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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper I

Which one of the following commercial centres declined after mid-eighteenth century?

  1. A.Calcutta
  2. B.Madras
  3. C.Dhaka
  4. D.Bombay

Correct answer

C. Dhaka

Explanation

The correct answer is C, Dhaka. Dhaka, famous for its fine muslin, lost its trade and population after the mid-eighteenth century as the East India Company's rule and cheap British cloth destroyed its textile industry.

Under the Mughals Dhaka was the capital of Bengal and one of the great textile centres of Asia, exporting muslin and jamdani across the world. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the Company forced weavers to sell at low prices, and from the early nineteenth century machine-made cloth from Lancashire flooded Indian markets. Old trading towns such as Dhaka, Surat and Masulipatnam declined, while the Company's new Presidency towns grew.

A is wrong because Calcutta grew into the capital of British India and the leading port of the east after 1757. B is wrong because Madras became the headquarters of the Madras Presidency and expanded as a port and administrative centre. D is wrong because Bombay rose steadily as a port and later as the centre of cotton trade and textile mills.

Exam tip: declined in the 18th century = Surat, Masulipatnam, Dhaka; rose = Presidency towns Calcutta, Madras, Bombay.

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKEasy

Who were the Nayanars?

  1. A.Those who were immersed in devotion to Vishnu
  2. B.Those who were devotees of Buddha
  3. C.Leaders who were devotees of Shiva
  4. D.Leaders who were devotees of Basveshwara
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Leaders who were devotees of Shiva

The Nayanars were Tamil saint-poets of the early Bhakti movement who worshipped Shiva. Between about the 6th and 9th centuries CE, the Nayanars travelled from temple to temple in the Tamil country singing hymns in praise of Shiva.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKHard

Which of the following statements about the Sanyasi and Faqir disturbances/rebellions are correct? 1. Governor-General Warren Hastings faced the persistent Sanyasi and Faqir disturbances in Bengal and Bihar. 2. There were a number of Shaivite Naga Sanyasis who formed into armed bands. 3. Majnu Shah, who led bands into Bengal from 1771, was their prominent leader. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.1, 2 and 3
  3. C.2 and 3 only
  4. D.1 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 1, 2 and 3

All three statements correctly describe the Sanyasi and Faqir risings in late 18th-century Bengal and Bihar. After the Battle of Plassey and the grant of Diwani in 1765, heavy revenue demands and the terrible Bengal famine of 1770 hurt peasants and wandering ascetics alike.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKHard

Which one of the following statements about the grammarian Katyayana is correct ?

  1. A.He was a contemporary of Panini.
  2. B.He was a contemporary of Patanjali.
  3. C.He belonged to a period between Panini and Patanjali.
  4. D.He belonged to a period later than both Panini and Patanjali.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. He belonged to a period between Panini and Patanjali.

Katyayana commented on Panini's grammar, and Patanjali in turn commented on both Panini and Katyayana. Panini wrote the Ashtadhyayi, the foundational Sanskrit grammar of about 4,000 sutras, around the 5th or 4th century BCE.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKHard

Chronologically arrange the following treaties/conventions signed between the Marathas and the British (starting with the earliest): 1. Treaty of Salbai 2. Treaty of Purandar 3. Convention of Wadgaon 4. Treaty of Surat Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.4-2-3-1
  2. B.4-3-2-1
  3. C.1-3-2-4
  4. D.1-2-3-4
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 4-2-3-1

All four belong to the First Anglo-Maratha War: Surat (1775), Purandar (1776), Wadgaon (1779) and Salbai (1782). In 1775 the Bombay government signed the Treaty of Surat with Raghunathrao, promising to put him in power as Peshwa in return for Salsette and Bassein.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKHard

Arrange the following events associated with Shivaji in chronological order : 1. Attack on Afzal Khan 2. Capture of Torna 3. Attack on Shaista Khan 4. Annexation of Javli Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A.2, 4, 1, 3
  2. B.4, 2, 1, 3
  3. C.1, 2, 3, 4
  4. D.3, 1, 2, 4
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 2, 4, 1, 3

Shivaji took Torna first, then Javli, then killed Afzal Khan, and later raided Shaista Khan's camp. In 1646, still a teenager, Shivaji captured the fort of Torna from the Bijapur Sultanate, his first major conquest.