MCQs-Chapter 4–The Colonial Era in India-Class 8-Subject Social Science

Multiple Choice Questions in Class VIII for the Chapter 4 (The Colonial Era in India) in Subject Socia Science(History)

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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Which European power was the first to arrive in India by sea route?
a) Dutch
b) Portuguese
c) French
d) British
Ans: b) Portuguese

2. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in the year:
a) 1492
b) 1498
c) 1502
d) 1600
Ans: b) 1498

3. The British East India Company was established in:
a) 1599
b) 1600
c) 1608
d) 1612
Ans: b) 1600

4. Which Mughal emperor gave permission to the British to trade in Surat?
a) Babur
b) Akbar
c) Jahangir
d) Aurangzeb
Ans: c) Jahangir

5. Which battle marked the beginning of British political dominance in India?
a) Battle of Panipat
b) Battle of Plassey
c) Battle of Buxar
d) Battle of Haldighati
Ans: b) Battle of Plassey

6. Who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey?
a) Mir Qasim
b) Mir Jafar
c) Shuja-ud-Daulah
d) Tipu Sultan
Ans: b) Mir Jafar

7. The Battle of Buxar (1764) was fought between the British and:
a) Siraj-ud-Daulah
b) Mughals and Marathas
c) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II
d) Tipu Sultan
Ans: c) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II

8. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal?
a) Lord Clive
b) Warren Hastings
c) Lord Cornwallis
d) Lord Dalhousie
Ans: c) Lord Cornwallis

9. The ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ was associated with:
a) Lord Wellesley
b) Lord Cornwallis
c) Lord Dalhousie
d) Lord Hastings
Ans: c) Lord Dalhousie

10. The first railway line in India was laid between:
a) Bombay–Thane
b) Calcutta–Howrah
c) Delhi–Agra
d) Madras–Chennai
Ans: a) Bombay–Thane

11. The first Indian telegraph line connected:
a) Calcutta to Bombay
b) Calcutta to Agra
c) Delhi to Lahore
d) Bombay to Pune
Ans: b) Calcutta to Agra

12. Who described British rule in India as “a knife of sugar”?
a) Dadabhai Naoroji
b) Mahatma Gandhi
c) Jawaharlal Nehru
d) Rabindranath Tagore
Ans: b) Mahatma Gandhi

13. The idea of ‘Drain of Wealth’ was popularised by:
a) R.C. Dutt
b) Dadabhai Naoroji
c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
d) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Ans: b) Dadabhai Naoroji

14. Which cash crop was forced upon Indian peasants for British trade?
a) Wheat
b) Indigo
c) Maize
d) Jute
Ans: b) Indigo

15. The revolt of 1857 began in which city?
a) Meerut
b) Delhi
c) Kanpur
d) Jhansi
Ans: a) Meerut

16. Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi died in battle in:
a) 1857
b) 1858
c) 1859
d) 1860
Ans: b) 1858

17. Who led the Santhal Rebellion of 1855?
a) Birsa Munda
b) Sidhu and Kanhu
c) Tantia Tope
d) Kunwar Singh
Ans: b) Sidhu and Kanhu

18. The Indigo Revolt took place in:
a) Bihar
b) Punjab
c) Bengal
d) Maharashtra
Ans: c) Bengal

19. Which law allowed British rulers to annex princely states if rulers died without a male heir?
a) Subsidiary Alliance
b) Doctrine of Lapse
c) Permanent Settlement
d) Pitt’s India Act
Ans: b) Doctrine of Lapse

20. The Regulating Act was passed in:
a) 1757
b) 1773
c) 1784
d) 1858
Ans: b) 1773

21. Who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance system?
a) Warren Hastings
b) Lord Cornwallis
c) Lord Wellesley
d) Lord Dalhousie
Ans: c) Lord Wellesley

22. Which of the following was a major result of British land policies?
a) Prosperity of peasants
b) Growth of Indian industries
c) Famines and rural poverty
d) Increase in handicrafts
Ans: c) Famines and rural poverty

23. Who was the Governor-General during the Revolt of 1857?
a) Lord Canning
b) Lord Dalhousie
c) Lord Cornwallis
d) Lord Wellesley
Ans: a) Lord Canning

24. Who led the revolt in Kanpur in 1857?
a) Kunwar Singh
b) Nana Saheb
c) Tantia Tope
d) Bahadur Shah Zafar
Ans: b) Nana Saheb

25. The introduction of railways in India was mainly for:
a) Comfort of Indians
b) Faster military movement and trade
c) Religious pilgrimages
d) Rural development
Ans: b) Faster military movement and trade

26. The first Governor-General of India was:
a) Warren Hastings
b) Lord Cornwallis
c) Lord William Bentinck
d) Lord Canning
Ans: a) Warren Hastings

27. Which year is considered as the end of Company rule and the start of Crown rule in India?
a) 1757
b) 1764
c) 1857
d) 1858
Ans: d) 1858

28. Who wrote the book “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India”?
a) Dadabhai Naoroji
b) R.C. Dutt
c) Tilak
d) Gokhale
Ans: a) Dadabhai Naoroji

29. Which famine in British India caused millions of deaths in 1943?
a) Bengal famine
b) Madras famine
c) Bihar famine
d) Orissa famine
Ans: a) Bengal famine

30. Which British Governor-General introduced English education in India?
a) Lord Dalhousie
b) Lord Macaulay
c) Lord William Bentinck
d) Warren Hastings
Ans: c) Lord William Bentinck

True / False:

The British introduced railways mainly for the benefit of Indians. – False
Indigo was grown in India to meet demands in Europe. – True
The Revolt of 1857 was confined only to Delhi. – False
Dadabhai Naoroji exposed the ‘Drain of Wealth’ theory. – True
The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Cornwallis. – False
Rani Lakshmibai was a leader in the Revolt of 1857. – True
The British encouraged unity among Indians. – False
The Permanent Settlement benefited zamindars more than peasants. – True
The East India Company came first for trade, not conquest. – True
The revolt of 1857 led directly to the end of Company rule. – True

Fill in the blanks:

Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in ______. – 1498
The Battle of Plassey was fought in ______. – 1757
The British introduced the ______ Settlement in Bengal in 1793. – Permanent
The first railway line in India was laid in ______. – 1853
The ______ of 1857 was the first major revolt against British rule. – Revolt
The Governor-General during the Revolt of 1857 was ______. – Lord Canning
______ was the leader of Kanpur in 1857. – Nana Saheb
The Indigo Revolt took place in ______. – Bengal
Dadabhai Naoroji wrote ______. – Poverty and Un-British Rule in India
The Bengal famine occurred in the year ______. – 1943

Match the Following:

Lord Dalhousie – (a) Permanent Settlement
Lord Wellesley – (b) Revolt of 1857 heroine
Lord Cornwallis – (c) Doctrine of Lapse
Dadabhai Naoroji – (d) Drain of Wealth
Rani Lakshmibai – (e) Subsidiary Alliance

Ans: 1 → c, 2 → e, 3 → a, 4 → d, 5 → b

Assertion–Reasoning:

1.
Assertion (A): The British built railways in India.
Reason (R): They wanted to improve Indian transport and unity.

a) Both A and R are true, and R explains A
b) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
c) A is true, R is false
d) Both are false
Ans: c) A is true, R is false

2.
Assertion (A): The Doctrine of Lapse led to the annexation of Indian states.
Reason (R): Indian rulers without male heirs lost their kingdoms.

a) Both A and R are true, and R explains A
b) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
c) A is true, R is false
d) Both are false
Ans: a) Both A and R are true, and R explains A

3.
Assertion (A): The Revolt of 1857 is often called the First War of Independence.
Reason (R): It united all Indians across caste, class, and region.

a) Both A and R are true, and R explains A
b) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A
c) A is true, R is false
d) Both are false
Ans: b) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A

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To Learn More Click Below:

MCQs-:

Chapter-1 Natural resources and Their Use - CLICK HERE

Chapter-2 Reshaping India's Political Map - CLICK HERE

Chapter-3 The Rise of the Marathas - CLICK HERE

Chapter-4 The Colonial Era in India - CLICK HERE

Chapter-5 Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System - CLICK HERE

Chapter-6 The Parliamentary System Legislature and Executive - CLICK HERE

Chapter-7 Factors of Production - CLICK HERE

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