Arrival of European Companies MCQ: Goa's Liberation, Portuguese Diu & the 1709 Company Merger

Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.

1. Q1.Job Charnock was the head of which factory before founding Calcutta?

   • A.Surat
   • B.Masulipatnam
   • C.Qasim Bazar✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Hooghly

   Explanation: Job Charnock was the head of the factory of Qasim Bazar before he selected Sutanuti and established Calcutta.

2. Q2.Who was the Portuguese Governor who encouraged his men to marry Indian women?

   • A.Francisco de Almeida
   • B.Nino da Cunha
   • C.Alfonso de Albuquerque✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Vasco da Gama

   Explanation: Albuquerque encouraged Portuguese men to marry Indian women to enhance Portuguese presence and form permanent colonies.

3. Q3.Which operation was conducted by Indian forces to free Goa from Portuguese control in 1961?

   • A.Operation Polo
   • B.Operation Vijay✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Operation Blue Star
   • D.Operation Cactus

   Explanation: Operation Vijay was conducted by Indian forces to free Goa from Portuguese control on 19 December 1961.

4. Q4.Who was the first Portuguese Viceroy to annex Diu?

   • A.Albuquerque
   • B.Nino da Cunha
   • C.Francisco de Almeida✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Vasco da Gama

   Explanation: The first Portuguese Viceroy Francisco de Almeida annexed Diu in 1509.

5. Q5.In which year did the Portuguese annex Diu?

   • A.1509✓ Correct Answer
   • B.1510
   • C.1530
   • D.1535

   Explanation: Francisco de Almeida annexed Diu in 1509, making the Portuguese powerful in the Indian Ocean.

6. Q6.Which company was formed by the merger of a new company in 1709?

   • A.United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Levant Company
   • C.Ostend Company
   • D.French East India Company

   Explanation: The English Company extended its trade with the merger of a new company in 1709 as the 'United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies'.

7. Q7.Which European traveller discovered the route to America?

   • A.Vasco da Gama
   • B.Christopher Columbus✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Captain Cook
   • D.Tasman

   Explanation: Spanish traveller Christopher Columbus discovered the route to America.

8. Q8.What was the name of the fort built by the Dutch in Chinsura?

   • A.Fort William
   • B.Fort Gustavus✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Fort St. George
   • D.Fort Louis

   Explanation: In Chinsura, the Dutch fort was called Gustavus Fort.

9. Q9.Who led the Persian expedition to found a French factory at Masulipatnam in 1669?

   • A.Francois Caron
   • B.Marcara✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Dupleix
   • D.Colbert

   Explanation: Marcara, a Persian who accompanied Caron, founded the French factory in Masulipatnam in 1669.

10. Q10.When did the English establish their factory at Armagaon?

    • A.1611
    • B.1613
    • C.1626✓ Correct Answer
    • D.1633

    Explanation: The English East India Company established a factory at Armagaon in 1626.

11. Q11.Which of the following was NOT a location of an English factory established by 1619?

    • A.Agra
    • B.Ahmedabad
    • C.Broach
    • D.Calcutta✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: By 1619, English factories were established at Agra, Ahmedabad, Baroda and Broach. Calcutta was founded much later in 1690.

12. Q12.Who was the ruler of Bengal who gave permission to the Portuguese to open factories at Satgaon and Chatgaon?

    • A.Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Alauddin Hussain Shah
    • C.Nusrat Shah
    • D.Shaista Khan

    Explanation: In 1534, the ruler of Bengal, Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah, gave permission to the Portuguese to open factories.

13. Q13.The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) resulted in the restoration of which city to the English?

    • A.Pondicherry
    • B.Madras✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Chandernagore
    • D.Mahe

    Explanation: With the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), Madras was again granted to the English.

14. Q14.Which French officer was associated with the policy of interfering in internal conflicts of Indian kingdoms?

    • A.Colbert
    • B.Caron
    • C.Dupleix✓ Correct Answer
    • D.Bussy

    Explanation: Dupleix initiated the tactic of interfering in the internal conflicts of Indian kingdoms to advance European interests.

15. Q15.Which Portuguese Governor was the predecessor of Nino da Cunha?

    • A.Almeida
    • B.Albuquerque✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Vasco da Gama
    • D.Cabral

    Explanation: Nino da Cunha assumed the Governor office after Albuquerque in 1529.

16. Q16.What was the tenure of Nino da Cunha as Governor?

    • A.1505-1509
    • B.1509-1515
    • C.1529-1538✓ Correct Answer
    • D.1545-1548

    Explanation: Nino da Cunha remained the Governor from 1529 to the end of 1538.

17. Q17.In 1668, which English Governor of Bombay surrounded Mughal ports and was expelled by Aurangzeb?

    • A.Sir John Child✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Sir John Gayer
    • C.Gerald Aungier
    • D.Sir Nicholas Waite

    Explanation: Sir John Child, the English Governor of Bombay, surrounded Mughal ports in 1688 and was expelled by Aurangzeb.

18. Q18.Who was the first to start a Joint Stock Company to trade with India?

    • A.Portuguese
    • B.English
    • C.Dutch✓ Correct Answer
    • D.French

    Explanation: The Dutch were the first to start a Joint Stock Company to trade with India in 1602.

19. Q19.Where was the first Portuguese fortress constructed?

    • A.Goa
    • B.Cochin✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Kannur
    • D.Calicut

    Explanation: In 1503, the first Portuguese Fort was constructed at Cochin by Albuquerque.

20. Q20.Which of the following is the correct chronological order of the establishment of these companies?

    • A.Portuguese (1498), English (1599), Dutch (1602), Danes (1616), French (1664)✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Portuguese (1498), Dutch (1602), English (1599), Danes (1616), French (1664)
    • C.Portuguese (1498), English (1599), Danes (1616), Dutch (1602), French (1664)
    • D.Dutch (1602), Portuguese (1498), English (1599), Danes (1616), French (1664)

    Explanation: The establishment years are: Portuguese (1498), English East India Company (1599), Dutch East India Company (1602), Danish East India Company (1616), and French East India Company (1664).