British Expansion and Administration — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on British expansion and administration with full explanations — treaties, Buxar, Charter Acts and governors-general.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
The Treaty of Bassein (1802), by which a subsidiary alliance was accepted, was signed between the English East India Company and
Solution
Peshwa Baji Rao II, after his defeat by Holkar near Pune, signed the Treaty of Bassein on 31 December 1802. Scindia and Bhonsle saw it as a surrender of Maratha independence, which led to the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05).
Answer: D
Consider the following statements:
- The Battle of Buxar was fought between the English and the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II.
- By the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), the Company obtained the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
- The dual government in Bengal was abolished by Lord Cornwallis.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong — the dual government created by Clive in 1765 was abolished by Warren Hastings in 1772.
Answer: B
Which Charter Act introduced a system of open competition for recruitment to the civil services of the East India Company?
Solution
The Charter Act of 1853 opened the covenanted civil service to competition, including to Indians; the Macaulay Committee (1854) framed the scheme. The 1833 Act declared Indians eligible for office but did not create competition; the 1813 Act ended the trade monopoly; the 1793 Act renewed the charter.
Answer: A
Consider the following pairs:
| Treaty | War it concluded |
|---|---|
| 1. Treaty of Salbai | First Anglo-Maratha War |
| 2. Treaty of Mangalore | Second Anglo-Mysore War |
| 3. Treaty of Yandabo | First Anglo-Burmese War |
| 4. Treaty of Lahore (1846) | Second Anglo-Sikh War |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Solution
Pairs 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Pair 4 is wrong — the Treaty of Lahore (1846) ended the First Anglo-Sikh War. The Second Anglo-Sikh War ended with Dalhousie’s annexation of Punjab (1849).
Answer: C
Who was the first Governor-General of India?
Solution
The Charter Act of 1833 created the office of Governor-General of India, first held by Lord William Bentinck. Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of Bengal (1773); Canning was the first Viceroy (1858).
Answer: B
Mains
Trace how Parliament progressively brought the East India Company under its control between 1773 and 1858.
Solution
Introduction: By the 1770s a commercial company governed Bengal amid corruption and financial crisis. Parliament responded with a series of Acts that culminated in Crown rule.
Body:
- Regulating Act (1773): first parliamentary intervention — GG of Bengal, council, Supreme Court, curbs on private trade.
- Pitt’s India Act (1784): Board of Control — the British government supervises political affairs.
- Charter Act (1813): trade monopoly ends (except tea and China).
- Charter Act (1833): the Company becomes a purely administrative body; GG of India; centralised legislation.
- Charter Act (1853): separate legislative council; patronage replaced by open competition; no fixed charter term.
- GoI Act (1858): after the Revolt, Company rule ends; Secretary of State and Viceroy.
Conclusion: Over 85 years, the Company was turned from a sovereign trader into an agent of the British State, and finally replaced by it.