The first cotton mill in British India which began production in 1856 was set up by
- A.Ghanshyam Das Birla
- B.Jamnalal Bajaj
- C.Ambalal Sarabhai
- D.C. N. Davar
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, C. N. Davar. Cowasjee Nanabhoy Davar, a Parsi businessman of Bombay, set up the Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company, which began production in 1856 and is regarded as India's first modern cotton mill. Davar founded the company in 1854 at Tardeo in Bombay with machinery imported from England. Its success started the growth of the textile industry in Bombay, and by the end of the 19th century the city's mills had made it the centre of India's cotton textile trade. Ahmedabad's first mill followed in 1861, set up by Ranchhodlal Chhotalal. Option A is wrong because G. D. Birla was an industrialist of the 20th century who founded textile, jute and other businesses long after 1856. Option B is wrong because Jamnalal Bajaj, born in 1889, founded the Bajaj group and was a close associate of Gandhi. Option C is wrong because Ambalal Sarabhai was an Ahmedabad mill owner of the early 20th century and the father of Vikram Sarabhai. Exam tip: first cotton mill = C. N. Davar, Bombay, 1854 (production 1856); first jute mill = Rishra, Bengal, 1855.
Practice Questions
View allThe ruins of Hampi were brought to light by which of the following British officers of the East India Company ?
- A.Colonel Colin Mackenzie
- B.James Prinsep
- C.William Jones
- D.James Rennell
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In 1800 Colin Mackenzie, an engineer and surveyor of the East India Company, prepared the first survey map of the ruins of Hampi.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman, consider the following statements:
1. The script of this inscription is Kharosthi and the language is Prakrit.
2. The inscription records the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana Lake.
3. It is an undated inscription.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.1 and 2 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
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The Junagadh rock inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I records how he restored the Sudarshana lake after a storm burst its dam.
Read the full explanation →The concept of "Four Pillar State", free from district magistracy for India was suggested by
- A.Lala Lajpat Rai
- B.Ram Manohar Lohia
- C.Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- D.Subash Chandra Bose
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The socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia proposed the Chaukhamba Raj, a Four Pillar State, to spread power away from the centre.
Read the full explanation →In which one of the following years was the first telegraphic connection established between Europe and India ?
- A.1851
- B.1854
- C.1865
- D.1871
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In 1865 the overland line through the Ottoman Empire and Persia was joined to a submarine cable in the Persian Gulf, and messages could pass between Britain and India for the first time.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :
1. The Swadeshi Movement had its genesis in the Anti-Partition movement, which was started to oppose the British decision to partition Bengal.
2. Aurobindo Ghosh was in favour of extending the movement to the rest of India and carrying it beyond the programme of just Swadeshi and Boycott to a full-fledged political mass struggle.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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The Swadeshi Movement grew out of the protest against the partition of Bengal, and the Extremists, Aurobindo Ghosh among them, wanted to turn it into a nationwide mass struggle.
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