1. Lord Dalhousie became the Governor-General of India in which year?
A) 1846
B) 1848
C) 1850
D) 1853
Answer: B) 1848
Explanation: Dalhousie succeeded Lord Hardinge as Governor-General in 1848.
2. Lord Dalhousie is most remembered for which controversial policy?
A) Subsidiary Alliance
B) Doctrine of Lapse
C) Dual Government
D) Permanent Settlement
Answer: B) Doctrine of Lapse
Explanation: Introduced by Dalhousie to annex Indian states without a natural heir.
3. Under the Doctrine of Lapse, adopted heirs were?
A) Accepted as legal heirs
B) Not recognized without British approval
C) Recognized unconditionally
D) Allowed only in princely states
Answer: B) Not recognized without British approval
Explanation: The policy rejected adopted heirs, allowing annexation.
4. Which was the first state annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse?
A) Jhansi
B) Nagpur
C) Satara
D) Awadh
Answer: C) Satara
Explanation: Satara was annexed in 1848 under Doctrine of Lapse.
5. Which of the following states was not annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse?
A) Jhansi
B) Satara
C) Punjab
D) Nagpur
Answer: C) Punjab
Explanation: Punjab was annexed after the Second Anglo-Sikh War, not by lapse.
6. Jhansi was annexed in which year by Dalhousie?
A) 1852
B) 1853
C) 1854
D) 1855
Answer: B) 1853
Explanation: Jhansi was annexed in 1853 after rejecting Rani Lakshmibai’s adopted heir.
7. Which state was annexed in 1854 under the Doctrine of Lapse?
A) Awadh
B) Nagpur
C) Satara
D) Sambalpur
Answer: B) Nagpur
Explanation: Nagpur was annexed in 1854 when Bhonsle rulers died without an heir.
8. Sambalpur was annexed by Dalhousie in?
A) 1849
B) 1850
C) 1853
D) 1854
Answer: A) 1849
Explanation: Sambalpur in Odisha was annexed in 1849 under Doctrine of Lapse.
9. The state of Awadh was annexed by Dalhousie on what ground?
A) Doctrine of Lapse
B) Misgovernment
C) Lack of heir
D) Treaty violation
Answer: B) Misgovernment
Explanation: Annexed in 1856, citing maladministration of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.
10. Which ruler of Awadh was deposed by Dalhousie?
A) Asaf-ud-Daula
B) Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar
C) Nasir-ud-Din Haidar
D) Wajid Ali Shah
Answer: D) Wajid Ali Shah
Explanation: He was exiled to Calcutta when Awadh was annexed in 1856.
11. Which annexation by Dalhousie caused widespread resentment and contributed to the Revolt of 1857?
A) Nagpur
B) Awadh
C) Jhansi
D) Satara
Answer: B) Awadh
Explanation: The annexation of Awadh deeply angered sepoys and local elites.
12. Which of the following was annexed by Dalhousie under Doctrine of Lapse?
A) Punjab
B) Mysore
C) Udaipur
D) Satara
Answer: D) Satara
Explanation: Satara was the first state annexed under this doctrine.
13. How many states in total were annexed under Doctrine of Lapse by Dalhousie?
A) 4
B) 5
C) 7
D) 8
Answer: C) 7
Explanation: They were Satara, Jhansi, Sambalpur, Nagpur, Jaitpur, Baghat, and Udaipur (Rajasthan).
14. Punjab was annexed in 1849 after?
A) First Anglo-Sikh War
B) Second Anglo-Sikh War
C) Treaty of Lahore
D) Doctrine of Lapse
Answer: B) Second Anglo-Sikh War
Explanation: Punjab annexed after defeat of Sikhs in 1849.
15. Dalhousie’s annexation of Punjab marked the end of?
A) Mughal rule
B) Maratha rule
C) Sikh rule
D) Rajput rule
Answer: C) Sikh rule
Explanation: Punjab was the last independent Sikh kingdom.
16. Who was the last ruler of Punjab annexed by Dalhousie?
A) Maharaja Ranjit Singh
B) Sher Singh
C) Dalip Singh
D) Hira Singh
Answer: C) Dalip Singh
Explanation: The minor Dalip Singh was pensioned off after annexation.
17. Which of the following annexations was NOT done during Dalhousie’s tenure?
A) Satara
B) Punjab
C) Sindh
D) Jhansi
Answer: C) Sindh
Explanation: Sindh was annexed earlier in 1843 by Lord Ellenborough.
18. Who famously said, “Dalhousie never completed a journey without annexing a territory”?
A) Macaulay
B) Lord Canning
C) Sir Charles Metcalfe
D) Henry Lawrence
Answer: D) Henry Lawrence
Explanation: He remarked on Dalhousie’s aggressive annexationist policies.
19. Which annexation was described as the “death blow to the Nawabi system”?
A) Jhansi
B) Nagpur
C) Awadh
D) Satara
Answer: C) Awadh
Explanation: The annexation of Awadh ended one of the oldest Nawabi dynasties.
20. Dalhousie justified the annexation of Awadh by calling it?
A) “Political necessity”
B) “A measure of administrative reform”
C) “Moral duty of Britain”
D) “An act of kindness”
Answer: C) “Moral duty of Britain”
Explanation: Claimed the people suffered under Nawab’s maladministration.
21. Who among the following Indian leaders opposed annexation of Jhansi?
A) Rani Lakshmibai
B) Tatya Tope
C) Nana Sahib
D) Kunwar Singh
Answer: A) Rani Lakshmibai
Explanation: She opposed British refusal to recognize her adopted son.
22. The annexation of Awadh in 1856 was strongly resented by?
A) Zamindars
B) Soldiers of Bengal Army
C) Peasants
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Annexation disrupted social and economic life, angering all sections.
23. Which annexation by Dalhousie created a large pool of unemployed soldiers, later fueling the Revolt of 1857?
A) Jhansi
B) Satara
C) Awadh
D) Punjab
Answer: C) Awadh
Explanation: Thousands of soldiers lost patronage under Nawab.
24. Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse was criticized as being?
A) A reformist policy
B) An immoral act of aggression
C) A benevolent policy
D) An Indian initiative
Answer: B) An immoral act of aggression
Explanation: Indians saw it as unjust interference in traditions.
25. Which Governor-General’s annexation policy most directly provoked the Revolt of 1857?
A) Wellesley
B) Dalhousie
C) Cornwallis
D) Bentinck
Answer: B) Dalhousie
Explanation: His annexations, especially of Awadh and Jhansi, fueled resentment.
26. Lord Dalhousie is often called the “father” of which modern facility in India?
A) Railways
B) Agriculture
C) Irrigation
D) Industries
Answer: A) Railways
Explanation: Dalhousie laid the foundation of railways in India in 1853 (Bombay–Thane line).
27. The first railway line in India (1853) was between?
A) Calcutta – Howrah
B) Bombay – Thane
C) Madras – Arakkonam
D) Delhi – Agra
Answer: B) Bombay – Thane
Explanation: Inaugurated on 16 April 1853, covering 34 km.
28. The first passenger train in India ran in?
A) 1850
B) 1853
C) 1855
D) 1857
Answer: B) 1853
Explanation: The first train ran on April 16, 1853, under Dalhousie’s rule.
29. Dalhousie’s railway policy aimed mainly at?
A) Cheap passenger movement
B) Military mobility and commercial exploitation
C) Tourism promotion
D) Industrialization of India
Answer: B) Military mobility and commercial exploitation
Explanation: Railways were primarily built for military transport and British trade interests.
30. The first railway company established in India was?
A) Madras Railway Company
B) East Indian Railway Company
C) Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company
D) Indian Railways Company
Answer: C) Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company
Explanation: It operated the Bombay–Thane line in 1853.
31. Which modern communication system was introduced by Dalhousie?
A) Telephone
B) Telegraph
C) Radio
D) Wireless
Answer: B) Telegraph
Explanation: The first telegraph line was laid between Calcutta and Agra in 1853.
32. Who is known as the “Father of Indian Telegraph”?
A) Lord Dalhousie
B) Dr. W. O’Shaughnessy
C) Macaulay
D) Charles Metcalfe
Answer: B) Dr. W. O’Shaughnessy
Explanation: He developed the first telegraph lines in India under Dalhousie.
33. The telegraph line from Calcutta to Agra covered approximately?
A) 500 miles
B) 700 miles
C) 800 miles
D) 1,000 miles
Answer: B) 700 miles
Explanation: A landmark achievement in communications, established in 1853.
34. Dalhousie introduced which reform in the postal system?
A) Post office privatization
B) Uniform postage (postal stamp system)
C) Free telegrams for officials
D) Subsidized parcels for traders
Answer: B) Uniform postage (postal stamp system)
Explanation: Introduced the “universal penny post” model in India.
35. The Indian Postal Act, which modernized postal services under Dalhousie, came in?
A) 1850
B) 1851
C) 1852
D) 1854
Answer: D) 1854
Explanation: Dalhousie reorganized the postal system in 1854.
36. Which irrigation work was completed under Dalhousie?
A) Upper Bari Doab Canal
B) Ganga Canal
C) Krishna Canal
D) Godavari Canal
Answer: B) Ganga Canal
Explanation: Opened in 1854, the Ganga Canal was one of the largest irrigation projects of the time.
37. The Ganga Canal, opened in 1854, was inaugurated by?
A) Lord Dalhousie
B) Lord Canning
C) Lord Hardinge
D) Sir Proby Cautley
Answer: A) Lord Dalhousie
Explanation: Though constructed under Sir Proby Cautley, Dalhousie inaugurated it.
38. Dalhousie’s social reforms included prohibition of?
A) Slavery
B) Female infanticide
C) Widow remarriage
D) Caste system
Answer: B) Female infanticide
Explanation: He took measures against female infanticide and human sacrifice among tribes.
39. Dalhousie took strong measures against which tribal custom?
A) Caste panchayats
B) Human sacrifice among Khonds
C) Polyandry in Himalayas
D) Matriliny in Kerala
Answer: B) Human sacrifice among Khonds
Explanation: He continued the suppression of Khond practices in Odisha.
40. Which law was passed in 1856, just after Dalhousie, but inspired by his reforms?
A) Sati Abolition Act
B) Widow Remarriage Act
C) Infanticide Prohibition Act
D) Press Act
Answer: B) Widow Remarriage Act
Explanation: Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar campaigned for it, passed under Lord Canning, but Dalhousie supported the idea.
41. Which educational institution was established in 1854 during Dalhousie’s rule?
A) Calcutta University
B) Thomason Engineering College, Roorkee
C) Banaras Hindu University
D) Aligarh College
Answer: B) Thomason Engineering College, Roorkee
Explanation: Established in 1847, expanded under Dalhousie for engineering education (later IIT Roorkee).
42. The famous Wood’s Dispatch (1854) was implemented during Dalhousie’s time. Who authored it?
A) Charles Wood
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Thomas Macaulay
D) James Mill
Answer: A) Charles Wood
Explanation: Known as the “Magna Carta of English Education in India.”
43. Wood’s Dispatch (1854) recommended the establishment of?
A) Primary schools only
B) Universities in Presidency towns
C) Technical colleges
D) Private missionary schools
Answer: B) Universities in Presidency towns
Explanation: Recommended universities at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras.
44. Which three universities were founded in 1857 under Wood’s Dispatch?
A) Calcutta, Madras, Bombay
B) Delhi, Allahabad, Madras
C) Banaras, Bombay, Madras
D) Calcutta, Allahabad, Delhi
Answer: A) Calcutta, Madras, Bombay
Explanation: All modeled after the London University system.
45. Wood’s Dispatch (1854) emphasized which principle in education?
A) Vernacular education at primary level
B) English at all levels
C) Exclusive missionary education
D) Free higher education
Answer: A) Vernacular education at primary level
Explanation: Recommended vernacular for elementary education, English for higher studies.
46. Dalhousie promoted technical education mainly for?
A) Indian independence
B) Railway and engineering works
C) Military training
D) Clerical training
Answer: B) Railway and engineering works
Explanation: Institutions like Thomason Engineering College trained engineers for infrastructure.
47. Dalhousie supported which survey to improve scientific knowledge of India?
A) Geological Survey of India
B) Agricultural Survey
C) Census Survey
D) Linguistic Survey of India
Answer: A) Geological Survey of India
Explanation: Set up in 1851 to explore mineral and coal resources.
48. Dalhousie encouraged introduction of which modern means of transport besides railways?
A) Steamships
B) Motor cars
C) Airplanes
D) Tramways
Answer: A) Steamships
Explanation: Promoted steam navigation on rivers and seas for trade and transport.
49. Which canal was considered a major public work and one of the longest in the world during Dalhousie’s time?
A) Ganga Canal
B) Krishna Canal
C) Buckingham Canal
D) Sutlej Canal
Answer: A) Ganga Canal
Explanation: The Ganga Canal, opened in 1854, was 560 km long, irrigating large areas.
50. Dalhousie’s social, educational, and infrastructure reforms are often described as?
A) Humanitarian and modernizing
B) Reactionary
C) Religious and conservative
D) Expansionist only
Answer: A) Humanitarian and modernizing
Explanation: Though criticized for annexations, his reforms modernized India’s communication, transport, and education.
51. The major administrative principle of Lord Dalhousie was?
A) Non-interference in Indian states
B) Centralization of power
C) Provincial autonomy
D) Self-government for Indians
Answer: B) Centralization of power
Explanation: Dalhousie centralized administration and strengthened control from Calcutta.
52. Which act during Dalhousie’s tenure created legislative councils for the first time?
A) Charter Act of 1833
B) Charter Act of 1853
C) Indian Councils Act 1861
D) Regulating Act 1773
Answer: B) Charter Act of 1853
Explanation: The Charter Act 1853 introduced a separate Legislative Council for India.
53. What was the major change introduced by the Charter Act of 1853?
A) End of East India Company’s trading monopoly completely
B) First step towards competitive examinations for civil services
C) Creation of the Indian Penal Code
D) Indian representation in Governor-General’s Council
Answer: B) First step towards competitive examinations for civil services
Explanation: Act of 1853 allowed open competition, breaking the monopoly of Company patronage.
54. The first competitive civil service examination for Indians (in London) was held in?
A) 1853
B) 1855
C) 1858
D) 1859
Answer: D) 1859
Explanation: Though approved under the Charter Act 1853, the first exam was conducted in 1859.
55. Dalhousie appointed which commission to improve the condition of army recruitment and training?
A) Peel Commission
B) Macaulay Commission
C) Dalhousie Commission
D) Southborough Commission
Answer: A) Peel Commission
Explanation: The Peel Commission (1854) restructured military organization.
56. The military reforms of Dalhousie aimed at?
A) Reducing Indian sepoy recruitment
B) Balancing European and Indian troops
C) Abolishing cavalry units
D) Promoting Indian officers
Answer: B) Balancing European and Indian troops
Explanation: He sought to maintain a safe ratio of Europeans to Indian sepoys.
57. Which military training institution was reorganized under Dalhousie?
A) Fort William College
B) Addiscombe Military Seminary
C) Banaras Sanskrit College
D) Aligarh Military Academy
Answer: B) Addiscombe Military Seminary
Explanation: It trained officers for the Company’s army.
58. Dalhousie introduced postal reforms mainly for?
A) Promoting trade
B) Military communication
C) Administrative efficiency and public benefit
D) Missionary propaganda
Answer: C) Administrative efficiency and public benefit
Explanation: Uniform postage made communication affordable and efficient.
59. The Indian Penal Code was drafted during Dalhousie’s tenure by?
A) James Mill
B) Lord Macaulay
C) Charles Wood
D) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Answer: B) Lord Macaulay
Explanation: Drafted by the 1st Law Commission (1834), finalized and introduced under Dalhousie.
60. Dalhousie’s legal reforms were inspired by?
A) English common law
B) French civil code
C) Mughal law
D) Hindu Dharmashastras
Answer: A) English common law
Explanation: His reforms aimed to codify Indian laws on the British model.
61. The establishment of High Courts in India came after Dalhousie, but his groundwork was?
A) Unifying civil and criminal codes
B) Abolishing Supreme Courts
C) Introducing jury system
D) Creating provincial assemblies
Answer: A) Unifying civil and criminal codes
Explanation: His reforms prepared ground for later High Courts under the Indian High Courts Act (1861).
62. Dalhousie merged the Sadar Diwani Adalat and Sadar Nizamat Adalat into?
A) Supreme Court of Calcutta
B) High Court of Calcutta
C) Centralized Sadar Courts
D) Governor-General’s Council
Answer: C) Centralized Sadar Courts
Explanation: He reorganized judicial machinery for efficiency.
63. Dalhousie reformed policing by establishing?
A) Rural chowkidari system
B) Indian Imperial Police Service
C) Armed militias
D) Volunteer police
Answer: A) Rural chowkidari system
Explanation: He improved law and order by formalizing village police (chowkidars).
64. Which province’s administration was reorganized after its annexation by Dalhousie?
A) Sindh
B) Punjab
C) Mysore
D) Bengal
Answer: B) Punjab
Explanation: After 1849 annexation, Board of Administration (Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence, Charles Mansel) was set up.
65. Who headed the Board of Administration in Punjab initially?
A) John Lawrence
B) Henry Lawrence
C) Dalip Singh
D) Robert Bird
Answer: B) Henry Lawrence
Explanation: Dalhousie appointed Henry Lawrence as President of the Punjab Board.
66. Later, who replaced Henry Lawrence in the Punjab administration?
A) John Lawrence
B) Charles Metcalfe
C) James Outram
D) William Sleeman
Answer: A) John Lawrence
Explanation: John Lawrence became the Chief Commissioner after Board was abolished.
67. Dalhousie’s reforms in Punjab included?
A) Land settlement
B) Canal irrigation
C) Revenue reforms
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Punjab became a model province with infrastructure and revenue reforms.
68. Dalhousie reorganized the army by increasing the proportion of?
A) Indian sepoys
B) Cavalry regiments
C) European soldiers
D) Naval recruits
Answer: C) European soldiers
Explanation: To ensure British control and reduce sepoy dominance.
69. Which was the first hill station developed as a military and administrative center by Dalhousie?
A) Simla
B) Dalhousie (in Himachal)
C) Darjeeling
D) Mussoorie
Answer: B) Dalhousie (in Himachal)
Explanation: Founded in 1854, named after him.
70. Dalhousie introduced reforms in the army to ensure?
A) No single community dominated
B) Exclusive European control
C) Exclusive Hindu recruitment
D) Reduction of Sikh soldiers
Answer: A) No single community dominated
Explanation: He mixed castes, regions, and religions to avoid unity in sepoys.
71. Dalhousie’s railway and telegraph reforms also served a military purpose because?
A) They helped rapid troop movement
B) They allowed soldiers to send messages home
C) They reduced cost of weapons
D) They connected only cantonments
Answer: A) They helped rapid troop movement
Explanation: Railways and telegraphs were designed for strategic military mobility.
72. Dalhousie’s financial administration focused on?
A) Retrenchment of military
B) Expansion of trade revenues
C) Introduction of budget system
D) Land settlement only
Answer: C) Introduction of budget system
Explanation: He introduced a budgetary system for financial management.
73. Dalhousie’s reforms in civil services aimed to?
A) Indianize services fully
B) Make services merit-based
C) Limit Indian entry
D) Abolish civil services
Answer: B) Make services merit-based
Explanation: Through open competition (Charter Act 1853).
74. Which historian called Dalhousie’s administrative reforms “the prelude to a modern state in India”?
A) R.C. Dutt
B) K.M. Panikkar
C) Bipin Chandra
D) Jadunath Sarkar
Answer: A) R.C. Dutt
Explanation: He recognized Dalhousie’s role in modern administration.
75. The overall nature of Dalhousie’s administrative and military reforms can be summed up as?
A) Expansionist only
B) Centralizing and modernizing
C) Conservative and orthodox
D) Liberal and democratic
Answer: B) Centralizing and modernizing
Explanation: His reforms aimed at centralization, efficiency, and military strength.
76. Lord Dalhousie is often described as?
A) The “Great Reformer”
B) The “Great Annexer”
C) The “Economist”
D) The “Liberal Viceroy”
Answer: B) The “Great Annexer”
Explanation: Due to his aggressive annexation policies and Doctrine of Lapse.
77. Which of the following reforms is NOT associated with Dalhousie?
A) Introduction of railways
B) Widow Remarriage Act 1856
C) Introduction of telegraph
D) Postal reforms
Answer: B) Widow Remarriage Act 1856
Explanation: Passed under Lord Canning, though Dalhousie supported the idea.
78. Dalhousie’s annexation of which state created the greatest discontent among sepoys of the Bengal Army?
A) Jhansi
B) Punjab
C) Awadh
D) Satara
Answer: C) Awadh
Explanation: Annexed in 1856; sepoys felt betrayed as they were from Awadh.
79. Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse violated which Indian tradition?
A) Widow remarriage
B) Adoption rights of rulers
C) Caste-based laws
D) Religious pilgrimages
Answer: B) Adoption rights of rulers
Explanation: Indian rulers traditionally adopted heirs; British rejected this.
80. Which modern infrastructure introduced by Dalhousie had the most long-lasting impact?
A) Railways
B) Telegraphs
C) Postal system
D) Irrigation canals
Answer: A) Railways
Explanation: Railways transformed India’s economy, society, and politics.
81. Which of the following annexations by Dalhousie most directly pushed Rani Lakshmibai into rebellion?
A) Satara
B) Jhansi
C) Nagpur
D) Sambalpur
Answer: B) Jhansi
Explanation: Jhansi annexed under Doctrine of Lapse in 1853, leading to her participation in 1857 revolt.
82. Dalhousie’s educational reforms are closely associated with?
A) Charter Act of 1833
B) Hunter Commission
C) Wood’s Dispatch 1854
D) Indian Universities Act 1904
Answer: C) Wood’s Dispatch 1854
Explanation: It is called the “Magna Carta of English Education in India.”
83. The universities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were founded in?
A) 1854
B) 1857
C) 1861
D) 1882
Answer: B) 1857
Explanation: Established as per Wood’s Dispatch recommendations.
84. Dalhousie believed that railways in India would?
A) Strengthen Indian economy
B) Encourage industrialization
C) Strengthen British control (military + commerce)
D) Help peasants directly
Answer: C) Strengthen British control (military + commerce)
Explanation: Railways ensured troop movement and raw material transport.
85. Dalhousie’s legacy in irrigation is tied to?
A) Buckingham Canal
B) Ganga Canal
C) Sutlej Canal
D) Krishna Canal
Answer: B) Ganga Canal
Explanation: Inaugurated in 1854; one of the largest in the world then.
86. Who called Dalhousie’s annexation of Awadh “a grave political blunder”?
A) R.C. Dutt
B) Lord Canning
C) Charles Metcalfe
D) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Answer: D) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Explanation: He strongly criticized the annexation of Awadh.
87. Which of Dalhousie’s reforms was hailed as a “boon to common people”?
A) Railways
B) Telegraph
C) Uniform postal system
D) Doctrine of Lapse
Answer: C) Uniform postal system
Explanation: Cheap, uniform postage improved communication.
88. Dalhousie’s modernization programme is often compared to?
A) Akbar’s reforms
B) Cornwallis Code
C) Bentinck’s humanitarian reforms
D) Industrial Revolution in Britain
Answer: D) Industrial Revolution in Britain
Explanation: His railways, telegraph, and postal reforms resembled industrial transformation.
89. The annexation of Awadh in 1856 was justified by Dalhousie as?
A) “Doctrine of Lapse”
B) “Act of justice for people’s welfare”
C) “Treaty violation”
D) “Punishment for rebellion”
Answer: B) “Act of justice for people’s welfare”
Explanation: Claimed Nawab’s misrule justified British intervention.
90. Which of Dalhousie’s policies sowed seeds of Indian nationalism indirectly?
A) Railways and telegraph
B) Doctrine of Lapse
C) Annexation of Awadh
D) Wood’s Dispatch
Answer: A) Railways and telegraph
Explanation: Helped connect people and ideas, aiding nationalist movements.
91. Who called Dalhousie’s educational reforms “a decisive step in the making of modern India”?
A) R.C. Dutt
B) Dadabhai Naoroji
C) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
D) Bipin Chandra
Answer: A) R.C. Dutt
Explanation: Recognized the long-term impact of Wood’s Dispatch.
92. Dalhousie’s administrative reforms aimed primarily at?
A) Decentralization
B) Strengthening British central control
C) Giving Indians representation
D) Reducing army expenses
Answer: B) Strengthening British central control
Explanation: He believed in a strong centralized state.
93. Why is Dalhousie sometimes criticized as a short-sighted administrator?
A) He ignored British trade
B) His aggressive annexations caused resentment leading to 1857 revolt
C) He neglected infrastructure
D) He did not promote education
Answer: B) His aggressive annexations caused resentment leading to 1857 revolt
Explanation: Annexations of Awadh, Jhansi, Nagpur, etc., fueled rebellion.
94. Who described Dalhousie as “the founder of modern India”?
A) Charles Metcalfe
B) Lord Curzon
C) Sir John Kaye
D) R.C. Dutt
Answer: C) Sir John Kaye
Explanation: He highlighted Dalhousie’s modernization efforts.
95. Dalhousie’s reforms in Punjab made it known as?
A) A backward province
B) A model province
C) A rebellious province
D) A poor province
Answer: B) A model province
Explanation: Reforms in irrigation, revenue, and policing transformed Punjab.
96. Dalhousie’s annexations were opposed even in Britain because?
A) They reduced trade
B) They were seen as immoral and unjust
C) They drained treasury
D) They weakened the army
Answer: B) They were seen as immoral and unjust
Explanation: Critics in British Parliament and press opposed his high-handedness.
97. Dalhousie’s introduction of modern postal services in 1854 was modeled on?
A) French system
B) British uniform penny postage system
C) American system
D) Mughal postal system
Answer: B) British uniform penny postage system
Explanation: Adopted for affordability and efficiency.
98. Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse was abolished by?
A) Lord Canning
B) Queen Victoria’s Proclamation 1858
C) Lord Mayo
D) Indian Councils Act 1861
Answer: B) Queen Victoria’s Proclamation 1858
Explanation: The Crown assured Indian princes their rights of adoption.
99. Dalhousie’s overall legacy can be summarized as?
A) Purely expansionist and destructive
B) Reformist, modernizing but politically short-sighted
C) Conservative and orthodox
D) Liberal and democratic
Answer: B) Reformist, modernizing but politically short-sighted
Explanation: His modernization efforts were remarkable, but annexations caused resentment.
100. Which of the following best explains Dalhousie’s role in Indian history?
A) He was a conqueror without reforms
B) He was a reformer without vision
C) He was both a modernizer and an annexationist
D) He was only interested in trade
Answer: C) He was both a modernizer and an annexationist
Explanation: Dalhousie’s dual legacy: modernization of infrastructure and aggressive expansion.