Explanation
- A
Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
(a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium. Cotton and opium mattered, but oil-seeds were not the signature mid-18th-century Bengal export bundle of the Company, and silk and saltpetre are missing. This option is not the key.
- B
Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
(b) Sugar, salt, zinc and lead. Salt was a later monopoly story; zinc and lead were not Bengal’s staple Company exports in the 1750s. This option is not the key.
- C
Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
(c) Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea. Precious metals were typically imported into India to pay for goods; tea’s big Company story is later and more China-centred. This option is not the key.
- D
Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
(d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium. These were the classic Bengal staples the English East India Company shipped in the mid-18th century: piece-goods and raw fibre, silk, gunpowder ingredient, and opium. This option is the official key.
Summary. Official key is (d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium. Mid-18th-century Bengal cargoes that defined Company trade were textiles (cotton and silk), saltpetre for Europe’s wars, and opium. Oil-seeds, base metals, or a gold-and-spice list do not match that staple set. Silver more often flowed in to buy those goods. The stored Set A letter is (d).
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2023 · Q88 · General Studies · 2 marks
Consider the following statements : Statement-I : India accounts for 3.2% of global export of goods. Statement-II : Many local companies and some foreign companies operating in India have taken advantage of India's 'Production-linked Incentive' scheme. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?