1. Bombay emerged as a leading port on the western coast on acc-ount of its—
(A) Immunity from Maratha invasions
(B) Natural harbour
(C) Improved administration
(D) All of the above

2. Name the state which granted the ‘Golden Farman’ to Holland to trade freely on payment of 500 ‘PAGODAS’ a year as duty was—
(A) Golcunda
(B) Bijapur
(C) Berar
(D) Ahmadnagar

3. Which of the following was not the Dutch factory on the Coromondel coast—
(A) Porto Novo
(B) Sadraspatam
(C) Ngalwanche
(D) Masulipatam

4. Which Portuguese Governor decisively defeated the Bijapur forces which advanced againt Goa ?
(A) Albuquerque
(B) Almeida
(C) Cabral
(D) Joa de Castro

5. Name the son of the great Protuguese Governor, who supp-lemented the letters of his father—
(A) Bras de Albuquerque
(B) Bras de Almeida
(C) Bras de Cabral
(D) Bras de Lapo soares

6. Which Mughal emperor conqu-ered Golcunda to mark the decline of the Dutch Coromandel Government—
(A) Jahangir
(B) Shahjahan
(C) Aurangzeb
(D) Farrukhsiyar

7. The Dutch Christened the fact-ory at Pulicat as St. Geldria, in honour of—
(A) Van Berchem, the director general of the Coromandel factories
(B) Daniel Havart, the author of the account of Dutch factories on the Coromondel coast
(C) Van Reede, the in charge of the Coromandel Governm-ent
(D) Van Coen, the Governor General of Batavia

8. The immediate aim of the English East India Company est-ablished in 1600 was—
(A) To exploit the Indian coasts
(B) The acquisition of the spices and pepper of the Eastern archipelago
(C) To trade in Muslin and textiles
(D) None of them

9. Name of Governor of Bombay who is regarded as the true founder of Bombay’s greatness ?
(A) Ropt
(B) Sir John Child
(C) Gerald Aungier
(D) Job Charnock

10. The Bengal presidency was constituted in 1700; who became its first President—
(A) Job Charnock
(B) Sir charles Eyre
(C) Captain William Heath
(D) Major Hector Munroe

11. Who among the following Englishmen tried to obtain from Akbar a ‘Firman’ for trade in Gujarat—
(A) Ralph Fitch
(B) John Middenhall
(C) Sir Thomas Roe
(D) Thomas Stephens (R.C.S. 2000)

12. Which one of the following Mughal emperors gave per-mission to East India Company to build a factory at Surat—
(A) Jahangir
(B) Shahjahan
(C) Farrukhsiyar
(D) Bahadur Shah II

13. Who among the following issued the founding Charter of the English East India Company—
(A) Henry VIII
(B) Elizabeth I
(C) James I
(D) Charles I (I.A.S. 99)

14. The first Danish Trade pact was signed at Tranquebar in the year—
(A) 1620
(B) 1630
(C) 1660
(D) 1616

15. Match the following—
List I
(a) Hawkins
(b) Thomas Roe
(c) Manucci
(d) Ralph Fitch
List II
1. 1615
2. 1608
3. 1585
4. 1658
Code—
(a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 2 1 4 3
(B) 1 2 4 3
(C) 2 1 3 4
(D) 1 2 3 4 (I.A.S. 2001)

16. Which of the following statem-ents is not correct about William Hawkins—
(A) He could not speak Turkish Language
(B) He reached Agra in the Court of Jahangir with a letter written by king James I to emperor Akbar
(C) The name of his vessel was Hector
(D) He had a considerable expe-rience in the Levant (U.P.P.C.S. Sub. 2001)

17. Intially the name of British East India Company was—
(A) A British company to trade with India
(B) A company of merchants of London
(C) A company of Private merchants of London
(D) The Governor and company of merchants of London Trading into the East Indies
(U.P.P.C.S. Sub. 2001)

18. Who was the first Indian ruler to welcome Vasco da Gama ?
(A) Daulat Rao Scindia
(B) Chanda Saheb
(C) Zamorin
(D) Muzaffar Jung (R.A.S./R.T.S. 1999)

19. Name the Mughal emperor who issued firman, permitting East India company to trade with India ?
(A) Babar
(B) Humayun
(C) Akbar
(D) Jahangir (R.A.S./R.T.S. 1999)

20. The first English factory was estabished in India at—
(A) Surat
(B) Hughli
(C) Bombay
(D) Madras (M.P.P.S.C. 1999)

21. Among European traders the Portugese remained unsuccessful in India because—
(A) They had no sea port
(B) Their Naval power was weak
(C) Ruler of Kochin strongly resisted them
(D) Due to their religious fanatism the Indian rulers became their enemies (M.P.P.S.C. 2000)

22. The East India company secured the ‘Golden firman’ from which ruler ?
(A) Jahangir
(B) Sultan of Golcunda
(C) Ruler of Chandragiri
(D) Mughal emperor Farukh-siyar (M.P.P.S.C. 2000)

23. Who was the first representative of English company to reach the court of Jahangir ?
(A) Sir Thomas Roe
(B) Sir Henry Middleton
(C) Captain Hawkins
(D) Captain Best (M.P.P.S.C. 2000)

24. Where was the first ever fort erected by any European power in India ?
(A) Cochin
(B) Calicut
(C) Maosaulipattam
(D) Goa (M.P.P.S.C. 2000)

25. The commercial objective of the Portuguese in India was to—
(A) Capture territories on the western coast
(B) Capture trade of textiles and spices
(C) Oust Arabs and the Persians from India’s maritime trade
(D) Capture trade of pepper and other superior spices (I.A.S. 2003)

Answers :

1. (D) 2. (A) 3. (D) 4. (D) 5. (A) 6. (C) 7. (A) 8. (B) 9. (C) 10. (B) 11. (B) 12. (A) 13. (B) 14. (A) 15. (A) 16. (A) 17. (D) 18. (C) 19. (D) 20. (A) 21. (D) 22. (B) 23. (C) 24. (A) 25. (D)

126. (A) 127. (A) 128. (C) 129. (A) 130. (A) Babur (1526-30) defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the 1st Battle of Panipat in 1526 to lay the foundation of the Mughal dynasty. 131. (A) 132. (B) Pseudonym of Rabindra Nath Tagore—Bhanusingha Pseudonym of Sarat Chandra — Anila Devi Pseudonym of Sunil Gangopadhyay — Nillohit Pseudonyam of Sararesh Basu — Kalkut. 133. (B) 134. (B) 135. (B) 136. (B) 137. (A) 138. (C) 139. (B) 140. (B) 141. (B) 142. (A) 143. (C) 144. (B) 145. (A) 146. (B) 147. (B) 148. (D) 149. (A) 150. (C)

75. What was the main effect of vedic culture an Indian history?

(A) Progress of Metaphysics

(B) Development of Sanskrit

(C) Solidification of race

(D) None of these

76. Title of Vikramaditya was adopted by—

(A) Ashok

(B) Chandra Gupta II

(C) Kanishka

(D) Samudra Gupta

77. Which important event took place in the history of India in the year 1526 ?

(A) The first battle of Panipat

(B) The second battle of Panipat

(C) Defeat of Humayun at the hands of Sher Shah Suri

(D) None of these

78. The Rigveda contains—

(A) Rituals to be adopted by people

(B) Hymns in honour of the Gods

(C) Yognas to be performed

(D) History of the Vedic period

79. In which language was the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita originally written ?

(A) Sanskrit

(B) Apabhramsa

(C) Prakrit

(D) Pali

80. The principle that distinguishes Jainism from Buddhism is the—

(A) Practice of the eight-fold path

(B) Rejection of the infallibility of the Vedas

(C) Attribution of a soul to all beings and things

(D) Belief in rebirth

81. With whose reign is the Gandhara School of art associated ?

(A) Kanishka

(B) Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya

(C) Harsha

(D) Ashoka

82. Shivaji died in the year—

(A) 1676

(B) 1677

(C) 1678

(D) 1680

83. In which century did the famous Chinese pilgrim Fahien visit India ?

(A) 4th century A.D.

(B) 5th century A.D.

(C) 6th century A.D.

(D) 7th century A.D.

84. Buddha lived approximately at the same time as—

(A) Confucius

(B) Moses

(C) Prophet Mohammad

(D) Hammurabi

85. The division of Mauryan Society into seven classes was particularly mentioned in—

(A) Kautilya's Arthasastra

(B) Ashokan edicts

(C) The Puranas

(D) The Indica of Megasthenes

86. The first railway line in India was opened in the year—

(A) 1833

(B) 1853

(C) 1857

(D) 1861

87. The Indus Valley civilization was Non-Aryan because—

(A) It was urban

(B) It had a pictographic script

(C) It had an agricultural economy

(D) It extended up to the Narmada Valley

88. All the following statements regarding the Indus Valley civilization are correct, except—

(A) The Indus Valley civilization was an advanced urban civilization

(B) Iron was not known to the people

(C) It is difficult to say to which race the people belonged

(D) The people knew nothing about agriculture

89. Which of the following statements is not true about Nagara style of architecture ?

(A) Early Gupta style

(B) Couciform plan and the Rekha

(C) Shikhara (Tower)

(D) Buddhist influence

90. The local name of Mohanjodaro is—

(A) Mound of the living

(B) Mound of the Great

(C) Mound of the Dead

(D) Mound of the Survivor

91. Tripitakas are the Sacred books of the—

(A) Jains

(B) Hindus

(C) Muslims

(D) Buddhists

92. Which book was written by Dadabhai Naoroji an Indian poverty and economy under British rule ?

(A) Indian Economy under British Raj

(B) British Rule and Economic drain of India

(C) Poverty and Un-British rule in India

(D) Economic drain and poverty of India

93. The universities of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay were founded in the year—

(A) 1845

(B) 1854

(C) 1857

(D) 1861

94. In whose court was a Chinese embassy sent by T'ang Emperor ?

(A) Rajaraja I

(B) Rajendra I

(C) Harsha

(D) Parantaka I

95. The Paintings of Ajanta depict stories of the—

(A) Ramayana

(B) Mahabharata

(C) Jatakas

(D) Panchatantra

96. Who were the contemporaries of Kanishka ?

(A) Kamban, Banbhatta, Asvagosha

(B) Nagarjuna, Asvagosha, Vasumitra

(C) Asvagosha, Kalidasa, Nagarjuna

(D) Asvagosha, Kamban

97. Buddha's preachings were mainly related to—

(A) Belief in one god

(B) Practice of rituals

(C) Purity of thought and conduct

(D) Idol worship

98. The most important cause of the downfall of the Vijay Nagar empire was—

(A) Rivalries within the empire

(B) Unity among the Muslim rulers of Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmadnagar

(C) Rebellion of the Hindu Feudatories

(D) Weak successors of Krishna devaraya

99. Mahabalipuram was established by the—

(A) Pallavas

(B) Pandyas

(C) Cholas

(D) Chalukyas

100. Jaideva, the famous author of Gita Govinda was the Court Poet of—

(A) Harsha (7th century A.D.)

(B) Prithviraj Chauhan (12th century A.D.)

(C) Lakshmanasena of Bengal (12th-13th century A.D.)

(D) None of these

Answers :

76. (B) 77. (A) 78. (B) 79. (A) 80. (A) 81. (A) 82. (D) 83. (B) 84. (A) 85. (D) Seven classes or castes mentioned by Megasthenes are Philosophers, Farmers, Soldiers, Herdsmen, Artisans, Magistrates and Councillors. 86. (B) 87. (A) 88. (D) 89. (D) 90. (C) 91. (D) 92. (C) 93. (C) 94. (C) 95. (C) 96. (B) 97. (C) 98. (A) 99. (A) 100. (C)