UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 7
Which of the following statements correctly explain the impact of the Industrial Revolution on India during the first half of the nineteenth century?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct Option: A (Indian handicrafts were ruined)
Explanation: Cheap machine-made British textiles displaced many Indian handloom and handicraft producers in the early nineteenth century.
Option-wise Analysis:
A. Correct - Indian handicrafts, especially hand textiles, suffered major decline.
B. Incorrect - Large-scale mechanised textile production in India developed later, not in the first half of the century.
C. Incorrect - Major railway construction began chiefly after 1853, outside most of this early period.
D. Incorrect - Britain promoted imports of its manufactured goods rather than imposing protective Indian tariffs on them.