Ans: B

Exp:

Haider Ali though uneducated, possessed a keen intellect and was a man of great energy and determination. Repeated incursions of the Marathas and of the Nizam’s troops into the territories of Mysore resulted in heavy financial demands made by the aggressors from Mysore. Mysore became financially and politically weak. Haidar Ali usurped the royal authority by becoming the de facto ruler of Mysore in 1761. Haidar Ali took the help of the French to set up an arms factory at Dindigul (now in Tamil Nadu), and also introduced Western methods of training for his army. After the first Anglo-Mysore war, he forced the British to sign the humiliating Treaty of Madras.

Ans: D

Exp: 

Major causes for the decline of the Mughals: 

• The deterioration of the Army proved disastrous for the Mughal empire. Hence, Option 1 is correct.
• Aurangzeb’s religious policy was largely responsible for the revolts by Rajputs, Sikhs, Jats, and Marathas. Hence, Option 2 is correct. 
• The government of the Mughals was based on personal despotism, and so its success depended on the character of the reigning ruler. The later Mughals were worthless and neglected the administration of the state. Hence, Option 3 is correct.
•  The degeneration of the rulers led to the degeneration of the nobility, with factious quarrels and intrigues costing the empire heavily. Hence, Option 4 is correct.
• With the absence of a definite law of succession, there always occurred a war of succession; this weakened the stability of the government and fostered partisanship.
•  Aurangzeb’s Deccan policy was a complete failure and was an important cause of the downfall of the Mughal empire.

Ans: B

Exp:

• Statement 1 is correct: The founder of the Asaf-Jah house of Hyderabad was Kilich Khan, popularly known as Nizam-ul-Mulk. It was Zulfikar Khan who had first conceived the idea of an independent state in the Deccan. Nizam-ul-Mulk defeated and later killed Mubariz Khan in the Battle of Shakar Kheda (1724). He now assumed control of the Deccan. In 1725, he became the viceroy and conferred on himself the title of Asaf-Jah.
• Statement 2 is incorrect:  The founder of the independent principality of Awadh was Saadat Khan, popularly known as Burhan-ul-Mulk and not Siraj-ud-daula. He was succeeded by Safdar Jang as the Nawab of Awadh.
• Statement 3 is correct: Martanda Varma established an independent state of Kerala with Travancore as his capital. He extended the boundaries of his state from Kanyakumari to Cochin. He made efforts to organise his army along the Western model.
• Statement 4 is correct: The agriculturist Jat settlers living around Delhi, Mathura, and Agra revolted against the oppressive policies of Aurangzeb. Churaman and Badan Singh succeeded in setting up the Jat kingdom of Bharatpur in the 18th century. But it was under Suraj Mal that Jat power reached its zenith. He not only provided an efficient system of administration but also extended the territory of the state.

Ans: B

Exp:

The Indian Rebellion of 1857, often referred to as the Indian Mutiny or the First War of Indian Independence, was a major uprising against British colonial rule in India. The revolt began in Meerut on May 10, 1857, and quickly spread to various parts of the country. 

Pair 1 is correct: The British garrison at Kanpur faced a rebellion led by Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II. 

Pair 2 is correct: At Bareilly, Khan Bahadur, a descendant of the former ruler of Rohilkhand, was placed in command. He organised an army of 40,000 soldiers and offered stiff resistance to the British

Pair 3 is incorrect: Kunwar Singh, a Rajput leader from Bihar, joined the rebellion and played a key role in leading the revolt in the region.

Pair 4 is incorrect: Shah Mal, a local villager in Pargana Baraut (Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh), organised the headmen and peasants of 84 villages (referred as chaurasi desh), marching at night from village to village, urging people to rebel against the British hegemony.

Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Kol Rebellion took place in Chotanagpur Plateau ( not in the Western Ghats region) in response to the economic exploitation by money lenders and the British judicial and revenue policies. The Kols resented this and in 1831, under the leadership of Buddho Bhagat, the Kol’s rebelled.

Statement 2 is correct: The Ramosis were the hill tribes of the Western Ghats. They resented the policy of annexation. After the annexation of the Maratha territories by the British, the Ramosis, who had been employed by the Maratha administration, lost their means of livelihood. They rose under Chittur Singh, in 1822 and plundered the country around Satara.