41.The ‘Blue Water Policy’ was introduced by the Portugese leader ____:
[A] Alfonso de Albuquerque
[B] Francis Caron
[C] Francis Martin
[D] Franscisco-de-Almeida
Answer: D [Franscisco-de-Almeida]
Notes:
The “Blue Water” policy is attributed to Don Francisco de Almeida, the first Viceroy of the Portuguese possessions in India. As per this policy, the Portuguese should be the sole trade power in the Arabian sea and the Indian Ocean. It called for the Portuguese to be powerful at the sea instead of building fortresses on Indian mainland.
42.Which one of the following was the first English ship that came to India?
[A] Red Dragon
[B] Elizabeth
[C] Bengal
[D] Mayflower
Answer: A [Red Dragon]
Notes:
Formed on 31 December, 1600, the East India Company’s first voyage departed on 13 February 1601. The flagship of the five-vessel fleet was the Scourge of Malice, purchased from the Earl of Cumberland for 3700 pounds. On a more peaceful mission, the East India Company renamed the vessel the Red Dragon. The other vessels in the fleet were the Hector (300 tons), Ascension (260 tons), Susan (240 tons) and the Gift, a small victualler.
43.Who was the ruler of Delhi when Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas in the third Battle of Panipat in 1761?
[A] Alamgir I
[B] Shah Alam II
[C] Jahandar Shah
[D] Muhammad Shah
Answer: B [Shah Alam II]
Notes:
The Third Battle of Panipat was fought in 1761 between the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas. Ali Gauhar, better known as Shah Alam II (October 1760 – November 1806) was the Mughal Emperor then. He was installed on the throne of Delhi under the Maratha suzerainty.
44.During British rule, who was instrumental for the introduction of the Ryotwari system in the then Madras Presidency?
[A] Elphinstone
[B] Macartney
[C] Thomas Munro
[D] John Lawrence
Answer: C [Thomas Munro]
Notes:
Thomas Munro is regarded as the father of the ‘Ryotwari system’ in Madras. In 1820, he was appointed governor of Madras, where he founded systems in the then Madras Presidency.
45.In which year did the Indian National Congress split between moderates and extremists?
[A] 1907
[B] 1908
[C] 1909
[D] 1910
Answer: A [1907]
Notes:
It was during the Surat session in 1907 that the Indian National Congress split into two. The two groups were moderates and extremists. Extremists were led by Bal, Pal, Lal while the moderates by G.K. Gokhale.
46.The Political Guru of Mahatma Gandhi was ____:
[A] Gopal Krishna Gokhale
[B] Bal Gangadhar Tilak
[C] Mahadev Govind Ranade
[D] Dadabhai Naoroji
Answer: A [Gopal Krishna Gokhale]
Notes:
In an article, titled “Gokhale: My Political Guru,” published in February 1918, Mahatma Gandhi acknowledged Gopalkrishna Gokhale as his guru. It was on his advice that Gandhi toured throughout the country to know the real India after coming from South Africa in 1915 (The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. XIV).
47. Who was awarded the ‘Kesar- e-Hind’ in 1915 by Lord Hardinge of Penshurst for his contribution to ambulance services in South Africa?
[A] Muhammad Iqbal
[B] Subhash Chandra Bose
[C] Bal Gangadhar Tilak
[D] Mahatma Gandhi
Answer: D [Mahatma Gandhi]
Notes:
Gandhi was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind in 1915 by The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst for his contribution to ambulance services in South Africa. He returned the medal in 1920 as part of the national campaign protesting the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and in support of the Khilafat Movement.
48. The ____ was a group of seven Members of Parliament from the United Kingdom, cons-tituted to suggest constitu-tional reforms for British India:
[A] Simon Commission
[B] Sargent Commission
[C] Hunter Commission
[D] Fraser Commission
Answer: A [Simon Commission]
Notes:
The Simon Commission was a group of 7 MPs from Britain who was sent to India in 1928 to study constitutional reforms and make recommendations to the government. The Commission was originally named the Indian Statutory Commission. It came to be known as the Simon Commission after its chairman Sir John Simon. The Commission was com-posed entirely of British members with not a single Indian member being included in it. This was seen as an insult to Indians who were right in saying that their destiny could not be deter-mined by a bunch of British people alone.
49.Who was the first Indian to be elected to the British Parliament?
[A] Bipin Chandra Pal
[B] Dadabhai Naoroji
[C] Lala Lajpat Rai
[D] Gopala Krishna Gokhale
Answer: B [Dadabhai Naoroji]
Notes:
Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the Grand Old Man of India, was a Parsi intellectual, educator, cotton trader, and an early Indian political and social leader. His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the draining of India’s wealth into Britain. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom House of Commons between 1892 and 1895, and the first Asian to be a British Member of Parliament. He is also credited with the founding of the Indian National Congress, along with A.O. Hume and Dinshaw Edulji Wacha.
50.The movement of the local farmers of Bardoli in Gujarat against the British in 1928 was led by ____:
[A] Lal Bahadur Shashtri
[B] Lokmanya Tilak
[C] Vallabhbhai Patel
[D] Jawaharlal Nehru
Answer: C [Vallabhbhai Patel]
Notes:
The Bardoli Satyagraha, in the state of Gujarat, India during the British Raj, was a major episode of civil disobedience and revolt in the Indian Independence Movement on 12 June 1928. The movement was eventually led by Vallabhbhai Patel, and its success gave rise to Patel becoming one of the main leaders of the independence movement.