The Bengal Famine of 1769-70 was worsened by
- A.Locust attacks
- B.Rat infestation
- C.High levels of taxation
- D.Smallpox epidemic
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, High levels of taxation. The great Bengal famine of 1769–70 began with failed rains, but the East India Company's harsh revenue demand turned a crop failure into a catastrophe. After the grant of the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765, the Company collected land revenue under the Dual System, in which it held the revenue rights while the Nawab carried the burden of administration. Its agents kept up, and in places even raised, collections while peasants starved, and grain was hoarded by traders. Contemporary estimates put the deaths at about one-third of Bengal's population, close to ten million people, and Warren Hastings later reported that revenue had been strictly maintained despite the loss. Option A is wrong because locust swarms were not the cause recorded for this famine. Option B is wrong because rat infestation played no recorded part. Option D is wrong because smallpox broke out among the weakened survivors, but it was a consequence, not the factor that worsened the famine. Exam tip: Bengal famine 1770 = Dual Government of Clive (1765–72); its horrors are recalled in Bankim Chandra's Anandamath.
Practice Questions
View allThe principle that the framing of the new Constitution for independent India should be primarily (though not solely) the responsibility of Indians themselves, was for the first time conceded in the
- A.Government of India Act, 1935
- B.August Offer of Viceroy Linlithgow
- C.Cripps Proposals
- D.Cabinet Mission
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Made on 8 August 1940, it was the first time the British government accepted that framing India's new constitution should be mainly the responsibility of Indians.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was the author of the famous Sanskrit work 'Mrichchhakatika'?
- A.Kalidasa
- B.Bhasa
- C.Valmiki
- D.Shudraka
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Mrichchhakatika, meaning 'The Little Clay Cart', is a ten-act Sanskrit play attributed to King Shudraka. The play tells the love story of Charudatta, a generous Brahmin merchant of Ujjayini who has lost his wealth, and Vasantasena, a rich and noble courtesan.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the technological innovations during the Industrial Revolutions are correct ? 1. Mule was the nickname for a machine invented in 1779, that allowed the spinning of strong and fine yarn. 2. Water Frame, invented in 1769 by Richard Arkwright, made it possible to weave pure cotton clothes. 3. Power loom, invented by Edmund Cartwright in 1787, could be used to weave any kind of materials. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.1, 2 and 3
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.3 only
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All three statements correctly describe the spinning and weaving machines that drove the British cotton industry in the late eighteenth century.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following was NOT a Panch Sheel principle ?
- A.Peaceful Co-existence
- B.Mutual respect for territorial integrity
- C.Nuclear deterrence
- D.Non-interference in internal affairs
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Panchsheel is a set of five principles of peaceful relations between states, and the threat of nuclear weapons has no place in it.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about Rabatak inscription is not correct ?
- A.It throws important light on Kushana genealogy.
- B.It refers to Kanishka as 'a king of kings and a son of God'.
- C.The 23-line inscription is written in Gandhari language.
- D.It mentions names of States which were part of Kanishka's empire.
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The Rabatak inscription is written in the Bactrian language using the Greek script, not in Gandhari. The inscription was found in 1993 at Rabatak in northern Afghanistan.
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