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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2017, GAT

Which one of the following was NOT a feature of the Subsidiary Alliance of Lord Wellesley?

  1. A.The British were responsible for protecting the ally from any external threats
  2. B.All internal threats were to be handled by the ally alone, with no help from the British
  3. C.The ally was to provide resources for maintaining a British armed contingent stationed in its territory
  4. D.The ally could not enter into any agreement with other rulers without the permission of the British

Correct answer

B. All internal threats were to be handled by the ally alone, with no help from the British

Explanation

The correct answer is B. Under the Subsidiary Alliance the British promised to protect the ally from internal threats as well as external ones, so B was not a feature.

Lord Wellesley, Governor-General from 1798 to 1805, used the Subsidiary Alliance to bring Indian states under Company control without open war. The ally had to accept a British force on its territory and pay for it, in cash or by giving up land. A British Resident lived at its court, and the ally could not make war, peace or treaties with other rulers without British consent. In return the Company guarded it against outside attack and inside rebellion. Hyderabad was the first to sign, in 1798.

A is wrong because it was a feature: protection from external threats was the Company's side of the bargain. C is wrong because the ally did have to pay for the stationed troops. D is wrong because the ally did lose the right to make agreements on its own.

Exam tip: Subsidiary Alliance, Wellesley, 1798; Hyderabad first; Mysore, Awadh and the Peshwa followed.

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

Which one of the following sources tells us about women protesting against the infidelity of their husbands or the neglect of the wife and children by the male head of the household?

  1. A.The Kitab-ul-Hind
  2. B.Documents belonging to the Village Panchayats of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra
  3. C.Sculptures from Mandor
  4. D.The Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazl
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Documents belonging to the Village Panchayats of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra

These records preserve petitions that women sent to the panchayat seeking redress. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries village panchayats settled disputes and punished misconduct.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

Who among the following was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army of independent India?

  1. A.S. M. Srinagesh
  2. B.K. M. Cariappa
  3. C.K. S. Thimayya
  4. D.K. S. Rajendrasinhji
Show answer
Correct answer: B. K. M. Cariappa

General K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on 15 January 1949. He succeeded General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British chief, and the day he took charge is celebrated every year as Army Day on 15 January.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

Which of the following statements with regard to the speech of Mahatma Gandhi at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University are correct? 1. He charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor. 2. He asserted that our salvation can come only through the farmers. 3. He highlighted the plight of the untouchables. 4. He promised to take up the cause of the mill owners of Ahmedabad. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

At the opening of Banaras Hindu University in February 1916, Gandhi criticised the elite for ignoring the poor and said India's salvation lay with its farmers.