Modern History- Solved Questions (2008-2018) | UPSC Topic Wise Previous Year Questions PDF Download

Question 1:
Consider the following events: [2018-I] 
1. The first democratically elected communist party government formed in a State in India 
2. India's then-largest bank, 'Imperial Bank of India', was renamed 'State Bank of India'. 
3. Air India was nationalized and became the national carrier. 
4. Goa became a part of independent India 
Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?
(a) 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 
(b) 3 - 2 - 1 - 4 
(c) 4 - 2 - 1 - 3 
(d) 3 -1-2 - 4

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• As early as 1957, the Congress party had the bitter taste of defeat in Kerala In the assembly elections held in March 1957, the Communist Party won the largest number of seats to the Kerala legislature...The governor invited E. M. S. Namboodiripad, the leader of the Communist legislature party, to form the ministry. For the first time in the world, a Communist party government had come to power through democratic elections. 
• This means 1 comes in between 2 (SBI-1955) and 4 (Goa-60s). The correct option should have this pattern: _ - 2 - _ - 1 - _ - 4. Only Option B fits this pattern. # Answerkey-Prelims-2018: Science

Question 2:
Which one of the following foreign travelers elaborately discussed diamonds and diamond mines of India? [2018-I]
(a) Francois Bernier  
(b) Jean-Baptiste Tavernier 
(c) Jean de Thevenot 
(d) Abbe Barthelemy Carre

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier: was a French traveler who visited India between 1640 and 1667. Being a diamond merchant, he was particularly interested in diamonds and visited various diamond mines in India, especially those of the Deccan. 

• Jean De Thevenot (1626): one of the first French travelers, graphically describes the cultivation of indigo and the extent of its cultivation in his book Remonstrantie. 

• Frenchman, Francois Bernier (1656- 58). His book Travels in the Mughal Empire mentioned the life of the peasantry, their poor conditions, towns, industries, life in the countryside and the urban culture, and, above all, the major manufactures of Indi(a) 

• Abbe Carre also a Frenchman, visited Mughal India between 1672 and 1674 and recorded his information in The travels of Abbe Carre in India and the Near East. He wrote about the port towns and the role of the newly formed French East India Company.

Question 3:
Who among the following were the founders of the "Hind Mazdoor Sabha" established in 1948? [2018-I] 
(a) (B) Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.(C) George 
(b) Jayaprakash Narayan , DeenDayal Upadhyay and M.N. Roy 
(c) (C)P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu 
(d) Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The Founding Conference elected Com. Ashok Mehta as the General Secretary and Com. G.G. Mehta and V.S. Mathur as Secretaries. Ms. Maniben Kara and Com. T.S. Ramanujam was elected as Vice-Presidents of HMS. So, D is most fitting.

Question 4:
Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India? [2018-I] 
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 
(a) 1 and 2 only 
(b) 2 only 
(c) 1 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (d)
All three were responsible for the introduction of English education in India

Question 5:
Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true? [2018-I] 
1. Grants-in-Aid system was introduce(d) 
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: 
(a) 1 and 2 only 
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 1 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Wood's dispatch recommended that Primary and secondary education should be in Vernacular language.*" so statement#3 is wrong, and by elimination, we are left with Answer A: only 1 and 2.

Question 6:
With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs of Institution vs Founder:  [2018-I] 
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? 
(a) 1 and 2 
(b) 2 only 
(c) 1 and 3 
(d) 3 only

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• In 1791 due to the sincere efforts of the British resident, Jonathan Duncan, a Sanskrit College was established to promote the study of Hindu laws and philosophy in Banaras. And Sir William Jones is associated with the Asiatic Society of Bengal (NCERT themes-II page 232). So, #1 is wrong. A and C eliminate(d) 
• Fort William College was established by Lord Wellesley (1798) for the training of civil servants. But, Arthur Wellesley was the brother of Lord Wellesley who fought the 4th AngloMysore war against Tipu Sultan. Arthur Wellesley forced Tipu to retreat to his capital Srirangapattinam. (Tamilnadu board History textbook Class 12 page 29). So #3 is wrong, C and D eliminate(d) 
• Thus by elimination, we are left with B: only 2.

Question 7:
Which among the following events happened earliest? [2018-I] 
(a) Swami Dayanand established Arya Samaj. 
(b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan. 
(c) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandmath. 
(d) Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to succeed in the Indian Civil Services Examination.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• 1859: Neeldarpan was written 
• 1863: Satyendranath cleared CSE. 
• 1875: Arya Samaj was founde(d) 
• 1882: Anandmath was written.

Question 8:
Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the [2018-I] 
(a) increase in the export of Indian handicrafts 
(b) growth in the number of Indian owned factories 
(c) commercialization of Indian agriculture 
(d) rapid increase in the urban population

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Commercialization of Indian agriculture was among the major impacts of British rule on Indian economy.

Question 9:
Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley? [2018-I] 
(a) To maintain a large standing army at other's expense 
(b) To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger 
(c) To secure a fixed income for the Company 
(d) To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Point A, B and D were the salient features of Subsidiary Alliance, hence "C" doesn't apply.

Question 10:
The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were [2018-I] 
(a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium 
(b) Sugar, salt, zinc and lead 
(c) Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea 
(d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

Correct Answer is Option (d)

• NEW NCERT, Std 8- Our Past III, Chapter 2: "….The fine qualities of cotton and silk produced in India had a big market in Europe…. The competition among the European companies inevitably pushed up the prices at which these goods could be purchase(d)" 
• NEW NCERT St(d)12- Ch.12 Colonial Cities: "….By the end of the nineteenth century, half the imports and exports of India passed through Bombay. One important item of this trade was opium that the East India Company exported to Chin(a)" 
• "Indigo and saltpetre were the other major imports from India, and the fact that both products were produced in the eastern Gangetic plain, especially in Bihar, stimulated British efforts to establish factories on the east coast as well as the west coast of the Indian subcontinent." So Saltpetre was indeed exported otherwise British wouldn't have made efforts to setup factories on East coast.

Question 11:
With reference to cultural history of India, consider the following statements : [2018-I] 
1. Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna 
2. Tyagaraja created several new ragas. 
3. Annamacharya and Tyagaraja are contemporaries. 
4. An namach ar ya kir tanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara 
Which of the statements given above are correct? 
(a) 1 and 3 only 
(b) 2 and 4 only 
(c) 1, 2 and 3 
(d) 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Annamacharya belonged to 15th century. So, Annamacharya and Tyagaraja (born in 1767) can't be be contemporaries. By elimination we get B: 2 and 4 only.

Question 12:
The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War [2016-I] 
(a) India should be granted complete independence 
(b) India should be partitioned into two before granting independence 
(c) India should be made a republic with the condition that she will join the Commonwealth 
(d) India should be given Dominion status

Correct Answer is Option (d)
(i) The main proposals of the plan of Sir Stafford Cripps was that an Indian Union with a dominion status would be set up; it would be free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth and free to participate in the United Nations and other international bodies.
(ii) Cripps proposed to give dominion status to India after WW2.

Question 13:
What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907? [2016-I] 
(a) Introduction of communalism into Indian politics by Lord Minto 
(b) Extremists’ lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government 
(c) Foundation of Muslim League 
(d) Aurobindo Ghosh’s inability to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress

Correct Answer is Option (b)
(i) Extremists and moderates both seemed to be locking horns. The Extremists thought that the people had been encouraged and the battle for freedom had begun. They felt the time had come for the big push to drive the British out and considered the Moderates to be a stumbling block to the movement.
(ii) So, Surat split occurred because extremists were dissatisfied with Moderates’ capacity to negotiate with the British.

Question 14:
Consider the following : [2016-I] 
1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee 
2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation 
3. Indian Reform Association 
Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above? 
(a) 1 and 3 only 
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (b)
In 1881, Keshab Chandra Sen established NabaBidhan (New Dispensation) meaning new universalist religion after having differences within BrahmoSamaj. He was also part of Indian reform association to legalize Brahmo marriage and to fix minimum age of marriage. Calcutta Unitarian Committee was formed by Raja Rammohan Roy, Dwarkanath Tagore and William Adam, hence irrelevant to the question. Hence Answer (b) only 2 and 3.

Question 15:
The Montague-Chelmsford Proposals were related to [2016-I]
(a) social reforms  
(b) educational reforms 
(c) reforms in police administration 
(d) constitutional reforms

Correct Answer is Option (d)
(i) The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms were reforms introduced by the British Government in India to introduce selfgoverning institutions gradually to India. The reforms were outlined in the Montagu-Chelmsford Report prepared in 1918 and formed the basis of the Government of India Act 1919.
(ii) They’re related to Constitutional reforms.

Question 16:
Satya ShodhakSamaj organized [2016-I] 
(a) a movement for upliftment of tribals in Bihar 
(b) a temple-entry movement in Gujarat 
(c) an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra 
(d) a peasant movement in Punjab

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Satyashodhak Samaj is  a society established by Jyotirao Phule on September 24, 1873. This was started as a group whose main aim was to liberate the social shudra and untouchable castes from exploitation and oppression.

Question 17:
The Government of India Act of 1919 clearly defined [2015-1] 
(a) the separation of power between thejudiciary and the legislature 
(b) the jurisdiction of the central and provincial governments 
(c) the powers of the Secretary of State for India and the Viceroy 
(d) None of the above

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms which became the Government of India Act in 1919 clearly defined the jurisdiction of the central and provincial governments.

Question 18:
Who of the following was/were economic critic/ critics of colonialism in India? [2015-I] 
1. Dadabhai Naoroji 
2. G. Subramania Iyer 
3. R. C. Dutt 
Select the correct answer using the code given below. 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 1 and 2 only 
(c) 2 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Dadabhai Naoroji, R. C. Dutt, Ranade, Gokhale, G. Subramania Iyer, were among those who grounded Indian nationalism firmly on the foundation of anti-imperialism by fashioning the world's first economic critique of colonialism, before Hobson and Lenin.

Question 19:
With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/ are the essential element/elements of the feudal system? [2015-I] 
1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority. 
2. Emergence  of administrative structure based on control and possession of land. 
3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord. 
Select the correct answer using the code given below. 
(a) 1 and 2 only 
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (b)
A person became a vassal by pledging political allegiance and providing military, political, and financial service to a lord. A lord possessed complete sovereignty over land or acted in the service of another sovereign, usually a king. If a lord acted in the service of a king, the lord was considered a vassal of the king. As part of the feudal agreement, the lord promised to protect the vassal and provided the vassal with a plot of land. This land could be passed on to the vassal's heirs, giving the vassal tenure over the land.

Question 20:
The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a [2014 - I] 
(a) revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco 
(b) nationalist organization operating from Singapore 
(c) militant organization with headquarters at Berlin 
(d) communist movement for India's freedom with head quarters at Tashkent

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The Ghadar Party was a revolution ary association founded by Punjabi Indians, in the United States and Canada with the aim to gaining India's independence from British rule. Key members included Lala Har Dayal, Sohan Singh Bhakna, Kartar Singh Sarabha, and Rashbehari Bose.It had its headquarters at San Francisco.

Question 21:
A community of people called Manganiyars is well-known for their [2014 - I]
(a) martial arts in North-East India
(b) musical tradition in North-West India
(c) classical vocal music in South India
(d) pietra dura tradition in Central India

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Manganiyars–a tribal community from Rajasthan (North west) with a strong musical tradition.

Question 22:
What was/wer e th e object/objects of Queen Victor ia’s Proclamation (1858)? [2014 - I] 
1. To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States. 
2. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown. 
3. To regulate East India Company’s trade with India. 
Select the correct answer using the code given below. 
(a) 1 and 2 only 
(b) 2 only 
(c) 1 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858) were to disclaim any intention to annex Indian States as the announcement reversed Lord Dalhousie's pre-war policy of political unification through princely state annexation.It was also to place the Indian administration under the British Crown Therefore, statement 1 & 2 are correct. However it was not to regulate East India Company's trade with India so statement 3 is wrong.

Question 23:
The  Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until [2014 - I] 
(a) the First World  War  when Indian troops were needed by the British and the partition was ended 
(b) King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the Royal Durbar in Delhi in 1911 
(c) Gandhiji launched  his  Civil Disobedience Movement 
(d) the Partition of India in 1947 when East Bengal became East Pakistan

Correct Answer is Option (b)
In 1911 King George V visited India. A durbar was  held at Delhi and The capital of India was transferred from Calcutta to Delhi also Partition of Bengal was annulled.

Question 24:
The Radcliffe Committee was appointed to [2014 - I] 
(a) solve the problem of minorities in India 
(b) give effect to the Independence Bill 
(c) delimit the boundaries between India and Pakistan 
(d) enquire into the riots in East Bengal

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The Radcliffe Line is a boundary demarcation line between India and Pakistan upon the Partition of India. The Radcliffe Line was named after its architect, Sir Cyril Radcliffe.

Question 25:
The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the [2013 - I] 
(a) imposition of certain restrictions to carry arms by the Indians 
(b) imposition of restrictions on newspapers and magazines published in Indian languages 
(c) removal of disqualifications imposed on the Indian magistrates with regard to the trial of the Europeans 
(d) removal of a duty on imported cotton cloth

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Ilbert bill exempted British subjects from trial by Indian magistrates and in cases involving death or transportation they could only be tried by a high court. This proposal provoked furious protests by the Indians.

Question 26:
Consider the following : [2012 - I] 
1. Assessment of land revenue on the basis of nature of the soil and the quality of crops. 
2. Use of mobile cannons in warfare. 
3. Cultivation of tobacco and red chillies. 
Which of the above was/were introduced into India by the English?
(a) 1 only 
(b) 1 and 2 
(c) 2 and 3 
(d) None

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Raja Todarmal had introduced the assessment of land revenue on the basis of nature of the soil and the quality of crops, as Akbar's able minister. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, employed firearms, gun carts and movable artillery in battle. In Battle of Panipat (1526) he used mobile canons to defeat the much larger forces of Ibrahim Lodhi. Tobacco was introduced in India by Portuguese in 16th or 17th century.

Question 27:
Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Brahmo Samaj? [2012 - I] 
1. It opposed idolatry. 
2. It denied the need for a priestly class for interpreting the religious texts. 
3. It popularized the doctrine that the Vedas are infallible. 
Select the correct answer using the codes given below: 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 1 and 2 only 
(c) 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Statements 1 & 2 are correct.

Question 28:
With reference to Ryotwari Settlement, consider the following statements : [2012 - I] 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? 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 1 and 2 only 
(c) 1, 2 and 3 
(d) None

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Ryotwari settlement, the rent was paid directly by the peasants to the Government and the Government gave pattas to the Ryots.

Question 29:
What was the purpose with which Sir William Wedderburn and W.S. Caine had set up the Indian Parliamentary Committee in 1893 ? [2011 - I] 
(a) To agitate for Indian political reforms in the House of Commons. 
(b) To campaign for the entry of Indians into the Imperial Judiciary. 
(c) To facilitate a discussion on India’s Independence in the British Parliament. 
(d) To agitate for the entry of eminent Indians into the British Parliament.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
On 28 December 1885, the Indian National Congress was founded at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay, with 72 delegates in attendance. A. O. Hume assumed office as the General Secretary. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee of Calcutta was elected President. The additional British Members were William Wedderburn and Justice John Jardine. All others were the Hindus from Calcutta and Madras Presidency. Wedderburn had entered the parliament as a liberal member in 1893 and had sought to voice India’s grievances within the house.

Question 30:
With reference to the period of colonial rule in India, “Home Charges” formed an important part of drain of wealth from India. Which of the following funds constituted “Home Charges’’ ? [2011 - I] 
1. Funds used to support the India office in London. 
2. Funds used to pay salaries and pensions of British personnel engaged in India. 
3. Funds used for waging wars outside India by the British. 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 1 and 2 only 
(c) 2 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (d)
It is clear from Economic History of India by RC Datt: “ The Indian Tribute whether weighted in the scales of justice or viewed in the light of our interest, will be found to be at variance with humanity, with the commonsense and with the received maxims of economical science. It would be true wisdom then to provide for the future payment of such of the Home Charges of the Indian Government as really from the tribute out of Indian Exchequer. These charges would be probably found to be the dividends on East India Stock, interest in Home debt, the salaries of the officers, establishments of the and building connected with the Home Department of Indian Government, furlough and retired pay to members of the Indian Military and Civil Services when at Home, Charges of all descriptions paid in this country connected with the British troops serving in India and portion of the cost of transporting the British troops to and from India”.

Question 31:
Which amongst the following provided a common factor for tribal insurrection in India in the 19th century? [2011 - I] 
(a) Introduction of a new system of land revenue and taxation of tribal products. 
(b) Influence of foreign religious missionaries in tribal areas. 
(c) Rise of a large number of money lenders, traders and revenue farmers as middlemen in tribal areas. 
(d) The complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The first option is rejected because it used the term “tribal products”. The second option is rejected because NOT in all areas, the impact of foreign missionaries was seen. The third option is also NOT correct, because not in all areas saw the rise of money lenders. The fourth option is correct and it includes everything what happened in that era. The most common thing was the foreign interference in the indigenous world of their own which dismantled the structure that existed since centuries.

Question 32:
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 ? [2011 - I]
(a) Making Zamindar ’s position stronger Vis-Vis the Ryot 
(b) Making East India Company an overlord of Zamindars 
(c) Making judicial system more efficient 
(d) None of the (a), (b) and (c) above

Correct Answer is Option (d)
That the reforms of Cornwallis had increased the litigation and the main reason for this was the Court Fee was removed and now every body could drag anybody to courts. The extension to right of appeal was also one of the reasons. Court fees were abolished by Cornwallis. Lawyers were to prescribe their fees. Ordinary people could sue the Government servants (Indians) if they committed mistakes. Inhuman punishments such as cutting limbs, cutting nose and ears were abolished. These are some of the reasons that led to increased litigation. The reasons given in the options don’t seem to fit in the criteria of the reforms of Cornwallis.

Question 33:
With reference to Pondicherry (now Puducherry), consider the following statements: [2010] 
1. The first European power to occupy Pondicherry were the Portuguese. 
2. The second European power to occupy Pondicherry were the French. 
3. The English never occupied Pondicherry. 
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ? 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The Portuguese established a factory in Pondicherry at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The second Europeans who occupied it were Dutch. English also invaded it in 1793 and returned it to French in 1814 after the treaty of Paris. Thus statement 1 only is correct.

Question 34:
What was the immediate reason for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade India and fight the third battle of Panipat ?  [2010] 
(a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore. 
(b) The frustrated governor of Jalandhar Adina Beg Khan invited him to invade Punjab. 
(c) He wanted to punish Mughal administration for nonpayment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal (Gujarat, Aurangabad, Sialkot and Pasrur). 
(d) He wanted to annex the fertile plains of Punjab up to the borders of Delhi in his kingdom.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
To avenge their expulsion of Timur Shah, Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India for the fifth time in Oct. 1759, and finally conquered Punjab.

Question 35:
By a regulation in 1793, the District Collector was deprived of hisjudicial powers and made the collecting agent only. What was the reason for such a regulation?    [2010]
(a) Lord Cornwallis felt that the District Collector's efficiency of revenue collection would enormously increase without the burden of additional work.
(b) Lord Cornwallis felt that judicial power should compulsorily be in the hands of Europeans while Indians can be given thejob of revenue collection in the districts.
(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.
(d) Thejudicial work demanded a deep knowledge of India and a good training in law and Lord Cornwallis felt that District Collector should be only a revenue collector.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The judicial reforms undertaken by Lord Cornwallis laid a strong foundation in the British Indian administrative system in the year 1793. The judicial reforms of Cornwallis were documented in the famous Cornwallis Code. However the new judicial reforms of Lord Cornwallis were based on the principle of Separation of Powers. Cornwallis at first sought to separate the revenue administration from the administration of justice. The collector used to be the head of the Revenue Department in a district and also enjoyed extensive judicial and magisterial powers. However Cornwallis wanted Separation of Power and the Cornwallis Code divested the collector of all the judicial and the magisterial powers. Thus the Collectors were given only the power of the revenue administration according to the Cornwallis Code. A new class of officer called the District Judge was created to preside over the district Civil Court. The district judge was also given the magisterial and the police function.

Question 36:
Who among the following Governor Generals created the Covenanted Civil Service of India which later came to be known as the Indian Civil Service ? [2010] 
(a) Warren Hastings 
(b) Wellesley 
(c) Cornwallis 
(d) William Bentinck

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Lord Cornwallis (1786-93) was the first to bring into existence and organize the civil services.

Question 37:
Consider the following statements: [2009] 
1. The first telegraph line in India was laid between Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and Diamond Harbour. 
2. The first Export Processing Zone in India was set up in Kandla. 
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

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The first electric telegraph line in India was started between Kolkata and Diamond Harbour in 1850 and first export zone of India set up in Kandla in 1965.

Question 38:
In collaboration with David Hare and Alexander Duff, who of the following established Hindu College at Calcutta?   [2009]
(a) Henry Louis Vivian Derozio                                 
(b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 
(c) Keshab Chandra Sen 
(d) Raja Rammohan Roy

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The foundation of Hindu College at Calcutta was laid on January 20, 1817.

Question 39:
Who among the following wrote the book Bahubivah?  [2008] 
(a) Raja Rammohan Roy           
(b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar 
(c) Pandita Rambai 
(d) Rabindranath Tagore

Correct Answer is Option (b)
It was written in protest of the evil of polygamy. Bahu (many or more than one)- bivah (marriage) meaning more than one marriage.

Question 40:
Which one of the following was the first fort constructed by the British in India? [2008] 
(a) Fort William 
(b) Fort St George 
(c) Fort St David 
(d) Fort St Angelo

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Fort William, Calcutta (1781); Fort St George, Chennai (1644); Fort St David, Madras(1670); Fort St Angelo, Kerala (1505) but by the Portuguese.

Question 41:
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?    [2008] 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2 only 
(c) Both 1 and 2 
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Statement 1 is incorrect as Warren Hastings was the first governor-general of Bengal.

Question 42:
Who among the following Europeans were the last to come to pre-independence India as traders? [2008] 
(a) Dutch 
(b) English 
(c) French 
(d) Por tuguese

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Portuguese (1498); Dutch (1602); English (1599); French (1664).

Question 43:
The First Factory Act restricting the working hours of women and children and authorizing local government to make necessary rules was adopted during whose time?   [2008] 
(a) Lord Lytton 
(b) Lord Bentinck 
(c) Lord Ripon 
(d) Lord Canning

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The First Factory Act was passed in 1881 during the time of Lord Ripon. It was passed to improve the service condition of the factory workers in India. It fixed the working hours for women and children above the age of seven years.