Chronologically arrange the following European trading companies that established their bases in India, beginning with the earliest to the most recent.
(A) British in Calcutta
(B) Dutch in Masulipatnam
(C) Portuguese in Panaji
(D) French in Pondicherry
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Chronologically arrange the following European trading companies that established their bases in India, beginning with the earliest to the most recent.
(A) British in Calcutta
(B) Dutch in Masulipatnam
(C) Portuguese in Panaji
(D) French in Pondicherry
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Solution
Option 1: (A), (C), (B), (D) -> Places British first and French last, which is chronologically incorrect.
Option 2: (A), (B), (D), (C) -> Places British first and Portuguese last, which reverses the actual historical sequence.
Option 3: (C), (D), (B), (A) -> Correctly starts with Portuguese but incorrectly places French before Dutch.
Option 4: (C), (B), (D), (A) -> Portuguese arrived first (~1510 in Goa/Panaji), followed by Dutch (~1605 in Masulipatnam), then French (1674 in Pondicherry), and finally British (1690 in Calcutta).
Hence, Option 4: (C), (B), (D), (A) -> The Portuguese were the earliest European power to establish bases in India in the early 16th century, followed by the Dutch in the early 17th century, then the French in the late 17th century, and finally the British formally established Calcutta in 1690 -> correct
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