Who was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence. Later he became the Governor-General of Bengal, and it was under him that the Permanent Settlement was introduced in Bengal in 1793.
Tip: This fact is printed in the caption under Cornwallis’s portrait. The few lines under a portrait often say who the person was and what he did; read them with the picture.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| 11-05 S1 | – | – | 16-06 S2* | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2025-26): “1.3 Why zamindars defaulted on payments … Company officials felt that a fixed revenue demand would give zamindars a sense of security and, assured of returns on their investment, encourage them to improve their estates. In the early decades after the Permanent Settlement, however, zamindars regularly failed to pay the revenue demand and unpaid balances accumulated.…”
Fig. 9.3 Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805), painted by Thomas Gainsborough, 1785 He was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence and the Governor General of Bengal when the Permanent Settlement was introduced there in 1793. |
