140. Which combination of the following descriptions of Maratha society is correct:
(A) Shivaji’s military following;
(B) Deshmukhs;
(C) mobile pastoral groups;
(D) Kunbi cultivators?
[CTET Social Science, 7 February 2026, Afternoon]
(A) Only C and D
(B) A, B, C and D
(C) Only A, B and C
(D) Only A and C
Answer: (B) A, B, C and D
Explanation: Maratha political society incorporated warrior lineages, hereditary local officials such as deshmukhs, cultivating Kunbi communities and mobile groups. These overlapping social networks helped the emergent state obtain military personnel and agrarian resources. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
139. What was the chief political importance of Shivaji’s coronation in 1674?
[UP PGT History, 9 May 2026]
(A) It abolished the Maratha army
(B) It established sovereign royal legitimacy
(C) It created the East India Company
(D) It transferred his capital to Delhi
Answer: (B) It established sovereign royal legitimacy
Explanation: The coronation at Raigad publicly affirmed Shivaji as an independent Chhatrapati. Ritual legitimacy supported a distinct kingship, administrative offices and the right to exercise sovereign authority amid competition with the Mughals and Deccan powers. Administrative organisation and effective use of regional geography were central to the Maratha state’s durability.
138. Which combination best characterises Shivaji’s methods of warfare and defence?
[UP PGT History, 9 May 2026]
(A) Only mass cavalry assaults on open plains
(B) Fortified strongholds, mobile warfare and a coastal navy
(C) Exclusive dependence on Mughal artillery
(D) Abandonment of hill forts
Answer: (B) Fortified strongholds, mobile warfare and a coastal navy
Explanation: Shivaji built a flexible military system employing quick movement, intelligence and hill forts. His coastal fortifications and naval initiatives sought to guard the Konkan against rivals and maritime powers, making geography central to defence. Administrative organisation and effective use of regional geography were central to the Maratha state’s durability.
137. Which longer-term development is most closely associated with Shivaji’s state-building?
[UP PGT History, 9 May 2026]
(A) Only a religious movement without institutions
(B) A unified empire across all India immediately
(C) Durable governance, forts, mobile warfare and maritime defence
(D) Permanent submission to the Mughal Empire
Answer: (C) Durable governance, forts, mobile warfare and maritime defence
Explanation: Shivaji’s reign laid foundations for military organisation, revenue administration and a network of defensible forts. Subsequent Maratha expansion developed far beyond his original territories, although political forms evolved significantly after his death. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
136. Match the terms with their meanings: (a) Chauth; (b) Sardeshmukhi; (c) Ashtapradhan; (d) Mokasa.
[UPHESC Assistant Professor (History), 19 April 2026, Shift 1]
(A) a–25%, b–10%, c–eight ministers, d–service land grant
(B) a–10%, b–25%, c–eight forts, d–customs duty
(C) a–25%, b–50%, c–twelve ministers, d–cash pension
(D) a–land tax, b–naval levy, c–eight generals, d–salt tax
Answer: (A) a–25%, b–10%, c–eight ministers, d–service land grant
Explanation: Chauth typically represented a one-fourth levy, while Sardeshmukhi was an additional ten per cent claim. Ashtapradhan denoted Shivaji’s eight-member ministerial framework; Mokasa related to revenue assignments for military or administrative service. Administrative organisation and effective use of regional geography were central to the Maratha state’s durability.
135. Put these events in order:
Shivaji’s coronation (a),
Balaji Vishwanath’s appointment as Peshwa (b),
Third Battle of Panipat (c),
Treaty of Purandar (d)
[UPHESC Assistant Professor (History), 19 April 2026, Shift 1]
(A) a–b–d–c
(B) a–d–b–c
(C) d–a–b–c
(D) d–b–a–c
Answer: (C) d–a–b–c
Explanation: Purandar was signed in 1665, Shivaji was crowned in 1674, Balaji Vishwanath became Peshwa in 1713 and the Third Battle of Panipat occurred in 1761. The sequence charts major stages of Maratha development. The episode illustrates shifting political alliances as the Company advanced against powerful regional Indian states.
134. Which land-revenue arrangement was established in Bengal under Cornwallis in 1793?
[OSSSC Forest Guard, 23 April 2026]
(A) Ryotwari system
(B) Mahalwari system
(C) Permanent Settlement
(D) Taluqdari system
Answer: (C) Permanent Settlement
Explanation: The Permanent Settlement fixed the Company’s revenue demand from zamindars and recognised them as landholders under prescribed conditions. Its design reshaped rural property and collection practices but did not ensure security for cultivators. The revenue question was fundamental to the economic effects of Company administration on cultivators.
133. What central responsibility did zamindars have under Bengal’s Permanent Settlement?
[SSC GD Constable, 30 April 2026, Shift 2]
(A) Collect revenue and remit the fixed demand to the Company
(B) Serve only as military commanders
(C) Collect customs at seaports
(D) Directly appoint the Governor-General
Answer: (A) Collect revenue and remit the fixed demand to the Company
Explanation: Introduced in 1793, the settlement assigned zamindars responsibility for remitting fixed land revenue. Failure could lead to estate sales. Because government demand remained fixed, changes in agricultural output affected landlords and peasants differently. The revenue question was fundamental to the economic effects of Company administration on cultivators.
132. What was the chief purpose of the Regulating Act of 1773?
[OSSSC, 29 April 2026, Shift 1]
(A) To place Company affairs under greater parliamentary oversight
(B) To declare Indian independence
(C) To establish the Indian National Congress
(D) To abolish land revenue
Answer: (A) To place Company affairs under greater parliamentary oversight
Explanation: The Act represented Parliament’s first major effort to supervise the East India Company’s Indian territories. It created a Governor-General of Bengal with a council and provided for a Supreme Court at Calcutta. The legislation illustrates expanding parliamentary involvement in the structures and powers of colonial government.
131. Which law of 1773 first significantly regulated the Company’s Indian administration?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 24 March 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Pitt’s India Act, 1784
(B) Government of India Act, 1858
(C) Regulating Act, 1773
(D) Charter Act, 1813
Answer: (C) Regulating Act, 1773
Explanation: The Regulating Act asserted parliamentary control over major aspects of Company governance. It formalised the Governor-General of Bengal and council and laid the basis for stronger supervision of the presidencies. The legislation illustrates expanding parliamentary involvement in the structures and powers of colonial government.
