MIH_Test_1 (2)

VISIONIAS
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ANSWERS & EXPLANATIONS
G.S. PRE. (2025) MINI TEST – 5507
Q 1.C
• In India, the British found that laws were generally based on traditions recorded in memory and customs
embedded in a variety of usages. The traditional Indian legal interpreters, the Pandits and the Moulvis,
were seen as the upholders and interpreters of the legal tradition and hence they were associated with the
courts as experts in this area. The British, however distrusted Indian subordinates due to their own racial
ideology. They wanted to acquire a complete knowledge of the canons and the authoritative legal texts.
They wanted to codify the Indian laws.
• This, however, could be done only with the help of Indian assistants, whose integrity the British doubted.
The British scholars hoped that this would remove the dependence of the future British officials on
Indians subordinates. N.B. Halhed's "A Code of Gentoo Law" (1776) and H.T. Colebrooke's "The Digest
of Hindu Law on Contracts-and Succession"(l798) were early attempts to codify the laws concerning
property. inheritance, marriages, castes and succession, etc. The attempt to standardise and codify the
laws remained the basic concern of the colonial rulers. The Utilitarian ideology emphasised this need to
remove the vagueness and diversity in legal practices in order to dismantle the structure of 'despotic' rule
in India. Macaulay was appointed as chairperson of the First Law Commission (1834) to achieve this
objective.
• Hence option (c) is the correct answer.
Q 2.A
• Commercial enterprise led the Dutch to undertake voyages to the East. After their arrival in India,
the Dutch founded their first factory in Masulipatnam (in Andhra) in 1605. They went on to establish
trading centres at different parts of India and thus became a threat to the Portuguese. They captured
Nagapatam near Madras (Chennai) from the Portuguese and made it their main stronghold in South India.
• The English were also at this time rising to prominence in the Eastern trade, and this posed a serious
challenge to the commercial interests of the Dutch. A commercial rivalry soon turned into bloody warfare.
After prolonged warfare, both the parties came to a compromise in 1667 by which the British agreed to
withdraw all their claims on Indonesia, and the Dutch retired from India to concentrate on their more
profitable trade in Indonesia. They monopolized the trade in black pepper and spices.
• The Dutch were not much interested in empire-building in India; their concerns were trade. In any
case, their main commercial interest lay in the Spice Islands of Indonesia from where they earned a
huge profit through business. The Dutch got drawn into the trade of the Malay Archipelago. Further, in
the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-74), communications between Surat and the new English settlement of
Bombay got cut due to which three homebound English ships were captured in the Bay of Bengal by the
Dutch forces. The retaliation by the English resulted in the defeat of the Dutch.
• The Battle of Chinsurah (also known as the Battle of Biderra or Battle of Hoogly) took place near
Chinsurah, India on 25 November 1759 ), which dealt a crushing blow to Dutch ambitions in India.
• Battle of Chinsurah: Situated on the bank of the Hugli river, Chinsurah is about 35 km north of Calcutta.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Chinsurah was a prosperous trading post of the Dutch East India
Company. Dutch, Armenian and native Bengali merchants lived there in this period, trading in saltpetre,
spices, cotton and indigo. In 1758, Clive discovered that Mir Jafar had made an understanding with the
Dutch at Chinsurah. He had heard that Dutch troops had been sent for from Batavia. Dutch ships of war
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had been seen in the Hughli. Clive asked Mir Jafar to direct the withdrawal of the Dutch. The Nawab, in
turn, sent word to him that at the proper season the Dutch ships would depart. In 1759 the garrison of
Chinsurah on its march to Chandernagore attacked a British force under Colonel Forde. The Battle of
Chinsurah lasted less than half an hour and ended with the rout of the Dutch attackers.
• Hence option (a) is the correct answer.
Q 3.C
• The East India Company, which ruled huge tracts of the subcontinent, recognised that Tipu's powerful
army was one of the greatest threats to their expansion in India. It fought three wars against Tipu and his
father, Hyder Ali, between 1767 and 1792.
• The threat from Mysore was finally removed on 4 May 1799, when the British - supported by the army of
their Indian ally, the Nizam of Hyderabad - stormed and captured Tipu's capital, Seringapatam, after a
month-long siege. Tipu was killed in the fighting, and with his death the Fourth Mysore War (1799)
ended.
• After the war nearly half of Tipu's dominions were divided between the British and their ally, the
Nizam. The reduced Kingdom of Mysore was restored to the descendants of the original rajas from
whom Haidar Ali had seized power. Hence statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct.
• A special treaty of subsidiary alliance was imposed on the new Raja by which the Governor-
General was authorised to take over the administration of the state in case of necessity. Mysore was
in fact made a complete dependency of the company. Hence statement 3 is correct.
Q 4.D
• The subsidiary alliance system was used by Lord Wellesley, who was governor-general from 1798-
1805, to build an empire in India.
• Under the system, the allying Indian state’s ruler was compelled to accept the permanent stationing of a
British force within his territory and to pay a subsidy for its maintenance.
• The Indian ruler had to agree to the posting of a British resident in his court.
• The Indian ruler could not employ any European in his service without the prior consultation with the
Company.
• Nor could he go to war or negotiate with any other Indian ruler without consulting the governor-general.
• In return for all this, the British would defend the ruler from his enemies and adopt a policy of non-
interference in the internal matters of the allied state.
• The Indian princes who accepted the subsidiary system were:
o the Nizam of Hyderabad (September 1798 and 1800),
o the ruler of Mysore (1799),
o the ruler of Tanjore (October 1799),
o the Nawab of Awadh (November 1801),
o the Peshwa (December 1801),
o the Bhonsle Raja of Berar (December 1803),
o the Sindhia (February 1804),
o the Rajput states of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Macheri, Bundi and the ruler of Bharatpur (1818).
o The Holkars were the last Maratha confederation to accept the Subsidiary Alliance in 1818.
Hence option (d) is correct answer.
Q 5.B
• Denmark and Norway (together till 1813) possessed colonial settlements in India.
o Tarangambadi or Tranquebar in Tamil Nadu, Serampore in West Bengal, and the Nicobar
Islands were their possessions in India. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
o On March 17, 1616 the King of Denmark, Christian IV, issued a charter and created the Danish East
India Company. This Company did not get any positive response from the Danish traders.
o Admiral Ove Gjedde led the first expedition to Ceylon in 1618. The Danes could not get any trade
contract in Ceylon. While they were returning in disappointment their main vessel was sunk by the
Portuguese at Karaikkal. Thirteen stranded sailors with their trade director Robert Crappe were taken
to the Nayak ruler of Thanjavur. Robert Crappe ably negotiated with the Thanjavur King and struck
an agreement. According to the agreement signed on 20 November 1620, the Danes received the
village of Tarangambadi or Tranquebar and the right to construct a Fort there.
• Despite their involvement in the Thirty Years War and the financial loss they suffered, the Danish
managed to set up a factory at Masulipatnam. Small trading posts were established at Pipli (Hoogly
River) and Balasore.
• Investors in Denmark wanted to dissolve the Danish East India Company, but King Christian IV resisted
it. Finally, after his death in 1648 his son Frederick abolished it.
• A second Danish East India Company was started in 1696. Trade between Denmark and
Tarangambadi resumed and many new trade outposts were also established. The Nayak king of Thanjavur
gifted three more villages surrounding Tarangambadi.
• The Danish settled in Andaman and Nicobar in 1755, but due to the threat of malaria, they abandoned
it in 1848.
• During the Napoleonic wars, the British caused heavy damage to their possessions. Serampore was sold
to the British in 1839 and Tranquebar and other settlements in 1845. Hence statement 2 is correct.
Q 6.C
• The first Dutch expedition to South East Asia was in 1595 by a trader (Jan Huyghen van Linschoten), a
merchant from the Netherlands who lived in Lisbon.
o There were several companies floated by the traders and individuals to trade with the East. The state
intervened and amalgamated them all and created a Dutch East India company in 1602 [known as the
United East Indies Company (in Dutch: Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie-abbreviated to VOC).
o The newly created company established its hold over the Spice Islands (Indonesia).
o In 1641 the Dutch captured Malacca from the Portuguese and in 1658 the Dutch forced Portuguese to
part with Ceylon.
o The Dutch were successful in Spice Islands but they suffered reverses in India at the hands of the
British.
• The Portuguese who established a control over Pulicat since 1502 were overthrown by the Dutch. In
Pulicat, located 60 kilometers north of Chennai, the Dutch built the Castle Geldria.
o The remains of this 400 year old fort can be seen even now. This fort was once the seat of Dutch
power.
o The Dutch established control of Masulipatnam in 1605 and they established their settlement at
Pulicat in 1610.
o The other Dutch colonial forts and possessions include Nagapattinam, Punnakayal, Porto Novo,
Cuddalore (Tiruppathiripuliyur) and Devanampatinam.
• They were involved in slave trade. People from Bengal and from settlements such as Tengapattinam and
Karaikal were brought to Pulicat. The Dutch employed brokers at Madras for catching and shipping
slaves. Famines, droughts and war that resulted in food shortage led to the flourishing of the slave trade.
• The Amboyna Massacre – twenty servants of British East India Company, Portuguese and Japanese
were tortured and killed by the agents of Dutch East India Company at Ambon Island in Indonesia in the
year 1623.
Q 7.D
• In south India the emergence of Mysore as a significant power in the mid-eighteenth century was most
spectacular. Originally a viceroyalty under the Vijaynagara empire in the sixteenth century, Mysore was
gradually transformed into an autonomous principality by the Wodeyar dynasty. Its centralised military
power began to increase from the late seventeenth century under Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar, but it reached
its real period of glory under Haidar Ali.
• Haidar modernised his army with French experts, who trained an efficient infantry and artillery and
infused European discipline into the Mysore army. It was organised on a European model through the
system of risalas, with a clear chain of command going up to the ruler. Each risala had a fixed number of
soldiers, with provision for weaponry and modes of transport and a commander appointed directly by
Haidar himself. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• His power was further consolidated by the subjugation of the local warrior chiefs or hereditary overlords
like deshmukhs and palegars (poligars ), who had until then complete mastery over the countryside
through their control over agricultural surpluses and local temples. Haidar, and later his son Tipu Sultan,
introduced the system of imposing land taxes directly on the peasants and collecting them through salaried
officials and in cash, thus enhancing enormously the resource base of the state. Hence, statement 2 is
correct.
• The Mysore empire during the reign of Tipu Sultan commissioned a “state commercial corporation” to set
up factories. As Mysore traded in sandalwood, silk, spices, rice and sulphur, some 30 trading outposts
were established across Tipu’s dominions and overseas. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
Q 8.D
• The Danish East India Company
o The Danes entered as traders in 1616 but with no ambition to establish an Empire. They managed to
secure the Tranquebar port from the Nayak of Tanjore in 1620 and built a fort there. They also
established their factories at Masulipatam, Porto Novo and Shrirampur(1755). However, their
success was limited, and ultimately they sold off their factories to the English and finally quit India in
1845. Hence pair 1 is correctly matched.
• The Dutch East India Company
o The Dutch East India Company was formed in 1602 through a charter. The Dutch were primarily
interested in spice trade. Therefore, they paid more attention to the Far East. India was just a trading
depot for them. They established their factories at Pulicat (1610), Cambay (1620), Surat and Agra
(1621), Hariharpur (1633), Patna (1638). Dacca (1650), Udaiganj (1651), Chinsura (1653),
Qasimbazar, Baranagore, Balasore and Negapatam (1659-60). Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.
• The French East India Company
o The French were late comers to the Eastern trade. The French East India Company was founded in
1664. The first French factory was establish at Surat in 1668. This was the place of prime importance
to the English. In 1669, the French established their second factory at Masulipatam. In 1673, they got
Pondicherry, and in 1674 the Nawab of Bengal granted them a site near Calcutta where in 1690-92
they built the town of Chandranagore. Hence pair 3 is correctly matched.
• The Portuguese East India Company
o The Portuguese were the very first European naval adventurers on the scene, who had started out on
daring sea voyages down the coast of Africa back from 1415 AD. In 1528, the Sultan of Bengal
permitted the Portuguese to establish factories and customs houses in the Port of Chittagong. A fort
and naval base was established in Firingi Bandar. The settlement grew into the most prominent
Eurasian port on the Bay of Bengal during the Age of Discovery. Hence pair 4 is correctly matched.
Q 9.B
• The French attempted to establish a trade link with India as early as 1527. Taking a cue from the
Portuguese and the Dutch, the French commenced their commercial operations through the French East
India Company, established in 1664.
• Unlike other European powers which appeared in India through private trading companies, the French
commercial enterprise was a project of King Louis XIV. His minister of finance, Colbert, was
instrumental in establishing the French East India Company. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
o As the French effort was a government initiative, it did not attract the general public of France who
viewed it as yet another way to tax people.
• Berber, a French agent in India obtained a firman [a royal command or authorization] on
September 4, 1666, from Aurangzeb and the first French factory was established at Surat in
December 1668, much against the opposition of the Dutch. Within a year the French established
another factory at Masulipatnam.
• Realizing the need for a stronger foothold in India, Colbert sent a fleet to India, led by Haye (Jacob
Blanquet de la Haye). The French were able to remove the Dutch from San Thome in Mylapore in 1672.
The French sought the support of Sher Khan Lodi, the local Governor, who represented the Sultan of
Bijapur, against the Dutch. The Dutch befriended the King of Golkonda who was a traditional foe of
Bijapur. It was Sher Khan Lodi who offered Pondicherry (Puducherry) as a suitable site for their
settlement. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• French attempts to capture Pondicherry were not easy. They had to deal with their main rivals, the Dutch.
o From 1672 France and Holland were continuously at war. In India, the French lacked men, money,
and arms, as they had diverted them to Chandranagore, another French settlement in
Bengal. Therefore the Dutch could capture Pondicherry easily in 1693. It remained with the Dutch
for six years. In 1697, according to the treaty of Ryswick, Pondicherry was once again restored to
the French. However, it was handed over to the French only in 1699. Hence statement 3 is correct.
Q 10.C
• After the second Anglo-Maratha war, the Marathas made one last attempt to rebuild their old
prestige.The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the
English East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.
• Marathas wanted to retake all their old possessions from the English. They were also unhappy with the
British resident's interference in their internal matters. The chief reason for this war was the British
conflict with the Pindaris whom the British suspected were being protected by the Marathas. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
• The Peshwa was defeated at Khirki, Bhonsle at Sitabuldi, and Holkar at Mahidpur. Some important
treaties were signed. These were:
o June 1817, Treaty of Poona, with Peshwa.
o November 1817, Treaty of Gwalior, with Sindhia.
o January 1818, Treaty of Mandsaur, with Holkar.
• In June 1818, the Peshwa finally surrendered and the Maratha confederacy was dissolved. The
peshwaship was abolished. Peshwa Bajirao became a British retainer at Bithur, near Kanpur. Hence
• The territories annexed from the Pindaris became the Central Provinces under British India.
• This war led to the end of the Maratha Empire. All the Maratha powers surrendered to the British.This
was one of the last major wars fought and won by the British. With this, the British controlled most parts
of India barring Punjab and Sindh directly or indirectly.
Q 11.D
• The Battle of Porto Novo was fought during the Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84). Hence option
(d) is the correct answer.
• Haidar forged an anti-English alliance with the Marathas and the Nizam. He followed it up by an attack in
the Carnatic, capturing Arcot, and defeating the English army under Colonel Baillie in 1781. In the
meantime, the English (under Sir Eyre Coote) detached both the Marathas and the Nizam from Haidar’s
side, but the undeterred Haidar faced the English boldly only to suffer a defeat at Porto Novo in
November 1781. However, he regrouped his forces and defeated the English, and captured their
commander, Braithwaite.
• Haidar Ali died of cancer on December 7, 1782. Now his son, Tipu Sultan, carried on the war for one
year without any positive outcome. Fed up with an inconclusive war, both sides opted for peace,
negotiating the Treaty of Mangalore (March 1784) under which each party gave back the territories it
had taken from the other.
Q 12.A
• Farrukh Siyar's Farman (1717) was a grant giving concessions to the English east india company and
allowing them tax-free monopoly trade specially in the Mughal subah of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It
was the outcome of prolonged efforts by the company with the sole objective of avoiding the payment of
usual taxes and tolls. The farman of 1691 granted by Aurangzeb exempted the Company from payment of
customs duties in Bengal in return for an annual payment and a second one granted by Farukh Siyar in
1717 confirmed the privileges of 1691 and extended them to Gujarat and the Deccan.
• Farrukh Siyar's Farman of 1717 relating to the Subah of Bengal included the privileges such as
o All the goods and necessaries carried by the agents of the English company either by land or water
would be free of custom-duties on payment of the yearly peshkash of Rs.3000; Hence option (a)
is the correct answer.
o If the goods of the company be stolen, every measure should be taken to recover the lost goods and
punish the thief;
o In the event of any native merchant or weaver becomes indebted to the company's factors (agents), the
amount should be paid back etc.
• Termed as the Magna Carta of British trade in India, he imperial farman of 1717 had far reaching
consequences on the subsequent history of the subcontinent. the farman granted undue advantages to the
English over other traders. It also proved to be a serious drain upon the imperial revenue. Despite the
rapid increase in the volume of the company's trade, the amount of the peshkash payable to the
government was not raised.

Q 13.D
• By the 18th century, the Portuguese in India lost their commercial influence, though some of them still
carried on trade in their individual capacity and many took to piracy and robbery. The decline of the
Portuguese was brought about by several factors.
• The local advantages gained by the Portuguese in India were reduced with the emergence of powerful
dynasties in Egypt, Persia and North India and the rise of the turbulent Marathas as their immediate
neighbors. (The Marathas captured Salsette and Bassein in 1739 from the Portuguese.)
• The religious policies of the Portuguese, such as the activities of the Jesuits, gave rise to political fears.
Their antagonism for the Muslims apart, the Portuguese policy of conversion to Christianity made Hindus
also resentful.
• Their dishonest trade practices also evoked a strong reaction. The Portuguese earned notoriety as sea
pirates. Their arrogance and violence brought them the animosity of the rulers of small states and the
imperial Mughals as well.
• The earlier monopoly of knowledge of the sea route to India held by the Portuguese could not
remain a secret forever; soon enough the Dutch and the English, who were learning the skills of
ocean navigation, also learned of it. As new trading communities from Europe arrived in India,
there began a fierce rivalry among them. In this struggle, the Portuguese had to give way to the more
powerful and enterprising competitors. The Dutch and the English had greater resources and more
compulsions to expand overseas, and they overcame the Portuguese resistance. One by one, the
Portuguese possessions fell to its opponents.
Q 14.A
The first Portuguese encounter with the subcontinent was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached
Calicut on Malabar Coast.
The people of Holland (present Netherlands) are called the Dutch. Next to the Portuguese, the Dutch set
their feet in India. Historically the Dutch have been experts in sea trade. In 1602, the United East India
Company of the Netherlands was formed and given permission by the Dutch government to trade in the
East Indies including India.
In 1608 AD, the British East India Company sent Captain William Hawkins to the court of the Mughal
emperor Jahangir to secure royal patronage. He succeeded in getting royal permit for the Company to
establish its factories at various places on the Western coast of India. Then in 1615 AD, Sir Thomas Roe
was sent by Emperor James I of England to Jahangir’s court, with a plea for more concession for the
Company. Roe was very diplomatic and thus successfully secured a royal charter giving the Company
freedom to trade in the whole of the Mughal territory.
The last European people to arrive in India were the French. The French East India Company was formed
in 1664 AD during the reign of King Louis XIV to trade with India. In 1668 AD the French established
their first factory at Surat and in 1669 AD established another French factory at Masaulipatam. In 1673
AD the Mughal Subedar of Bengal allowed the French to set up a township at Chandernagore.
Q 15.D
• Tipu Sultan wanted to develop the economy of Mysore State in a different way and make his citizens
economically self-reliant and politically sovereign republics. Tipu had adopted healthy measures to
increase production and productivity in the fields of agriculture and industry.
• By and large, Tipu continued the revenue system of Haidar Ali but introduced greater efficiency into
it. He tried to establish a direct relationship between the Government and the cultivator by
discouraging the jagirdari system, resumption of unauthorised inam (rent-free) lands and
confiscation of the hereditary land rights of the poligars (zamindars).
• The land revenue demand of the state ranged from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total produce, depending on the
fertility of the land and availability of irrigation facilities. In 1792 the state's income from revenue was
over two crores.
• The Government employed the method of inducement-cum-compulsion to bring more land under
cultivation. The Amil, in charge of the district, toured his district and sanctioned taqavi (advances of
money) loans to the needy peasants to purchase ploughs and extend cultivation. Further, if the Amil found
that in a household there were a number of men and a few ploughs, he would urge the head of the family
to acquire more ploughs; in case of defiance and if the Amil was satisfied that in a village there was more
ground fit for cultivation than under actual plough then, as a penal measure, the Amil could charge the
land tax cultivated on the basis of all cultivable land and not the land under actual cultivation.

• In the fashion of European powers, Tipu also realised that a country could be great only by developing its
trade and commerce. He promoted both foreign and inland trade and imposed tight Government control
over it.
• Hence all the statements are correct.
Q 16.D
• The need for the civil service was felt soon after the Company acquired territories after the Battles of
Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764).
• Warren Hastings, the then Governor-General of Bengal had created the post of District Collector who was
made in-charge of collecting land revenue. This post was soon abolished on grounds of excessive
concentration of powers and corruption.
• Lord Cornwallis is usually known as the Father of civil services in India. He had introduced the
covenanted civil services and the uncovenanted civil services. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• A special feature of the Indian civil services since the days of Cornwallis was the rigid and complete
exclusion of Indians from it .
• The initial attempt to train the Civil Servants locally was done by Lord Wellesley. Within the campus of
the Fort William, he founded Fort Williams College on 10 July 1800. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Until 1853, the Court of Directors had the exclusive right to appoint persons in the Company's civil
services. These appointments were a source of privilege and patronage which the Company held on to
very tightly.
• The Charter Act of 1853 provided for an open competitive examination for the recruitment of civil
servants and had deprived the Court of Directors of the power of appointments based on patronage. This
was recommended by a committee headed by Lord Macaulay. The first competitive exam was held in
1855. Hence statement 3 is correct.
Q 17.D
• Each of the East Indian companies was granted a Royal Charter from their respective monarchs. These
charters would give the East India Company a monopoly, within their country, on all trade with the “East
Indies”, meaning any place that lay east of the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, that is, all of Asia
• The companies had to pay generously for this privilege, by giving back the Crown hefty fixed or
percentage fees.
• The Dutch East India Company also known as the “Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC)”
was a mega-corporation that was chartered in 1602 AD.
• As the Netherlands’ largest trading company in the 17th and 18 centuries, the Dutch East India
Company (VOC) was also the world’s first company to issue stock. The ‘Enkhuizen share’ dates
back to Sept. 9,1606.
• Dutch research has shown the VOC faced early financial difficulties and shareholders were not initially
paid dividends. The company finally started paying dividends in 1610, partly in money and spices,
following strong shareholder pressure.
• The Dutch initially focused on Indonesia, which they soon conquered. After defeating the Portuguese,
they set up their first small base in India in Tamil Nadu, looking for textiles in exchange for the spices
from the East Indies. This was followed by trading posts in Bengal, Gujarat, and Ceylon.
• However, in addition to trading spices and cloth, the Dutch also indulged in the far extremely profitable
trade of Indian slaves in exchange for the spices from Jakarta, Malacca and Ceylon. Dutch power
declined by the second half of the 18th century, and they were forced to give up all their posts in India to
the British by 1825 AD.
• Hence option (d) is the correct answer.
Q 18.A
• Vasco de Gama landed at Calicut in 1498 which was the beginning of a new phase for India which
ultimately led to colonialism. During this period, Europe was going through rapid growth due to improved
agriculture, growth of trade. It led to increased demand for oriental goods like silk from China, spices
from India, etc. especially the demand for pepper and spices was there to make the meat palatable since
due to shortage of fodder much of the cattle had to be slaughtered.
• However, from the early 15th century, Ottoman Turks rose in power in the areas like Mediterranean
sea, the middle East which came under the control of the Turks and they started expanding power towards
eastern Europe. This alarmed the Europeans. Therefore Spain and Portugal were aided by the North
Europeans through money, ships and technical knowledge which led to naval discoveries like the
discovery of America and landing of Vasco-de-Gama to India etc. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Such long sea voyages made possible by a number of remarkable inventions like mariner's compass and
the astrolabe for navigation by day. However, neither of them was a European invention. The
mariner's compass was known to Chinese centuries earlier but was not widely used. The astrolabe was
widely used by Arabs, Indians, and others. Neither the European ships were superior in construction to the
ships like Chinese.
• However, the spirit of daring and enterprise was displayed by Europeans which was an outcome of
intellectual currents due to the Renaissance. This spirit led to assimilation, dispersal, and improvement of
other foreign inventions like gunpowder, printing press, telescope, etc. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Renaissance: The Renaissance was the period in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries when there
was a surge of interest in and production of art, science, and literature.
• Portugal had a monopoly on the highly profitable Eastern trade for nearly a century. In India,
Portugal established her trading settlements at Cochin, Goa, Diu, and Daman following the arrival of
Vasco de Gama in 1498. Next to the Portuguese, the Dutch set their feet in India. Historically the
Dutch have been experts in sea trade. In 1602, the United East India Company of the Netherlands was
formed and given permission by the Dutch government to trade in the East Indies including India. In 1608
AD, the British East India Company sent Captain William Hawkins to the court of the Mughal
emperor Jahangir to secure royal patronage. He succeeded in getting a royal permit for the Company
to establish its factories at various places on the Western coast of India. The last European people to
arrive in India were the French. The French East India Company was formed in 1664 AD during the
reign of King Louis XIV to trade with India. In 1668 AD the French established their first factory at
Surat and in 1669 AD established another French factory at Masaulipatnam. In 1673 AD the Mughal
Subedar of Bengal allowed the French to set up a township at Chandernagore. Hence statement 3 is not
correct.
Q 19.B
• Statement 1 is not correct. Lord Cornwallis relieved the zamindars of their police duties. Bentick
abolished the office of SP. The collector/magistrate was made the head of the police force in his
jurisdiction and the commissioner in each divison was to act as the SP. this arrangement resulted in a
badly organised police force, putting a heavy burden on the collector/magistrate.
• Statement 2 is correct. Lord Cornwallis organised a regular police force to maintain law and order by
going back to and modernising the old Indian system of thanas (circles) in a district under a daroga (an
Indian) and a superitendent of police (SP) at the head of a district.
Q 20.C
• Cornwallis' judicial reforms took the final shape by 1793 and were embodied in the famous Cornwallis
Code. The new reforms were based on the principle of separation of powers.
• Under the influence of the eighteenth-century French philosophers, Cornwallis sought to separate the
revenue administration from the administration of justice. The Collector was the head of the revenue
department in a district and also enjoyed extensive judicial and magisterial powers. The Cornwallis Code
divested the Collector of all judicial and magisterial powers and left him with the duty of
administration of revenue. A new class of officer called the District Judge was created to preside over
the District Civil Court. The District Judge was also given magisterial and police functions. Hence,
• A gradation of civil courts was set up. The distinction between revenue and civil cases was abolished and
the new Diwani courts were competent to try all civil cases. At the lowest rung of the ladder were the
Munsiffs' courts presided over by Indian officers. Even the European subjects in the districts were made
amenable to the jurisdiction of the local civil courts. The sovereignty of law was proclaimed in
unmistakable terms. Even Government officials, for acts done by them, in their official capacities,
could be tried in the courts. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

• The criminal justice system was also completely overhauled, as the district magistrates complained to
Cornwallis about the anomalies of Islamic laws and the corrupt practices at the criminal courts. But more
importantly, it was felt that such an important branch of administration could no longer be left in charge
of an Indian. The faujdari adalats were therefore abolished and replaced by courts of circuit, headed by
European judges.The jurisdiction of these criminal courts did not extend to the British-born subjects, who
remained under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court at Calcutta.
• Cornwallis suffered, like most of his countrymen in later years, from the evil infection of racial
discrimination. He had a very low opinion about Indian character, ability and integrity. He regarded every
native of Hindustan to be corrupt. He sought to reserve all higher services for the Europeans. The doors
of covenanted services were closed to Indians. In the army, Indians could not rise above the position of
Jemadars or Subedars and in civil services, not above the status of Munsiffs or Sadr Amins or Deputy
Collectors. The entire judicial reform of Cornwallis led to the total exclusion of Indians from the
whole system, which became less ambiguous in its authoritarian and racially superior tone. Hence,
Q 21.B
• In the middle of the seventeenth century, the English began to emerge as a big colonial power. The Anglo-
Dutch rivalry lasted for about seven decades during which period the Dutch lost their settlements to the
British one by one.
• The English were also at this time rising to prominence in the Eastern trade, and this posed a serious
challenge to the commercial interests of the Dutch. A commercial rivalry soon turned into bloody warfare.
After prolonged warfare, both the parties came to a compromise in 1667 by which the British agreed to
withdraw all their claims on Indonesia, and the Dutch retired from India to concentrate on their
more profitable trade in Indonesia. They monopolized the trade in black pepper and spices. Hence,
statement 1 is not correct.
• In the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-74), communications between Surat and the new English
settlement of Bombay got cut due to which three homebound English ships were captured in the Bay of
Bengal by the Dutch forces. The retaliation by the English resulted in the defeat of the Dutch. The Battle
of Chinsurah (also known as the Battle of Hooghly) took place near Chinsurah, India on 25 November
1759 ), which dealt a crushing blow to Dutch ambitions in India. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
Q 22.A
• In 1534 AD the Portuguese gained possession of Bombay, after the Treaty of Bassein was signed
between them and Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate. In 1612, a battle was fought between the British
and the Portuguese at Surat for the possession of Bombay, which ended the Portuguese monopoly over
trade in India.
• In 1661, under the Treaty of Whitehall, Bombay changed hands as it was presented to King Charles II
as part of the dowry, when he married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal. Hence statement 1 is
correct.
• The Treaty included a secret provision that it would be used to protect the Portuguese settlements in India.
It involved a mutual defence pact against the aggressive and expanding Dutch East India Company.
• The French East India Company was founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English and
Dutch trading companies in the East Indies. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
Q 23.D
• Statement 1 is correct: The absence of law of primogeniture among the Mughals usually meant a war of
succession among the sons of dying emperor in which the military leaders took sides. The princes of the
royal dynasty receded to the background while the struggle was fought by leaders of rival factions using
royal princes as nominal leaders.
• Statement 2 is correct: There were inherent defects in the Mughal military system. The army was
organised on feudal basis where the common soldier owed allegiance to the mansabdar rather than the
Emperor. The soldier looked upon the mansabdar as his chief. The leaders of such armies changed sides
constantly plotting to betray the Mughal kings.
• Statement 3 is correct: Recurrent peasant revolts in the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth
centuries are believed to have been a major cause of decline of the Mughal empire. An empire
imposed from above and its gradually increasing economic pressures were never fully accepted by the
rural society and the regional sentiments against a centralised power had also been there. As the
weaknesses of the central power became apparent and the Mughal army faced successive debacles, and at
the same time the oppression of the Mughal ruling class increased, resistance to imperial authority also
became widespread and more resolute. In most cases, these rebellions were led by the disaffected local
zamindars and backed fully by the oppressed peasantry. Eventually the combined pressure of the
zamindars and peasants often proved to be too much for the Mughal authority to withstand.
Q 24.D
• Anglo-Maratha Struggle for Supremacy:
o Treaties of Surat and Purandhar: Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position in power, sought
help from the English at Bombay and signed the Treaty of Surat in 1775. Under the treaty,
Raghunathrao ceded the territories of Salsette and Bassein to the English along with a portion of the
revenues from Surat and Bharuch districts. In return, the English were to provide Raghunathrao with
2,500 soldiers.
o The British Calcutta Council, on the other side of India, condemned the Treaty of Surat (1775) and
sent Colonel Upton to Pune to annul it and make a new treaty (Treaty of Purandhar, 1776) with the
regency renouncing Raghunath and promising him a pension. The Bombay government rejected
this and gave refuge to Raghunath. In 1777, Nana Phadnavis violated his treaty with the Calcutta
Council by granting the French a port on the west coast. The English retaliated by sending a force
towards Pune.
o Treaty of Salbai (1782): Warren Hastings, the Governor-General in Bengal, rejected the Treaty of
Wadgaon and sent a large force of soldiers under Colonel Goddard who captured Ahmedabad in
February 1779, and Bassein in December 1780. Another Bengal detachment led by Captain Popham
captured Gwalior in August 1780. In February 1781 the English, under General Camac, finally
defeated Sindhia at Sipri.
o Sindhia proposed a new treaty between the Peshwa and the English, and the Treaty of Salbai was
signed in May 1782; it was ratified by Hastings in June 1782 and by Phadnavis in February 1783. The
treaty guaranteed peace between the two sides for twenty years.
o Treaty of Bassein (1802): Under the treaty, the Peshwa agreed-
o to receive from the Company a native infantry (consisting of not less than 6,000 troops), with the
usual proportion of field artillery and European artillerymen attached, to be permanently stationed in
his territories;
o to cede to the Company territories yielding an income of Rs 26 lakh;
o to surrender the city of Surat;
o to give up all claims for Chauth on the Nizam’s dominions;
o to accept the Company’s arbitration in all differences between him and the Nizam or the Gaekwad;
o not to keep in his employment Europeans of any nation at war with the English; and
o to subject his relations with other states to the control of the English.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
Q 25.D
• Third battle of Panipat happened on 14th January 1761 between Afghans led by Ahmed Shah
Abdali and the Marathas.
• Marathas could not find allies among the northern powers because of their earlier behaviour and
political ambitions had antagonized all these powers.
• Rajputs: Marathas had interfered in the internal affairs of Rajputana States and levied huge fines and
tributes upon them.
• Awadh: Marathas had made large territorial and monetary claims upon Awadh.
• Punjab: Marathas' actions in Punjab had angered the Sikhs.
• Jats: The Jat chiefs on whom also heavy fines had been imposed by them.did not trust them.
• Therefore, they had to fight their enemies all alone, except for the weak support of Imad al
mulk. Hence, Statement 1 is not correct.
• The Maratha army was completely routed by Abdali. The Maratha defeat at Panipat was a disaster for
them and their political prestige suffered a big blow. In fact, it is said that the third battle of Panipat
did not decide who were to rule India, but who would not.
• For the British East India Company, this defeat of Maratha give an opportunity to consolidate its power in
Bengal and South India. Also, Afghans did not benefit from their victory. They could not even hold
Punjab. So the British were the ultimate beneficiaries of this battle. Hence, Statement 2 is not
correct.

Q 26.A
• The period of 1930s was a period of severe financial crisis for Indian defence. The continued financial
stringency over the years had made India's position extremely vulnerable and general war reserves were
running dangerously low. In addition, new equipment was not easy to come by, coastal defence remained
neglected and the deficiency of officers was more than serious.
• It was in these conditions that the Chatfield Committee was set up to suggest a plan for modernising
and streamlining Indian defence.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
Q 27.C
• When Warren Hastings assumed the administration of Bengal in 1772, the judicial system was a
storehouse of abuses. Warren Hastings felt the necessity of reorganizing the judicial system and
the Judicial Plan of 1772 as been formulated dealing with civil and criminal laws.
• Each district was provided with a civil court under the Collector and a criminal court under an Indian
Judge. To hear appeals from the district courts two appellate courts, one for civil cases and another for
criminal cases, were established at Calcutta. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The highest civil court of appeal was called Sadar Diwani Adalat, which was to be presided over by the
Governor and two judges recruited from among the members of his council. Similarly, the highest
appellate criminal court was known as Sadar Nizamat Adalat which was to function under an Indian
judge appointed by the Governor-in-Council. Hence statement 3 is correct.
• Experts in Hindu and Muslim laws were provided to assist the judges. A digest of Hindu law was
prepared in Sanskrit by learned Pandits and it was translated into Persian. An English translation of it –
Code of Hindu Laws – was prepared by Halhed. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
Q 28.C
• Indian states and society during the 18th century: Succession states-
o With the gradual weakening and decline of the Mughal Empire, local and regional political and
economic forces began to arise and assert themselves and politics began to undergo major changes
from the late 17th century onwards. During the 18th century, on the debris of the Mughal Empire and
its political system, arose a large number of independent and semi-independent powers.
o Some of these states, such as Bengal, Awadh, and Hyderabad, may be characterized as
'succession states'. They arose as a result of the assertion of autonomy by the governor of
Mughal provinces with the decay of the central power.
o Others, such as the Maratha, Afghan, Jat, and Punjab states were the product of rebellions by
local chieftains, zamindars, and peasants against Mughal authority.
o Not only did the politics in the two types of states or zones differ to some extent from each other, but
there were differences among all of them because of local conditions. There was, of course, also
a third zone comprising of areas on the south-west and south-east, coasts and of north-eastern
India, where Mughal influence had not reached in any degree.
o Moreover, nearly all of them adopted the methods and spirit of the Mughal administration. The first
group of states (succession states) inherited the functioning of Mughal administrative structure and
institutions; others tried to adopt in varying degrees this structure and institutions, including the
Mughal revenue system.
Q 29.D
• The founder of the autonomous kingdom of Awadh was Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk who was
appointed Governor of Awadh in 1722. Before his death in 1739, he had become virtually independent
and had made the province a hereditary possession. He was succeeded by his nephew Safdar Jang, who
was simultaneously appointed the wazir of the empire in 1748 and granted in addition the province of
Allahabad.
• Safdar Jang gave a long period of peace to the people of Awadh and Allahabad before his death in 1754.
He suppressed rebellious zamindars, won over others and made an alliance with the Maratha sardars
so that his dominion was saved from their incursions. He was able to win the loyalty of Rajput
chieftains and shaifyizadas.

• He carried on warfare against the Rohelas and the Bangash Pathans. In his war against the Bangash
Pathans in 1750-51, he secured Maratha military help by paying a daily allowance of Rs 25,000 and Jat
support by paying Rs 15,000 a day.
• Later, he entered into an agreement with the Peshwa by which the Peshwa was to help the Mughal
empire against Ahmad Shah Abdali and to protect it from such internal rebels as the Indian
Pathans and the Rajput rajas. In return the Peshwa was to be paid Rs 50 lakhs, granted the chauth of the
Punjab, Sindh, and several districts of northern India, and made the Governor of Ajmer and Agra. The
agreement failed, however, as the Peshwa went over to Safdar Jang’s enemies at Delhi who promised him
the governorship of Awadh and Allahabad.
• Safdar Jang also organised an equitable system of justice. He too adopted a policy of impartiality in the
employment of Hindus and Muslims. The highest post in his government was held by a Hindu, Maharaja
Nawab Rai. The prolonged period of peace and of economic prosperity of the nobles under the
government of the Nawabs resulted in time in the growth of a distinct Lucknow culture around the Awadh
court.
• Lucknow, for long an important city of Awadh, and the seat of the Awadh Nawabs after 1775, soon
rivalled Delhi in its patronage of the arts and literature. It also developed as an important centre of
handicrafts. Crafts and culture also percolated to towns under the patronage of local chieftains and
zamindars.
• Safdar Jang maintained a very high standard of personal morality. All his life he was devoted to his
only wife. As a matter of fact all the founders of the three autonomous kingdoms of Hyderabad, Bengal
and Awadh, namely Nizam-ul-Mulk, Murshid Quli Khan and Alivardi Khan, and Saadat Khan and Safdar
Jang, were men of high personal morality. Nearly all of them led austere and simple lives. Their lives
give lie to the belief that all the leading nobles of the eighteenth century led extravagant and luxurious
lives. It was only in their public and political dealings that they resorted to fraud, intrigue and treachery.
• Hence, all the given statements are not correct.
Q 30.B
• Alfonso de Albuquerque served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515. He was the real
founder of the Portuguese power in the East, a task he completed before his death. He secured for
Portugal the strategic control of the Indian Ocean by establishing bases overlooking all the entrances to
the sea.
• There were Portuguese strongholds in East Africa, off the Red Sea, at Ormuz; in Malabar; and at
Malacca. The Portuguese, under Albuquerque, bolstered their stranglehold by introducing a permit
system for other ships and exercising control over the major ship-building centers in the region. The
non-availability of timber in the Gulf and Red Sea regions for ship-building also helped the Portuguese in
their objectives.
• Albuquerque acquired Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510 with ease; the principal port of the
Sultan of Bijapur became “the first bit of Indian territory to be under the Europeans since the time
of Alexander the Great”. An interesting feature of his rule was the abolition of sati. Hence option (b) is
the correct answer.
Q 31.B
• In 1923, the British Government in pursuance of their declared policy of associating Indians with every
branch of administration constituted a Commission under the Chairmanship of Lord Lee to inquire into
the organisation and general conditions of services and also the methods of recruitment for
Europeans as well as Indians. It came to be known as Royal Commission on the Superior Civil Services
in India. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
• The Lee Commission recommended that
o the secretary of state should continue to recruit the ICS, the Indian Forest Service, etc.;
o the recruitments for the transferred fields like education and civil medical service be
made by provincial governments;
o direct recruitment to ICS on basis of 50:50 parity between the Europeans and the Indians be
reached in 15 years;
o a Public Service Commission be immediately established (as laid down in the Government of India
Act, 1919).

Q 32.A
• Large number of independent and semi-independent states arose in 18th century like Bengal, Avadh,
Marathas, Mysore, Punjab etc. The rulers of these states established law and order and viable economic
and administrative states.
• The politics of these states were invariably non-communal or secular, the motivation of their rulers being
similar in economic and political terms.
• The rulers did not discriminate on religious grounds in public appointments. While these states prevented
any break down of internal trade and even tried to promote foreign trade, they did nothing to modernize
the industrial or commercial structure of their states.
Q 33.A
• The state of Hyderabad was founded by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah91671-1748) in 1724. He was one of
the leading nobles of the post-Aurangzeb era. He played a leading role in the overthrow of the Saiyid
brothers and was rewarded with the viceroyalty of the Deccan. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• From 1720 to 1722 he consolidated his hold over the Deccan by suppressing all opposition to his
viceroyalty and organizing the administration on efficient lines. From 1722 to 1724 he was the wazir of
the Empire. But he soon got disgusted with that office as Emperor Muhammad Shah (1719-
48) frustrated all his attempts at reforming the administration. So he decided to go back to the Deccan
where he could safely maintain his supremacy. Here he laid the foundations of the Hyderabad State which
he ruled with a strong hand. He defeated and later killed Mubariz Khan in the Battle of Shakr-Kheda
(1724). Mirza Muhammad Mu'izz-ud-Din, more commonly known as Jahandar Shah (1661-1713),
was a Mughal Emperor who ruled for a brief period from 1712–1713. His full title was Shahanshah-
i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Mu'izz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Qiran Padshah-i-Jahan.
Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• He followed a tolerant policy towards the Hindus, For example, a Hindu, Puran Chand, was his
Dewan. He consolidated his power by establishing an orderly administration in the Deccan on the basis of
the Mughal pattern. He also made an attempt to rid the revenue system of its corruption. But after his
death in 1748, Hyderabad fell prey to the same disruptive forces as were operating at Delhi. Hence
Q 34.C
• The French position which at one time dazzled the Indian world by its political successes was destined to
end in humiliation and failure. Among the various causes responsible for the defeat of the French and the
victory of the English, the following few deserve special mention:
o French Continental Preoccupations: The continental ambitions of France in the 18th century
considerably strained her resources. The French monarchs of the time were fighting for "natural
frontiers" for their country which meant acquisition of new territories towards the Low Countries, an
extension of the frontier to the Rhine and towards Italy. France attempted simultaneously the
difficult task of continental expansion and colonial acquisitions. This divided her resources and
made her unequal to the task of facing her adversaries.
▪ England, on the other hand, did not covet an inch of European territory. A part of Europe,
England felt herself apart from it. England's ambition was mainly colonial and in this single-
minded objective she came off with flying colours. She won the struggle both in India and North
America and worsted off France in both these regions. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
o Different Systems of Government in England and France: French historians have rightly
attributed the failure of France in the colonial struggle to the inferior system of the government
prevalent in France as compared to the English system of government. The French government
was despotic and depended on the personality of the monarch. The numerous wars that Louis XIV
waged sapped the vitality of the state, ruined her financial resources and made French power look like
an inflated balloon.
▪ England, on the other hand, was ruled by an enlightened oligarchy. Under the rule of the Whig
Party, England took great strides towards a constitutional set-up, reducing the British realm into
"a sort of a crowned republic. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

o Differences in the Organisation of the two Companies: The French Company was a department
of the state. Its directors were nominated by the king from the shareholders and they carried on the
decisions of two High Commissioners appointed by the Government. Since the state-guaranteed
dividend to the shareholders, the latter took very little interest in promoting the prosperity of the
Company. So great was the lack of public interest that from 1725 to 1765 the shareholders never met
and the Company was managed as a department of the state. Such a company was ill-equipped to
support the ambitions of Dupleix or finance his expensive wars.
▪ The English Company, on the other hand, was an independent commercial corporation. While this
Company could not remain altogether unaffected by the political upheavals in England, the
interference of the government into its day-to-day affairs was very little. Compared to the French
Company, the English Company was financially sounder, its trade was far more extensive and
business methods better. The directors of the English Company always emphasised the
importance of trade. With them trade came first and politics later on. Hence, statement 2 is not
correct.
o Role of the Navy: The naval superiority of England during the Seven Years, War placed Count de
Lally at a grievous disadvantage and he could not hope to repeat the exploits of Dupleix. The
retirement of the French fleet under D' Ache from the Indian waters left the field clear for the English
and their final victory was no longer in doubt.
Q 35.B
• The outbreak of the Seven Years' War in Europe between England and France in 1756 provided the
context for the third and decisive round of the Anglo-French conflict in south India. The most decisive
battle of the Third Carnatic War was the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760.
• In the Battle of Wandiwash, General Eyre Coote of the English defeated the French army under
Count Thomas Arthur de Lally and took Bussy as a prisoner. French also lost Pondicherry to the
British.
• During the Third Carnatic War, the French lost their positions in India. However, by the Peace of Paris in
1763 France got back all the factories and settlements that it possessed in India prior to 1749. But the
balance of power in India had by now decisively changed with the steady expansion of the power of the
English company.
• Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
Q 36.B
• By the mid-eighteenth century, the English and the French were anxious to expand their trade in India.
Their ambitious plans resulted in the three Carnatic wars (1744-63 CE) which were fought for control of
trade, wealth, and territory in India.
• The First Carnatic War( 1744-48) was the direct outcome of what was happening in Europe at the time.
The English and the French were engaged in a conflict in connection with the succession of Maria
Theresa to the throne of Austria.
o The historic treaty of Aix La Chapelle was signed in Europe in 1748 CE which brought the First
Carnatic War to a close. As a result of this treaty, the English regained Madras in India and the
French Louisburg in North America. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Not even a few months had elapsed since the First Carnatic War that the English and the French again got
entangled in what came to be known as the Second Carnatic War (1748-54).
o While the first war was the outcome of the political conditions in Europe, the second had its origin in
India.
o The treaty of Pondicherry in 1755 CE effectively end the Second Carnatic War. By the new treaty,
the two powers agreed not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Indian states and both retained their
old positions. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• The Third Carnatic War (1758-63):
o After the departure of Dupleix, the English and the French remained in peace for nearly four years in
Karnataka, till hostilities were once again resumed when the Seven Years’ War broke out in
Europe.
o In India, the English took the Northern Circars which had been given to the French by the
new Nizam, Salabat Jung, to meet the expenses of the French army that he maintained for his
protection at Hyderabad. Salabat Jung now agreed to come under the protection of the English,
awarding the Northern Circars to them. The French, commanded by Count de Lally, launched an
attack on Madras at this move; but Madras was well protected by an English fleet, forcing Lally to
retire to Pondicherry. He was later defeated by Sir Eyre Coote at the decisive battle of Wandiwash
in 1760 CE. The very next year the English captured Pondicherry and other French settlements in
India. Hence statement 3 is correct.
o Meanwhile, the Seven Year’s war ended with the treaty of Paris in 1763 CE.
o Pondicherry and other French possessions in India were returned on the condition that they would not
be fortified.
o French power in India was thus broken and the Anglo-French rivalry in southern India ended with the
success of the English and the failure of the French.
Q 37.D
• Statement 1 is correct: The Act of 1870 proposed that one-fifth of the recruits to the covenanted service
should be Indians even without a competitive examination. Lytton proposed the straightforward course of
closing covenanted civil services to Indians and instead to create ‘a close native service’ to meet the
provisions of the Act of 1870. As this idea did not find favor, Lytton then proposed the plan for Statutory
Civil Services and introduced the Services 1878-79.
• The civil services were divided into two categories:
o Covenanted: The covenanted civil service consisted of only white British civil servants occupying the
higher posts in the government.
o Uncovenanted: The uncovenanted civil service was solely introduced to facilitate the entry of Indians
at the lower rung of the administration
• Statement 2 is not correct: The Statutory Civil Services was not to have the same status and salary as
Covenanted Service.
• Statement 3 is not correct: According to the Rules of 1879, the Government of India could employ some
Indians of good family and social standing to the Statutory Civil Services on the recommendation of the
provincial governments and subject to the confirmation of the Secretary of State. Also, the number of such
appointments did not exceed one-sixth of the total appointments made to the Covenanted Service in a
year. These officers were called “statutory civil servants”. The Statutory Civil Services, however, did not
prove popular with the Indian public and had to be abolished eight years later.
Q 38.B
• The military was the backbone of the British empire in India and all the higher positions in the military
were British officers. Indians especially after the formation of congress have been demanding the
Indianisation of the army.
• In the third session in December 1887, Congress demanded that the military service in the commissioned
grades should be opened to the natives of the country and that the government should establish military
colleges in the country where natives could be trained for a military career as officers of the Indian Army.
• A committee headed by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was appointed and its report was submitted on March 21,
1921. The three resolutions that concerned Indianisation were:
o Not less than 25 per cent of the King’s Commissions granted every year should be given to His
Majesty’s Indian subjects to start with
o Adequate facilitates should be provided in India for the preliminary training of Indians to fit them to
enter the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
o The desirability of establishing in India a military college such as Sandhurst should be kept in view.
• The highest rank obtainable by an Indian in the army was that of Subedar till 1914.
• Sandhurst Committee or Skeen Committee was appointed in June 1925. This committee
recommended that the number of vacancies at Sandhurst Military College is increased from 10 to
20 and Indians be made eligible as Kings’ Commissioned Officers in Artillery, Signals, and
Engineers and that a military college be opened in India. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
• A King commissioned Indian officer (KCIO) was an Indian officer of the British Indian Army who held a
full King's commission after training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
• The government did not accept the recommendations of the Skeen Committee in full but agreed to
increase the vacancies reserved for Indians at Sandhurst from 10 to 20 per year.
Q 39.A
• Military expenditure was one of the sore points between the Indian nationalists and the British
government. The British Indian army was being used in imperial wars in all parts of the world,
particularly in Africa and Asia. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
• These wars in Africa and Asia and the Indian frontier wars of the 1890s put a very heavy burden on the
Indian finances. The moderates demanded that this military expenditure should be evenly shared by
the British government. Hence, Statement 3 is not correct.
• Moderates demanded that Indians should be taken into the army as volunteers. However, British
military officers, particularly, Commander-in-chief Roberts abhorred the idea of volunteer service, as they
feared that the Maratha and Bengali volunteers, disaffected and untrustworthy as they were because of
their association with nationalism, would surely find their way into the army and subvert its
integrity. Hence, Statement 2 is not correct.
• All of these demands were rejected.
• Similarly, the demand for appointing Indians in commissioned ranks was rejected, as no European officer
would cherish the thought of being ordered by an Indian commander. The British government agreed to
share only a small fraction of the military expenditure, less than £1 million in all. The higher exchange
rates reduced the amount even further, and so the burden on the Indian finances remained the same.
Q 40.D
• Lord Cornwallis realized the need for police reforms and he made many changes in the police
organization. In this respect, he went back to, and modernised the old Indian system of thanas. This put
India ahead of Britain where a system of police had not developed yet.
• He divested the Zamindars of their policing powers, divided the district into thanas or units of police
jurisdiction of twenty to thirty miles. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Each unit was under an officer known as the Daroga who was appointed by the magistrates and placed
under their supervision. Darogas came to be seen as the instrument of the Company's power and control
over the rural areas. The daroga was an Indian. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• The post of the District Superintendent of Police was created to head the police organisation in a
district. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• In the villages, the duties of the police continued to be performed by the village watchmen who were
maintained by the villagers.
Q 41.D
• The Cartaz system referred to a naval trade license or pass issued by the Portuguese in Indian
ocean during the sixteenth century.
• Under the cartaz system, the Portuguese exacted money from the traders as price for protection against
what they termed as piracy. But much of this was caused by Portuguese freebooters themselves and so the
whole system was a blatant protection racket.
• The Cartaz was typically a permit valid for one year and obtained after paying a fee for its issue. The
fee varied depending on the ships destination, and was obviously higher for overseas trade.
• Overseas Cartazes were issued only in Goa (after the ship reached there with a coastal Cartaz) and
Cartazes for coastal trade could be obtained from any Portuguese fort or factory or possession. The
Portuguese armada controlling these seas had absolute control and every king, lord or emperor followed
the rules, except of course the moors of Calicut and Ponnani who never agreed with the policy (Cochin,
Quilon and Cannanore agreed). The Portuguese used the system effectively on all Indian rulers, until the
other western powers like the Dutch and English made their appearances in the 17th century.
• Hence option (d) is the correct answer.
Q 42.B
• In 1602, the United East India Company of the Netherlands was formed and given permission by the
Dutch government to trade in the East Indies including India. The Dutch founded their first factory in
Masaulipatam in Andhra Pradesh in 1605. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
• They went on to establish trading centers in different parts of India and thus became a threat to the
Portuguese. They captured Nagapatam near Madras (Chennai) from the Portuguese and made it their main
stronghold in South India.
• Participating in the redistributive or carrying trade, they brought to the islands of the Far East various
articles and merchandise from India. They carried indigo manufactured in the Yamuna valley and Central
India, textiles and silk from Bengal, Gujarat, and the Coromandel, saltpeter from Bihar and opium, and
rice from the Ganga valley.
Q 43.B
• When Shahu Bhonsale, the fifth Chhatrapati and grandson of Shivaji died in 1749 he had no legitimate
sons to succeed him. His only son from Sagunabai had died in infancy. This started a succession war
between his queens, Sakwarbai and Sagunabai both of whom wanted their nominees to succeed Shahu.
• Later Tarabai's (wife of Shahu's uncle, Rajaram) grandson, Ramraja was declared successor. Tarabai tried
to control Ramraja and even disallowed access to his Peshwa. But soon Ramraja protested against his
grandmother's overbearing nature. As a result, Tarabai declared Ramraja to be an impostor.
• In 1750, Chhatrapati Ramaraja grandson of Tarabai had signed the Sangola agreement to invest
Peshwa with more authority and since then Chhatrapati's role has become more titular in nature.
• The agreement was in exchange for the pursuit of his rights as Chatrapati and the protection from Tarabai
and his henchmen.
• Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
Q 44.C
• When Alivardi Khan died in 1756, Sirajuddaulah became the Nawab of Bengal. The Company was
worried about his power and keen on a puppet ruler who would willingly give trade concessions and other
privileges. So it tried, but without success, to help one of Sirajuddaulah’s rivals become the nawab. An
infuriated Sirajuddaulah asked the Company to stop meddling in the political affairs of his dominion, stop
fortification, and pay the revenues. After negotiations failed, the Nawab marched with 30,000 soldiers to
the English factory at Kassimbazar, captured the Company officials, locked the warehouse, disarmed all
Englishmen, and blockaded English ships. Then he marched to Calcutta to establish control over the
Company’s fort there.On hearing the news of the fall of Calcutta, Company officials in Madras sent forces
under the command of Robert Clive, reinforced by naval fleets. Prolonged negotiations with the Nawab
followed. Finally, in 1757, Robert Clive led the Company’s army against Sirajuddaulah at
Plassey. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• One of the main reasons for the defeat of the Nawab was that the forces led by Mir Jafar, one of
Sirajuddaulah’s commanders, never fought the battle. Clive had managed to secure his support by
promising to make him nawab after crushing Sirajuddaulah.
• The Battle of Plassey became famous because it was the first major victory the Company won in
India.After the defeat at Plassey, Sirajuddaulah was assassinated and Mir Jafar made the nawab of
Bengal. The Company was still unwilling to take over the responsibility of administration. Its prime
objective was the expansion of trade. If this could be done without conquest, through the help of local
rulers who were willing to grant privileges, then territories need not be taken over directly. Hence
Q 45.C
• The founder of the independent principality of Awadh was Saadat Khan, popularly known as Burhan-ul-
Mulk. Saadat Khan was a Shia. He had joined in a conspiracy against the Sayyid brothers, which resulted
in his being given an increased mansab. Later, driven out of the court, he was prompted to found a new
independent state. Saadat Khan committed suicide due to pressure from Nadir Shah who was demanding a
huge booty from him. He was succeeded by Safdar Jang as the Nawab of Awadh.
• Murshid Kuli Khan was the founder of the independent state of Bengal. He was a capable ruler and
made Bengal a prosperous state. He was succeeded in 1727 by his son Shujaud- din. His successor,
Sarfaraz Khan, was killed in 1740 by Alivardi Khan, the deputy governor of Bihar at Gheria, who
assumed power and made himself independent of the Mughal emperor by giving yearly tribute.
• Martanda Varma established an independent state of Kerala with Travancore as his capital after
defeating Dutch. He extended the boundaries of his state from Kanyakumari to Cochin. He made efforts to
organise his army along the Western model and adopted various measures to develop his state.
Q 46.D
• The Battle of Adyar took place on in October 1746. The battle was between the French East India
Company men and Nawab of Arcot forces over the St. George Fort, which was held by the French. It was
part of the First Carnatic War between the English and the French. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
o The First Carnatic War (1740-48) was an extension of the Anglo-French War in Europe which was
caused by the Austrian War of Succession.
• The English navy under Commodore Bennett seized some French ships to provoke France. France
retaliated by seizing Madras in 1746 with the help of the fleet from the French colony of Mauritius.
The Battle was launched by the Nawab because he was furious that the French Governor, Joseph
Dupleix, had attacked Madras without his permission and captured St. George Fort. Nawab of Arcot, a
close ally of the British, set out to regain it by sending troops, led by his son Mahfuz Khan, to Madras.
• French troops, with disciplined firing and then charging with bayonets defeated Mahfuz Khan’s troops.
So, the Battle of the Adyar River, which began on the morning of October 24, 1746, ended by that
evening, with the French occupation of Fort St. George consolidated. Hence statement 2 is not
correct.
• Battle of Adyar proved a turning point in the Indian history because for the first time, techniques of 18th
century European warfare, developed in Prussia and tested on the battlefields of France and Flanders,
had been tried out in India.
o Nothing in the Mughal armoury could match the techniques of 18th century European warfare,
particularly the invention of screws for elevating the guns gave the artillery greater precision and
increased the fire power of the foot soldier, giving them an edge in the battle against the cavalry.
o 700 French sepoys defeated the Mughal Army of 10,000 troopers, which was seen never before in
India.
Q 47.A
• Lord Cornwallis, who came to India as Governor-General in 1786, was determined to purify the
administration, but he realised that the Company's servants would not give honest and efficient service so
long as they were not given adequate salaries. He therefore enforced the rules against private trade and
acceptance of presents and bribes by officials with strictness. At the same time, he raised the salary of the
Company’s servants. For example, the Collector of a district was to be paid Rs. 1500 a month and one per
cent commission on the revenue collection of his district. In fact the Company's Civil Service became the
highest paid service in the world. Cornwallis also laid down that promotion in the Civil Services would
be by seniority so that its members would remain independent of outside influence. Hence, statement 1
is correct.
• In 1800, Lord Wellesley pointed out that even though civil servants often ruled over vast areas, they came
to India at the immature age of 18 or so and were given no regular training before starting on their jobs.
They generally lacked knowledge of Indian languages. Wellesley therefore established the Fort William
college at Calcutta for the education of young recruits to the Civil Services. Hence, statement 2 is not
correct.
• Civil services examination started to be held in India from 1922 (Lord Reading) onwards. It was not
introduced by Lord Cornwallis . Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
Q 48.C
• Approximately four hundred years ago, an English sea captain, Thomas Best, sank four Portuguese
galleons off the Surat coast. Captain Best and his crew’s exploits in the naval Battle of Swally in 1612,
impressed the Mughal governor of the province so much that he got them a treaty ratified by Emperor
Jahangir, which translated to trading rights. By January 1613, the first East India Company factory
had come up at Surat. Hence, pair 1 is correctly matched.
• The last European people to arrive in India were the French. The French East India Company was formed
in 1664 AD during the reign of King Louis XIV to trade with India. In 1668 AD the French established
their first factory at Surat and in 1669 AD established another French factory at Masaulipatam. Hence,
pair 2 is not correctly matched.
• In 1602, the United East India Company of the Netherlands was formed and it received the sanction of the
government to trade in the East Indies. After their arrival in India, the Dutch founded their first factory
in Masaulipatam in Andhra in 1605. Hence, pair 3 is correctly matched.

Q 49.C
• The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century
between the Kingdom of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented
chiefly by the Madras Presidency), Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Travancore and the Nizam of
Hyderabad on the other. Haider Ali and his successor Tipu Sultan fought a war on four fronts with the
British attacking from the west, south and east, while the Nizam's forces attacked from the north.
• First Anglo-Mysore war(1767-69): The British, after their success in the Battle of Buxar with the
nawab of Bengal, signed a treaty with the Nizam of Hyderabad persuading him to give them the
Northern Circars for protecting the Nizam from Haidar Ali who already had disputes with the
Marathas.The Nizam of Hyderabad, the Marathas, and the English allied together against Haidar
Ali.Haidar changed his strategy and suddenly appeared before the gates of Madras causing
complete chaos and panic at Madras. This forced the English to conclude a treaty with Haidar on
April 4, 1769 known as the Treaty of Madras. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The Second Mysore War (1780-84) came to an end with the Treaty of Mangalore in 1783.
Accordingly, all conquests were mutually restored and the prisoners on both sides were liberated.
• Third Anglo Mysore War (1790-92): The Treaty of Srirangapattinam was signed after the third
war. According to the provisions of this treaty, Tipu had to give up half his dominions, he had to pay a
war indemnity of three crore rupees and surrender two of his sons as hostages to the English and both
sides agreed to release the prisoners of war. Thus, the state of Mysore was not abolished after this
treaty. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
o The rule of Tipu came to an end after the fourth Anglo-Mysore war and the English restored
Wodeyar's rule at Mysore.
• The circumstances which led to the Fourth Mysore War can be summarized as: Tipu Sultan wanted
to avenge his humiliating defeat and the terms imposed on him by the British. He took efforts to seek the
help of France, Arabia, Kabul and Turkey. He corresponded with the Revolutionary French Government
in July 1798. At Srirangapattinam, a Jacobian Club was started and the flag of the French Republic was
hoisted. The tree of Liberty was also planted. Later, when Napoleon came to power, Tipu received a
friendly letter from Napoleon (who was in Egypt at that time).
• It was at this juncture that Wellesley with a mind already filled with fear of Napoleon prepared for a
war against Mysore.
• Lord Cornwallis succeeded Warren Hastings as Governor-General in 1786. Thus, he came after the first
FirstAnglo-Mysore War (1767-69). He led the English forces in the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-
92). Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
Q 50.C
Both the statements are correct.
A special feature of the Indian Civil Services since the days of Cornwallis was the rigid and complete
exclusion of Indians from it. They followed such a policy because:
1. They believed that British administation based on British ideas, institutions and practices and it could
be firmly established only by the English personnel. These services were required at that time to
establish and consolidate British rule in India.
2. Britishers did not trust the ability and integrity of the Indians.
3. There was already a high competition among the Europeans themselves for the lucrative posts, which
further discouraged Indian involvement.
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