150. In which year did British officials pass the widow remarriage law?
[SSC GD Constable (27 May 2026, Shift 3) — 2026]
A. 1833
B. 1856
C. 1861
D. 1885
Answer: B. 1856
Explanation: The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, Act XV of 1856, legally validated remarriage among Hindu widows. It followed a sustained reform campaign led by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and was enacted on 26 July during Lord Canning’s governorship.
149. In which year was the Mahalwari land revenue system introduced by the British in India?
[SSC MTS 2025 Paper (5 Feb 2026, Shift 2) — 2026]
A. 1765
B. 1793
C. 1801
D. 1822
Answer: D. 1822
Explanation: Holt Mackenzie formulated the Mahalwari settlement in 1822 for parts of northern India. Revenue was assessed for a village or estate unit called a mahal; village representatives typically managed collective payment responsibilities.
148. Which land revenue system introduced in 1793 recognized zamindars as intermediaries and fixed state revenue permanently?
[OSSSC Forester, Forest Guard and Excise Constable (23 Apr 2026, Shift 1) — 2026]
A. Ryotwari System
B. Mahalwari System
C. Permanent Settlement
D. Taluqdari System
Answer: C. Permanent Settlement
Explanation: The Permanent Settlement under Cornwallis recognized zamindars’ hereditary rights while fixing the East India Company’s revenue demand. Its permanent assessment distinguished it from Ryotwari settlements with individual cultivators and Mahalwari settlements based on village communities.
147. The Arms Act of 1878 was introduced during the tenure of which Viceroy?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (20 Jun 2026, Shift 2) — 2026]
A. Lord Lytton
B. Lord Ripon
C. Lord Curzon
D. Lord Wellesley
Answer: A. Lord Lytton
Explanation: Lord Lytton’s administration enacted the Indian Arms Act in 1878. It imposed licensing restrictions on arms possession, with discriminatory exemptions for certain Europeans and officials, becoming another source of opposition to colonial rule.
146. Which policy was used by the British to weaken Awadh before its annexation in February 1856?
[DSSSB MTS (15 Mar 2026, Shift 1) — 2026]
A. Doctrine of Lapse
B. Ryotwari System
C. Subsidiary Alliance
D. Permanent Settlement
Answer: C. Subsidiary Alliance
Explanation: Awadh entered a Subsidiary Alliance in 1801, allowing the British to place troops and a Resident within its territory. This weakened the Nawab’s independence; the final annexation in 1856 was officially justified on alleged misgovernment, not lapse.
145. Which institution was founded by Mahadev Govind Ranade?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (8 May 2026, Shift 3) — 2026]
A. Brahmo Samaj
B. Arya Samaj
C. Widow Remarriage Association
D. Indian National Congress
Answer: C. Widow Remarriage Association
Explanation: Mahadev Govind Ranade worked for women’s education and social reform in western India. He helped advance organized widow-remarriage initiatives, extending reform activity beyond the passage of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act in 1856.
144. Which organization founded in Madras in 1864 promoted widow remarriage, women’s education and opposition to caste distinctions?
[CTET Social Studies Paper II (7 Feb 2026, Shift 1) — 2026]
A. Veda Samaj
B. Vedanta Samaj
C. Theosophical Society
D. Self-Respect Movement
Answer: A. Veda Samaj
Explanation: The Veda Samaj arose in Madras in 1864 under reformist influence from Bengal. Its supporters promoted women’s education, widow remarriage and opposition to caste restrictions, forming part of the broader nineteenth-century social reform climate.
143. Who introduced the Doctrine of Lapse?
[DSSSB TGT Social Science (7 Nov 2025, Shift 2) — 2025]
A. Lord Wellesley
B. Lord Auckland
C. Lord Dalhousie
D. Lord Wellington
Answer: C. Lord Dalhousie
Explanation: Lord Dalhousie used the Doctrine of Lapse to annex certain dependent princely states lacking an accepted successor. It was among the most disputed expansionist policies of the East India Company and helped fuel princely grievances.
142. Which Governor-General initiated the Doctrine of Lapse that expanded British territory?
[DSSSB PGT English (7 Jul 2025, Shift 2) — 2025]
A. Lord Hastings
B. Lord Dalhousie
C. Lord Curzon
D. Lord Canning
Answer: B. Lord Dalhousie
Explanation: Dalhousie’s government asserted the Company’s right to absorb states when a ruler’s succession was not recognized. This doctrine was heavily employed between 1848 and 1856 and became a symbol of colonial interference in Indian sovereignty.
141. Which British official implemented the Partition of Bengal in 1905?
[SSC GD Constable (19 Feb 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Lord Curzon
B. Lord Minto
C. Lord Mountbatten
D. Lord Wellesley
Answer: A. Lord Curzon
Explanation: Curzon announced the partition of Bengal, which took effect on 16 October 1905. While the administration cited convenience, nationalist leaders condemned its divisive political effects and launched the Swadeshi and boycott movements in protest.
