1. Lord Cornwallis became Governor-General of Bengal in:
A) 1784
B) 1786
C) 1793
D) 1805
Answer: B) 1786
Explanation: Cornwallis took office in 1786 and served till 1793.
2. Cornwallis is best remembered in Indian history for:
A) Doctrine of Lapse
B) Permanent Settlement of Bengal
C) Forward Policy in Afghanistan
D) Subsidiary Alliance
Answer: B) Permanent Settlement of Bengal
Explanation: He introduced Permanent Settlement in 1793 with John Shore’s help.
3. Lord Cornwallis was also known as:
A) The father of Indian Civil Service
B) The father of Permanent Settlement
C) The founder of Subsidiary Alliance
D) The last Governor-General of the Company
Answer: A) The father of Indian Civil Service
Explanation: His administrative reforms professionalized Company officials.
4. Cornwallis’ appointment as Governor-General followed which Act?
A) Pitt’s India Act, 1784
B) Regulating Act, 1773
C) Charter Act, 1813
D) Charter Act, 1833
Answer: A) Pitt’s India Act, 1784
Explanation: Pitt’s India Act created the Board of Control, strengthening Crown control.
5. Cornwallis was sent to India with a mandate to:
A) Expand British territories
B) Reform Company administration and curb corruption
C) Annex Awadh
D) Conquer Mysore
Answer: B) Reform Company administration and curb corruption
Explanation: Parliament wanted clean administration after the Hastings controversies.
6. Cornwallis was of aristocratic background. This influenced his policy of:
A) Recruiting only Brahmins as officials
B) Reserving civil services for Europeans
C) Allowing Indians in highest offices
D) Encouraging democratic councils
Answer: B) Reserving civil services for Europeans
Explanation: His class bias excluded Indians from higher services.
7. Cornwallis’ main administrative code was known as:
A) Cornwallis Code
B) Hastings Code
C) Wellesley Code
D) Pitt’s Code
Answer: A) Cornwallis Code
Explanation: Issued in 1793, it covered revenue, justice, and civil service reforms.
8. The Cornwallis Code was introduced in:
A) 1789
B) 1791
C) 1793
D) 1795
Answer: C) 1793
Explanation: His comprehensive reform package was implemented in 1793.
9. Cornwallis’ reforms were primarily aimed at:
A) Expansionist foreign policy
B) Administrative efficiency and honesty
C) Indian welfare
D) Missionary activity
Answer: B) Administrative efficiency and honesty
Explanation: His reforms sought to reduce corruption and improve governance.
10. Cornwallis believed Indians were:
A) Fit for all administrative jobs
B) Morally corrupt and unfit for high posts
C) Suitable for military only
D) Naturally loyal to the Company
Answer: B) Morally corrupt and unfit for high posts
Explanation: His prejudice led to excluding Indians from higher services.
11. Cornwallis introduced a salary-based civil service to:
A) Encourage trade
B) Reduce corruption by giving high pay
C) Include more Indians
D) Reduce Company expenses
Answer: B) Reduce corruption by giving high pay
Explanation: High salaries were meant to reduce bribery among officials.
12. Cornwallis also served in Britain as:
A) Prime Minister
B) Lord Chancellor
C) Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
D) Duke of Marlborough
Answer: C) Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Explanation: He held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland later.
13. Cornwallis had earlier been a British general in:
A) Anglo-Mysore Wars
B) American War of Independence
C) Anglo-Maratha Wars
D) Anglo-Burmese Wars
Answer: B) American War of Independence
Explanation: He surrendered at Yorktown (1781), ending the war.
14. The British Parliament insisted Cornwallis take office in India because:
A) He was a military man
B) He was wealthy enough not to be corrupt
C) He was popular among Indians
D) He had French support
Answer: B) He was wealthy enough not to be corrupt
Explanation: His aristocratic background made him “above bribery.”
15. Cornwallis’ tenure is often called the era of:
A) Administrative expansion
B) Systematic administrative reform
C) Missionary activities
D) Indian empowerment
Answer: B) Systematic administrative reform
Explanation: His major contribution was restructuring Company administration.
16. Which Governor-General’s impeachment had led to a demand for reforms before Cornwallis?
A) Lord Clive
B) Warren Hastings
C) Lord Wellesley
D) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: B) Warren Hastings
Explanation: Hastings’ impeachment highlighted corruption, leading to Cornwallis’ reforms.
17. Cornwallis restructured the Company’s service to create:
A) Indian Civil Service (ICS)
B) East India Trade Service
C) Board of Revenue
D) Judicial Service only
Answer: A) Indian Civil Service (ICS)
Explanation: His reforms laid the basis of ICS (later formalized in 1854).
18. Cornwallis combined judicial, revenue, and police reforms into:
A) Cornwallis Code
B) Permanent Settlement
C) Indian Penal Code
D) Macaulay’s Code
Answer: A) Cornwallis Code
Explanation: The Cornwallis Code (1793) integrated administrative reforms.
19. Cornwallis’ reforms gave Company officials more:
A) Military power
B) Administrative autonomy and higher status
C) Business privileges
D) Religious authority
Answer: B) Administrative autonomy and higher status
Explanation: He empowered Company officials as professional administrators.
20. Cornwallis’ reforms excluded which class from higher jobs?
A) Europeans
B) Indians
C) Armenians
D) Anglo-Indians
Answer: B) Indians
Explanation: His racial prejudice prevented Indians from rising in service.
21. Cornwallis was recalled to India in 1805 to:
A) Fight Tipu Sultan
B) Negotiate with Marathas
C) Replace Wellesley after criticism of wars
D) Oversee Permanent Settlement again
Answer: C) Replace Wellesley after criticism of wars
Explanation: He was recalled to calm down after Wellesley’s aggressive policies.
22. Cornwallis died in India in:
A) 1793
B) 1805
C) 1806
D) 1810
Answer: B) 1805
Explanation: He died shortly after returning to India in 1805.
23. Cornwallis’ reforms are considered a turning point because:
A) They established Company’s political supremacy
B) They provided a permanent administrative framework
C) They reduced Mughal power
D) They led to annexation of Mysore
Answer: B) They provided a permanent administrative framework
Explanation: His code and settlements shaped Company administration for decades.
24. Cornwallis introduced reforms with the assistance of:
A) Edmund Burke
B) John Shore
C) Charles Metcalfe
D) William Bentinck
Answer: B) John Shore
Explanation: John Shore helped Cornwallis draft revenue reforms like Permanent Settlement.
25. Cornwallis’ most important contribution to British rule in India was:
A) Forward Policy
B) Cornwallis Code & Permanent Settlement
C) Annexation of Punjab
D) Introduction of English education
Answer: B) Cornwallis Code & Permanent Settlement
Explanation: These were his two defining administrative measures.
26. Cornwallis’ comprehensive reform package of 1793 is known as:
A) Pitt’s Act
B) Cornwallis Code
C) Permanent Settlement
D) Hastings Code
Answer: B) Cornwallis Code
Explanation: The Cornwallis Code (1793) reorganized revenue, judicial, and administrative systems.
27. Cornwallis introduced high salaries for Company officials mainly to:
A) Attract more Europeans to India
B) Prevent corruption and bribery
C) Reduce trade monopoly
D) Discourage Indian participation
Answer: B) Prevent corruption and bribery
Explanation: Well-paid officials were less likely to indulge in corruption.
28. The Cornwallis Code is divided into:
A) Two parts
B) Three parts
C) Four parts
D) Five parts
Answer: B) Three parts
Explanation: The Code had three main areas: revenue, judicial, and administrative reforms.
29. Under Cornwallis’ reforms, higher civil posts were reserved exclusively for:
A) Europeans
B) Indians
C) Armenians
D) Anglo-Indians
Answer: A) Europeans
Explanation: His racial prejudice excluded Indians from higher civil service.
30. Cornwallis’ policy towards Indians in civil service is known as:
A) White Man’s Burden
B) Racial Exclusiveness
C) Oriental Despotism
D) Civil Service Neutrality
Answer: B) Racial Exclusiveness
Explanation: He considered Indians unfit for higher jobs due to “corruption.”
31. Cornwallis is regarded as the father of:
A) Indian Penal Code
B) Permanent Settlement
C) Indian Civil Service
D) Doctrine of Lapse
Answer: C) Indian Civil Service
Explanation: He introduced merit, training, and high salaries for civil servants.
32. In the Cornwallis Code, which branch of service was separated from revenue administration?
A) Police
B) Military
C) Judiciary
D) Customs
Answer: C) Judiciary
Explanation: He separated judiciary from revenue to ensure impartial justice.
33. Cornwallis established the highest civil court in Calcutta called:
A) Sadar Diwani Adalat
B) Supreme Court
C) High Court of Calcutta
D) Collector’s Court
Answer: A) Sadar Diwani Adalat
Explanation: It dealt with civil appeals, presided over by Governor-General and Council.
34. The highest criminal court set up by Cornwallis was:
A) Sadar Faujdari Adalat
B) Supreme Court
C) Collector’s Criminal Court
D) Kotwali Court
Answer: A) Sadar Faujdari Adalat
Explanation: It was headed by British judges, ensuring stricter control over criminal law.
35. The Sadar Diwani Adalat dealt with:
A) Civil cases like property and inheritance
B) Criminal trials
C) Religious disputes
D) Trade and commerce
Answer: A) Civil cases like property and inheritance
Explanation: It functioned as the highest civil court in Bengal.
36. The Sadar Faujdari Adalat dealt with:
A) Revenue collection
B) Criminal cases like theft and murder
C) Civil disputes
D) Land tenure issues
Answer: B) Criminal cases like theft and murder
Explanation: It functioned as the highest criminal court.
37. Under Cornwallis, District Courts were headed by:
A) Collectors
B) Judges
C) Pundits and Qazis
D) Nawab’s officers
Answer: B) Judges
Explanation: He created the post of District Judge to hear civil and criminal cases.
38. Cornwallis’ judicial reforms replaced the Nawab’s criminal jurisdiction with:
A) Company-appointed Qazis
B) European judges
C) Collectors
D) Supreme Court judges
Answer: B) European judges
Explanation: He removed Nawab’s powers, transferring criminal justice to Company officials.
39. Cornwallis abolished the office of:
A) Nawab of Bengal
B) District Collector
C) Naib Nazim (Deputy Nawab)
D) Kotwal
Answer: C) Naib Nazim (Deputy Nawab)
Explanation: The Naib Nazim’s criminal judicial powers were abolished.
40. Cornwallis introduced a system where police duties were given to:
A) Village headmen
B) Zamindars
C) Kotwals
D) Collectors
Answer: B) Zamindars
Explanation: Zamindars were made responsible for maintaining law and order.
41. The police system under Cornwallis was later criticized because:
A) Zamindars misused their power
B) It was too costly
C) It excluded Europeans
D) It increased corruption
Answer: A) Zamindars misused their power
Explanation: Zamindars neglected policing, leading to rural insecurity.
42. Cornwallis’ reforms in civil services emphasized:
A) Promotion by seniority
B) Promotion by merit and honesty
C) Indianization of services
D) Military over civil officers
Answer: B) Promotion by merit and honesty
Explanation: He insisted on a merit-based service, with high salaries and no private trade.
43. Cornwallis prohibited Company officials from:
A) Owning land in Bengal
B) Engaging in private trade
C) Marrying Indian women
D) Entering military service
Answer: B) Engaging in private trade
Explanation: This was to reduce corruption and conflicts of interest.
44. Which institution continued to exist alongside Cornwallis’ Sadar Adalats?
A) Supreme Court at Calcutta
B) District Collectors’ Courts
C) Panchayats
D) Nawab’s Darbar
Answer: A) Supreme Court at Calcutta
Explanation: The Supreme Court (est. 1774) retained jurisdiction in Calcutta.
45. Cornwallis’ judicial reforms restricted Hindu and Muslim law to:
A) All civil and criminal cases
B) Personal law only (marriage, inheritance, caste, religion)
C) Trade and commerce disputes
D) Revenue law
Answer: B) Personal law only (marriage, inheritance, caste, religion)
Explanation: In all other matters, English law was applied.
46. Cornwallis appointed which group as interpreters of Hindu and Muslim law in personal disputes?
A) European judges only
B) Indian Pundits and Qazis
C) Collectors
D) Missionaries
Answer: B) Indian Pundits and Qazis
Explanation: They advised courts on religious and customary law.
47. Under Cornwallis’ reforms, the Collector was relieved from:
A) Judicial functions
B) Revenue functions
C) Police functions
D) Trade functions
Answer: A) Judicial functions
Explanation: Judicial powers were transferred to District Judges.
48. Cornwallis’ administrative reforms emphasized:
A) Expansion of territories
B) Rule of law and accountability
C) Military dominance
D) Return of power to Nawabs
Answer: B) Rule of law and accountability
Explanation: His code aimed to institutionalize justice and accountability.
49. The Cornwallis Code laid the foundation of:
A) Indian Penal Code (1860)
B) Indian Civil Services system
C) Ryotwari Settlement
D) Indian National Congress
Answer: B) Indian Civil Services system
Explanation: His civil service reforms became the model for ICS.
50. A key limitation of Cornwallis’ administrative and judicial reforms was:
A) Too much reliance on Indians
B) Exclusion of Indians from higher posts
C) Complete failure of law and order
D) Excessive costs on Company
Answer: B) Exclusion of Indians from higher posts
Explanation: His racial prejudice limited opportunities for Indians, creating resentment.
51. The most important revenue reform of Lord Cornwallis was:
A) Ryotwari Settlement
B) Mahalwari Settlement
C) Permanent Settlement
D) Zamindari abolition
Answer: C) Permanent Settlement
Explanation: Introduced in 1793 with John Shore’s help, it fixed land revenue permanently.
52. The Permanent Settlement was implemented in:
A) Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Varanasi
B) Punjab and Sindh
C) Madras and Bombay
D) Central Provinces and Deccan
Answer: A) Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Varanasi
Explanation: These regions became the core areas under Permanent Settlement.
53. The main objective of the Permanent Settlement was:
A) To modernize Indian agriculture
B) To create a loyal class of zamindars
C) To improve peasants’ condition
D) To reduce British revenue demand
Answer: B) To create a loyal class of zamindars
Explanation: Cornwallis wanted stable revenue and loyal landed aristocracy.
54. Under the Permanent Settlement, land revenue demand was:
A) Fixed permanently
B) Revised every 30 years
C) Revised annually
D) Revised every 10 years
Answer: A) Fixed permanently
Explanation: The settlement fixed revenue demand permanently with zamindars.
55. The zamindars under Permanent Settlement acted as:
A) Owners of land
B) Revenue collectors for the Company
C) Tenants of the peasants
D) State officers only
Answer: B) Revenue collectors for the Company
Explanation: They collected rent from peasants and paid fixed revenue to Company.
56. The Permanent Settlement was prepared under the guidance of:
A) Edmund Burke
B) John Shore
C) William Jones
D) Charles Metcalfe
Answer: B) John Shore
Explanation: John Shore (later Governor-General) drafted the system for Cornwallis.
57. The zamindars’ failure to pay revenue on time led to:
A) Cancellation of Permanent Settlement
B) Sale of zamindari estates in auction
C) Transfer of land to peasants
D) Abolition of zamindari
Answer: B) Sale of zamindari estates in auction
Explanation: The Sunset Law allowed auctioning zamindari for arrears.
58. The Permanent Settlement was criticized because:
A) Zamindars exploited peasants heavily
B) Peasants lost security of tenure
C) Revenue was too high
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Peasants suffered; zamindars often failed to pay; exploitation increased.
59. The Permanent Settlement was introduced in Bengal in:
A) 1786
B) 1790
C) 1793
D) 1800
Answer: C) 1793
Explanation: It was officially introduced by Cornwallis in 1793.
60. The Sunset Law in the Permanent Settlement meant:
A) If zamindar didn’t pay by sunset on due date, his estate was auctioned
B) Revenue was collected at sunset daily
C) Zamindars could collect tax only before sunset
D) Zamindars lost rights after sunset years (12 years)
Answer: A) If zamindar didn’t pay by sunset on due date, his estate was auctioned
Explanation: This harsh rule led to frequent loss of zamindari estates.
61. The Permanent Settlement gave zamindars:
A) Proprietary rights over land
B) Only revenue-collection rights
C) Military powers
D) Judicial powers
Answer: A) Proprietary rights over land
Explanation: Zamindars were recognized as hereditary landowners.
62. A major weakness of the Permanent Settlement was:
A) Company’s revenue was unstable
B) Zamindars lacked incentive to improve agriculture
C) Peasants became prosperous
D) British lost control of land
Answer: B) Zamindars lacked incentive to improve agriculture
Explanation: Since revenue was fixed, they focused on rent collection, not productivity.
63. The Company preferred Permanent Settlement because:
A) It provided a fixed, predictable income
B) It gave peasants more freedom
C) It encouraged Indian trade
D) It reduced administrative costs
Answer: A) It provided a fixed, predictable income
Explanation: Stability of revenue was the Company’s main goal.
64. The Permanent Settlement led to the emergence of:
A) A loyal landed aristocracy
B) Independent peasant proprietors
C) Small cultivators’ cooperatives
D) Panchayat-based revenue system
Answer: A) A loyal landed aristocracy
Explanation: Zamindars supported the British due to proprietary rights.
65. Which region saw commercialization of agriculture under Permanent Settlement?
A) Punjab
B) Bengal
C) Bombay
D) Madras
Answer: B) Bengal
Explanation: Indigo, jute, and opium cultivation spread under Permanent Settlement in Bengal.
66. Who described the Permanent Settlement as creating “a system of absentee landlordism”?
A) Charles Metcalfe
B) R.C. Dutt
C) Dadabhai Naoroji
D) Edmund Burke
Answer: B) R.C. Dutt
Explanation: He criticized it as exploitative, creating absentee landlords.
67. A major impact of the Permanent Settlement on peasants was:
A) Improved living standards
B) Loss of traditional rights and insecurity
C) Ownership rights
D) Reduced rent burden
Answer: B) Loss of traditional rights and insecurity
Explanation: Peasants had no protection, suffered under zamindars.
68. Cornwallis introduced Permanent Settlement initially in Bengal as an experiment for:
A) All of India
B) Only Bihar
C) Orissa and Varanasi
D) Bombay and Madras
Answer: A) All of India
Explanation: He intended it for the entire country, but it was limited regionally.
69. The Permanent Settlement failed in later decades because:
A) Zamindars were inefficient landlords
B) Peasants revolted frequently
C) Revenue was fixed despite inflation
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: It was rigid, exploitative, and outdated by 19th century.
70. The alternative system later adopted in Madras and Bombay instead of Permanent Settlement was:
A) Zamindari
B) Ryotwari
C) Mahalwari
D) Inam system
Answer: B) Ryotwari
Explanation: Introduced by Thomas Munro, it directly settled with peasants.
71. The alternative system adopted in North-Western Provinces was:
A) Zamindari
B) Ryotwari
C) Mahalwari
D) Jagirdari
Answer: C) Mahalwari
Explanation: Mahalwari (village-based) was adopted later in north-west India.
72. Cornwallis’ Permanent Settlement led to which economic effect?
A) Rise of moneylenders and intermediaries
B) Decline of peasant proprietorship
C) Frequent peasant indebtedness
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Exploitation of peasants created rural poverty and indebtedness.
73. One positive result of Permanent Settlement was:
A) Stabilized Company revenue
B) Peasants’ prosperity
C) Improved irrigation
D) Industrial growth
Answer: A) Stabilized Company revenue
Explanation: The Company gained predictable income, its main goal.
74. Cornwallis’ Permanent Settlement of 1793 was inspired by:
A) Mughal Jagirdari system
B) British landlord system in England
C) French feudal system
D) Dutch trade model
Answer: B) British landlord system in England
Explanation: It was modeled on England’s landed aristocracy.
75. The Permanent Settlement is remembered in Indian history as:
A) A progressive land reform
B) An exploitative revenue system that created zamindari oppression
C) A failed attempt at Indian nationalism
D) The origin of Indian cooperative farming
Answer: B) An exploitative revenue system that created zamindari oppression
Explanation: It entrenched zamindar power and peasant misery for over a century.
76. Lord Cornwallis fought which major war during his tenure?
A) First Anglo-Mysore War
B) Second Anglo-Mysore War
C) Third Anglo-Mysore War
D) First Anglo-Maratha War
Answer: C) Third Anglo-Mysore War
Explanation: Cornwallis led the British in the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–92).
77. The Third Anglo-Mysore War was fought between the British and:
A) Tipu Sultan of Mysore
B) Haidar Ali of Mysore
C) Peshwa Madhavrao
D) Marathas
Answer: A) Tipu Sultan of Mysore
Explanation: Tipu Sultan was the ruler of Mysore during the Third Anglo-Mysore War.
78. The Third Anglo-Mysore War lasted from:
A) 1780–1784
B) 1790–1792
C) 1798–1800
D) 1800–1802
Answer: B) 1790–1792
Explanation: The war was fought between 1790 and 1792.
79. The immediate cause of the Third Anglo-Mysore War was:
A) British attack on Mahe
B) Tipu’s invasion of Travancore
C) French alliance with Mysore
D) Maratha raids in Mysore
Answer: B) Tipu’s invasion of Travancore
Explanation: Travancore was a British ally; Tipu’s attack provoked the war.
80. The Third Anglo-Mysore War ended with which treaty?
A) Treaty of Madras
B) Treaty of Mangalore
C) Treaty of Seringapatam
D) Treaty of Salbai
Answer: C) Treaty of Seringapatam
Explanation: The Treaty of Seringapatam (1792) concluded the war.
81. Under the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792), Tipu Sultan had to:
A) Cede half his territory
B) Pay heavy indemnity
C) Give his two sons as hostages
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Tipu lost half his territory, paid 3.5 crore rupees, and gave his sons as hostages.
82. The allies of the British in the Third Anglo-Mysore War were:
A) Marathas and Nizam of Hyderabad
B) Marathas and Awadh
C) Marathas and Shah Alam II
D) Awadh and Hyderabad
Answer: A) Marathas and Nizam of Hyderabad
Explanation: Cornwallis built a triple alliance with Marathas and Nizam against Tipu.
83. Tipu Sultan’s two sons were handed over to Cornwallis as hostages at:
A) Bangalore
B) Madras
C) Seringapatam
D) Mysore
Answer: C) Seringapatam
Explanation: After defeat, Tipu gave his sons as hostages to Cornwallis.
84. Cornwallis is remembered in Mysore history for:
A) His military victories
B) Fair treatment of Tipu’s family after war
C) Harsh policies
D) Annexation of Mysore
Answer: B) Fair treatment of Tipu’s family after war
Explanation: He treated Tipu’s sons with courtesy, earning respect.
85. Cornwallis’ foreign policy can be described as:
A) Expansionist and aggressive
B) Defensive and balance of power-oriented
C) Focused on annexation
D) Isolationist
Answer: B) Defensive and balance of power-oriented
Explanation: His “Ring Fence” policy aimed at protecting Bengal by creating buffer states.
86. Cornwallis returned to India briefly in 1805 to replace:
A) Warren Hastings
B) Lord Wellesley
C) Lord Dalhousie
D) Lord Bentinck
Answer: B) Lord Wellesley
Explanation: He was recalled to undo Wellesley’s aggressive policies.
87. Cornwallis died in India at:
A) Seringapatam
B) Calcutta
C) Ghazipur
D) Ghazipur (while on the way to Banaras)
Answer: D) Ghazipur (while on the way to Banaras)
Explanation: He died at Ghazipur in 1805 and is buried there.
88. Cornwallis’ tomb is located at:
A) Calcutta
B) Banaras
C) Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh
D) Lucknow
Answer: C) Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh
Explanation: His tomb is still preserved in Ghazipur.
89. Cornwallis’ administrative reforms laid the foundation for:
A) Indian National Congress
B) Modern Indian bureaucracy
C) Doctrine of Lapse
D) Indian independence movement
Answer: B) Modern Indian bureaucracy
Explanation: His civil service reforms became the backbone of colonial administration.
90. Cornwallis’ Permanent Settlement created a landed aristocracy similar to:
A) Mughal Mansabdari
B) English Landlord system
C) French Feudal lords
D) Ottoman Timar system
Answer: B) English Landlord system
Explanation: Modeled on English landed aristocracy.
91. Cornwallis is called the father of:
A) Permanent Settlement
B) Indian Civil Service
C) Both A and B
D) Indian Nationalism
Answer: C) Both A and B
Explanation: He is remembered for both Permanent Settlement and ICS reforms.
92. Cornwallis’ police reforms entrusted law and order to:
A) District Collectors
B) Kotwals
C) Zamindars
D) Nawabs
Answer: C) Zamindars
Explanation: Zamindars were made responsible for policing in villages.
93. The biggest drawback of Cornwallis’ civil service reforms was:
A) Excessive expenditure
B) Exclusion of Indians from higher posts
C) Over-reliance on zamindars
D) Ignoring Supreme Court
Answer: B) Exclusion of Indians from higher posts
Explanation: His racial bias barred Indians from high offices.
94. Cornwallis’ administrative system was mainly designed to serve:
A) Indian peasants
B) The Mughal Emperor
C) East India Company’s financial interests
D) Indian middle class
Answer: C) East India Company’s financial interests
Explanation: Stability of Company revenue was the main aim.
95. Cornwallis’ reforms are considered important because:
A) They consolidated Company rule
B) They reduced corruption
C) They provided a stable administrative framework
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: His tenure marked the true beginning of structured British administration.
96. The Treaty of Seringapatam resulted in the British gaining:
A) Half of Mysore’s territory
B) Malabar, Baramahal, Dindigul
C) Both A and B
D) None of the above
Answer: C) Both A and B
Explanation: The British and their allies gained half of Mysore, including Malabar, Baramahal, and Dindigul.
97. Cornwallis’ reforms are often criticized because:
A) Permanent Settlement harmed peasants
B) Indians were excluded from administration
C) Policing was inefficient under zamindars
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: These flaws created long-term rural poverty and inefficiency.
98. Cornwallis was recalled to India in 1805 mainly to:
A) Reverse expansionist policies of Wellesley
B) Conclude the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
C) Negotiate with Tipu Sultan
D) Reform judiciary again
Answer: A) Reverse expansionist policies of Wellesley
Explanation: Britain disliked Wellesley’s costly wars, so Cornwallis was recalled.
99. Cornwallis’ tenure is regarded as a landmark because:
A) He created modern British India’s administrative skeleton
B) He encouraged nationalism
C) He annexed Punjab
D) He abolished slavery
Answer: A) He created modern British India’s administrative skeleton
Explanation: His reforms in revenue, justice, and services shaped future governance.
100. In summary, Cornwallis’ legacy in India can be described as:
A) Builder of British administration but flawed in social vision
B) The most liberal Governor-General
C) Anti-British reformer
D) Father of Indian nationalism
Answer: A) Builder of British administration but flawed in social vision
Explanation: He built the framework of Company rule but entrenched zamindari oppression and racial exclusion.