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50 Most Frequently Asked MCQs on Advent of Europeans in India

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Part I – Arrival of Europeans (Questions 1–15)

1. Who was the first European to discover the sea route to India?

A. Christopher Columbus
B. Vasco da Gama
C. Ferdinand Magellan
D. Marco Polo

Answer: B. Vasco da Gama

2. Vasco da Gama reached India in:

A. 1492

B. 1498

C. 1505

D. 1510

Answer: B. 1498

3. Vasco da Gama landed at:

A. Goa

B. Calicut (Kozhikode)

C. Cochin

D. Surat

Answer: B. Calicut (Kozhikode)

4. Vasco da Gama was welcomed by:

A. Krishnadevaraya

B. Zamorin of Calicut

C. Raja of Cochin

D. Bahadur Shah

Answer: B. Zamorin of Calicut

5. Which European nation was the first to establish trade in India?

A. Dutch

B. Portuguese

C. English

D. French

Answer: B. Portuguese

6. The Portuguese established their first factory in India at:

A. Surat

B. Cochin

C. Calicut

D. Madras

Answer: B. Cochin

7. Which European power introduced the cartaz (pass) system in India?

A. Dutch

B. English

C. Portuguese

D. French

Answer: C. Portuguese

8. The Dutch East India Company was established in:

A. 1498

B. 1600

C. 1602

D. 1664

Answer: C. 1602

9. The English East India Company received its Royal Charter in:

A. 1498

B. 1600

C. 1602

D. 1664

Answer: B. 1600

10. The French East India Company was established in:

A. 1600

B. 1602

C. 1664

D. 1700

Answer: C. 1664

11. The Danish East India Company was established in:

A. 1616

B. 1600

C. 1664

D. 1707

Answer: A. 1616

12. The English established their first factory in India at:

A. Surat

B. Goa

C. Calicut

D. Pondicherry

Answer: A. Surat

13. Which European power established its headquarters at Batavia (Jakarta)?

A. Portuguese

B. Dutch

C. English

D. French

Answer: B. Dutch

14. Pondicherry became the headquarters of the:

A. Portuguese

B. Dutch

C. French

D. Danish

Answer: C. French

15. Goa became the headquarters of the:

A. Portuguese

B. English

C. French

D. Dutch

Answer: A. Portuguese

Part II – Portuguese Governors (Questions 16–25)

16. The first Portuguese Governor in India was:

A. Albuquerque

B. Almeida

C. Vasco da Gama

D. Cabral

Answer: B. Francisco de Almeida

17. Francisco de Almeida is associated with the:

A. Doctrine of Lapse

B. Blue Water Policy

C. Subsidiary Alliance

D. Divide and Rule

Answer: B. Blue Water Policy

18. Who is regarded as the real founder of Portuguese power in India?

A. Almeida

B. Albuquerque

C. Vasco da Gama

D. Cabral

Answer: B. Afonso de Albuquerque

19. Albuquerque captured Goa in:

A. 1498

B. 1505

C. 1510

D. 1526

Answer: C. 1510

20. Goa was captured from the:

A. Mughals

B. Bijapur Sultanate

C. Vijayanagara Empire

D. Bahmani Sultanate

Answer: B. Bijapur Sultanate

21. Which Portuguese Governor encouraged intermarriage with Indians?

A. Almeida

B. Albuquerque

C. Cabral

D. Nuno da Cunha

Answer: B. Albuquerque

22. The Battle of Diu (1509) established Portuguese naval supremacy under:

A. Vasco da Gama

B. Almeida

C. Albuquerque

D. Cabral

Answer: B. Almeida

23. Which policy aimed to make Portugal the master of the Indian Ocean?

A. Blue Water Policy

B. Doctrine of Lapse

C. Ring Fence Policy

D. Forward Policy

Answer: A. Blue Water Policy

24. Which Portuguese Governor shifted the capital from Cochin to Goa?

A. Almeida

B. Albuquerque

C. Cabral

D. Vasco da Gama

Answer: B. Albuquerque

25. Match the following:

  1. Almeida – Blue Water Policy
  2. Albuquerque – Goa
  3. Vasco da Gama – Calicut

A. 1 only

B. 1 & 2 only

C. 2 & 3 only

D. 1, 2 & 3

Answer: D. 1, 2 & 3

Part III – Carnatic Wars & Anglo-French Rivalry (Questions 26–40)

26. The Carnatic Wars were fought between the:

A. English and Portuguese

B. English and Dutch

C. English and French

D. French and Portuguese

Answer: C. English and French

27. The Carnatic Wars were fought in:

A. Bengal

B. Punjab

C. South India

D. Gujarat

Answer: C. South Indi

28. How many Carnatic Wars were fought?

A. Two

B. Three

C. Four

D. Five

Answer: B. Three

29. The First Carnatic War was fought between:

A. 1746–1748

B. 1756–1763

C. 1764–1766

D. 1770–1773

Answer: A. 1746–1748

30. Who was the famous French Governor-General in India?

A. Dupleix

B. Clive

C. Cornwallis

D. Wellesley

Answer: A. Joseph François Dupleix


31. The English leader during the Carnatic Wars was:

A. Robert Clive

B. Warren Hastings

C. Dalhousie

D. Curzon

Answer: A. Robert Clive

32. The Second Carnatic War ended with the:

A. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

B. Treaty of Paris (1763)

C. Treaty of Pondicherry

D. Treaty of Madras

Answer: B. Treaty of Paris (1763)

33. The decisive battle that ended French political ambitions in India was:

A. Battle of Plassey

B. Battle of Buxar

C. Battle of Wandiwash

D. Battle of Panipat

Answer: C. Battle of Wandiwash

34. The Battle of Wandiwash was fought in:

A. 1757

B. 1760

C. 1761

D. 1764

Answer: B. 1760

35. The French were finally defeated by the:

A. Portuguese

B. Dutch

C. English

D. Danish

Answer: C. English

36. The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the:

A. Anglo-Mysore War

B. Carnatic Wars

C. Anglo-Maratha War

D. Revolt of 1857

Answer: B. Carnatic Wars

37. After 1763, the French were allowed to:

A. Rule Indian kingdoms

B. Maintain only trading centres without fortification

C. Annex Bengal

D. Control Madras

Answer: B. Maintain only trading centres without fortification

38. Robert Clive became famous after the:

A. Battle of Diu

B. Siege of Arcot

C. Battle of Panipat

D. Battle of Talikota

Answer: B. Siege of Arcot

39. Which war established British supremacy in South India?

A. First Carnatic War

B. Second Carnatic War

C. Third Carnatic War

D. Anglo-Mysore War

Answer: C. Third Carnatic War


40. Which European power remained the strongest in India after the Carnatic Wars?

A. Portuguese

B. French

C. English

D. Dutch

Answer: C. English

Part IV – Decline of European Powers (Questions 41–50)

41. Which European power was the first to lose its dominance in India?

A. Portuguese

B. Dutch

C. French

D. English

Answer: A. Portuguese

42. The Dutch gradually withdrew from India because they concentrated on:

A. China

B. Indonesia (East Indies)

C. Africa

D. America

Answer: B. Indonesia (East Indies)

43. Which European power ultimately established political rule over India?

A. Portuguese

B. Dutch

C. French

D. English

Answer: D. English

44. Which European power’s headquarters in India was at Goa?

A. Portuguese

B. French

C. English

D. Dutch

Answer: A. Portuguese

45. Which European power’s headquarters was at Pondicherry?

A. Dutch

B. French

C. Portuguese

D. Danish

Answer: B. French

46. Which European power established Serampore (Frederiksnagore) as its settlement?

A. Portuguese

B. Danish

C. Dutch

D. French

Answer: B. Danish

47. Which of the following is correctly matched?

A. Portuguese – Goa

B. French – Pondicherry

C. English – Surat (first factory)

D. All of the above

Answer: D. All of the above

48. Arrange the arrival of the European powers in India chronologically:

A. Portuguese → Dutch → English → Danish → French

B. Portuguese → English → Dutch → French → Danish

C. English → Portuguese → Dutch → French → Danish

D. Dutch → Portuguese → English → French → Danish

Answer: A. Portuguese → Dutch → English → Danish → French

49. Consider the following statements:

  1. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498.
  2. Almeida introduced the Blue Water Policy.
  3. Albuquerque captured Goa.

A. 1 only

B. 1 & 2 only

C. 2 & 3 only

D. 1, 2 & 3

Answer: D. 1, 2 & 3

50. Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. The Battle of Wandiwash ended French political ambitions in India.
  2. The Treaty of Paris (1763) marked British supremacy over the French in India.
  3. The English East India Company received its Royal Charter in 1600.

A. 1 only

B. 1 & 2 only

C. 2 & 3 only

D. 1, 2 & 3

Answer: D. 1, 2 & 3

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