Insights Static Quiz -48, 2018 – Ancient History

Answer – c

• Cornwallis (1786-1793) had an excellent team ofsubordinates comprising John Shore, James Grant, and Sir William In the work of judicial reorganization, Cornwallis secured theservices of Sir William Jones, who was a judge and a great scholar Civil and criminal courts were completely reorganized.
• Lord Cornwallis’ most conspicuous administrative measure wasthe Permanent Land Revenue Settlement of Bengal, which wasextended to the provinces of Bihar and Orissa. Recall that Warren Hastings introduced the annual lease system ofauctioning the land to the highest bidder. After a prolonged discussion withhis colleagues like Sir John Shore and James Grant he decided toabolish the annual lease system and introduce a decennial (Ten years)settlement which was subsequently declared to be continuous.
• Cornwallis inaugurated the policy of makingappointments mainly on the basis of merit thereby laying thefoundation of the Indian Civil Service. To cut down on extravagances,he abolished a number of surplus posts. Another major reform thatCornwallis introduced was the separation of the three branches ofservice, namely commercial, judicial and revenue. The collectors,the king-pins of the administrative system were deprived of theirjudicial powers and their work became merely the collection of

Answer – b

• The Doctrine of Lapse was applied by Dalhousie to Satara and itwas annexed in 1848. Jhansi and Nagpur were annexed in 1854. At the end of the second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, Punjab wasannexed by Dalhousie. In 1851, William Sleeman, Resident at Lucknow,reported on the “spectacle of human misery and careless misrule”.But Sleeman was against the policy of annexing Oudh. After surveyingthe situation in Oudh, Dalhousie annexed it in 1856
• The principality of Cachar lying in the North East Frontier came under the protection of the British in accordance with the Treaty of Yandaboo concluded at the end of the first Burmese War. The Raja of this small state was assassinated in 1832 but there was no heir to succeed him. Bentinck annexed this state at the wish of the people.
• In March 1816, the Treaty of Sagauli under Lord Hastings was concluded. The Gurkhas gave up their claim over the Tarai region and ceded the areas of Kumaon and Garhwal to the British. The British now secured the area around Simla and their north-western borders touched the Himalayas. The Gurkhas had to withdraw from Sikkim and they also agreed to keep a British Resident at Katmandu. The British had also obtained the sites of hill stations like Simla, Mussoori, Nainital, Ranikhet and developed them as tourist and health resorts.

Answer – b

• With a few exceptions, the magistrates, mostly European, favoured the planters with whom they dined and hunted regularly. Those few who tried to be fair were soon transferred. Twenty-nine planters and a solitary Indian zamindar were appointed as Honorary Magistrates in 1857, which gave birth to the popular saying ‘je rakhak se bhakak ’
• A significant feature of the Indigo Revolt was the role of the intelligentsia of Bengal which organized a powerful campaign in support of the rebellious peasantry. It carried on newspaper
  campaigns, organized mass meetings, prepared memoranda on peasants’ grievances and supported them in their legal battles. Outstanding in this respect was the role of Harish Chandra Mukherji, editor of the Hindoo Patriot. Din Bandhu Mitra’s play, Neel Darpan, was to gain great fame for vividly portraying the oppression by the planters
• The Government’s response to the Revolt was rather restrained and not as harsh as in the case of civil rebellions and tribal uprisings. It appointed a commission to inquire into the problem of indigo cultivation. Government issued a notification in November 1860 that ryots could not be compelled to sow indigo and that it would ensure that all disputes were settled by legal means.

Answer – b

• According to Tamil legends, there existed three Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) in ancient Tamil Nadu popularly called Muchchangam. These Sangams flourished under the royal patronage of the Pandyas.
• The first Sangam, held at Then Madurai, was attended by gods and legendary sages but no literary work of this Sangam was available.
• The second Sangam was held at Kapadapuram but the all the literary works had perished except Tolkappiyam. Tolkappiyam authored by Tolkappiyar is the earliest of the Tamil literature. It is a work on Tamil grammar but it provides information on the political and socioeconomic conditions of the Sangam period
• The third Sangam at Madurai was founded by Mudathirumaran. It was attended by a large number of poets who produced voluminous literature but only a few had survived.

Answer – d

• In addition to the Sangam literature, the Greek authors like Megasthenes, Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy mention the commercial contacts between the West and South India.
• The Asokan inscriptions mention the Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers on the south of the Mauryan empire.
• The Hathikumbha inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga also mentions about Tamil kingdoms.
• The excavations at Arikkamedu, Poompuhar, Kodumanal and other places reveal the
  overseas commercial activities of the Tamils.