120. Which policy was invoked in the annexation of Jhansi following the dispute over Lakshmibai’s adopted son?
[DSSSB MTS, 18 April 2026, Shift 1]
(A) Subsidiary Alliance
(B) Doctrine of Lapse
(C) Ring Fence Policy
(D) Permanent Settlement
Answer: (B) Doctrine of Lapse
Explanation: After the death of Gangadhar Rao in 1853, the Company refused to recognise the adopted heir’s claim to the throne of Jhansi. Annexation helped fuel resentment that became prominent during 1857. The Company moved over time from a trading corporation into a territorial and revenue-collecting power.
119. In which year was Punjab finally annexed by the East India Company?
[SSC GD Constable, 30 April 2026, Shift 3]
(A) 1836
(B) 1841
(C) 1849
(D) 1856
Answer: (C) 1849
Explanation: Punjab was annexed on 29 March 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the Company’s victory at Gujrat. The annexation terminated the Sikh kingdom that Maharaja Ranjit Singh had consolidated. This history belongs to the Company’s final phase of major territorial conquest in northwestern India.
118. Which colonial annexation doctrine was abandoned following the uprising of 1857?
[OSSSC, 30 April 2026]
(A) Doctrine of Lapse
(B) Subsidiary Alliance
(C) Permanent Settlement
(D) Ryotwari System
Answer: (A) Doctrine of Lapse
Explanation: The Crown’s post-1857 approach gave greater assurances to princes about succession and treaty rights. The Doctrine of Lapse was abandoned in practice, reflecting British efforts to secure loyalty from princely states. The legislation illustrates expanding parliamentary involvement in the structures and powers of colonial government.
117. Which nationalist thinker wrote Poverty and Un-British Rule in India and explained the drain of wealth?
[RRB NTPC Graduate, 19 March 2026, Shift 3]
(A) Dadabhai Naoroji
(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(D) M. G. Ranade
Answer: (A) Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji argued that colonial institutions transferred Indian resources abroad through salaries, pensions, remittances and other channels. His drain theory became central to the economic criticism of British imperial rule. The Company moved over time from a trading corporation into a territorial and revenue-collecting power.
116. In what year did Maharaja Ranjit Singh die?
[SSC MTS 2025 paper, held 18 February 2026, Shift 3]
(A) 1839
(B) 1842
(C) 1845
(D) 1851
Answer: (A) 1839
Explanation: Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in Lahore on 27 June 1839. Political instability following his death weakened the Sikh court and army command, preceding the Anglo-Sikh conflicts of 1845–46 and 1848–49. This history belongs to the Company’s final phase of major territorial conquest in northwestern India.
115. Which Bengal commander’s defection contributed decisively to Siraj ud-Daulah’s defeat at Plassey?
[SSC MTS 2025 paper, held 9 February 2026]
(A) Mir Jafar
(B) Mir Qasim
(C) Haidar Ali
(D) Shuja ud-Daulah
Answer: (A) Mir Jafar
Explanation: Mir Jafar, a senior commander in the nawab’s army, entered into an arrangement with the Company and withheld effective support at Plassey. The Company subsequently installed him as nawab. This episode helped shape the transfer of influence from Bengal’s court to Company officials and allied merchants.
114. Which military approach was particularly associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?
[Delhi Police Head Constable 2025 paper, held 8 January 2026]
(A) Guerrilla and mobile warfare
(B) Exclusive naval bombardment
(C) Only trench warfare
(D) Reliance solely on war elephants
Answer: (A) Guerrilla and mobile warfare
Explanation: Shivaji exploited difficult terrain, intelligence networks and swift mounted forces. These techniques, supported by forts and local knowledge, helped his army challenge larger Deccan and Mughal forces. Administrative organisation and effective use of regional geography were central to the Maratha state’s durability.
113. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal in 1793?
[Delhi Police Head Constable 2025 paper, held 9 January 2026]
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Ripon
(D) Lord Curzon
Answer: (B) Lord Cornwallis
Explanation: Lord Cornwallis introduced the settlement fixing the land-revenue demand on zamindars. The policy aimed to secure predictable Company income but encouraged changes in rural property rights and landlord–cultivator relations. The revenue question was fundamental to the economic effects of Company administration on cultivators.
112. Which pairing of an event and its year is incorrect?
[MPPSC Assistant Professor History Paper II, 1 June 2025]
(A) Robert Clive’s second Bengal governorship: 1762–1764
(B) Warren Hastings as Governor-General: 1773–1785
(C) Third Anglo-Mysore War: 1790–1792
(D) Lord Wellesley as Governor-General: 1798–1805
Answer: (A) Robert Clive’s second Bengal governorship: 1762–1764
Explanation: Clive returned as governor of Bengal during 1765–1767, not 1762–1764. During his second term he implemented the dual administrative arrangement in Bengal after the Company acquired Diwani rights. This division of financial and governing duties became a major controversy in early colonial administration.
111. Which battle marked the start of East India Company political dominance in Bengal?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary, 13 October 2025, Shift 2]
(A) Battle of Plassey
(B) Battle of Talikota
(C) Battle of Haldighati
(D) Battle of Khanwa
Answer: (A) Battle of Plassey
Explanation: The 1757 victory at Plassey enabled Company interference in Bengal’s succession and financial affairs. Although the 1764 Battle of Buxar expanded its control, Plassey had already altered the regional balance of power. This episode helped shape the transfer of influence from Bengal’s court to Company officials and allied merchants.
