30. In which year was Punjab annexed by the East India Company?
[SSC CPO, 24 November 2020]
(A) 1842
(B) 1846
(C) 1849
(D) 1856
Answer: (C) 1849
Explanation: Punjab was annexed in 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War. The fall of the Sikh kingdom expanded Company authority to the northwest frontier, with administration overseen under Dalhousie. This history belongs to the Company’s final phase of major territorial conquest in northwestern India.
29. Which additional Maratha levy amounted to approximately ten per cent?
[Delhi Police Constable, 2 December 2020]
(A) Sardeshmukhi
(B) Chauth
(C) Jizya
(D) Zakat
Answer: (A) Sardeshmukhi
Explanation: Sardeshmukhi was generally calculated as an additional ten per cent claim made by Maratha authorities. It was distinct from Chauth, the one-fourth levy often demanded from territories outside direct Maratha government. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
28. How many major wars did the East India Company fight against Mysore?
[RRB NTPC, 30 December 2020]
(A) Two
(B) Three
(C) Four
(D) Five
Answer: (C) Four
Explanation: Four Anglo-Mysore Wars were fought: 1767–69, 1780–84, 1790–92 and 1799. They culminated in the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan and installation of a British-influenced Mysore government. The military conflict was part of a prolonged contest over sovereignty and Company influence in southern India.
27. In which year was the Battle of Koregaon Bhima fought?
[MPTET Varg II Social Science, 3 March 2019, Shift 2]
(A) 1718
(B) 1818
(C) 1796
(D) 1857
Answer: (B) 1818
Explanation: The Battle of Bhima Koregaon occurred on 1 January 1818 during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. A Company force including Mahar soldiers resisted troops of Peshwa Baji Rao II near Pune. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
26. With which conflict is the Treaty of Gandamak associated?
[RPF Constable, 12 February 2019]
(A) Second Anglo-Burmese War
(B) Balkan War
(C) Crimean War
(D) Second Anglo-Afghan War
Answer: (D) Second Anglo-Afghan War
Explanation: The Treaty of Gandamak was signed in 1879 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. It gave Britain substantial influence over Afghanistan’s foreign relations, but the settlement was soon disrupted by further conflict. British decisions were also shaped by anxiety over imperial rivalry and the security of India’s frontier.
25. Which treaty ended the First Anglo-Burmese War?
[SSC CGL, 10 June 2019, Shift 2]
(A) Treaty of Purandar
(B) Treaty of Salbai
(C) Treaty of Titalia
(D) Treaty of Yandabo
Answer: (D) Treaty of Yandabo
Explanation: Signed in February 1826, the Treaty of Yandabo ended the costly First Anglo-Burmese War. Burma ceded Arakan and Tenasserim and renounced claims in parts of northeast India. Britain’s eastward expansion linked military conquest with the strategic pursuit of ports and river trade.
24. Which levy in the Maratha revenue system was an additional ten per cent assessment?
[SSC CPO, 2019]
(A) Sardeshmukhi
(B) Chauth
(C) Jizya
(D) Rahdari
Answer: (A) Sardeshmukhi
Explanation: Sardeshmukhi was a supplementary ten per cent demand framed as a right of superior revenue authority. Chauth was a separate one-fourth assessment often levied as political tribute. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
23. In which Anglo-Mysore War was Tipu Sultan killed?
[RPF Constable, 5 February 2019]
(A) First
(B) Second
(C) Third
(D) Fourth
Answer: (D) Fourth
Explanation: Tipu died during the British storming of Seringapatam in May 1799, ending the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The settlement reduced Mysore and restored the Wodeyar dynasty under British supervision. The military conflict was part of a prolonged contest over sovereignty and Company influence in southern India.
22. The Treaty of Sugauli was concluded between the Company and which people or state?
[Bihar Police Sub-Inspector, 2019]
(A) Nepalese (Gurkhas)
(B) Marathas
(C) Sikhs
(D) Burmese
Answer: (A) Nepalese (Gurkhas)
Explanation: The agreement settled the 1814–1816 Anglo-Nepal War. Nepal ceded territories including Kumaon and Garhwal, while British authority along the Himalayan frontier substantially increased. The resulting frontier settlement reshaped British relations with Himalayan states for many subsequent decades.
21. The early development of Shimla as a military hill station was linked with which campaign?
[CDS General Knowledge, 3 February 2019]
(A) Anglo-Maratha War
(B) Anglo-Burmese War
(C) Anglo-Gurkha War
(D) Anglo-Afghan War
Answer: (C) Anglo-Gurkha War
Explanation: The Anglo-Gurkha conflict of 1814–1816 heightened British attention to Himalayan routes and cantonments. Shimla subsequently developed as a strategic hill station and eventually became the summer capital of British India. The Company moved over time from a trading corporation into a territorial and revenue-collecting power.
