✅ Answer: A) 1, 2 and 3All three statements are correct. The Battle of Plassey was fought on June 23, 1757 between Robert Clive (British) and Siraj-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Bengal). Mir Jafar (Siraj’s commander) betrayed him by not fighting. Mir Jafar was rewarded by being made the puppet Nawab of Bengal. This battle marked the beginning of British political rule in India.

✅ Answer: C) Satara, Nagpur, and JhansiThe Doctrine of Lapse was used to annex Satara (1848), Jaitpur, Sambalpur, Nagpur (1854), and Jhansi (1853). Awadh was annexed in 1856 on grounds of misgovernance (not Doctrine of Lapse). Punjab was annexed after the Anglo-Sikh Wars. Hyderabad was not annexed — it signed the Subsidiary Alliance.

✅ Answer: B) Nizam of HyderabadThe Nizam of Hyderabad was the first Indian ruler to sign the Subsidiary Alliance in 1798 CE. Lord Wellesley introduced this system. The Nizam accepted British troops, paid for their maintenance, and lost control of foreign policy. In return, the British “protected” Hyderabad. This system was later extended to Awadh, Mysore, and Maratha states.

✅ Answer: B) Alfonso de AlbuquerqueAlfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510 CE. He made Goa the headquarters of Portuguese India. He is considered the real founder of Portuguese power in India. He also captured Malacca (1511) and Hormuz (1515). Goa remained under Portuguese control until 1961 when India liberated it.

✅ Answer: B) First step towards centralised administrationThe Regulating Act of 1773 was the first step towards centralised administration and parliamentary control over the East India Company. It established the Governor-General of Bengal (Warren Hastings was the first), created a Supreme Court in Calcutta, and required the EIC to report to the British Parliament. It was the first constitutional step in British India.

✅ Answer: B) South India (Carnatic region)The three Carnatic Wars (1746–1763) were fought between the British and French for control of South India (Carnatic region). The British (Robert Clive) ultimately defeated the French (Dupleix). The Third Carnatic War ended with the Treaty of Paris (1763) — France retained only Pondicherry and Chandernagore but lost all political influence in India.

✅ Answer: B) Thomas MunroThe Ryotwari system was introduced in Madras by Thomas Munro (Governor of Madras, 1820–1827). Under this system, the British dealt directly with the ryot (peasant) — no zamindars. The peasant paid revenue directly to the government. It was also introduced in Bombay by Elphinstone. The Mahalwari system was introduced in UP and Punjab.

✅ Answer: B) Siraj-ud-Daulah imprisoning British prisonersThe Black Hole of Calcutta incident (June 20, 1756) occurred when Siraj-ud-Daulah captured Calcutta and imprisoned ~146 British prisoners in a small room (18 × 14 feet). According to British accounts, 123 died of suffocation overnight. This incident was used by the British to justify the Battle of Plassey (1757). Modern historians question the exact numbers.

✅ Answer: B) Board of Control establishedPitt’s India Act (1784) established a Board of Control — a government body that supervised the EIC’s political affairs. The EIC retained commercial functions but political decisions required Board approval. This was a major step in bringing India under direct British government control. The Regulating Act (1773) had been the first step.

✅ Answer: B) Right to collect land revenueThe Diwani rights (granted by Shah Alam II in the Treaty of Allahabad, 1765) gave the British the right to collect land revenue from Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This was not full sovereignty — the Nawab still handled civil and criminal administration (Nizamat). This “dual government” system was criticised by Warren Hastings who later unified administration.