Arrival of Europeans: Dutch Top 100 MCQs With Answer and Explanation

1. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established in ___________.
A) 1592
B) 1596
C) 1602
D) 1608

2. The first Dutch expedition reached India in___________.
A) 1596
B) 1602
C) 1605
D) 1610

3. The first Dutch factory in India was established at___________.
A) Surat
B) Pulicat
C) Masulipatnam
D) Cochin

4. The Dutch made their main base in India at___________.
A) Surat
B) Pulicat
C) Goa
D) Pondicherry

5. The Dutch replaced Pulicat with which city as their main base in 1690?
A) Cochin
B) Nagapattinam
C) Calicut
D) Colombo

6. The Dutch established their factory at Surat in which year?
A) 1605
B) 1616
C) 1620
D) 1630

7. Which city in Kerala became a stronghold of the Dutch after defeating the Portuguese?
A) Cochin
B) Calicut
C) Quilon
D) Kannur

8. The Dutch East India Company was primarily interested in trading___________.
A) Gold and silver
B) Spices
C) Cotton textiles
D) Indigo

9. The Dutch monopoly in the East Indies was centered on which modern country?
A) India
B) Indonesia
C) Sri Lanka
D) Malaysia

10. The Dutch gained control of Malabar from the Portuguese in___________.
A) 1605
B) 1620
C) 1663
D) 1685

11. The Dutch signed their first treaty with which Indian ruler?
A) Vijayanagara rulers
B) Mughal rulers
C) Nayaks of Golconda
D) Zamorin of Calicut

12. Which place in Bengal saw Dutch settlements?
A) Hooghly-Chinsurah
B) Chandernagore
C) Serampore
D) Calcutta

13. Which place in Gujarat had a Dutch factory?
A) Ahmedabad
B) Bharuch
C) Surat
D) Diu

14. Which island group was contested between Dutch and Portuguese before Dutch victory?
A) Andaman Islands
B) Maluku Islands (Spice Islands)
C) Maldives
D) Lakshadweep

15. The Dutch replaced the Portuguese as the dominant European power in___________.
A) India
B) East Indies (Indonesia)
C) Sri Lanka
D) Goa

16. The Dutch established their first factory on the Malabar Coast at___________.
A) Cochin
B) Cranganore
C) Quilon
D) Calicut

17. Which city was the capital of Dutch possessions in India till 1690?
A) Surat
B) Pulicat
C) Nagapattinam
D) Chinsurah

18. The Dutch lost Pulicat and shifted their headquarters to___________.
A) Cochin
B) Nagapattinam
C) Chinsurah
D) Surat

19. In which year was the Dutch factory established at Chinsurah in Bengal?
A) 1605
B) 1625
C) 1655
D) 1667

20. The Dutch maintained a factory at Patna for trading___________.
A) Spices
B) Saltpetre and opium
C) Cotton
D) Indigo

21. The Dutch established a settlement at which place in Odisha?
A) Balasore
B) Cuttack
C) Puri
D) Gopalpur

22. The Dutch replaced the Portuguese in Sri Lanka in___________.
A) 1605
B) 1638
C) 1658
D) 1663

23. The Dutch established a fort at Pulicat called___________.
A) Fort St. George
B) Fort Geldria
C) Fort Victoria
D) Fort Nassau

24. Which region was the most profitable for Dutch trade in India?
A) Bengal
B) Gujarat
C) Kerala
D) Coromandel Coast

25. The Dutch East India Company was primarily controlled by___________.
A) Dutch Crown
B) Dutch private merchants
C) British shareholders
D) Portuguese traders

26. The main items the Dutch exported from India were___________.
A) Pepper, Indigo, Saltpetre, Textiles
B) Gold and Silver
C) Tea and Coffee
D) Timber and Iron

27. The Dutch imported into India mainly___________.
A) Precious metals (gold and silver)
B) Spices from Indonesia
C) Horses and wool
D) Weapons

28. The Dutch factory at Patna became famous for___________.
A) Opium and Saltpetre trade
B) Cotton textiles
C) Indigo dye
D) Jute

29. The most profitable Dutch trade center in India was___________.
A) Surat
B) Bengal (Chinsurah)
C) Pulicat
D) Nagapattinam

30. The Dutch factory at Hooghly-Chinsurah was taken over by the British in___________.
A) 1757
B) 1795
C) 1825
D) 1857

31. The Dutch had a minting right at which place in India?
A) Surat
B) Chinsurah
C) Pulicat
D) Nagapattinam

32. The Dutch had factories in all the following places, except___________.
A) Masulipatnam
B) Pulicat
C) Bombay
D) Balasore

33. The Dutch replaced Pulicat with Nagapattinam in 1690 because___________.
A) Pulicat lost trade importance
B) Nagapattinam had better harbor
C) Competition from British
D) All of the above

34. The Dutch controlled the cinnamon trade in___________.
A) India
B) Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
C) Burma
D) Malaya

35. The Dutch factory in Gujarat was at___________.
A) Bharuch
B) Surat
C) Ahmedabad
D) Vadodara

36. Which commodity from India was critical for Dutch gunpowder industries?
A) Indigo
B) Saltpetre
C) Pepper
D) Cotton

37. Which Dutch factory was captured by the English in 1781 during Anglo-Dutch War?
A) Pulicat
B) Chinsurah
C) Surat
D) Nagapattinam

38. The Dutch textile trade in Coromandel was based at___________.
A) Pulicat
B) Masulipatnam
C) Nagapattinam
D) All of the above

39. The Dutch settlement at Pulicat was called___________.
A) Fort Geldria
B) Fort Nassau
C) Fort Victoria
D) Fort St. David

40. The Dutch introduced which crop in Kerala?
A) Potato
B) Tapioca (Cassava)
C) Coffee
D) Tea

41. The Dutch introduced which flower cultivation in India?
A) Rose
B) Tulip
C) Marigold
D) Sunflower

42. The Dutch introduced which tree in Kerala that became economically important?
A) Jackfruit
B) Pineapple
C) Rubber
D) Coconut hybrid varieties

43. Which town in Tamil Nadu became the Dutch headquarters after 1690?
A) Pulicat
B) Nagapattinam
C) Pondicherry
D) Cuddalore

44. Which European power finally replaced the Dutch in Indian trade?
A) Portuguese
B) French
C) British
D) Danish

45. The Dutch concentrated on which region for textiles in India?
A) Bengal and Coromandel
B) Punjab and Sindh
C) Gujarat and Malabar
D) Assam and Tripura

46. Which Mughal emperor gave farman (permission) to the Dutch for trade in Bengal?
A) Akbar
B) Jahangir
C) Shah Jahan
D) Aurangzeb

47. Dutch control in South India was challenged most by___________.
A) Vijayanagara Empire
B) British East India Company
C) Marathas
D) Nizams

48. Dutch trading network connected India mainly with___________.
A) Japan and Indonesia
B) China
C) Persia and Arabia
D) All of the above

49. The Dutch exported opium from India mainly to___________.
A) Persia
B) China
C) Indonesia
D) Japan

50. The Dutch presence in India declined after losing which key base?
A) Pulicat
B) Nagapattinam
C) Chinsurah
D) Cochin

51. The Dutch defeated the Portuguese and captured Cochin in___________.
A) 1605
B) 1620
C) 1663
D) 1680

52. Which battle ended the naval supremacy of the Dutch in India?
A) Battle of Swally (1612)
B) Battle of Colachel (1741)
C) Battle of Buxar (1764)
D) Battle of Plassey (1757)

53. The Battle of Colachel (1741) was significant because___________.
A) First Asian ruler defeated a European naval power on land
B) Portuguese defeated the Dutch
C) British allied with Marathas
D) French expelled Dutch from Pondicherry

54. After defeat at Colachel, the Dutch signed a treaty with Travancore in___________.
A) 1742
B) 1753
C) 1761
D) 1770

55. Who was the Dutch naval commander defeated at Colachel (1741)?
A) Van Goens
B) Captain De Lannoy
C) Van Rheede
D) Rijckloff van Goens

56. The British defeated the Dutch in the Battle of Negapatam (1782) during___________.
A) First Carnatic War
B) Second Anglo-Mysore War
C) Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
D) Anglo-Dutch War

57. The decline of Dutch in India began after their defeat in___________.
A) Battle of Colachel (1741)
B) Battle of Plassey (1757)
C) Battle of Negapatam (1782)
D) Both a & c

58. The main reason for Dutch decline in India was___________.
A) Defeat by Marathas
B) Defeat by Portuguese
C) British naval superiority
D) Mughal resistance

59. The Dutch lost Nagapattinam to the British in___________.
A) 1741
B) 1757
C) 1781
D) 1795

60. Dutch rivalry in India was primarily with___________.
A) French and Portuguese
B) British and Portuguese
C) British and French
D) Mughals and Marathas

61. Which Mughal ruler’s reign saw the Dutch rise in Bengal trade?
A) Akbar
B) Jahangir
C) Shah Jahan
D) Aurangzeb

62. Which South Indian kingdom allied with the Dutch against Portuguese?
A) Travancore
B) Nayaks of Madurai
C) Zamorin of Calicut
D) Marathas

63. After losing to Marthanda Varma, the Dutch shifted focus to___________.
A) Bengal trade
B) Indonesia (East Indies)
C) Gujarat
D) Deccan region

64. Which European power replaced the Dutch as the main rival of the British in India?
A) Portuguese
B) French
C) Danish
D) Spanish

65. Which Anglo-Dutch treaty formalized Dutch withdrawal from India?
A) Treaty of Paris (1763)
B) Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814
C) Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
D) Treaty of Mavelikkara

66. According to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty (1824), the Dutch ceded which place to the British?
A) Pulicat
B) Nagapattinam
C) Chinsurah (Bengal)
D) Surat

67. Which European power defeated the Dutch at Colombo (Sri Lanka)?
A) Portuguese
B) French
C) British
D) Travancore

68. Who was the Dutch Governor-General in the East Indies when Dutch power declined in India?
A) Rijckloff van Goens
B) Jan Pieterszoon Coen
C) Van Rheede
D) Van Imhoff

69. The Dutch loss in India was partly due to___________.
A) Strong resistance by Indian rulers
B) Over-focus on Indonesia
C) Defeat in European wars with Britain
D) All of the above

70. After their decline, Dutch possessions in India were absorbed by___________.
A) Portuguese
B) British
C) French
D) Danes

71. The Treaty of Mavelikkara (1753) was signed between___________.
A) Dutch and British
B) Dutch and Travancore
C) Dutch and Zamorin
D) Dutch and Marathas

72. Which Indian naval commander supported Marthanda Varma against the Dutch?
A) Kunhali Marakkar
B) Ali Raja of Kannur
C) Admiral De Lannoy
D) Velu Thampi

73. The Dutch lost influence in Gujarat mainly due to___________.
A) British competition
B) Decline of Surat
C) Mughal restrictions
D) Portuguese revival

74. The Dutch loss in Bengal was confirmed after___________.
A) Battle of Buxar (1764)
B) Treaty of 1824
C) Capture of Chinsurah (1781)
D) Plassey (1757)

75. The ultimate reason for Dutch decline in India was___________.
A) They prioritized Indonesia over India
B) They faced defeat at Colachel and Negapatam
C) They lost to British in European wars
D) All of the above

76. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was granted monopoly of Asian trade by___________.
A) Spanish Crown
B) Dutch States General
C) British Parliament
D) Mughal Emperor

77. The Dutch were primarily interested in India because of___________.
A) Spices and cotton textiles
B) Naval bases
C) Conquest of territory
D) Spreading Christianity

78. The Dutch East India Company was headquartered in Asia at___________.
A) Cochin
B) Batavia (Jakarta)
C) Pulicat
D) Colombo

79. Which Indian port did the Dutch control for longest time?
A) Pulicat
B) Nagapattinam
C) Chinsurah
D) Cochin

80. The Dutch introduced which food crop into India that became a staple in Kerala?
A) Tapioca (Cassava)
B) Wheat
C) Potato
D) Rice variety

81. The Dutch East India Company was dissolved in___________.
A) 1781
B) 1795
C) 1799
D) 1824

82. Which was the only Indian king who decisively defeated the Dutch in a land battle?
A) Shivaji
B) Marthanda Varma
C) Zamorin of Calicut
D) Tipu Sultan

83. The Dutch lost their monopoly in Malabar to___________.
A) Travancore
B) Mysore
C) British
D) Portuguese

84. The Dutch finally ceded their Indian possessions to the British under___________.
A) Treaty of Paris (1763)
B) Treaty of Mavelikkara (1753)
C) Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
D) Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)

85. The Dutch minted coins in India at___________.
A) Nagapattinam
B) Pulicat
C) Chinsurah
D) All of the above

86. Which Dutch officer later served Travancore army after defeat?
A) Van Rheede
B) Captain De Lannoy
C) Rijckloff van Goens
D) Van Imhoff

87. The Hortus Malabaricus, a famous botanical book on Kerala plants, was compiled under___________.
A) Van Rheede
B) De Lannoy
C) Coen
D) Van Goens

88. Which Dutch factory was the last to be handed over to the British in 1825?
A) Surat
B) Nagapattinam
C) Chinsurah
D) Pulicat

89. The Dutch introduced commercial cultivation of which crop in Bengal?
A) Jute
B) Indigo
C) Tobacco
D) Tea

90. The Dutch presence in Gujarat ended mainly because___________.
A) Mughal restrictions
B) Decline of Surat trade
C) British dominance
D) Maratha pressure

91. The Dutch presence in India was strongest during which century?
A) 15th
B) 16th
C) 17th
D) 18th

92. Which was the Dutch stronghold in Odisha?
A) Balasore
B) Puri
C) Cuttack
D) Gopalpur

93. Who was the Dutch rival in the spice trade in Maluku Islands?
A) British
B) French
C) Portuguese
D) Arabs

94. Which Indian ruler allied with Dutch against the Portuguese in Malabar?
A) Marathas
B) Travancore
C) Zamorin of Calicut
D) Hyder Ali

95. Which war in Europe affected Dutch power in India?
A) Napoleonic Wars
B) Hundred Years’ War
C) Seven Years’ War
D) Anglo-French Wars

96. The Dutch focus shifted from India to which region?
A) Persia
B) East Indies (Indonesia)
C) China
D) Africa

97. The Dutch imported firearms into India mainly for___________.
A) Peasant rebellions
B) Selling to Zamorins and Travancore kings
C) Their own wars
D) Portuguese allies

98. The only Indian state where Dutch military training influenced the army was___________.
A) Travancore
B) Mysore
C) Marathas
D) Hyderabad

99. The Dutch introduced which social/economic contribution in Kerala?
A) Pineapple & Tapioca cultivation
B) Modern banking
C) Shipbuilding technology
D) All of the above

100. The Dutch legacy in India can be summarized as___________.
A) Short-lived political influence
B) Strong commercial but weak political role
C) Scientific contributions (botany, crops)
D) All of the above