Colonial rule in rural India

Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator, reached the Malabar Coast in 1498 by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. His arrival opened a direct sea route between Portugal and India and was followed by Portuguese commercial and political activity. Columbus, Marco Polo and James Cook are associated with different journeys, so option A is correct.

Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, known today as Kozhikode, on the Malabar Coast in 1498. Calicut was an important port connected to Indian Ocean trade. Surat, Madras and Bombay became important ports in later contexts, but they were not the place of his first arrival. Therefore, option A is correct.

The English East India Company was established in England in 1600 by a royal charter issued by Queen Elizabeth I. It was created to conduct trade with eastern regions and later became a political power in India. France, Portugal and Spain had their own colonial or trading ventures, but they did not establish this English company. Thus option A is correct.

In the language of early European companies, a factory was a trading post or commercial establishment, not a modern manufacturing plant. The Surat factory served as a base for storing goods, conducting transactions and managing trade. It was not founded for army training, agricultural experiments or education. Hence option A is correct.

The Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757 in Bengal between the forces of the East India Company, led by Robert Clive, and Nawab Siraj ud Daulah. The Company’s victory greatly increased its political influence in Bengal. 1764 refers to the Battle of Buxar, while 1857 and 1919 belong to later events. Thus option A is correct.

Robert Clive led the East India Company’s forces at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The Company’s victory, aided by the defection of Mir Jafar and others, helped it gain decisive influence in Bengal. Dalhousie and Curzon belonged to later periods, while Warren Hastings became Governor-General later. Therefore, option A is correct.

Siraj ud Daulah was the Nawab of Bengal when the Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757. He opposed the growing privileges and interference of the East India Company but was defeated after internal betrayal. Mir Qasim became important later, Alivardi Khan was his predecessor, and Shuja ud Daulah was the Nawab of Awadh. Hence option A is correct.

The Battle of Buxar was fought in 1764 between the East India Company and the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja ud Daulah and Shah Alam II. The Company’s victory strengthened its political authority in eastern India and helped lead to the grant of Diwani rights. Plassey was fought in 1757, so option A is correct.

Lord Wellesley developed the Subsidiary Alliance system to extend Company control over Indian states. A ruler accepting it had to keep British troops, pay for them and often surrender independent foreign relations. This reduced the state’s autonomy without immediate annexation. Curzon, Ripon and Canning are linked with other periods and policies, so option A is correct.

The Doctrine of Lapse was aggressively applied during Lord Dalhousie’s tenure. Under this policy, the Company could annex a princely state if its ruler died without a recognised biological heir, refusing to accept an adopted successor in some cases. Wellesley is associated with Subsidiary Alliance, while Cornwallis and Curzon followed different policies. Hence option A is correct.