Portuguese in India
1. The first European to discover a direct sea route to India was?
A) Bartholomew Diaz
B) Vasco da Gama
C) Columbus
D) Cabral
Answer: B) Vasco da Gama
Explanation: Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498, establishing direct maritime contact between Europe and India.
2. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498 during the reign of?
A) Zamorin of Calicut
B) Raja of Cochin
C) Tipu Sultan
D) Vijayanagara ruler
Answer: A) Zamorin of Calicut
Explanation: He received Vasco da Gama but did not give him monopoly rights.
3. The Portuguese built their first fort in India at?
A) Calicut
B) Cochin
C) Goa
D) Surat
Answer: B) Cochin
Explanation: In 1503, the Portuguese constructed Fort Manuel at Cochin.
4. The Portuguese captured Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in?
A) 1505
B) 1510
C) 1526
D) 1530
Answer: B) 1510
Explanation: Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from Yusuf Adil Shah; later it became the Portuguese capital in India.
5. The first Portuguese Governor of India was?
A) Vasco da Gama
B) Almeida
C) Albuquerque
D) Cabral
Answer: B) Almeida
Explanation: Almeida was appointed in 1505, introducing the Blue Water Policy (control of seas).
6. The “Blue Water Policy” is associated with?
A) Albuquerque
B) Almeida
C) Cabral
D) Xavier
Answer: B) Almeida
Explanation: His policy focused on naval supremacy over building territorial empire.
7. The real founder of Portuguese power in India was?
A) Almeida
B) Albuquerque
C) Cabral
D) Xavier
Answer: B) Albuquerque
Explanation: Known for his aggressive expansion, capturing Goa (1510) and Malacca (1511).
8. The first European to arrive at Goa was?
A) Albuquerque
B) Almeida
C) Vasco da Gama
D) Bartholomew Diaz
Answer: A) Albuquerque
Explanation: He conquered Goa in 1510, making it the Portuguese headquarters.
9. Which European power introduced tobacco, potatoes, and chilies into India?
A) Dutch
B) Portuguese
C) English
D) French
Answer: B) Portuguese
Explanation: They introduced many crops and food items into India’s culture.
10. The first printing press in India was set up by?
A) Portuguese at Goa
B) Dutch at Pulicat
C) British at Surat
D) French at Pondicherry
Answer: A) Portuguese at Goa
Explanation: Introduced in 1556, it marked the beginning of printing in India.
11. The Portuguese missionary who popularized Christianity in South India was?
A) Saint Thomas
B) Francis Xavier
C) Cabral
D) Ignatius Loyola
Answer: B) Francis Xavier
Explanation: Jesuit missionary, co-founder of the Society of Jesus, worked in Goa & Kerala.
12. The Portuguese lost their monopoly in India mainly due to?
A) Mughal opposition
B) Competition from Dutch and English
C) Lack of naval power
D) Financial mismanagement
Answer: B) Competition from Dutch and English
Explanation: Superior naval and commercial strategies of Dutch & English displaced them.
Dutch in India
13. The Dutch East India Company was established in?
A) 1592
B) 1602
C) 1608
D) 1612
Answer: B) 1602
Explanation: Known as VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie), headquartered at Amsterdam.
14. The first Dutch factory in India was set up at?
A) Surat
B) Masulipatnam
C) Pulicat
D) Nagapattinam
Answer: B) Masulipatnam
Explanation: Dutch opened their first factory at Masulipatnam in 1605.
15. The Dutch made Pulicat their main headquarters in India, later shifting to?
A) Surat
B) Madras
C) Nagapattinam
D) Cochin
Answer: C) Nagapattinam
Explanation: Pulicat (1609) was their HQ, later moved to Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu).
16. The Dutch were defeated by the English in India at?
A) Buxar
B) Masulipatnam
C) Pulicat
D) Battle of Baleshwar (Hooghly)
Answer: D) Battle of Baleshwar (Hooghly)
Explanation: In 1759, the English defeated the Dutch, ending their ambitions in India.
17. The Dutch monopoly was strongest in which trade?
A) Textiles
B) Spices
C) Indigo
D) Silk
Answer: B) Spices
Explanation: They dominated the spice trade from Malabar and Indonesia.
18. The Dutch were finally expelled from India by?
A) Portuguese
B) British
C) French
D) Marathas
Answer: B) British
Explanation: After their defeat at Hooghly in 1759, Dutch control in India declined.
Danish in India
19. The Danes established their first settlement in India at?
A) Masulipatnam
B) Calicut
C) Tranquebar
D) Goa
Answer: C) Tranquebar
Explanation: In 1620, Danes set up base at Tranquebar (Tamil Nadu).
20. The Danes established another settlement at?
A) Serampore (Bengal)
B) Surat
C) Nagapattinam
D) Pulicat
Answer: A) Serampore (Bengal)
Explanation: Important Danish settlement and trade center in Bengal.
21. The Danes sold all their Indian settlements to the British in?
A) 1757
B) 1818
C) 1845
D) 1858
Answer: C) 1845
Explanation: They sold Tranquebar and Serampore to the British East India Company.
Applied / Exam-Oriented
22. Which European power was the first to arrive in India and the last to leave?A) Dutch
B) Portuguese
C) French
D) Danish
Answer: B) Portuguese
Explanation: Arrived in 1498 (Vasco da Gama) and left only in 1961 (Goa liberated).
23. Which Portuguese explorer first reached Brazil before coming to India?
A) Vasco da Gama
B) Pedro Alvarez Cabral
C) Albuquerque
D) Almeida
Answer: B) Pedro Alvarez Cabral
Explanation: Reached Brazil in 1500, then came to Calicut with a fleet.
24. Which was the first European power to set up a factory in India?
A) Portuguese at Cochin
B) Dutch at Pulicat
C) English at Surat
D) French at Pondicherry
Answer: A) Portuguese at Cochin
Explanation: They built their first fort and factory in 1503.
25. The Portuguese introduced which of the following crops into India?
A) Potato, tomato, chili, tobacco, pineapple
B) Rice, wheat, barley, sugarcane
C) Coffee, cotton, indigo
D) Tea, opium
Answer: A) Potato, tomato, chili, tobacco, pineapple
Explanation: Many new crops entered Indian diet due to Portuguese trade.
British East India Company
26. The British East India Company was established in England in?
A) 1595
B) 1600
C) 1608
D) 1612
Answer: B) 1600
Explanation: Established by Queen Elizabeth I through a royal charter on 31 December 1600.
27. The first English factory in India was established at?
A) Surat
B) Masulipatnam
C) Calcutta
D) Bombay
Answer: A) Surat
Explanation: In 1613, after obtaining permission from Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
28. The English East India Company got a royal farman for trade in Bengal in 1717 from?
A) Aurangzeb
B) Farrukhsiyar
C) Bahadur Shah I
D) Shah Alam II
Answer: B) Farrukhsiyar
Explanation: This farman gave the British duty-free trade rights in Bengal.
29. The English acquired Bombay from?
A) Portuguese
B) Dutch
C) French
D) Danes
Answer: A) Portuguese
Explanation: Given as dowry to Charles II in 1661, leased to the Company in 1668.
30. The English shifted their headquarters from Surat to Bombay in?
A) 1650
B) 1668
C) 1687
D) 1690
Answer: C) 1687
Explanation: Bombay became the Company’s Western Presidency headquarters.
31. The British East India Company established Fort William at Calcutta in?
A) 1650
B) 1690
C) 1696
D) 1700
Answer: D) 1700
Explanation: It became their Eastern Presidency headquarters in Bengal.
French East India Company
32. The French East India Company was established in?
A) 1600
B) 1616
C) 1664
D) 1670
Answer: C) 1664
Explanation: Founded under Colbert during Louis XIV’s reign.
33. The first French factory in India was set up at?
A) Surat
B) Masulipatnam
C) Pondicherry
D) Chandernagore
Answer: B) Masulipatnam
Explanation: Opened in 1668; later they expanded to Pondicherry (1674).
34. The headquarters of the French in India was at?
A) Surat
B) Pondicherry
C) Chandernagore
D) Mahe
Answer: B) Pondicherry
Explanation: Pondicherry (1674) became the French capital in India.
35. The main rival of the French in India during the 18th century was?
A) Portuguese
B) Dutch
C) British
D) Danes
Answer: C) British
Explanation: Both competed for political supremacy in south India.
Carnatic Wars (1746–1763)
36. The First Carnatic War (1746–48) was fought between?
A) British and Portuguese
B) British and French
C) French and Dutch
D) Mughals and French
Answer: B) British and French
Explanation: An extension of the War of Austrian Succession in Europe.
37. The First Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of?
A) Madras
B) Paris
C) Aix-la-Chapelle
D) Salbai
Answer: C) Aix-la-Chapelle
Explanation: Signed in 1748, restoring captured territories.
38. The Second Carnatic War (1749–54) was fought mainly over?
A) Control of Bengal
B) Succession disputes in Hyderabad and Carnatic
C) Portuguese territories
D) Dutch spice monopoly
Answer: B) Succession disputes in Hyderabad and Carnatic
Explanation: British and French supported rival claimants.
39. The decisive battle of the Second Carnatic War was?
A) Battle of Wandiwash
B) Battle of Ambur
C) Battle of Arcot
D) Battle of Plassey
Answer: C) Battle of Arcot (1751)
Explanation: Robert Clive’s defense of Arcot turned the tide in favor of the British.
40. The Second Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of?
A) Madras (1754)
B) Aix-la-Chapelle
C) Salbai
D) Paris
Answer: A) Madras (1754)
Explanation: Confirmed British influence in south India.
41. The Third Carnatic War (1758–63) was fought between?
A) French and Portuguese
B) British and French
C) British and Dutch
D) Mughals and French
Answer: B) British and French
Explanation: Linked to the Seven Years’ War in Europe.
42. The decisive battle of the Third Carnatic War was?
A) Arcot
B) Wandiwash (1760)
C) Buxar
D) Ambur
Answer: B) Wandiwash (1760)
Explanation: Sir Eyre Coote defeated French commander Lally.
43. The Third Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of?
A) Paris (1763)
B) Madras
C) Aix-la-Chapelle
D) Salbai
Answer: A) Paris (1763)
Explanation: French lost political influence, retaining only trading posts.
44. The French commander defeated at Wandiwash was?
A) Dupleix
B) Lally
C) Bussy
D) Labourdonnais
Answer: B) Lally
Explanation: Count de Lally was decisively defeated by Eyre Coote.
45. The French Governor-General who played a leading role in early Carnatic Wars was?
A) Dupleix
B) Bussy
C) Lally
D) Labourdonnais
Answer: A) Dupleix
Explanation: Dupleix tried to establish French political power in India.
46. The main significance of the Carnatic Wars was?
A) Portuguese supremacy
B) British supremacy over French in India
C) Dutch return to power
D) Rise of Danish trade
Answer: B) British supremacy over French in India
Explanation: French confined to trading, British emerged politically dominant.
Applied/Exam-Oriented
47. The British East India Company got Bombay as dowry in the marriage between?
A) Charles I and Portuguese princess
B) Charles II and Catherine of Braganza
C) James II and French princess
D) Henry VIII and Spanish princess
Answer: B) Charles II and Catherine of Braganza
Explanation: The Portuguese gave Bombay as dowry in 1661.
48. The French factory at Chandernagore was located in present-day?
A) Odisha
B) Bengal
C) Maharashtra
D) Kerala
Answer: B) Bengal
Explanation: Chandernagore was a key French trading post in Bengal.
49. The Battle of Wandiwash (1760) marked?
A) End of Dutch trade
B) Final defeat of French ambitions in India
C) Start of British rule in Bengal
D) Victory of Mysore over British
Answer: B) Final defeat of French ambitions in India
Explanation: After this, French lost political control, remaining only as traders.
50. After the Carnatic Wars, the French were allowed to retain?
A) Pondicherry, Mahe, Karaikal, Chandernagore
B) Only Pondicherry
C) All territories in India
D) None
Answer: A) Pondicherry, Mahe, Karaikal, Chandernagore
Explanation: They were permitted to keep settlements but without political power.
British Expansion in Bengal
51. The Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between?
A) British and French
B) British and Siraj-ud-Daulah of Bengal
C) British and Mir Qasim
D) British and Hyder Ali
Answer: B) British and Siraj-ud-Daulah of Bengal
Explanation: Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah with the betrayal of Mir Jafar, marking the foundation of British political rule.
52. The main reason for the British victory at Plassey was?
A) British superior army
B) Betrayal by Mir Jafar and Jagat Seth
C) French withdrawal
D) Mughal weakness
Answer: B) Betrayal by Mir Jafar and Jagat Seth
Explanation: Siraj-ud-Daulah’s commanders defected, ensuring British victory.
53. The Battle of Buxar (1764) was fought between the British and?
A) Siraj-ud-Daulah, French, and Marathas
B) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah, Shah Alam II
C) Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and Nizam
D) Dutch and Nawab of Bengal
Answer: B) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah, Shah Alam II
Explanation: The British under Hector Munro defeated this combined alliance.
54. The Battle of Buxar (1764) is considered more important than Plassey because?
A) It ended French influence
B) It gave the British Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa
C) It annexed Awadh directly
D) It introduced Subsidiary Alliance
Answer: B) It gave the British Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa
Explanation: Treaty of Allahabad (1765) granted revenue collection rights.
55. The dual government in Bengal (1765–72) meant?
A) Nawab ruled administration, British controlled revenue
B) British ruled both directly
C) Mughal ruled revenue, British ruled administration
D) Joint Mughal-British control
Answer: A) Nawab ruled administration, British controlled revenue
Explanation: Led to misrule and famines until abolished by Warren Hastings.
Mysore Wars
56. The Anglo-Mysore Wars were fought mainly between the British and?
A) Haidar Ali & Tipu Sultan
B) Marathas
C) French
D) Nizam of Hyderabad
Answer: A) Haidar Ali & Tipu Sultan
Explanation: Four wars fought (1767–99), Mysore allied at times with French.
57. The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–69) ended with?
A) Treaty of Madras
B) Treaty of Srirangapatna
C) Treaty of Mangalore
D) Treaty of Allahabad
Answer: A) Treaty of Madras (1769)
Explanation: Restored conquered territories, acknowledged Haidar Ali’s power.
58. In the Second Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu Sultan defeated the British at?
A) Wandiwash
B) Pollilur
C) Plassey
D) Buxar
Answer: B) Pollilur (1780)
Explanation: One of the worst British defeats in India.
59. The Second Anglo-Mysore War ended with?
A) Treaty of Seringapatam (1792)
B) Treaty of Mangalore (1784)
C) Treaty of Madras
D) Treaty of Paris
Answer: B) Treaty of Mangalore (1784)
Explanation: Restored status quo between Tipu and British.
60. The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–92) ended with?
A) Treaty of Madras
B) Treaty of Mangalore
C) Treaty of Seringapatam
D) Treaty of Allahabad
Answer: C) Treaty of Seringapatam (1792)
Explanation: Tipu ceded half of his territory to British, Nizam, and Marathas.
61. Tipu Sultan died fighting in?
A) First Anglo-Mysore War
B) Second Anglo-Mysore War
C) Third Anglo-Mysore War
D) Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
Answer: D) Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)
Explanation: He was killed defending Seringapatam against British under Wellesley.
Maratha Wars
62. The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82) ended with?
A) Treaty of Purandar
B) Treaty of Salbai
C) Treaty of Bassein
D) Treaty of Poona
Answer: B) Treaty of Salbai (1782)
Explanation: Restored status quo; British recognized Madhavrao II as Peshwa.
63. The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05) resulted in?
A) British defeat
B) British conquest of large Maratha territories
C) Restoration of Peshwa
D) Alliance with Mysore
Answer: B) British conquest of large Maratha territories
Explanation: British won at Assaye, Laswari; gained Doab, Delhi, Bundelkhand.
64. The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–19) led to?
A) Maratha supremacy
B) End of Mughal Empire
C) End of Maratha Confederacy
D) Treaty of Salbai
Answer: C) End of Maratha Confederacy
Explanation: Peshwa Baji Rao II was pensioned off; British annexed his territories.
65. The British official who led in the Battle of Assaye (1803) was?
A) Robert Clive
B) Arthur Wellesley
C) Warren Hastings
D) Eyre Coote
Answer: B) Arthur Wellesley
Explanation: Later became Duke of Wellington, victor of Waterloo.
Subsidiary Alliance & Expansion
66. The Subsidiary Alliance system was introduced by?
A) Robert Clive
B) Warren Hastings
C) Lord Wellesley
D) Cornwallis
Answer: C) Lord Wellesley
Explanation: Introduced in 1798, forced Indian rulers to accept British troops at their cost.
67. The first Indian state to accept Subsidiary Alliance was?
A) Hyderabad
B) Mysore
C) Awadh
D) Gwalior
Answer: A) Hyderabad (1798)
Explanation: Nizam of Hyderabad was the first to sign.
68. Awadh was forced into Subsidiary Alliance in?
A) 1765
B) 1798
C) 1801
D) 1817
Answer: C) 1801
Explanation: Lord Wellesley imposed the alliance on Awadh.
69. The Maratha state forced into Subsidiary Alliance after Treaty of Bassein (1802) was?
A) Holkar
B) Scindia
C) Gaekwad
D) Peshwa Baji Rao II
Answer: D) Peshwa Baji Rao II
Explanation: Treaty of Bassein (1802) brought Peshwa under British control.
70. The Doctrine of Lapse was later introduced by?
A) Wellesley
B) Cornwallis
C) Dalhousie
D) Hastings
Answer: C) Dalhousie
Explanation: Annexed states without natural heirs into British dominion.
Applied/Exam-Oriented
71. The Treaty of Allahabad (1765) was signed between?
A) British and Tipu Sultan
B) British and Mughal Shah Alam II + Shuja-ud-Daulah
C) British and Peshwa
D) British and Dupleix
Answer: B) British and Mughal Shah Alam II + Shuja-ud-Daulah
Explanation: Recognized British as Diwan of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa.
72. The Battle of Pollilur (1780) is famous because?
A) British won against Tipu Sultan
B) Tipu inflicted crushing defeat on the British
C) French defeated British
D) Marathas defeated British
Answer: B) Tipu inflicted crushing defeat on the British
Explanation: Worst British defeat in the Anglo-Mysore Wars.
73. The Treaty of Bassein (1802) was signed between?
A) British and Scindia
B) British and Peshwa Baji Rao II
C) British and Holkar
D) British and Gaekwad
Answer: B) British and Peshwa Baji Rao II
Explanation: Brought the Peshwa under British control, provoking the Second Maratha War.
74. The defeat of Marathas in the Third Anglo-Maratha War marked the rise of?
A) Portuguese rule
B) British paramountcy in India
C) Mughal resurgence
D) Sikh Empire
Answer: B) British paramountcy in India
Explanation: After 1819, no Indian power could challenge British supremacy.
75. Who called the Treaty of Bassein (1802) “a nail in the coffin of Maratha independence”?
A) Lord Cornwallis
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Lord Hastings
D) Lord Wellesley
Answer: D) Lord Wellesley
Explanation: The treaty reduced the Marathas to dependent allies.
Economic Impact
76. The main economic motive of European powers in India was?
A) Spreading religion
B) Trade and commerce
C) Scientific research
D) Political alliance
Answer: B) Trade and commerce
Explanation: All Europeans came primarily for profitable trade in spices, textiles, and later raw materials.
77. The British East India Company transformed itself from a trading company into a political power after?
A) Battle of Plassey (1757)
B) Battle of Buxar (1764)
C) Treaty of Allahabad (1765)
D) Carnatic Wars
Answer: A) Battle of Plassey (1757)
Explanation: Marked the beginning of territorial control in Bengal.
78. The most profitable Indian export for Europeans in the 17th century was?
A) Rice
B) Indian textiles (calico, muslin, chintz)
C) Indigo
D) Tea
Answer: B) Indian textiles (calico, muslin, chintz)
Explanation: Bengal and Coromandel textiles dominated European markets.
79. The “Drain of Wealth” theory was later popularized by?
A) Dadabhai Naoroji
B) R.C. Dutt
C) M.G. Ranade
D) Tilak
Answer: A) Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation: He argued India’s wealth was drained to Britain via unfair trade and taxes.
80. The Europeans disrupted India’s traditional industries mainly by?
A) Heavy taxation
B) Flooding markets with cheap machine-made goods
C) Land reforms
D) Religious conversions
Answer: B) Flooding markets with cheap machine-made goods
Explanation: Industrial Revolution in Britain destroyed India’s handicrafts and textile industries.
Political Impact
81. The decline of Mughal Empire coincided with?
A) Rise of European powers
B) Maratha Confederacy
C) Invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Political fragmentation opened space for European expansion.
82. The Battle of Wandiwash (1760) ensured British supremacy by?
A) Defeating the Dutch
B) Defeating the French
C) Defeating Mysore
D) Defeating Mughals
Answer: B) Defeating the French
Explanation: Ended French political ambitions, confined them to trading posts.
83. The main reason Europeans could establish power in India was?
A) Unity among Indian rulers
B) Weakness and disunity of Indian states
C) Mughal strength
D) Indian naval supremacy
Answer: B) Weakness and disunity of Indian states
Explanation: Fragmentation allowed Europeans to exploit rivalries.
84. Which system gave the British direct control over revenue in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa?
A) Dual government
B) Permanent Settlement
C) Diwani rights
D) Ryotwari
Answer: C) Diwani rights
Explanation: Granted by Treaty of Allahabad (1765).
85. The Subsidiary Alliance system primarily aimed at?
A) Revenue reform
B) Political subordination of Indian states
C) Agricultural expansion
D) Trade monopoly
Answer: B) Political subordination of Indian states
Explanation: States lost independence, forced to maintain British troops at their cost.
Social & Cultural Impact
86. The Europeans introduced which printing technology in India?
A) Stone printing
B) Movable type printing press
C) Lithography only
D) None
Answer: B) Movable type printing press
Explanation: First introduced by Portuguese at Goa in 1556.
87. Which European missionaries were most active in converting locals to Christianity?
A) Dutch Calvinists
B) Portuguese Jesuits
C) French Dominicans
D) Danish Protestants
Answer: B) Portuguese Jesuits
Explanation: Francis Xavier and others spread Christianity in Goa, Kerala.
88. European arrival indirectly led to?
A) Decline of caste system
B) Rise of modern education
C) New crops and food items
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Europeans introduced new crops, schools, and later social reform impulses.
89. The introduction of English education in India was formalized by?
A) Macaulay’s Minute (1835)
B) Hunter Commission (1882)
C) Wood’s Despatch (1854)
D) Charter Act of 1813
Answer: A) Macaulay’s Minute (1835)
Explanation: Advocated promotion of English education.
90. The Europeans’ biggest social-cultural legacy in India was?
A) Spread of Islam
B) Indo-European composite culture
C) Introduction of modern science and education
D) Decline of Sanskrit
Answer: C) Introduction of modern science and education
Explanation: Western education, rationalism, and reforms influenced Indian society.
Applied / Exam-Oriented Questions
91. Which European power controlled Goa till 1961?
A) Portuguese
B) Dutch
C) British
D) French
Answer: A) Portuguese
Explanation: India annexed Goa from Portuguese in 1961 (Operation Vijay).
92. Which European power was the last to leave India?
A) French
B) Portuguese
C) Danish
D) Dutch
Answer: B) Portuguese
Explanation: Left only in 1961, while others left in 18th–19th centuries.
93. The British gained Diwani rights in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa after?
A) Plassey
B) Buxar
C) Treaty of Paris
D) Treaty of Madras
Answer: B) Buxar
Explanation: 1764 victory and Treaty of Allahabad (1765) granted Diwani rights.
94. Which European introduced the word “Hindustan” widely through chronicles?
A) Dutch
B) Portuguese
C) British
D) French
Answer: C) British
Explanation: British officials and historians popularized “Hindustan” as India.
95. Which Indian ruler sought French help to modernize his army against the British?
A) Siraj-ud-Daulah
B) Tipu Sultan
C) Maratha Peshwa
D) Ranjit Singh
Answer: B) Tipu Sultan
Explanation: He maintained French alliance till his death in 1799.
96. Which European traveler called Bengal “the paradise of nations”?
A) Francois Bernier (French)
B) Duarte Barbosa (Portuguese)
C) Niccolao Manucci (Italian)
D) Tavernier (French)
Answer: A) Francois Bernier
Explanation: He praised Bengal’s fertility and prosperity.
97. Who said the Treaty of Bassein (1802) was “a nail in the coffin of Maratha independence”?
A) Cornwallis
B) Dalhousie
C) Wellesley
D) Hastings
Answer: C) Wellesley
Explanation: Subsidiary Alliance weakened Maratha confederacy fatally.
98. The European power whose impact on Indian architecture is seen in Indo-Portuguese churches of Goa was?
A) Dutch
B) Portuguese
C) British
D) French
Answer: B) Portuguese
Explanation: Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral are UNESCO heritage sites.
99. The lasting political impact of Europeans in India was?
A) Unity of India under one power
B) Decline of regional languages
C) Expansion of Mughal Empire
D) Revival of caste system
Answer: A) Unity of India under one power
Explanation: For the first time, India was brought under a single colonial administration.
100. The overall impact of European arrival in India was?
A) Fall of indigenous industries
B) Colonial exploitation
C) Cultural synthesis and modernization
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Europe’s entry led to political subjugation, economic drain, but also new ideas of modernity.