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Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French Struggle: 58 previous year questions

UPSC has asked 58 questions on Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French Struggle between 1979 and 2026: CSE 28 · CDS 16 · NDA 6 · CAPF 3 · CISF (LDCE) 3 · Geo-Scientist 1 · EPFO (APFC) 1. 22 of them came after 2015, so this is a live topic examiners keep returning to. 28 were set in Civil Services Prelims; the rest come from UPSC's other papers, which draw on the same question bank.

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Tap an option to check yourself. Answers follow the official UPSC key; where the key was dropped or disputed the question is not shown.

NDA2026 · 1Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

Arrange the following in chronological order from the earliest to recent : I. British East India Company formed II. Magellan circumnavigated the globe III. Dutch East India Company formed IV. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut/ Kozhikode Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer B (official UPSC key)In order → Vasco da Gama at Calicut → Magellan's circumnavigation → British EIC formed → Dutch EIC formed
CDS2025 · 1Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Consider the following statements about the arms used by Europeans in warfare in India: 1. The flint-lock muskets could work even in wet weather. 2. The addition of the bayonet made the musket a more effective and dangerous weapon in close combat. 3. The wrought-iron cannon barrels were easy to move and manoeuvre. How many of the above statements is/are correct?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Only one correct → bayonet made the musket deadly in close combat | Flintlock → unreliable in wet weather | Wrought-iron cannons → heavy, hard to manoeuvre
CAPF2024Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

Consider the following statements about the Dutch trade in Mughal period: 1. The Dutch transported silk goods from Bengal through Hooghly 2. Cloves and nutmegs were collected at Surat by the Dutch and exported to Europe Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Dutch trade (Mughal period) → silk from Bengal via Hooghly; cloves and nutmegs collected at Surat for Europe
CSE2022Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements: [2022] 1. The Dutch established their factories/warehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by Gajapati rulers. 2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate. 3. The English Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire. Which of the statements given above are correct?

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Albuquerque → captured Goa from Bijapur | English factory at Madras → land leased from a Vijayanagara representative | Dutch east coast factories → not on Gajapati grants
NDA2022 · 2Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The Dutch East India Company was formed after the formation of the British East India Company. 2. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Dutch East India Company → formed after the British East India Company | Vasco da Gama → reached Calicut in 1498
CSE2021Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

In the first quarter of the seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located? 1. Broach 2. Chicacole 3. Trichinopoly Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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Answer A (official UPSC key)English factory in the first quarter of the seventeenth century → Broach only | Chicacole, Trichinopoly → not early factories
CSE2021Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

Consider the following statements: [2021] 1. St. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order. 2. St. Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there. 3. The feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year. Which of the statements given above are correct?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)St. Francis Xavier → founding member of the Jesuit Order; feast celebrated in Goa each year | Died → on the island of Sancian (Shangchuan), not in Goa
CISF (LDCE)2019Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which of the following statements are true of Shah Alam II? 1. He joined Mir Jafar of Bengal to fight the British. 2. Me joined Mir Qasim of Bengal and Siraj ud-Daulah of Awadh to fight the British. 3. He was defeated by the British. 4. He lived at Allahabad as a pensioner of the British. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Shah Alam II → joined Mir Qasim and the Nawab of Awadh against the British; defeated; lived at Allahabad as a British pensioner | NOT: joined Mir Jafar
CISF (LDCE)2019Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which of the following statements are true of Shah Alam II 1. He joined Mir Jafar of Bengal to fight the British. 2. He joined Mir Qasim of Bengal and Siraj ud-Daulah of Awadh to fight the British. 3. He was defeated by the British. 4. He lived at Allahabad as a pensioner of the British. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Shah Alam II → joined Mir Qasim and the Nawab of Awadh against the British; defeated; lived at Allahabad as a British pensioner | NOT: joined Mir Jafar
CDS2014 · 1Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Consider the following statements [2014] 1. Battle of Buxar provided the key to the English to establish their rule in India. 2. The Treaty of Allahabad, concluded in 1765, enabled the British to establish their rule in Bengal. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Battle of Buxar → key to English rule in India | Treaty of Allahabad (1765) → enabled British rule in Bengal
CDS2014 · 2Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which of the following statements about the penetration of English into Bengal is/are correct? 1. Job Charnock arrived in Sutanati in August 1690 and laid the foundation of Calcutta which later became the heart of the British Indian Empire. 2. The French East India Company built a fort near the Fort William in Calcutta. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Job Charnock → arrived at Sutanati in August 1690, founded Calcutta
CDS2013 · 1Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

British colonialism in India saw the emergence of new cities. Calcutta, now Kolkata, was one of the first cities. Which of the following villages were, amalgamated to form the city of Calcutta?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Villages amalgamated into Calcutta → Sutanuti, Kalikata, Gobindapur
CDS2012 · 2Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

Consider the following statements about the European travellers to India 1. Sir Thomas Roe, the Representative of the East India Company, was granted the permission by Jahangir to open a factory at Surat. 2. Captain Hawkins was driven out from Agra by the Mughals at the instigation of Portuguese. 3. Father Monserrate travelled with Akbar on his journey to Kashmir. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Captain Hawkins → driven from Agra at Portuguese instigation | Father Monserrate → travelled with Akbar to Kashmir
CDS2012 · 2Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which one among the following was the immediate cause of attack by Nawab Siraj-ud- Daula on Calcutta in 1756?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Immediate cause of Siraj-ud-Daula's 1756 attack on Calcutta → English refusal to demolish Calcutta's fortification
EPFO (APFC)2012Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which of the following is a correct statement about both the Mughal and Ottoman empires in the sixteenth century?

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Mughal and Ottoman empires (16th century) → expanded through gunpowder weapons and extensive bureaucracies
CDS2011 · 2Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which one among the following was a reason for which the French could not succeed in India in the 18th century?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)French failure in India → their company heavily dependent on the French Government
CDS2011 · 2Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which of the following was/were reason/reasons for the success of European trading companies in South India, during the 17th century? A. The presence of the Mughals in the South was not as much as in the North. B. The Vijayanagara kingdom had been over-thrown in the late 16th century. C. The South had many small and weak states. Select the correct answer using the codes given below

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Answer A (official UPSC key)European companies' success in South India → less Mughal presence; Vijayanagara overthrown in late 16th century; many small, weak states
CAPF2010Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which among the following statements is/are correct ? 1. The Battle of Plassey was won by the British more by their diplomatic skill than by their strength of arms 2. The Battle of Buxar was culminated with the Treaty of Allahabad and settlement with the Nawab of Awadh. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Plassey → won more by diplomacy than arms | Buxar → culminated in the Treaty of Allahabad and settlement with the Nawab of Awadh
CDS2010 · 1Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

The ‗dual government‘ recommended by Lord Clive provided that the

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Clive's dual government → criminal justice with Nawabi officials; civil and fiscal matters with the company
CSE2010Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

With reference to Pondicherry (now Puducherry), consider the following statements: 1. The first European power to occupy Pondicherry were the Portuguese. 2. The second European power to occupy Pondicherry were the French. 3. The English never occupied Pondicherry. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)First European power at Pondicherry → Portuguese | Second → Dutch, not French | English → captured Pondicherry in 1761
CSE2007Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 3·1

Consider the following statements: [2007] 1. Robert Clive was the first Governor-General of Bengal. 2. William Bentinck was the first Governor-General of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Answer B (official UPSC key)William Bentinck → first Governor-General of India | Robert Clive → Governor of Bengal; Warren Hastings the first Governor-General of Bengal
CSE2005Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the battles fought in India in the 18th Century? [2005]

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Answer B (official UPSC key)18th-century battles in order → Ambur (1749) → Plassey → Wandiwash → Buxar
CSE2005Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

Which one of the following is the correct statement? [2005]

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Correct → modern Kochi never became a part of a British colony (Kingdom of Cochin was a British Protectorate)
CSE2003Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Assertion (A): Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an emperor far away from his capital. Reason (R): There was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the northwest frontier.

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Shah Alam II spent early years away from Delhi → true (internal power struggles) | Northwest invasion danger → true, but R does not explain A
CSE2003Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which one of the following statements is not correct? [2003]

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Answer A (official UPSC key)NOT correct → Ali Mardan Khan introduced revenue farming in Bengal | Revenue farming in Bengal → introduced under Farukhsiyer (1713-19)
CSE2003Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·1

With reference to the entry of European powers into India, which one of the following statements is not correct? [2003]

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Answer A (official UPSC key)NOT correct → Portuguese captured Goa in 1499 | Goa → captured by Albuquerque in 1510
CSE1980Advent of Europeans & Anglo-French StruggleOn card MOD 1·2

Which of the following was the main feature of the policy of Dual Government of British rulers in India?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Dual Government → English collected revenues through Indian officials and became virtual heads of civil and military administration

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