120. Whose social-reform efforts influenced Bentinck’s prohibition of Sati in 1829?
[RPF Constable (4 Mar 2025, Shift 2) — 2025]
A. Dayananda Saraswati
B. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
C. Swami Vivekananda
D. Jyotirao Phule
Answer: B. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Explanation: Raja Ram Mohan Roy spoke publicly and wrote against Sati, providing important support for reform. Lord William Bentinck’s Bengal Sati Regulation of 1829 criminalized the practice and was later extended beyond Bengal.
119. Which Act of 1878 was associated with Lord Lytton?
[OSSSC CRE Preliminary Exam (18 Oct 2025, Shift 2) — 2025]
A. Vernacular Press Act
B. English Education Act
C. Bengal Tenancy Act
D. Censorship Act
Answer: A. Vernacular Press Act
Explanation: Lytton’s Vernacular Press Act imposed exceptional restrictions on Indian-language newspapers. The law threatened penalties and seizure for publications criticizing government actions and became notorious for distinguishing between vernacular and English journalism.
118. During whose viceroyalty did the Ilbert Bill controversy occur?
[UKPSC Lower PCS Prelims (11 May 2025) — 2025]
A. Lord Ripon
B. Lord Elgin
C. Lord Canning
D. Lord Curzon
Answer: A. Lord Ripon
Explanation: The 1883 Ilbert Bill was introduced during Lord Ripon’s viceroyalty. Its proposal to expand Indian judges’ criminal jurisdiction over Europeans produced an intense campaign by European settlers, making the controversy a landmark example of racial inequality.
117. Which policy was implemented under Lord Curzon?
[MP Police Constable (5 Dec 2025, Shift 2) — 2025]
A. Ilbert Bill
B. Partition of Bengal
C. Permanent Settlement
D. Vernacular Press Act
Answer: B. Partition of Bengal
Explanation: The Bengal partition was implemented in October 1905 while Curzon served as Viceroy. Opponents connected it with divide-and-rule tactics; widespread Swadeshi mobilization followed and the decision was reversed in 1911.
116. What was the object of the law enacted in India in 1856?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I (12 Aug 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Banning child labour
B. Abolishing caste
C. Allowing temple entry
D. Legalising widow remarriage
Answer: D. Legalising widow remarriage
Explanation: The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act of 1856 removed the legal prohibition against Hindu widow remarriage. Vidyasagar’s reform campaign was especially influential, although wider acceptance in society developed unevenly after the Act.
115. Who passed the Bengal Sati Regulation Act in 1829?
[DSSSB TGT Hindi (17 Aug 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. Lord Dalhousie
B. Lord William Bentinck
C. Lord Willingdon
D. Lord Irwin
Answer: B. Lord William Bentinck
Explanation: Lord William Bentinck issued Bengal Regulation XVII in December 1829, treating Sati as a punishable offence. The measure followed considerable public debate and reformist agitation, especially by Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
114. Which Governor-General abolished the practice of Sati?
[DSSSB TGT Social Science (7 Nov 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. Robert Napier
B. William Bentinck
C. William Blunt
D. John Canning
Answer: B. William Bentinck
Explanation: Bentinck’s administration prohibited Sati by Bengal Regulation XVII of 1829. Reformers had challenged the practice on ethical and scriptural grounds, and the measure became one of the most prominent state-led social reforms of the Company period.
113. Under which Governor-General was the General Service Enlistment Act introduced?
[RPF Constable (10 Mar 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. Lord Auckland
B. Lord Amherst
C. Lord Wellesley
D. Lord Canning
Answer: D. Lord Canning
Explanation: Canning’s administration introduced the General Service Enlistment Act in 1856, requiring new recruits to accept overseas service when ordered. Sea-voyage concerns contributed to wider sepoy suspicions preceding the 1857 revolt.
112. Who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance policy?
[RPF Constable (10 Mar 2025, Shift 1) — 2025]
A. John Nicholson
B. Colin Campbell
C. Henry Lawrence
D. Lord Wellesley
Answer: D. Lord Wellesley
Explanation: Lord Wellesley used Subsidiary Alliances to station British troops in Indian states at their expense. The system also limited diplomacy and armed independence, contributing to the Company’s growing paramountcy over princely rulers.
111. In which year was Awadh annexed by the British?
[RPF Constable (12 Mar 2025, Shift 3) — 2025]
A. 1856 AD
B. 1853 AD
C. 1855 AD
D. 1851 AD
Answer: A. 1856 AD
Explanation: Awadh was annexed in 1856 by Dalhousie’s administration, officially on allegations of maladministration. This was distinct from the Doctrine of Lapse and came decades after Awadh accepted Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance in 1801.
