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Governor Generals MCQs
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Governor-Generals of Bengal to India (1773 - 1858)
- • Warren Hastings (1773-1785): First Governor-General of Bengal under Regulating Act 1773; established Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774), abolished Dual Government in Bengal, Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784).
- • Lord Cornwallis (1786-1793): 'Father of Civil Services in India'; Permanent Settlement (Zamindari system) in Bengal (1793); Cornwallis Code separating revenue and judicial administration.
- • Lord Wellesley (1798-1805): Subsidiary Alliance system (Hyderabad first to sign in 1798; Mysore, Tanjore, Awadh); fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799 - death of Tipu Sultan); founded Fort William College.
- • Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835): First Governor-General of India (Charter Act 1833); abolished Sati (Regulation XVII, 1829 with Raja Ram Mohan Roy); suppressed Thuggee (William Sleeman); English Education Act 1835 (Macaulay's Minute).
- • Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856): Doctrine of Lapse (Satara 1848, Jaitpur, Sambalpur, Baghat, Udaipur, Jhansi 1853, Nagpur 1854; Awadh annexed for misgovernance in 1856); First Railway line (Bombay to Thane, 1853); Electric Telegraph; Postal Post Office Act; Wood's Despatch (1854); Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act (1856 passed under Canning).
Prominent Viceroys of the British Crown (1858 - 1947)
- • Lord Canning (1856-1862): Last Governor-General of EIC and First Viceroy of India (1858); Indian Penal Code (IPC 1860).
- • Lord Ripon (1880-1884): 'Father of Local Self-Government in India' (Resolution of 1882); repealed Vernacular Press Act; First official decennial Census (1881); Factory Act 1881; Ilbert Bill controversy (1883).
- • Lord Curzon (1899-1905): Partition of Bengal (1905); Ancient Monuments Preservation Act (1904); Indian Universities Act 1904.
- • Lord Mountbatten (1947-1948): Last Viceroy of British India; Mountbatten Plan (June 3 Plan); Indian Independence Act 1947; first Governor-General of independent Dominion of India.
| Governor-General / Viceroy | Tenure | Prominent Reform / Act | Key Landmark / Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Hastings | 1773 - 1785 | Regulating Act 1773, Asiatic Society | First Governor-General of Bengal |
| Lord Cornwallis | 1786 - 1793 | Permanent Settlement of Bengal (1793) | Father of Civil Services in India |
| Lord Wellesley | 1798 - 1805 | Subsidiary Alliance system | Annexations of Mysore, Awadh |
| Lord William Bentinck | 1828 - 1835 | Abolition of Sati (1829), Macaulay Minute | First Governor-General of India |
| Lord Dalhousie | 1848 - 1856 | Doctrine of Lapse, 1st Railway Line (1853) | Father of Modern Indian Infrastructure |
| Lord Ripon | 1880 - 1884 | Local Self-Government Resolution (1882) | Repealed Vernacular Press Act |
Showing 15 Practice Questions
Q1SSC CGL 2023Easy
Who was appointed as the first Governor-General of Bengal under the Regulating Act of 1773?
Q2UPSC CSE PrelimsEasy
The Permanent Settlement (Zamindari system) of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha was introduced in 1793 by:
Q3JKSSB FAA 2022Easy
Which Governor-General of India outlawed the practice of Sati through Regulation XVII in 1829?
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Q4CDS 2022Easy
Under Lord Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse, which princely state was the FIRST to be annexed in 1848?
Q5JKSSB VLW 2023Easy
Who is universally regarded as the 'Father of Local Self-Government in India' for his 1882 municipal reforms?
Q6SSC CGL Tier-1Easy
The Subsidiary Alliance system, through which Indian rulers surrendered foreign relations in exchange for British protection, was perfected by:
Q7JKPSC KAS PrelimsEasy
The first passenger railway train in India ran between Bombay (Bori Bunder) and Thane in April 1853 during the tenure of:
Q8NDA 2022Easy
Who was the Viceroy of India who presided over the controversial Partition of Bengal in October 1905?
Q9SSC CHSLEasy
Who served as the first Viceroy of India following the transfer of government from the East India Company to the British Crown in 1858?
Q10UPSC CSE PrelimsMedium
Which Viceroy of India was assassinated by Sher Ali Afridi while inspecting the convict settlement at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands in 1872?
Q11JKSSB Sub-InspectorEasy
The Vernacular Press Act of 1878, which gagged non-English native newspapers, was enacted by Lord Lytton and subsequently repealed by:
Q12JKSSB Patwari 2024Medium
Who was the Governor-General of India when the Charter Act of 1833 was passed, officially transforming his title from Governor-General of Bengal to Governor-General of India?
Q13CDS 2021Medium
Which Governor-General was famously impeached in the British House of Lords by Edmund Burke on charges of administrative corruption and extortion in India?
Q14SSC CGLEasy
Who was the only Indian to serve as the Governor-General of independent India from June 1948 until the Republic was inaugurated in January 1950?
Q15UPSC CSE PrelimsMedium
The annexation of Awadh (Oudh) by the British East India Company in 1856 was executed on the grounds of:
Frequently Asked Questions (Governor Generals)
Q: Which British Governor-General legally abolished the cruel practice of Sati in India?
Lord William Bentinck enacted Bengal Sati Regulation XVII on December 4, 1829, declaring the practice of Sati (burning of Hindu widows on their husband's funeral pyre) illegal and punishable by criminal courts as culpable homicide, actively supported by reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Q: What was the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Lord Dalhousie and which state was annexed first?
The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy whereby if an Indian ruler died without a direct biological male heir, his sovereign territory was automatically annexed by the British East India Company (disallowing adopted sons from inheriting sovereign titles). Satara (Maharashtra) was the first state annexed under this policy in 1848.
Q: Why is Lord Ripon revered as the 'Father of Local Self-Government in India'?
Lord Ripon passed the historic Resolution on Local Self-Government in 1882, establishing rural local boards, municipal committees, and non-official elected leadership to train Indians in civic local administration.
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