Part of the General Studies-I question bank for OPSC (OAS) Mains.
A comprehensive, topic-wise practice set of 21 questions on British Conquest & Colonial Policies for OPSC (OAS) Mains General Studies-I. 13 of them have been set in an actual paper — the years and exams are printed against each (2026, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2015). The rest are practice questions on the same syllabus points.
Previous year questions
| No. | Question | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discuss the impact of Macaulay's Minute on colonial administration and education in India. | UPSC Mains GS-I 2026 10 marks |
| 2 | How did the colonial rule affect the tribals in India and what was the tribal response to the colonial oppression? | UPSC Mains GS-I 2024 15 marks |
| 3 | Why did the armies of the British East India Company – mostly comprising of Indian soldiers – win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the Indian rulers? Give reasons. | UPSC Mains GS-I 2023 10 marks |
| 4 | Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons. | UPSC Mains GS-I 2023 10 marks |
| 5 | Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long term implications on the national movements. | UPSC Mains GS-I 2022 10 marks |
| 6 | Assess the main administrative issues and socio-cultural problems in the integration process of Indian Princely States. | UPSC Mains GS-I 2021 10 marks |
| 7 | What were the causes and consequences of the Odisha Famine of 1866? Discuss in the light of the following: /a/ British policy of forcibly extracting agricultural revenue. /b/ The heavy dependence of agriculture in India on forces of nature. | OPSC OAS Mains 2022 20 marks |
| 8 | How would a Union of States be different from a Federation of States? Discuss /a/ In the context of the Constitutional position in India that India is a Union. /b/ In contrast with the causes and consequences of the American Civil War through which the Union was forced onto the Confederacy. | OPSC OAS Mains 2022 15 marks |
| 9 | Throw light on the role of Jayi Rajaguru and Buxi Jagabandhu in resisting British control and inspiring people during the National Movement. | OPSC OAS Mains 2022 15 marks |
| 10 | Review the relations of the Government of India with Indian states between 1858 and 1918. | OPSC OAS Mains 2019 10 marks |
| 11 | How did Lord Ripon develop Local Self Government in India? | OPSC OAS Mains 2018 10 marks |
| 12 | What is 'Drain of Wealth' and what were its effects? | OPSC OAS Mains 2015 10 marks |
| 13 | Discuss the salient features of the Govt. of India Act, 1858. | OPSC OAS Mains 2015 10 marks |
Practice questions
| No. | Question | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "If Indian rulers had been able to manage their internal conflicts, British power could never have ruled over India." Comment. | — |
| 15 | The very creation of the native princely states was meant to subserve the colonial interests of the British government which ultimately led to people's movement. Elucidate. | — |
| 16 | Explain the significance of the conquest of Bengal for the British rule in India, focusing on its economic, administrative, and political impacts. | — |
| 17 | How did India's political, economic, and social landscape pave the country's susceptibility to British conquest? | — |
| 18 | Discuss how the Doctrine of Lapse disrupted the existing power hierarchies within native states, and how it acted as a catalyst in mobilising mass participation in the Revolt of 1857. | — |
| 19 | Enumerate elements that testament the decline of the Mughal empire, subsequently mention its relation to the rise of regional powers in 18th-century India? | — |
| 20 | Explain the factors contributing to the emergence of fragmented rule in mid-eighteenth-century India following the decline of the Mughal Empire. | — |
| 21 | Analyse the nature of the regional powers that rose in the midst of the 18th century in India. | — |