Revision Series | History | British Conquest of India (Part -2) | 45

December 2, 2023

Consider the following pairs:
1. Treaty of Sagauli = East India Company and Baji Rao II
2. The Indus Navigation Treaty = Maharaja Ranbir Singh and Lord William Bentick
3. Treaty of Amritsar (1809) = Ranjit Singh and British East India Company
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: C

Statement 1 is not correct: The Treaty of Sagauli established the Gandak as boundary line of Nepal. It was

signed between the East India Company and Raj Guru Gajaraj Mishra with Chandra Shekhar Upadhaya from

Nepal following the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16. The treaty represented a Nepali surrender to the British

and contained the cession of Nepal’s western territory to the British East India Company.

Statement 2 is not correct: The Indus navigation Treaty 1832 was concluded between Ranjit Singh of Punjab

and Lord William Bentinck which opened up the Satluj for navigation. Ranbir Singh was maharaja of Jammu

and Kashmir from 1856 until his death in 1885.

Statement 3 is correct: The Treaty of Amritsar of 1809 was an agreement between the British East India

Company and Ranjit Singh. Among the outcomes was that Singh gained a carte blanche (free hand) to

further consolidate his territorial gains north of the Sutlej river at the expense of other Sikh chiefs and their

peers among the other dominant communities.

With reference to the ‘Durand Commission’ setup during colonial time, consider the following statements:
1. It was set up to define the boundary between India and Afghanistan.
2. Lord Lansdowne was the Governor General at that time.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) Neither 1 nor 2

Show Answer

Answer: C

Statement 1 is correct: It defined the boundary between India and Afghanistan. It was setup to improve the diplomatic ties between the British establishment in India and the Afghan Kingdom.

Statement 2 is correct: It was set up in 1893 during the tenure of Lord Lansdowne (1888 to 1894).

With reference to the Raja Ram Mohan Roy, consider the following statements:
1. He opposed the introduction of modern capitalism.
2. He supported the Permanent Settlement system.
3. He was the founder and editor of Sambad Kaumudi.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(A) 2 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: C

Statement 1 is not correct: Raja Ram Mohan Roy wanted the introduction of Modern Capitalism in the

country. He wanted his countrymen to accept the rational and scientific approach and the principles of

human dignity and social equality of all men and women.

Statement 2 is correct: He demanded that the maximum rents paid by the actual cultivators of land should

be permanently fixed, so that they too would enjoy benefits of permanent settlement.

Statement 3 is correct: Sambad Kaumudi was a Bengali weekly newspaper published from Kolkata in the

first half of the 19th century by Ram Mohan Roy. It actively campaigned for the abolition of the Sati Pratha.

With reference to the ‘Ryotwari System’, consider the following statements:
1. The high status of Zamindars prevalent under permanent settlement was further elevated by the introduction of Ryotwari system.
2. Under Ryotwari system, government retained the rights to enhance land revenue at will.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) 1 and 2 only
(D) Neither 1 nor 2

Show Answer

Answer: B

Statement 1 is not correct: Under Ryotwari system, the cultivator was to be recognized as the owner of his

plot of land subject to the payment of land revenue.

Statement 2 is correct: The government retained the right to enhance land revenue at will.

With reference to the “Indigo revolt” of 1859-60, consider the following statements.
1. The price paid to the peasant for indigo plants was far below market price.
2. Intelligentsia of Bengal were hostile to this revolt.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) Neither 1 nor 2

Show Answer

Answer: A

Statement 1 is correct: The price paid to the peasant for indigo plants was far below market price. He also had to pay regular bribes to the planter’s officials.

Statement 2 is not correct: A significant feature of the Indigo Revolt was the role of the intelligentsia of

Bengal which organized a powerful campaign in support of the rebellious peasantry. It carried on newspaper campaigns, organized mass meetings, prepared memoranda on peasants’ grievances and supported them in their legal battles.

With reference to the tenure of Lord William Bentinck as a Governor General, consider the following statements:
1. He was officially declared by East India Company as the first Governor General of Bengal.
2. He undertook measures for the abolition of Sati.
3. English was made the official and literary language of India during his tenure.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: B

Statement 1 is not correct: Lord William Bentinck served as Governor General of India between 1828 to 1835 Lord Warren Hastings was the first Governor General of Bengal.

Statement 2 is correct: His tenure is known for the social reforms such as Abolition of Sati in 1829, Suppression of Thugi, and Suppression of Infanticide.

Statement 3 is correct: During his tenure the Government Resolution in 1835 made English the official and literary language of India.

With reference to the main provisions of the ‘Pitts India Act, 1784’, consider the following statements:
1. A Board of Control consisting of four members who were appointed by the Crown was created.
2. The Court of Directors was retained with an alteration in its composition.
3. The Act reduced the number of the members of the Governor-General’s Council from four to three excluding the Commander-in-Chief.
Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: D

The Regulating Act of 1771 proved to be an unsatisfactory document as it failed in its objective. This paved way for the famous Pitt’s India Act of 1784.

Statement 1 is not correct: A Board of Control consisting of six members was created. They were appointed by the Crown.

Statement 2 is not correct: The Court of Directors was retained without any alteration in its composition.

Statement 3 is not correct: The Act also introduced significant changes in the Indian administration. It reduced the number of the members of the Governor- General’s Council from four to three including the Commander-in-Chief.

With reference to terms of Subsidiary alliance between British (paramount power) and Indian State (the protected state), consider the following statements:
1. The protected state was forbidden to have any political contact with other Indian powers without the permission of the British.
2. Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed forces.
3. The ruler of the protected state should not employ Europeans in his service without the sanction of the paramount power.
4. The paramount power has rights to interfere in the internal affairs of the protected state.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1, 2 and 3 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 4 only
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Show Answer

Answer: A

With reference to ‘Tipu Sultan’, consider the following statements:
1. Napoleon Bonaparte, the French commander-in-chief, sought an alliance with Tipu Sultan.
2. He sent missions to Afghanistan, Arabia and Turkey to forge Anti-British alliance.
3. After the death of Tipu Sultan at Seringapatnam in 1799, Mysore fell to British as per the policy of Doctrine of Lapse.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3 only

Show Answer

Answer: A

Statement 1 is correct: Tipu Sultan entered into negotiations for an alliance with the revolutionary France.

Statement 2 is correct: He sent missions to Afghanistan, Arabia and Turkey to forge an Anti-British alliance.

Statement 3 is not correct: After the death of Tipu Sultan, nearly half of the Tipu’s Dominions were divided

between British and their ally, the Nizam. The reduced kingdom of Mysore was restored to the descendants

of the original rajas from whom Haider Ali has seized power. A special treaty of Subsidiary Alliance was imposed on the new Raja by which, Governor-general was authorized to take over the administration of the state in case of necessity. Mysore was, in fact, made a complete dependency of the company.

With reference to the ‘Indian Councils Act, 1892’, consider the following statements:
1. First law commission was established as per this Act.
2. The members were given the right to ask questions on the budget.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) Neither 1 nor 2

Show Answer

Answer: B

Statement 1 is not correct: As per the Charter Act of 1833, an Indian Law Commission was established. The

first Law Commission had Lord Macaulay as its chairman.

Statement 2 is correct: It increased the functions of legislative councils and gave them the power of discussing and right to ask questions on the budget which was barred in the Indian Councils Act 1861.