Subject: History

Grade :VIII
Topic: Ch 7
Worksheet No : 1.

EXERCISES
A. Fill the in the blanks:
1. Madras, Bombay and Calcutta became the headquarters of the British
settlements in the southern, western and eastern regions, respectively.
2. In 1717, the Mughal emperor granted the United East India Company the
right to carry on duty-free trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
3. The French East India Company was established in 1664 C.E.
4. The British and the French fought the Carnatic Wars in India to establish their
monopoly in trade.
5. Bengal in the 18th century was the richest and the most fertile province in
India.
6. In 1757 Robert Clive recovered Calcutta which had been captured by Siraj-
ud-Daulah in 1756.
7. Mir Jafar was deposed because he was unable to meet the demands of
the British.
8. In 1765, Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud-
 Daulah but Kora and Allahabad were taken away and given to Shah Alam II.
9. Shah Alam II granted the Company the Diwani of Bengal,
Bihar and Orissa in 1765.
10. Warren Hastings deposed and pensioned off the Nawab of Bengal and
brought Bengal under the direct, and complete control of the Company.
B. Match the following:

Answer:

C. Choose the correct answer:

1. The English East India Company was established in the year 1600/1700/1800 CE.
Ans. The English East India Company was established in the year 1600.
2. The English East India Company set up its first factory in Surat/Agra/Broach.
Ans. The English East India Company set up its first factory in Surat.
3. The largest and the most prosperous European settlement in Bengal was the
British settlement at Calcutta/Burdwan/ Murshidabad.
Ans. The largest and the most prosperous European settlement in Bengal was the
British settlement at Calcutta.
4. Alivardi Khan was succeeded by Mir Qasim/Siraj-ud- Daulah/Shuja-ud-Daula.
Ans. Alivardi Khan was succeeded by Siraj-ud-Daulah.
5. Robert Clive hatched a plot with Mir Jafar/Mir Qasim/ Alivardi Khan to replace
Siraj-ud-Daulah.
Ans. Robert Clive hatched a plot with Mir Jafar to replace Siraj- ud-Daulah.
6. The Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757/1764/1772.
Ans. The Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757.
7. The Dual Government in Bengal was introduced by Robert Clive/Warren
Hastings/Lord Cornwallis.
Ans. The Dual Government in Bengal was introduced by Robert Clive.
D. State whether the following are true or false:
1. The-Carnatic Wars were fought between the British and the French.
True.
2. The employees of the Company were entitled to both private trade as well as
duty-free trade.
False.
Correct: The employees of the Company were permitted to carry on private
trade but they were not entitled to the Company’s privilege of duty-free
trade.
3. The English East India Company was given the right to issue passes or dastaks
for the free movement of their goods.
True.
4. The British army was defeated in the Battle of Buxar.
False.
Correct : The British army won in the Battle of Buxar.
5. The Treaty of Allahabad was signed between the British Company and Mir
Qasim.
False.
Correct: The Treaty of Allahabad was signed between the British and Shuja-
ud-Daulah.
6. Warren Hastings laid the foundation of an organized system of government
in Bengal.
True.
E.Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:
Question 1.
Who granted the English East India Company the exclusive right to trade with the
East ?
Answer:
The Queen of England, Elizabeth I, granted the Company the exclusive right to trade
with the East.
Question 2.
Name the British trading settlements in (a) Madras (b) Calcutta.
Answer:
(a) Madras was given to the British by a local ruler. They established a trading
settlement which they fortified and named Fort St. George.
(b) Calcutta In 1690 CE, a British trading settlement was established and fortified in
Calcutta. It was named Fort William.
Question 3.
What important right did the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar grant the English East
India Company ?
Answer:
In 1717, the Mughal Emperor, Farrukhsiyar, granted the Company the right to carry
on duty-free trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (now Odisha). The Company made
enormous profits.
Question 4.
Why were European traders attracted to the Bengal province in the 18th century?
Answer:
Bengal was the richest and the most fertile province in India at that time. It was
known as the paradise of the earth and this province attracted traders from many
European countries.
Question 5.
What privileges did the Farman of 1717 confer on the English East India Company?
Answer:
By the ‘Farman” of 1717, the English East India company was granted the right to
carry on duty-free trade in Bengal. They were allowed to export and import goods
from and to Bengal without paying any taxes to the government. They were given
the right to issue passes or dastaks for the free movement of their goods.
Question 6.
Why did the Farman of 1717 become a bone of contention between the nawabs of
Bengal and the British Company?
Answer:
The Nawabs of Bengal wanted British company to pay taxes on trade like the
Indians. But the Britishers refused to do so. This created conflict between both the
parties and resulted in wars between both of them.
Question 7.
Why did the British fortify their trade settlement in Calcutta?
Answer:
Siraj-ud-Daulah ordered the British to pay taxes to him like all other Indian
merchants. The British refused to do so. This angered the young nawab. In
anticipation of a war with the French, who had a trading settlement in
Chandemagore, the British began to fortify Calcutta.
Question 8.
Why did Siraj-ud-Daulah attack Calcutta in 1756?
Answer:
When the Britishers tried to fortify Calcutta, Siraj-ud-Daulah ordered both the
British and the French to dismantle their fortifications and not to fight private wars
on his territory. The French agreed but the British refused. This enraged the Nawab
and he attacked Calcutta ‘with a large army and captured Fort William.
Question 9.
What important trading right was granted to the English East India Company after
their victory in the Battle of Plassey?
Answer:
1. The English East India Company was granted die undisputed right to free
trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
2. The Company was given die zamindari of the 24 Parganas.
Question 10.
State the political significance of the Battle of Buxar.
Answer:
1. It gave them political influence and control over Awadh and the Mughal
emperor.
2. It laid the foundation of British rule in India.
Question 11.
Name the Indian signatories of the Treaty of Allahabad.
Answer:
Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II.
Question 12.
In which year was the Dual Government abolished and by whom?
Answer:
In 1772, Warren Hastings abolished die Dual Government
F. Answer the following questions briefly:
Question 1.
The Battle of Plassey was a major turning point in the history of India. In this
context answer the following questions:
(a) Give an account of the events leading from the conspiracy to replace Siraj-ud-
Daulah to his eventual defeat in the Battle of Plassey.
(b) State the results of the Battle of Plassey.
(c) Why is this battle considered a major turning point in the history of India?
Answer:
(a) A major part of the nawab’s army under the command of Mir Jafar did not take
any part in die battle. Realizing that he had been betrayed, the nawab fled from the
battlefield. He was captured and put to death.
(b) Results of Battle of Plassey:
1. The English East India company was granted the undisputed right to free
 trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
2. The Company was given the zamindari of the 24 parganas.
3. Mir Jafar paid the Company and its officials over 300 lakh rupees.
(c) The Battle of Plassey was a major turning point in the history of India.
1. It paved the way for the establishment of British rule in Bengal and,
eventually, the rest of India.
2. It transformed a trading company into a political power.
3. It provided the British the vast resources of Bengal, which helped them to win
the Third Carnatic war and other expeditions in India.
Question 2.
Mir Qasim was a competent ruler, determined to free himself from foreign
control. In this context answer the following:
(a) What steps did Mir Qasim take to strengthen his position? Why did he abolish all
duties on internal trade?
(b) Trace the events from the outbreak of war (1763) between Mir Qasim and the
British up to the Battle of Buxar in 1764.
(c) Explain the importance of the Battle of Buxar.
Answer:
(a)
To strengthen his position, Mir Qasim improved the financial position of Bengal and
raised a modem, disciplined and well-equipped army trained by the Europeans. The
employers of the company misused their trade privileges.
They sold their duty-free trade points to Indian merchants who also used them to
carry on duty-free trade. This deprived the Nawab for large revenues. To put an end
to the corrupt practices of the British, Mir Qasim abolished all duties on internal
trade.
(b)
The employees of the Company misused their trade privileges. They sold their duty-
free trade permits to Indian merchants who also used them to carry on duty-free
trade. This deprived the nawab of large revenues and was unfair to those local
merchants who had to pay heavy duties. ” To put an end to the corrupt practices of
the British, Mir Qasim abolished all duties on internal trade. This made the British
furious. They refused to accept an equal status with j the Indian merchants.
In 1763, war broke out between Mir Qasim and the British. The nawab was defeated.
Mir Jafar was reinstated on the throne.
Mir Qasim was determined to recover his throne. He escaped to Awadh, where he
formed an alliance with Shuja-ud-Daulah, the nawab of Awadh, and the Mughal
emperor, Shah Alam II.
The combined forces of the three allies clashed with the Company’s troops at Buxar
in 1764, and were decisively defeated by the British.
(c)
1. The victory of the British in the Battle of Buxar firmly established them as
masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
2. It gave them political influence and control over Awadh and the Mughal
emperor.
3. It laid the foundation of British rule in India.
4. At this time, Robert Clive returned to India as the governor of Bengal.
Question 3.
With reference to the Treaty of Allahabad and its impact, answer the
following:
(a) Mention the terms of agreement between Robert Clive and Shuja-ud-Daulah in
this treaty.
(b) Explain how the treaty between Robert Clive and the Mughal emperor Shah
Alam II legalized the English East India’s Company’s control over Bengal.
(c) Give an account of the events that followed the death of Mir Jafar, leading to the
establishment of the Company as the real ruler of Bengal.
Answer:
(a)
1. Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud-Daulah. However, the two districts of Kora
and Allahabad were taken away from the Nawab.
2. The nawab of Awadh had to pay a war indemnity of 50 lakh rupees to the
Company.
3. The British agreed to defend the nawab of Awadh against his enemies. The
nawab would have to pay for the cost of the British troops. Awadh became a
buffer state between the British possessions in Bengal and the Marathas.
(b)
The British gave Shah Alam II the districts of Kora and Allahabad and an annual
pension of 26 lakh rupees. In return, the emperor (the nominal head of the Mughal
empire) granted the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, e., the right to
collect revenue from these provinces and judge civil cases. The Company’s control
over Bengal was made legal.
(c)
After Mir Jafar’s death in 1765, his son was made the nawab of Bengal. He had to
sign a treaty with Clive, according to which he had to disband most of his army.
He also had to transfer the ‘Nizamat’ powers (general administration and criminal
justice) to a deputy nawab appointed by the British. The deputy nawab could not be
dismissed by the nawab. The nawab was given an allowance of 53 lakh rupees which
was subsequently reduced. Thus, the English East India Company became the real
ruler of Bengal from 1765.
Question 4.
With reference to the establishment of Dual Government in Bengal (1765-72)
answer the following:
(a) Why was the government introduced in Bengal by Robert Clive referred to as
‘Dual Government’?
(b) What were the advantages and disadvantages of this system for the Company
and the nawab respectively?
(c) The evils of the Dual Government led to the collapse of the administration and
the economy. Explain.
Answer:
(a)
Robert Clive introduced Dual Government in Bengal in 1765.Bengal now had two
masters-the nawab and the Company. The Nawab was responsible for general
administration, maintenance of law and order and justice {i.e., criminal cases). The
Company had military power and the right to collect and use the revenue of Bengal.
This arrangement was known as Dual Government.
(b)
The Company enjoyed power without any responsibilities. The nawab, on the other
hand, was burdened with the responsibility of administration without the resources
necessary for running it efficiently i.e., responsibility without power.
The revenue was collected by Indian officials appointed by the Company. The greed,
corruption and oppression of these officials reduced the peasants to conditions of
utter misery. The Company took no interest in the welfare of the people.
(c)
The conditions of the people worsened when Bengal was hit by a terrible famine in
which one third of the population perished. Nobody cared, neither the Company
nor the nawab, who in any case had neither the authority nor the resources to
lessen the miseries of the people. The Company, through its power to nominate the
deputy nawab, only interfered in the general administration without assuming any
responsibility. The evils of the Dual Government began to manifest themselves. The
administration and economy collapsed. In 1772, the Court of Directors of the
Company appointed Warren Hastings as the Governor of Bengal. In 1773, by the
Regulating Act, he was made the Governor General of British territories in India. The
Governor General was now the most important functionary of the East India
Company.
G Picture Study.
This picture portrays a momentous event in 1765, involving a British Governor
and a Mughal emperor wherein the Mughal emperor is conveying the grant of
the Diwani to ; the governor.
1. Identify the Mughal emperor and the British governor.
Ans. Mughal Emperor – Shuja-ud-Daulah, British Governor – Robert Clive
2. What is the significance of this grant of the Diwani?
Ans. The significance of granting the company the Diwani i.e. the right to collect
revenue from these provinces and judge civil cases.
3. Give a brief account of the battle that preceded this event. When did it take
place?
Ans. Battle of Buxar in 1764.
4. What is the importance of this battle?
Ans. Mir Qasim was defeated and Mir Jafar was reinstated on the throne.