150. Which battle in 1757 marked the Company’s rise to political power in Bengal?
[RRB Technician Grade III, 10 March 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Battle of Plassey
(B) Battle of Seringapatam
(C) Battle of Colachel
(D) Battle of Buxar
Answer: (A) Battle of Plassey
Explanation: Plassey was fought on 23 June 1757, when Robert Clive defeated Siraj ud-Daulah. The ensuing change of nawab helped the East India Company move from commerce toward political control in Bengal. This episode helped shape the transfer of influence from Bengal’s court to Company officials and allied merchants.
149. What immediate confrontation helped precipitate the Battle of Plassey?
[RRB NTPC UG, 17 June 2026, Shift 1]
(A) A dispute about Company tax privileges
(B) Mughal administrative reform
(C) Siraj ud-Daulah’s capture of Calcutta
(D) The French conquest of Bengal
Answer: (C) Siraj ud-Daulah’s capture of Calcutta
Explanation: In 1756 Siraj ud-Daulah seized Calcutta amid conflict over Company fortifications and privileges. The Company recaptured the settlement before Clive marched against the nawab, culminating in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This episode helped shape the transfer of influence from Bengal’s court to Company officials and allied merchants.
148. Which battle of 1757 became a turning point in Company control of Bengal?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 18 March 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Battle of Wandiwash
(B) Battle of Plassey
(C) Battle of Buxar
(D) Third Carnatic War
Answer: (B) Battle of Plassey
Explanation: Plassey gave the East India Company decisive influence over the Bengal nawabship. Buxar followed in 1764 and strengthened its military position further; the Diwani grant of 1765 subsequently provided revenue authority. This episode helped shape the transfer of influence from Bengal’s court to Company officials and allied merchants.
147. Which arrangement best describes the Dual Government introduced in Bengal in 1765?
[RRB NTPC UG, 7 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Company handled revenue while the nawab retained nominal administration
(B) Company and French shared Bengal
(C) Mughal emperor collected revenues directly
(D) Company completely withdrew from administration
Answer: (A) Company handled revenue while the nawab retained nominal administration
Explanation: Under Robert Clive’s arrangement, the Company exercised Diwani, or revenue collection, while the nawab formally retained Nizamat functions. The division obscured responsibility and enabled Company influence without corresponding administrative accountability. This division of financial and governing duties became a major controversy in early colonial administration.
146. The Treaty of Allahabad followed which battle?
[MP Police Sub-Inspector, 16 January 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: After the 1764 Battle of Buxar, the 1765 Allahabad settlement secured the Company’s Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It transformed military success into a durable fiscal foundation for British expansion. Its consequences are best understood through the treaty negotiations and Company revenue arrangements that followed.
145. Through the Treaty of Allahabad, the East India Company obtained Diwani rights over which provinces?
[RRB NTPC UG, 17 June 2026, Shift 2]
(A) Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
(B) Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir
(C) Awadh, Delhi and Agra
(D) Bombay, Madras and Bengal
Answer: (A) Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Explanation: Emperor Shah Alam II granted the Company revenue-collecting authority in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. That income supported Company administration and military campaigns, linking colonial political dominance with provincial fiscal resources. The change made access to land revenue a decisive support for the Company’s expanding military power.
144. During which years was the First Anglo-Mysore War fought?
[SSC GD Constable, 29 April 2026, Shift 1]
(A) 1767–1769
(B) 1780–1784
(C) 1790–1792
(D) 1799
Answer: (A) 1767–1769
Explanation: The First Anglo-Mysore War took place during 1767–1769 under Haidar Ali. It ended with the Treaty of Madras in 1769, restoring territories and providing for mutual defence, although the relationship remained unstable. The military conflict was part of a prolonged contest over sovereignty and Company influence in southern India.
143. Who earned the epithet “Tiger of Mysore”?
[SSC GD Constable, 4 May 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Haidar Ali
(B) Alivardi Khan
(C) Tipu Sultan
(D) Mahadji Scindia
Answer: (C) Tipu Sultan
Explanation: Tipu Sultan ruled Mysore from 1782 until his death defending Seringapatam in 1799. His military reforms, rockets and resistance to British power made the tiger a prominent element of his political symbolism. The military conflict was part of a prolonged contest over sovereignty and Company influence in southern India.
142. Which city served as the principal seat of the Peshwas?
[SSC GD Constable, 5 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Mumbai
(B) Nagpur
(C) Pune (Poona)
(D) Aurangabad
Answer: (C) Pune (Poona)
Explanation: Pune developed into the principal political centre of the Peshwas, who became the dominant executive figures of the Maratha polity. Satara remained associated with the Chhatrapati, while powerful Maratha houses held other regional centres. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
141. Which power was a major focus of Aurangzeb’s extended Deccan campaigns?
[SSC GD Constable, 6 May 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Rajputs
(B) Marathas
(C) Afghans
(D) Portuguese
Answer: (B) Marathas
Explanation: Aurangzeb’s long Deccan commitment involved conflicts with the Marathas as well as campaigns against the Deccan sultanates. Resistance and prolonged warfare placed immense demands on Mughal armies, finance and administration. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.