Ans: A

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Shah Alam II (1759-1806) reign saw two decisive battles—the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) and the Battle of Buxar (1764). In 1761, Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat. The Battle of Buxar was fought between the British East India Company and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II. The armies of Nawabs and the Mughal emperor were decisively defeated by the British.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Alamgir II (1754-1758) was a grandson of Jahandar Shah. During his reign, the Battle of Plassey was fought in June 1757. The Battle of Plassey was fought between Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah and the British East India Company in 1757, at Plassey near Murshidabad. In the end, the Nawab of Bengal himself was betrayed, caught, and killed by Mir Jafar, who was then instituted as the new Nawab of Bengal.

Ans:  C

Exp:

Raushan Akhtar became the choice of the Sayyid Brothers after the death of Rafi-ud-daula. Muhammad, as he came to be known in history, was the title of Bahadur Shah Rangila after his grandfather Bahadur Shah I. During Muhammad Shah’s reign, Qawwali was reintroduced into the Mughal imperial court and it quickly spread throughout South Asia. Muhammad Shah is also known to have introduced religious institutions for education such as Maktabs. During his reign, the Quran was translated for the first time into simple Persian and Urdu.

He himself was a poet under the pen name “Sadrang” and was also a composer of Indian classical raga songs in the bhairav, kafi , dhamar and malkauns genres. These included songs on the themes of love and the festival of Holi.

During his reign Nadir Shah defeated Mughals in the Battle of Karnal, 1739 and imprisoned Muhammad Shah.

Ans: C

Exp:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Panipat has a strategic location. One of the parties of the war generally came from the north/northwest through Khyber pass to get hold over Delhi, the political capital of India. 

• Statement 2 is correct: Panipat’s surrounding region had a flat ground which was suitable for cavalry movement which was the main mode of warfare at the time.

• Statement 3 is incorrect: The duration of monsoon rainfall in the region is short in comparison to other areas making it easier to fight.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The artisans/smiths of this region were expert in making warfare related materials and hence it became easier for forces of both parties to replenish their war materials.

Ans:  B

Exp: 

• Francisco De Almeida: He was the Portuguese governor in India and was equipped with sufficient force to protect the Portuguese interests. Almeida’s vision was to make Portuguese, the Master of the Indian ocean. His policy was known as the Cartaze system which was a naval trade licence or pass issued by the Portuguese empire in the Indian Ocean during the sixteenth century.
• Warren Hastings: Warren Hastings  followed a policy of Ring-fence which aimed at creating buffer zones to defend the Company’s frontiers. It was the policy of defence of their neighbours’ frontiers for safeguarding their own territories. This policy of Warren Hastings was reflected in his war against the Marathas and Mysore. The states brought under the ring-fence system were assured of military assistance against external aggression—but at their own expense.      
• Lord Auckland: The Forward Policy of Auckland was a policy adopted by the British government in India in the late 19th century. The policy aimed to strengthen the British position in Afghanistan and Central Asia by establishing a series of military outposts along the Afghan frontier. 
• William Bentick: From 1828 to 1835, he was Governor-General of India. During his tenure as Governor-General of British India, he is credited with educational, social, and judicial reforms. Reforms undertaken were – Abolition of Sati, Female infanticide, suppression of Thugs and introduction of English Education.

Ans: C

Exp: 

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Subsidiary alliance system was used by Lord Wellesley. Under the system, the allying Indian state’s ruler was compelled to accept the permanent stationing of a British force within his territory and to pay a subsidy for its maintenance. The Indian ruler had to agree to the posting of a British resident in his court. The Indian ruler could neither employ any European in his service without the prior consultation with the Company nor could he go to war or negotiate with any other Indian ruler without consulting the Governor General. 
• Statement 2 is incorrect: According to the Doctrine of Lapse, any Indian princely state under the suzerainty of the East India Company would be annexed and brought under direct control if the ruler was either “manifestly incompetent or died without a male heir”. The most important states annexed under it were Satara (1848), Jhansi(1853), and Nagpur (1854). However, States like Hyderabad and Mysore were placed under Subsidiary Alliance by the Britishers.