Identify the correct statements about ‘Charles Cornwallis’:
A. He was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence.
B. He was the Governor-General of Bengal.
C. He introduced Permanent-Settlement in 1793.
D. He was the first Viceroy of India.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B and C only
A. He was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence. Correct. Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) led the British forces in the American War of Independence before he came to India.
B. He was the Governor-General of Bengal. Correct. In India he served as the Governor General of Bengal, the head of the East India Company’s government.
C. He introduced Permanent-Settlement in 1793. Correct. The Permanent Settlement was introduced in Bengal in 1793, while Cornwallis was Governor General. It fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay to the Company for ever.
D. He was the first Viceroy of India. Incorrect. Cornwallis was a Governor General, not a Viceroy. The title of Viceroy came only in 1858, after the Revolt of 1857, when the British Crown took over the government of India from the Company; Lord Canning was the first to hold it.
Note: The term ‘first Viceroy of India’ is not used in the current NCERT book (2025-26). The book describes Cornwallis as the Governor General of Bengal when the Permanent Settlement was introduced, which is why statement D is marked incorrect.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part III — Chapter 9: Colonialism and the Countryside (2025-26)
Fig. 9.3 Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805), painted by Thomas Gainsborough, 1785 |
