14000+ MCQs Modern History (British Policies and Its Economic Impact in India)
Total Questions:- 50
Time:- 30 Minutes
MCQ Pattern
Date:- 12/09/2026
1. Which one of the following was not a result of British Colonial rule in India?
2. Silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world. Which one among the following is not true of silk routes?
3. Prior to 1813, which among the following measures, was not adopted by the British to exploit the Indians economically?
4. The British introduced the railways in India in order to
5. Consider the following statements.
I. One significant development in the second half of the 19th century was the establishment of large-scale machine-based industries in India.
II. The first textile mill was started in Bombay by Cowasjee Nanabhoy in 1863 and the first jute mill in Sirsha (Bengal) in 1865.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
6. In the nineteenth century, India was converted into ‘a classic colony’ by converting her as
7. Consider the following events during the British rule.
I. Plundering of begums of Awadh.
II. The Permanent Settlement system in Bengal.
III. Beginning of the dual government in Bengal.
IV. Beginning of drain of wealth from India.
Which of the following is the correct chronological order of the above given events?
8. What was the consequence of the Permanent Settlement on rural society in Bengal?
9. Ryotwari settlement was prevalent during British rule in
10. Consider the following statements about the Permanent Settlement introduced by the East India Company’s government in 1793.
I. Under the settlement the Zamindars were granted heredity rights over land on the condition that they would pay a fixed amount of revenue to the state.
II. The Permanent Settlement was first introduced in Bengal and Bihar.
III. It was later extended to Orissa, the Northern District of Madras.
IV. Thomas Munro was the architect of the Permanent Settlement.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
11. First railway line was started in West Bengal between
12. Match List I (Socio-Economic System) with List II (Region) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists.
| List I (System) | List II (Region) |
| A. Jajmani | 1. North India |
| B. Bara Balutedar | 2. Karnataka |
| C. Mirasi | 3. Maharashtra |
| D. Adade | 4. Tamil Nadu |
13. The development of railways was started in the reign of which Governor General?
14. Economically, one of the result of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the
15. Statement I The private trade of the East India Company’s officials in the 18th century had flowered with the indirect patronage of the authorities of the Company. Statement II The extra-legal power enjoyed by the foreign merchants and the duty-free nature of their private trade virtually edged the indigenous merchants out of competition.
16. The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were
17. When and where was the Permanent Settlement introduced?
18. Who is the exponent of the theory of economic drain of India during the British rule?
19. Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British rule?
I. Lord Cornwallis II. Alexander Read III. Thomas Munro
20. The Tinkathiya system refers to
21. Assertion (A) Within half a century of the Battle of Plassey, the phenomenal prosperity of Bengal suffered a serious set-back. Reason (R) The manufacture of cotton goods the most important item of export from India, enormously increased in other parts of India, while it declined in Bengal.
22. A famine of the nineteenth century, which has been described as the ‘Sea of Calamity’ was the famine in
23. Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India?
I. Dadabhai Naoroji II. G Subramania Iyer III. RC Dutt
24. The main emphasis of the administrative machinery of the British government in India during 1757-1857 was placed on the maintenance of Law and Order. By this, the British desired to
25. Match List I (Land Revenue Category) with List II (Associated System) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists.
| List I (Land Allotment Characteristic) | List II (Associated Revenue System) |
| A. Land allotted to big feudal landlords | 1. Jagirdari System |
| B. Land allotted to revenue farmers or rent collectors | 2. Ryotwari System |
| C. Land allotted to each peasant with the right to sublet, mortgage, gift or sell | 3. Mahalwari System |
| D. Revenue settlements made at village level | 4. Zamindari Systems |
26. At which place did Cowasjee Nanabhoy Davar set up his first cotton mill in 1853?
27. Which of the following features of the Permanent Settlement of 1793 is/are correct?
I. The Permanent Settlement vested land ownership rights in the peasants.
II. The Permanent Settlement vested land ownership rights in the Zamindars.
III. The Zamindars had to pay a fixed amount of rent by a particular date.
IV. The Zamindars benefitted hugely from the Permanent Settlement while the peasants suffered.
28. Consider the following statements.
I. The famine of 1876-78 in Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, Maharashtra, Western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab is considered to be the worst famine in Indian history. II. The Dadni merchants constituted the core of the rising middle class in India before the Battle of Plassey. III. The INC adopted a resolution criticising the Drain of Wealth from India in its Annual session held in Calcutta (1896). Which of the statements given above are correct?
29. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
30. British colonialism in India saw the emergence of new cities. Calcutta, now Kolkata, was one of the first cities. Which of the following villages were amalgamated to form the city of Calcutta?
31. The cause of the decline of textile industries in the 18th century in Bengal was
32. Which of the following statements about town planning in British India in early 19th century is/are correct?
I. The funds for town improvement were also raised through public lotteries. II. The threats of epidemics gave an impetus to town planning in the early decades of 19th century.
33. Assertion (A) The British Government introduced different land revenue system in different part of India. Reason (R) It led to creation of different classes in Indian peasantry.
34. How did the industrial revolution in England affect the British Company’s relations with India?
35. The system under which the peasant himself owns the land and is responsible for payment of land revenue to the Government is known as
36. Permanent Settlement was a feature of
37. Which thinker has told the railway system of India as the “forerunner of modern Industry”?
38. Commercialisation of agriculture led to further growth of rural poverty because the peasant
39. Consider the following statements in the context of de-industrialisation.
I. It was started in 1813.
II. The ending of the trade monopoly of the East India Company sped up this process.
Choose the correct code given below.
40. The first tea garden in India was set up in 1835 in
41. Which was organised for the development of agriculture in 1906?
42. What was the main reason behind the decline of the indigo industry in the 20th century?
43. The first railway line of India was operationalised in 1853 between
44. Statement I Dadabhai Naoroji argued that what was being drained out was ‘potential surplus’ that could generate more economic development in India if invested in India. Statement II Imperialists believed that India was brought into the large capitalist world market and that was in itself a progress towards modernisation.
45. Which of the following statements about the Mahalwari system is not correct?
46. The first tea company in Assam was established in which of the following year?
47. Which of the following statements about Ryotwari settlement is/are correct?
I. It recognised the cultivators as the owner of land.
II. It was a temporary settlement.
III. It was introduced later than the permanent settlement.
48. Assertion (A) Generally, India had a favourable balance of trade during the British rule. Reason (R) The drain of wealth took the form of unrequited exports.
49. Consider the following statements.
I. Under ‘Tinkathia system’ the peasants were forced to cultivate three Kattha indigo out of every 20 Kattha of land. II. Raj Kumar Shukla was the prominent person to raise the voice against ‘Tinkathia system’. Which of the above mentioned statement is/are correct?
50. With reference to Ryotwari settlement, Consider the following statements.
I. The rent was paid directly by the peasants to the government. II. The government gave pattas to the Ryots. III. The lands were surveyed and assessed before being taxed. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?