This free land revenue systems MCQ test is the thirteenth set in our 72nd BPSC practice series. Its 25 questions follow NCERT Class 8 (From Trade to Territory and Ruling the Countryside): Buxar and the Residents, Tipu Sultan, the subsidiary alliance, the Doctrine of Lapse, Sind, Punjab and Awadh, the Company’s courts and army, and the Permanent Settlement, mahalwari and ryotwari systems, cash crops and indigo. Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation as soon as you choose an option, and you can work out your score with BPSC-style negative marking at the end. For more practice, see our free BPSC mock test series.
What this test covers: The diwani and bullion flows, the Buxar coalition, Residents, Clive’s fortune, Hyderabad to Holkar under the subsidiary alliance, Tipu’s trade ban, Rayanna, the Doctrine of Lapse sequence, Russophobia, Awadh in 1856, faujdari adalats, Burke and Hastings, muftis and qazis, Halhed’s digest, paidal and sawar, Awadh’s peasant armies, the Permanent Settlement, mahals and village headmen, Munro’s ryotwari, indigo and Kalamkari, nij cultivation, satta and the vat.
Company Rule, Administration & Land Revenue Systems
25 questions · NCERT Class 8 · BPSC prelims pattern
How this test works
Click the option you think is right. It locks, turns green if correct or red if not, and the explanation opens underneath. Your score updates in the bar at the top as you go, and Calculate final score at the bottom gives the full breakdown. Choose (E) Not attempted when you would only be guessing, exactly as you would bubble E on the BPSC OMR sheet.
+1 mark — Correct answer
−1/3 mark — Wrong answer
0 — no penalty — (E) Not attempted, the fifth bubble on every question
−1/3 mark — Row left completely blank in the real exam
Question 8 carries a note where a detail in the question is arguable or the draft key has been corrected.
Company expansion11 questions
1. What was the primary economic reason for the Company’s outflow of gold from Britain to India to slow after the assumption of Diwani in 1765?
Show answer
Answer: (C) The assumption of Diwani by the Company
Once the Company became diwan in 1765 it could use Bengal’s revenues to buy goods for export, so it no longer needed to ship gold from Britain.
2. Which combined allied forces were defeated by the East India Company’s forces at the Battle of Buxar in 1764?
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Answer: (C) Mir Qasim (the deposed Nawab of Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Awadh), and Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor)
At Buxar in 1764 the Company defeated the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-daulah of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
3. Following the Battle of Buxar (1764), what was the primary political or commercial role of the “Residents” appointed by the East India Company in Indian states?
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Answer: (B) To serve as political or commercial agents whose job was to serve and further the interests of the Company
Residents were political or commercial agents stationed in Indian states to serve and further the Company’s interests, often interfering in succession and appointments.
4. Why was Robert Clive cross-examined by the British Parliament in 1772 despite having been previously appointed to remove corruption in Company administration?
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Answer: (B) The British Parliament was suspicious of his vast amassed Indian fortune worth £401,102
Clive was cross-examined in 1772 over the huge fortune (over 400,000 pounds) he had amassed in India, even though he had been sent to curb corruption.
5. Match the Indian states in List I with the correct year or event in List II regarding the Subsidiary Alliance:
List I (Princely State)
a. Hyderabad
b. Mysore
c. Awadh
d. Holkar
a. Hyderabad
b. Mysore
c. Awadh
d. Holkar
List II (Key Facts)
- 1799 (Imposed after the defeat of Tipu Sultan)
- 1818 (Accepted after the Third Anglo-Maratha War)
- 1798 (First major ruler to accept the system)
- 1801 (Ceded half the territory due to payment defaults)
Options:
Show answer
Answer: (A) a-3, b-1, c-4, d-2
Hyderabad accepted the subsidiary alliance first in 1798, Mysore in 1799 after Tipu’s defeat, Awadh ceded half its territory in 1801 for non-payment, and Holkar accepted it in 1818. Code a-3, b-1, c-4, d-2.
6. In which year did Tipu Sultan stop the export of sandalwood, pepper, and cardamom through the ports of his kingdom?
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Answer: (B) 1785
In 1785 Tipu Sultan stopped the export of sandalwood, pepper and cardamom through his ports and disallowed local merchants from trading with the Company.
7. Consider the following statements about Rayanna:
(1) He was a poor chowkidar in Sangolli, Kittur.
(2) He supported Rani Channamma’s resistance and was hanged by the British in 1825.
(2) He supported Rani Channamma’s resistance and was hanged by the British in 1825.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
Show answer
Answer: (B) 2 only
Rayanna, a poor chowkidar of Sangolli in Kittur, took up Channamma’s resistance after her arrest and was hanged in 1830, not 1825. So statement 2 is incorrect.
8. Consider the chronological order of the following regions annexed by the British under the Doctrine of Lapse:
(1) Satara
(2) Udaipur
(3) Nagpur
(4) Jhansi
(2) Udaipur
(3) Nagpur
(4) Jhansi
What is the correct chronological sequence of their annexation?
Show answer
Answer: (A) 1 — 2 — 3 — 4
Under the Doctrine of Lapse Satara was taken in 1848, Udaipur in 1852, Nagpur in 1853 and Jhansi in 1854, so the order is Satara, Udaipur, Nagpur, Jhansi.
Note: The draft key gave 1-2-4-3; the NCERT dates (Satara 1848, Udaipur 1852, Nagpur 1853, Jhansi 1854) give 1-2-3-4, so the key has been corrected to A.
9. Consider the following statements regarding the annexation of Sindh and Punjab:
(1) Sind was taken over by the East India Company in 1843.
(2) Punjab was annexed immediately after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 following brief negotiations.
(2) Punjab was annexed immediately after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 following brief negotiations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (A) 1 only
Sind was annexed in 1843. Punjab was annexed only in 1849 after two Anglo-Sikh wars, a decade after Ranjit Singh’s death, so statement 2 is wrong.
10. Why did the East India Company fear Russian expansion toward India in the late 1830s?
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Answer: (B) Fear that Russia would expand across Asia and enter India from the northwest
The Company feared that Russia would expand across Asia and enter India from the north-west, which led it to fight wars in Afghanistan and take Sind.
11. Under what pretext did the British justify the annexation of Awadh in 1856?
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Answer: (B) Misgovernance of the Nawab
Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 on the ground of misgovernment, claiming the Company had to take over to protect the people.
Company administration7 questions
12. What was the name of the criminal court established in each district?
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Answer: (B) Faujdari adalat
Each district got a faujdari adalat (criminal court) under the Regulating Act arrangements of 1772, alongside a diwani adalat for civil cases.
13. Which British statesman accused Warren Hastings of personal misconduct, leading to a seven-year impeachment trial in the British Parliament?
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Answer: (B) Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke accused Warren Hastings of misgovernment in Bengal, leading to an impeachment trial in the British Parliament that lasted seven years.
14. Under the Presidency system described in the early British administration, who was the head of administration of each individual Presidency (from 1773 to 1785)?
Show answer
Answer: (C) The Governor
From 1773 to 1785 each Presidency (Bengal, Madras, Bombay) was headed by a Governor, with the Governor-General at the top.
15. During the British period in India, what was the specific role of a Mufti?
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Answer: (B) A jurist responsible for expounding the law that a qazi would administer
A mufti was a jurist of the Muslim community who expounded the law that the qazi administered in court.
16. Who translated the digest of Hindu laws, compiled by eleven pundits in 1775, into English?
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Answer: (B) N.B. Halhed
N. B. Halhed translated the digest of Hindu laws compiled by eleven pandits in 1775 into English.
17. What was the term used for infantry soldiers in the traditional Mughal military system?
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Answer: (B) Paidal
In the Mughal military system infantry soldiers were called paidal and cavalrymen sawars.
18. Which Indian states in the eighteenth century started recruiting peasants into their armies and training them as professional soldiers?
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Answer: (C) Awadh and Benaras
In the eighteenth century Awadh and Benaras began recruiting peasants and training them as professional soldiers, a practice the Company followed with its sepoys.
Land revenue & cash crops7 questions
19. Why did the Company decide to fix the revenue demand permanently under the Permanent Settlement?
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Answer: (A) To ensure a regular flow of income and encourage zamindars to invest in improving the land
The Permanent Settlement fixed the revenue demand so that the Company had a regular income and zamindars would invest in improving the land.
20. Consider the following statements regarding the Mahalwari system:
(1) Collectors went from village to village to inspect land, measure fields, and record the customs and rights of different groups.
(2) The term mahal in British revenue records refers to an individual peasant holding rather than a village or a group of villages.
(3) The village headman, rather than a zamindar, was responsible for collecting revenue and paying it to the Company.
(2) The term mahal in British revenue records refers to an individual peasant holding rather than a village or a group of villages.
(3) The village headman, rather than a zamindar, was responsible for collecting revenue and paying it to the Company.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (C) 1 and 3 only
Under the mahalwari system collectors surveyed villages and revenue was collected by the village headman, not a zamindar. Statement 2 is wrong: a mahal was a village or group of villages.
21. Consider the assertion and reason given below and choose the correct option:
Assertion (A): The revenue assessment under the Ryotwari system required careful and separate surveying of each field before it was fixed.
Reason (R): Thomas Munro believed that British officials should act as paternal father figures protecting the ryots under their charge.
Options:
Show answer
Answer: (B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Each field was surveyed separately under ryotwari, and Munro saw officials as paternal guardians of the ryots. Both are true, but R does not explain the need for field surveys.
22. Which crops did the British force or persuade cultivators in various parts of India to produce during the 19th and early 20th centuries?
Show answer
Answer: (B) Jute in Bengal, tea in Assam, sugarcane in the United Provinces, wheat in Punjab, cotton in Bombay, and rice in Madras
The British pushed Indian cultivators towards jute in Bengal, tea in Assam, sugarcane in the United Provinces, wheat in Punjab, cotton in Maharashtra and Punjab and rice in Madras.
23. What common natural element was shared in the production of both traditional Kalamkari prints created by weavers in Andhra Pradesh and the 19th-century cotton prints designed by British artist William Morris?
Show answer
Answer: (B) A deep blue colour known as indigo
Both the Kalamkari prints of Andhra and William Morris’s cotton prints used the rich blue of indigo.
24. With reference to the labour requirements for nij cultivation, consider the following statements:
(1) A large plantation required a vast number of hands to operate.
(2) Labour was readily available throughout the year, especially during the peak rice-cultivation season, when peasants were free.
(2) Labour was readily available throughout the year, especially during the peak rice-cultivation season, when peasants were free.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: (A) 1 only
Nij cultivation needed many hands, but labour was scarce at the very time peasants were busy with rice cultivation, so only statement 1 is correct.
25. Which one is correctly paired?
List I (Terms)
A. Satta
B. Vat
A. Satta
B. Vat
List II (Meanings)
- The contract that ryots were forced to sign to produce indigo on a portion of their land.
- The specialised vessel or tank used in an indigo factory for soaking, fermenting, and manufacturing the dye.
Options:
Show answer
Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2
Satta was the contract the ryot was forced to sign to grow indigo, and the vat was the tank in which indigo leaves were soaked and fermented. Both pairs are correct.
Your result
Automatic scoring needs JavaScript. Until it runs, tally by hand: score = correct − (wrong ÷ 3).
Finished, or stopping here? This counts every question you have answered so far.
Show the full answer key
1 C · 2 C · 3 B · 4 B · 5 A · 6 B · 7 B · 8 A · 9 A · 10 B · 11 B · 12 B · 13 B · 14 C · 15 B · 16 B · 17 B · 18 C · 19 A · 20 C · 21 B · 22 B · 23 B · 24 A · 25 C
Scoring: +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 for (E) Not attempted, −1/3 for a row left blank in the real exam.
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