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Q1History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2025
Consider the following fruits:
1. Papaya
2. Pineapple
3. Guava
How many of the above were introduced in India by the Portuguese in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
- AOnly one
- BOnly two
- CAll the threeCorrect
- DNone
Explanation
Correct. Papaya, pineapple, and guava are all of American origin and were brought to India by the Portuguese during the Columbian exchange in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries through their maritime trade routes connecting the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
Q2History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2024
Who of the following rulers of medieval India gave permission to the Portuguese to build a fort at Bhatkal?
- AKrishnadevarayaCorrect
- BNarasimha Saluva
- CMuhammad Shah III
- DYusuf Adil Shah
Explanation
Correct. Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire maintained friendly commercial relations with the Portuguese and permitted them to build a fort at Bhatkal, a key trading port on the western coast.
Q3History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2024
With reference to revenue collection by Cornwallis, consider the following statements:
1. Under the Ryotwari Settlement of revenue collection, the peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests or natural calamities.
2. Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay his revenues to the state, on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A1 only
- B2 onlyCorrect
- CBoth 1 and 2
- DNeither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Correct. Under the Permanent Settlement, the Sunset Law required zamindars to pay their fixed revenue by a strict deadline. Failure meant the zamindari could be auctioned, making statement 2 accurate.
Q4History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2023
By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?
- AThe Regulating Act
- BThe Pitt's India Act
- CThe Charter Act of 1793
- DThe Charter Act of 1833Correct
Explanation
Correct. The Charter Act of 1833 redesignated the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India, with Lord William Bentinck becoming the first to hold this new title. The Act centralised legislative authority in the Governor-General.
Q5History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2023
Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese?
- AAhmad Shah
- BMahmud Begarha
- CBahadur ShahCorrect
- DMuhammad Shah
Explanation
Correct. Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, facing Mughal invasion by Humayun, entered into an arrangement with the Portuguese in the 1530s that allowed them to build a fortress at Diu, effectively surrendering control of this strategic island.
Q6History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2022
With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:
1. The Dutch established their factories or warehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by Gajapati rulers.
2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate.
3. The English East India Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- A1 and 2 only
- B2 and 3 onlyCorrect
- C1 and 3 only
- D1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Correct. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur in 1510 (statement 2). The English obtained the site for Fort St. George at Madras from the local Nayak representative of the declining Vijayanagara system (statement 3).
Q7History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2021
With reference to Indian history, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. The Nizamat of Arcot emerged out of Hyderabad State
2. The Mysore Kingdom emerged out of Vijayanagara Empire
3. Rohilkhand Kingdom was formed out of the territories occupied by Ahmad Shah Durrani
- A1 and 2
- B2 onlyCorrect
- C2 and 3
- D3 only
Explanation
Correct. Only statement 2 is accurate. The Mysore Kingdom emerged within the framework of the declining Vijayanagara Empire, with the Wodeyar dynasty establishing themselves as the rulers of Mysore from the breakup of the Vijayanagara polity.
Q8History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2021
Consider the following statements:
1. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order.
2. Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there.
3. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- A1 and 2 only
- B2 and 3 only
- C1 and 3 onlyCorrect
- D1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Correct. Francis Xavier was one of the seven original founders of the Jesuit Order in 1534 (statement 1). He did not die in Goa — he died on Shangchuan Island near China in 1552 (statement 2 is wrong). The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated annually in Goa on December 3rd (statement 3).
Q9History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2021
In the first quarter of seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located?
1. Broach
2. Chicacole
3. Trichinopoly
- A1 onlyCorrect
- B1 and 2
- C3 only
- D2 and 3
Explanation
Correct. Broach (Bharuch) in Gujarat was part of the early English coastal trading network in the first quarter of the seventeenth century, along with Surat. Chicacole and Trichinopoly were not Company factory locations in this early period.
Q10History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2020
Wellesley established the Fort William College, Calcutta because:
- AHe was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so
- BHe wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India
- CHe wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment
- DHe wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in IndiaCorrect
Explanation
Correct. Lord Wellesley founded Fort William College in 1800 to train newly arrived East India Company civil servants in Indian languages, laws, and customs needed for effective administration of the expanding British territories.
Q11History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2020
Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of the Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
- AIndian handicrafts were ruinedCorrect
- BMachines were introduced in the Indian textile industry in large numbers
- CRailway lines were laid in many parts of the country
- DHeavy duties were imposed on the imports of British manufactures
Explanation
Correct. The Industrial Revolution led to massive production of cheap machine-made textiles in Britain, which flooded Indian markets and destroyed the traditional Indian handicraft and handloom industries in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Q12History & Culture·Advent of Europeans and Company RulePYQ 2019
Consider the following statements about the Charter Act of 1813:
1. It ended the trade monopoly of the East India Company in India except for trade in tea and trade with China.
2. It asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over the Indian territories held by the Company.
3. The revenues of India were now controlled by the British Parliament.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- A1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B2 and 3 only
- C1 and 3 only
- D1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Correct. The Charter Act of 1813 ended the Company's Indian trade monopoly except for tea and China trade (statement 1), and asserted Crown sovereignty over Company-held territories (statement 2). Statement 3 overstates Parliament's direct control over Indian revenues.