UPSC Modern Indian History – Chapter 5: Economic Impact of British Rule (24 MCQs)

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UPSC Modern Indian History – Chapter 5: Economic Impact of British Rule (24 MCQs) – 24 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The Permanent Settlement of 1793 was introduced by:

Correct Answer: C [Lord Cornwallis]

Explanation:

Lord Cornwallis, Governor-General 1786–93, made the land revenue of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa permanent with the zamindars in 1793.

2.  

Under the Ryotwari system, the revenue was settled with:

Correct Answer: A [the individual cultivator]

Explanation:

Ryotwari settled revenue directly with each ryot, the individual cultivator, without any intermediary such as a zamindar.

3.  

The Mahalwari system is associated with:

Correct Answer: C [Holt Mackenzie]

Explanation:

The Mahalwari system, settling revenue with the village community, is associated with Holt Mackenzie and began in 1822.

4.  

The Charter Act of 1813 is important because it:

Correct Answer: B [ended the Company's trade monopoly in India except for tea and trade with China]

Explanation:

The Charter Act 1813 threw Indian trade open to all British merchants, leaving the Company only its tea and China trade monopoly.

5.  

The "sunset law" was a feature of the:

Correct Answer: D [Permanent Settlement]

Explanation:

Under the Permanent Settlement a zamindar who failed to pay the fixed revenue by sunset of the due date could have his estate sold.

6.  

Poverty and Un-British Rule in India was written by:

Correct Answer: A [Dadabhai Naoroji]

Explanation:

Dadabhai Naoroji published Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901), setting out his drain of wealth theory.

7.  

The first passenger railway in India ran in 1853 between:

Correct Answer: B [Bombay and Thane]

Explanation:

On 16 April 1853 the first passenger train in India ran from Bombay (Bori Bunder) to Thane under Dalhousie.

8.  

The Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act (1879) followed:

Correct Answer: A [the Deccan Riots]

Explanation:

The Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act of 1879 followed the Deccan Riots of 1875, when peasants attacked moneylenders.

9.  

The first Famine Commission (1880) was headed by:

Correct Answer: B [Richard Strachey]

Explanation:

Sir Richard Strachey chaired the first Famine Commission of 1880, whose report led to the Famine Codes.

10.  

Consider the following about the Permanent Settlement:

1. The revenue was fixed for ever.
2. It was introduced in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies as a whole.
3. The zamindar was recognised as the owner of the land.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 3 are correct: revenue was fixed for ever and zamindars became owners; Madras and Bombay mainly had ryotwari.

11.  

Assertion (A): Indian handicrafts declined in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Reason (R): Machine-made British goods entered India at low duties while Indian goods faced high duties in Britain.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Cheap machine-made British goods entering at low duties, while Indian goods faced high British duties, directly caused handicrafts to decline.

12.  

In the "finance imperialism" stage, the main form of exploitation was:

Correct Answer: C [British capital investment with guaranteed returns]

Explanation:

After about 1860 British capital flowed into railways, plantations, mines and banks with guaranteed returns paid from Indian revenues.

13.  

"Home charges" in the drain theory referred to:

Correct Answer: D [payments made in Britain on India's account, such as salaries, pensions and interest]

Explanation:

Home charges were India's payments in Britain: salaries and pensions of officials, India Office costs and interest on public debt.

14.  

The first cotton mill in Bombay (1854) was started by:

Correct Answer: D [Cowasjee Nanabhoy Davar]

Explanation:

Cowasjee Nanabhoy Davar founded the Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company, the first cotton mill in Bombay, in 1854.

15.  

Railways in India were mainly built by private British companies under the:

Correct Answer: B [guarantee system]

Explanation:

Under the guarantee system private British companies built railways with a fixed return on capital assured from Indian revenues.

16.  

The ryotwari method was first tried in the Baramahal region by:

Correct Answer: C [Alexander Read]

Explanation:

Alexander Read first introduced ryotwari in the Baramahal region in 1792; Munro, his assistant, later extended it to Madras.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. First Famine Commission
2. Permanent Settlement
3. First passenger railway
4. Mahalwari system

Select the correct answer:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-3-1]

Explanation:

Order: Permanent Settlement (1793) → Mahalwari system (1822) → First passenger railway (1853) → First Famine Commission (1880).

18.  

Which of the following were channels of the drain of wealth?

1. Salaries and pensions of British officials paid in Britain
2. Interest on India's public debt
3. Revenue spent on village schools in India

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: D [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Salaries and pensions paid in Britain and interest on public debt drained wealth abroad, but spending on village schools inside India was not a drain.

19.  

Which crop was a major plantation crop under European control in the nineteenth century?

Correct Answer: A [Tea]

Explanation:

Tea was grown on European-owned plantations in Assam and Bengal using labour recruited on harsh indentured contracts.

20.  

The Tata Iron and Steel Company was set up at Jamshedpur in:

Correct Answer: B [1907]

Explanation:

Jamsetji Tata's plan was realised when the Tata Iron and Steel Company was set up at Jamshedpur in 1907.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2020

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:

Cheap machine-made British goods flooded India in the first half of the 19th century and ruined Indian handicrafts.

22.  
UPSC Prelims 2018

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:

Peasants increasingly grew cash crops such as indigo, cotton, jute and opium for the market to pay a high cash revenue.

23.  
UPSC Prelims 2017

Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British rule?

1. Lord Cornwallis
2. Alexander Read
3. Thomas Munro

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [2 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Alexander Read introduced ryotwari in Baramahal (1792) and Thomas Munro extended it to the Madras Presidency (1820).

24.  
UPSC Prelims 2015

Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India?

1. Dadabhai Naoroji
2. G. Subramania Iyer
3. R. C. Dutt

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: D [1, 2 and 3]

Explanation:

all three wrote on the economic effects of British rule.

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