Economic Impact of British Rule – NDA History PYQs

NDA 2026-I

Q. 1. Who among the following advocated the construction of initial railways in India for facilitating army movement?

(a) Lord Dalhousie

(b) Lord Lytton

(c) Winston Churchill

(d) Lord Wellesley

Answer: (a) Lord Dalhousie

Explanation: Lord Dalhousie pushed for railways partly to move troops swiftly. His famous minute also cited administrative and trade benefits. Lytton, Churchill, and Wellesley are not linked to this specific push. So option (a) Lord Dalhousie is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Advocate for building railways to aid army movement

NDA 2024-II

Q. 2. The first cotton mill in British India which began production in 1856 was set up by

(a) Ghanshyam Das Birla

(b) Jamnalal Bajaj

(c) Ambalal Sarabhai

(d) C. N. Davar

Answer: (d) C. N. Davar

Explanation: C. N. Davar set up India’s first cotton mill in Bombay. This mill began production in 1856, marking an industrial milestone. Birla, Bajaj, and Sarabhai built their industrial ventures much later. So option (d) C. N. Davar is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Founder of the first cotton mill in British India

NDA 2024-I

Q. 3. Which of the following statements are correct?

1. British ‘trade surplus’ with India in the nineteenth century meant that the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India.

2. India played a crucial role in the late-nineteenth-century world economy by helping Britain balance its deficits.

3. Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China and, therefore, for a while after the 1820s, opium became India’s single largest export.

4. The nineteenth century saw export of Indian raw materials decline, and that of manufactured goods increase.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 2 and 3 only

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3 only

Explanation: Britain’s bilateral trade surplus with India did work this way. So statement 1 correctly defines this British trade surplus. India’s own trade surpluses did help Britain offset global deficits. So statement 2 correctly credits India with this economic role. Opium exports to China did briefly become India’s top export good. So statement 3 correctly states this nineteenth-century shift. Raw material exports actually rose, while manufactured exports fell. So statement 4 wrongly reverses this real nineteenth-century trend. Only statements 1, 2, and 3 are accurate together. Concept Tested: India’s real export trends and role in Britain’s trade balance

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often reverses the true direction of a long-term trend. Raw material exports rose while manufactured exports fell across the nineteenth century, not the other way round.

NDA 2024-I

Q. 4. Match List-I (System/Category) with List-II (Description):

List I	List II
A. Upari	1. Peasants directly responsible for payment of revenue
B. Pattadar	2. Category of tenancy tenure held under the Marathas
C. Mirasidar	3. Gifts of land or land revenue
D. Inam lands	4. Co-parcenary title holder and designated revenue payer in southern India

Code:

(a) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

(b) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

(c) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

(d) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2

Answer: (a) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Explanation: Upari named a temporary tenancy category under Maratha rule. Pattadar referred to peasants directly responsible for revenue. Mirasidar named the hereditary, co-parcenary revenue payer in the south. Inam lands were gifts of land or land revenue. This matches the code A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3. So option (a) correctly matches every term and description. Concept Tested: Terminology of colonial-era land tenure categories

NDA 2023-I

Q. 5. Which one of the following tribes from India’s North-East had the earliest known association with cultivation and production of tea?

(a) Khasis

(b) Garos

(c) Singphos

(d) Jayantias

Answer: (c) Singphos

Explanation: The Singpho community in Assam had long known and used tea. Their knowledge helped lead the British to commercial tea cultivation. Khasis, Garos, and Jayantias are not linked to this earliest association. So option (c) Singphos is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Tribe with the earliest known link to tea cultivation

NDA 2021-II

Q. 6. In which one of the following years did the British demarcate a large area of land as Damin-i-koh for settling the Santhals?

(a) 1810

(b) 1793

(c) 1885

(d) 1832

Answer: (d) 1832

Explanation: The British marked out Damin-i-koh for Santhal settlement in 1832. The other years listed do not match this specific demarcation. So option (d) 1832 is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Year the Damin-i-koh area was demarcated for the Santhals

NDA 2021-II

Q. 7. Which of the following statements about the first Indian Factory Act passed in 1881 is/are correct?

1. The Act dealt primarily with the problem of child labour.

2. The Act laid down that children between 7 years and 12 years of age would not work for more than 9 hours a day.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: The 1881 Factory Act mainly targeted the problem of child labour. It set the working-hour limit for children aged seven to twelve. This limit capped their working day at nine hours. Both statements together are accurate here. Concept Tested: Core provisions of the first Indian Factory Act of 1881

NDA 2021-I

Q. 8. Which of the following statements about the Deccan Riots Commission is/are correct?

1. The Commission did not hold enquiries in the districts which were not affected.

2. The Commission did record the statements of ryots, sahukars and eye-witnesses.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: The Commission focused its enquiry only on the riot-affected districts. It also gathered testimony from ryots, sahukars, and other witnesses. Both statements together are accurate here. Concept Tested: Scope and method of the Deccan Riots Commission’s inquiry

NDA 2020 I&II

Q. 9. What was the consequence of Permanent Settlement on rural society in Bengal?

(a) The zamindars invested capital and enterprise to improve agriculture along lines of British yeoman farmers

(b) A group of rich peasants known as jotedars succeeded in consolidating their position in the villages

(c) The ryots prospered as a result of fixed revenue levy imposed on them

(d) The system of Collectorate introduced by the Company for exercising supervisory control on zamindars failed to take off

Answer: (b) A group of rich peasants known as jotedars succeeded in consolidating their position in the villages

Explanation: Jotedars, a class of prosperous peasants, gained real local power. They often outlasted struggling zamindars in practical village influence. Zamindars mostly did not become improving farmers on the British model. So option (b) correctly identifies this real rural consequence. Concept Tested: Rise of the jotedars under the Permanent Settlement

NDA 2020 I&II

Q. 10. What was Damin-i Koh in Rajmahal area?

(a) A large area of land demarcated and declared to be the land of the Santhals

(b) The land of the Paharias cultivated exclusively for paddy

(c) The British territory marked for their military camp

(d) The land earmarked for locating settled agriculturists

Answer: (a) A large area of land demarcated and declared to be the land of the Santhals

Explanation: Damin-i Koh was land set aside specifically for Santhal settlement. The British hoped settled Santhal farming would stabilise this region. It was not linked to the Paharias, a military camp, or generic settlers. So option (a) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Purpose of the Damin-i Koh land demarcation

NDA 2019-II

Q. 11. Which one of the following statements is not true about Ijarah system?

(a) It was a system of revenue farming.

(b) It encouraged the role of middlemen.

(c) Under this system, land revenue was fixed for the peasant.

(d) The ijaradar paid a fixed amount to the State treasury.

Answer: (c) Under this system, land revenue was fixed for the peasant.

Explanation: Ijarah let a revenue farmer, or ijaradar, collect dues on the state’s behalf. This ijaradar paid only a fixed sum onward to the state treasury. But the peasant’s own burden was not similarly fixed or protected. The ijaradar often extracted more than owed to maximise personal profit. So statement (c) wrongly claims a fixed revenue for the peasant. The other statements correctly describe this revenue-farming system. Concept Tested: How the Ijarah revenue-farming system actually burdened peasants

NDA 2018-I

Q. 12. Who among the following introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793?

(a) Lord Cornwallis

(b) Lord Ripon

(c) Robert Clive

(d) John Adam

Answer: (a) Lord Cornwallis

Explanation: Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793. It fixed Bengal’s land revenue permanently with the zamindars. Ripon, Clive, and John Adam are linked to separate policies instead. So option (a) Lord Cornwallis is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Governor General who introduced the Permanent Settlement

NDA 2017-I

Q. 13. Which one of the following was NOT a feature of railways in colonial India?

(a) The main purpose of the setting up of railways in India was to serve the interest of the empire

(b) British capital investments were invited with 15% guaranteed interest to be paid if necessary from Indian revenues

(c) The construction work disturbed ecology

(d) The construction of the railways was planned in such a way that it connected the internal markets with the ports, but provided no interconnection between internal market cities

Answer: (b) British capital investments were invited with 15% guaranteed interest to be paid if necessary from Indian revenues

Explanation: British railway investors actually received a 5 percent guarantee. So statement (b) wrongly inflates this figure to fifteen percent. Railways genuinely served the wider interests of the empire. Their construction did disturb local ecology in various regions. Lines did link internal markets to ports, without linking market cities directly. These other statements about colonial railways are accurate. Concept Tested: Actual guaranteed interest rate on colonial railway investment

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often inflates the true 5% railway guarantee to a much larger, plausible-sounding figure. Keep the real rate in mind.

NDA 2016-II

Q. 14. Who among the following was the author of Neel Darpan, published in 1860?

(a) Reverend James Long

(b) Michael Madhusudan Dutta

(c) Raja Ram Mohan Roy

(d) Dinabandhu Mitra

Answer: (d) Dinabandhu Mitra

Explanation: Dinabandhu Mitra wrote and published Neel Darpan in 1860. The play exposed the hardships of indigo cultivators in Bengal. Reverend James Long later translated the play, but did not author it. So option (d) Dinabandhu Mitra is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Author of Neel Darpan

NDA 2015-II

Q. 15. Which of the following features of the Permanent Settlement of 1793 is/are correct?

1. The Permanent Settlement vested Land ownership rights in the peasants

2. The Permanent Settlement vested land ownership rights in the Zamindars

3. The Zamindars had to pay a fixed amount of rent by a particular date

4. The Zamindars benefited hugely from the Permanent Settlement while the peasants suffered

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 4

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Explanation: Ownership rights under this settlement went to zamindars, not peasants. So statement 1 wrongly places ownership with the peasants instead. Zamindars did hold recognised land ownership rights. They also had to pay a fixed rent by a set date each year. Statements 2 and 3 together correctly describe this arrangement. Concept Tested: Core legal features of the Permanent Settlement

NDA 2014-II

Q. 16. By the late 19th century, India was one of the largest producers and exporters of

(a) cotton yarn and wheat

(b) sugar and rice

(c) sugar and alcohol

(d) iron and steel

Answer: (a) cotton yarn and wheat

Explanation: Bombay’s cotton mills exported yarn widely by the late 19th century. Wheat exports also grew sharply after railway expansion. Sugar, rice, alcohol, iron, and steel were not this era’s leading exports. So option (a) cotton yarn and wheat is the correct answer. Concept Tested: India’s leading exports in the late nineteenth century

NDA 2014-II

Q. 17. The Factory Act of 1891 in India was enacted to

(a) improve the condition of labour in India

(b) ensure greater governmental control over industry in India

(c) provide a level playing field for English manufacturers

(d) enable greater political control over Indian industry

Answer: (c) provide a level playing field for English manufacturers

Explanation: English manufacturers wanted Indian labour costs to rise closer to theirs. The Factory Act of 1891 responded chiefly to this competitive pressure. It was not primarily aimed at improving conditions for Indian workers. So option (c) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Motive behind the Factory Act of 1891

NDA 2014-II

Q. 18. Which of the following statements is/are correct about the working of the Permanent Settlement in Bengal?

1. The traditional Zamindars lost their lands.

2. The reason for the Zamindars’ inability to pay up land revenues was that the Ryots defaulted on payment of revenue.

3. A new group of farmers—the Jotedars—became influential.

4. The Collector replaced the Zamindars as the alternative focus of authority.

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation: Many original zamindars did lose their estates through forced auctions. Ryots often delayed or defaulted on payments, straining zamindar finances. A rising class of jotedars gained real influence in rural Bengal. The Collector emerged as a fresh administrative authority figure. All four statements together describe this settlement’s real working. Concept Tested: Consequences of the Permanent Settlement’s working in Bengal

NDA 2014-I

Q. 19. Who among the following was associated with the Gudem-Rampa Rebellion?

(a) Birsa Munda

(b) Kushal Konwar

(c) Alluri Sitarama Raju

(d) Mangal Pandey

Answer: (c) Alluri Sitarama Raju

Explanation: Alluri Sitarama Raju led the Gudem-Rampa Rebellion in Andhra. His forest-based resistance targeted colonial forest restrictions. Birsa Munda, Kushal Konwar, and Mangal Pandey led separate movements. So option (c) Alluri Sitarama Raju is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Leader of the Gudem-Rampa Rebellion

NDA 2014-I

Q. 20. The Permanent Settlement of 1793 introduced

(a) peasant rights

(b) bourgeois property rights in land to Zamindars

(c) shipping rights for the English East India Company

(d) rights for women to have property rights

Answer: (b) bourgeois property rights in land to Zamindars

Explanation: The Permanent Settlement gave zamindars hereditary property rights. These rights let them transfer or sell land like private property. This introduced a bourgeois concept of land ownership in Bengal. So option (b) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Nature of rights created by the Permanent Settlement

NDA 2013-II

Q. 21. Statement I: In the 19th century, India was the largest British colony.

Statement II: India became a big market for British manufactured goods and a field of investment for foreign capital in the 19th century.

(a) Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

(b) Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

(c) Statement I is true but Statement II is false

(d) Statement I is false but Statement II is true

Answer: (b) Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

Explanation: India genuinely was Britain’s largest colonial territory in this century. It also did become a major market and investment field for Britain. But this market role is a consequence, not the cause, of India’s size. So both statements are true, but II does not explain I. Concept Tested: India’s scale as a colony versus its economic role for Britain

NDA 2013-II

Q. 22. Which of the following statements with regard to the ‘Fifth Report’ is/are correct?

1. It was submitted to the British Parliament in 1813 for consideration.

2. It became the basis of intense parliamentary debates on the nature of the East India Company’s rule in India.

3. It was primarily on the economic conditions of the urban and industrial centres of India.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 2 only

Explanation: The Fifth Report was actually presented to Parliament in 1812, not 1813. So statement 1 wrongly states its submission year. It did shape intense debate over the Company’s style of rule. So statement 2 correctly credits it with sparking this debate. The report mainly covered revenue and judicial administration. It was not primarily about urban or industrial economic conditions. So statement 3 wrongly describes its actual focus. Only statement 2 is correct among the three. Concept Tested: Year, purpose, and content of the Fifth Report

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often shifts a report’s real year or subject by a small but decisive detail. The Fifth Report (1812) focused on revenue and justice, not urban industry.

NDA 2013-II

Q. 23. Which of the following statements about Ryotwari system is/are correct?

1. The government collected the revenue directly from the individual cultivators.

2. The cultivators were not recognized in law as the owners of the land.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: The Ryotwari system did settle revenue directly with each cultivator. So statement 1 correctly describes this direct arrangement. Ryots were actually recognised in law as proprietors of their land. This was a defining feature separating Ryotwari from the Zamindari system. So statement 2 wrongly denies this recognised ownership. Only statement 1 is correct among the two. Concept Tested: Land ownership status of cultivators under Ryotwari

NDA 2013-II

Q. 24. Consider the following statements:

1. Dadabhai Naoroji first put forward ‘the theory of drain of wealth’.

2. The Indian National Congress adopted a resolution to criticize the drain of wealth in its annual session at Calcutta in 1896.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji did originate the drain of wealth theory. The Indian National Congress did formally adopt this critique. This resolution came at its 1896 Calcutta session specifically. Both statements together are accurate here. Concept Tested: Origin and formal adoption of the drain of wealth theory

NDA 2013-II

Q. 25. Kandh Revolt against the British was led by

(a) Chakra Bishoyi

(b) Dandasena

(c) Tomma Dora

(d) Birsa Munda

Answer: (a) Chakra Bishoyi

Explanation: Chakra Bishoyi led the Kandh community’s revolt in Odisha. The uprising resisted British interference and local exploitation. Dandasena, Tomma Dora, and Birsa Munda led separate movements. So option (a) Chakra Bishoyi is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Leader of the Kandh Revolt

NDA 2013-II

Q. 26. The implementation of factory legislation in India in the nineteenth century was a result of the pressure on the Government of India from

(a) the trade unionists in India

(b) the socialists in India

(c) the manufacturers from Lancashire and Manchester

(d) the Indian National Congress

Answer: (c) the manufacturers from Lancashire and Manchester

Explanation: British textile manufacturers faced cheaper, unregulated Indian labour. Lancashire and Manchester interests pushed for matching regulations. This pressure, not Indian trade unions, drove the early factory laws. So option (c) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Source of pressure behind early Indian factory legislation

NDA 2013-I

Q. 27. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:

List I	List II
A. Mappila outbreak	1. Maharashtra
B. Ramosi peasant force	2. Bengal
C. Kuka revolt	3. Malabar
D. Pabna revolt	4. Punjab

Code:

(a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2

(b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

(c) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

(d) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Answer: (a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2

Explanation: The Mappila outbreak took place in Malabar, in modern Kerala. The Ramosi peasant force rose up in Maharashtra. The Kuka revolt unfolded among Sikh communities in Punjab. The Pabna revolt broke out among peasants in Bengal. This matches the code A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2. So option (a) correctly matches every movement and region. Concept Tested: Regions associated with major peasant and tribal movements

NDA 2012-II

Q. 28. Statement I: Indigo formed the basis of a flourishing sector of commercial agriculture by the beginning of the 19th century.

Statement II: The Indigo Commission was set up to enquire into the grievances of the indigo cultivators in 1860.

(a) Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

(b) Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

(c) Statement I is true but Statement II is false

(d) Statement I is false but Statement II is true

Answer: (b) Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

Explanation: Indigo did become a flourishing commercial crop by the early 1800s. The Indigo Commission was genuinely set up in 1860 for grievances. But the Commission’s inquiry came later, responding to cultivator unrest. It does not explain why indigo cultivation flourished in the first place. So both statements are true, but II does not explain I. Concept Tested: Rise of indigo cultivation versus the later Indigo Commission

NDA 2011-II

Q. 29. Statement I: The private trade of the East India Company’s officials in the 18th century had flowered with the indirect patronage of the authorities of the Company.

Statement II: The extra-legal power enjoyed by the foreign merchants and the duty-free nature of their private trade virtually edged the indigenous merchants out of competition.

(a) Both individually true, II explains I

(b) Both true, II doesn’t explain I

(c) I true, II false

(d) I false, II true

Answer: (a) Both individually true, II explains I

Explanation: Company officials’ private trade did grow with quiet official patronage. Their extra-legal power and duty-free status removed real competition. This unfair advantage directly let their private trade keep expanding. So both statements are true, and II explains I. Concept Tested: Growth of Company officials’ private trade in Bengal

NDA 2011-II

Q. 30. Neel Darpan is a play based on the story of Indigo Rebellion of Bengal of 1860-61. Who authored it?

(a) Dinabandhu Mitra

(b) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya

(c) Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh jointly

(d) Madhusudan Dutta

Answer: (a) Dinabandhu Mitra

Explanation: Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neel Darpan about the Indigo Rebellion. The play depicted the suffering of Bengal’s indigo cultivators. Bankim Chandra and Madhusudan Dutta wrote separate literary works. So option (a) Dinabandhu Mitra is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Author of Neel Darpan

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