Modern Indian History is an important topic for exams like UPSC, SSC, Railways, and State PSCs. This period includes important events like the coming of European powers to India, the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire, British rule, social and religious reform movements, and the first war of independence in 1857. Knowing about these events, important people, agreements, and movements is very helpful for understanding history. The questions below will help you check your knowledge about these important events and figures and prepare well for your exams.
Who was the European explorer who discovered the sea route to India in 1498, paving the way for Portuguese trade and colonial expansion?
A) Christopher Columbus
B) Vasco da Gama
C) Ferdinand Magellan
D) Pedro Alvares Cabral
Answer: B) Vasco da Gama
Which European nation was the first to establish trade posts in India, including Cochin, Goa, Daman, Diu, and Salsette, after arriving in the late 15th century?
A) British
B) Dutch
C) Portuguese
D) French
Answer: C) Portuguese
Pedro Alvares Cabral is historically significant because he established the first European factory in which Indian city in 1500?
A) Cochin
B) Calicut
C) Diu
D) Goa
Answer: B) Calicut
The Portuguese Viceroy Francisco de Almeida introduced a policy called the ‘Blue Water Policy.’ What was its primary purpose?
A) To develop inland agriculture
B) To establish dominance over the sea and control trade
C) To build forts in northern India
D) To strengthen religious missions
Answer: B) To establish dominance over the sea and control trade
Who captured Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510, establishing it as a Portuguese colony?
A) Vasco da Gama
B) Alfonso de Albuquerque
C) Lopo Soares de Albergaria
D) Duarte Barbosa
Answer: B) Alfonso de Albuquerque
Which of the following crops were introduced to India by the Portuguese during their colonial expansion?
A) Wheat, Barley, Rice
B) Tobacco, Pineapple, Papaya, Cashew, Chili
C) Tea, Coffee, Sugarcane
D) Mustard, Cotton, Indigo
Answer: B) Tobacco, Pineapple, Papaya, Cashew, Chili
In which year was the British East India Company formed through a royal charter issued by Queen Elizabeth I, giving them exclusive rights to trade in the East Indies?
A) 1600
B) 1599
C) 1613
D) 1639
Answer: A) 1600
Who was the British Captain who sought permission from Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1608 to establish trading posts in India?
A) Sir Thomas Roe
B) Captain William Hawkins
C) Robert Clive
D) Eyre Coote
Answer: B) Captain William Hawkins
The first British factory in southern India was established in Masulipatnam in which year?
A) 1605
B) 1611
C) 1639
D) 1651
Answer: B) 1611
Fort St George, the first British fort in India, was constructed in which city and year?
A) Calcutta, 1644
B) Madras, 1644
C) Bombay, 1651
D) Surat, 1613
Answer: B) Madras, 1644
The Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792 was signed between Tipu Sultan and which British leader?
A) Lord Cornwallis
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Lord Canning
D) Robert Clive
Answer: A) Lord Cornwallis
The Battle of Swally (Suvali) in 1612 near Surat marked the beginning of the decline of which European power in India?
A) Dutch
B) French
C) Portuguese
D) Danish
Answer: C) Portuguese
Which treaty, signed in 1816 between the East India Company and the Gurkhas, established the boundary line of Nepal following the Anglo-Nepalese War?
A) Treaty of Yandabo
B) Treaty of Lhasa
C) Treaty of Sugauli
D) Treaty of Titalia
Answer: C) Treaty of Sugauli
Cornelis de Houtman was the first Dutch citizen to arrive in India for trade under which organization?
A) British East India Company
B) Dutch East India Company
C) French East India Company
D) Danish East India Company
Answer: B) Dutch East India Company
The Dutch were defeated in 1741 by the King of Travancore, Marthanda Verma, in which battle?
A) Battle of Bedara
B) Battle of Colachel
C) Battle of Wandiwash
D) Battle of Swally
Answer: B) Battle of Colachel
The Danish established their first trading factory in Tranquebar in which year?
A) 1602
B) 1620
C) 1676
D) 1721
Answer: B) 1620
The French East India Company was established under the reign of which French ruler in 1664?
A) Napoleon Bonaparte
B) Louis XIV
C) Louis XVI
D) Francis I
Answer: B) Louis XIV
Which French colony served as the capital of French India and was founded in 1673?
A) Mahe
B) Karaikal
C) Pondicherry
D) Chandernagar
Answer: C) Pondicherry
The Battle of Wandiwash in 1760 marked the supremacy of which European power in India?
A) French
B) British
C) Dutch
D) Portuguese
Answer: B) British
Who was the leader of the Revolt of 1857 in Barrackpore, known for attacking British officers and later executed in 1857?
A) Nana Saheb
B) Kunwar Singh
C) Mangal Pandey
D) Tantya Tope
Answer: C) Mangal Pandey
The Mughal emperor who became a symbolic leader during the 1857 revolt, later exiled to Rangoon by the British, was:
A) Akbar II
B) Bahadur Shah Zafar
C) Shah Alam II
D) Aurangzeb
Answer: B) Bahadur Shah Zafar
Rani Lakshmi Bai, also known as ‘Manikarnika,’ led the revolt in which princely state against the British in 1857?
A) Jhansi
B) Awadh
C) Kanpur
D) Bihar
Answer: A) Jhansi
The immediate cause of the 1857 revolt was the introduction of which controversial military equipment?
A) Enfield rifles with cartridges greased in cow and pig fat
B) Muskets with lead bullets
C) Cannons from France
D) Swords imported from England
Answer: A) Enfield rifles with cartridges greased in cow and pig fat
The Doctrine of Lapse, introduced by Lord Dalhousie, allowed the British East India Company to annex states under what condition?
A) If the ruler died without a natural heir
B) If the state failed to pay taxes
C) If the ruler converted to Christianity
D) If the ruler refused trade agreements
Answer: A) If the ruler died without a natural heir
The Brahmo Samaj, the first intellectual reform movement in modern India, was founded by whom?
A) Dayanand Saraswati
B) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
C) Jyotiba Phule
D) Keshab Chandra Sen
Answer: B) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
