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Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.

Q1. [1] medium thorough-understanding
Which of the following best explains why the pre-colonial port of Surat lost its commercial importance by the end of the eighteenth century? (A) A series of destructive floods ruined its harbour infrastructure (B) English and Dutch companies captured the oceanic trade, cutting off the credit and customs networks that sustained Surat's merchants (C) The Mughal Empire deliberately shifted its revenue collection to inland routes, bypassing Surat (D) Indian weavers preferred to sell directly to Calcutta-based traders who offered higher prices
  1. A A severe earthquake destroyed Surat's harbour facilities, making the port unusable for large ships.
  2. B European companies secured monopoly rights over trade and shifted commerce to new colonial ports they controlled, causing credit and export volumes through Surat to collapse.
  3. C Indian merchants voluntarily moved their operations to Bombay because it offered lower customs duties.
  4. D The demand for Indian textiles in West Asia and the Gulf declined sharply, removing the main purpose of the Surat trade route.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 15:00 · grounding rag
Model Answer

Answer: B

European companies secured monopoly rights over trade and shifted commerce to new colonial ports (Bombay, Calcutta), causing credit networks to collapse and export volumes through Surat to slump from ₹16 million to ₹3 million by the 1740s.

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

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Explanation

The passage directly states: "European companies gradually gained power — first securing concessions, then monopoly rights to trade. This resulted in a decline of the old ports of Surat and Hoogly… exports fell dramatically, credit began drying up." The specific trade figures (₹16 million → ₹3 million) are key evidence examiners expect. Options A (earthquake) and D (demand decline) are not mentioned in the text; Option C (voluntary move for lower duties) is also unsupported. Always anchor your MCQ justification in textbook facts.

Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.