MCQ on SEBA Class 9 History Chapter 1: Advent of the Europeans into India

MCQ on SEBA Class 9 History Chapter 1: Advent of the Europeans into India

MCQs on 1.1 Advent of the Europeans into India

1. Why were the old trade routes between India and Europe closed in the seventh century?
(A) Due to the Crusades
(B) Because of the Arab conquests
(C) After the fall of Constantinople
(D) Due to Portuguese interference

View Answer......Hide Answer

2. Why did European countries begin looking for a new sea route to India?
(A) Due to the discovery of America
(B) Because India stopped trade with Europe
(C) Due to the closure of old overland trade routes by the Turks
(D) Because Europeans wanted to spread religion

View Answer......Hide Answer

3. Who was the first Portuguese sailor to reach the Cape of Good Hope?
(A) Vasco da Gama
(B) Ferdinand Magellan
(C) Bartolomeu Diaz
(D) Francis Drake

View Answer......Hide Answer

4. What event in 1453 AD made European nations seek alternative sea routes to India?
(A) The discovery of the Cape of Good Hope
(B) The capture of Constantinople by the Turks
(C) The start of the Crusades
(D) The arrival of Vasco da Gama in India

View Answer......Hide Answer

5. Who was the first Portuguese sailor to discover the sea route to India?
(A) Bartolomeu Diaz
(B) Vasco da Gama
(C) Francis Drake
(D) John Mildenhall

View Answer......Hide Answer

6. When did Vasco da Gama arrive at Calicut in India?
(A) 1487 A.D.
(B) 1498 A.D.
(C) 1580 A.D.
(D) 1599 A.D.

View Answer......Hide Answer

7. Which English sailor was the first to circumnavigate the globe in 1580 AD?
(A) Ralph Fitch
(B) Francis Drake
(C) William Hawkins
(D) Sir Thomas Roe

View Answer......Hide Answer

8. Who carried a petition letter from Queen Elizabeth to Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1599 A.D.?
(A) John Mildenhall
(B) William Hawkins
(C) Thomas Roe
(D) Job Charnock

View Answer......Hide Answer

9. What was the purpose of John Mildenhall’s visit to India in 1599 AD?
(A) To establish a trade center at Surat
(B) To deliver a petition letter from Queen Elizabeth for trade privileges
(C) To sign a trade contract with Emperor Jahangir
(D) To circumnavigate the globe

View Answer......Hide Answer

10. When did the East India Company get permission to trade in Asia?
(A) 1580 A.D.
(B) 1599 A.D.
(C) 1600 A.D.
(D) 1615 A.D.

View Answer......Hide Answer

11. Which English sailor was sent to Emperor Jahangir with a trade proposal in 1608 AD?
(A) Sir Thomas Roe
(B) William Hawkins
(C) Francis Drake
(D) John Surman

View Answer......Hide Answer

12. Who successfully got trade permission from Jahangir for setting up factories in India?
(A) Ralph Fitch
(B) William Hawkins
(C) Sir Thomas Roe
(D) John Mildenhall

View Answer......Hide Answer

13. Which Mughal Emperor granted duty-free trade to the East India Company in Bengal in 1715?
(A) Jahangir
(B) Akbar
(C) Farukhsiyar
(D) Shah Alam

View Answer......Hide Answer

14. What significant privilege did the East India Company receive from Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1715?
(A) The right to establish a trade center at Bombay
(B) Duty-free trade in Bengal with an annual payment of Rs. 3,000
(C) Permission to build Fort St. George in Madras
(D) The zamindari rights over Calcutta

View Answer......Hide Answer

15. Why are the ‘firmans’ granted by Farukhsiyar called the “Magna Carta” of the East India Company?
(A) They ended Mughal rule
(B) They gave the company full control of India
(C) They provided duty-free trade and other privileges
(D) They helped in spreading Christianity

View Answer......Hide Answer

16. Where did the English Company set up its first trade center in 1611 AD?
(A) Madras
(B) Bombay
(C) Masulipatam
(D) Calcutta

View Answer......Hide Answer

17. What was the name of the trade center established by the East India Company in Madras in 1639?
(A) Fort St. George
(B) Masulipatam
(C) Armagaon
(D) Calcutta

View Answer......Hide Answer

18. Who acquired the zamindari rights of Kolkata, Sutanutee, and Gobindapur?
(A) William Hawkins
(B) Francis Drake
(C) Job Charnock
(D) Robert Clive

View Answer......Hide Answer

19. What was the name of the trade centre established by the British in Calcutta?
(A) Fort St. George
(B) Fort William
(C) Bombay Fort
(D) Surat Factory

View Answer......Hide Answer

20. Which British officer played a major role in building the colonial empire in India through diplomacy?
(A) Sir Thomas Roe
(B) Job Charnock
(C) Robert Clive
(D) William Hamilton

View Answer......Hide Answer

21. What was Robert Clive’s strategy to strengthen the East India Company’s position in India?
(A) Establishing trade centers in Europe
(B) Expelling other European companies and winning over native kings
(C) Signing trade contracts with the Portuguese
(D) Focusing only on spice trade

View Answer......Hide Answer

22. Who won the Battle of Plassey in 1757?
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) Robert Clive
(C) John Surman
(D) Job Charnock

View Answer......Hide Answer

23. How is the period of British rule in India divided?
(A) From the arrival of Vasco da Gama to 1947
(B) From the Mughal Empire’s downfall to 1857, and from 1858 to 1947
(C) From 1608 to 1715, and from 1716 to 1947
(D) From the establishment of Fort St. George to Indian independence

View Answer......Hide Answer

24. What was the main objective of the East India Company in India initially?
(A) To rule India
(B) To spread religion
(C) To trade
(D) To build schools

View Answer......Hide Answer

MCQs on 1.2 – Company’s Rule

25. Who was the Mughal Emperor during the signing of the Treaty of Allahabad?
(A) Aurangzeb
(B) Shah Jahan
(C) Shah Alam II
(D) Bahadur Shah Zafar

View Answer......Hide Answer

26. Which treaty gave the East India Company the right to collect revenue in Bengal in 1765?
(A) Treaty of Allahabad
(B) Treaty of Plassey
(C) Treaty of Surat
(D) Treaty of Ajme

View Answer......Hide Answer

27. What is meant by ‘Dual Government’ introduced in Bengal in 1765?

(A) The British Crown directly governed Bengal alongside the Company  
(B) The Mughal Emperor and the Company shared equal ruling power
(C) The Nawab controlled revenue, while the Company managed civil administration
(D) The Company collected revenue, while the Nawab handled administratio

View Answer......Hide Answer

28. What was the role of the Nawab of Bengal under the Dual Government system?
(A) He became the sole ruler of Bengal
(B) He was reduced to a titular military administrator
(C) He controlled both revenue and military administration
(D) He was appointed as the Governor General

View Answer......Hide Answer

29. During whose governorship did the East India Company become the most powerful in India?
(A) Robert Clive
(B) Warren Hastings
(C) John Surman
(D) William Hawkin

View Answer......Hide Answer

30. What bold step did Warren Hastings take regarding the Mughal Emperor?
(A) He signed a trade treaty with the Emperor
(B) He claimed equal status with the Mughal Emperor
(C) He declared war against the Mughal Empire
(D) He handed over Bengal to the Mughal Emperor

View Answer......Hide Answer

31. Which cities became the main administrative centers for the East India Company after the Battle of Plassey?
(A) Surat, Bombay, and Madras
(B) Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras
(C) Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa
(D) Calcutta, Surat, and Delhi

View Answer......Hide Answer

32. What was the administrative unit under a President called during the Company’s rule?
(A) Province
(B) Presidency
(C) Colony
(D) District

View Answer......Hide Answer

33. Which act named the governor of Bengal as the Governor General of Bengal in 1773?
(A) Pitt’s India Act
(B) Regulating Act of 1773
(C) Government of India Act 1858
(D) Charter Act of 183

View Answer......Hide Answer

34. Who was the first Governor General under the Regulating Act of 1773?
(A) Robert Clive
(B) Warren Hastings
(C) Lord Dalhousie
(D) John Surman

View Answer......Hide Answer

35. What was the effect of the Regulating Act of 1773 on the Bombay and Madras presidencies?
(A) They became independent
(B) They were handed over to Indian rulers
(C) They were made subordinate to Bengal
(D) They were renamed as provinces

View Answer......Hide Answer

36. How did the Pitt’s India Act of 1784 change the administration of India?
(A) It introduced a single-tier administration led by the Mughal Emperor
(B) It established a two-tier administration with a secret committee and the Board of Control
(C) It gave full control to the Governor General
(D) It abolished the East India Company’s rul

View Answer......Hide Answer

MCQs on 1.3 – Beginning of the Sepoy Mutiny

37. Who started the Sepoy Mutiny by attacking an English officer on March 29, 1857?
(A) Ishwar Pandey
(B) Mangal Pandey
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Dalhousi

View Answer......Hide Answer

38. Where did the Sepoy Mutiny begin on March 29, 1857?
(A) Allahabad
(B) Barrackpore
(C) Calcutta
(D) Delhi

View Answer......Hide Answer

39. Who was the Governor General of India when the Sepoy Mutiny began?
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Canning
(C) Lord Cornwallis
(D) Warren Hastings

View Answer......Hide Answer

40. What punishment was given to Mangal Pandey and Ishwar Pandey after the incident at Barrackpore?
(A) They were dismissed from service
(B) They were imprisoned for life
(C) They were awarded capital punishment
(D) They were sent to England

View Answer......Hide Answer

41. What were the main causes of the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) The Mughal Emperor’s name was removed from coins
(B) English was introduced in the administration, replacing royal Persian
(C) Political, economic, and social unrest under British rule
(D)  All of the above

View Answer......Hide Answer

42. Whose administration is described as “reactionary” and contributed to the growing unrest in India?
(A) Lord Canning
(B) Lord Hastings
(C) Lord Dalhousie
(D) Lord Ripon

View Answer......Hide Answer

MCQs on 1.4 – Results of the Sepoy Mutiny (1857)

43. What major change happened in India’s administration after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857?
(A) The Company became more powerful
(B) The Mughal Emperor got back his throne
(C) The British Government took full control of India
(D) India became independent

View Answer......Hide Answer

44. Why did the British Government introduce new rules after the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) To expand the British Empire further
(B) To satisfy agitated Indians and continue their rule
(C) To support the Mughal Emperor
(D) To reduce the powers of the Viceroy

View Answer......Hide Answer

45. When did the British Crown take direct control of India from the East India Company?
(A) 1757
(B) 1858
(C) 1765
(D) 1784

View Answer......Hide Answer

46. When did the British Parliament pass the Government of India Act, 1858?
(A) August 2, 1858
(B) November 1, 1858
(C) March 29, 1857
(D) January 1, 1861

View Answer......Hide Answer

47. Who became responsible for India’s administration after 1858?
(A) Governor of Bengal
(B) Secretary of State for India
(C) Viceroy of Delhi
(D) President of East India Company

View Answer......Hide Answer

48. How many members were there in the Council to help the Secretary of State for India?
(A) 10
(B) 12
(C) 15
(D) 20

View Answer......Hide Answer

49. Where did Lord Canning announce the start of the British Crown’s rule in India?
(A) Delhi
(B) Meerut
(C) Allahabad
(D) Calcutta

View Answer......Hide Answer

50. Who became the first Viceroy of India after the Government of India Act, 1858?
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Mountbatten
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Curzon

View Answer......Hide Answer

51. What did Lord Canning promise in his proclamation at the Allahabad Durbar?
(A) To expand the British Empire in India
(B) To restore the Mughal Empire
(C) To promote religious tolerance and abandon the Doctrine of Lapse
(D) To increase taxes to fund the army

View Answer......Hide Answer

52. What social change occurred in Indian society after the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) The society reverted to medieval traditions
(B) Modernization began with interest in Western institutions
(C) All Indians rejected Western education
(D) The caste system was abolished

View Answer......Hide Answer

53. What policy did the British adopt to counter Indian unity after the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) Unite and Rule
(B) Divide and Rule
(C) Educate and Rule
(D) Trade and Rule

View Answer......Hide Answer

MCQs on 1.5 – Direct Rule of the Queen & Lord Canning’s Second Term

54. Who were rewarded at the Allahabad Durbar after the Mutiny?
(A) Mughal emperors
(B) Sepoys who fought in the rebellion
(C) Indian rulers and leaders who stayed loyal to the British
(D) Only British officers

View Answer......Hide Answer

55. Who was the last Governor General of India under the company?
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Mountbatten
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Ripon

View Answer......Hide Answer

56. What was Lord Canning’s role in the transition of power after the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) He was the last Viceroy and first Governor General
(B) He was the last Governor General and first Viceroy
(C) He was the first Secretary of State for India
(D) He was the leader of the Sepoy Mutiny

View Answer......Hide Answer

57. What major economic step did Lord Canning take after the revolt?
(A) He removed all taxes on Indian farmers
(B) He imposed income taxes on people earning Rs. 500 or more per month
(C) He abolished import duties on all commodities
(D) He reduced the salaries of British officials

View Answer......Hide Answer

58. Which act allowed Indians to join Legislative Councils in 1861?
(A) Government of India Act, 1858
(B) Indian Councils Act, 1861
(C) Charter Act, 1833
(D) Bengal Rent Act, 1859

View Answer......Hide Answer

59. What was the purpose of the Bengal Rent Act of 1859?
(A) To increase taxes on indigo farmers
(B) To end the turmoil caused by the Permanent Settlement
(C) To transfer land ownership to the British
(D) To abolish the zamindari system

View Answer......Hide Answer

60. How did Lord Canning reorganize the Indian army after the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) He disbanded the Indian army completely
(B) He placed the army under the Mughal Emperor’s control 
(C) He excluded European soldiers from the army
(D)He created a composite army with people of different races and religions

View Answer......Hide Answer

61. What was the main aim of the Indian Councils Act of 1861?
(A) To grant complete independence to India
(B) To abolish the Legislative Councils 
(C) To familiarize educated Indians with the new administrative structure
(D) To centralize all power with the Viceroy

View Answer......Hide Answer

62. How many members could the Viceroy nominate to the Central Legislative Assembly under the Indian Councils Act of 1861? 
(A) 4 to 8
(B) 6 to 12
(C) 8 to 15
(D) 10 to 20

View Answer......Hide Answer

63. Who were some of the first Indians nominated to the Central Legislative Council in 1861?
(A) Ishwar Pandey and Mangal Pandey
(B) Raja Bahadur Dinkar Rao and Narinder Singh
(C) Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(D) Rani Lakshmibai and Tantia Tope

View Answer......Hide Answer

64. What powers did the Central Legislative Council have under the Indian Councils Act of 1861?
(A) To override the Viceroy’s decisions
(B) To make suggestions and enact laws on revenue, finance, and defense, etc.
(C) To appoint the Secretary of State for India
(D) To control the Indian army directly

View Answer......Hide Answer

65. How many members were in the Executive Council created by the Indian Councils Act of 1861?
(A) 3
(B) 5
(C) 7
(D) 10

View Answer......Hide Answer

66. What was the role of the Executive Council introduced by the 1861 Act?
(A) To collect taxes
(B) To manage army recruitment
(C) To help the Viceroy in administration
(D) To fight against Indian rulers

View Answer......Hide Answer

67. What significant change did the Indian Councils Act of 1861 introduce in provincial administration?
(A) It abolished the Legislative Councils in Bombay and Madras
(B) It removed non-official members from provincial councils 
(C) It centralized all provincial powers with the Governor General
(D) It allowed governors of Bombay and Madras to create Legislative Councils

View Answer......Hide Answer

68. What was the biggest limitation of the 1861 Act?
(A) It gave full power to Indians
(B) It gave freedom to the press
(C) The Viceroy could override any decisions
(D) It removed all British officers from India

View Answer......Hide Answer

69. What education reform did Lord Canning implement?
(A) He introduced Gurukuls
(B) He started Madrasas
(C) He enforced Wood’s Despatch and set up Education Departments
(D) He made Persian the official language again

View Answer......Hide Answer

70. What was one reform introduced by Lord Canning to improve the economy?
(A) Building new forts
(B) Imposing income tax
(C) Reducing trade
(D) Closing schools

View Answer......Hide Answer

MCQs on 1.6 – Local Self-Government in India

71. When was the ‘Resolution on Financial Decentralization’ enforced?
(A) 1869
(B) 1870
(C) 1882
(D) 1885

View Answer......Hide Answer

72. Who introduced the Resolution on Financial Decentralization in 1870?
(A) Lord Ripon
(B) Lord Mayo
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Lytto

View Answer......Hide Answer

73. What was the significance of the ‘Resolution on Financial Decentralization’ adopted during Lord Mayo’s tenure?
(A) It centralized all financial powers with the Viceroy
(B) It paved the way for local self-government in India
(C) It abolished local taxes
(D) It transferred education to the central government

View Answer......Hide Answer

74. Who is known as the “Father of Local Self-Government” in India?
(A) Lord Mayo
(B) Lord Curzon
(C) Lord Ripon
(D) Lord Canning

View Answer......Hide Answer

75. What was one objective of Lord Ripon’s Local Self-Government reforms?
(A) To increase British control
(B) To provide political education
(C) To reduce elections
(D) To stop local taxes

View Answer......Hide Answer

76. What major reform did Lord Ripon introduce in 1882?
(A) Ban on elections
(B) Creation of Local Boards and Town Committees
(C) Replacement of Indian officials
(D) Central control of all provinces

View Answer......Hide Answer

77. What percentage of members in Town Committees were to be elected as per Lord Ripon’s plan?
(A) 100%
(B) 50%
(C) 75%
(D) 25%

View Answer......Hide Answer

78. How were the majority of members of the Local Boards recruited under Lord Ripon’s resolution?
(A) By appointment by the Viceroy
(B) Through elections
(C) By nomination by British officials
(D) Through hereditary succession

View Answer......Hide Answer

79. Why did the Secretary of State reject some of Lord Ripon’s proposals on local self-government?
(A) They were too expensive to implement
(B) They increased the number of elected members and proposed non-official chairmen
(C) They reduced British control over provinces
(D) They conflicted with the Indian Councils Act

View Answer......Hide Answer

80. Who was empowered to preside over the Local Boards under the Act of 1885?
(A) Elected Indian representatives
(B) Non-official members
(C) District Commissioners
(D) The Viceroy

View Answer......Hide Answer

81. Why are Lord Ripon’s reforms considered a memorable chapter in the history of local self-government in India?
(A)He introduced local self-government under a democratic system
(B) He abolished all local administration 
(C) He centralized power with the British government
(D) He removed elected representatives from local bodies

View Answer......Hide Answer

82. When did Lord Ripon create Local Boards for self-government?
(A) 1858
(B) 1861
(C) 1870
(D) 1882

View Answer......Hide Answer

MCQs on 1.7 – Indianisation of Civil Services

83. Who was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Services (ICS) in 1864?
(A) Romesh Chunder Dutt
(B) Surendranath Banerji
(C) Satyendranath Tagore
(D) Anundoram Barooah

View Answer......Hide Answer

84. What did the Charter Act of 1793 say about high administrative posts?
(A) They were open to all Indians
(B) They were reserved for only covenanted British servicemen 
(C) They should be decided by an election
(D) They were reserved for Mughal officials

View Answer......Hide Answer

85. Who opposed the recruitment of Indians in the administration?
(A) Lord Ripon
(B) Sir Thomas Munro
(C) Lord Cornwallis
(D) Lord Mayo

View Answer......Hide Answer

86. Why did Lord Cornwallis argue against employing Indians in administration?
(A) He believed Indians lacked loyalty to the British
(B) He thought Indians were not familiar with modern administration
(C) He wanted to reserve posts for the Mughal nobility
(D) He feared Indians would demand independence

View Answer......Hide Answer

87. Which Act first suggested that Indians should be considered for civil service positions?
(A) Government of India Act, 1935
(B) Charter Act of 1833
(C) Pitt’s India Act
(D) Regulating Act of 1773

View Answer......Hide Answer

88. Why could the provisions of the Charter Act of 1833 not be fully implemented?
(A) Due to opposition from the Directors of the East India Company
(B) Because of the Sepoy Mutiny
(C) Due to lack of educated Indians
(D) Because the British Parliament rejected it

View Answer......Hide Answer

89. Which act first allowed Indians to take Civil Service exams?
(A) Charter Act, 1833
(B) Act of 1853
(C) Government of India Act, 1858
(D) Indian Councils Act, 1861

View Answer......Hide Answer

90. Why could only a few Indians appear in civil service exams after 1853?
(A) Exams were too easy
(B) Exams were held in England only
(C) Indians were banned
(D) Exams were not held

View Answer......Hide Answer

91. What change did Lord Lytton introduce to the Civil Service Examination in the 1870s?
(A) He increased the upper age limit to 22 years
(B) He reduced the upper age limit from 21 to 19 years
(C) He allowed examinations to be held in India
(D) He abolished the competitive examination

View Answer......Hide Answer

92. Who protested the reduction of the Civil Service exam age limit to 19 years?
(A) Satyendranath Tagore
(B) Surendranath Banerji
(C) Lord Dufferin
(D) Anundoram Barooah

View Answer......Hide Answer

93. Who was the first Assamese to join the Civil Service in 1872?
(A) Satyendranath Tagore
(B) Surendranath Banerji
(C) Anundoram Barooah
(D) Romesh Chunder Dutt

View Answer......Hide Answer

94. What was the Indian demand regarding the civil service exam during the 1880s?
(A) End all civil services
(B) Only Indians to serve
(C) Exams should be held in India as well
(D) Abolish English as the medium

View Answer......Hide Answer

95. What was the suggestion of the Aitchison Commission (1886)?

(A) To hold Civil Service Examinations only in England
(B) To reserve all posts for British candidates 
(C) To split Civil Services into Imperial, Provincial, and Sub-ordinate divisions
(D) To abolish the Indian Civil Service

View Answer......Hide Answer

96. Which report proposed to hold ICS exams both in India and in England?
(A) Islington Commission Report
(B) Lee Commission Report
(C) Montague-Chelmsford Report
(D) Charter Act of 1833

View Answer......Hide Answer

97. What did the Montague-Chelmsford Report propose regarding Civil Service recruitment?
(A) To hold examinations only in England
(B) To reduce the number of Indian recruits 
(C) To reserve all posts for British officials
(D)To fill one-third of posts with native Indians, increasing by 1.5% annually

View Answer......Hide Answer

98. What did the Lee Commission (1923) propose for Civil Services?
(A) To abolish the Civil Service examinations
(B) To form a Civil Service Commission in India and increase Indian representation to 50% in 15 years
(C) To reserve all Civil Service posts for British candidates
(D) To reduce the age limit for Indian candidates

View Answer......Hide Answer

99. What step did India take after independence regarding civil services?
(A) Kept the British system
(B) Continued old recruitment policies
(C) Started open competitive exams
(D) Closed all civil service jobs

View Answer......Hide Answer

100. Which act protected indigo farmers and tenants in 1859?
(A) Indian Councils Act
(B) Bengal Rent Act
(C) Government of India Act
(D) Charter Act

View Answer......Hide Answer