Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

The shift from Surat and Hoogly to Bombay and Calcutta reveals that control over Indian trade passed from Indian merchants to European companies. Earlier, Indian merchants, bankers, and supply merchants controlled trade networks through the old ports. As European companies gained monopoly rights and political power, these ports decayed — Surat's trade fell from Rs 16 million to Rs 3 million by the 1740s. The new ports were controlled by Europeans, goods were carried in European ships, and Indian trading houses either collapsed or were forced to operate within European-dominated networks.

Source: Chapter 4, Section 3.1 – The Age of Indian Textiles

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• Examiners expect you to name the specific ports and link their decline/rise to the transfer of commercial control.
• The Rs 16 million → Rs 3 million statistic is a strong factual detail that earns marks.
• Key phrases to use: "monopoly rights," "European companies," "Indian merchants went bankrupt/collapsed" — these show you understand the economic shift, not just the geographic one.
• Avoid vague statements like "trade changed" — always say who lost control and who gained it.