130. In which regions was Cornwallis’s Permanent Settlement introduced in 1793?
[BPSC District Statistical Officer (3 Aug 2025) — 2025]
A. Bengal and Bombay
B. Bengal and Bihar
C. Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
D. Bengal, Bihar and Madras
Answer: C. Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Explanation: The Permanent Settlement is traditionally associated with Bengal, Bihar and parts of Odisha, with further extensions elsewhere. Introduced in 1793, it fixed the Company’s land revenue demand and entrusted collection to hereditary zamindars.
129. Which Governor-General abandoned the Doctrine of Lapse after the Revolt of 1857?
[RPF Constable (12 Mar 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. Lord William Bentinck
B. Lord Canning
C. Lord Hardinge
D. Lord Ellenborough
Answer: B. Lord Canning
Explanation: Lord Canning moved toward a conciliatory relationship with princely rulers after the uprising. The Crown’s post-1858 policy recognized adopted succession more readily, departing from the aggressive annexations identified with Lord Dalhousie.
128. Consider: (I) Canning held the Allahabad Durbar in November 1857; (II) Administration passed to Queen Victoria. Which statement is correct?
[RPF Constable (4 Mar 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Neither I nor II
B. Both I and II
C. Only I
D. Only II
Answer: D. Only II
Explanation: The Allahabad proclamation belongs to November 1858, not 1857. Queen Victoria’s government assumed authority under the Government of India Act 1858. Consequently the second statement is correct, while the date given in the first is wrong.
127. Who introduced the Ryotwari system in India?
[SSC Selection Post Matriculation (1 Aug 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Lord Cornwallis
B. Thomas Munro
C. Warren Hastings
D. Robert Clive
Answer: B. Thomas Munro
Explanation: Thomas Munro is closely associated with developing and extending the Ryotwari settlement, building upon earlier work by Alexander Read. The arrangement assessed revenue directly upon individual cultivators rather than through hereditary zamindari intermediaries.
126. Under Permanent Settlement, which group received hereditary ownership rights?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary Exam (1 Nov 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. Zamindars
B. Tenants
C. Farmers
D. Merchants
Answer: A. Zamindars
Explanation: Permanent Settlement transformed zamindars into recognized hereditary proprietors subject to payment of the Company’s fixed land revenue. Cultivating tenants generally lacked matching ownership protections, helping create a sharper distinction between landlords and cultivators.
125. Which land-revenue system was most prevalent in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (2 Sep 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Ryotwari
B. Mahalwari
C. Jagirdari
D. Zamindari
Answer: A. Ryotwari
Explanation: Ryotwari settlements predominated over extensive areas of the Madras and Bombay Presidencies. The government assessed cultivators individually and collected directly from them, contrasting with zamindari and village-based settlement methods elsewhere.
124. The Ilbert Bill controversy of 1883 was concerned principally with what?
[SSC Selection Post Matriculation (30 Jul 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Rights of Indian judges
B. Introduction of income tax
C. Expansion of railways
D. Indianisation of the army
Answer: A. Rights of Indian judges
Explanation: The Ilbert Bill proposed removing race-based limits on Indian judges trying European British defendants. European residents fiercely opposed this modest judicial equality, exposing entrenched colonial racial privilege under Lord Ripon’s administration.
123. In which year was the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act passed?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary Exam (14 Oct 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. 1861
B. 1856
C. 1848
D. 1872
Answer: B. 1856
Explanation: Act XV of 1856 recognized the right of Hindu widows to remarry. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s sustained campaign supplied intellectual and public support, and the legislation was finally enacted during Lord Canning’s term.
122. What lay at the centre of the Ilbert Bill controversy?
[DSSSB TGT Social Science (8 Nov 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. Protection of properties of converts
B. Sharing assembly seats
C. Judicial discrimination based on race
D. Language of colonial education
Answer: C. Judicial discrimination based on race
Explanation: The bill sought to permit qualified Indian criminal judges to try European British subjects. European opposition was rooted in racial hierarchy rather than judicial competence, and the final legislative compromise limited the reform.
121. What did Wood’s Despatch of 1854 recommend for Indian education?
[SSC CPO (11 Dec 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Using vernacular languages at every level exclusively
B. A graded education system from primary schools to universities and English at higher levels
C. Complete educational privatization
D. Training only religious scholars
Answer: B. A graded education system from primary schools to universities and English at higher levels
Explanation: Wood’s Despatch proposed linked tiers of schooling, provincial education departments, universities, teacher training and grants-in-aid. It advocated vernacular instruction at primary levels and English in higher education, establishing a framework for later institutional expansion.
