European Traders in India MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for European Traders in India - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is - Trade Heads

Key Points

• Lord Ripon's Policy of Financial Decentralization
  • Lord Ripon implemented financial decentralization to enhance efficiency in governance during British rule in India.
  • This policy was a continuation of the financial reforms initiated by Lord Mayo, aimed at dividing financial responsibilities between the Central Government and Provincial Governments.
  • The financial heads introduced under this policy were:
    • Imperial Heads - Exclusively managed by the Central Government.
    • Provincial Heads - Revenue sources assigned to Provincial Governments for local administration.
    • Divided Heads - Shared financial responsibilities between Imperial and Provincial Governments.
• Why Trade Heads Were Not Part of the Policy?
  • The policy primarily focused on administrative and governance-related financial divisions, excluding trade-related revenues.
  • Trade Heads, dealing with trade and commerce, were not decentralized and remained under Imperial control.
  • This exclusion ensured that the British Government retained control over major economic activities and revenues from trade.

Additional Information

• Lord Ripon's Contribution to Indian Administration
  • Known as the Liberator of the Press, Lord Ripon abolished the restrictive Vernacular Press Act in 1882.
  • Introduced the Local Self-Government Act, empowering municipalities and local bodies.
  • Focused on improving education and supported the Hunter Commission for educational reforms.
• Financial Decentralization Under Lord Mayo
  • Lord Mayo initiated the concept of financial decentralization in India, laying the foundation for dividing fiscal responsibilities.
  • His reforms aimed at improving governance by assigning specific revenue sources to Provincial Governments.
  • Set the stage for Ripon's continuation and expansion of this policy.
• Impact of Financial Decentralization
  • Enhanced administrative efficiency by reducing the burden on the Central Government.
  • Allowed Provincial Governments to manage local needs more effectively.
  • Marked a significant shift in governance, setting a precedent for future financial reforms during British rule.

The correct answer is - 1612–1674

Key Points

• Surat was an important city during the early period of European colonization of India.
• From 1612 to 1674, Surat served as the headquarters of the East India Company in India.
  • The British East India Company established its first factory in Surat in 1612, following a victory against the Portuguese at the Battle of Swally.
  • Surat was chosen because of its strategic location as a major port city on the western coast of India, which facilitated trade with Europe and Southeast Asia.
• The headquarters were eventually shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1674, as Bombay offered a better harbor and greater strategic advantages.

Additional Information

• Historical Context
  • The East India Company was established in 1600 by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I of England.
  • Its primary objective was to trade in spices, silk, cotton, and other goods from the East Indies and India.
• Battle of Swally (1612)
  • This battle was fought between the English East India Company and the Portuguese at Swally, near Surat.
  • The victory established the East India Company's dominance in the region and led to the Mughal Emperor Jahangir granting them trading rights.
• Shift to Bombay
  • The East India Company acquired Bombay from the Portuguese as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza when she married Charles II of England in 1661.
  • Bombay was formally developed as the company's primary base in 1674, replacing Surat due to its superior harbor facilities.

The correct answer is - The idea that local people would eventually be absorbed into the colonizers’ culture

Key Points

• Policy of Assimilation
  • The policy of assimilation was a component of imperialistic ideology that aimed at integrating colonized populations into the culture of the colonizers.
  • It operated under the assumption that the colonizers’ culture was superior, and the ultimate goal was for the native populations to abandon their indigenous traditions and adopt the practices, language, and values of the colonizers.
  • This policy was particularly evident in the French colonial administration, which sought to make the colonized people into “French citizens” by imposing French culture, language, and governance systems.
  • Rather than encouraging a coexistence of cultures, the policy of assimilation aimed at cultural homogenization, often at the expense of native traditions and identities.

Additional Information

• Comparison with Policy of Association
  • The policy of association was an alternative to assimilation and was based on the recognition of cultural differences between the colonizers and the colonized.
  • Under this policy, the colonizers allowed some degree of local autonomy and cultural preservation while maintaining overall political and economic control.
  • The British Empire often employed this approach, particularly in India, where local rulers and traditional systems were integrated into the colonial administration.
• Impact of Assimilation Policies
  • In many cases, the policy of assimilation led to the erosion of indigenous cultures and the loss of traditional practices, languages, and governance systems.
  • Resistance to assimilation often gave rise to nationalist movements, where colonized populations sought to reclaim their cultural identity and independence.
  • In modern post-colonial studies, the policy of assimilation is often criticized for its role in perpetuating cultural imperialism and systemic inequality.
• Examples of Assimilation
  • The French colonial policy in Algeria, where efforts were made to educate the local population in French and convert them to French customs and traditions.
  • The imposition of European education systems and languages in African colonies, which prioritized European knowledge and marginalized indigenous learning systems.

The correct answer is - K.M. Panikkar

Key Points

• K.M. Panikkar was a renowned historian and diplomat known for his critical analysis of colonial history.
• He described the Battle of Plassey (1757) as a "transaction" where the rich bankers of Bengal and Mir Jafar betrayed the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, in favor of the British East India Company.
• According to Panikkar, this betrayal led to the downfall of the Nawab and marked the beginning of British dominance in Bengal.
• The battle was not just a military confrontation but also a political conspiracy involving key stakeholders like Mir Jafar and the wealthy merchants who sided with the British.
• This interpretation emphasizes the role of internal treachery and economic interests in facilitating colonial control.

Additional Information

• Battle of Plassey (1757)
  • Fought between the forces of the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, and the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah.
  • Mir Jafar, the Nawab's commander-in-chief, played a key role in betraying Siraj-ud-Daulah by conspiring with the British.
  • The British victory was a turning point that established their political and military dominance in Bengal.
• Mir Jafar's Role
  • Mir Jafar was promised the throne of Bengal by the British in exchange for his betrayal of Siraj-ud-Daulah.
  • After the battle, he was installed as a puppet Nawab by the British, marking the beginning of their indirect rule in Bengal.
• Significance of the Plassey Conspiracy
  • Highlighted the role of internal divisions and economic incentives in colonial conquests.
  • Demonstrated the British strategy of exploiting local rivalries to expand their influence.
  • Set the stage for further British expansion in India, leading to the establishment of the colonial state.

Key Points

• Vasco da Gama was the first European to discover the sea route to India, arriving at Calicut (now Kozhikode) on the Malabar Coast in 1498.
• The expedition began in 1497 when Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, with a fleet of four ships.
• The journey was significant as it established the direct maritime connection between Europe and India, bypassing the land routes controlled by Middle Eastern and Central Asian powers.
• Vasco da Gama's discovery marked the beginning of European colonial expansion in Asia and was instrumental in establishing Portuguese trade dominance in the Indian Ocean.
• The voyage was sponsored by King Manuel I of Portugal, who aimed to enhance trade opportunities and access valuable spices from India.

Additional Information

• Vasco da Gama's Route:
  • His fleet sailed around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and across the Indian Ocean.
  • The journey was guided by Arab sailors who provided navigational expertise for the Indian Ocean segment.
• Significance of the Discovery:
  • The discovery of the sea route to India reduced dependency on overland trade routes controlled by Ottoman and other empires.
  • It paved the way for the Portuguese Empire to dominate maritime trade in the Indian Ocean and establish colonies in Asia.
• Impact on Global Trade:
  • The sea route enabled direct trade of spices, textiles, and other valuable goods between India and Europe.
  • It contributed to the Age of Exploration and the rise of European mercantilism.

The correct answer is 1773.

Key Points

• The first governor-general in India (of Bengal) was Warren Hastings in 1773.
• He started his career as a writer (clerk) in the East India Company at Calcutta in 1750.
• Established revenue board in 1772.
• He Abolished the dual system of governance.
• He Founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal with William Jones in 1784 in Calcutta.
• Warren Hastings laid the foundation of civil service and Lord Cornwallis reformed, modernized, and rationalized it.

• The first governor-general in India (of Bengal) was Warren Hastings.
• The first official governor-general of British India was Lord William Bentinck.
• The first governor-general of the Dominion of India was Lord Mountbatten.
• The first and last governor-general of free India was Chakravarti Rajagopalachari.

The correct answer is 1505.

Key Points

• Sri Lanka was discovered by the Portuguese in 1505.
• The first contact between Sri Lanka and the Portuguese was established by Don Lourenço de Almeida in 1505.
• At that time Sri Lanka was known by the name of Ceylon.
• The Portuguese reached Sri Lanka accidentally.
• After 12 years Portuguese established their trade settlements.

Additional Information

•   There are three main conquests of the Portuguese over Sri Lanka
  • Sinhalese and Portuguese War (1527 to 1658)
  • Annexation of Kotte and war with Kandy (1597)
  • Conquest of Jaffna (1619)

The correct answer is 1853.

• The first passenger railway line was opened between Bombay and Thane in 1853.​

Important Points

• The first passenger train ran between Bori Bunder(Bombay) and Thane on 16th April 1853.
• It was a distance of 34km.
• It was operated by three locomotives Sahib, Sultan, and Sindh.
• It had thirteen carriages.

The correct answer is Satyendra Prasad Sinha.

Important Points

• The Indian Councils Act 1909 allowed the Governor-General to nominate one Indian member to the Executive Council, leading to the election of the first Indian member, Satyendra Prasanna Sinha.
• Lord Satyendra Prasanna Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha, was a prominent lawyer and statesman in British India.
• He was the first Governor of Bihar and Orissa, the first Indian Advocate-General of Bengal, the first Indian to join the Executive Council of the Viceroy, and the first Indian to join the British Ministry. 
• Sinha established a successful law practice in Calcutta after returning to India in 1886.
• Sinha became Standing Counsel to the Government of India in 1903, overriding the English Barrister's claims.
• He was the first Indian to be appointed in 1905 as Bengal's Advocate-General, a post confirmed in 1908.
• He was knighted on 1 January 1915 in the New Year Honours.
• At the Bombay session of Congress, Sinha was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1915.

Satyendra Prasad Sinha

The correct answer is Portuguese.

Key Points

• The Battle of Swally, also known as the Battle of Suvali, took place on 29 to 30 November 1612. 
• It was a naval battle that was fought off the coast of Suvali a village near Surat city, Gujarat, India. 
• It was a victory for the British East India Company over the Portuguese. 

Additional Information

• Important wars of Britain with other forces in India- 
  • British and Dutch War -  The Battle of Chinsurah (also known as the Battle of Hoogly) took place near Chinsurah, India on 25 November 1759 between a force of British troops and a force of the Dutch East India Company which had been invited by the Nawab of Bengal Mir Jafar to help him expel the British and establish themselves as the leading commercial company in Bengal. 
  • British and French Wars - The Carnatic Wars were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century between the French East India Company and the British East India Company. They were mainly fought within the territories of Mughal India. 

The correct answer is Surat.

Key Points 

• Captain Hawkins arrived in the court of Jahangir in April 1609 itself. But the mission to establish a factory at Surat didn’t succeed due to opposition from the Portuguese, and Hawkins left Agra in November 1611.
• In 1611, the English had started trading at Masulipatnam on the south-eastern coast of India and later established a factory there in 1616.
• It was in 1612 that Captain Thomas Best defeated the Portuguese in the sea off Surat; an impressed Jahangir granted permission to the English in early 1613 to establish a factory at Surat under Thomas Aldworth. Hence option 2 is correct.

Additional Information

Formative Years of the East India Company

• 1600: The East India Company is established.
• 1609: William Hawkins arrives at Jahangir's court.
• 1611: Captain Middleton obtains the permission of the Mughal governor of Surat to trade there.
• 1613: A permanent factory of East India Company is established at Surat.
• 1615: Sir Thomas Roe, the ambassador of King James I, arrives at Jahangir's court. By 1618, the ambassador succeeds in obtaining two farmans (one each from the emperor and Prince Khurram) confirming free trade with exemption from inland tolls.
• 1616: The Company establishes its first factory in the south in Masulipatnam.
• 1632: The Company gets the golden farman from the Sultan of Golconda ensuring the safety and prosperity of their trade.
• 1633: The Company establishes its first factory in east India in Hariharpur, Balasore (Odisha).
• 1639: The Company gets the lease of Madras from a local king.
• 1651: The Company is given permission to trade at Hooghly (Bengal).
• 1662: The British King, Charles II, is given Bombay as dowry for marrying a Portuguese princess (Catherine of Braganza).
• 1667: Aurangzeb gives the English a farman for trade in Bengal.
• 1691: The Company gets the imperial order to continue their trade in Bengal in lieu of payment of Rs 3,000 a year.
• 1717: The Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar issues a farman, called Magna Carta of the Company, giving the Company a large number of trade concessions.

The correct answer is Awadh.

• After the Battle of Buxar, the Nawab of Awadh ceded Allahabad and Kora to the Mughal Emperor was came under the protection of the British troops.
• The Battle of Buxar (1764) was the decisive battle which was fought between English Forces, and the combined army of Mir Kasim, the Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of Oudh Shah Alam II and Mughal Emperor.
• The battle was the outcome of the misuse of Farman and Dastak, and also the trade expansionist aspiration of English.

Key Points

• The result of Battle of Buxar is:
  • Mir Qasim, Shuja-Ud-Daula and Shah Alam-II lost the battle on October 22, 1764.
  • Major Hector Munro won a decisive battle and Robert Clive had a major role in that.
  • English became a great power in northern India.
  • Mir Jafar (Nawab of Bengal) handed over districts of Midnapore, Burdwan and Chittagong to the English for the maintenance of their army.
  • The English were also permitted duty-free trade in Bengal, except for a duty of two per cent on salt.
  • Clive made political settlements with Emperor Shah Alam II and Shuja-Ud-Daula of Awadh in the Treaty of Allahabad.

Additional Information

• Treaty of Allahabad:
  • Two important treaties were concluded in Allahabad between Robert Clive, Shuja-Ud-Daulah & Shah Aam-II.
• The key points of the treaty of Allahabad are given below: 

Imperialism is the ideology and policy of extending the rule or authority of a country over that of another and its people either through military, economic, or political means.

• The word ‘Imperialism’ comes from the Latin word “imperium”, which means ‘sovereign power’ or simply ‘rule’.
• Imperialism can be achieved through settlement, sovereignty, or some indirect mechanisms of control.
• It has far-reaching effects and can influence economies, climate change, and matters of war.
• Often imperialism is associated with the word colonialism, but historians have always argued that although the two are closely related, they have their fundamental differences.
  • Colonialism is a term where a country conquers and rules over other regions. It means exploiting the resources of the conquered country for the benefit of the conqueror.
  • Imperialism means creating an empire, expanding into the neighboring regions, and expanding its dominance far.

Thus, we can say that Imperialism means Expansion.

The correct answer is 1954.Key Points

• The French settlement in India began in 1673 with the purchase of land at Chandernagore from the Mughal Governor of Bengal.
• In June 1948, the French conducted a referendum in which an overwhelming majority of 97 per cent of people opted for a merger with India.
• After so many legal hurdles, India was freed from France's rule in 1954.

Additional Information

​Options 1), 2) and 4) are not correct as the French presence in India remained between 1667 and 1954.

In 1667 AD Francois Caron establish First French Factory in India.Key Points

• In 1667 AD, François Caron, a Dutch-born merchant who was working for the French East India Company, established the first French factory in India.
• The factory was located in Surat, a major port city in Gujarat.
• This was the beginning of French colonial expansion in India, which would eventually lead to the establishment of French India.
• The factory in Surat was a success, and it helped to pave the way for the establishment of other French factories in India.
• In 1669, another French factory was established in Masulipatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh.
• In 1673, the French East India Company established a trading post in Pondicherry, which would eventually become the capital of French India.
• The French East India Company was one of the three major European trading companies that competed for control of trade in India during the 17th and 18th centuries.
• The other two companies were the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company.
• The French company was never as successful as the British company, but it did manage to establish a number of colonies in India, including Pondicherry, Chandannagar, and Mahé.
• The French colonies in India were eventually annexed by the British during the 19th century.

• However, the French legacy can still be seen in India today, in the form of French-style architecture, French cuisine, and the French language.

Therefore the correct answer is 1667 AD.