahmad Shah
(b) Mahmud Begarha
(c) Bahadur Shah
(d) Muhammad Shah
Answer: (c) Bahadur Shah
Explanation: Bahadur Shah of Gujarat permitted the Portuguese to fortify Diu in 1535 while seeking assistance against Mughal pressure. The concession strengthened Portuguese strategic interests on the Gujarat coast, where maritime commerce and control of shipping were especially valuable.
Q62. In what year was Pitt’s India Act passed?
[Kolkata Police Constable, 2023]
(a) 1885
(b) 1848
(c) 1748
(d) 1784
Answer: (d) 1784
Explanation: Pitt’s India Act, enacted in 1784, created a Board of Control to supervise the Company’s political affairs. The Court of Directors continued to oversee commerce, resulting in a dual administrative system linking private trade to state oversight.
Q61. Captain William Hawkins visited the court of which Mughal emperor in 1608?
[MP ITI Training Officer, 20 Dec 2022, Shift 1]
(a) Jahangir
(b) Aurangzeb
(c) Shah Jahan
(d) Humayun
Answer: (a) Jahangir
Explanation: William Hawkins was an early English envoy who reached the Mughal court during Jahangir’s reign. The English East India Company wanted imperial approval for trade and a factory at Surat in a commercial environment dominated by competing Europeans.
Q60. In 1498 Vasco da Gama found a maritime route from Europe to which destination?
[SSC CGL, 12 Dec 2022, Shift 2]
(a) India
(b) Australia
(c) China
(d) Japan
Answer: (a) India
Explanation: Portugal’s Vasco da Gama reached India’s Malabar coast in 1498 after sailing around Africa. The route allowed direct Portuguese access to Indian Ocean markets and encouraged the establishment of fortified trading stations on the western coast.
Q59. Robert Clive’s East India Company army confronted which Nawab at Plassey?
[SSC CGL Tier I, 9 Dec 2022, Shift 3]
(a) Shuja-ud-Daula
(b) Siraj-ud-Daulah
(c) Mir Qasim
(d) Asaf Jah I
Answer: (b) Siraj-ud-Daulah
Explanation: Siraj-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, fought the Company at Plassey in June 1757. Mir Jafar’s defection and English diplomatic manoeuvres helped Clive prevail, allowing the Company to determine political succession in Bengal to its advantage.
Q58. Which English monarch issued the Company’s original commercial charter?
[SSC CGL, 5 Dec 2022, Shift 2]
(a) George I
(b) Elizabeth I
(c) Victoria
(d) James I
Answer: (b) Elizabeth I
Explanation: Queen Elizabeth I granted the East India Company’s charter on 31 December 1600. The charter authorized English merchants to trade eastwards and gave them an English monopoly, while foreign trading companies remained independent competitors in Asian markets.
Q57. Which battle was fought in 1764?
[SSC JE Electrical, 15 Nov 2022, Shift 2]
(a) Third Battle of Panipat
(b) Battle of Buxar
(c) Battle of Plassey
(d) Battle of Wandiwash
Answer: (b) Battle of Buxar
Explanation: The Company won the Battle of Buxar in 1764, defeating an alliance of Mughal and regional powers. Plassey occurred in 1757, Wandiwash in 1760, and the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.
Q56. Which battle saw the British defeat French forces during the Third Carnatic War in 1760?
[SSC CPO Tier I, 10 Nov 2022, Shift 3]
(a) Siege of Arcot
(b) Battle of Adyar
(c) Battle of Ambur
(d) Battle of Wandiwash
Answer: (d) Battle of Wandiwash
Explanation: The Battle of Wandiwash, fought in January 1760, was the decisive Anglo-French encounter in the Third Carnatic War. Eyre Coote defeated the French under Count de Lally, hastening the loss of Pondicherry in 1761.
Q55. Where did Carey, Marshman and Ward undertake their missionary work?
[Delhi Police Head Constable, 20 Oct 2022, Shift 1]
(a) French Chandernagore
(b) Danish Serampore
(c) Dutch Chinsurah
(d) Portuguese Bandel
Answer: (b) Danish Serampore
Explanation: William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward formed the Serampore Mission in a Danish enclave near Calcutta. Danish colonial jurisdiction permitted important printing, translation and educational projects which shaped the region’s nineteenth-century intellectual history.
Q54. The Serampore Mission was founded principally by whom?
[RRB Group D, 1 Sep 2022, Shift 1]
(a) Matteo Ricci
(b) Mother Teresa
(c) Hudson Taylor
(d) William Carey
Answer: (d) William Carey
Explanation: William Carey and his associates Joshua Marshman and William Ward developed the Serampore Mission in 1800. It operated in a Danish settlement and became known for vernacular printing, translation, schools and wider missionary activities.
Q53. Which governor abolished the system of Dual Government in Bengal?
[SSC MTS, 11 Jul 2022, Shift 3]
(a) Robert Clive
(b) Warren Hastings
(c) John Shore
(d) William Bentinck
Answer: (b) Warren Hastings
Explanation: Warren Hastings ended Bengal’s Dual Government in 1772. The arrangement, created under Robert Clive in 1765, split effective fiscal and administrative responsibility, with the Company controlling Diwani and the Nawab nominally handling Nizamat.
Q52. Place in order: Battle of Mudki, Battle of Porto Novo, Battle of Shakarkheda, Battle of Bedara.
[UPPSC PCS GS I, 12 Jun 2022]
(a) Porto Novo–Shakarkheda–Bedara–Mudki
(b) Shakarkheda–Bedara–Porto Novo–Mudki
(c) Bedara–Shakarkheda–Porto Novo–Mudki
(d) Mudki–Porto Novo–Shakarkheda–Bedara
Answer: (b) Shakarkheda–Bedara–Porto Novo–Mudki
Explanation: Shakarkheda dates to 1724, the Anglo-Dutch Battle of Bedara to 1759, Porto Novo to 1781 and Mudki to 1845. Chronological ordering thus requires the sequence Shakarkheda, Bedara, Porto Novo and Mudki.
Q51. In which year did India liberate Goa from Portuguese administration?
[SSC CGL, 20 Apr 2022, Shift 1]
(a) 1961
(b) 1959
(c) 1967
(d) 1956
Answer: (a) 1961
Explanation: Goa remained under Portuguese rule after Indian independence in 1947. Indian armed forces took control in December 1961 during Operation Vijay, ending several centuries of Portuguese colonial governance along the western coast.
Q50. Which individuals belonged to the Serampore Mission: (1) William Carey (2) Joshua Marshman (3) William Ward (4) David Hare?
[CDS GK, 10 Apr 2022]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3 only
(d) 2, 3 and 4 only
Answer: (c) 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation: The Serampore Trio comprised Carey, Marshman and Ward, who led missionary, educational and printing activities in Danish Serampore. David Hare was also associated with education in Bengal but was not one of these three missionaries.
Q49. The Treaty of Pondicherry followed which war?
[DSSSB Junior Secretariat Assistant, 9 Apr 2022, Shift 1]
(a) First Anglo-Sikh War
(b) Revolt of 1857
(c) Second Carnatic War
(d) First Anglo-Mysore War
Answer: (c) Second Carnatic War
Explanation: The Treaty of Pondicherry ended the Second Carnatic War in the mid-1750s. That struggle involved English and French intervention in the disputed successions of Hyderabad and the Carnatic, with Indian political alliances central to the fighting.
Q48. Which statements are correct: (1) Dutch factories on the east coast were on Gajapati grants; (2) Albuquerque captured Goa from Bijapur; (3) Madras land was leased through a Vijayanagara representative?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2022]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Explanation: The Dutch Gajapati-grant claim is inaccurate. Albuquerque took Goa from Bijapur in 1510, while the English secured a Madras site from a local Nayaka associated with the Vijayanagara political sphere. Thus statements 2 and 3 stand.
Q47. Which treaty concluded the First Carnatic War?
[MPPSC Assistant Professor History Paper II, 2022]
(a) Aix-la-Chapelle
(b) Fort St. David
(c) Paris
(d) Trichinopoly
Answer: (a) Aix-la-Chapelle
Explanation: The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession and brought the First Carnatic War to a close. Britain recovered Madras, which French troops had seized earlier in the conflict.
Q46. Which Portuguese viceroy is linked with the Blue Water Policy?
[UP Police SI, 1 Dec 2021, Shift 2]
(a) Vasco da Gama
(b) Pedro Álvares Cabral
(c) Francisco de Almeida
(d) Afonso de Albuquerque
Answer: (c) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida governed Portuguese India from 1505 to 1509 and emphasized naval control of Indian Ocean sea lanes. His sea-centred strategy is called the Blue Water Policy, contrasting with the greater emphasis on territorial bases under Albuquerque.
Q45. Nuno da Cunha shifted the Portuguese headquarters from Cochin to which city?
[UP Police SI, 20 Nov 2021, Shift 1]
(a) Bombay
(b) Delhi
(c) Madras
(d) Goa
Answer: (d) Goa
Explanation: Nuno da Cunha, governor of Portuguese India from 1529, moved the administration’s headquarters from Cochin to Goa around 1530. Goa’s location and defenses made it the leading political base of the Estado da Índia.
Q44. Which Europeans established an early modern maritime trading presence in India in 1498?
[UP Police SI, 13 Nov 2021, Shift 2]
(a) Portuguese
(b) British
(c) French
(d) Danish
Answer: (a) Portuguese
Explanation: The Portuguese expedition of Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498 after rounding southern Africa. It preceded the early modern Dutch, English, Danish and French chartered company activities along India’s coasts by roughly a century.
Q43. Which European power built an early European fort in India in 1503?
[SSC MTS, 11 Oct 2021, Shift 1]
(a) Dutch
(b) British
(c) French
(d) Portuguese
Answer: (d) Portuguese
Explanation: The Portuguese constructed Fort Emmanuel at Cochin in 1503, among the earliest European fortifications on the Indian mainland. Coastal forts helped protect warehouses and commercial agreements while securing the emerging Portuguese maritime trading network.
Q42. Which European trading nation was first to reach India by the Cape sea route?
[DSSSB TGT Social Science, 6 Sep 2021, Shift 3]
(a) British
(b) Portuguese
(c) Dutch
(d) French
Answer: (b) Portuguese
Explanation: Portugal’s Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut in 1498, well before the Dutch, English or French chartered companies became established in India. Portuguese forts, factories and naval passes shaped early sixteenth-century oceanic commerce.
Q41. Chandernagore, captured by the British in March 1757, was a colony of which power?
[SSC CGL, 13 Aug 2021, Shift 3]
(a) French
(b) Danish
(c) Portuguese
(d) Dutch
Answer: (a) French
Explanation: Chandernagore was a French trading enclave on the Hooghly River. British naval and Company forces captured it in March 1757, shortly before the Battle of Plassey, weakening French prospects of aiding the Nawab of Bengal.
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.
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.
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.
Q10. In which year was Goa liberated from Portuguese rule?
[Territorial Army, 30 Jul 2017]
(a) 1947
(b) 1965
(c) 1961
(d) 1960
Answer: (c) 1961
Explanation: Goa, with Daman and Diu, remained in Portuguese hands after British withdrawal in 1947. The Indian armed forces took control in December 1961, ending Portuguese colonial government on the mainland after more than four centuries.
Q9. Before Goa, which city had served as headquarters of Portuguese India?
[BSSC Inter Level, 29 Jan 2017]
(a) Cochin
(b) Madras
(c) Bombay
(d) Patna
Answer: (a) Cochin
Explanation: Cochin was an early Portuguese administrative and trading centre on the Malabar coast. The colonial headquarters later shifted to Goa under Nuno da Cunha around 1530, reflecting Goa’s greater strategic value as a fortified port.
Q8. Which ruler granted a 1600 charter to the English East India Company?
[RRB NTPC, 19 Apr 2016]
(a) Elizabeth I
(b) Elizabeth II
(c) George V
(d) George VI
Answer: (a) Elizabeth I
Explanation: Queen Elizabeth I granted the Company its founding charter on 31 December 1600. The charter provided exclusive rights to English merchants trading in the East but did not eliminate competition from other European powers.
Q7. Match events: First Carnatic War, Second Carnatic War, Third Carnatic War and First Mysore War with their treaties or decisive battles.
[UPPSC PCS Prelims, 2016]
(a) Pondicherry, Wandiwash, Aix-la-Chapelle, Madras
(b) Madras, Aix-la-Chapelle, Pondicherry, Wandiwash
(c) Aix-la-Chapelle, Pondicherry, Wandiwash, Madras
(d) Wandiwash, Pondicherry, Aix-la-Chapelle, Madras
Answer: (c) Aix-la-Chapelle, Pondicherry, Wandiwash, Madras
Explanation: The First Carnatic War ended with Aix-la-Chapelle, the Second with Pondicherry, and Wandiwash marked the decisive battle of the Third. The First Anglo-Mysore War ended with the Treaty of Madras in 1769.
Q6. Which French commander was defeated by the English at Wandiwash in 1760?
[UKPSC Prelims, 2016]
(a) Count de Lally
(b) François Martin
(c) Dupleix
(d) La Bourdonnais
Answer: (a) Count de Lally
Explanation: Count de Lally commanded the French army defeated by Eyre Coote at the Battle of Wandiwash. That decisive clash during the Third Carnatic War contributed to the fall of Pondicherry and loss of French political ambitions.
Q5. Who is associated with Portugal’s Blue Water Policy?
[UKPSC Prelims, 2016]
(a) Francisco de Almeida
(b) Afonso de Albuquerque
(c) Dupleix
(d) Robert Clive
Answer: (a) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida sought Portuguese mastery of the sea through powerful fleets and control of strategic maritime routes. His policy is commonly termed Blue Water Policy, contrasting with a strategy of deep territorial conquest on the Indian mainland.
Q4. In which year did Britain pass the Regulating Act for Company territories?
[MPPSC State Service, 2015]
(a) 1753
(b) 1757
(c) 1764
(d) 1773
Answer: (d) 1773
Explanation: The Regulating Act of 1773 marked Parliament’s first major intervention in the Company’s government of Indian territories. It created a Governor-General of Bengal and council and provided for a court at Calcutta.
Q3. Arrange the Company’s principal trading centres chronologically: Calcutta, Surat, Madras, Bombay.
[MPSC State Service Prelims, 2014]
(a) Calcutta–Surat–Madras–Bombay
(b) Bombay–Calcutta–Madras–Surat
(c) Surat–Madras–Bombay–Calcutta
(d) Surat–Madras–Calcutta–Bombay
Answer: (c) Surat–Madras–Bombay–Calcutta
Explanation: The English developed Surat first, then Madras, followed by Bombay and Calcutta. Their principal trading establishments illustrate a shift from Mughal-sanctioned western coastal factories to fortified settlements on both Indian seaboards and Bengal.
Q2. Among Surat, Pulicat, Cochin and Kasimbazar, which held an early Dutch factory?
[PPSC Naib Tehsildar, 2014]
(a) Surat
(b) Pulicat
(c) Cochin
(d) Kasimbazar
Answer: (b) Pulicat
Explanation: Pulicat was an important early Dutch East India Company factory on the Coromandel coast. Its Fort Geldria and extensive textile trade made it a key station within the Dutch maritime network before the Company’s activities shifted elsewhere.
Q1. Who was the first Portuguese viceroy in India?
[45th BPSC Prelims, 2002]
(a) Bartolomeu Dias
(b) Vasco da Gama
(c) Francisco de Almeida
(d) Afonso de Albuquerque
Answer: (c) Francisco de Almeida
Explanation: Francisco de Almeida became Portugal’s first viceroy in India in 1505. His administration championed maritime control through the Blue Water Policy; Afonso de Albuquerque succeeded him and captured Goa in 1510.