Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

General Test

Chapter

General Knowledge

Question:

Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General, introduced which of the following policies pertaining to the expansion of the British Empire?

Options:

Subsidiary Alliance

Policy of Paramountcy

Doctrine of Lapse

Policy of Ring Fence

Correct Answer:

Doctrine of Lapse

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 3- Doctrine of Lapse

Lord Dalhousie, who served as Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856, introduced several policies that contributed to the expansion of the British Empire in India. One of the most significant policies associated with him is the Doctrine of Lapse.

The Doctrine of Lapse was a policy through which the British East India Company annexed princely states whose rulers died without a natural heir or adopted heir. According to this policy, if a ruler of a princely state under the Company's paramountcy died without a natural heir, the state would "lapse" or be annexed by the British. This policy was used to expand British control over Indian territories and increase the Company's revenue.