40. In which year did the Company receive the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa?
[RRB NTPC, 11 February 2021]
(A) 1757
(B) 1764
(C) 1765
(D) 1773
Answer: (C) 1765
Explanation: The Mughal emperor granted the Company Diwani rights in 1765, following Buxar and the Treaty of Allahabad. Revenue collection helped finance the Company’s military and political presence. Its consequences are best understood through the treaty negotiations and Company revenue arrangements that followed.
39. Which city was the capital of Tipu Sultan’s kingdom of Mysore?
[RRB NTPC, 9 March 2021]
(A) Seringapatam (Srirangapatna)
(B) Pune
(C) Hyderabad
(D) Arcot
Answer: (A) Seringapatam (Srirangapatna)
Explanation: Srirangapatna, on an island in the Kaveri River, served as Tipu Sultan’s political and military centre. It became the scene of his final resistance and death in 1799. The military conflict was part of a prolonged contest over sovereignty and Company influence in southern India.
38. During what years was the Third Anglo-Mysore War fought?
[RRB NTPC, 21 January 2021]
(A) 1767–1769
(B) 1780–1784
(C) 1790–1792
(D) 1817–1818
Answer: (C) 1790–1792
Explanation: The Third Anglo-Mysore War involved Tipu Sultan against the Company and allied Indian powers. The Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792 obliged Mysore to cede a large share of its territory. The military conflict was part of a prolonged contest over sovereignty and Company influence in southern India.
37. Who explained colonial poverty through the drain of wealth theory?
[RRB NTPC, 5 April 2021]
(A) Dadabhai Naoroji
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Subhas Chandra Bose
(D) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Answer: (A) Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation: Naoroji argued that colonialism extracted Indian wealth through remittances and government expenditure benefiting Britain. His economic critique was influential in the early national movement and demands for self-government. The legislation illustrates expanding parliamentary involvement in the structures and powers of colonial government.
36. Which Indian state first entered a Subsidiary Alliance under Wellesley?
[RRB NTPC, 3 April 2021]
(A) Hyderabad
(B) Punjab
(C) Nepal
(D) Mysore
Answer: (A) Hyderabad
Explanation: The Nizam of Hyderabad accepted the subsidiary arrangement in 1798. It involved British troops maintained at the ruler’s expense and restrictions on independent foreign relations. The Company moved over time from a trading corporation into a territorial and revenue-collecting power.
35. In which year was the Third Battle of Panipat fought?
[Punjab Police Jail Warder, 29 August 2021, Shift 6]
(A) 1762
(B) 1763
(C) 1761
(D) 1769
Answer: (C) 1761
Explanation: The Maratha and Durrani armies fought on 14 January 1761. While the battle marked a major Maratha defeat, successors later rebuilt much of the confederacy’s influence. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
34. Who defeated the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat?
[Army Soldier GD, 25 February 2021, Berhampore]
(A) Aurangzeb
(B) Ahmad Shah Abdali
(C) Jahangir
(D) Sher Shah Suri
Answer: (B) Ahmad Shah Abdali
Explanation: Ahmad Shah Durrani, also called Abdali, won the battle of January 1761. His Afghan coalition benefited from northern Indian allies, while the Marathas suffered severe logistical and political difficulties. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
33. Which of these Shivaji-related event–year pairs is incorrect?
[RPSC Assistant Professor History, 24 September 2021]
(A) Control of Jawali — 1647
(B) Control of Purandar fort — 1648
(C) Raid on Surat — 1664
(D) Treaty of Purandar — 1665
Answer: (B) Control of Purandar fort — 1648
Explanation: The 1648 dating for control of Purandar is the mismatched pairing in the recorded question. Shivaji raided Surat in 1664 and signed the Treaty of Purandar with Jai Singh in 1665. Administrative organisation and effective use of regional geography were central to the Maratha state’s durability.
32. Under which Governor-General did India’s first passenger railway service commence?
[WBCS Prelims, 2020]
(A) Lord Wellesley
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (D) Lord Dalhousie
Explanation: The Bombay–Thane railway began operating in 1853 while Lord Dalhousie was governor-general. Railway development subsequently expanded under imperial patronage, facilitating movement of goods, soldiers and people. Transport investment affected both civilian economic life and the military reach of the colonial state.
31. Place in chronological order: (1) Clive’s return to India, (2) Treaty of Allahabad, (3) Battle of Buxar, (4) Warren Hastings became Governor-General.
[UPPSC RO/ARO General Studies, 20 September 2020]
(A) 3–2–1–4
(B) 3–1–2–4
(C) 1–2–3–4
(D) 2–1–4–3
Answer: (B) 3–1–2–4
Explanation: Buxar occurred in October 1764. Clive returned for his second governorship in 1765, preceding the Allahabad treaty that August. Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of Bengal in 1773. Its consequences are best understood through the treaty negotiations and Company revenue arrangements that followed.
