Here are all the WBCS Preliminary questions on “Modern India before 1857” presented year-wise from 2023 to 2000.
📋 WBCS 2023
Q 1. The first cotton textile mill in India was set up in
(A) Kolkata – Ghusuri
(B) Kolkata – Sinthimore
(C) Nagpur
(D) Thane
Answer: (A) Kolkata – Ghusuri (1818)
Q 2. What was the name of the first newspaper published in India?
(A) Parthenon
(B) Digdarshan
(C) Bengal Gazette / Hicky’s Gazette
(D) Samachar Darpan
Answer: (C) Bengal Gazette
Q 3. Which British Act envisages the parliamentary system of government in India?
(A) Charter Act of 1793
(B) Charter Act of 1813
(C) Charter Act of 1853
(D) Charter Act of 1833
Answer: (D) Charter Act of 1833
Q 4. Who started Faraizi movement in Bengal?
(A) Titumir
(B) Kunwar Singh
(C) Digambar Singh
(D) Haji Shariyatullah
Answer: (D) Haji Shariyatullah
Q 5. Which Mughal emperor granted ‘Farman’ in 1717 to the British East India Company?
(A) Bahadur Shah II
(B) Shah Alam II
(C) Farrukshiyar
(D) Muhammad Shah
Answer: (C) Farrukshiyar
Q 6. In India the first Paper Mill was set up in West Bengal at
(A) Srirampur
(B) Bansberia
(C) Kulti
(D) Budge Budge
Answer: (B) Bansberia (1832)
Q 7. The first cotton textile mill in India was set up in which year?
(A) 1820
(B) 1812
(C) 1840
(D) 1818
Answer: (D) 1818
📋 WBCS 2022
Q 8. Who was the founder of Tattwabodhini Sabha in Bengal?
(A) Dadoba Pandurang
(B) Debendranath Tagore
(C) Radha Kanta Deb
(D) Keshab Chandra Sen
Answer: (B) Debendranath Tagore
📋 WBCS 2021
Q 9. The names of Sidho and Kanho are associated with which rebellion?
(A) Chuar rebellion
(B) Sannyasi rebellion
(C) Santhal rebellion
(D) Kol rebellion
Answer: (C) Santhal rebellion (1856-57)
Q 10. Who wrote the drama Neel Darpan?
(A) Harishchandra Mukherjee
(B) Girishchandra Ghosh
(C) Dwijendralal Roy
(D) Dinabandhu Mitra
Answer: (D) Dinabandhu Mitra (1858-59)
Q 11. Who was the Mughal emperor during the Revolt of 1857?
(A) Aurangzeb
(B) Mir Qasim
(C) Bahadur Shah II
(D) Sarfaraz Khan
Answer: (C) Bahadur Shah II
Q 12. Who founded the Asiatic Society in Calcutta?
(A) Alexander Cunningham
(B) John Stuart Mill
(C) William Jones
(D) David Hare
Answer: (C) William Jones (1784)
Q 13. When was the University of Calcutta established?
(A) 1911
(B) 1817
(C) 1854
(D) 1857
Answer: (D) 1857 (24 Jan)
Q 14. What was the original name of Titumir?
(A) Syed Amanullah Khan
(B) Syed Mir Nasar Ali
(C) Syed Amir Ali
(D) Syed Mir Muhammad Khan
Answer: (B) Syed Mir Nasar Ali
📋 WBCS 2020
Q 15. The English established their first factory in India at
(A) Bombay
(B) Surat
(C) Sutanuti
(D) Madras
Answer: (B) Surat
Q 16. What was the Act III, 1872?
(A) Social Reform Act
(B) Jury Act
(C) Revenue Act
(D) Executive Act
Answer: (A) Social Reform Act (Special Marriage Act)
Q 17. In which Act yearly Rs.1 lakh was allotted for the education of Indians?
(A) 1813 Charter Renewal Act
(B) 1773 Regulating Act
(C) 1784 Pitt’s India Act
(D) 1833 Charter Renewal Act
Answer: (A) 1813 Charter Renewal Act
Q 18. In which year was India’s first cotton textile industry set up in Ghusuri near Kolkata?
(A) 1818
(B) 1821
(C) 1819
(D) 1823
Answer: (A) 1818 (Fort Gloster, Howrah)
Q 19. Who was the founder of the Tattabodhini Sabha?
(A) Debendranath Tagore
(B) Rammohon Roy
(C) Keshabchandra Sen
(D) Iswarchandra Vidyasagar
Answer: (A) Debendranath Tagore (1839)
Q 20. When was the Hindu College founded?
(A) 1800 A.D
(B) 1817 AD
(C) 1855 A.D
(D) 1857 A D
Answer: (B) 1817 AD (20 Jan)
Q 21. Under whose Governor Generalship were the Railways introduced in India?
(A) Lord Wellesley
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (D) Lord Dalhousie (1848-56)
Q 22. Through which Educational Report did Calcutta University come into existence?
(A) Macaulay’s Minute
(B) Hunter Commission
(C) Charter Act
(D) Wood’s Despatch
Answer: (D) Wood’s Despatch (1854)
Q 23. Who was the Governor General during the annulment of Sati?
(A) Lord Bentinck
(B) Lord Hastings
(C) Lord Dalhousie
(D) Lord Canning
Answer: (A) Lord Bentinck (4 Dec 1829)
Q 24. Who planted the ‘Tree of Liberty’ at Serangapatnam?
(A) Hyder Ali
(B) Tipu Sultan
(C) Chin Qilich Khan
(D) Murshid Quli Khan
Answer: (B) Tipu Sultan
Q 25. Who started the first English Newspaper in India?
(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(B) Raja Rammohan Roy
(C) J. A. Hickey
(D) Lord William Bentinck
Answer: (C) J. A. Hickey (1780)
Q 26. Who was Birjis Kader?
(A) The Nizam of Hyderabad
(B) The Nawab of Oudh
(C) The Mughal Emperor
(D) The Nawab of Bengal
Answer: (B) The Nawab of Oudh
Q 27. What was meant by ‘Kherwari Hul’?
(A) Chuar movement
(B) Paik revolt
(C) Santhal movement
(D) Indigo revolt
Answer: (C) Santhal movement (June 1855)
📋 WBCS 2019
Q 28. Between whom were Carnatic Wars fought?
(A) French East India Co. and English East India Co.
(B) French East India Co. and Dutch East India Co.
(C) Dutch East India Co. and the Portuguese
(D) English East India Co. and the Dutch
Answer: (A) French East India Co. and English East India Co. (1742-1763)
Q 29. Who among the following led the sepoys at Kanpur in the 1857 uprising?
(A) Tantia Tope
(B) Rani Lakshmibai
(C) Nana Sahib
(D) Kunwar Singh
Answer: (C) Nana Sahib
Q 30. The Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded by
(A) C. F. Andrews
(B) Raja Rammohan Roy
(C) Sir William Jones
(D) William Marshal
Answer: (C) Sir William Jones (1784)
Q 31. The Battle of Buxar was fought in
(A) 1762
(B) 1764
(C) 1768
(D) 1772
Answer: (B) 1764 (21 Oct)
Q 32. With whose permission did the English set up their first factory in Surat?
(A) Akbar
(B) Jahangir
(C) Shahjehan
(D) Aurangzeb
Answer: (B) Jahangir (1613)
Q 33. When did Vasco-da-Gama come to India?
(A) 1498 A.D.
(B) 1409 A.D.
(C) 1496 A.D.
(D) 1492 A.D.
Answer: (A) 1498 A.D. (21 May 1498)
Q 34. Which battle established the supremacy of the British rule in India?
(A) Battle of Plassey, 1757
(B) Battle of Buxar, 1764
(C) 3rd Mysore War, 1790-92
(D) 4th Mysore War, 1799
Answer: (B) Battle of Buxar, 1764
📋 WBCS 2018
Q 35. Who among the following was associated with the French?
(A) Haidar Ali
(B) Safdar Jang
(C) Mir Qasim
(D) Tipu Sultan
Answer: (D) Tipu Sultan
Q 36. Leader of Lucknow during the revolt of 1857 was
(A) Bahadur Shah
(B) Liyaqat Ali
(C) Nana Sahib
(D) Begum Hajrat Mahal
Answer: (D) Begum Hajrat Mahal
Q 37. Which Governor General of India advocated rapid railway construction in India?
(A) Lord Cornwallis
(B) Lord Dalhousie
(C) Lord Hardinge
(D) Lord Hastings
Answer: (B) Lord Dalhousie
Q 38. Who first came to India for trading purposes?
(A) The French
(B) The Dutch
(C) The Portuguese
(D) The English
Answer: (C) The Portuguese
Q 39. Who was the Nawab of Bengal at the time of Battle of Buxar (1764)?
(A) Mir Qasim
(B) Mir Jafar
(C) Nizam-ud-Daulah
(D) Suja-ud-Daulah
Answer: (A) Mir Qasim
Q 40. Who was the editor of the ‘Hindoo Patriot’?
(A) Surendranath Banerjee
(B) Motilal Ghosh
(C) Sisir Kumar Ghosh
(D) Harish Chandra Mukherjee
Answer: (D) Harish Chandra Mukherjee (1853)
📋 WBCS 2017
Q 41. Dewan Velu Thampi’s rebellion against the British took place in the Indian state of
(A) Awadh
(B) Kashmir
(C) Travancore
(D) Mysore
Answer: (C) Travancore (1808, Kerala)
Q 42. The custom of ‘Sati’ was banned through legislation in the year
(A) 1795
(B) 1800
(C) 1829
(D) 1858
Answer: (C) 1829
Q 43. The title ‘Raja’ was conferred on Ram Mohan Roy by the Mughal emperor
(A) Jahandar Shah
(B) Mohammad Shah
(C) Akbar II
(D) Bahadur Shah Zafar
Answer: (C) Akbar II
Q 44. With which Revolt are the names of Sindu and Kanu associated?
(A) Santhal
(B) Chakma
(C) Khasi
(D) Indigo
Answer: (A) Santhal (1856)
Q 45. Who was the Governor General of India at the time of the outbreak of the Revolt of 1857?
(A) William Bentinck
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (C) Lord Canning
📋 WBCS 2016
Q 46. The English set up their first factory on Indian soil in 1613 at
(A) Goa
(B) Surat
(C) Calicut
(D) Madras
Answer: (B) Surat (Gujarat)
Q 47. Ranjit Singh was a leader of the
(A) Sukerchakia misl
(B) Bhangi misl
(C) Kanheya misl
(D) Gobind misl
Answer: (A) Sukerchakia misl (1780-1839)
Q 48. Tipu’s final defeat came at the hands of
(A) Lord Wellesley
(B) Lord Cornwallis
(C) Lord Dalhousie
(D) John Shore
Answer: (A) Lord Wellesley (1782-99)
Q 49. Who organised the ‘Council of Barabhais’?
(A) Madhav Rao Narayan
(B) Baji Rao II
(C) Mahadji Scindia
(D) Nana Phadnavis
Answer: (D) Nana Phadnavis (1773)
Q 50. In collaboration with David Hare and Alexander Duff, who established Hindu College at Calcutta?
(A) Derozio
(B) Vidyasagar
(C) Keshab Chandra Sen
(D) Raja Rammohan Roy
Answer: (D) Raja Rammohan Roy (1817)
Q 51. During whose Governor-Generalship was Indian Civil Service (I.C.S.) introduced?
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Curzon
(C) Lord William Bentinck
(D) Lord Cornwallis
Answer: (D) Lord Cornwallis (1786-93)
📋 WBCS 2015
Q 52. In which year was the Pitt’s India Act passed?
(A) 1773
(B) 1781
(C) 1784
(D) 1858
Answer: (C) 1784
Q 53. Which language was replaced by English as the official language for the government of India in 1835?
(A) Arabic
(B) Persian
(C) Turkish
(D) Urdu
Answer: (B) Persian (Macaulay’s Minute)
Q 54. Between whom and when was the Treaty of Bassein signed?
(A) Peshwa Baji Rao II and the English, 1802
(B) Tipu Sultan and the English, 1784
(C) Marathas and Ahmed Shah Abdali, 1761
(D) Ranjit Singh and the English, 1809
Answer: (A) Peshwa Baji Rao II and the English, 1802 (2nd Anglo-Maratha War)
Q 55. During the uprising of 1857, which part of India was largely unaffected?
(A) Bengal
(B) Punjab
(C) Awadh
(D) All of the above
Answer: (B) Punjab
Q 56. When was the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act passed?
(A) 1856
(B) 1817
(C) 1838
(D) 1867
Answer: (A) 1856 (26 July)
Q 57. Who introduced the system of Civil Services?
(A) Lord Hardinge
(B) William Bentinck
(C) Warren Hastings
(D) Lord Dalhousie
Answer: (C) Warren Hastings
Q 58. Who was Titumir?
(A) Wahabi Movement
(B) Faraji Movement
(C) Sepoy Mutiny
(D) Indigo Revolt
Answer: (B) Faraji Movement
Q 59. Who introduced the railways and telegraphs in India?
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Canning
(C) Lord Hardinge
(D) Lord Ripon
Answer: (A) Lord Dalhousie (1848-56)
Q 60. The first Maratha War took place during the tenure of
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) William Bentinck
(C) Marquess Cornwallis
(D) Charles Canning
Answer: (A) Warren Hastings (Treaty of Salbai)
Q 61. Tattwabodhini Sabha was founded by
(A) Debendranath Tagore
(B) Sivnath Sastri
(C) Keshab Chandra Sen
(D) Raja Ramohan Roy
Answer: (A) Debendranath Tagore (1839)
Q 62. Who was known as the Liberator of the Press?
(A) Bentinck
(B) Macaulay
(C) Hastings
(D) Metcalfe
Answer: (D) Metcalfe (15 Sept 1835)
Q 63. Who was the main inspirator for the Young Bengal Movement?
(A) Rammohan Ray
(B) Derozio
(C) Debendra Nath Tagore
(D) David Hare
Answer: (B) Derozio (1809-31, Hindu College)
Q 64. Who is called a traditional modernizer?
(A) Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar
(B) Vivekananda
(C) Rammohan Roy
(D) B. G. Tilak
Answer: (C) Rammohan Roy (Amales Tripathi)
📋 WBCS 2014
Q 65. Who organised “The Council of Barbhais”?
(A) Nana Phadnavis
(B) Madhav Rao Narayan
(C) Baji Rao II
(D) Mahadji Scindia
Answer: (A) Nana Phadnavis (1773)
Q 66. The centre of Portuguese power in India was
(A) Cochin
(B) Calicut
(C) Bijapur
(D) Goa
Answer: (D) Goa
Q 67. Who was the Governor-General of India during the revolt of 1857?
(A) Canning
(B) Dalhousie
(C) Elgin
(D) Ripon
Answer: (A) Canning
Q 68. Who founded the Asiatic Society?
(A) David Hare
(B) Alexander Duff
(C) H. V. Derozio
(D) William Jones
Answer: (D) William Jones (1784)
Q 69. Which one is known as the ‘Magna-Carta’ of English Education in India?
(A) Charter Act of 1813
(B) Indian Education Commission’s Report of 1882
(C) Indian Universities Act of 1904
(D) Educational Despatch of 1854
Answer: (D) Educational Despatch of 1854 (Wood’s Despatch)
Q 70. Who among the following was not an active leader of the Brahmo Samaj?
(A) Devendra Nath Tagore
(B) Keshab Chandra Sen
(C) Akshay Kumar Datta
(D) Swami Vivekananda
Answer: (D) Swami Vivekananda (Brahmo Samaj founded: 20 Aug 1828)
📋 WBCS 2013
Q 71. In which year was the Asiatic Society founded?
(A) 1784
(B) 1785
(C) 1794
(D) 1796
Answer: (A) 1784 (15 Jan, William Jones)
Q 72. Who said: ‘Sab Lal ho Jayega’?
(A) Guru Gobind Singh
(B) Ajit Singh
(C) Tej Singh
(D) Tipu Sultan
Answer: (D) Tipu Sultan (1801-39)
📋 WBCS 2012
Q 73. Who was the Editor of ‘Hindu Patriot’?
(A) Harischandra Mukherjee
(B) Krishna Mitra
(C) Bipin Chandra Pal
(D) Shivnath Shastri
Answer: (A) Harischandra Mukherjee (1855-61)
Q 74. The Santhal Revolt took place in the year
(A) 1855
(B) 1857
(C) 1859
(D) 1871
Answer: (A) 1855 (Murmu Brothers – Sidhu, Kanhu)
Q 75. In which year was Permanent Settlement introduced by the British in Bengal?
(A) 1791 AD
(B) 1792 AD
(C) 1793 AD
(D) 1794 AD
Answer: (C) 1793 AD (Cornwallis)
Q 76. Why is 1761 important in Indian history?
(A) The English Company became the Diwan of Bengal
(B) The Marathas were defeated in Third Battle of Panipat
(C) Occupation of Delhi by the English Company’s army
(D) Death of Haider Ali of Mysore
Answer: (B) The Marathas were defeated in Third Battle of Panipat (14 Jan 1761)
Q 77. Who, among the early British rulers, introduced the system of Subsidiary Alliance?
(A) Lord Wellesley
(B) Warren Hastings
(C) Lord Cornwallis
(D) Sir John Shore
Answer: (A) Lord Wellesley (Nizam of Hyderabad, 1798)
Q 78. Who succeeded Murshid Quli Khan as the ruler of Bengal?
(A) Sarfaraz Khan
(B) Shaukat Jung
(C) Alivardi Khan
(D) Shajauddin
Answer: (C) Alivardi Khan (1740)
Q 79. When did Lord Dalhousie annex Awadh?
(A) 1848 AD
(B) 1857 AD
(C) 1853 AD
(D) 1856 AD
Answer: (D) 1856 AD (grounds of misrule)
📋 WBCS 2011
Q 80. Who introduced Permanent Settlement?
(A) Lord Cornwallis
(B) Warren Hastings
(C) John Shore
(D) Lord Bentinck
Answer: (A) Lord Cornwallis (1793)
Q 81. Who is called ‘the Morningstar’ of Indian Renaissance?
(A) Rabindranath Tagore
(B) Raja Rammohan Roy
(C) M.K. Gandhi
(D) Swami Vivekananda
Answer: (B) Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833)
Q 82. Indian Civil Service was introduced during the Governor-Generalship of
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Curzon
(C) Lord William Bentinck
(D) Lord Cornwallis
Answer: (D) Lord Cornwallis (1786-93)
Q 83. When was University of Calcutta founded?
(A) 1854
(B) 1857
(C) 1860
(D) 1874
Answer: (B) 1857
Q 84. Which Indian ruler was made prisoner during the Revolt of 1857?
(A) Rani Lakshmi Bai
(B) Nana Shaheb
(C) Bahadur Shah Zafar
(D) None of the above
Answer: (C) Bahadur Shah Zafar
Q 85. The first political society started under British rule in India was
(A) Brahma Samaj
(B) Arya Samaj
(C) Bengal land-holders’ society
(D) None of the above
Answer: (C) Bengal land-holders’ society (1838, Dwarkanath Tagore)
Q 86. The policy of Subsidiary Alliance was introduced by
(A) Dalhousie
(B) Canning
(C) Wellesley
(D) Warren Hastings
Answer: (C) Wellesley
Q 87. Who was the main inspiration of the Young Bengal movement?
(A) Raja Rammohan Roy
(B) L. V. Derozio
(C) Debendranath Tagore
(D) David Hare
Answer: (B) L. V. Derozio (Hindu College)
📋 WBCS 2010
Q 88. The Treaty of Amritsar was signed by the English with Ranjit Singh in the year
(A) 1807 A.D.
(B) 1809 A.D.
(C) 1811 A.D.
(D) 1813 A.D.
Answer: (B) 1809 A.D.
Q 89. Prohibition of Sati was enacted by Regulation XVII in the year
(A) 1829 A.D.
(B) 1830 A.D.
(C) 1835 A.D.
(D) None of the above
Answer: (A) 1829 A.D. (Bentinck, Bengal Sati Regulation)
Q 90. Who was the main inspiration of the Young Bengal movement?
(A) Rammohan
(B) Derozio
(C) Debendranath
(D) David Hare
Answer: (B) Derozio (Hindu College, Calcutta)
Q 91. Who is called “A traditional moderniser”?
(A) Vidyasagar
(B) Swami Vivekananda
(C) Rammohan Roy
(D) B. G. Tilak
Answer: (C) Rammohan Roy (Book – 1974, Amales Tripathi)
Q 92. The capital of Tipu Sultan was at
(A) Mysore
(B) Seringapattam
(C) Srinagar
(D) Belur
Answer: (B) Seringapattam
Q 93. Who was the Governor-General who decided in favour of Western education in India?
(A) Lord Cornwallis
(B) Lord Bentinck
(C) Lord Ripon
(D) Lord Curzon
Answer: (B) Lord Bentinck (Macaulay minute 1835)
Q 94. Who was the Governor-General of India when Widow Remarriage Act was passed?
(A) Lord Ripon
(B) Lord Canning
(C) Lord Dalhousie
(D) Lord Bentinck
Answer: (B) Lord Canning
Q 95. The first to be designated as the Governor General of India was
(A) Lord Clive
(B) Sir John Shore
(C) Warren Hastings
(D) Lord Cornwallis
Answer: (C) Warren Hastings (1773-85)
Q 96. Who is called “Sher-e-Punjab”?
(A) Ranjit Singh
(B) Amar Singh
(C) Lala Lajpat Rai
(D) Bhagat Singh
Answer: (A) Ranjit Singh (1780-1839)
Q 97. Who founded the “School Book Society”?
(A) William Jones
(B) Hyde East
(C) D. Bethune
(D) David Hare
Answer: (D) David Hare (1817, Radhakanta Deb)
Q 98. The Diwani of Bengal was granted to Clive in the year
(A) 1757 A.D.
(B) 1765 A.D.
(C) 1772 A.D.
(D) 1784 A.D.
Answer: (B) 1765 A.D. (Treaty of Allahabad, Shah Alam II)
Q 99. The Medical College in Kolkata was established in the year
(A) 1829 A.D.
(B) 1835 A.D.
(C) 1858 A.D.
(D) 1884 A.D.
Answer: (B) 1835 A.D.
📋 WBCS 2009
Q 100. Name the first Bengali newspaper
(A) Samachar Darpan
(B) Samvad Kaumudi
(C) Samvad Prabhakar
(D) Tattvabodhini Patrika
Answer: (A) Samachar Darpan (1818, Baptist Mission Press, Serampore)
📋 WBCS 2008
Q 101. The East India Company secured the Diwani from
(A) Suja-ud-Daulah
(B) Aurangzeb
(C) Bahadur Shah I
(D) Shah Alam II
Answer: (D) Shah Alam II
Q 102. Who was the Governor General of India at the time of the Sepoy Mutiny?
(A) Lord Hastings
(B) Wellesley
(C) Dalhousie
(D) Canning
Answer: (D) Canning
Q 103. The Civil Service was brought into existence in India by
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) Cornwallis
(C) Dalhousie
(D) Ripon
Answer: (B) Cornwallis
Q 104. Who was the Governor General when the first Anglo-Burmese war started?
(A) George Barlow
(B) Lord Hastings
(C) Lord Minto
(D) Lord Amherst
Answer: (D) Lord Amherst
Q 105. The Calcutta University was founded in the year
(A) 1855
(B) 1856
(C) 1857
(D) 1858
Answer: (C) 1857
Q 106. Sidhu was associated with the
(A) Sannyasi Rebellion
(B) Kol Rebellion
(C) Munda Rebellion
(D) Santhal Rebellion
Answer: (D) Santhal Rebellion
Q 107. Permanent Settlement was a feature of
(A) Zamindari System
(B) Mahalwari System
(C) Ryotwari System
(D) None of the above
Answer: (A) Zamindari System
📋 WBCS 2007
Q 108. Who was the first secretary of the Brahmo Sabha?
(A) Chandrasekhar Deb
(B) Tarachand Chakraborti
(C) Prasanna Tagore
(D) Dwarakanath Tagore
Answer: (B) Tarachand Chakraborti
Q 109. Who was called “Chanakya of Maratha Politics”?
(A) Baji Rao II
(B) Balaji Viswanath
(C) Nana Phadnavis
(D) Maharaja Scindia
Answer: (C) Nana Phadnavis
Q 110. Who founded Asiatic Society of Bengal?
(A) William Jones
(B) Drinkwater Bethune
(C) David Hare
(D) Lord Ripon
Answer: (A) William Jones
Q 111. Who was inspiration behind Young Bengal Movement?
(A) Madhusudan Dutt
(B) Henry Vivian Derozio
(C) Krishnamohan Banerjee
(D) Ramgopal Ghosh
Answer: (B) Henry Vivian Derozio
📋 WBCS 2006
Q 112. Who is called the prophet of New India?
(A) Sri Ramakrishna
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Surendranath Banerjee
(D) Rammohan Roy
Answer: (D) Rammohan Roy
Q 113. Who was the Governor General of India when Widow Remarriage Act was passed?
(A) Lord Bentinck
(B) Lord Dalhousie
(C) Lord Canning
(D) Lord Ripon
Answer: (C) Lord Canning
Q 114. The Regulating Act was passed by
(A) Bengal Council
(B) Company’s Govt.
(C) British Parliament
(D) Privy Council
Answer: (C) British Parliament
Q 115. Who is called “A traditional modernizer”?
(A) Vidyasagar
(B) Swami Vivekananda
(C) Rammohan Roy
(D) B.G. Tilak
Answer: (C) Rammohan Roy (Author: Amales Tripathi)
Q 116. ‘Digdarshan’ monthly was published by
(A) Marshman
(B) Rammohan Roy
(C) Sisir Kumar Ghosh
(D) Dwarakanath Tagore
Answer: (A) Marshman
Q 117. Lord William Bentinck became Governor General in
(A) 1820
(B) 1825
(C) 1828
(D) 1830
Answer: (C) 1828
Q 118. Who among the following annexed Punjab into British Dominion?
(A) Elgin
(B) Dalhousie
(C) Minto
(D) Morley
Answer: (B) Dalhousie (1849)
Q 119. The Times of India was first published in
(A) 1875
(B) 1861
(C) 1862
(D) 1838
Answer: (D) 1838 (Mumbai)
📋 WBCS 2005
Q 120. Who was the main inspiration behind the Young Bengal Movement?
(A) Derozio
(B) Rammohan
(C) Debendranath
(D) David Hare
Answer: (A) Derozio
Q 121. Who was the Governor-General of India during the Revolt of 1857?
(A) Lord Dalhousie
(B) Lord Canning
(C) Lord Lytton
(D) Lord Ripon
Answer: (B) Lord Canning
Q 122. In which year was the Treaty of Bassein signed?
(A) 1765
(B) 1792
(C) 1802
(D) 1805
Answer: (C) 1802
Q 123. Who was proclaimed as an Emperor of India during the Revolt of 1857?
(A) Bahadur Shah II
(B) Tantia Topi
(C) Nana Shaheb
(D) Mangal Pandey
Answer: (A) Bahadur Shah II
📋 WBCS 2004
Q 124. Which battle dashed the hopes of Dupleix to establish an empire in India?
(A) First Carnatic War
(B) Second Carnatic War
(C) Third Carnatic War
(D) Battle of Plassey
Answer: (C) Third Carnatic War
Q 125. Who was the Governor General who decided in favour of Western education in India?
(A) Lord Cornwallis
(B) Lord Ripon
(C) Lord Bentinck
(D) Lord Curzon
Answer: (C) Lord Bentinck (1835)
Q 126. The founder of the Atmiya Sabha was
(A) Raja Rammohan Roy
(B) Devendranath Tagore
(C) Keshab Sen
(D) Rajnarayan Bose
Answer: (A) Raja Rammohan Roy (1815)
Q 127. Who founded the “School Book Society”?
(A) David Hare
(B) Hyde East
(C) William Jones
(D) Bethune
Answer: (A) David Hare (1817, Mrityunjay Vidyalankar, Radhakanta Deb)
Q 128. ‘Samachar Darpan’ was published by
(A) Bhabani Charan Bandyopadhyay
(B) Tarachand Datta
(C) Harish Chandra Mukherjee
(D) J.C. Marshman
Answer: (D) J.C. Marshman (1818)
Q 129. Who was the Governor General who enacted widow remarriage in India?
(A) Lord Bentinck
(B) Lord Dalhousie
(C) Lord Ripon
(D) Lord Canning
Answer: (D) Lord Canning (Act XV, 1856)
Q 130. What was the name of the first Bengali Newspaper?
(A) Sambad Kaumudi
(B) Samachar Darpan
(C) Tattabodhini Patrika
(D) Sambad Prabhakar
Answer: (B) Samachar Darpan (1818, William Carey)
Q 131. “Sab Lal ho Jayega” – who of the Indian rulers said this?
(A) Ranjit Singh
(B) Alivardi Khan
(C) Haider Ali
(D) Tipu Sultan
Answer: (D) Tipu Sultan
📋 WBCS 2003
Q 132. Royal Asiatic Society was founded in
(A) 1784
(B) 1761
(C) 1771
(D) 1791
Answer: (A) 1784 (William Jones)
Q 133. Hindu Female School was founded by
(A) Madanmohan Tarkalankar
(B) Bethune
(C) Derozio
(D) Peary Chand Mitra
Answer: (B) Bethune (Bethune College 1849)
Q 134. Who introduced Dual Government in Bengal?
(A) Warren Hastings
(B) Lord Clive
(C) Vansittart
(D) Cornwallis
Answer: (B) Lord Clive
Q 135. The East India Company received its Charter from
(A) Queen Elizabeth
(B) James I
(C) Charles I
(D) Queen Victoria
Answer: (A) Queen Elizabeth (1600)
Q 136. Tattwabodhini Patrika was started by
(A) Madhusudan Datta
(B) Vidyasagar
(C) Ramtanu Lahiri
(D) Debendranath Tagore
Answer: (D) Debendranath Tagore (1843)
Q 137. English as the medium of instruction for education among the Indians was officially announced in
(A) 1825
(B) 1835
(C) 1845
(D) 1855
Answer: (B) 1835
Q 138. The first Bengali newspaper is
(A) Samachar Darpan
(B) Samachar Chandrika
(C) Sambad Prabhakar
(D) Banga Darshan
Answer: (A) Samachar Darpan
Q 139. Titumir was associated with the __ movement.
(A) Wahabi
(B) Faraji
(C) Aligarh
(D) Ahmadiya
Answer: (A) Wahabi
Q 140. First Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University was
(A) William Colville
(B) Ritchie
(C) Erskine
(D) Maine
Answer: (A) William Colville
📋 WBCS 2002
Q 141. Who pioneered the 19th Century Renaissance in India?
(A) Raja Rammohan Roy
(B) Radhakanta Deb
(C) Keshab Sen
(D) Devendranath Tagore
Answer: (A) Raja Rammohan Roy
Q 142. The most significant battle in the establishment of British Supremacy in India was that of
(A) Wandiwash
(B) Plassey
(C) Buxar
(D) Seringapattam
Answer: (C) Buxar
Q 143. The system of open competition through examination for entering civil services was introduced in
(A) 1813
(B) 1833
(C) 1853
(D) 1858
Answer: (C) 1853
Q 144. Who called the 1857 revolt “a planned war of national independence”?
(A) Sir John Seeley
(B) R. C. Majumdar
(C) V.D. Savarkar
(D) Benjamin Disraeli
Answer: (C) V.D. Savarkar
Q 145. Which is the first Bengali Newspaper in this country?
(A) Samachar Darpan
(B) Sambad Kaumudi
(C) Sambad Prabhakar
(D) Jugantar
Answer: (A) Samachar Darpan
📋 WBCS 2001
Q 146. What was the Wahabi movement?
(A) Rebellious Movement led by S.A. Brelvi
(B) Movement to organize people
(C) A move to oppose religious attitude
(D) None of these
Answer: (A) Rebellious Movement led by S.A. Brelvi
Q 147. Who among the following was not a leader of the Revolt of 1857?
(A) Nana Saheb
(B) Rani Lakshmi Bai
(C) Man Singh
(D) Kunwar Singh
Answer: (C) Man Singh
Q 148. Who abolished the Dual Government in Bengal?
(A) Clive
(B) Holwell
(C) Warren Hastings
(D) Cornwallis
Answer: (C) Warren Hastings (1773)
Q 149. The East India Company set up its first factory in the South at
(A) Madras
(B) Telangana
(C) Masulipatnam
(D) Hyderabad
Answer: (C) Masulipatnam
Q 150. Pitt’s India Government Act, which was meant to remove the defects of the Regulating Act, was passed in the year
(A) 1781
(B) 1782
(C) 1784
(D) 1786
Answer: (C) 1784
📋 WBCS 2000
Q 151. Who founded the Asiatic Society in Calcutta?
(A) William Jones
(B) Lord Bentinck
(C) David Hare
(D) Drinkwater Bethune
Answer: (A) William Jones
Q 152. Which was the first newspaper in Bengali?
(A) Sambad Kaumudi
(B) Sambad Prabhakar
(C) Samachar Darpan
(D) Tatwabodhini Patrika
Answer: (C) Samachar Darpan
Q 153. Who founded the Atmiya Sabha?
(A) Rammohan Roy
(B) Debendranath Tagore
(C) Shibnath Shastri
(D) Keshab Chandra Sen
Answer: (A) Rammohan Roy
Q 154. Who, among the following, did first unfurl the flag of the revolt of 1857?
(A) Nana Saheb
(B) Tantia Tope
(C) Rani Lakshmi Bai
(D) Mangal Pandey
Answer: (D) Mangal Pandey