Introduction:
The Expansion of British power in Bengal marks the true beginning of British political rule in India. Bengal was the richest and most prosperous province of the Mughal Empire, known for its fertile land, thriving textile industry, and flourishing trade. These advantages made it highly attractive to the English East India Company, which had received trading privileges in the region through a royal farman in 1717.
Over time, the Company’s commercial interests came into conflict with the authority of the Nawabs of Bengal. The misuse of trade privileges, the fortification of Calcutta, and the tension with Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah led to the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Aided by the betrayal of Mir Jafar, the British secured a decisive victory. This was followed by the Battle of Buxar in 1764, after which the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) granted the Company the Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. Thus, the Company became not merely a trader but a ruler.
This topic is of great importance for students of modern Indian history, especially those preparing for UPSC, SSC, Banking, and State PSC examinations.
Below given 50+ Expansion of British Power in Bengal Gk MCQs:
Q.1 Who was the first Nawab of Bengal?
A) Murshid Quali Khan
B) Siraj-ud-Daulah
C) Alivardi Khan
D) Sarfaraz Khan
Answer: A) Murshid Quali Khan
Q.2 Who succeeded Alivardi Khan as the Nawab of Bengal in 1756?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Mir Qasim
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
D) Shuja-ud-Daulah
Answer: C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
Q.3 In which year did Siraj-ud-Daulah become the Nawab of Bengal?
A) 1748
B) 1750
C) 1756
D) 1764
Answer: C) 1756
Q.4 Which European trading company became the biggest rival of the British in Bengal?
A) Portuguese East India Company
B) Dutch East India Company
C) French East India Company
D) Danish East India Company
Answer: C) French East India Company
Q.5 Which British official was responsible for the construction of Fort William in Calcutta?
A) Robert Clive
B) Job Charnock
C) Warren Hastings
D) Lord Cornwallis
Answer: B) Job Charnock
Q.6 What was the immediate cause of conflict between Siraj-ud-Daulah and the British?
A) Introduction of Permanent Settlement
B) Fortification of Calcutta without permission
C) Battle of Buxar
D) Introduction of Subsidiary Alliance
Answer: B) Fortification of Calcutta without permission
Q.7 In which year did Siraj-ud-Daulah capture Calcutta?
A) 1754
B) 1756
C) 1757
D) 1760
Answer: B) 1756
Q.8 What name did Siraj-ud-Daulah give to Calcutta after capturing it?
A) Alinagar
B) Murshidabad
C) Fatehpur
D) Akbarnagar
Answer: A) Alinagar
Q.9 Who led the British military expedition to recapture Calcutta in 1757?
A) Warren Hastings
B) Robert Clive
C) Hector Munro
D) Lord Wellesley
Answer: B) Robert Clive
Q.10 The Treaty of Alinagar was signed between the British and Siraj-ud-Daulah in which year?
A) 1756
B) 1757
C) 1760
D) 1764
Answer: B) 1757
Q.11 On which date was the Treaty of Alinagar signed?
A) 9th February, 1757
B) 23rd June, 1757
C) 22nd October, 1764
D) 12th August, 1765
Answer: A) 9th February, 1757
Q.12 Who was the Nawab of Bengal during the Battle of Plassey?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Mir Qasim
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
D) Alivardi Khan
Answer: C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
Q.13 The Battle of Plassey was fought on which date?
A) 23rd June, 1757
B) 22nd October, 1764
C) 12th August, 1765
D) 9th February, 1757
Answer: A) 23rd June, 1757
Q.14 Who was the last independent Nawab of Bengal?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Mir Qasim
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
D) Alivardi Khan
Answer: C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
Q.15 Who led the British forces in the Battle of Plassey?
A) Hector Munro
B) Robert Clive
C) Warren Hastings
D) Eyre Coote
Answer: B) Robert Clive
Q.16 Which of the following was the main reason for Siraj-ud-Daulah’s defeat at Plassey?
A) Lack of weapons
B) British naval superiority
C) Treachery by his commanders
D) Support from the French
Answer: C) Treachery by his commanders
Q.17 Who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah during the Battle of Plassey?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Mir Qasim
C) Shah Alam II
D) Alivardi Khan
Answer: A) Mir Jafar
Q.18 Who was the commander of Siraj-ud-Daulah’s army who remained loyal during the Battle of Plassey?
A) Rai Durlabh
B) Mir Madan
C) Jagat Seth
D) Omichand
Answer: B) Mir Madan
Q.19 Who was appointed as the Nawab of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey?
A) Mir Qasim
B) Mir Jafar
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
D) Shuja-ud-Daulah
Answer: B) Mir Jafar
Q.20 Which Indian banker played an important role in the conspiracy against Siraj-ud-Daulah?
A) Jagat Seth
B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
C) Nana Fadnavis
D) Amichand
Answer: A) Jagat Seth
Q.21 Who was the chief architect of the conspiracy against Siraj-ud-Daulah along with the British?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Shah Alam II
C) Alivardi Khan
D) Haider Ali
Answer: A) Mir Jafar
Q.22 Which place was the site of the Battle of Plassey?
A) Patna
B) Murshidabad
C) Palashi
D) Buxar
Answer: C) Palashi, West Bengal
Q.23 The Battle of Plassey was fought on the banks of which river?
A) Ganga
B) Yamuna
C) Bhagirathi
D) Damodar
Answer: C) Bhagirathi
Q.24 Who was the first Nawab of Bengal under British influence after the Battle of Plassey?
A) Mir Qasim
B) Mir Jafar
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
D) Shuja-ud-Daulah
Answer: B) Mir Jafar
Q.25 Who was known as the first British Governor of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey?
A) Robert Clive
B) Warren Hastings
C) Lord Cornwallis
D) Lord Wellesley
Answer: A) Robert Clive
Q.26 Who succeeded Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Bengal in 1760?
A) Siraj-ud-Daulah
B) Mir Qasim
C) Shuja-ud-Daulah
D) Shah Alam II
Answer: B) Mir Qasim
Q.27 Who became the first Governor-General of Bengal under the Regulating Act of 1773?
A) Robert Clive
B) Warren Hastings
C) Lord Cornwallis
D) Lord Wellesley
Answer: B) Warren Hastings
Q.28 Which city did Mir Qasim make the capital of Bengal after shifting it from Murshidabad?
A) Patna
B) Dacca
C) Munger
D) Calcutta
Answer: C) Munger
Q.29 Why did Mir Qasim abolish internal trade duties in Bengal in 1763?
A) To encourage French trade
B) To establish equal trading conditions
C) To increase British revenue
D) To strengthen Mughal administration
Answer: B) To establish equal trading conditions
Q.30 Which privilege of the British East India Company became a major source of conflict with Mir Qasim?
A) Diwani rights
B) Duty-free trade privileges
C) Right to appoint Nawabs
D) Right to collect land revenue
Answer: B) Duty-free trade privileges
Q.31 What were the British trade passes known as?
A) Farmans
B) Dastaks
C) Sanads
D) Mansabs
Answer: B) Dastaks
Q.32 Which British official was responsible for the exploitation of trade privileges in Bengal?
A) Robert Clive
B) Warren Hastings
C) Lord Dalhousie
D) Lord Curzon
Answer: A) Robert Clive
Q.33 In which year did the conflict between Mir Qasim and the British intensify into open warfare?
A) 1757
B) 1760
C) 1763
D) 1765
Answer: C) 1763
Q.34 Which Nawab of Bengal fought against the British in the Battle of Buxar?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Mir Qasim
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah
D) Alivardi Khan
Answer: B) Mir Qasim
Q.35 In which year was the Regulating Act passed by the British Parliament?
A) 1765
B) 1772
C) 1773
D) 1784
Answer: C) 1773
Q.36 On which date was the Battle of Buxar fought?
A) 23rd June 1757
B) 22nd October 1764
C) 12th August 1765
D) 9th February 1757
Answer: B) 22nd October, 1764
Q.37 The Battle of Buxar was fought between the British and which alliance?
A) Mir Jafar, Shah Alam II and Haider Ali
B) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II
C) Siraj-ud-Daulah, Mir Madan and Jagat Seth
D) Tipu Sultan, Nana Fadnavis and Mir Qasim
Answer: B) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II
Q.38 Who was the Mughal Emperor during the Battle of Buxar?
A) Bahadur Shah I
B) Shah Alam II
C) Akbar II
D) Farrukhsiyar
Answer: B) Shah Alam II
Q.39 Who was the Nawab of Awadh during the Battle of Buxar?
A) Safdar Jang
B) Shuja-ud-Daulah
C) Asaf-ud-Daulah
D) Saadat Khan
Answer: B) Shuja-ud-Daulah
Q.40 Who commanded the British army in the Battle of Buxar?
A) Robert Clive
B) Hector Munro
C) Eyre Coote
D) Warren Hastings
Answer: B) Hector Munro
Q.41 Which battle is considered more decisive than the Battle of Plassey in establishing British supremacy in India?
A) Battle of Panipat
B) Battle of Buxar
C) Battle of Wandiwash
D) Battle of Haldighati
Answer: B) Battle of Buxar
Q.42 What was the major consequence of the Battle of Buxar?
A) Restoration of Siraj-ud-Daulah
B) Establishment of British control over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha
C) End of Mughal Empire
D) Establishment of French supremacy in India
Answer: B) Establishment of British control over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha
Q.43 Which treaty was signed after the Battle of Buxar in 1765?
A) Treaty of Alinagar
B) Treaty of Allahabad
C) Treaty of Madras
D) Treaty of Seringapatam
Answer: B) Treaty of Allahabad
Q.44 In which year was the Treaty of Allahabad signed?
A) 1757
B) 1760
C) 1764
D) 1765
Answer: D) 1765
Q.45 Who concluded the Treaty of Allahabad on behalf of the East India Company?
A) Warren Hastings
B) Robert Clive
C) Hector Munro
D) Lord Cornwallis
Answer: B) Robert Clive
Q.46 Who granted the Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company?
A) Mir Jafar
B) Shah Alam II
C) Shuja-ud-Daulah
D) Mir Qasim
Answer: B) Shah Alam II
Q.47 What did the Diwani rights allow the East India Company to do?
A) Appoint the Mughal Emperor
B) Collect revenue and administer civil justice
C) Control the British Parliament
D) Appoint the Governor-General of India
Answer: B) Collect revenue and administer civil justice
Q.48 In which year did the East India Company obtain the Diwani rights?
A) 1757
B) 1760
C) 1764
D) 1765
Answer: D) 1765
Q.49 Which three regions were included in the Diwani grant of 1765?
A) Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
B) Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir
C) Bombay, Madras and Mysore
D) Awadh, Delhi and Agra
Answer: A) Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Q.50 What was the annual tribute promised to the Mughal Emperor under the Treaty of Allahabad?
A) ₹10 lakh
B) ₹15 lakh
C) ₹26 lakh
D) ₹50 lakh
Answer: C) ₹26 lakh
Q.51 Who introduced the Dual Government system in Bengal in 1765?
A) Warren Hastings
B) Robert Clive
C) Lord Cornwallis
D) Lord Wellesley
Answer: B) Robert Clive
Q.52 The Dual Government system in Bengal continued from which period?
A) 1757–1760
B) 1760–1765
C) 1765–1772
D) 1772–1784
Answer: C) 1765–1772
Q.53 Under the Dual Government system, who controlled the Diwani functions?
A) Nawab of Bengal
B) East India Company
C) Mughal Emperor
D) French East India Company
Answer: B) East India Company
Q.54 Under the Dual Government system, who was formally responsible for Nizamat functions?
A) East India Company
B) Nawab of Bengal
C) Mughal Emperor
D) British Parliament
Answer: B) Nawab of Bengal
Q.55 Which event marked the beginning of the Company’s direct control over the revenue administration of Bengal?
A) Battle of Plassey, 1757
B) Treaty of Alinagar, 1757
C) Grant of Diwani rights, 1765
D) Regulating Act, 1773
Answer: C) Grant of Diwani rights, 1765
Conclusion
The rise of British power in Bengal was the result of political conspiracy, military strength, and economic opportunity. The Battle of Plassey laid the foundation of British rule, while the Battle of Buxar confirmed their supremacy by defeating the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and Shah Alam II. The grant of Diwani rights in 1765 gave the Company control over revenue collection, providing the financial resources needed for further expansion across India.
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