160. What was the primary objective of the Vernacular Press Act (1878)?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (13 Jun 2026, Shift 3) — 2026]
A. Encouraging regional newspapers to defend imperial policies
B. Promoting bilingual journalism for cultural unity
C. Restricting non-English publications to prevent criticism of British actions
D. Removing censorship rules on vernacular publications
Answer: C. Restricting non-English publications to prevent criticism of British actions
Explanation: The law empowered colonial authorities to curb newspapers published in Indian languages. Introduced under Lord Lytton, it sought to suppress criticism of British policies, while English-language publications were treated differently. Its discriminatory character provoked substantial opposition.
159. Under the Permanent Settlement introduced by the British, what was the main responsibility assigned to the zamindars?
[SSC GD Constable (30 Apr 2026, Shift 2) — 2026]
A. To cultivate the land themselves
B. To collect rent from peasants and pay revenue to the Company
C. To trade goods with the British
D. To manage trade routes
Answer: B. To collect rent from peasants and pay revenue to the Company
Explanation: The 1793 settlement established zamindars as hereditary revenue intermediaries, holding them responsible for paying a permanently fixed amount to the East India Company. They collected rent from cultivators, who often faced heavy demands without corresponding protection.
158. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793, fixing land revenue with landlords?
[Delhi Police Head Constable (9 Jan 2026, Shift 3) — 2026]
A. Lord Hastings
B. Lord Wellesley
C. Lord Cornwallis
D. Lord Curzon
Answer: C. Lord Cornwallis
Explanation: Lord Cornwallis implemented the Permanent Settlement in 1793, primarily in Bengal and Bihar. The state demand on zamindars was fixed permanently, while actual cultivators remained vulnerable to rental pressure and eviction by landlords.
157. Which combination reflects administrative, judicial and military reforms during the early nineteenth century?
[UPHESC Assistant Professor History (19 Apr 2026, Shift 1) — 2026]
A. Cornwallis Code, reorganization of army and establishment of civil courts
B. Permanent Settlement, Vernacular Press Act and Ilbert Bill
C. Doctrine of Lapse, Pitt’s India Act and Morley-Minto Reforms
D. Ryotwari Settlement, Government of India Act and Simon Commission
Answer: A. Cornwallis Code, reorganization of army and establishment of civil courts
Explanation: The Cornwallis Code regulated judicial and administrative arrangements, while colonial authorities reorganized forces and strengthened civil courts. The other combinations mix developments from widely separated periods, so they cannot represent one coherent early-nineteenth-century reform pattern.
156. Which policy decision of Lord Curzon directly provoked strong nationalist opposition in the early 1900s?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (9 May 2026, Shift 1) — 2026]
A. Altering advisory councils without expanding representation
B. Making minor departmental procedural changes
C. Revising small grants to local bodies
D. Enacting the Universities Act of 1904 and tightening official control
Answer: D. Enacting the Universities Act of 1904 and tightening official control
Explanation: The Indian Universities Act of 1904 increased government supervision over higher education under Curzon. Nationalists criticized such centralizing measures because they reduced institutional autonomy and reinforced the colonial administration’s control over universities and academic governance.
155. Who was the only Indian member present when the Vernacular Press Bill came before the Legislative Council?
[UPSC CDS-I General Knowledge (12 Apr 2026) — 2026]
A. Jotendra Mohan Tagore
B. Peary Mohan Mukherjea
C. Dinshaw Petit
D. Dadabhai Naoroji
Answer: A. Jotendra Mohan Tagore
Explanation: Maharaja Jotendra Mohan Tagore was the Indian member present during consideration of the 1878 Vernacular Press Bill. Lytton’s administration pushed the restriction through rapidly, aggravating Indian resentment over unequal treatment of the vernacular press.
154. Under whose leadership was the Doctrine of Lapse introduced and extensively used between 1848 and 1856 to annex Indian states?
[DSSSB MTS (25 Mar 2026, Shift 3) — 2026]
A. Lord Dalhousie
B. Lord Canning
C. Lord Wellesley
D. Lord Cornwallis
Answer: A. Lord Dalhousie
Explanation: Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse during his governor-generalship from 1848 to 1856. It denied succession through adoption for certain dependent states and was used in annexations including Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur.
153. Who was the Governor-General of India during the Revolt of 1857?
[OSSSC Forester, Forest Guard and Excise Constable (28 Apr 2026, Shift 2) — 2026]
A. Lord Curzon
B. Lord Canning
C. Lord Dalhousie
D. Lord Ripon
Answer: B. Lord Canning
Explanation: Lord Canning became Governor-General in 1856 and remained in office during the rebellion of 1857. After authority passed from the Company to the Crown in 1858, he became the first Viceroy of British India.
152. Who was the Viceroy of India at the time of the Indian National Congress Bombay session of 1904?
[DSSSB MTS (6 Mar 2026, Shift 1) — 2026]
A. Lord Lansdowne
B. Lord Minto
C. Lord Ripon
D. Lord Curzon
Answer: D. Lord Curzon
Explanation: Lord Curzon governed as Viceroy from 1899 until 1905. The Congress met in Bombay in 1904 under Henry Cotton’s presidency, while Curzon’s centralizing measures and educational policies were attracting growing nationalist criticism.
151. Who advocated widow remarriage and helped secure the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856?
[DSSSB MTS (29 Mar 2026, Shift 2) — 2026]
A. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
B. Atmaram Pandurang
C. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D. Dayananda Saraswati
Answer: A. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Explanation: Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar argued from Hindu scriptural sources in favour of widow remarriage and organized petitions for legal reform. His campaign contributed decisively to the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act enacted under Lord Canning in 1856.