Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the
- A.increase in the export of Indian handicrafts
- B.growth in the number of Indian owned factories
- C.commercialization of Indian agriculture
- D.rapid increase in the urban population
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, commercialization of Indian agriculture. British rule pushed Indian farmers to grow crops for sale and export rather than for their own food.
Heavy land revenue had to be paid in cash, so peasants turned to cash crops such as indigo, cotton, jute, opium, tea and sugarcane, which fed British industry and trade. Railways and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 tied Indian farms to world markets. This commercialization often hurt peasants, who fell into debt to moneylenders and became exposed to price falls and famines.
A is wrong because cheap machine-made British goods ruined Indian handicrafts, and their exports fell sharply. B is wrong because Indian-owned factories grew only slowly and late, mainly cotton mills in Bombay and Ahmedabad. D is wrong because the decline of old craft towns caused deurbanisation; the urban share of the population did not rise rapidly.
Exam tip: 19th-century British rule = deindustrialisation, ruralisation and commercialization of agriculture.
Practice Questions
View allConsider the following freedom fighters:
1. Barindra Kumar Ghosh
2. Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
3. Rash Behari Bose
Who of the above was/were actively associated with the Ghadar Party?
- A.1 and 2
- B.2 only
- C.1 and 3
- D.3 only
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Of the three, only Rash Behari Bose worked actively with the Ghadar Party. The Ghadar Party was founded in 1913 at San Francisco by Indians in North America, with Lala Har Dayal and Sohan Singh Bhakna among its leaders.
Read the full explanation →Subsequent to which one of the following events, Gandhiji, who consistently opposed untouchability and appealed for its eradication from all spheres, decided to include the upliftment of 'Harijans' in his political and social programme?
- A.The Poona Pact
- B.The Gandhi-Irwin Agreement (Delhi Pact)
- C.Arrest of Congress leadership at the time of the Quit India Movement
- D.Promulgation of the Government of India Act, 1935
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After the Poona Pact of September 1932, Gandhi made the upliftment of the Harijans a central part of his work.
Read the full explanation →In medieval India, the term "Fanam" referred to:
- A.Clothing
- B.Coins
- C.Ornaments
- D.Weapons
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The fanam was a small gold (and later silver) coin used widely in South India in medieval times. The word comes from the Tamil 'panam', meaning money.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following pairs:
(Party : Its Leader)
1. Bharatiya Jana Sangh : Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
2. Socialist Party : C. Rajagopalachari
3. Congress for Democracy : Jagjivan Ram
4. Swatantra Party : Acharya Narendra Dev
How many of the above are correctly matched?
- A.Only one
- B.Only two
- C.Only three
- D.All four
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Pairs 1 and 3 are correct; the leaders in pairs 2 and 4 have been swapped. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951.
Read the full explanation →Who provided legal defence to the people arrested in the aftermath of Chauri Chaura incident?
- A.C. R. Das
- B.Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant
- C.Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Khwaja Hasan Nizami
- D.M. A. Jinnah
Show answer
Malaviya, with Krishna Kant Malaviya, defended the peasants accused in the Chauri Chaura case. On 5 February 1922, at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district, a crowd of Non-Cooperation volunteers set fire to a police station after the police fired on them, and 22 policemen died.
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