The "Black Hole Tragedy" was associated with the British conquest of Bengal.

Siraj-Ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, captured Fort William from English in 1756. The British prisoners of war were lodged in a prison room in the fort. Out of the 146 white prisoners, only 23 survived the next morning when the prison room was opened, the rest having trampled one other down for places near the window. Excessive heat and suffocation took a heavy toll.

Source)

Chapter 5; Page number 96

In 18 century, Bengal made unprecedented progress during the regional rulers i.e. Murshid Quli, Shujauddin, Sarfaraz Khan, Alivardi Khan.

Under the rule of these rulers, Bengal made unprecedented progress. There were other factors too, which made Bengal prosperous, for instance, the rest of India was disturbed by inter-border disputes, the Maratha invasions, Jat revolts, and external invasions by Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali. The region of Bengal was fortunate enough to escape these challenges.

Source)

Chapter 5; Page number 94

Statement 1 is correct. Robert Clive concluded two important treaties at Allahabad

in August 1765—one with the Nawab of Awadh and the other with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II. Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula agreed to:

(i) surrender Allahabad and Kara to Emperor Shah Alam II; Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

(ii) pay Rs 50 lakh to the Company as war indemnity; and

(iii) give Balwant Singh, Zamindar of Banaras, full possession of his estate.

Shah Alam II agreed to:

(i) reside at Allahabad, to be ceded to him by the Nawab of Awadh, under the Company’s protection;

(ii) issue a farman granting the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company in lieu of an annual payment of Rs 26 lakh; hence, statement 1 is correct.

(iii) a provision of Rs 53 lakh to the Company in return for nizamat functions (military defence, police, and administration of justice) of the said provinces.

Source)

Chapter 5; page number 100

All of the mentioned factors were responsible for the success of the British forces in India.

Superior Arms, Military and Strategy: The firearms used by the English, which included muskets and cannons, were better than the Indian arms both in the speed of firing and in range. 

Better Military Discipline and Regular Salary: A regular system of payment of salaries and a strict regime of discipline were the means by which the English Company ensured that the officers and the troops were loyal.

Civil Discipline and Fair Selection System: The Company officers and troops were given a charge on the basis of their reliability and skill and not on hereditary or caste and clan ties. They themselves were subject to strict discipline and were aware of the objectives of their campaigns.

Brilliant Leadership and Support of Second Line Leaders: Clive, Warren Hastings, Elphinstone, Munro, Marquess of Dalhousie, etc., displayed rare qualities of leadership. The English also had the advantage of a long list of secondary leaders like Sir Eyre Coote, Lord Lake and Arthur Wellesley who fought not for the leader but for the cause and the glory of their country.

Strong Financial Backup: The income of the Company was adequate enough to pay its shareholders handsome dividends as also to finance the English wars in India. Furthermore, England was earning fabulous profits from its trade with the rest of the world.

 Nationalist Pride: An economically thriving British people believing in material advancement and proud of their national glory faced the ‘weak, divided-amongst-themselves Indians’ bereft of a sense of unified political nationalism. The lack of materialistic vision among Indians was also a reason for the success of the English Company.

Source)

Chapter 5

Statement 1 is incorrect. Guru Gobind Singh transformed the Sikhs into a militant sect in defence of their religion and liberties.

Statement 2 is incorrect. In the wake of the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Sikhs once again asserted their authority. At this stage, they organized themselves into 12 misls or confederacies which exercised control over different parts of the kingdom. Ranjit Singh was the son of Mahan Singh, the leader of the Sukarchakiya misl.

Source)

Chapter 5; Page number 78

Statement 1 is correct. The treaty of Salbai was signed between Warren Hastings and Mahadaji Scindia. As per the agreement, Salsette and Bassein were given to the British. Raghunath Rao was pensioned off and Madhav Rao II was accepted as the Peshwa. It provided the British twenty years of peace with the Marathas.

Statement 2 is correct. The treaty of Salbai enabled the British to exert pressure on Mysore with the help of the Marathas in recovering their territories from Haider Ali.

Source)

Chapter 5; page number 112

The princely states of Satara (1848) and Jhansi & Nagpur (1854) were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse.

Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 after deposing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah on grounds of misgovernment.

Source)

Chapter 5; page number 135

Explanation:

• The Third Anglo-Mysore war ended with the Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792.
  • As per the treaty, Tipu had to cede half of his kingdom to the English including the areas of Malabar, Dindigul, Coorg and Baramahal.
  • He also had to pay Rs.3 Crore as war indemnity to the British.
  • Tipu also had to surrender two of his sons as surety to the British till he paid his due.
• Tipu Sultan of Mysore refused to enter into Subsidiary alliance, but after the British victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Mysore was forced to become a subsidiary state in 1799.

Explanation:

• First Anglo-Mysore War (1767 - 69): In the first Anglo-Mysore War, the Marathas, Nizam of Hyderabad and British together fought against Haidar Ali. In 1769, the Treaty of Madras was signed which brought an end to the war.
•  Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84): The treaty of 1769, served more like a truce and Haider Ali accused the British of not observing the terms of this treaty. In the second Anglo-Mysore war the Marathas, Nizam together with Haidar Ali fought against the British. Second Anglo- Mysore War ended by signing a Treaty of Mangalore in 1784 by Tipu Sultan.
•  Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92): The Marathas, Nizam and British (Triple Alliance) together fought against Tipu Sultan in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Treaty of Srirangapatnam was signed by Tipu in 1792. The terms of the Treaty were dictated by the British.

Explanation:

• The Second Anglo–Mysore War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company from 1780 to 1784.
• The Second Anglo-Maratha War was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India from 1803–1805.
• The First Anglo-Burmese War, also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese empires from 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826.
• The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company in 1845 and 1846.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The doctrine of lapse was the pro-imperialist approach to expand the realm of the British Kingdom in India. According to this doctrine, any princely state under the direct or indirect (as a vassal) control of the East India Company where the ruler did not have a legal male heir would be annexed by the company.
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Doctrine of Lapse was not introduced by Lord Dalhousie even though it was he who documented it and used it widely to acquire territories for the British.
• Statement 3 is correct: After Dalhousie became the Governor-General, in 1848, Satara was acquired as per this doctrine. Other major states annexed by the British as per the Doctrine of Lapse:
  • Jaipur – 1849
  • Sambalpur – 1849
  • Udaipur – 1852
  • Jhansi – 1853
  • Nagpur – 1854

Explanation:

• Both statements 1 and 2 is Incorrect: Bajirao I, considered the greatest of all the Peshwas, had started a confederacy of prominent Maratha chiefs to manage the rapidly expanding Maratha power. Under the arrangement of the Maratha confederacy, each prominent family under a chief was assigned a sphere of influence which he was supposed to conquer and rule, but in the name of the then Maratha King, Shahu. The Maratha families which emerged prominently were-
  1. The Gaekwad of Baroda
  2. The Bhonsle of Nagpur
  3. The Holkars of Indore
  4. The Sindhias of Gwalior
  5. The Peshwas of Poona

Explanation:

• Both statements 1 and 2 is Incorrect: Bajirao I, considered the greatest of all the Peshwas, had started a confederacy of prominent Maratha chiefs to manage the rapidly expanding Maratha power. Under the arrangement of the Maratha confederacy, each prominent family under a chief was assigned a sphere of influence which he was supposed to conquer and rule, but in the name of the then Maratha King, Shahu. The Maratha families which emerged prominently were-
  1. The Gaekwad of Baroda
  2. The Bhonsle of Nagpur
  3. The Holkars of Indore
  4. The Sindhias of Gwalior
  5. The Peshwas of Poona

Explanation:

• All of the statements given above are correct:
• The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 at Panipat, between Maratha Empire and invading Afghan army of under the King of Afghans, Ahmad Shah Abdali, supported by three Indian allies—the Rohillas Najib-ud-daulah, Afghans of the Doab region, and Shuja-ud-Daula-the Nawab of Awadh. In this Battle army of  Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas army.
• The Fourth Anglo–Mysore War was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore against the British East India Company and the Hyderabad Deccan in 1798–99. This was the final conflict of the four Anglo–Mysore Wars. The British captured the capital of Mysore. The ruler Tipu Sultan was killed in the battle.
• British hatched a conspiracy by which they planned to place Mir Jafar on the throne of Bengal. They first presented a near impossible set of demands which Siraj-ud-Daulah refused to comply with thereby worsening the already tense situation. A battle ensued at Plassey, (20 miles from present Murshidabad) in June 1757 AD. Mir Jafar and Rai Durlabh betrayed the Nawab and sided with the British. Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah was put to death by Mir Jafar’s son Miran. The British emerged winner in the battle of Plassey.

Explanation:

• Tipu Sultan established embassies in France, Turkey and Egypt on modern lines.Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore/Tipu Sahib, is known for his valiant acts in several wars and the sacrifices he made to save his land from foreign invaders. He is remembered for saving Deccan India from the British for a long period of time. He was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 to 1799.

Explanation:

• The Battle of Porto Novo was fought on 1 July 1781 between forces of the Kingdom of Mysore and British East India Company in the place called Porto Novo (now known as Parangipettai), during the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
• Battle of Wandiwash was the Third Carnatic War fought between the French and the British.
• The Battle of Calicut was a series of engagements that took place between 7 and 12 December 1790 near the port of Calicut on the Malabar Coast of India, during the Third Anglo-Mysore War. The Battle of Calicut was fought between the Mysore Kingdom and East India Company.
• The Battle of Khadki, also known as or The Battle of Ganeshkhind, took place at modern-day Khadki, India on 5 November 1817 between the forces of the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire under the leadership of Baji Rao II.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is Incorrect: War indemnity of more than 1 crores of Rupees was to be given to the English.
• Statement 2 and 3 is Correct:  The Jalandhar Doab between the Beas and the Sutlej was annexed to the Company’s dominions. The strength of the Sikh army was reduced.
• Statement 4 is Incorrect: Under the Treaty of Bhairowal The Regent, Maharani Jindan Kaur, mother of the Maharaja, was awarded an annual pension of 150,000 rupees and replaced by a Council of Regency composed of leading Chiefs and Sirdars acting under the control and guidance of the British Resident.

Explanation:

• Anglo-Nepalese Relations-Treaty of Sagauli
• Anglo-Burmese Relations- Treaty of Yandabo
• Anglo-Tibetan Relations-Treaty of Lhasa

Explanation:

• Statement 1 and 2 is Incorrect: The Sannyasi rebellion or Sannyasi Revolt (1770-1820) were the activities of sannyasis and fakirs (Hindu ascetics, respectively) in Bengal against the East India Company rule in the late 18th century. It is also known as the Sannyasi rebellion which took place around Murshidabad and Baikunthupur forests of Jalpaiguri. This rebellion was centred in the forests of Murshidabad and Baikunthupur, Bengal.Equal participation of Hindus and Muslims Characterised the uprisings sometimes referred to as the Fakir Rebellion.
• Statement 3 is Correct: Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel Anandamath, written in 1882, was set in the backdrop of the Sanyasi Rebellion. This book was banned by the British. India’s National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ was taken from this novel.

Explanation:

• Polygars (Palaiyakkarars) were feudal lords who were appointed as military chiefs and administrative governors from the time of the Vijayanagara Empire in parts of Southern India. (They were given the charge of a Palayam or a group of villages). It was the Polygars who collected taxes from the cultivators. But the East India Company came into conflict with the Polygars over the question of who should collect taxes, and sought to control the Polygars.The first rebellion, also called the First Polygar War broke out in September 1799 in Tirunelveli district in modern Tamil Nadu.The Polygars were led by Kattabomma Nayak (also called Veerapandi Kattabomman) who was in charge of Panchalankurichi Palayam. The main centres of Poligars uprising were Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Sivagiri, Madurai and North Arcot.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is Correct: The Paika Rebellion also called the Paika Bidroha. It was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817. The Paikas rose in rebellion under their leader Bakshi Jagabandhu and, projecting Jagannath as the symbol of Odia unity,
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Paikas were the traditional land-owning militia of Odisha and served as warriors. When armies of the East India Company overran most of Odisha in 1803, the Raja of Khurda lost his primacy and the power and prestige of the Paikas went on a decline.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 and 2 is Correct: The Kukas, also called Namdharis, were a sect within Sikhism.They started out as a group for religious purification in Sikhism but under Ram Singh, the movement acquired a political overtone with the established aim of restoring the Sikh rule in Punjab and ousting the foreign powers. The principles of Swadeshi and non-co-operation, which Mahatma Gandhi introduced in our freedom movement, were expounded by Guru Ram Singh for the Namdharis. The Guru’s Non-cooperation Movement was based on a few things such as the boycott of education institutions of British and laws established by them. They were rigid in their clothing and wore only hand-spun white attire.

Explanation:

• Option C is the Correct answer:
• The Sannyasi rebellion or Sannyasi Revolt (1770-1820) were the activities of sannyasis and fakirs (Hindu ascetics, respectively) in Bengal against the East India Company rule in the late 18th century.
• The Moamoria rebellion (1769–1805) was the 18th-century conflict in Assam between the Moamorias, who were mainly Motok (Chutiyas and Moran) and Kachari adherents of the Moamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings.
• The Paika Rebellion also called the Paika Bidroha. It was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817.
• Ahom’s Revolt took place in Assam region after the First Anglo Burmese War. The rebellion was against the annexation of the territories under British Empire in 1828.