UPSC Prelims · Modern History PYQ
Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari, Mahalwari systems, drain of wealth theory, and the evolving structure of colonial administration.
Includes
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?
Correct answer: B. 2 only
Explanation
Under the Ryotwari Settlement, peasants were not automatically exempted from revenue in bad harvests, so that statement is false; under the Permanent Settlement, a zamindar who failed to pay revenue by the fixed date could indeed lose his zamindari, which is true.
With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs:
1. Aurang — In-charge of treasury of the State
2. Banian — Indian agent of the East India Company
3. Mirasidar — Designated revenue payer to the State Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Correct answer: B. 2 and 3 only
Explanation
'Banian' correctly refers to an Indian agent who worked for East India Company officials, and 'Mirasidar' correctly denotes a designated hereditary revenue-payer to the state in south Indian villages, both true; 'Aurang,' however, actually referred to a manufacturing or trading centre rather than an in-charge of the state treasury — so only pairs 2 and 3 hold.
Which of the following statements correctly explains the impact of Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
Correct answer: A. Indian handicrafts were ruined.
Explanation
The Industrial Revolution in Britain flooded India with cheap machine-made goods, ruining traditional Indian handicrafts and artisan industries.
Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of
Correct answer: B. its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
Explanation
Indigo cultivation declined by the early 20th century mainly because newly invented synthetic dyes in Europe made natural indigo unprofitable on the world market.
Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because
Correct answer: D. he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India
Explanation
Wellesley established Fort William College in Calcutta (1800) primarily to train British civil servants in Indian languages and administration.
Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true?
1. Grants-in-Aid system was introduced.
2. Establishment of universities was recommended.
3. English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct answer: A. 1 and 2 only
Explanation
Wood's Despatch (1854) introduced the grants-in-aid system for schools and recommended establishing universities in the Presidency towns, both true; it recommended vernacular languages, not English, as the medium at lower levels of education, so that statement is false — leaving only 1 and 2.
Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the
Correct answer: C. commercialization of Indian agriculture
Explanation
One key economic result of 19th-century British rule was the marked commercialisation of Indian agriculture, shifting cultivation toward cash crops for export.
The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were
Correct answer: D. Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
Explanation
Bengal's staple export commodities handled by the East India Company in the mid-18th century included cotton, silk, saltpetre, and opium.
Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India?
1. Charter Act of 1813
2. General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823
3. Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
The spread of English education in India was driven by the Charter Act of 1813's funding provisions, the 1823 General Committee of Public Instruction, and was decisively shaped by the Orientalist-Anglicist controversy resolved through Macaulay's Minute — all three contributed.
With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs: Institution — Founder
1. Sanskrit College at Benaras — William Jones
2. Calcutta Madarsa — Warren Hastings
3. Fort William College — Arthur Wellesley Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: B. 2 only
Explanation
The Calcutta Madrasa was indeed founded by Warren Hastings, true; the Sanskrit College at Benares, however, was founded by Jonathan Duncan rather than William Jones, and Fort William College was founded by Lord Wellesley, not his brother Arthur Wellesley — so only the second pair is correct.
Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India?
1. Dadabhai Naoroji
2. G. Subramania Iyer
3. R.C. Dutt
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Dadabhai Naoroji, G. Subramania Iyer, and R.C. Dutt were all prominent early economic critics of British colonial exploitation in India.
The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the
Correct answer: C. removal of disqualifications imposed on the Indian magistrates with regard to the trial of the Europeans
Explanation
The Ilbert Bill controversy (1883) centred on removing the legal disqualification that barred Indian magistrates from trying European offenders.
With reference to Ryotwari Settlement, consider the following statements:
1. The rent was paid directly by the peasants to the Government.
2. The Government gave Pattas to the Ryots.
3. The lands were surveyed and assessed before being taxed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: C. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Under the Ryotwari Settlement, peasants paid rent directly to the government, received pattas (land titles), and land was surveyed and assessed before taxation — all three statements are correct.
The tendency for increased litigation was visible after the introduction of the land settlement system of Lord Cornwallis in 1793. The reason for this is normally traced to which of the following provisions ?
Correct answer: C. Making judicial system more efficient
Explanation
Cornwallis's 1793 land settlement, by hiving off judicial functions to make the justice system more efficient and impartial, inadvertently encouraged a sharp rise in litigation as landholders and tenants increasingly turned to the courts.
Who among the following Governor Generals created the Covenanted Civil Service of India which later came to be known as the Indian Civil Service?
Correct answer: C. Cornwallis
Explanation
Lord Cornwallis created the Covenanted Civil Service, the direct precursor to what later became the Indian Civil Service.
By a regulation in 1793, the District Collector was deprived of his judicial powers and made the collecting agent only. What was the reason for such regulation?
Correct answer: C. Lord Cornwallis was alarmed at the extent of power concentrated in the District Collector and felt that such absolute power was undesirable in one person
Explanation
Cornwallis's 1793 regulation stripped the District Collector of judicial powers because he was alarmed at how much revenue and judicial power had become concentrated in a single official.
Who among the following used the phrase ‘Un-British’ to criticize the English colonial control of India?
Correct answer: C. Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation
Dadabhai Naoroji used the term 'Un-British' to describe and criticise the exploitative character of British colonial rule.
Who was the Viceroy of India when the Rowlatt Act was passed?
Correct answer: C. Lord Chelmsford
Explanation
Lord Chelmsford was Viceroy when the repressive Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919.
Consider the following statements:
1. Robert Clive was the first Governor-General of Bengal.
2. William Bentinck was the first Governor-General of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: B. 2 only
Explanation
William Bentinck, not Robert Clive, was formally the first Governor-General of India under that specific constitutional title — Clive's role predated it — so only the second statement is correct.
The first Factory Act restricting the working hours of women and children and authorizing local governments to make necessary rules was adopted during whose time?
Correct answer: C. Lord Ripon
Explanation
The first Factory Act restricting the working hours of women and children was introduced during Lord Ripon's tenure in 1881.
Consider the following statements :
1. Warren Hastings was the first Governor General who established a regular police force in India on the British pattern
2. A Supreme Court was established at Calcutta by the Regulating Act, 1773.
3. The Indian Penal Code came into effect in the year 1860.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: B. 2 and 3
Explanation
Warren Hastings did not establish a regular British-pattern police force — that credit generally goes to Cornwallis, so the first statement is false; the Supreme Court at Calcutta was indeed set up under the Regulating Act of 1773, and the Indian Penal Code did come into force in 1860, both true — so 2 and 3.
Who among the following repealed the Vernacular Press Act?
Correct answer: B. Lord Ripon
Explanation
Lord Ripon repealed the repressive Vernacular Press Act, originally imposed under Lord Lytton, in 1882.
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
Correct answer: C. Vernacular Press Act — Curzon
Explanation
The Vernacular Press Act (1878) was actually enacted under Lord Lytton, not Lord Curzon, making this pair incorrectly matched.
Consider the following Viceroys of India during the British rule:
1. Lord Curzon
2. Lord Chelmsford
3. Lord Hardinge
4. Lord Irwin Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of their tenure?
Correct answer: A. 1 ‑ 3 ‑ 2 ‑ 4
Explanation
The correct chronological order of these Viceroys' tenures is Curzon, then Hardinge, then Chelmsford, then Irwin, giving the sequence 1, 3, 2, 4.
The aim of education as stated by the Wood’s Despatch of 1854 was
Correct answer: B. The spread of western culture in India
Explanation
Wood's Despatch (1854) explicitly aimed at spreading Western culture and knowledge through English and vernacular education in India.
With reference to colonial rule in India, what was sought by the Ilbert Bill in 1883?
Correct answer: A. To bring Indians and Europeans on par as far as the criminal jurisdiction of courts was concerned
Explanation
The Ilbert Bill (1883) sought to remove racial discrimination in the judiciary by allowing Indian judges and magistrates to try European offenders on an equal footing.
Under the Permanent Settlement, 1793, the zamindars were required to issue pattas to the farmers which were not issued by many of the zamindars. The reason was
Correct answer: B. there was no official check upon the zamindars
Explanation
Many zamindars simply failed to issue pattas to tenant farmers under the Permanent Settlement because there was no effective official mechanism to compel them to do so.
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I – Land system
I. Land allotted to big feudal landlords
II. Land allotted to revenue farmers or rent collectors
III. Land allotted to each peasant with the right to sublet, mortgage, transfer, gift or sell
IV. Revenue settlements made at village level
List II
A) Jagirdari System
B) Ryotwari System
C) Mahalwari System
D) Zamindari System Codes:
Correct answer: B. I-A, II-D, III-B, IV-C
Explanation
Land allotted to big feudal landlords corresponds to the Jagirdari System (I-A); land given to revenue farmers or rent collectors matches the Zamindari System (II-D); land allotted directly to peasants with transfer rights matches the Ryotwari System (III-B); and village-level revenue settlements match the Mahalwari System (IV-C).
There was no independent development of industries in India during British rule because of the
Correct answer: A. absence of heavy industries
Explanation
India saw no independent development of heavy industry under British rule largely because colonial policy actively discouraged the capital-goods industries needed for self-sustaining industrialisation.
The Governor General who followed a spirited "Forward" policy towards Afghanistan was
Correct answer: D. Lytton
Explanation
Lord Lytton pursued an aggressive 'Forward Policy' toward Afghanistan, which led to the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
At a time when empires in Europe were crumbling before the might of Napoleon which one of the following Governors-General kept the British flag flying high in India?
Correct answer: C. Lord Wellesley
Explanation
Lord Wellesley expanded and consolidated British power in India through the Subsidiary Alliance system even as Napoleon's conquests were reshaping Europe.
The term "imperial preference" was applied to the
Correct answer: A. special privileges on British imports in India
Explanation
'Imperial preference' referred to the special tariff privileges given to British goods imported into India over goods from other countries.
“The Congress is tottering to its fall and one of my great ambitions while in India, is to assist it to a peaceful demise.” This statement is attributed to
Correct answer: B. Lord Curzon
Explanation
This dismissive remark about Congress 'tottering to its fall' is attributed to Lord Curzon.
Who among the following was associated with the suppression of Thugs?
Correct answer: B. Captain Sleeman
Explanation
Captain William Sleeman led the British campaign to suppress the Thuggee network across central India during the 1830s.
What is the correct chronological sequence of the following?
I. Wood's Education Despatch
II. Macaulay's Minute on Education
III. The Sargeant Education Report
IV. Indian Education (Hunter Commission)
Correct answer: A. II, I, IV, III
Explanation
The correct chronological sequence is Macaulay's Minute on Education (1835), Wood's Education Despatch (1854), the Indian Education (Hunter) Commission (1882), and the Sargent Education Report (1944), giving II, I, IV, III.
Consider the following landmarks in Indian education: I) Hindu College, Calcutta II) University of Calcutta III) Adam’s Report IV) Wood’s Despatch The correct chronological order of these landmarks is
Correct answer: A. I, III, IV, II
Explanation
The correct chronological order is Hindu College, Calcutta (1817), Adam's Report (1835-38), Wood's Despatch (1854), and the University of Calcutta (1857), giving I, III, IV, II.
Who among the following leaders did not believe in the drain theory of Dadabhai Naoroji?
Correct answer: D. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Explanation
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan did not subscribe to Dadabhai Naoroji's 'Drain of Wealth' theory, favouring instead a policy of cooperation with British rule for Muslim advancement.