Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?

1. A

   To maintain a large standing army at other's expense

   (a) To maintain a large standing army at other's expense. Subsidiary Alliance required the State to host and pay for a British contingent. That aim does apply to Wellesley’s system, so it is not the statement that “does not apply”. This option is not the key.

2. B

   To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger

   (b) To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger. Fear of French intrigue (Tipu, the Deccan) was an explicit Wellesley justification. The statement applies, so it is not the odd one out. This option is not the key.

3. C

   To secure a fixed income for the Company

   (c) To secure a fixed income for the Company. Subsidiary Alliance was a political-military device—troops, a Resident, barred foreign diplomacy—not a land-revenue settlement designed to lock a fixed Company income (that is closer to Permanent Settlement logic). This statement does not apply. This option is the official key.

4. D

   To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States

   (d) To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States. Isolating States from other Europeans and from one another, with a British Resident, was a step toward paramountcy. The statement applies. This option is not the key.

Summary. Official key is (c). Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance parked a British force on the Indian ruler, paid by that ruler, barred other Europeans, and posted a Resident—army at another’s cost, anti-Napoleonic security, and paramountcy. It was not a scheme to secure a fixed fiscal income for the Company in the Permanent Settlement sense. The statement that does not apply is therefore (c).