UPSC Prelims 2018 GS Paper I · Q68 of 100 History medium

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

  1. (a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
  2. (b) Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
  3. (c) Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
  4. (d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• By the mid-18th century Bengal was the Company's richest trading province; its staple exports were cotton textiles (muslins and calicoes), raw silk and silk goods, saltpetre (for gunpowder) and opium (for the China trade) — option (d).

• Raw cotton and oilseeds (a) became exports only in the 19th century; sugar, salt, zinc and lead (b) and copper, silver, gold and tea (c) were imports or not Bengal products.

• Hence option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
Raw cotton and oilseeds were 19th-century exports.
(b) Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
Zinc and lead were imports into India.
(c) Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
Silver and gold flowed into India; tea came from China.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018, held on 3 June 2018. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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