Which of the following was India's single largest export for a period in the nineteenth century, financed by…

Question

Which of the following was India's single largest export for a period in the nineteenth century, financed by Britain to balance its trade with China?

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **Answer: C – Opium** Opium shipments to China grew rapidly from the 1820s and became, for a while, India's single largest export. Britain grew opium in India, exported it to China, and used the earnings to finance its tea imports from China. *Source: Chapter 3, Section 2.6 – Indian Trade, Colonialism and the Global System* --- ## Explanation The passage explicitly states: *"opium shipments to China grew rapidly from the 1820s to become for a while India's single largest export."* The key detail examiners look for is the link between opium → China → financing Britain's tea trade. Don't confuse this with raw cotton (which rose sharply as an export but was not described as the single largest) or indigo (important but secondary).

Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question