Decline of Industries – UGC NET History – Practice Questions

1. Which of the following best describes deindustrialisation in colonial India?
A. Growth of heavy industries
B. Decline of industrial-based activities and handicrafts
C. Expansion of mechanised agriculture
D. Rise in urban manufacturing

2. The period of Indian economic deindustrialisation broadly lasted from:
A. 1707–1857
B. 1813–1947
C. 1858–1947
D. 1757–1947

3. India was severely disadvantaged by the benefits of the Industrial Revolution mainly because:
A. India lacked natural resources
B. India had no foreign trade
C. British policies favoured British industries over Indian production
D. Indian artisans refused mechanisation

4. Before colonial deindustrialisation, India was globally famous particularly for:
A. Petroleum industries
B. Handicrafts and textiles
C. Automobile production
D. Banking institutions

5. The British maintained India primarily as an agrarian economy in order to:
A. Secure cheap raw materials and market for British goods
B. Promote Indian industrialisation
C. Increase urbanisation
D. Protect Indian handicrafts

6. Which of the following contributed significantly to the decline of handicraft industries?
A. Expansion of indigenous royal courts
B. Heavy protection to Indian artisans
C. Technological backwardness alone
D. Disappearance of indigenous courts patronising artisans

7. According to Census Reports, dependence on agriculture increased from 63.7% in 1901 to nearly ______ in 1941.
A. 60%
B. 65%
C. 70%
D. 75%

8. India under British rule gradually became:
A. An industrial superpower
B. An agricultural colony of manufacturing Britain
C. A socialist economy
D. A maritime empire

9. Which industry reflected the transformation caused by deindustrialisation most visibly?
A. Cotton textile industry
B. Tea industry
C. Shipbuilding industry
D. Cement industry

10. After the Charter Act of 1813, India experienced:
A. Ban on British imports
B. Protectionism for Indian industries
C. Closure of ports
D. One-way free trade favouring Britain

11. Assertion (A): Cheap machine-made British goods flooded Indian markets after 1813.
Reason (R): The Charter Act of 1813 promoted one-way free trade for British citizens.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

12. Tariffs of nearly ______ were imposed on Indian textiles in European markets.
A. 30%
B. 80%
C. 50%
D. 90%

13. Indian exports were virtually barred from European markets after:
A. 1757
B. 1793
C. 1857
D. 1820

14. Which of the following was NOT a feature of deindustrialisation?
A. Ruralisation
B. Decline of handicrafts
C. Rapid mechanised industrial growth in India
D. Agricultural overcrowding

15. Ruralisation during colonial rule meant:
A. Migration of artisans to villages and dependence on agriculture
B. Rapid urbanisation of Indian towns
C. Mechanisation of villages
D. Agricultural exports decline only

16. Match List I with List II and choose the correct answer.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iv), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iii), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(iii), (b)-(i), (c)-(ii), (d)-(iv)

17. The “blending of agriculture and handicrafts” characterised:
A. Mughal taxation
B. Colonial industrial policy
C. Traditional Indian village economy
D. Zamindari system

18. In the true and modern sense, India before British rule was described as:
A. Highly industrialised like Britain
B. Entirely agrarian
C. World’s ‘industrial workshop’ by older standards
D. Closed feudal economy

19. Which of the following industries suffered during deindustrialisation?
A. Pottery
B. Iron smelting
C. Glass manufacturing
D. All of the above

20. The term ‘karkhanas’ refers to:
A. Workshops of craftsmen and artisans
B. Agricultural fields
C. British courts
D. Revenue settlements

21. Assertion (A): Indian artisans suffered due to disappearance of princely patronage.
Reason (R): Princes and nobility increasingly adopted western tastes and values.

A. Both A and R are false
B. Both A and R are true and R correctly explains A
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true

22. One reason for decline of handicrafts was:
A. British encouragement of indigenous industries
B. Control of foreign trade by foreigners
C. High demand from Indian courts
D. Cheap Indian mechanised goods

23. The East India Company oppressed Bengali craftsmen especially during:
A. 20th century
B. Medieval period
C. Second half of the eighteenth century
D. After independence

24. Which city was known for industrial prosperity before British decline?
A. Shimla
B. Dhaka
C. Chandigarh
D. Dispur

25. Who said, “The bones of cotton-weavers are bleaching the plains of India”?
A. Lord Curzon
B. Lord Ripon
C. Lord Cornwallis
D. William Bentinck

26. Match List I with List II and choose the correct answer.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(iii), (d)-(i)
B- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)
C- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(iii), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(i), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(iii)