UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims): The Advent of Europeans in India | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Q.1.  In the first quarter of seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located?    (2021)

1. Broach
2. Chicacole
3. Trichinopoly

Select the correct answer using the codes given below
(a) 1 Only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 Only
(d) 2 and 3

The Correct Answer is Option (a)

• 1st Quarter of 17th Century- refers to the period between 1601 to 1625. During this the East India Company had base in Surat, Bharuch (Broach), Ahmedabad etc. → #1 is right.
• Trichonopolly – Trichy came under the British Influence in the later part of 17th Century. It was under the control of the Carnatic State , came to prominence in the second Carnatic war – 1749 to 1754- can be easily eliminated. → #2: wrong.
• Chicacole- part of Northern Circars – known for textile centre. It was taken by British from the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1766, during the first Anglo Mysore war. → #3 is wrong.

Q.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

The 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.

Q.3. Who among the following Europeans were the last to come to pre-independence India as traders?      (2007)

(a) Dutch 
(b) English
(c) French
(d) Por tuguese

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

Q.4.  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?        (2007) 
(a) Lord Lytton 
(b) Lord Bentinck 
(c) Lord Ripon 
(d) Lord Canning

The 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.

Q.5. Which one of the following is the correct statement?     (2005)
(a) The modern Kochi was a Dutch colony till India's independence. 
(b) The Dutch defeated the Portuguese and built Fort Williams in the modern Kochi.
(c) The modern Kochi was first a Dutch colony before the Portuguese took over.
(d) The modern Kochi never became a part of a British colony.

The Correct Answer is Option (d)

The modern Kochi never became a part of a British colony.

Kochi, also known as Cochin, remained under Portuguese control from 1503 until the Dutch captured it in 1663. The Dutch ruled Kochi until 1795 when the British took control of the region. So, it did become a part of a British colony after the Dutch rule.

Q.6. With reference to the entry of European powers into India, which one of the following statements is not correct?      (2003)
(a) The Portuguese captured Goa in 1499. 
(b) The English opened their first factory in South India at Masulipatam. 
(c) In Eastern India, the English Company opened its first factory in Orissa in 1633. 
(d) Under the leadership of Dupleix, the French occupied Madras in 1746.

The Correct Answer is Option (a)

The Portuguese captured Goa in 1499.

This statement is indeed correct. The Portuguese captured Goa in 1510, not in 1499. So, the statement is not accurate in terms of the year.