Looking for an exam-oriented collection of extra questions and answers for SEBA Class 9 Social Science History Chapter 1 (Advent of Europeans into India / ভাৰতলৈ ইউৰোপীয়সকলৰ আগমন) for the 2026–27 academic session? Access thoroughly solved Short Answer Questions (2–3 marks), Long Analytical Questions (4–5 marks), comparative distinction tables, and chronological timelines. Master high-yield exam topics covering the geopolitical impact of the fall of Constantinople (1453); trade monopolies of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French East India Companies; causes, courses, and results of the three Carnatic Wars between the British and French; comparative analysis of the Battle of Plassey (1757) and the Battle of Buxar (1764); the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) and the constitutional transfer of Diwani rights; structural failure and exploitation under Robert Clive’s Dual Government in Bengal (1765–1772); constitutional reforms including the Regulating Act of 1773 and Pitt’s India Act of 1784; terms, conditions, and Indian states annexed under Lord Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance; and the expansionist Doctrine of Lapse enforced by Lord Dalhousie, structured strictly according to the Assam Board (SEBA) examination pattern.
1. Who was the first Portuguese sailor to arrive in India?
Answer: Vasco-da-Gama
2. In which year did Vasco-da-Gama arrive at Calicut?
Answer: 1498
3. Which European nation was the pioneer in finding new sea routes to India?
Answer: Portuguese
4. Who reached the Cape of Good Hope in 1487?
Answer: Bartolomeu Diaz
5. When was the English East India Company formed?
Answer: 1600
6. Which Mughal Emperor received Captain William Hawkins in Agra?
Answer: Jahangir
7. Who was sent as an ambassador by King James I to the court of Jahangir in 1615?
Answer: Sir Thomas Roe
8. Which English surgeon cured Mughal Emperor Farukhsiyar from a painful disease?
Answer: William Hamilton
9. What was granted by Farukhsiyar to the East India Company for duty-free trade in Bengal?
Answer: Firman
10. Who acquired the zamindari rights over Kolkata, Sutanutee, and Gobindapur in 1690?
Answer: Job Charnock
SEBA Class 9 History Chapter 1 Extra Questions
11. Who defeated Siraj-ud-daulah in the Battle of Plassey in 1757?
Answer: Robert Clive
12. Who introduced the Dual Government system in Bengal in 1765?
Answer: Robert Clive
13. Who was the first Governor-General of Bengal appointed by the Regulating Act of 1773?
Answer: Warren Hastings
14. Who started the Sepoy Mutiny by shooting a British officer on 29th March, 1857?
Answer: Mangal Pandey
15. At which cantonment did Mangal Pandey trigger the Sepoy Mutiny?
Answer: Barrackpore
16. Who was the last Governor-General under the East India Company?
Answer: Lord Canning
17. Who was the first Viceroy of India under the British Crown?
Answer: Lord Canning
18. On which date was the Government of India Act passed by the British Parliament?
Answer: August 2, 1858
19. What new title was given to the Governor-General representing the British Crown?
Answer: Viceroy
20. Who was the finance expert invited by Lord Canning to introduce income tax?
Answer: James Wilson
Advent of Europeans into India Important Questions and Answers 2026-27
21. In which year was the Indian Councils Act enacted?
Answer: 1861
22. Who laid the foundation of Local Self-Government in India?
Answer: Lord Ripon
23. In which year did Lord Ripon create Local Boards in sub-divisions?
Answer: 1882
24. Who was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service in 1864?
Answer: Satyendranath Tagore
25. Who was the first person from Assam to join the Indian Civil Service?
Answer: Anundoram Borooah
26. Which Viceroy reduced the upper age limit for the Civil Service examination to 19 years?
Answer: Lord Lytton
27. Who chaired the Public Service Commission formed in 1886?
Answer: Sir Charles Aitchison
28. Which commission proposed raising the number of Indian civil servants by 50 percent within 15 years?
Answer: Lee Commission
29. In which year was the Lee Commission formed?
Answer: 1923
30. Which Act declared the formation of a Federal State in India?
Answer: Government of India Act, 1935
EXTRA SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Why did European nations feel the need for an alternative sea route to India in the 15th century?
Answer: The old overland trade routes were closed after the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453.
2. Who was John Mildenhall and why did he visit India?
Answer: John Mildenhall was an English sailor who reached India in 1599 with a petition from Queen Elizabeth to secure trade privileges from Emperor Akbar.
3. How did the British acquire Bombay?
Answer: King Charles II of England acquired Bombay as a dowry when he married the Portuguese princess Catherine in 1661, and later handed it to the East India Company.
4. Why are the imperial firmans given by Emperor Farukhsiyar considered the Magna Carta of the Company?
Answer: Because they granted the Company the right of duty-free trade in Bengal for an annual payment of just Rs. 3,000.
5. What was the Dual Government system introduced in Bengal in 1765?
Answer: It was a system where the East India Company held the right of revenue collection (Diwani), while the Nawab managed civil, criminal, and police administration.
6. What major change was brought by the Regulating Act of 1773?
Answer: It named the Governor of Bengal as Governor-General, made the governors of Bombay and Madras subordinate to him, and started a centralized administration.
7. What was the main purpose of the Pitt’s India Act of 1784?
Answer: It introduced a two-tier administration where the Company was ruled by a secret committee of directors and the British Home Government through the Board of Control.
8. What were the major causes of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857?
Answer: Political, economic, and social discontent caused by British expansionist policies, the Doctrine of Lapse, and disrespect towards Indian traditions.
9. What was the main provision of the Government of India Act, 1858?
Answer: It ended the rule of the East India Company and transferred the governance of India directly to the British Crown under a Secretary of State.
10. What was the main objective of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation read out at the Allahabad Durbar in 1858?
Answer: To assure Indians of religious toleration, equal economic treatment, and an end to territorial expansion by abandoning the Doctrine of Lapse.
Class 9 Social Science History Chapter 1 Extra Q&A SEBA
11. What taxes were introduced by Lord Canning based on the suggestions of financial experts?
Answer: He introduced income tax on people earning five hundred rupees or more per month and a ten percent import duty on foreign goods.
12. What was the primary objective of the Indian Councils Act of 1861?
Answer: To make educated Indians familiar with the new administrative structure and secure their support by including them in legislative councils.
13. How did the Indian Councils Act of 1861 introduce the cabinet system?
Answer: By empowering Lord Canning to distribute specific portfolios among members of the Central Executive Council for efficient administration.
14. How did Lord Mayo’s Resolution of Financial Decentralization pave the way for local self-government?
Answer: By giving provincial governments responsibility over education, health, and police, and funding them through locally raised taxes.
15. What were the dual objectives of Lord Ripon in promoting local self-government?
Answer: To boost administrative efficiency and use local bodies as a medium of political and popular education for Indians.
16. Why did Lord Cornwallis argue against employing Indians in high civil service posts?
Answer: He believed Indians were not accustomed to modern administration and that employing them would go against British interests.
17. Who were the three Indians who successfully cleared the Civil Service examination in 1871?
Answer: Surendranath Banerji, Romesh Chunder Dutt, and Biharilal Gupta.
18. What was the recommendation of the Aitchison Commission regarding the Civil Service?
Answer: It recommended splitting the Civil Service into three divisions: Imperial, Provincial, and Subordinate, with Indians recruited into the latter two.
19. What was the recommendation of the Montague-Chelmsford Report regarding civil services?
Answer: It recommended holding civil service examinations simultaneously in England and India and increasing Indian representation in public services.
20. What changes were introduced in civil services after India gained independence?
Answer: The old recruitment system was abolished, and open competitive examinations were introduced at the national level through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and at the state level through State Public Service Commissions.
LONG (3 MARK) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Explain how the capture of Constantinople in 1453 led to the discovery of a new sea route to India.
Answer: 1. Until the seventh century, European nations traded extensively with India through overland and sea routes via the Red Sea, Persia, and Afghanistan.
2. When Arabs conquered many regions, trade was monopolized by them, but the overland route remained active.
3. However, when the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, the traditional overland route to India was completely closed. This forced European nations to search for a safe alternative sea route, leading pioneering sailors like Vasco-da-Gama to discover the direct sea route to India.
2. Describe the circumstances under which the East India Company secured the famous ‘firmans’ from Emperor Farukhsiyar in 1715.
Answer: 1. In 1715, an English delegation led by John Surman visited the court of Mughal Emperor Farukhsiyar to secure new trade privileges.
2. An English surgeon named William Hamilton, who traveled with the delegation, successfully cured the Emperor of a severe and painful disease.
3. As a grateful reward for this medical service, the Emperor issued three imperial ‘firmans’ allowing the Company duty-free trade in Bengal for an annual payment of just Rs. 3,000, along with other territorial and trade benefits.
3. What were the main administrative changes introduced by the Government of India Act, 1858?
Answer: 1. The Act abolished the rule of the East India Company and transferred the direct administration of India to the British Crown.
2. A new cabinet position called the “Secretary of State for India” was created, assisted by a 15-member council to manage Indian affairs.
3. The Governor-General was given the additional title of “Viceroy” as the direct representative of the British monarch, and the company’s army and revenues were brought under direct crown control.
4. Discuss the significance of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation read by Lord Canning at the Allahabad Durbar in 1858.
Answer: 1. The Proclamation aimed to heal the wounds and remove suspicions created in the minds of Indians following the Sepoy Mutiny.
2. It promised absolute religious toleration, equal economic opportunities, and respect for the rights of native princes.
3. It officially declared the abandonment of the Doctrine of Lapse and assured that the British government would not expand its empire further by forceful annexations.
5. Explain the key features of the Central Administration under the Indian Councils Act of 1861.
Answer: 1. The Act empowered the Viceroy to nominate between six and twelve additional members to his Central Legislative Assembly, half of whom had to be non-official members.
2. It gave the Central Legislative Council the power to make laws on revenue, finance, and defense, while reserving ultimate veto power for the Viceroy.
3. It introduced the portfolio system, allowing the Viceroy to distribute specific departments among Executive Council members, thereby laying the foundation of a cabinet system.
Assam Board Class 9 History Chapter 1 Solved Extra Questions PDF
6. How did Lord Ripon contribute to the development of Local Self-Government in India?
Answer: 1. Lord Ripon viewed local self-government not just as an administrative tool, but as a vital medium for the political education of the Indian people.
2. In 1882, he issued a historic resolution creating Local Boards in every sub-division and municipal boards in towns, with a majority of members chosen through elections.
3. Despite resistance from colonial authorities who wanted strict bureaucratic control, Ripon’s reforms successfully introduced democratic principles into local administration.
7. Explain the historical significance of Satyendranath Tagore and Anundoram Borooah in the Indian Civil Service.
Answer: 1. During the British rule, higher civil service posts were practically reserved for Englishmen, and exams were held exclusively in England.
2. Satyendranath Tagore broke this barrier by becoming the first Indian to successfully clear the Civil Service examination and join the service in 1864.
3. Anundoram Borooah, hailing from North Guwahati, became the first person from Assam and the sixth in India to successfully enter the Indian Civil Service in 1872, bringing immense pride to the nation.
8. What were the main recommendations of the Aitchison Public Service Commission of 1886?
Answer: 1. The Commission was formed under the chairmanship of Sir Charles Aitchison during the tenure of Viceroy Lord Dufferin.
2. It recommended dividing the civil service structure into three distinct tiers: the Imperial Indian Civil Service, the Provincial Civil Service, and the Subordinate Civil Service.
3. It suggested reserving the top Imperial Civil Service primarily for Englishmen, while opening up the Provincial and Subordinate civil services for the employment of qualified Indians.
9. What were the major objectives and proposals of the Lee Commission formed in 1923?
Answer: 1. The Lee Commission was established by the British Government to implement the reforms suggested in the Montague-Chelmsford Report and the Government of India Act, 1919.
2. It proposed the immediate establishment of a formal Public Service Commission in India.
3. It recommended increasing the proportion of Indian representation in the civil service posts to 50 percent over a period of 15 years.
10. How did the system of recruitment to the Civil Services change after India achieved independence?
Answer: 1. Following independence, the discriminatory colonial system of civil service recruitment was completely abolished.
2. A fair, transparent, and democratic system of open competitive examinations was established at the national level.
3. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) was established for central services, and respective State Public Service Commissions were formed for state-level administrative recruitment.
📜 Class 9 Social Science Exam Preparation Notice: This page features curated SEBA Class 9 Social Science (History Section) Chapter 1: Advent of Europeans into India Extra Questions, Answers & Solutions updated for the 2026–27 academic session. Tailored strictly to target high-frequency analytical and descriptive questions tested in unit evaluations, half-yearly exams, and annual school examinations, this revision guide explores beyond standard textbook exercises—providing structured, point-wise evaluations of European trade rivalry, the Anglo-French Carnatic Wars, the geopolitical significance of the Battle of Buxar, the exploitative mechanics of the Dual Administration of Bengal, Subsidiary Alliance, and the Doctrine of Lapse—to guarantee full marks in your 2-mark, 3-mark, and 5-mark exam questions.
💡 Master SEBA Class 9 History Chapter Extra Questions:
- Having difficulty structuring a comprehensive 5-mark answer explaining why the Battle of Buxar was far more decisive than the Battle of Plassey in establishing British supremacy, detailing the economic and administrative consequences of Clive’s Dual Government on the peasants of Bengal, or analyzing the terms of Lord Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance system? Leave your query in the comments section below!
- Bookmark this page for quick revision of chronological treaties, company charters, administrative acts (Regulating Act 1773, Pitt’s India Act 1784), and expansionist policies before your upcoming unit tests and final annual examinations.
- Share this link with your classmates and WhatsApp study groups to make Class 9 Social Science modern Indian history preparation structured, analytical, and high-scoring!