History – Yearwise Questions – Before 1857 And Revolt – W.B.C.S. Mains Examination.

THE ANSWERS ARE MARKED IN BOLD.Continue Reading History – Yearwise Questions – Before 1857 And Revolt – W.B.C.S. Mains Examination.

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2019

1. After Bengal, the English secured the rights of duty free trade in the
   dominions of
   (A) Raja of Benaras
   (B) Nawab of Awadh
   (C) The Nizam of Hyderabad
   (D) The Jats of Bharatpur
2. The chief Dutch export from the Coromandel Ports was
   (A) Textiles
   (B) Indigo
   (C) Spices
   (D) Saltpeter
3. A remarkable feature of the spread of landlordism was the growth of
   (A) Aristocracy
   (B) Capitalism
   (C) Sub-infeudation
   (D) Cultivation
4. Which of the following is not one of the arrangements made by the
   English after defeating the Marathas in the third Anglo-Maratha war?
   (A) The Peshwaship was abolished.
   (B) Holkar was forced to enter into a subsidiary alliance.
   (C) The Gaekwar entered in to a subsidiary alliance.
   (D) The small kingdom of Satara formed out of Peswa dominions was given
   to Pratap Singh.
5. The extension of the cultivation of indigo, cotton, opium, tea and coffee in
   India, besides benefitting the British planters, also benefited
   (A) The Zamindars
   (B) The small merchants
   (C) Both (A) and (B)
   (D) The Indian Bankers
6. When did the Company lose its monopoly of Indian trade which was
   thrown open to all Britons?
   (A) 1813
   (B) 1833
   (C) 1853
   (D) 1793
7. Which of the following was the chief organizer of the Revolt of 1857 in
   Bihar?
   (A) Amar Singh
   (B) Kunwar Singh
   (C) Pir Ali
   (D) Imaduddin
8. Which of the following consequences of the British rule did not affect the Muslim middle classes?
   (A) The tyranny of the British Indigo Planters
   (B) The disbandment of the Nawab’s forces
   (C) The abolition of the rural police
   (D) The resumptions of Imam’s lands which provided sustenance to the
   learned
9. What was the primary reason for the failure of Mahalwari Settlement in
   checking the process of destruction of the village communities?
   (A) It was introduced only as a temporary measure to be replaced ultimately
   by the rayatwari system
   (B) Individual rights the land were recognized and guaranteed by the state.
   (C) There were several defects and lacunae in the implementation of the measure
   (D) It met with severe opposition from certain sections of the village
   community.

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2018

1. Rast Goftan was a newspaper established by
   a) Muhammad Ali
   b) Zafar Ali Khan
   c) Syed Agmathullah
   d) D. Fardinji Naoroji
2. Landholders’ Association was founded in the year ___
   a) 1838
   b) 1851
   c) 1875
   d) 1876
3. Which one of the following conspirators against Siraj ud daulah was
   duped by a forged agreement paper by Robert Clive?
   a) Mir Zafar
   b) Khwaja Wazid
   c) Rai Durlabh
   d) Umi Chand
4. Arrange the following events related to Anglo-Mysore War in the proper chronological order and choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
   i) Battle of Porto Novo
   ii) Treaty of Mangalore
   iii) Treaty of Madras
   iv) Treaty of Seringapatam
   a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
   b) (iii), (i), (ii), (iv)
   c) (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)
   d) (iii), (ii), (iv), (i)
5. What was the plausible reason for the English to take up additional
   fortifications of Calcutta?
   a) To protect English trade from local disturbances
   b) To protect themselves from the French on the occasion of ‘Seven
   Years War’
   c) The English discounted like many others the chances of Siraj ud daula’s
   accession and hence paid scant respect to his authority.
   d) To strengthen their establishments in Bengal
6. Assertion (A) : The Carnatic War has attained a celebrity in history
   which is not fully justified either by the immediate issues involved or by the incidents of the war itself.
   Reason (R) : For nearly twenty years the Carnatic became the scene of a long drawn contest between French and the English which led to the ultimate overthrow of the French power in India with repercussions also in Bengal which produced unexpected and momentous results.
   a) If the Assertion (A) is correct but Reason (R) is wrong.
   b) If (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
   c) If both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) explains (A).
   d) If both (A) and (R) are correct but (R) does not explain (A).
7. Who was the last Governor General of Fort William in Bengal?
   a) Warren Hastings
   b) Lord Cornwallis
   c) Lord Bentinck
   d) Viscount Canning
8. Which of the following conditions didn’t prompt the making of Mahalwari
   Settlement?
   a) To curb the refractory and oppressive nature of the Taluqdars.
   b) Need to maximise revenue.
   c) Protecting the rights of the present proprietors to ensure
   improvement of agriculture.
   d) Influence of the Ricardian theory of Rent.
9. During the first century of British rule there were a series of ‘restorative
   rebellions’ started by disaffected local rulers. Arrange the following revolts in chronological order and choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
   i) Paik rebellion led by Jagabandhu
   ii) Poligar rebellion led by Kaltabomman
   iii) Kittur uprising led by Queen Chennamma
   iv) Travancore revolt led by Velu Thampi
   a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
   b) (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
   c) (i), (iv), (ii), (iii)
   d) (ii), (i), (iv), (iii)
10. Which of the following statements is/are true about Regulating Act,
    1773?
    i) It introduced Parliamentary supervision over the company and modified its constitution both in England and in India.
    ii) It made changes in the constitution of the Court of Directors.
    iii) The Government of Bengal was vested in a Governor General and a
    council of 4 members.
    iv) The Governor General in council could control the subordinate
    Presidencies of Bombay and Madras in matters relating to War and Peace.
    a) (i) and (ii)
    b) (ii) and (iii)
    c) (iii) and (iv)
    d) All of the above
11. Ho and Munda tribesmen were from
    a) Chotanagpur
    b) Araballi hills
    c) Sahayadri hills
    d) None of the above
12. Arrange the following armed resistance in the nineteenth century
    against the colonial rule in chronological order and choose the correct
    answer from the codes given below:
    i) Satara disturbance (1844)
    ii) Gadkari rebellion (1844)
    iii) Revolt of Rao Bharamal (1819)
    iv) Rebellion of Birabhadra Raju (1827)
    a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
    b) (iii), (iv), (ii), (i)
    c) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii)
    d) (i), (iv), (iii), (ii)
13. In many of the peasant revolt religion played an important role. Who
    among the following was the leader of the Fakirs leading the Sannyasi-Fakir
    uprising in Bengal?
    (1763-1800)
    a) Tipu Shah
    b) Karim Shah
    c) Majanun Shah
    d) Golam Masum
14. Match List I with List II and choose the correct answer from the codes
    given below:
    List I List II
    A) Pagalpanthi uprising i) Chirag Au
    B) Tanqah-i-Muhammadiya ii) Haji Shariatullah
    C) Faraiji movement iii) Karam Shah
    D) Shah-i-Madar iv) Mir Nisar
    a) (A)–(ii), (B)–(i), (C)–(iv), (D)–(iii)
    b) (A)–(iii), (B)–(iv), (C)–(ii), (D)–(i)
    c) (A)–(ii), (B)–(iii), (C)–(iv), (D)–(i)
    d) (A)–(ii). (B)–(i), (C)–(iii), (D)–(iv)
15. Who among the following was the founder of Wahabi movement in
    India?
    a) Waliullah
    b) Shah Muhammad Hossein
    c) Muhammad Abdul Wahab
    d) Syed Ahmed of Rai Bareilly
16. Titu Mir defeated ___, the Indigo Planter.
    a) Okenelly
    b) Davis
    c) Thornton
    d) Alexander
17. Who among the following was the leader of the Faraijis?
    (Faraizi movement – 1820-60)
    a) Duddu Miyan
    b) Titu Mir
    c) Karim Shah
    d) Majnu Fakir
18. Some of the peasant rebellion were participated exclusively by the tribal population. Arrange the following tribal movements chronologically by and choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
    i) Gudem Rampa rebellion led by Alluri Sitaramaraju
    ii) Kol rebellion led by Buddha Bhagat
    iii) Hul rebellion led by Sidho and Kanho
    iv) Thadoe Kuki movement led by Jadonang and his niece Gaidinilu
    a) (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
    b) (i), (iv), (ii), (iii)
    c) (i), (iii), (ii), (iv)
    d) (ii), (i), (iv), (iii)
19. The first sign of revolt led by Titu Mir was a raid on zamindar __
    a) Ramrarn Chakraborty
    b) Kaliprasanna Mukhopadhyay
    c) Debnath Roy
    d) Krishnadeva Roy
20. The first Indian ruler who joined the Subsidiary Alliance was
    (1798)
    a) Nawab of Oudh
    b) Nizam of Hyderabad
    c) Peshwa Baji Rao II
    d) King of Travancore
21. Arrange according to the chronological order the following kingdoms
    annexed by Daihousi as per the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’.
    i) Baghat
    ii) Sambhalpur
    iii) Satara
    iv) Jhansi
    a) (i), (iii), (ii), (iv)
    b) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii)
    c) (iii), (ii), (i), (iv)
    d) (i), (iv), (ii), (iii)
22. Some of the army regiments have revolted several times before 1857.
    Vellore mutiny took place in the year
    a) 1805
    b) 1806
    c) 1807
    d) 1810
23. Arrange the following sepoy mutinies in the chronological order and
    choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
    i) Vellore Mutiny
    ii) 47 Native Infantry Mutiny
    iii) Sholapur Mutiny
    iv) Sindh 34th Native Infantry Mutiny
    a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
    b) (i), (iv), (ii), (iii)
    c) (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)
    d) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii)
24. Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of 34th Native infantry stationed at
    Barrackpore mutinied on
    a) 21 March, 1857
    b) 29 March, 1857
    c) 23 May, 1857
    d) 22 June, 1857
25. Match important centres of the Revolt of 1857 with their leaders and
    choose the correct answer from the codes given below:
    A) Bakht Khan i) Jhansi
    B) Tantia Tope ii) Kanpur
    C) Hazrat Mahal iii) Delhi
    D) Lakshmibai iv) Lucknow
    a) (A)–(i), (B)–(ii), (C)–(iv), (D)–(iii)
    b) (A)–(iii), (B)–(ii), (C)–(iv), (D)–(i)
    c) (A)–(ii), (B)–(iii), (C)–(iv), (D)–(i)
    d) (A)–(iii), (B)–(iv), (c)–(ii), (D)–(i)
26. Who among the following British officers died during the seige of
    Residency at Lucknow?
    a) Havelock
    b) John Nicholson
    c) Henry Lawrence
    d) Colin Campbell
27. Arrange the following places witnessing the sepoy revolts according to
    chronological order
    i) Delhi
    ii) Bareilly
    iii) Kanpur
    iv) Meerut
    a) (i), (iv), (ii), (iii)
    b) (iv), (i), (iii), (ii)
    c) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii)
    d) (iv), (ii), (i), (iii)
28. When British army started pushing back the revolting Indian soldiers
    several commanders played leading role in claiming back the flash points.
    Among the following pairs find out the incorrect match
    a) Delhi – James Neill
    b) Kanpur – Sir Hugh Wheeler
    c) Lucknow – Sir Cohn Campbell
    d) Jhansi – Sir Hugh Rose
29. Who was the founder of Tatwabodhini Sabha?
    a) Rammohan Roy
    b) Devendranath Tagore
    c) Dwarakanath Tagore
    d) Kesav Chandra Sen
30. Who established Calcutta Madrasa?
    (1781)
    a) Warren Hastings
    b) William Bentinck
    c) Lord Cornwallis
    d) Lord Wellesley
31. Sanskrit College at Calcutta was established on
    a) 1823
    b) 1824
    c) 1825
    d) 1826
32. Who among the following played an instrumental role in the formation of Calcutta School Book Society?
    a) Radhakanta Dev
    b) Raja Rammohan Roy
    c) Dwarakanath Mitra
    d) Madanmohan Tarkalankar
33. Who was the first editor of Tarwabodhini Patrika?
    a) Rammohan Roy
    b) Devendranath Tagore
    c) Akshay Kumar Dutta
    d) Harish Chandra Mukherjee
34. Who among the following was not a proponent of Anglicism?
    a) William Jones
    b) Thomas Babington Macauley
    c) Holt Mackenjie
    d) Charles Thevelyan
35. A brilliant and patriotic Anglo-Indian teacher, Henry Vivian Derozeo, was the founder of:
    (A) The Young Bengal Movement
    (B) The Indian National Union
    (C) The Servants of India Society
    (D) The British India Association
36. Atmiya Sabha was founded by (1815)
    a) Raja Rammohan Roy
    b) Devendranath Tagore
    c) Kesav Chandra Sen
    d) Dayananda Saraswati

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2017

1. The Battle of Panipat (1761) resulted in the defeat of
   (A) The Marathas
   (B) Ahmad Shah Abdali
   (C) The East India Company
   (D) Nadir Shah
2. Who among the following gave official sanction to the education of girls in India ?
   (A) William Bentinck
   (B) Hardinge I
   (C) Lord Dalhousie
   (D) Lord Canning
3. From which of the following countries did Tipu Sultan seek help to expel
   the British from India ?
   (A) France
   (B) Turkey
   (C) Arabia and Afghanistan
   (D) All of the above
4. Which of the following was not a storm-center of the Revolt of 1857 ?
   (A) Madras
   (B) Arrah
   (C) Jhansi
   (D) Bareilly
5. Which Governor General created the Covenanted Civil Service of India,
   which came to be known as Indian Civil Service from 1861 onward ?
   (A) William Bentinck
   (B) Lord Wellesley
   (C) Lord Cornwallis
   (D) Warren Hastings
6. Calcutta (Shibpur) Engineering College was established in the year
   a) 1817
   b) 1854
   c) 1855
   d) 1856
7. Which Mughal ruler became the unifying symbol of the Revolt of 1857 ?
   (A) Bahadur Shah I
   (B) Bahadur Saha Jafar
   (C) Saha Alam I
   (D) None of the above

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2016

1. Who gave Bombay to Charles II of England as a dowry gift for his
   marriage with Catherine of Braganza ?
   (A) Spanish
   (B) Portuguese
   (C) Dutch
   (D) Danes
2. Where did the so called ‘Black Hole Tragedy’ take place ?
   (A) Calcutta
   (B) Dacca
   (C) Monghyr
   (D) Murshidabad
3. The conquered people were to be ruled by their own laws and British rule had to “Legitimize itself in an Indian Idiom”. This was the Fundamental
   principle of
   (A) Evangelicalism
   (B) Orientalism
   (C) Utilitarianism
   (D) Mercantilism
4. Which of the following organizations, according to Sumit Sarkar, “left little distinctive or permanent on the plane of religion and philosophy” in 19th
   Century India ?
   (A) Brahmo Samaj
   (B) Ramakrishna Mission
   (C) Aligarh Movement
   (D) Young Bengal
5. When was the ‘Double Government’ Consisting of the Court of Directors
   and the Board of Control, treated at the Home Government level ?
   (A) 1853
   (B) 1833
   (C) 1813
   (D) 1784
6. Which of the following Classes did not participate in the Revolt of 1857 ?
   (i) Money lenders
   (ii) Merchants
   (iii) Modern intelligentsia
   (iv) Old Zamindars
   (v) Urban based absentee landlords

Choose the answers from codes gjven below :
(A) (i), (ii), (iv) and (v)
(B) (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v)
(C) (i), (iii), (iv) and (v)
(D) (i), (ii), (iii), and (v)

7. Jonathan Duncan founded the Sanskrit College in 1792 at
   (A) Allahabad
   (B) Varanasi
   (C) Calcutta
   (D) Madras
8. Which of the following statements is / are correct ?
   (Fort William College – 1800)
   (A) Fort William College was closed in 1802.
   (B) In 1805 the East India College was established at Heartford near
   London.
   (C) The East India College was moved to Hailebury in 1809.
   (D) All of the above
9. Who was mainly responsible for introducing the Ryotwari system in
   Madras ?
   (A) Macartney
   (B) Elphinstone
   (C) Thomas Munro
   (D) John Lawrence
10. To justify one of their colonial policies, the British continued with the
    “Downward Filtration Theory” That colonial policy was on-
    (A) Education
    (B) Industry
    (C) Maritime trade
    (D) De-industrialization
11. By whom was the new imperial policy of “Paramountcy” initiated ?
    (A) Lord Wellesley
    (B) Lord Cornwallis
    (C) Lord Hastings
    (D) Warren Hastings
12. Which of the following statements about Tipu Sultan is not correct ?
    (A) His reign represented a discontinuity in 18th Century Indian politics, as his kingship was rooted firmly in a strong regional tradition.
    (B) In a symbolic gesture to proclaim his independence, he issued coins without any reference to the Mughal emperor.
    (C) Instead of emperor Shah Alam’s name he inserted his own name in the Khutba.
    (D) He never sought a sanad from the Ottoman Khalifa to legitimise his rule.

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2015

1. Lord Macaulay was associated with
   (A) Reforms in the army
   (B) Abolition of Sati
   (C) Codification of Laws
   (D) Permanent settlement
2. Which of the following results of the Zamindari System was not an
   advantage to the British ?
   (A) Creation of political allies
   (B) Minimisation of revenue administrative expenditure
   (C) Permanent fixation of revenue demand
   (D) Provision of financial security
3. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched ?
   (A) Banaras – Sir Colin Campbell
   (B) Jhansi – Sir Hugh Rose
   (C) Kanpur – Brigadier General Neil
   (D) Lucknow – Major General Havelock
4. Indenture regulations which bound the artisans of Eastern India to
   sell their products exclusively to the English company from the Late 18th Century were known as
   (A) Dadni
   (B) Damdupat
   (C) Khatbandi
   (D) Kamiya
5. Which of the following is not one of the causes responsible for the
   rise of money lenders in British India ?
   (A) New revenue policy
   (B) New legal system
   (C) New educational system
   (D) Commercialization of agriculture
6. Which region in India provided the best quality saltpeter and opium to
   the Europeans ?
   (A) Coromondal
   (B) Gujrat
   (C) Bihar
   (D) Malabar
7. Who among the following Britishers were associated with the
   introduction of Mahalwari System ?
   (A) R. M. Bird
   (B) Sir John Lawrence
   (C) William Karey
   (D) Sir Alexandar Cunningham
8. What was the early capital of the portuguese in India ?
   (A) Goa
   (B) Cochin
   (C) Culient
   (D) Cannanore
9. When and by whom were the Portuguese driven out of Hugli in
   Bengal ?
   (A) 1625 – Shaista Khan
   (B) 1631 – Qasim Khan
   (C) 1650 – Prince Murad
   (D) 1666 – Prince Shuja

WBCS Main Question Paper – 2014

1. Vidyasagar has been described as “Traditional Moderniser” by
   historian
   (A) Ramesh Chandra Majumder
   (B) Binoy Ghosh
   (C) Amalesh Tripathy
   (D) Jadunath Sarkar
2. A leading British parliamentarian and politician who admitted that the Revolt of 1857 was ‘a national revolt’ and not a military mutiny was :
   (A) David George
   (B) William Hilderband
   (C) Disraeli
   (D) George Bingsley
3. Which of the following towns was chosen as the head quarter of the
   Wahabi Movement in 1826 ?
   (A) Kandahar
   (B) Quetta
   (C) Peshawar
   (D) Charsadda

To know more about W.B.C.S. Preliminary Examination Mock Test – Click Here.

To know more about W.B.C.S. Main Examination Mock Test – Click Here.

Our own publications are available at our webstore (click here).

For Guidance of WBCS (Exe.) Etc. Preliminary , Main Exam and Interview, Study Mat, Mock Test, Guided by WBCS Gr A Officers , Online and Classroom, Call 9674493673, or mail us at – mailus@wbcsmadeeasy.in
Visit our you tube channel WBCSMadeEasy™ You tube Channel
Please subscribe here to get all future updates on this post/page/category/website