In the second half of the nineteenth century, Mill X came up in Gujarat and Mill Y came up in Bengal. Going by the pattern of modern industry in colonial India, which of the following is most likely correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → X was a cotton textile mill, mainly owned by Indians; Y was a jute mill, mainly owned by foreigners.
The first modern industries were cotton and jute textile mills. The cotton mills, mainly run by Indians, were in the west, in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The jute mills, run by foreigners, were mainly in Bengal.
Option (1) X was a cotton textile mill, mainly owned by foreigners; Y was a jute mill, mainly owned by Indians. — Incorrect. The mill types are right, but the owners are swapped.
Option (2) X was a cotton textile mill, mainly owned by Indians; Y was a jute mill, mainly owned by foreigners. — Correct. Both the place and the owners fit.
Option (3) X was a jute mill, mainly owned by Indians; Y was a cotton textile mill, mainly owned by foreigners. — Incorrect. Gujarat had cotton mills and Bengal had jute mills.
Option (4) X was a cotton textile mill, mainly owned by Indians; Y was an iron and steel unit, mainly owned by foreigners. — Incorrect. Iron and steel came only in the beginning of the twentieth century, not in the second half of the nineteenth.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.4 Industrial Sector … During the second half of the nineteenth century, modern industry began to take root in India but its progress remained very slow. Initially, this development was confined to the setting up of cotton and jute textile mills. The cotton textile mills, mainly dominated by Indians, were located in the western parts of the country, namely, Maharashtra and Gujarat, while the jute mills dominated by the foreigners were mainly concentrated in Bengal. Subsequently, the iron and steel industries began coming up in the beginning of the twentieth century. …” |