The Advent of Europeans in India marks one of the most transformative chapters in Indian history. Starting from the late 15th century, European powers arrived on Indian shores driven by commercial ambitions, religious motives, and the desire to control the lucrative spice trade. The Portuguese were the first to establish a sea route to India, followed by the Dutch, English, French, and Danes. Each of these powers competed for trade supremacy and territorial control.
This period shaped modern India in countless ways. The establishment of trading companies, colonial settlements, and fortified posts changed India’s political and economic landscape forever. For students preparing for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, State PSC, and other government recruitment tests, this topic holds great importance. These 30 MCQs will help you test and strengthen your knowledge on this topic.
30 MCQs on Advent of Europeans in India – Indian History
Q1. Who was the first European to discover a direct sea route to India?
- A) Christopher Columbus
- B) Vasco da Gama
- C) Ferdinand Magellan
- D) Bartolomeu Dias
Q2. In which year did Vasco da Gama arrive in India for the first time?
- A) 1492
- B) 1510
- C) 1498
- D) 1505
Q3. At which Indian port did Vasco da Gama first land?
- A) Goa
- B) Calicut (Kozhikode)
- C) Cochin
- D) Surat
Q4. Who was the ruler of Calicut when Vasco da Gama arrived?
- A) Zamorin
- B) Albuquerque
- C) Prataparudra
- D) Krishnadeva Raya
Q5. The Portuguese captured Goa in 1510 under the leadership of which Governor?
- A) Vasco da Gama
- B) Pedro Alvares Cabral
- C) Alfonso de Albuquerque
- D) Francisco de Almeida
Q6. Which was the first European nation to establish trade relations with India?
- A) England
- B) France
- C) Netherlands
- D) Portugal
Q7. The English East India Company was established in which year?
- A) 1600
- B) 1608
- C) 1612
- D) 1620
Q8. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was formed in which year?
- A) 1595
- B) 1600
- C) 1602
- D) 1615
Q9. Which battle in 1759 ended Dutch power in India?
- A) Battle of Plassey
- B) Battle of Buxar
- C) Battle of Bedara
- D) Battle of Wandiwash
Q10. The French East India Company was established in which year?
- A) 1664
- B) 1670
- C) 1680
- D) 1690
Q11. Who founded the French East India Company?
- A) Cardinal Richelieu
- B) Jean-Baptiste Colbert
- C) Napoleon Bonaparte
- D) Louis XIV
Q12. Which French Governor is credited with expanding French power in India?
- A) La Bourdonnais
- B) Marquis Dupleix
- C) Count de Lally
- D) Francois Martin
Q13. Where did the French establish their first trading post in India?
- A) Pondicherry
- B) Mahe
- C) Surat
- D) Chandernagore
Q14. The Battle of Wandiwash (1760) was fought between which two European powers?
- A) Portuguese and Dutch
- B) English and Dutch
- C) English and French
- D) Portuguese and French
Q15. Who led the English forces in the Battle of Wandiwash?
- A) Robert Clive
- B) Sir Eyre Coote
- C) Warren Hastings
- D) Arthur Wellesley
Q16. The English established their first factory in India at Surat in which year?
- A) 1608
- B) 1612
- C) 1615
- D) 1623
Q17. Captain Hawkins visited the court of which Mughal Emperor to seek trading rights?
- A) Akbar
- B) Aurangzeb
- C) Jahangir
- D) Shah Jahan
Q18. Sir Thomas Roe visited India as an ambassador of which English monarch?
- A) Queen Elizabeth I
- B) King James I
- C) King Charles I
- D) King George I
Q19. The Portuguese established the first European printing press in India at which place?
- A) Goa
- B) Calicut
- C) Cochin
- D) Daman
Q20. Which Portuguese Governor introduced the Blue Water Policy in India?
- A) Alfonso de Albuquerque
- B) Vasco da Gama
- C) Francisco de Almeida
- D) Nuno da Cunha
Q21. The Danish East India Company established its first settlement at which place in India?
- A) Masulipatnam
- B) Tranquebar
- C) Cochin
- D) Surat
Q22. The Danes eventually sold their Indian settlements to the British in which year?
- A) 1830
- B) 1845
- C) 1845
- D) 1860
Q23. The Portuguese lost Hormuz to the Persians in which year, weakening their position in Indian Ocean trade?
- A) 1612
- B) 1622
- C) 1640
- D) 1655
Q24. Which Indian ruler defeated the Portuguese in the Battle of Diu (1508)?
- A) Bahmani Sultan
- B) Combined fleet of Gujarat and Egypt
- C) Vijayanagara Empire
- D) Zamorin of Calicut
Q25. The Second Battle of Diu (1509) was won by the Portuguese against which power?
- A) Ottoman and Egyptian fleet
- B) Dutch fleet
- C) Mughal fleet
- D) Calicut fleet
Q26. Pedro Alvares Cabral arrived in India in which year?
- A) 1498
- B) 1500
- C) 1502
- D) 1505
Q27. The Dutch primarily focused their trade activities in India around which commodity?
- A) Cotton
- B) Indigo
- C) Pepper and spices
- D) Silk
Q28. The Carnatic Wars between the English and French in India were fought during which period?
- A) 1700–1730
- B) 1720–1750
- C) 1746–1763
- D) 1770–1800
Q29. Who was the last major French Governor in India who was defeated and sent back to France?
- A) Marquis Dupleix
- B) Count de Lally
- C) Francois Martin
- D) La Bourdonnais
Q30. The Treaty of Paris (1763) effectively ended which European power’s dominance in India?
- A) Dutch
- B) Portuguese
- C) Danish
- D) French
Correct Answers
- B) Vasco da Gama
- C) 1498
- B) Calicut (Kozhikode)
- A) Zamorin
- C) Alfonso de Albuquerque
- D) Portugal
- A) 1600
- C) 1602
- C) Battle of Bedara
- A) 1664
- B) Jean-Baptiste Colbert
- B) Marquis Dupleix
- C) Surat
- C) English and French
- B) Sir Eyre Coote
- B) 1612
- C) Jahangir
- B) King James I
- A) Goa
- C) Francisco de Almeida
- B) Tranquebar
- B) 1845
- B) 1622
- B) Combined fleet of Gujarat and Egypt
- A) Ottoman and Egyptian fleet
- B) 1500
- C) Pepper and spices
- C) 1746–1763
- B) Count de Lally
- D) French
Conclusion
The Advent of Europeans in India is a topic that every aspirant of Indian history must study carefully. From the first arrival of the Portuguese in 1498 to the gradual decline of other European powers like the Dutch, French, and Danish, this period covers nearly three centuries of intense rivalry, trade competition, and political maneuvering. The eventual dominance of the British East India Company changed the course of Indian history permanently.
Practicing MCQs on this topic helps you retain dates, events, and facts more effectively than simply reading. These 30 questions cover the most frequently asked areas from this chapter in exams like UPSC Civil Services, SSC CGL, Railways, and State PSC exams. Regular practice of such questions will boost your accuracy and speed during the actual examination. Stay consistent and keep revising this important chapter.