British Administration – Lord Cornwallis Top 100 MCQs With Answer and Explanation

1. Lord Cornwallis became Governor-General of Bengal in ___________.
A) 1784
B) 1786
C) 1793
D) 1805

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

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

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

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

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

7. Cornwallis’ main administrative code was known as______________.
A) Cornwallis Code
B) Hastings Code
C) Wellesley Code
D) Pitt’s Code

8. The Cornwallis Code was introduced in______________.
A) 1789
B) 1791
C) 1793
D) 1795

9. Cornwallis’ reforms were primarily aimed at______________.
A) Expansionist foreign policy
B) Administrative efficiency and honesty
C) Indian welfare
D) Missionary activity

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

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

12. Cornwallis also served in Britain as______________.
A) Prime Minister
B) Lord Chancellor
C) Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
D) Duke of Marlborough

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

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

15. Cornwallis’ tenure is often called the era of______________.
A) Administrative expansion
B) Systematic administrative reform
C) Missionary activities
D) Indian empowerment

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

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

18. Cornwallis combined judicial, revenue, and police reforms into______________.
A) Cornwallis Code
B) Permanent Settlement
C) Indian Penal Code
D) Macaulay’s Code

19. Cornwallis’ reforms gave Company officials more______________.
A) Military power
B) Administrative autonomy and higher status
C) Business privileges
D) Religious authority

20. Cornwallis’ reforms excluded which class from higher jobs?
A) Europeans
B) Indians
C) Armenians
D) Anglo-Indians

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

22. Cornwallis died in India in______________.
A) 1793
B) 1805
C) 1806
D) 1810

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

24. Cornwallis introduced reforms with the assistance of______________.
A) Edmund Burke
B) John Shore
C) Charles Metcalfe
D) William Bentinck

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

26. Cornwallis’ comprehensive reform package of 1793 is known as______________.
A) Pitt’s Act
B) Cornwallis Code
C) Permanent Settlement
D) Hastings Code

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

28. The Cornwallis Code is divided into______________.
A) Two parts
B) Three parts
C) Four parts
D) Five parts

29. Under Cornwallis’ reforms, higher civil posts were reserved exclusively for______________.
A) Europeans
B) Indians
C) Armenians
D) Anglo-Indians

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

31. Cornwallis is regarded as the father of______________.
A) Indian Penal Code
B) Permanent Settlement
C) Indian Civil Service
D) Doctrine of Lapse

32. In the Cornwallis Code, which branch of service was separated from revenue administration?
A) Police
B) Military
C) Judiciary
D) Customs

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

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

35. The Sadar Diwani Adalat dealt with______________.
A) Civil cases like property and inheritance
B) Criminal trials
C) Religious disputes
D) Trade and commerce

36. The Sadar Faujdari Adalat dealt with______________.
A) Revenue collection
B) Criminal cases like theft and murder
C) Civil disputes
D) Land tenure issues

37. Under Cornwallis, District Courts were headed by______________.
A) Collectors
B) Judges
C) Pundits and Qazis
D) Nawab’s officers

38. Cornwallis’ judicial reforms replaced the Nawab’s criminal jurisdiction with______________.
A) Company-appointed Qazis
B) European judges
C) Collectors
D) Supreme Court judges

39. Cornwallis abolished the office of______________.
A) Nawab of Bengal
B) District Collector
C) Naib Nazim (Deputy Nawab)
D) Kotwal

40. Cornwallis introduced a system where police duties were given to______________.
A) Village headmen
B) Zamindars
C) Kotwals
D) Collectors

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

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

43. Cornwallis prohibited Company officials from______________.
A) Owning land in Bengal
B) Engaging in private trade
C) Marrying Indian women
D) Entering military service

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

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

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

47. Under Cornwallis’ reforms, the Collector was relieved from______________.
A) Judicial functions
B) Revenue functions
C) Police functions
D) Trade functions

48. Cornwallis’ administrative reforms emphasized______________.
A) Expansion of territories
B) Rule of law and accountability
C) Military dominance
D) Return of power to Nawabs

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

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

51. The most important revenue reform of Lord Cornwallis was______________.
A) Ryotwari Settlement
B) Mahalwari Settlement
C) Permanent Settlement
D) Zamindari abolition

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

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

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

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

56. The Permanent Settlement was prepared under the guidance of______________.
A) Edmund Burke
B) John Shore
C) William Jones
D) Charles Metcalfe

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

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

59. The Permanent Settlement was introduced in Bengal in______________.
A) 1786
B) 1790
C) 1793
D) 1800

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)

61. The Permanent Settlement gave zamindars______________.
A) Proprietary rights over land
B) Only revenue-collection rights
C) Military powers
D) Judicial powers

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

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

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

65. Which region saw commercialization of agriculture under Permanent Settlement?
A) Punjab
B) Bengal
C) Bombay
D) Madras

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

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

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

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

70. The alternative system later adopted in Madras and Bombay instead of Permanent Settlement was______________.
A) Zamindari
B) Ryotwari
C) Mahalwari
D) Inam system

71. The alternative system adopted in North-Western Provinces was______________.
A) Zamindari
B) Ryotwari
C) Mahalwari
D) Jagirdari

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

73. One positive result of Permanent Settlement was______________.
A) Stabilized Company revenue
B) Peasants’ prosperity
C) Improved irrigation
D) Industrial growth

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

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

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

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

78. The Third Anglo-Mysore War lasted from______________.
A) 1780–1784
B) 1790–1792
C) 1798–1800
D) 1800–1802

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

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

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

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

83. Tipu Sultan’s two sons were handed over to Cornwallis as hostages at______________.
A) Bangalore
B) Madras
C) Seringapatam
D) Mysore

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

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

86. Cornwallis returned to India briefly in 1805 to replace______________.
A) Warren Hastings
B) Lord Wellesley
C) Lord Dalhousie
D) Lord Bentinck

87. Cornwallis died in India at______________.
A) Seringapatam
B) Calcutta
C) Ghazipur
D) Ghazipur (while on the way to Banaras)

88. Cornwallis’ tomb is located at______________.
A) Calcutta
B) Banaras
C) Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh
D) Lucknow

89. Cornwallis’ administrative reforms laid the foundation for______________.
A) Indian National Congress
B) Modern Indian bureaucracy
C) Doctrine of Lapse
D) Indian independence movement

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

91. Cornwallis is called the father of______________.
A) Permanent Settlement
B) Indian Civil Service
C) Both A and B
D) Indian Nationalism

92. Cornwallis’ police reforms entrusted law and order to______________.
A) District Collectors
B) Kotwals
C) Zamindars
D) Nawabs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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