Tag: india's contemporary economic condition

Questions Related to india's contemporary economic condition

James Watt invented the ______.

  1. Steam locomotive engine

  2. Dynamo

  3. Steam engine

  4. Steam printing press


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The steam engine was invented by James Watt in 1718. A steam engine is a machine that converts the heat energy of steam into mechanical energy. A steam engine passes its steam into a cylinder, where it then pushes a piston back and forth.

What was the purpose of the 'Encomienda System' in the Spanish colonies of the New World?

  1. To provide an incentive for Spanish settlers to immigrate to the New World.

  2. To allow for the creation of independent states allied with the Spanish Crown.

  3. To provide labor for the creation of Spanish plantations, ranches, and mining.

  4. To facilitate the conversion of the native population to Roman Catholicism.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Encomienda was a Spanish labor system. It was applied on a much larger scale during the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the Philippines. Under this system, labors were traded for specific work in plantations, ranches, and mining.

Each of the following increased agricultural output in the early middle ages EXCEPT:

  1. The three-field method.

  2. The moldboard plow.

  3. The horse collar and horseshoes.

  4. Chemical fertilizers.

  5. The climactic warm period.


Correct Option: D

Which of the following is attributed to Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama?

  1. He discovered a new sea route to India in 1498.

  2. He discovered the Grand Canyon in 1540.

  3. He conquered the Aztecs in Mexico in 1519.

  4. He discovered South America in 1499.

  5. He conquered the Incas in Peru in 1530.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Portuguese explorer and navigator Vasco de Gama discovered a new sea route to India in 1498. Vasco de Gama is regarded as the first European to reach India by sea. He crossed Cape of Good Hope (Africa) and reached Calicut (Kozhikode) in Malabar Coast (Kerala) where he met the King of Calicut, Zamorin who welcomed him graciously.

Who studied Newcomen's steam engine?

  1. John Kay

  2. Faraday

  3. James Watt

  4. George Stephenson


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The first steam engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712 in England. However, Newcomen's engine was inefficient and could only be used near coalmines, where coal was abundant and cheap enough to run the engine. If steam engines were to have wider uses, they needed to be improved. James Watt studied the Newcomen's steam engine and introduced refined steam engine which was more efficient and more powerful in 1765.

The fall of Constantinople endangered the _____ trade of the Europeans.

  1. Textile

  2. Spice

  3. Metal

  4. Opium


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by Ottoman Empire. It used to be the prime route for the Europe that allowed the trade of spice and other commodities from India and China. Its fall caused the loss in spice trade due to which the European sailors went on to discover an alternate sea route.

The needle of the Mariner's compass always points towards the _____.

  1. North

  2. South

  3. East

  4. West


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The invention of Mariner's compass was a significant one. It is an instrument meant to know directions. Its needle always points to the north.

Who invented the dynamo?

  1. Abraham Derby

  2. Davy

  3. Faraday

  4. James Watt


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

A dynamo is a device that uses electromagnetism to create a direct current of electrical power. The dynamo was invented by Michael Faraday.

Which country was known as Cathay?

  1. India

  2. China

  3. Constantinople

  4. Cape town


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Cathay, the name by which North China was known in medieval Europe. The word is derived from Khitay (or Khitan), the name of seminomadic people who left southeastern Mongolia in the 10th-century CE to conquer part of Manchuria and northern China, which they held for about 200 years. By the time of Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongols had begun referring to North China as Kitai and South China as Mangi. Kitai is still the Russian word for China.

Which Portuguese prince made great efforts to explore the western side of Africa?

  1. Prince Henry

  2. Alfonso I

  3. Manuel I

  4. King Edward


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Portuguese explorer Prince Henry, also known as the Navigator, was the first European to methodically explore Africa and the oceanic route to the Indies. From his residence in the Algarve region of southern Portugal, he directed successive expeditions to circumnavigate Africa and reach India.